Rating: 
Summary: Buy at your own risk
Review: Let me start by saying this could have been one of the great DVD sets ever released but Rhino really dropped the ball.Some reviewers seem to think they are viewing the complete performances or the performances as "originally aired". Lets clear that up right now. These are the edited performances that aired on VH1 and in no way are they as originally performed on the Ed Sullivan Show in the 50's, 60's and 70's. Anyone who believes they are viewing the original performance need only compare the Beatles Ed Sullivan appearances from "Beatles Anthology" or "Beatles First US Visit" to the same performances contained in this DVD set. You will then see and hear exactly what you are missing. All songs suffer a similar editing done so skillfully that anyone unfamiliar with the songs or original broadcasts might be fooled. Don't think for a second that a group fortunate enough to appear on Ed Sullivan's show would have chosen to perform a "shortened" version of their songs. It just didn't happen. Sorry folks, but if you think you are viewing the original performance as aired you are just plain wrong. Because of the price I was convinced that we would now see the full versions of these songs and not the hatchet job we saw on VH1. But Rhino really fooled us. One reviewer felt that the high price may be due to royalty payments to so many artists. Maybe, but I doubt it. The Hullabaloo DVD series has many artists but the set is very affordable and you get the complete performances as aired. As for groups like the Dave Clark Five being absent (they made 18 appearances on the Ed Sullivan show) it's possible that Dave Clark was able to avoid being part of this project. He was and is very protective of the usage of the DC5 material. But if he could avoid it then surely Apple (the Beatles management) would have disassociated themselves from this set as well. They are highly protective of the Beatles and would have opted out if possible. But that's another debate. Sound quality is as good as you can expect from mono sources so long ago. Remember, Ed didn't broadcast in stereo. The so called 5.1 mix is just processed mono but does give the sound more depth than the plain mono track. Overall this set is just a huge disappointment for the serious collector but may satisfy the casual fan although at quite a price. I would return mine for a refund if I could. I would really like to see Rhino post a response on this site and explain their decisions.
Rating: 
Summary: Mixed feelings
Review: Like many others, I've read the mostly negative reviews for this compilation. I'll preface the main body of my review by verifying some of the complaints: The video on the nine discs could have been placed quite neatly on 4-5 discs. Many of the performances have been truncated. The credits appear on each disc three times. Many of the performances appear twice (the most notorious is Jefferson Aiplane's "Crown of Creation" which appears twice -- on the same disc!) Along with these comments others have also made, I'll add the following: The above problems with the set can be partially explained; The set Rhino put out were the "Ed Sullivan's Rock and Roll Classics" episodes, broadcast a few years ago on VH1, as is. These VH1 episodes were 30 minutes in length and are issued here without the commercials. Unfortunatly, the episodes were not re-edited for chronological or musical considerations. Despite Sofa Entertainment/Rhino's efforts, the lack of chronology on this set is appalling. While discs including hits of 1965, 1966, etc. are chronological for the most part, the Motown disc and others lack such continuity. On the plus side, there are several attractive features to this collection. The images are sharp and the color is vivid. There are some great performances, even though many were lip-synched. I do believe, however, that while the Rolling Stones were air guitaring to a pre-recorded soundtrack, Mick Jagger was singing live. This also appears to be the case with the Association and other acts. A final note on the truncation of many of the songs: While some appear to have been edited by SOFA/Rhino, some do appear to have been truncated for the original broadcast. We must remember that the "Ed Sullivan Show" was a variety show, not a strict music show like "Hullabaloo" or "Shindig." Variety shows were rigidly timed in rehearsal; most acts -- musical, comedic, novelty -- did not get more than 2-3 minutes of air time. Undoubtedly many of the clips on this set were the result of rehearsal cuts -- but many were also edited by SOFA for broadcast on VH1. I can marginally recommend this DVD set because it does include some great music and performances. But be forwarned, the flaws mentioned above are major and will affect your enjoyment of the set. If you must have this collection, buy it at a discount price.
Rating:
Summary: Not for the serious Motown fan/collector...
