Rating: 
Summary: Entertaining but not a tour of the Palace
Review: I've just gone part way through this DVD but found it pretty entertaining with good sound. There's a very wide selection of singers for you to listen to, I guess a little something for the whole 50 years the Queen has been on the throne (although I have no idea why Kermit the Frog was there on Tom Jones shoulder there at the last.)
To view the program you've got several different menu choices, selection by artist or by song among them. I found that selection by artist seems to bring up everything in the show that someone had a part in, no matter how small. Emma Bunton comes up I think twice, the first time she sang, the second she was just one of the crowd on stage and couldn't even be heard individually. I wouldn't try this selection method for Phil Collins because while he sang on one or two the guy was a background drummer for almost everything in the program. Selection by song seems to be just a way to start somewhere other than the beginning, when I tried it as soon as one song was finished it moved right on to the next one.
I would've liked to see more of Buckingham Palace but here you get a few aerial shots and a little bit from the ground. Elton John did his performance inside the Palace, it was interesting but I suspect that it wasn't really live but prerecorded.
Occaisionally you see brief glimpses of some members of the Royal family from wherever it was that they were seated, the younger ones seemed to enjoy the show. Don't blink much or you'll miss them, the cameras mostly covered the crowds and performers (most of whom really seemed to enjoy themselves).
Rating: 
Summary: Great DVD but...
Review: I've seen many times this DVD, and am extremely happy with it. Why only four stars? Simply because you are forced to spend some time skipping tracks by the obnoxious Ricky Martin, and two senior citizens: Tony Bennett and Tom Jones. Aside from that it is definitely a treat for baby-boomers.
Rating: 
Summary: Thank Your Lucky Stars for this Party!
Review: If you did not get to see this live or on VH1 then you really ought to treat yourself to this DVD.A record of the biggest street party in history, with over 12000 inside the grounds of Buckingham Palace and countless thousands thronging the Mall in central London, this DVD is a prod testament to the people of Britain as well as being an historical document of some of the world's greatest popular musicians. The concert was one of a number of events arranged to commemorate the Golden Jubilee of the reign of Queen Elizabeth II - fifty years on the throne, one of the longest serving monarch's thoughout Britain's long history. All of the guests were selected at randomn from the British population and were provided with a free picnic lunch. They were also treated to a regal buffet menu of some of the best of (mostly) British popular musicians. There were some surprising omissions such as Sting who has achieved worldwide acclaim, yet Ricky Martin appeared, much to British indifference. Clearly the performers could not have included the veritable galaxy of British stars of the last fifty years, and there also must have been inevitable schedule conflicts. The event was a showcase for the stars, the monarchy and the whole British people. Also it is a testimony to the technicians and the BBC for a show of high quality sound and for a DVD which has managed to hit the shelves in only five weeks. It is sad to think of all the time it took to get the proceeds from the Concert for Bangla Desh to the people who needed the help at the time. To try to select the best moments from over three hours is difficult but mention must be made of the following. Lenny Henry and Dame Edna Everage managed to inject just the right level of humour into the proceedings. Annie Lenox, alas without Dave Stewart, provided a very strong, soulful rearrangement of Sisters (are doing it for themselves), Phil Collins who I saw long ago as a drummer with a receeding hairline and long hair who occasionally sang with Genesis, did a great job on You Can't Hurry Love. The younger generation of Brit-pop were not my cup of tea really but I am sure that they were appreciated by the younger members of the audience and I don't mean the young princes! For me the absolute highlights came with the veterans of the UK pop scene and Brian Wilson whose Beach Boys songs brought a lump to my throat having managed to see the band at Wembley Stadium in 1974. The surprising choice of Steve Winwood, surprising because he has been out of the public eye for some years, was a joy to listen to. What a voice! Both he and Joe Cocker are such distinctive vocalists with so much soul. Seeing Ray Davies again after almost thirty years but this time without the Kinks was very heartening, such a nice jacket too. Ultimately the night belonged to the Beatles and particularly in the wonderful treatment of While My Guitar Gently Weeps given by Eric Clapton and Sir Paul McCartney. Was it just me or did Eric play so soulfully in memory of a dear friend and musician. The Royal family interlude was both moving and funny with Prince Charles displaying a much hidden sense of humour. It was nice to see the young princes being very friendly with the female component of the show but not so nice to see the younger of the two not applauding the tribute to his grandmother. This is an excellent DVD, the proceeds of which will go to charity. It makes me proud of my English heritage, and proud of the Great British Pop Music Inductry. A final memorable moment - all of the performers together, ostensibly to sing the National Anthem - coming together to sing All You Need Is Love. John Lennon would be both mystified and proud to have seen that and I am glad that Yoko was in the Royal Box to share those minutes.
Rating:
Summary: Joe Cocker Rocks!
