Rating: 
Summary: This Disc is Weak
Review: The only reason I gave it two stars is because I need to feel I didn't totally waste $24.00. I am a huge Bruce fan but this is the worst of Bruce. The acting videos are campy, the live videos are good. The acoustic Born in the USA is about the worst!!!! It is so pretentious, this is BAD blues at best. Also there is no DVD extras at all, no commentary, no interviews...nothing. This DVD is awful.
Rating: 
Summary: Springsteen Videos
Review: The original Bruce Springsteen video anthology was release din 1989 and it contained all his video work up to that point. This reissue expands the original video to contain his work up until 2000. Mr. Springsteen's songs are vividly written, so they practically beg for video treatment. In fact, Sean Penn based the movie he made his directorial debut on, Indian Runner, around "Highway Patrolman" from Nebraska. Mr. Penn directs a video for the song that is made of clips from his movie. Other recent clips includes other soundtrack songs for "Streets Of Philadelphia" and "Dead Man Walking" directed by Jonathan Demme & Tim Robbins respectively. Mr. Demme also directs "Murder Incorporated" and the most recent video, "If I Should Fall Behind". On his 1999-2000 tour, the song was a shared vocal effort. Mr. Springsteen, Little Steven, Nils Lofgren, Patti Scialfa and Clarence Clemons would all sing a verse with a group huddle around the mic at the end. The video perfectly captures this feel with the mic being the center of attention. A great video. The older videos still stand up especially the John Sayles trilogy of "Born In The U.S.A.", "I'm On Fire" and "Glory Days". "U.S.A." is particularly outstanding and ranks as one of the best videos ever made. "Tunnel Of Love" and "Brilliant Disguise" are strong and "One Step Up" has a rare "acting" performance from Mr. Springsteen. Two of the most powerful videos don't include Mr. Springsteen at all; "Atlantic City" and "The Ghost Of Tom Joad". They are both shot in black and white and the former captures the stark nature of the Nebraska album and the latter (with photos by his sister Pamela) captures the desperation of the Joad album. This anthology is an absolute must for any Springsteen fan and a great collection for even the casual fan.
Rating:
Summary: Rock and Roll at its finest
Review: The very first DVD I purchased and let me tell you it was an absolute hit at Christmas time. You get all the great videos like "Glory Days"; "Born to Run" and "Hungry Heart", plus a few concert scenes showing Bruce when he was just starting out. It really is great. I suggest that anyone who has a DVD and plans on throwing a party, pick up this DVD. You will not be dissapointed. The only thing that could have been better would have been if there were interviews with Bruce himself or The E Street band. That would have been cool.
Rating:
Summary: Rock and Roll at its finest
Review: The very first DVD I purchased and let me tell you it was an absolute hit at Christmas time. You get all the great videos like "Glory Days"; "Born to Run" and "Hungry Heart", plus a few concert scenes showing Bruce when he was just starting out. It really is great. I suggest that anyone who has a DVD and plans on throwing a party, pick up this DVD. You will not be dissapointed. The only thing that could have been better would have been if there were interviews with Bruce himself or The E Street band. That would have been cool.
Rating: 
Summary: Why four stars?
Review: The video is great and shows Bruce and the E Street Band in their gold days, but I'm not agree with all its content. I think it would be less videoclips and more live performances, specially of Darkness, the River and Born in the USA tours. Also there are many singles that aren't the best Bruce's songs (Glory days, I'm on fire, ...). Despite it, you should buy it if you're a great fan of the Boss.
Rating:
Summary: Almost as good as being at one of his concerts
Review: This Anthology is great. It really gets the fan into the band's "vibe". It shows great renditions of Bruce's most popular work, as well as the amazing talent of the E Street band. A must have, especially if you have never seen Bruce in concert.
Rating:
Summary: Ecompasses the Best of Springsteen
Review: This chonological colection of Springsteen's work is great for any Springsteen fan. The 2 DVD set is essentially his greatest hits in video form. A lot of these videos are live performances and show how great Bruce Springsteen is as a live performer. Bruce Springsteen truly is The Boss, and this video collection adds to the legacy. Highlights of the DVD include a rivoting live performance of War, found on the bos set, and a rare version of Fire, a song he wrote for the Pointer Sisters. This also shows some of the later work, including Secret Garden from Jerry Maguire, and Murder Incorporated from his greatest hits album. 4 out of 5 because of Weak representation form the pre-BITUSA era.
