Customer Reviews

Alanis Morissette - Feast on Scraps (DVD & Enhanced CD)

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

I was so excited when I heard that Alanis was releasing a DVD from her latest tour. However, I was so disappointed with the DVD that I wished I could get my money back. "Feast on Scraps" basically gives the viewer a "Feast" of "Scraps" of video clips with bad quality sound and video. There is even disclaimer on the back of the DVD which says "This DVD contains home movies or other program material that amy include poor sound quality, including noise, dropouts or other distortions. This is not a defect of the DVD disc but represents the sound of the original recording". Horrible DVD. Sad, but true :(

I love Alanis and have every album she's ever made. When I received this DVD/CD combo as a gift I was so excited because I'd never seen her perform live before. But my excitement soon disappeared as I watched the DVD. Talk about unprofessional editing! In the same song they hop from concert to concert, so you don't get a consistant performance. To make matters worse, the sound quality is so bad during some of the concert shots that you can barely hear Alanis, much less the music. Certain points are muted and distorted.

I am really upset that Alanis allowed this type of "quality" to be put out for her fans. I would expect better from a multiplatinum artist. If she didn't know about it, she should take a listen for herself. So if you're not picky about sound and bad editing, you'll enjoy this. Otherwise don't waste your monet.

I have only taken a major interest in Alanis Morissette and her music since the fall of 2002. I always knew her songs and the albums she had released, but I never actually bought one of her records. That all changed in October 2002 when I purchased the legendary "Jagged Little Pill" and become totally entranced by this wonderful artist. A rock Goddess is every sense of the word. My purchases of "Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie," "Alanis Unplugged" and "Under Rug Swept" soon followed earlier this year, and most recently, my purchase of the DVD/CD combination "Feast On Scraps."

This product seems like the perfect collector's item for any true Alanis fan, and it is certainly is that - and much more. Alanis describes this product as "A conceptual scrapbook filled with snapshots of my experiences over the past two years." The first attraction of this collection is Feast On Scraps DVD, which is a DVD that runs for 2 hours and 20 minutes and sees Alanis on stage performing no less than 19 stunning songs from the past eight years. The show we see is in Rotterdam during Alanis' "Toward Our Union Mended Tour 2002" and some other cities around the world. Alanis performs a total of seven songs from her signature album Jagged Little Pill. These are "Right Through You," "Hand In My Pocket," "All I Really Want," "Head Over Feet," "You Oughta Know," "Ironic" and "You Learn." The performances of these songs are nothing less than mind-blowing, especially Ironic where audience participation is focused upon more so than Alanis. Countless cities across the world are featured in the performance, and there isn't one audience that doesn't know every single word to this classic song. It gives a stunning look in under five minutes at the impact that these mid-90's songs had on the world, and everyone in the world who heard them.

Only three songs are performed from the Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie album. Baba opens the show in true head-banging style while "Sympathetic Character" is just haunting to the core. "Thank You," on the other hand, warms the soul and fills the heart with love as the song that closes the show. Six songs from the Under Rug Swept album are present on the DVD. "21 Thing I Want In A Lover" storms on as the third performance of the evening and really gets the audience going. "Flinch" and "Precious Illusions" fit together perfectly despite their different moods, while "So Unsexy" and "Hands Clean" are two of Alanis' pure, all out pop/indie anthems. The gorgeous and melancholy "That Particular Time" will bring tears to anyone's eyes. Easily one of Alanis' greatest ballads to date. The DVD also includes some wonderful personal footage of Alanis just goofing around with her bandmates. They show Alanis in a wonderful light and as a very funny woman. She appears unaffected by her international fame and just seems like a really cool chick!

The second and final attraction of this product is Feast On Scraps CD. This CD includes nine previously unreleased recordings from the Under Rug Swept album recording sessions and they are absolutely fantastic. These are supposed to be the 'scraps' from the main meal of Under Rug Swept, but it doesn't take a genius to work out that these songs are equally as fantastic - if not better - as even the best songs from the album they were denied. "Fear Of Bliss" is an awesome rock anthem with some dramatic vocals from Alanis. "Bent For You" sounds like a song that was dismissed from Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie with it's high-pitched wailing and harmonious style. "Sorry To Myself" is a brilliant ballad while "Sister Blister" is just phenomenal. It features this really cool drum that booms out of your speakers and infects you with everything primal and animalistic in music. "Offer" and "Unprodigal Daughter" are great but not the best on the CD but "Simple Together" makes up for this. "Purgatorying" is a fantastic song which was split into three sections and performed on the DVD. The CD ends with "Hands Clean (Acoustic)" which is a rather disappointing live version of the hit single.

OVERALL GRADE: 9/10

For all true Alanis Morissette fans "Feast On Scraps" is a must-have. Tons of people have nattered on about the sound quality on this DVD. The sound is perfect for more than 90% of the concert time, so to be honest, who really cares if a bit of the sound is rubbish? It doesn't deter from the fact that this is a fantastic collection for any fan. I purchased it about a month ago and have watched the DVD about five times - and listened to the CD about 50 times! If you though Alanis was over and that her shining moment of glory was in 1995, then you need to pick up this and give it a spin. You will be proven wrong. Absolutely amazing. Alanis Morissette, the Queen of rock.

I have to admit first off that I'm an avid Alanis fan, so I might be a bit biased...but I still have valid opinions! *LOL*

When I first purchased this CD/DVD compilation, I was somewhat hesitant. I have seen/purchased live DVDs before and have never been pleased. The behind-the-scenes footage always seems hokey and contrived and I find myself skipping over it to see the live concert footage, which generally lacks in production value.