Review: The other reviews are all on point, but for those of us who remember the Motown acts that graced the Ed Sullivan show in the 60's, I stand to say for that reason alone, this box set is woefully disappointing. The Supremes debuted You Can't Hurry Love on the show in 1966 to coincide with the next-day release of the single. They would always sing a medley or standard. Every Motown act sang a hit song and then sang a medley of their hits. The Temptations and The Supremes sang a historical medley of each other's hits in 1967. Not that he was with Motown but mentioning anyway, James Brown sang an amazing medley featuring Please, Please, Please. None of these outstanding performances are on this box. Sad, but true. (I'd even settle on Elvis singing Can't Help Falling In Love With You, for that matter, and even THAT isn't on this set.) However, we DO have multiple performances of The Supremes singing Love Is Like An Itching In My Heart and Come See About Me as well as The J5 performing I Want You Back as well as James Brown singing Prisoner Of Love. There are other duplicates and wastes of valuable disc space that could have been spent on other performances. You can find VHS copies of all of the Motown acts on Ed Sullivan, or even all of The Supremes Ed Sullivan's performances on VHS on ebay. Granted, they are bootlegs, but at least you're getting what you want for a lot less money. Word to the wise, SAVE YOUR MONEY! Buy it at a deep discount or used or not at all. I was thoroughly disappointed. True Motown fans will be happy with Marvin Gaye singing Take This Heart Of Mine, but to spend nearly two hundred dollars for one rare performance is robbery. Now, it's not too much to ask for the powers that be to go back and redo, or even produce a separate Sullivan DVD featuring all of the Motown acts in their entirety, is it? I was a fan of Ed Sullivan anyway and even if you take away the Motown acts, this DVD is still lacking in so many valuable and historic performances. His show was a launching pad for many acts; his show was THE variety show of its time. EVERYONE wanted to be on it. Sadly, this DVD doesn't even capture the excitement of seeing these acts for the first time or even again some 40 years later. What is the point in digging out all of this old footage to create what could be an exciting historical montage and then do it wrong? The Hullabaloo discs show a much better time and they're cheaper. It hurts me to say it, but avoid this Ed Sullivan box at all costs. And I only rate this set 1 star because I can't rate it zero.
Rating: 
Summary: IT'S JUST OK !!!
Review: The reviews on this box seem to vary from great to rotten. Yes, I agree that it's got some value due to its historic content. But make no mistake, these performances are chopped. The thing that burns me up, is that its not just long jams that are cut, but very short songs also. To end all confusion with artists doing shortened versions on purpose, I ask you to view the DVD of The Beatles: First U.S. Visit. Compare the same songs, played on the same night back in 1964. This is a dececptive product that tries to fool the unsuspecting buyer. It took me several viewings to figure it out. Shame on you Rhino!!!
Rating:
Summary: Why not just play the full-length clips?
Review: These are the half-hour cut-together Best of Ed Sullivan clip shows that were in late-night syndication a few years ago. Out of fear, apparently, that today's audiences won't sit still for a full three-minute performance, the songs are trimmed to one verse and one refrain - in most cases allowed to go on no longer than about 70 seconds. The cuts are skillfully made so that the song appears to begin and end naturally, but a huge chunk has been chopped out of the middle. Instead of full-length performances, time is given over to an interminable, cheery announcer, who blathers trivia over newsreel footage and rostrum camerawork, and annoyingly up-beat bumpers and titles done for the syndication run, which blare in before the last note has faded to tell you who's coming up next. I'd much rather just see the full-length performances in the original context of the show. Still, the opportunity to see these clips at all is worth something. Just keep in mind that almost half the running time is taken up with truly hateful filler material and that the performances have been liberally trimmed.
Rating:
Summary: Could've Been Better If.....
Review: This box set had so much promise but I havta admit I was let down. Where's the classic performance of The Rolling Stones singing the altered version of LET'S SPEND THE NIGHT TOGETHER? Where's the clip of Gary Lewis and The Playboys screwing up at the end of a song? Why is The Doors only performance of LIGHT MY FIRE on this collection TWICE??? What a waste of space! Why are there no clips of the Dave Clark 5??? They were on the Sullivan show EIGHTEEN TIMES!!! More than the Beatles, yet NOT ONE PERFORMANCE BY 'EM! Why is a whole disc devoted to the Temptations and the Supremes??? BORING. Jeez, if that ain't enough, there's still another disc that features MORE AND MORE Temptations and Supremes! Elvis and the Beatles ain't here as much as them!!! I'd like to say the Beatles clips are interesting; they are for what they are, but they cut the performances off after only one song then come back to 'em later on another disc. Why not put the whole performance on at once? It was short enough! Even though I'm more of a Beatle fan than an Elvis fan, the Elvis clips were the highlight for me...not for the music, but for showing Elvis to be extremely cool and with a great sense of humor you might not realize he had. If Rhino (who I still love dearly) decides to put out a second volume, they need better consulting.......AND NO MORE SUPREMES!!! WE HAVE ENOUGH!!!
Rating: 
Summary: The best ever music collection from the era 1950's to 1970.