Review: Not the greatest concert DVD at all - but individual performances are terrific. Joe Cocker just rocked the house. Brian Wilson - while rather catatonic - brought back terrific memories. Dame Edna and Lenny Henry made me laugh. Annie Lenox was awesome. The Queen set sounded terrific - and the Motown drivel should have been excluded. I still would recommend this highly - as it is a part (and party) of history - and you can't help but be caught up in it all.
Rating: 
Summary: Well, the picture is at least clear...
Review: One and a half really, but that's not a choice here. If you have to own everything Beatles-related, then you are stuck with this sad excuse for a concert video. To not have a 5.1 soundtrack on a DVD that was recorded recently is unbelievable ... To have a sticker on the case saying as seen on VH1, and not even include all the performances that were shown on VH1 is unbelievable... To leave out ALL of McCartney's solo performances (only "duets" and big group encores are included, minus even one of those) and include song after song of no-name, barely talented bores is just UNBELIEVABLE. I guess this thing is around 3 hours? I sat there with the remote having to fast forward through almost everything. I feel sorry for those poor people who were actually there and had to sit through this in person without a fast forward. The picture was filmed nice and clear, but the same genius who decided to leave out all the good stuff, must be the same [person] who thinks a great DVD bonus is watching fireworks on TV. What an inspired use of video time. If I ever take this down off the shelf to watch again (not just to maybe goof on with friends), that means someone has broken into the house and stolen all the other DVDs.
Rating:
Summary: A great dvd anyway you look at it.
Review: Party at the Palace is one of my new favorite dvd's.The line up of performers and the songs they sing is great.You wont find any hip hop artists on this one.The fireworks display is amazing.The picture and sound quality is great also.The camera angles are also very good.My only complaint is that they cut 3 of Sir Paul McCartney's songs (Sgt.Pepeprs reprise/The end,Blackbird,& Her Majesty) but I taped the shorter version of this from vh1 and it has Sgt.Peppers on it so atleast I have that. I hate to say it but I think this dvd is much better than the Concert for New York one. I highly recommend this dvd to anyone who likes to own concerts.
Rating:
Summary: God Save The Queen[ And The Viewer]!
Review: The "Party At The Palace" Is quite possibly the worst allstar concert ever filmed. At 3 hours[way too long], the viewer is forced to digest a mix of rock n roll legends and a bunch of young british no-names who sing classic Motown tunes [give me a break]. ... You get to hear Ricky Martin, S Club 7, Phil Collins singing "You Can't Hurry Love"[how about a Genesis tune Phil?], and then the dreaded Moteens including Atomic Kitten, Will Young, Blue, Emma Bunton, Mis-Teeq, Toploader and the Corrs [who the hell are these people?] all singing ... cover versions of your favorite sixties classics. Tom Jones is here singing a horrible rendition of "You Can Leave Your Hat On" as though he was performing at some casino on the Vegas strip. I hope he apologized to Joe cocker after the show for butchering the tune. Queen tries valiently to impress but without Freddie Mercury it becomes obvious you can't bring back the past. Tony Bennet seems totally out of place here as does Cliff Richard. Despite all this the last hour of the Dvd has some worthy moments. Brian Wilson's stage appearance continues to be stuperous, his performance of "California Girls", "The Warmth Of The Sun", "God Only Knows", and "Good Vibratios" however, was one of the high points of the show. Although the elder statesman of British rock Eric Clapton[Layla], Steve Winwood[Gimmie Some Lovin], Joe Cocker[With A Little Help From My Friends], Rod Stewart[Handbags and Gladrags], Ray Davies of Kinks fame[Lola] and Paul McCartney[Hey Jude] give some fine perfomances of their signature tunes during the last hour of the concert, it is not enough to offset the awful first 2/3rds of the show. If you need to hear Clapton, McCartney, Stewart and Cocker you should buy their individual concert DVD's and avoid this mess at all costs.
Rating:
Summary: Some good, some not so good
Review: The good part of this three-hour concert was seeing Paul McCartney, Eric Clapton, Elton John, Queen, Cliff Richard all in one place. The rest was quite dull. And the cover of "The Long and Winding Road" was unnecessary - Paul was there, why didn't he do it? And the fireworks display was the worst, as it was covered up by the credits so we couldn't properly see it. Not reccommended.
Rating:
Summary: Some good, some not so good
Review: The good part of this three-hour concert was seeing Paul McCartney, Eric Clapton, Elton John, Queen, Cliff Richard all in one place. The rest was quite dull. And the cover of "The Long and Winding Road" was unnecessary - Paul was there, why didn't he do it? And the fireworks display was the worst, as it was covered up by the credits so we couldn't properly see it. Not reccommended.
Rating:
Summary: Some good, some not so good
Review: The good part of this three-hour concert was seeing Paul McCartney, Eric Clapton, Elton John, Queen, Cliff Richard all in one place. The rest was quite dull. And the cover of "The Long and Winding Road" was unnecessary - Paul was there, why didn't he do it? And the fireworks display was the worst, as it was covered up by the credits so we couldn't properly see it. Not reccommended.
| 
