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
The Best of Ringo Starr & His All Starr Band So Far...

The Best of Ringo Starr & His All Starr Band So Far...

List Price: $14.99
Your Price: $13.49
Product Info Reviews

<< 1 2 >>

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Great Fun and Serious Rock
Review: I should explain two things before I write this. First, I really hate oldies bands. I really feel that if a performer isn't doing something new he/she should be doing something else. Second, Ringo has always been my favorite Beatle. So whenever Ringo's All Starr Band would come through Chicago, which was every year, I'd shudder, and consider and talk myself out of going. Since I acquired this DVD (and the three CD audio release) that decision has become one of my lasting regrets.

These bands really rock. Not only do these guys rock, they reinterpret these classic rock warhorses and make them sound fresh. Brilliant, inspired playing and singing abound but there are enough wrong notes and miscues to indicate that these bands are not over-rehearsed and that the performances are not overdubbed or corrected. Ringo's voice is best described as refreshingly ordinary, inviting the listener to join in whenever he sings.

Some highlights: Levon Helm, Rick Danko, and Dr. John pass around verses during "The Weight". Felix Cavaliere demonstrates that he's still in great voice in "Groovin'". Peter Frampton demonstrates that all that mid '70's hype was richly deserved. During "Sunshine Of your Love" he tears a hole in the DVD. His playing is fluid, his ideas just flow and his phrasing proves that he's successfully studied the Hendrix canon. He plays well over the solid drumming of Simon Kirke and Ringo and the subtly shifting bass of Jack Bruce (also still in great voice). He follows "Sunshine" with a stunning cover of "Norwegian Wood" accompanying himself only on a twelve string acoustic guitar. His performance alone is almost worth the price of the DVD.

Elsewhere, Randy Bachman rocks on "You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet", Todd Rundgren makes "the world get stupid" with "Bang The Drum All Day" and the professorial Gary Brooker leads the talent heavy ensemble (Ringo, Kirke, Bruce, Frampton and Mark Rivera) in "A Whiter Shade Of Pale."

This DVD is rock at it's finest. Despite their advanced ages, the members of these bands still know how to do it. Makes me hope Ringo comes back to Chicago soon.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Aging is a terrible thing!
Review: It is a sad fact of life that is personified in this DVD...The aging process is unstoppable and, in most cases, not a pretty thing! The sound quality of this DVD is superb, but sometimes as your watching you wish it were a bit imperfect as all of the imperfections of the participants are there for you to witness in 5.1 surround sound.
Ringo had 4 years of concerts to choose from, and has come up with what he terms "the best" of those...I can only imagine how bad the performances that don't make it here were! There are a couple of exceptions...well one anyway... Gary Brooker does a fine job on a song he now resembles "A WHITER SHADE OF PALE", A very uncurly-haired Peter Frampton creates a moment of anticipation with the opening sounds of "Norweigen Wood" but it becomes pablum as soon as he opens his mouth! The rest of the performance has the look, feel, and sound of a bad wedding band doing covers of bad 70s songs! Even the intro to the DVD by Paul McCartney (Voice over/he didn't even appear on camera) seems scripted and unfelt (and hid voice is hoarse to boot!)

But if you must see this because you have a fondness for the musicians on it...do yourself a favor and take a viagra first!

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Any classic rock fan will enjoy this!
Review: Ringo Starr has always been a great showman with his wit and humor. However, Ringo's performances are probably not the reason to consider the purchase of this DVD. For me, it was seeing Felix Cavaliere doing the Rascals' classic "Groovin" and Jack Bruce doing "Sunshine of Your Love" with Peter Frampton. While I never really put "A Whiter Shade of Pale" into my top 50 all time favorite songs, I gained new appreciation for the piece after seeing it performed by Gary Brooker. Some other pleasant surprises were Randy Bachman doing "You Aint Seen Nothin Yet" and Levon Helm doing "The Weight." Ringo's performances were sort of Las Vegas-like---he's generally not playing the drums when he sings but rather is in front of his bandmates with a microphone singing his favorites. I personally hope Ringo continues to put these tours together---some of these bandmembers can still turn out some awsome performances, and the audience seems to always have a blast. "A splendid time is guaranteed for all."

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A great Retrospective
Review: This a great DVD and a must for all Ringo Starr and Classic Rock fans. The selections of songs were great. There are many great cover songs: Sunshine of your love, The Weight, All Right Now and many more.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: RINGO STARR AND HIS ALL TRIBUTE BAND
Review: This dvd was a pleasant suprise.. ringo could never sing, but god he could rattle those drums... but how wrong could i be... This dvd is value...some songs are average, but ringo does give his all....a nice suprise to see his all star band... FRAMPTON, BROOKER , KIRKE, BACHMAN, all adding spice to this cd... after watching it and summing up.... i would advise to you to go ahead and purchase this one, i think you will be pleasantly suprised just like i was...

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Over the top, not over the hill!
Review: This is a great party video if you need to entertain a bunch of 40 and 50 year olds. Gary Brooker looks like Harold Wilson doing a bang up job on 'Whiter shade of Pale.' Jack Bruce looks totally dissolute, but the bass line comes through loud and clear. The portrait had been taken out of the attic with Peter Frampton, but he can still play some nice licks. Joe Walsh is a nutter. It's pure enjoyment.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: ringos great show
Review: this is real cool if you don.t get out and see a lot of the bands you like this gives you a chance only let down was JOE WAlSH did not do that great but the rest of the show is Great

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: It's just like a live jukebox
Review: This is really what rock and roll is all about. Dumb, loud fun.

Ringo Starr goes out just about each summer, with a band of old rockers that still (like Ringo himself) have a lot of kick left in them despite the lack of greying hair most of them display. It's not great art (and really, if rock and roll is great art you're doing it wrong) and it's not always letter-perfect, but it's always 2 hours of fun.

For those that don't go to the shows (and honestly, why not?), this generous DVD gives a sampling of the last 10 years of shows. And it's quite a line-up of greats and near-greats: Jack Bruce, Todd Rundgren, members of the Band, Dr. John, Joe Walsh and on and on.

Never, ever are these old boys coasting, they're giving it all they've got on every track. And look, if you're over 40, it's 2 hours of your favorite songs played by the guys that made them hits - and all with the steadiest drummer in the business backing them up.

Rock and roll is supposed to be loud, dumb and fun, and this is that and more - especially since it's clear to the viewer that the bands are having tons of fun doing this.

I wonder how many of today's hot-shots will be able to do this kind of thing in 20 years? These cats have NOT gotten old, and you'll truly enjoy spending 2 hours with Ringo and his All-Starrs.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Do yourself a favor, buy this one!
Review: This is The Ringo and His All*Stars best, highlighting all of the tours best material from five tours. I was lucky to catch the final group set on this DVD in Mesa, Arizona. I understand that there was so much material to choose from, but I sure wish Ringo would have included Frampton covering his own tunes. Frampton and Bruce do battle with bass and guitar and it's VERY GOOD, but when I saw them, Jack Bruce did a fantastic bass lead break that lasted about 10 minutes. The band had left the stage for water and cool towels. I thought the way the band acted, it was an unplanned break. Evidently, I was right.

If you get a chance to see Ringo, do it! If not, this DVD will pacify you. It is much better than the other Ringo DVDs that are from one tour.


<< 1 2 >>

© 2004, ReviewFocus or its affiliates