Rating:
Summary: Here is my review of the second disc:
Review: This collection of music videos shows Springsteen's sometimes love/hate relationship with the music video format. He obviously recognized their value but never quite seemed comfortable in front of the camera. Not surprisingly, the best videos here are the live performance clips, although some of the conceptual pieces are impressive.Here's a breakdown of some of the highlights (and lowlights): Disc Two: "Human Touch": The first video of the post-E-Street-Band era, this comes from the same director responsible for "Tunnel of Love" and "One Step Up" and shows the same basic approach. The pictures are pretty but the formula was starting to get a little repetitive by this point. "Better Days": One of Bruce's least known videos, it breaks away from the "Tunnel of Love" formula, even though its from the same director, featuring a live-in-the-studio performance of the song, interspersed with Bruce clowning with his new band and his kids (someone's kids anyway). The ragged, uneven end to the song is oddly endearing. "57 Channels (And Nothing On)": I had never even heard of this video before getting this DVD. It's as close as Bruce ever got to the too-literal "match the image to the lyric" school of video. Probably the least interesting pure-conceptual video Bruce has done. "Leap of Faith": Another video from the same director as the live "Tougher Than The Rest" clip and it shows the same basic approach, mixing in footage from other songs and even other concerts. The performance is energetic enough but the formulaic approach and the lack of the E-Street Band's chemistry undercut the video somewhat. "Streets of Philadelphia": The video for Bruce's Oscar and Emmy-winning song from the Jonathan Demme movie. Similar in some respects to "My Brilliant Disguise", combining the studio instrumental track with a new live vocal track by Bruce recorded as his walks the aforementioned streets. Clever editing lets Bruce exchange meaningful glances with Tom Hank's character from the movie. "Murder Incorporated": A live version of the legendary "lost" Springsteen song (It was to be the title track of the album Springsteen scrapped in favor of the more upbeat and accessible "Born In The U.S.A."), this was Bruce's first performance with the E-Street Band in almost seven years. Filmed in front of an audience at a small New York club, the cramped quarters limited the mobility of Jonathan Demme's cameras and the inadequate lighting makes Bruce and the band look almost sinister. The blistering performance, however, carries the day. "Secret Garden": Bruce's love letter to the fairer sex, he's the only person with a Y Chromosome in this video, showing a large variety of women of all shapes, sizes and ages, emoting for the camera. Tender and beautifully filmed, this is one of my favorites of Springsteen's recent videos. There are actually two versions of the video on this DVD, the second using the alternate "Strings" mix of the song. "Hungry Heart": This is a really strange bird, apparently filmed for an anniversary release of the song in Germany, it was filmed "live" in Berlin with a new vocal by Bruce over the original 1980 instrumental track. Features shows of a Bruce playing with a local band and driving around the city past sections of the Berlin Wall. "Dead Man Walking": Unlike "Streets of Philadelphia", this video features significant footage from the film that insprired the song, making it more of a trailer for the film than the video. Nothing wrong with that I guess, but makes for one of the lesser contribution to Springsteen's video oeuvre. "The Ghost of Tom Joad": In a lot of ways, this is the spiritual cousin to "Atlantic City", in that it combines black and white documentary-style footage and nothing of the singer (except as a silhouette in a couple of shots). This is the more effective of the two because the footage is a better match to the theme of the song. "The Ghost of Tom Joad": The second video for the same song, this was taken from Bruce's appearance on the Tonight Show. I don't have anything against this performance or this song, but if they were going to take a second video for a song from a talk show, I would have preferred the version of "Murder Incorporated" he did on the Letterman show earlier that year. "Highway Patrolman": Here's a video with a long, unique history. A song recorded in 1982 inspires a Sean Penn film in 1991 and the two get combined for a music video in the year 2000. I'll say this much, it made me want to see the film ("The Indian Runner"). "If I Should Fall Behind": Shot during rehearsal for the 1999-2000 reunion tour, this features a single camera shot of the E-Street Band trading vocals on Springsteen's 1992 song. Unfortunately, the vocals are a bit overwrought. The version on the second disc of the "Live in NYC" DVD is more restrained and more effective. "Born In The U.S.A.": If the last video was OVERwrought, this video is badly UNDERwrought. From Bruce's appearance on the "Charlie Rose Show", the best description I can offer of Bruce's performance is "autistic." It's a kinder word than "lifeless." If I had been a member of Springsteen's inner circle, I would have sat on Bruce until he came to his senses and left this video off this collection. It brings the second disc to a limp and unsatisfying conclusion.
