Home :: DVD :: Music Video & Concerts :: Rock & Roll  

Biography
Blues
Classic Rock
Concerts
Country
Documentary
DVD Singles
General
Hard Rock & Metal
Jazz
New Age
Other Music
Pop
Rap & Hip-Hop
Rock & Roll

Series
World Music
Sarah McLachlan: Video Collection 1989-1998

Sarah McLachlan: Video Collection 1989-1998

List Price: $24.98
Your Price: $22.48
Product Info Reviews

<< 1 2 3 4 >>

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: The first (and best) music DVD in my collection
Review: "Sarah McLachlan: Video Collection 1989-1998" was my first DVD. I received it as a present from a friend who shared my passion for Sarah McLachlan's music and artistic vision.

The DVD features fifteen music videos spanning all four of Sarah's studio albums (Touch, Solace, Fumbling Towards Ecstasy and Surfacing). The earliest, Vox, dates from 1988 and we see then-20-year-old Sarah as fresh-faced and angelic. The directorial tastes of some of the earlier videos are questionably cheesy, with Vox (Canadian version) being one of the most New Wave-stuck in the '80s mode. The picture quality is generally very sharp, with crisp blacks and vibrant colours. It is a pleasure to see Sarah's maturation as an artist and the directions that her music would take.

One of my favourite videos is "Steaming," a pseudo-film noir club scene reminiscent of Anita Kelsey's songs in the sci-fi film "Dark City." Sarah is a lounge singer, a temptress, with ardent eyes and gloved hands caressing the old-fashioned stand microphone. Her burning gaze bores a hole into you as the story in the video acts itself out.

Other notable videos include "Drawn to the Rhythm," a Loreena McKennittesque video full of surreal images and shot in black and white. The simple, haunting beauty of Sarah's voice and acoustic guitar combined with the wavelike rhythm and images of the ocean make this one tread on New Age/Celtic territory à la McKennitt and Kate Price.

"Possession" is full of muddled religious imagery: Adam and Eve, the severed head of John the Baptist, an actor portraying Christ, as well as blends of pagan imagery (witches/seductress).

"Into the Fire" is a very catchy song with a rather creepy video: naked, mud-coated Sarah rolling around in mud and soggy leaves. Ick. I felt grimy just watching it!

The last few videos from Surfacing really show Sarah's new image and darker songs. "Building a Mystery" features a mysterious man collecting stars and lights and sewing them onto a skirt (this is the top picture on the DVD case), and slipping into a crawl space that Sarah follows him into. "Sweet Surrender" is a bit more disturbing: a victim of a hit-and-run or an accident, apparently dead, mimes along to the music. The body mysteriously moves from the middle of the road, where we see it hit by a car, to the backseat of said car, then is carried into a house and placed on a chesterfield. Sarah and the "body" duet and mimick each other's actions. "Adia" is a neat study in still photography.

This is the perfect gift for that Sarah McLachlan fan. Lots of fun even the third and fourth time through. The variety of musical styles and directorial choices in the various videos make this a pleasure to come back to again and again! I can't wait until Sarah McLachlan's new album comes out..it's been five years since Surfacing. Work on the new CD was suspended for six months due to the severe illness of Sarah McLachlan's mother and Sarah's pregnancy (Sarah gave birth to daughter India on April 6, 2002. Congratulations Sarah and Ashwin!). There's a 75% chance that it will be released sometime in 2002, with the single being released an unheard-of 16 weeks in advance.

Here is the tracklisting for "Sarah McLachlan: Video Collection 1989-1998":

1. Vox (Canadian Version) 2. Steaming 3. Ben's Song 4. Vox (US Version) 5. The Path of Thorns (Terms) 6. Into the Fire 7. Drawn to the Earth 8. Possession (Canadian Version) 9. Hold On 10. Good Enough 11. Possession (US Version) 12. I Will Remember You 13. Building a Mystery 14. Sweet Surrender 15. Adia

