Customer Reviews

Alanis Morissette - VH1 Storytellers

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The Good
If you're not familiar with the Storytellers program, it where VH1 gets well-known recording artists into an intimate setting with some of their biggest fans for a live performance. In between the songs the artists give a little insight to how the song came to be and field questions from the crowd. Alanis Morissette however, is uncomfortable with this format, but she's the first to tell you about it. She thinks she speaks a lot through her music. Alanis does give a little info on seven of her best known tracks. If I told you what she said there would be no reason for you to buy it. The performance takes place at the peak of Alanis' career, so all of her hits are included; "Hand in My Pocket", "You Learn", "Thank U", "Unsent", You Oughta Know", That I Would Be Good, and "Still".

The music arraignments are quite different and are mostly acoustic; this does not take away any of the integrity of the songs. The keyboardist tone really enhances the performances. So much so that I've found a new appreciation for "Thank U". It wasn't really a favorite of mine (maybe the video was). Alanis admits that she felt she had to get permission from the men she sings about on "Unsent" (I know I said I wouldn't tell, but what the heck). Another pleasant surprise was a plugged in version of "You Oughta Know". It seems everywhere Alanis goes, she performs that one acoustically.

The DVD is a little slim on extras, but you do get two performances that were never aired, "Uninvited" (my favorite Alanis song, and even more so with this performance) and "Head Over Feet" (the country version apparently). I don't think they were never aired for content, most likely time restrictions. As an added bonus, if you don't want to listen to the little stories that go along with the performances, there's an `All Music' feature that cuts it all out.

The Bad
Nothing notable.

The Verdict
A great performance by Alanis Morissette at the height of her popularity (she's still popular-don't get me wrong). Of course this DVD is most likely a promotional piece for her upcoming all acoustic Jagged Little Pill 10th Anniversary release scheduled for later this year.

Did You Know?

This is the first VH1 Storytellers DVD that I have purchased and I have to admit that I am with truth greatly pleased. The setting, the directing, the music and Alanis herself all give off this vibe that relaxes you and alleviates you of your stress. Alanis' beautiful and captivating voice makes me smile as well as cry. I found it to be a great treasure to watch her engage in conversations with the audience. It's really interesting to hear what she has to say, even though her songs speak for herself. Alanis with truth knows how to pull in an audience and she knows how to offer a great performance. I cannot wait to see her live someday in my life.

Set List:
Hand In My Pocket
You Learn
Thank U
Unsent
You Oughta Know
That I Would Be Good
Still
Uninvited
Head Over Feet

This DVD is a must for Morissette fans, and lovers of rock music in general will also appreciate Morissette's brand of confessional writing mixed with the hard rock sounds and gentle melodies her band offers throughout the show. The whole backdrop and aura of this show is very intimate, also psychedelic as Morissette was involved in projecting an image of peace and spiritual harmony during this point of her career. The song list is a rich blend of radio hits off Jagged Little Pill with deep cuts from Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie. Some highlights include Alanis playing a flute solo in "That I Would Be Good," the greatest and most driving performance of "You Oughta Know" I've scene to date, and concluding with a brilliant performance of "Still"(Dogma)where Alanis reveals in storytelling format "This is my take on what God is." And if that isn't enough, the bonus features include performances of her classic "Head Over Feet," and then "Uninvited," which will leave viewers blown away and proves Morissette is one singer who knows how to rock.

Just a note..."Un-Invited" is from the City of Angels soundtrack, not Godzilla. 8)
I loved Alanis' performance. Especially "Un-Invited" and "That I Would Be Good"

The DVD only includes her performance of 9 songs; and that thanks to two songs that they added as extras (see set list below). The first song either already started by the time the DVD show begins, or they she simply did a short version of it.

Besides that, her performance is top quality. The sound and image quality of the video is great. The DVD also allows you to play the show omitting the storytelling bits.

Set List:
Hand In My Pocket
You Learn
Thank U
Unsent
You Oughta Know
That I Would Be Good
Still

Extras:
Uninvited
Head Over Feet

I give it 4 stars only because I think it was short. It is so good that you wish it was longer.

This is long hair Alanis. Alanis is very raw and make-up is minimal. She sits alot and seems very at peace with the audience. She appears quite comfortable and when she answers questions she provides good eye contact with the audience. One audience member asked her if she writes lyrics first, or music first. Alanis explained that most of the time she does it all in one shot. Every once in a while she will write lyrics or a poem, but she prefers for the music and lyrics to all come together. Back to long hair Alanis, this segment of Storytellers was taped in July of 1999 and includes songs from her smash album Jagged Little Pill as well as songs from her album So Called Infatuation Junkie.

The song "Uninvited," which was a part of the Godzilla soundtrack (remember that movie??), is one of the bonus tracks on the set. The other bonus performance is the song "Head Over Feet."

It is really great to see these songs performed acoustic and up close and personal. Alanis Morrisette is a great singer and song writer and this is a great release.

The music of course is good and seeing Alanis interpreting her songs is inspiring for all of us that enjoy creativity and spontaneity. But the producer really did not do a good job. Regularly, he'll focus the camera on the audience, closing up on some man or woman, who is singing along as if she had been smoking marijuana (sorry guys). I understand that the camera may not be at all times on a close-up on Alanis, but instead it could be on the other musician's.

Here is another in VH-1 and Rhino's series of DVD's drawn from episodes of the program that allows songwriters to play their songs while discussing the inspiration behind them. Alanis Morissette would seem to be a prime candidate for this treatment, since so many of her songs sound like a transcript from a harrowing therapy session. Early on, though, she makes the point that talking about her songs is a bit redundant, since her songs are so self-revealing in the first place, and I have to agree with her. Alanis makes good sense when explaining her search for self-awareness, but it is unnecessary if you are already familiar with the material. Judging from the audience shots, though, I may be mistaken. As the DVD progresses, it becomes fairly obvious that a great deal of her fans might be living vicariously through her words, and it is that semi-sycophantic relationship that renders this disk so strangely fascinating.
Comparing Alanis' performance with Natalie Merchant's, I must give the edge to Alanis, because she at least offers advice to an audience that might benefit from listening. Gather a bunch of jilted women and a few masochistic men in one room, and she's got herself a captive audience ready to absorb every breath. It takes a certain type of foolhardy bravery to write songs as Alanis Morissette does. I personally applaud her for it, but her true fans seem utterly entranced by her unabashed, unfiltered means of expression. The story introducing the song "Unsent" is particularly interesting, and it does help the listener to understand the song, but her fans seem to take it a step further and personalize it; as if they also knew the people she was singing about.
Interestingly, the Alanis concert also features a song called "Thank You" (see the Natalie Merchant review from this same series), and this one offers a bit more emotional resonance than Merchant's, which is fairly obvious, since she is so much less reserved than her staid counterpart. I also give Alanis the edge here because she writes impressionistically instead of literally. While Natalie Merchant writes about what she sees, Alanis Morissette writes about how she feels, and I find the latter to be infinitely more compelling, especially since she seems to have had so many issues to iron out in public. That being said, if Ms. Morissette continues to grow and stabilize emotionally (as she has been of late), she runs the risk of morphing into Natalie Merchant. From an artistic perspective, I prefer emotional instability, which is why I give this DVD a... B Tom Ryan

This is a very good dvd, the only complaint is that it is too short! I certainly would have enjoyed at least a couple more tunes and insightful commentary, nevertheless, it was well worth the money paid. Recommended!

She is just the best on her kind..........I daying for the Unplugged of her too......Tony Estrada Juarez MExico