Review: This Ed Sullivan 9 DVD box set contains the best ever collection of music artists singing pop,rock,soul and ballads.The range of artists is outstanding from Elvis(9 performances)to the Supremes,Tom Jones,The Beatles,Smoky Robinson,The Beach Boys,The Four Seasons,The Temptations,Lulu,Buddy Holly,The Rolling Stones,The Carpenters,The Jackson 5,The Animals,Hermans Hermits,Jackie Wilson,The Doors,The Mamas And The Papas and many more.The picture quality is eccellent,very clear. The best thing about the set is that it has so many live performances instead of just miming as some other shows had.I don't know what one reviewer was talking about,but some of the songs on this set are medleys and are meant to be shorter versions.The Sonny and Cher song from 1965 is short,but"I Got You Babe" is hardly a big loss.One big advantage that this set has over the Hullabaloo DVDs is that this Ed Sullivan set is mostly in colour where as the Hullabaloo DVDs are mostly in black and white.At any rate,this DVD set is well worth the money.There is also a trivia track which can be switched on during any performance and information on any particular artist's life and career can be viewed while the artist performs.There is also a discography of artists on each volume and other extras.The set is nicely packaged in a solid box shaped like a 1950's TV.Jay Thomas narrates the history of the times in between performances with other footage of the artists or the news of that year.The Ed Sullivan phone interview with his wife,from 1958,was also interesting.The great thing about Ed Sullivan is that his show presented the world's best artists.
Ed gave the world great value for money.I used to watch his show in Australia as a kid and this set brings back great memories.Buy it,you won't be disappointed.
Rating: 
Summary: I'm glad I bought it...here's why
Review: When I first saw the DVD set in the stores, I thought this was a no brainer to buy. Like many of you, I often look up the Amazon.com reviews first. I was really taken aback buy the poor ratings which made me think twice. Anyway, I had a chance to buy the set new for [a good price] this past week. I've watched 5 of the first 9 DVDs so far. Yes, some of the performances are cut short (not all verses sung). First of all, who cares if Sonny and Cher don't drag out I Got You Babe. I was more saddened at the short versions of Sly's Dance to the Music. Most of those abridged versions were due to programming at the time. Overall I was quite pleased. I thought the sound and pictures were pretty well mastered. Yes, there is some song duplication, but it didn't kill me. No, I wouldn't pay full price, but I'm really quite pleased. Actually , the most annoying thing is getting the DVDs out of the package. They are in there tight and you have to be careful pushing the middle ring to get the discs out. I can live with this compilation. At least it's not put together by some self indulgent producer who has to put interview footage in the middle of live performances like many do...that's the worst sin of all. Bottom line is this was a rush to watch. Really enjoyed the young Tom Jones and the Association. FYI, one of the Association's hidden harmonies was the Hawaiian singer's brother, who was always off stage with a microphone. Buy it, but get it on sale.
Rating:
Summary: I'm glad I bought it...here's why
Review: When I first saw the DVD set in the stores, I thought this was a no brainer to buy. Like many of you, I often look up the Amazon.com reviews first. I was really taken aback buy the poor ratings which made me think twice. Anyway, I had a chance to buy the set new for [a good price] this past week. I've watched 5 of the first 9 DVDs so far. Yes, some of the performances are cut short (not all verses sung). First of all, who cares if Sonny and Cher don't drag out I Got You Babe. I was more saddened at the short versions of Sly's Dance to the Music. Most of those abridged versions were due to programming at the time. Overall I was quite pleased. I thought the sound and pictures were pretty well mastered. Yes, there is some song duplication, but it didn't kill me. No, I wouldn't pay full price, but I'm really quite pleased. Actually , the most annoying thing is getting the DVDs out of the package. They are in there tight and you have to be careful pushing the middle ring to get the discs out. I can live with this compilation. At least it's not put together by some self indulgent producer who has to put interview footage in the middle of live performances like many do...that's the worst sin of all. Bottom line is this was a rush to watch. Really enjoyed the young Tom Jones and the Association. FYI, one of the Association's hidden harmonies was the Hawaiian singer's brother, who was always off stage with a microphone. Buy it, but get it on sale.
Rating:
Summary: Not worth the money.
Review: While this is a nicely packaged set the contents are disappointing. Sure, you get a 144 performances but they are edited. For the price I was expecting the complete performance by an artist. And it's not because of lack of space on the DVD. I also question the choices of artists/songs or artists omitted. Do we really need two songs by Dino, Desi and Billy? What about the Dave Clark Five? A group so well liked by Ed Sullivan that they had an open invitation to appear on his show. Why were they absent from the British Invasion discs? As Herman's Hermits once sang, this is "A Must To Avoid".
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