Rating: 
Summary: Double Dose of Morse
Review: "Sects,Drugs&RocknRoll" gives the viewer a chance to see the great Steve Morse in 2 different bands. The disc contains a concert of Morse with the Dixie Dregs as well as with his own band in an intimate setting. Steve Morse has received many accolades for his playing ability since he started the Dregs back in the 70's. His career includes many solo albums, as well as recordings and tours with Kansas and Deep Purple. His diversity is one of his strengths. Great compositional skills, onstage interplay, and an unreal amount of chops are other strengths that are on display on this DVD. In addition to the 2 concerts there is a picture gallery and a comprehensive interview with Morse that I found to be well worth a viewing. The concerts are both worthy of multiple viewings.
The Dixie Dregs were formed by Morse and some college cohorts of his in the mid 70's. They mixed ,from their jazz influences; chops,improvisational skills, compositional skills together with rock energy and a bluegrass/country sound to form one of the most distinctive sounds in fusion. The show features the Dixie Dregs combo that has been touring together for the last 5 years. Dave Larue on bass, Jerry Goodmand on violin along with original Dregs members Morse, T Lavitz(Keys) and Rod Morgenstein(Drums). The Dregs show is called "Official Bootleg" for a reason. It is obvious that this doesn't hold up to the latest and greatest DVD releases for sound and editing. However, the sound is fine and the footage doesn't miss anything. The important thing is that you aren't missing anything and the music is great. The concert contains 14 songs that include Dregs classics such as "The Bash", "Cruise Control", "Take it Off the Top", "Blood Sucking Leeches" and "Assembly Line". The performance is great. Telepathic interplay, virtuostic displays, and the distinctive Dregs sound are all there. There is even a cover of Mahavishnu Orchestra's "Dance of the Maya" which John Mclaughlin would be proud of. Despite the lack of top quality production values, the show doesn't lack anything and the music is top-notch. This is a must have for any Dregs fan. If this was the only thing on the DVD it would be worth it.
The Steve Morse Band concert is a quasi-Unplugged effort. Steve is joined by Dave Larue and T Lavitz for a set of Morse at his diverse best. Morse plays classical; Bach's "Jesu,Joy of Man's Desiring"(flawlessly I may add)his own quasi-classical compsitions;"Point Counterpoint" and "Flat Baroque"; Country/Folk "Rocky Top"; and in his own rock/fusion style; "Tumeni Notes" and "Country Colours" to name a few. There are 13 songs in all. Each one performed flawlessly by one of the most diverse guitarists walking the planet.
The bottom line is this. If you are a fan of Steve Morse's music then you must get this. The sound and footage for both concerts is above average and you won't miss a thing. Steve Morse isn't going to release any garbage. The man has too much integrity to do that. Don't let the negative reviews scare you, this is Morse at his best;TWICE! If you don't have any Morse; get this and you have an introduction to one of the most diverse and talented guitarists in any genre, as well as a concert of one of the essential to have Jazz/Rock/Fusion bands. Highly Recommmended.
Rating:
Summary: Double Dose of Morse
Review: "Sects,Drugs&RocknRoll" gives the viewer a chance to see the great Steve Morse in 2 different bands. The disc contains a concert of Morse with the Dixie Dregs as well as with his own band in an intimate setting. Steve Morse has received many accolades for his playing ability since he started the Dregs back in the 70's. His career includes many solo albums, as well as recordings and tours with Kansas and Deep Purple. His diversity is one of his strengths. Great compositional skills, onstage interplay, and an unreal amount of chops are other strengths that are on display on this DVD. In addition to the 2 concerts there is a picture gallery and a comprehensive interview with Morse that I found to be well worth a viewing. The concerts are both worthy of multiple viewings.
The Dixie Dregs were formed by Morse and some college cohorts of his in the mid 70's. They mixed ,from their jazz influences; chops,improvisational skills, compositional skills together with rock energy and a bluegrass/country sound to form one of the most distinctive sounds in fusion. The show features the Dixie Dregs combo that has been touring together for the last 5 years. Dave Larue on bass, Jerry Goodmand on violin along with original Dregs members Morse, T Lavitz(Keys) and Rod Morgenstein(Drums). The Dregs show is called "Official Bootleg" for a reason. It is obvious that this doesn't hold up to the latest and greatest DVD releases for sound and editing. However, the sound is fine and the footage doesn't miss anything. The important thing is that you aren't missing anything and the music is great. The concert contains 14 songs that include Dregs classics such as "The Bash", "Cruise Control", "Take it Off the Top", "Blood Sucking Leeches" and "Assembly Line". The performance is great. Telepathic interplay, virtuostic displays, and the distinctive Dregs sound are all there. There is even a cover of Mahavishnu Orchestra's "Dance of the Maya" which John Mclaughlin would be proud of. Despite the lack of top quality production values, the show doesn't lack anything and the music is top-notch. This is a must have for any Dregs fan. If this was the only thing on the DVD it would be worth it.