Rating:
Summary: Here is my review of the second disc:
Review: This collection of music videos shows Springsteen's sometimes love/hate relationship with the music video format. He obviously recognized their value but never quite seemed comfortable in front of the camera. Not surprisingly, the best videos here are the live performance clips, although some of the conceptual pieces are impressive. Here's a breakdown of some of the highlights (and lowlights): Disc Two: "Human Touch": The first video of the post-E-Street-Band era, this comes from the same director responsible for "Tunnel of Love" and "One Step Up" and shows the same basic approach. The pictures are pretty but the formula was starting to get a little repetitive by this point. "Better Days": One of Bruce's least known videos, it breaks away from the "Tunnel of Love" formula, even though its from the same director, featuring a live-in-the-studio performance of the song, interspersed with Bruce clowning with his new band and his kids (someone's kids anyway). The ragged, uneven end to the song is oddly endearing. "57 Channels (And Nothing On)": I had never even heard of this video before getting this DVD. It's as close as Bruce ever got to the too-literal "match the image to the lyric" school of video. Probably the least interesting pure-conceptual video Bruce has done. "Leap of Faith": Another video from the same director as the live "Tougher Than The Rest" clip and it shows the same basic approach, mixing in footage from other songs and even other concerts. The performance is energetic enough but the formulaic approach and the lack of the E-Street Band's chemistry undercut the video somewhat. "Streets of Philadelphia": The video for Bruce's Oscar and Emmy-winning song from the Jonathan Demme movie. Similar in some respects to "My Brilliant Disguise", combining the studio instrumental track with a new live vocal track by Bruce recorded as his walks the aforementioned streets. Clever editing lets Bruce exchange meaningful glances with Tom Hank's character from the movie. "Murder Incorporated": A live version of the legendary "lost" Springsteen song (It was to be the title track of the album Springsteen scrapped in favor of the more upbeat and accessible "Born In The U.S.A."), this was Bruce's first performance with the E-Street Band in almost seven years. Filmed in front of an audience at a small New York club, the cramped quarters limited the mobility of Jonathan Demme's cameras and the inadequate lighting makes Bruce and the band look almost sinister. The blistering performance, however, carries the day. "Secret Garden": Bruce's love letter to the fairer sex, he's the only person with a Y Chromosome in this video, showing a large variety of women of all shapes, sizes and ages, emoting for the camera. Tender and beautifully filmed, this is one of my favorites of Springsteen's recent videos. There are actually two versions of the video on this DVD, the second using the alternate "Strings" mix of the song. "Hungry Heart": This is a really strange bird, apparently filmed for an anniversary release of the song in Germany, it was filmed "live" in Berlin with a new vocal by Bruce over the original 1980 instrumental track. Features shows of a Bruce playing with a local band and driving around the city past sections of the Berlin Wall. "Dead Man Walking": Unlike "Streets of Philadelphia", this video features significant footage from the film that insprired the song, making it more of a trailer for the film than the video. Nothing wrong with that I guess, but makes for one of the lesser contribution to Springsteen's video oeuvre. "The Ghost of Tom Joad": In a lot of ways, this is the spiritual cousin to "Atlantic City", in that it combines black and white documentary-style footage and nothing of the singer (except as a silhouette in a couple of shots). This is the more effective of the two because the footage is a better match to the theme of the song. "The Ghost of Tom Joad": The second video for the same song, this was taken from Bruce's appearance on the Tonight Show. I don't have anything against this performance or this song, but if they were going to take a second video for a song from a talk show, I would have preferred the version of "Murder Incorporated" he did on the Letterman show earlier that year. "Highway Patrolman": Here's a video with a long, unique history. A song recorded in 1982 inspires a Sean Penn film in 1991 and the two get combined for a music video in the year 2000. I'll say this much, it made me want to see the film ("The Indian Runner"). "If I Should Fall Behind": Shot during rehearsal for the 1999-2000 reunion tour, this features a single camera shot of the E-Street Band trading vocals on Springsteen's 1992 song. Unfortunately, the vocals are a bit overwrought. The version on the second disc of the "Live in NYC" DVD is more restrained and more effective. "Born In The U.S.A.": If the last video was OVERwrought, this video is badly UNDERwrought. From Bruce's appearance on the "Charlie Rose Show", the best description I can offer of Bruce's performance is "autistic." It's a kinder word than "lifeless." If I had been a member of Springsteen's inner circle, I would have sat on Bruce until he came to his senses and left this video off this collection. It brings the second disc to a limp and unsatisfying conclusion.
Rating:
Summary: There's a reason he's THE BOSS
Review: This DVD package is essential if you are a Springsteen fan, and the new and seldom-seen videos are great. I only wish they'd have really put together a *special* package to reward the legions of die-hard fans. This DVD could have contained so much more information and treats...the discography is weak, with only 1 short audio clip from each of his wonderful albums. A little more history would have been great, as well as perhaps some footage showing the amazing arc of his career, from cult status, to Bossmania, to his induction into the R&R Hall of Fame, to the triumphant reunion tour of the E Street Band. Commentary from Bruce and the E Street Band would have been so cool...I'd love to hear his take on what he remembers about that concert that "Rosalita" was filmed, when the women all jump on stage and attack him. There are wonderful stories behind all these videos, and with the DVD format, they could really have done it some justice. And finally, why 2 versions of "The Ghost of Tom Joad"?? There is plenty of other material that could have been chosen to avoid that repetition. His appearance on Dave Letterman's final show for NBC would have been a great one, especially if they included Dave's introduction...he was barely able to contain his excitement when announcing his final special surprise guest. Oh well....still a great DVD.
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