Rating: 
Summary: At long last
Review: Okay, I'll be honest. I've given this video the ultimate 5 stars because Dan is the only long time favorite artist that I have never seen live. He was supposed to appear as the opening act for the Eagles in 1977 (!!!) in my hometown, but he didn't turn up. So you can understand my excitement when playing this video for the first time. Dan has grown up; he started out with love-gone-by lamenting songs and has gradually introduced themes like the preservation of nature and wildlife. He remains a true gem among all singer/songwriters. This video is incomplete, compared to the album; some of his classics (like 'Ol' Tenessee') are missing. But what the heck. It's great to see a man you've admired for so long in action, even if it's only on an TV screen.
Rating: 
Summary: Great music, great songwriting...average sound
Review: Overall, this performance is stunning, and a must have for any Dan Fogelberg fan. His voice sounds higher and different than most of the renowned studio songs, and that may surprise some, but there's no complaint about its quality. The songs are so fine, that one can help but wonder why Dan has been so overlooked and underrated as an artist and songwriter. It's a pity that this is the only way that we can hear Dan Fogelberg on DVD, because they didn't put a lot of work on the sound. As somebody said it here, this looks like a simple transfer from the VHS, a poor one in sound, and just acceptable in picture. Luckyly, most of the songs have an average sound, but the interview snippets and some of the songs have a very noticeable distortion. But it's hard not to enjoy the concert even having to go through the abscense of quality in the video. Come on, SONY MUSIC, is this the best that you can do?.
Rating:
Summary: Done on the cheap
Review: The music is his usual great stuff. But this DVD appears to be pretty much a straight copy off a tape. The only extras are subtitles, a textual biography, and a discography. The sound is simple PCM stereo. The sound quality is less than wonderful. In the spoken word bits between the tracks the sound quality is frequently very poor. They also break up the flow in an undesirable way. They should have been shunted off to the extras section. Overall this DVD did nothing worthwhile to exploit the available technology. I probably won't buy another of Dan's DVDs until I see one with rave reviews of the DVD production values.
Rating:
Summary: Done on the cheap
Review: The music is his usual great stuff. But this DVD appears to be pretty much a straight copy off a tape. The only extras are subtitles, a textual biography, and a discography. The sound is simple PCM stereo. The sound quality is less than wonderful. In the spoken word bits between the tracks the sound quality is frequently very poor. They also break up the flow in an undesirable way. They should have been shunted off to the extras section. Overall this DVD did nothing worthwhile to exploit the available technology. I probably won't buy another of Dan's DVDs until I see one with rave reviews of the DVD production values.
Rating: 
Summary: Poetry
Review: This DVD is a testament to the talent of Dan Fogelberg. His song writing is well known and has been admired for years, but his talent as a musician may not be realized by everyone who listens to his music.
I was in awe of his guitar playing, electric and acoustic, as well as his piano playing. He also does a blues number that is as blues as you can get. His acoustic slide guitar playing is awesome.
This is one to sit back and enjoy!
Rating:
Summary: Newer video please
Review: This is not exactly what I wanted. Its a little outdated. I think a recent concert of his overall work would be great.
Rating: 
Summary: More like a documentary - It's time for Dan II
Review: When I purchased my DVD player, I knew my first DVD had to be Hell Freezes Over by the Eagles. Next, it was The Dance by Fleetwood Mac. So perhaps unrealistically, my expectations were high when I purchased this DVD, Being a Dan fan from way back. The song list is great, and this must have been a good concert to see in-person. All the good stuff is pointed out in the other reviews, so i'll focus on what was wrong with it, and try to balance out the score. Unfortunately, it shows it's age. It should have been a clue that it wasn't being presented in Dolby Digital 5.1, DTS, or even Pro-Logic. This concert should have been remastered before pressing the DVD. The sound stage is almost non-existent, at best when Dan plays the solo accoustic work. There's little or no separation of the stereo image. You might as well listen to it on your 50.00 boom box. And when Dan injects his commentary in-between, and sometimes on top of songs, it booms out, and distorts. especially if you've pumped up the volume a notch to make up for the lack of depth. The same applies to the picture quality, but this may be more at the source, than the way the DVD was pressed. The presentation was also disappointing, with a bleak stage, having a kind of adobe walls, and American Indian folk art being the extent of any artistic expression. I know Dan is a nature boy, and I think that's cool. And he certainly needs no elaborate stage to present his music on. Quite the contrary actually, as I was hoping for a setting the likes of Kenny Loggins Redwoods Concert, and outdoors at a minimum. Perhaps Sedona (AZ) would have been a good setting (can you imagine)! As far as his supporting band, and even some of Dan's equipment is concerned, there was also something to be desired. Don't get me wrong, the talent was there, just not the quality. For instance; There was far too much "synthesized" keyboard, bringing to mind a cheap one man bar band sound. In Leader of the Band, listen for what should be the horn solo. Instead it's poorly presented by a synth, that sounds well, like a synth. And again on Same Old Lang Syne, which should have been played on a baby grand. Instead Dan used a synth with the depth of a garage sale keyboard. So there's my take, but if you're expecting to "experience" the concert, like you were there, forget it. Send Dan a letter and tell him to please do another. "If he builds it, it will sell!" Dan's music is certainly deserving of much, much more. It was just a marginal first attempt. If you only want a documentary, you wont be disappointed. C'mon Dan, let's have it!
Rating:
Summary: More like a documentary - It's time for Dan II
Review: When I purchased my DVD player, I knew my first DVD had to be Hell Freezes Over by the Eagles. Next, it was The Dance by Fleetwood Mac. So perhaps unrealistically, my expectations were high when I purchased this DVD, Being a Dan fan from way back. The song list is great, and this must have been a good concert to see in-person. All the good stuff is pointed out in the other reviews, so i'll focus on what was wrong with it, and try to balance out the score. Unfortunately, it shows it's age. It should have been a clue that it wasn't being presented in Dolby Digital 5.1, DTS, or even Pro-Logic. This concert should have been remastered before pressing the DVD. The sound stage is almost non-existent, at best when Dan plays the solo accoustic work. There's little or no separation of the stereo image. You might as well listen to it on your 50.00 boom box. And when Dan injects his commentary in-between, and sometimes on top of songs, it booms out, and distorts. especially if you've pumped up the volume a notch to make up for the lack of depth. The same applies to the picture quality, but this may be more at the source, than the way the DVD was pressed. The presentation was also disappointing, with a bleak stage, having a kind of adobe walls, and American Indian folk art being the extent of any artistic expression. I know Dan is a nature boy, and I think that's cool. And he certainly needs no elaborate stage to present his music on. Quite the contrary actually, as I was hoping for a setting the likes of Kenny Loggins Redwoods Concert, and outdoors at a minimum. Perhaps Sedona (AZ) would have been a good setting (can you imagine)! As far as his supporting band, and even some of Dan's equipment is concerned, there was also something to be desired. Don't get me wrong, the talent was there, just not the quality. For instance; There was far too much "synthesized" keyboard, bringing to mind a cheap one man bar band sound. In Leader of the Band, listen for what should be the horn solo. Instead it's poorly presented by a synth, that sounds well, like a synth. And again on Same Old Lang Syne, which should have been played on a baby grand. Instead Dan used a synth with the depth of a garage sale keyboard. So there's my take, but if you're expecting to "experience" the concert, like you were there, forget it. Send Dan a letter and tell him to please do another. "If he builds it, it will sell!" Dan's music is certainly deserving of much, much more. It was just a marginal first attempt. If you only want a documentary, you wont be disappointed. C'mon Dan, let's have it!
|