The Steve Morse Band concert is a quasi-Unplugged effort. Steve is joined by Dave Larue and T Lavitz for a set of Morse at his diverse best. Morse plays classical; Bach's "Jesu,Joy of Man's Desiring"(flawlessly I may add)his own quasi-classical compsitions;"Point Counterpoint" and "Flat Baroque"; Country/Folk "Rocky Top"; and in his own rock/fusion style; "Tumeni Notes" and "Country Colours" to name a few. There are 13 songs in all. Each one performed flawlessly by one of the most diverse guitarists walking the planet.
The bottom line is this. If you are a fan of Steve Morse's music then you must get this. The sound and footage for both concerts is above average and you won't miss a thing. Steve Morse isn't going to release any garbage. The man has too much integrity to do that. Don't let the negative reviews scare you, this is Morse at his best;TWICE! If you don't have any Morse; get this and you have an introduction to one of the most diverse and talented guitarists in any genre, as well as a concert of one of the essential to have Jazz/Rock/Fusion bands. Highly Recommmended.
Rating:
Summary: can you ask for more ?
Review: 2 shows, grat extras...Morse-mania !!!!!!!
Rating: 
Summary: Great music performances ruined by REALLY bad film making
Review: As a long time fan, I can't imagine ever saying a critical word, but I am VERY disappointed with this DVD. VERY. The Dregs part of the DVD is poorly mixed. Steve is often buried (especially his chordal work), Jerry is too loud and the overall mix lacks integration, feel and musicality. It really does Steve and the band a disservice and if I were managing the band, I'd pull it and remix it. (Hello, Frank are you reading?) The film editing isn't great either. For example, times when the camera shows the band and not the soloist, or long sequences of T's back, just like the bad old days when "In Concert" first started. UGH! If the mix was good, you could live with the bad visuals, but together... I find the experience kind of... dare I say unmoving, at times boring but often frustrating. You can't comfortably watch it as a film or even listen as just a soundtrack. It's impossible to feel that way when seeing the Dregs or Steve's band live. The film direction, camera work and audio mix actually ruin the performances. The director didn't miss a single filming "no no!" The duet portion of Steve and Dave (live in NY) I found even more frustrating than the Dregs footage. The director and film crew should be shot. Too many unwarranted camera moves and edits. The insensitivity to the music, the performance and most importantly the viewer (how the viewer experiences live music) is stupefying. Here's a sample: 1) Close ups of the center of Steve's guitar neck with his hands barely visible at the outer edges of the TV screen. 2) Way too long close ups of Steve's face when the action was Steve's and Dave's hands. 3) The refusal to simply hold the camera still for a single musical passage 4) Constant pull backs to the back of the room reducing Steve and Dave to postage stamps. 5) Amateur blurred close ups of the lights with pull backs to Steve and Dave. PA-LEASE! We don't need the camera or edits competing to be the performance at the expense of missing "THE PERFORMANCE" and genius that was happening right under the director/film crew's noses. There were actually moments where I found myself screaming... STOP! Sadly, the result is a very distracting and frustrating experience. A lot of the time you just can't get into the mood of what artists are playing and for the moments you can, those moods are broken by an inappropriate edit or camera move. The best part of the DVD is Steve's interview where for better or worse (bad lighting, no interviewer), at least you could focus on what Steve was doing, whether talking or playing without being disrupted or distracted by the camera or edits. But, it's still a great "Up Close and Personal" with Steve with info about his roots and influences and equipment. Cool. Overall: as much of genius as Steve Morse and the Dregs are, the DVD couldn't be more rank amateur and off point. Like I said... it's stupefying. In the year 2003 there is absolutely no excuse for such bad work. A real shame because the performances are there, but the director completely missed it, lost it, didn't get it... Not at all. As a future archival film, it is sad to think that this will be what future generations of fans will get. Hopefully there will be another DVD and a good director will be hired for the project. In the meantime, this DVD is almost unwatchable. What a waste. Steven
Rating:
Summary: Great DVD!