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A Must For Long Time Sarah Fans!
Review: A few years ago I bought the VHS edition of Sarah's video collection, but this updated DVD edition takes the cake (obviously). It's amazing to watch how Sarah has grown from a 20-year-old trying to find her voice into a 30-year-old (in 1998) Canadian music legend. My favorite Sarah videos have to be Drawn to the Rhythm and Building A Mystery.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A Must For Long Time Sarah Fans!
Review: A few years ago I bought the VHS edition of Sarah's video collection, but this updated DVD edition takes the cake (obviously). It's amazing to watch how Sarah has grown from a 20-year-old trying to find her voice into a 30-year-old (in 1998) Canadian music legend. My favorite Sarah videos have to be Drawn to the Rhythm and Building A Mystery.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: A music video journey through time exploring this 1 artist
Review: A great collection. Interesting to watch and listen to the quality changes between the earlier and later videos (which are shown in historical order). Even her looks change dramatically over time. Besides enjoying better quality audio, you also see better and better visual effects and creativity in the videos as a whole. Sarah seems to work up to "singing in the nude", video by video as if she were gaining confidence in herself and working up the "nerve" to actually do it. She has pretty interesting and deep lyrics which the videos enhance very well. Worth the price.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Some compatibility problems, but still an enjoyable DVD...
Review: First off, I'm a big Sarah McLachlan fan, but only discovered her in "Fumbling towards Ecstacy". Having said that, I'm not too familiar with her early work. I bought it primarily for the videos from the above album, "Surfacing" and for "I will remember you." On my Toshiba Tecra laptop (DVD drive manuf. date Jan 99), there are some peculiar problems when each video ends. Basically, a Windows error message pops up which requires you to manually use the on-screen control to go to the next video. I still really enjoy this DVD, despite the early videos really not being to my tastes. On my wish list... her new "Mirrorball" album on DVD would be perfect.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Great, but Mirrorball has more songs and features
Review: Great for Sarah fans, but does not offer as many songs or the live experience (multiple camera angles) of Mirrorball DVD.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: This is reason enough to get a DVD player!
Review: Here is a collection of 15 videos. This isn't merely an album's worth of songs, but a fantastic record of Sarah McLachlan's amazing career. Spanning 4 major albums and including "I Will Remember You," this is clear example of why the DVD format is an excellent path to travel. The DVD includes a menu of all the videos and some information about each one. This is incredible!

Track listing is: 1. Vox (Canadian Version) 2. Steaming 3. Ben's Song 4. Vox (US Version) 5. The Path of Thorns (Terms) 6. Into the Fire 7. Drawn to the Earth 8. Possession (Canadian Version) 9. Hold On 10. Good Enough 11. Possession (US Version) 12. I Will Remember You 13. Building a Mystery 14. Sweet Surrender 15. Adia

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: This is reason enough to get a DVD player!
Review: Here is a collection of 15 videos. This isn't merely an album's worth of songs, but a fantastic record of Sarah McLachlan's amazing career. Spanning 4 major albums and including "I Will Remember You," this is clear example of why the DVD format is an excellent path to travel. The DVD includes a menu of all the videos and some information about each one. This is incredible!

Track listing is: 1. Vox (Canadian Version) 2. Steaming 3. Ben's Song 4. Vox (US Version) 5. The Path of Thorns (Terms) 6. Into the Fire 7. Drawn to the Earth 8. Possession (Canadian Version) 9. Hold On 10. Good Enough 11. Possession (US Version) 12. I Will Remember You 13. Building a Mystery 14. Sweet Surrender 15. Adia

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: I am a really big fan
Review: I am a really big fan of Sarah. I love all of her songs, but my favorite of them all is Angel. Everytime I hear that song it makes me think of life and the song is so real. Sarah has made a termendous break through. She is a very talented person. I love her.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Most Likely The Best DVD Music Video Ever To Be Released!
Review: I bought a DVD video player exactly a month and a week ago from today; I looked at the receipt recently, and the first DVD video I bought for it (yes, I bought the video BEFORE I got the player) and only one so far, is this supreme DVD music video. This video is MINDBLOWINGLY AWESOME! for real! This is the ULTIMATE Sarah McLachlan video compilation! I got a superb Toshiba DVD Video Player for only 240 dollars, brand new at Best Buy, and I'm so glad I bought this DVD video for it(although not at Best Buy). The quality on this video is BEYOND OUTSTANDING, I don't know if it's due to the video or due to the video player, I'm not sure, but I can tell you one thing; you won't be disappointed by this supreme video, that's for sure! Each video is done supremely(excuse my tireless use of the word) and flawlessly, both audio and visually. It's as if Sarah is singing right in your living room! Of course, the sound is CD quality sound and the visuals are like digital or something, although when you watch it on the screen they sound and look way beyond that. Another thing, the DVD video has an awesome menu in which you can play any video from Sarah that you want(these are ALL of her videos, by the way) and, on a separate screen not in the play mode, actually view the ALBUM THAT THEY'RE FROM! You can view the credits of each video, too, who directed it, produced it, etc.. There are excellent background art, too, while viewing these screens. I was totally mistaken when I wrote about the general DVD Video Player in my 'Video Collection 1989-1994' review. When I wrote that, I was basing it on a DVD video I saw in a record/electronics store in New York. The video, a movie, was showing all the pixels on the huge screen clearly visible, and that's no good. Well, back to this review. When you watch each of Sarah's videos from the beginning to the end of the DVD, with each passing video you get more and more drawn into it. It's absolutely amazing. Sarah's voice just soars throughout the room (and throughout the house!). Can I give this DVD Music Video 10 stars? You've GOT to get a DVD video player and make this ABSOLUTELY SUPREME DVD MUSIC VIDEO your FIRST priority on your DVD wish list. Believe me, you WILL NOT be disappointed.


<< 1 2 3 4 >>

© 2004, ReviewFocus or its affiliates