Paul Weller: Live at Braehead

Rating:
Summary: Good performance, crisply shot, but put on your seat belts!
Review: .
Weller and his sidemen put on a nice career survey here, including not just his solo work, but also some Jam and Style Council. Everybody is in fine form: Weller never wrote melodies which tax the vocal range, so he doesn't really do any short cuts on high notes or go flat; Weller's guitar work isn't brilliant, but certainly good enough; great drums, too, and songs also work well when Weller plays the piano. I have to repeat others' complaints about the constant, frequent switching of cameras: it produces a feeling of vertigo after awhile, and you'd like less of it. Not only do the camera angles switch too frequently, but there's one song where the director has chosen to have the cameras to fast zooms on their focal points. It's a fine show to have on "in the room," but if you watch it for any length it gets difficult. And I can't see why anyone would spend money on a DVD for the background.

Rating:
Summary: Great performance, good dvd
Review: I agree the video editing was a little overdone, but I didn't find it too anoying. Unbelievable number of songs in one performance. Its hard to believe this guy is pushing 50. He still rocks and rocks well. Sound quality was good, but not up to the standards of some of the better Live DVD performances like the Eagles "Hell freezes over". Still, I find myself watching this DVD over and over. I enjoyed the old Jam and Style Council songs as well. Not his best band line-up. Bassist Damon Minchella is a little weak and the keyboard player looks like Herman Monster. Check out LIVE WOOD if you want to hear the best band he ever put together live. But that video suffered even worse from the fast camera shots and choppy editing. Still can't believe this guy isn't a big star in the US. Most people have never heard of him. Shame.

Rating:
Summary: A good complement to his other shows on video
Review: I agree with other reviewers that the frequent angle shifts are unneeded, but I didn't find that too much of a problem. This DVD is recommended expecially for the songs not in his other live shows, especially the Jam & Style Council oldies. Weller really plays his best in medium-sized halls like this one, rather than massive outdoor fests. The DVD format could be better used if the lyrics had been provided in subtitles - Weller's lyrics are a strong point and should be provided!
Good as this is, I still think his best live show on video is Royal Albert Hall 2000. To date this has not been released in Region One format.

Rating:
Summary: A good complement to his other shows on video
Review: I agree with other reviewers that the frequent angle shifts are unneeded, but I didn't find that too much of a problem. This DVD is recommended expecially for the songs not in his other live shows, especially the Jam & Style Council oldies. Weller really plays his best in medium-sized halls like this one, rather than massive outdoor fests. The DVD format could be better used if the lyrics had been provided in subtitles - Weller's lyrics are a strong point and should be provided!
Good as this is, I still think his best live show on video is Royal Albert Hall 2000. To date this has not been released in Region One format.

Rating:
Summary: Musically Weller; however, tough to watch
Review: If your reason to purchase this DVD is to hear Paul Weller live, great. If you what to watch Paul live, be brave. With all the fast edits it is hard to get a real sense of the concert. Each frame seems to last no more than 4 seconds. That makes watching a muscian solo or interact with other bandmates difficult to see. What you do see is a blur of close ups, far shots and quick crowd scenes. A persons best bet is to get a live audio recording of Paul. The other live video is directed better, purchase that one.

Rating:
Summary: Musically Weller; however, tough to watch
Review: If your reason to purchase this DVD is to hear Paul Weller live, great. If you what to watch Paul live, be brave. With all the fast edits it is hard to get a real sense of the concert. Each frame seems to last no more than 4 seconds. That makes watching a muscian solo or interact with other bandmates difficult to see. What you do see is a blur of close ups, far shots and quick crowd scenes. A persons best bet is to get a live audio recording of Paul. The other live video is directed better, purchase that one.

Rating:
Summary: A true original at his best
Review: It's nice to know there's at least one middle aged rocker who hasn't hit a creative wall or wound up on the oldies circuit. I bought Live at Braehead to hear Weller perform his old Jam and Style Council hits live with a full band for the first time in 16 years and guess what, the songs I enjoyed most were from his remarkable 2003 album 'Illumination'. Unlike most 48 year old rockers, his voice and songwriting keep getting better, his musical range contiues to expand and his current band has evolved into a tight and versitile unit that allows Weller to move effortlessly through the many musical styles he's explored over the years. All of these elements come together to make Live at Braehead a memorable listen with music so powerful that you'll almost overlook the quirky and erratic camera work. If you're a Weller fan this is nirvana. If you're new to this legend who's had 19 top ten hits in the UK(three #1's)over the years but has been virtually forgotten in the US, it's time to see what you've been missing.

Rating:
Summary: Love the show but the camera changes are too much...
Review: Paul Weller's work is amazing on this DVD. The photgraphy is very good too, but the constant change in camera angle is beyond annoying. I can't watch it. The editor really messed up what could have been a great piece. The camera changes would be ok if there were periods of time where it let up... it doesn't.
More like 2seconds and under for the camera changes....

Rating:
Summary: Listen to this DVD, don't watch it
Review: This is a great live show. Too bad the video editor ruined it. Personally I found the camera work in "Blair Witch Project" easier to stomach than this. All the cross-cutting, zooming, and bizarre camera angles remind me of a Monkees' romp, yet with no humour and over 2 hrs long rather than 3 minutes. I still recommend this to Weller fans around the world but if you'd rather enjoy "watching" him and his band play, buy "Live Wood."

Rating:
Summary: ALLS WELL AND JAMMING FOR WELLER
Review: This new dvd release from Paul Weller is a must have for fans and the best introduction for the newly converted. Spanning 25 years of his back catalogue for a few numbers and including most of his solo highlights- Live AT Braehead is perhaps the strongest live set from the modfather. Kicking off with A Bullet for Everyone the show starts lively and upbeat followed by Into Tommorow. The real gems however are The jAm classics"in the crowd" and "town called Malice" and truly great versions of style council numbers "down in the Seine" and "MAn of great promise". Solo standouts include the always strong "sunflower" and the achingly beautiful"who brings Joy"with classical guitars played by Craddock. "picking up sticks" also moves along nicely in its neo pyschedelic moodiness."whirlpools End" and "standing out in the universe" are also memorable. At times the show drags abit with the slower tunes from recent albums but at almost two hours long and 27 tracks-this is to be expected. Weller and band seem at top form and the man still looks cool and as mod as ever. Includes most of his best songs and this a great chance for American fans to see weller live if only in their living room-truly essential- 1 star deducted for ocassional boring camera work. (This concert is stronger than the Two classic performances dvd but that is worth buying for the all acoustic (days of speed) set on Later with Jools holland.)