Not to mention that I had already bought all the singles released from "Under Rug Swept" and, therefore, already owned the majority of the songs on the CD. (As a side note, I was disappointed that Alanis left off "Awakening Americans"...one of my favorite B-sides...but "Simple Together" and "Purgatorying" more than made up for it, if you ask me.)

Nevertheless, I wanted to see the DVD. I haven't been fortunate enough to see Alanis in concert, so I wanted to at least get that experience somehow. I popped the DVD in and from beginning to end, I was mesmerized. While some of the concert footage lacks in sound quality, it's to be expected with the vastly different venues they feature. You really get to experience Alanis in more than just one venue.

And the behind-the-scenes footage? Let's just say that I found myself fast forwarding through some of the live performances just to see the next b-t-s clip! Alanis and Co. are hilarious, sweet, and down-to-earth. I do have favorites, too. My favorite live performance(s) are the trio of "Purgatorying". My favorite b-t-s clips are when Alanis pulls up next to a young woman in a car and she's blasting "Hands Clean," unaware (but not for long) of the singer sitting in the next lane. They converse briefly, the fan unsure of what to say. But my favorite is the b-t-s of Alanis writing "Surrender". As a songwriter, this clip really hit home. The frustration and tears that you see Alanis experience aren't contrived or played up for theatrics...they're real and you can tell.

All in all, the few faults of this compilation are overwhelmed by the shining moments. Even if you're only a mediocre Alanis fan, you would still enjoy and benefit from owning this CD/DVD set. BUY IT!

I saw this brilliant musician, singer, song writer, producer, and actress live in concert last summer and it was worth every penny i paid to get in. The DVD consists of bits and peices from her Rottendam concert. The sound from her band was crisp, muscular, and confident. It complimented her voice particularly well. It as well includes behind the scene tidbits of "making under rug swept" and moments she's recorded backstage with her camcorder. There were plenty of genuinely funny moments sprinkled throughout the 2.5 hour DVD set. Don't skip!!..U might miss them. It was difficult at first sitting in front of the computer watching it in its entirety due to length but it was time well spent. The audio at times seemed inadequate due to the camcorder's poor sound quality it was recorded with, the dvd is not to blame so dont worry, yet it captured the moment. This shows that she is THE most real person in entertainment. She's Canadian, extremely funny, young,beautiful, and a "genius". It's highquality and more eye and ear-candy for fans. The Audio part was equally gratifying. I wondered again at times why some of these tracks never made the cut of "Under Rug Swept." "Fear of Bliss" "Sister Blister" "Bent 4 U" and "Unprodigal Daughter" are loud, powerful, and orgasmic. They are sonically her most muscular productions to date. They are rock songs to the core! I can as well see these tracks becoming singles, mainly just "Fear of Bliss" and "Unprodigal Daughter". Like "Under Rug Swept" this compilation suffers from often limpid slow jams, such as "Sorry to Myself" and "Offer". But sometimes they do work (ie Simple Together). It can easily be part of a soundtrack to some sappy, lovey/dubby movie. But I do like the track enough to recommend it. Like "That Particular Time" from URS, it requires repeated listenings before final judgement. The acoustic version of "hands clean" is finely orchestrated with string instruments. She sounds less complacent singing about her ... relations with an older mentor. Go Figure. Overall, I am glad that she decided to release this DVD and CD together to "Feast" on.

I'm usually not one to write reviews,
but I absolutely felt compelled to write this one, just for YOU.
If you are an Alanis fan, you NEED to get this!
You will truly regret not owning this.

Alanis is a true artist; a true human spirit!
She is still in her very prime; still at the "top of HER game"
Alanis knows how to give you the chills, make you
laugh, and break your heart.

This is her best work yet.
Believe me when I say: this package is well worth your money.
These are no scraps, but rather true gems,
or at the very least, the best scraps you will have ever
tasted in a very long time.

Alanis, if you can hear me:
Thank you for touching me deeply in my heart.
You'll never know how much I admire, respect, &
LOVE you. You are a bright, shining star in this
marvelous, crazy confusion we call existence.

Love,
Time Traveler

first let me assure you while i don't have a built-in love for everything alanis i consider myself a devoted fan. i was shocked, i must say, to see what alanis seems to be content with being sold to her fans, being an artist devoted one hundert percent to her work. the sound in some of the live tracks is literally unbearable. the skits inbetween the songs (and, unfortunately, sometimes even mid-song) are definitely not everyone's cup of tea, sometimes deeply personal, sometimes nothing short of downright silly. i'd have preferred a no-nonsense live recording with silly bonus scraps within the extra materials. as it is, feast on scraps will leave lots of alanis' fans short of what i'm sure we all expected from this.

I couldn't believe it...in the middle of songs, the sound drops down from 5.1 to distortion and pure [crud] level....and the sound level between most of the music and the interviews/"playing around" drops between the volumn level of a gun shot to a whisper in the wind.
What is the problem here?
All I intended to buy was a concert video by a great artist.

This DVD is excellent except for one major complaint. The variations of sound levels is hard on the ears.The sound practically cuts out for several seconds on "Hand In My Pocket".There are several cuts from one scene to another during a song, and as a result the sound levels change throughout the song.I guess this is what "Scraps" is referring to.

The DVD is basically about 2 hours of live performances from her recent tour. In between each song there is a short segment with interviews of Alanis and her touring bandmates, and bits of Alanis acting goofy (which are a highlight :) The performances are fun to watch, and the in-between segments are funny and interesting, giving insight into Alanis' more personal side.

The only problem I had with this DVD is that on some of the songs, the sound quality would briefly degrade when the camera changed angles. Not sure if this is related to the 'Linear PCM' encoding for some of the shots, but I digress.

Overall, a solid buy.