Neil Finn - Sessions at West 54th

Rating:
Summary: A spectacular Neil Finn show, beautiful picture and sound...
Review: An absolutely essential release! Neil Finn, late of Split Enz, Crowded House and the band Finn, crafted a piece of pop perfection with his 1998 solo album "Try Whistling This." But as good as Finn is with studio material, many fans believe his songs truly come alive on stage. This DVD proves the point. Neil Finn combines the pop craftsmanship of Paul McCartney with evocative lyrics and one of the best voices in modern music. Perfect sound and excellent camerawork make this a fabulous document of the "Try Whistling This" tour. And hopefully it will put pop fans in the mood for Neil Finn's next solo release, due out sometime in 2001!

Rating:
Summary: A spectacular Neil Finn show, beautiful picture and sound...
Review: An absolutely essential release! Neil Finn, late of Split Enz, Crowded House and the band Finn, crafted a piece of pop perfection with his 1998 solo album "Try Whistling This." But as good as Finn is with studio material, many fans believe his songs truly come alive on stage. This DVD proves the point. Neil Finn combines the pop craftsmanship of Paul McCartney with evocative lyrics and one of the best voices in modern music. Perfect sound and excellent camerawork make this a fabulous document of the "Try Whistling This" tour. And hopefully it will put pop fans in the mood for Neil Finn's next solo release, due out sometime in 2001!

Rating:
Summary: Downunder On Top
Review: Anyone who has never heard a Maton guitar in Neil's hands must take a listen/look.Not to mention a very sweet Gibson Les Paul! Great image with luxurious bit rate. Nice 5.1 with approproiate scale and nicely controlled .1 channel. A real treat and something for Crowded House/Split Enz fans also. In an age of sampling dooof dooof rubbish true crafted rythym and blues.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent - fans will love it.
Review: excellent music for that matter. If you are reading these words you are most likely already familiar with the wonderful world of all things Finn. I could go on for decades about Neil Finn's amazing songcraft, his beautiful voice, his unmatched stage presence, but you guys already know all about that. What makes this DVD a must have is the selection of songs and the intimate setting. I missed the Try Whistling This Tour, so I am thrilled to have the opportunity to see those songs (like Faster Than Light and Addicted) performed live (over and over and over again!). So, if you are on the fence about buying this DVD... go on and do it already! Especially you Americans... you never know when you'll get to see the man live and in person, so you may as well have something that you can enjoy in perpetuity.

Rating:
Summary: Essential for the Neil Finn fan... or anyone who appreciates
Review: excellent music for that matter. If you are reading these words you are most likely already familiar with the wonderful world of all things Finn. I could go on for decades about Neil Finn's amazing songcraft, his beautiful voice, his unmatched stage presence, but you guys already know all about that. What makes this DVD a must have is the selection of songs and the intimate setting. I missed the Try Whistling This Tour, so I am thrilled to have the opportunity to see those songs (like Faster Than Light and Addicted) performed live (over and over and over again!). So, if you are on the fence about buying this DVD... go on and do it already! Especially you Americans... you never know when you'll get to see the man live and in person, so you may as well have something that you can enjoy in perpetuity.

Rating:
Summary: best live recording I've seen
Review: Forget 7 Worlds collide, add the 57th Sessions to your Neil Finn collection. If you are knew to Finn or Crowded House, this is and excellent place to start. The sound in the 57th Street Series is just top notch, and it enlivens the already excellent work of the Try Whistling This CD. TWD is a vastly underrated album...and all songs on that recording except for Dream Data (a great song) are included in this package. The Crowded House classics Don't Dream It's Over and the hauntng Fall at your Feet are also featured. The acoustic live Fall at Your Feet is absolutely magnificent. Finn is warm and wry with bandmates including his son and Mark Hart and the crowd. A must. My personal favorite is Loose Tongue which just rocks the house down. A must.

Rating:
Summary: best live recording I've seen
Review: Forget 7 Worlds collide, add the 57th Sessions to your Neil Finn collection. If you are knew to Finn or Crowded House, this is and excellent place to start. The sound in the 57th Street Series is just top notch, and it enlivens the already excellent work of the Try Whistling This CD. TWD is a vastly underrated album...and all songs on that recording except for Dream Data (a great song) are included in this package. The Crowded House classics Don't Dream It's Over and the hauntng Fall at your Feet are also featured. The acoustic live Fall at Your Feet is absolutely magnificent. Finn is warm and wry with bandmates including his son and Mark Hart and the crowd. A must. My personal favorite is Loose Tongue which just rocks the house down. A must.

Rating:
Summary: Neil live is good to go!
Review: I'm a big fan of Neil's Split Enz/Crowded House efforts, but I have not been as impressed with the solo work - until I saw him perform the songs live on the DVD. The majority of the disc consists Neil's solo material, which is performed w/ his son on the guitar and drums. The quality of the performance is excellent.

Rating:
Summary: Neil Finn is a great musician
Review: I've been a fan of Neil Finn's for quite a while, and I must say that this master of song writing shines on this DVD. I highly recommend this DVD. Neil Finn is one of those few artists who sounds great live. The quality of his music isn't left in the studio. There's something alive to it. So pick it up and enjoy one of the masters.

Rating:
Summary: Reference-quality live performance!
Review: I've bought a few live concert DVDs, but Session's high-definition digital audio/video methods reign supreme. The intimate sound mix is a revelation--especially how the rear channels are utilized way beyond simple crowd noise and spatial reverb--whether you're comparing it to what you'd hear on the broadcast edition or just to the Whistling This CD. (Nice feature for newcomers to solo Finn: subtitle track provides the lyrics.) Here's hoping we see more of these single-artist Sessions instead of the mixed-bag season compilations released so far (a suggestion: David Byrne's weird set from season one).