Review: I almost did not buy this because of the few negative reviews. I'm so glad I bought it anyway. The sound on the Dixie Dregs show is great! the first song or 2 has the bad mix, after that it's just superb. I have a 5.1 DD setup & I had it cranked, the louder I went the better it sounded. Overall I think it just great sound. Nice tight low end, absolutley great drum sound, what a solo! I'm not sure if the Steve Morse part is 5.1, for some reason my DVD players multi-channel light goes out during this part. It still sounds great though. The last few songs don't sound a good as the first ones for some reason. I thought the camera work was great for both shows, excellent shots of the band. Picture quality is just ok for DVD but good enough. It's not crystal clear like the Joe Satriani "Live in San Fransisco" DVD but I am very happy with the picture. It's the music that counts, the Dregs concert is great! just like when I saw the a few months ago. Highly recommended. I wonder if the new one with DTS is going to sound better? I prefer DTS sound.
Rating:
Summary: Great DVD!
Review: I almost did not buy this because of the few negative reviews. I'm so glad I bought it anyway. The sound on the Dixie Dregs show is great! the first song or 2 has the bad mix, after that it's just superb. I have a 5.1 DD setup & I had it cranked, the louder I went the better it sounded. Overall I think it just great sound. Nice tight low end, absolutley great drum sound, what a solo! I'm not sure if the Steve Morse part is 5.1, for some reason my DVD players multi-channel light goes out during this part. It still sounds great though. The last few songs don't sound a good as the first ones for some reason. I thought the camera work was great for both shows, excellent shots of the band. Picture quality is just ok for DVD but good enough. It's not crystal clear like the Joe Satriani "Live in San Fransisco" DVD but I am very happy with the picture. It's the music that counts, the Dregs concert is great! just like when I saw the a few months ago. Highly recommended. I wonder if the new one with DTS is going to sound better? I prefer DTS sound.
Rating:
Summary: Long awaited DVD
Review: I bougth this DVD...and I'm totally pleased with the sound and picture. The solo concert is truely amazing. Steve's mastery of the guitar is quite evident on his classical pieces. This DVD is a must for Steve's fans.Buy, you won't be disappointed.
Rating: 
Summary: Steve is still the best
Review: I have been a Steve Morse addict for over 20 years, and my love of his music has not waned one iota in that time. If you are a Steve Morse fan, you'll want this DVD. There are some great interviews on it, and some very very good music as well. Steve was voted Best Overall Guitar Player fives years in a row by the readers of Guitar Player Magazine, and would have won more than that had he not voluntarily asked to be removed from the competition. Besides being arguably one of the best guitar players in the world, he is also a very decent guy, quick to smile, and quick to help. I have had the pleasure of seeing him live, and he always wows his audiences with his unbelievable ability, and his warmth. So...I would recommend this DVD. Now, the down side is that some of the sound quality for the live concerts is less than terrific. I don't know what the technical problems were, but all in all I would still buy this DVD because there isn't another guitarist anywhere that has the range and the ability that is shown here.
Rating:
Summary: wow Steve Morse ROCKS IN EVERY BAND He's IN!
Review: I just got this DVD, and I have to say I'm amazed! I hear new things everytime I listen to Steve and his different bands. I have to take issue with the person who claimed he can't hear Steve's mix during the dregs concert, its a rear channel heavy mix to be sure, but if you have a quality setup it sounds great. He must have one of those Bose Setups with tiny tinny rear speakers, because through My M&K sats Steve sounds great throughout the concert! I almost let this persons review talk me out of buying this DVD, I'm glad I ignored it. Every part of this DVD shows Steve's creative fire buring on full blue flames.
If you are a fan of Steve Morse you owe it to yourself to get this DVD NOW! Even if you never heard of him, this a music lovers dream on silver spinning clouds!
Rating:
Summary: I would've given it a 3 but...
Review: I like rock. This is not rock. This is jazz fusion. The mix from the board sucked hard. I played it in DTS 5.1, and it was still bad. Steve Morse is on the left channel. The violin is on the right channel. When they play dual leads, the violin buries the guitar. Plus, violin is not rock. When Steve plays lead alone, the rhythm violin buries his lead. The acoustic section is not lead guitar. It's all rhythm music, and gets boring quickly. All in all, very hard to listen to eclectic music. The bassist (Dave LaRue) is the best player in the group period. I saw him play at G3, and he was better than Dream Theater's guitarist (John Petrucci) too. The drummer (Rod Morgenstein of Winger) is the 2nd best player. Steve Morse to me wasn't as good as his band, but with the horrible sound quality, it's hard to be sure.If you buy this, don't buy it to be awed by guitar like with Satriani or Vai, buy it to hear the rhythm section. But still, none of it rocks.
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