Judas Priest- British Steel
Whee! Surprisingly tech-heavy in some ways. We don't get that much track-soloing and dissection, but we get a good dose of what the Priest guitars sound like in the room thanks to some dual-guitar demonstrating, we get the bass part to 'The Rage' performed solo in the studio, and lots of recording details are revealed- such as the fact that all the tracks were recorded in rooms of a house, not a dead studio room. Also, the sound effects for 'Metal Gods' are dissected- stuff like trays of silverware being jangled, and a guitar strap (cord?) slapped against a table which made the sound of a whip crack. The video performance footage is impressive, too- I kept rewinding some bits over and over simply because I couldn't believe the sounds coming out of Halford. Truly the Metal God.
Bob Marley and the Wailers- Catch A Fire
Fascinating, though not the most educational DVD out there. There's a lot of history which if you've read 'Catch A Fire', the book about Marley, won't be news to you. There's a bit of multitrack-mongering, primarily about what different instruments got recorded together to fit on the 8-track... and you get to see some great reggae musicians play, including in studio filming. We can't have some of the greatest (Carly, Bob, Peter) because they're dead. There is one dread interviewed who has the most astonishing, rumbling, smokey, subsonic voice. It's almost impossible to understand a word he says
Metallica- Metallica (The Black Album)
One of the best! You not only get a sense of the excitement of the time as this metal band broke for mass acceptance, not only a big dose of these wild, childish, opinionated musicians, not only footage of the actual grueling recording sessions (VERY rare even in these DVDs) but quite a bit of detailed breakdown of tracks, arrangements, sequencing- the whole picture. Jason Newsted will say "And Justice For All" was frustrating for him because you couldn't really hear the bass, and immediately you'll get an excerpt from the video for "One" from that album, demonstrating it, and then move on to more discussion. This DVD is strongest on production, explaining how Bob Rock convinced the band to allow slower tempos, or coached Hetfield to sing, or goaded Kirk Hammett to greater heights by pissing him off. There's an amusing section on the orchestra backing tracks for "Nothing Else Matters", including an excerpt from the 'Elevator Version'- just orchestra, voice and a guitar! Sounds fantastic. Then we see Metallica playing a concert with an orchestra, with great seriousness- which is hilarious... This is a great, great DVD for AEs and producers. Top recommendation.
Motorhead- Ace Of Spades
Great fun, much less useful. Anytime you're spending a lot of time looking at Lemmy with a highball and two groupies in the back of a limo, you know you're not going to get a heavy dose of 'this is the mic we used'. Philthy Animal Taylor is most entertaining, though. In general you're grateful they are all safely on the other side of the screen
crazy guys!
Nirvana- Nevermind
Very good. The bit that turned up on YouTube, above, is one of the heavier tech interludes, but throughout this is a strangely inspirational DVD. It gives you a sense of what rock production can be- footage of Cobain flinging himself into amps, a bit of stuff about the recording, some early history, a long segment on the out-of-control video shoot for "Smells Like Teen Spirit" during which Cobain got incredibly pissed off and the extras ran amok and destroyed the set (this made up much of the video but it was not planned!). At the end of this, you haven't learned much and haven't become any better of a person but you want to smash stuff up too. It'll reconnect you with your rock-and-roll guts.
