Customer Reviews

Around The World Live

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

 

 

This superb 5 disc set is the definitive John Denver DVD release. There are three complete live performances with full band from Australia in 1977, Japan in 1981 and England in 1986. These are complemented by a solo acoustic performance from Japan in 1984 and his performances at Farm Aid from 1985, 1987 & 1990. The final disc has two hour long documentaries.

TRACKLISTING - JOHN DENVER - AROUND THE WORLD LIVE

Disc One - Thank God I'm A Country Boy - Live In Australia 1977
1. Farewell Andromeda
2. Spirit
3. Fly Away
4. Looking For Space
5. Come And Let Me Look In Your Eyes
6. Baby You Look Good To Me Tonight
7. Druthers
8. I'd Rather Be A Cowboy
9. How Can I Leave You Again
10. Singing Skies And Dancing Waters
11. Love Is Everywhere
12. Pickin' The Sun Down (Blue Grass & High Sierra)
13. I Want To Live
14. Rocky Mountain High
15. Follow Me
16. Moreton Bay
17. To The Wild Country
18. Grandma's Feather Bed
19. Back Home Again
20. Matthew
21. Thank God I'm A Country Boy
22. Take Me Home, Country Roads
23. Annie's Song
24. Eagle And The Hawk
25. Calypso
26. Sunshine On My Shoulders
27. Leaving On A Jet Plane


Disc Two - Rocky Mountain High - Live In Japan 1981
1. Starwood In Aspen
2. Take Me Home, Country Roads
3. Follow Me
4. I'd Rather Be A Cowboy
5. Leaving On A Jet Plane
6. Goodbye Again
7. Rocky Mountain Suite
8. Matthew
9. Fly Away
10. Dancing With The Mountains
11. Back Home Again
12. Thank God I'm A Country Boy
13. Sleepin' Alone
14. Rocky Mountain High
15. Eagle And The Hawk
16. Annie's Song
17. Calypso
18. Sunshine On My Shoulders


Disc Three - Country Roads - Live In England 1986
1. Farewell Andromeda
2. Take Me Home, Country Roads
3. Grandma's Feather Bed
4. Back Home Again
5. Matthew
6. Dreamland Express
7. The Harder They Fall
8. I Can't Escape
9. Flying For Me
10. What Are We Making Weapons For
11. Sunshine On My Shoulders
12. Eagle And The Hawk
13. Wild Montana Skies
14. Relatively Speaking
15. I'd Rather Be A Cowboy
16. How Can I Leave You Again
17. I'm Sorry
18. Shanghai Breezes
19. Fly Away
20. My Sweet Lady
21. Heart To Heart
22. Rocky Mountain High
23. Annie's Song
24. Calypso
25. Peace (poem)
26. It's About Time
27. Perhaps Love


Disc Four - Solo Acoustic Show - Live In Japan 1984 / Farm Aid
1. Rocky Mountain High
2. Sunshine On My Shoulders
3. Leaving On A Jet Plane
4. Goodbye Again
5. Follow Me
6. Matthew
7. Grandma's Feather Bed
8. I Want To Live
9. Rhymes & Reasons
10. Eagle And The Hawk
11. The Gold And Beyond
12. Take Me Home, Country Roads
13. Biwako Shuko No Uta
14. Seasons Of The Heart
15. Annie's Song
16. Calypso
17. It's About Time

Farm Aid 1985:
1. Take Me Home, Country Roads
2. Back Home Again
3. Thank God I'm A Country Boy
Farm Aid 1987:
1. Take Me Home Country Roads
2. Matthew
3. What Are We Making Weapons For
Farm Aid 1990:
1. Rocky Mountain High
2. Matthew
Total Running Time: 99 minutes

Disc Five - Two One Hour Documentaries

I've always loved John and his music. However, in the years since his tragic death, I've actually come to appreciate him more. As I progress in my own life experience, I can understand with greater clarity just how powerful this man was.

Time and again, he made choices that had an adverse effect upon his career. There are so many times when he stayed true to himself, even though he understood that there would be a price to pay. RCA thought he should go ahead and 'define' himself as a country artist. But he had no interest in restricting himself to one particular genre, no matter how profitable it might be.

With his wholesome, cleancut image,and his undeniably pristine worldview, he could have been the preeminent superstar for America's churchgoing community. However, his spirituality was unconventional, and he said so. Again, this cost him heavily. I know. I'm from the Deep South, and I know Fundamentalist types who despise him for this very reason.

Now, between those 2 audiences, that's an awful lot of money that he simply gave up.

Then, in the 80's, he spoke out forcefully at the Senate Hearings on censorship. John certainly had nothing to gain from any of this. If anything, he stood to LOSE fans. But he went to the mat for free speech, when some of the people who had the most to gain.............. stayed quietly on the sidelines.

I think he was an impressive man. Of course, I'm not looking to make him out to be more than a man. He had his flaws, like all of us. But, at the end of the day, he handled money, fame, and influence in a way that others would do well to emulate.

When it comes to his music, what can you say? I mean, you just don't run out of great songs. He was such an incredible talent. And his music, in addition to being melodic and beautiful, spoke to things that many of us deem the essential elements of life. Has anyone ever used the imagery of the natural world with such vivid effect?

A great example of his depth and brilliance came at the beginning, and the end, of one of my favorite albums, 'Spirit.' The first song on this cd is 'Come and Let Me Look In Your Eyes.' The final song is 'The Wings That Fly Us Home.' Each of these tunes represent the quest for spiritual enlightenment, and the process of seeking answers to life's questions.

They deal with similar aspirations. But the first is told from the perspective of confusion, even despair. The second, while exploring the same themes, is rendered from a place of majesty, awe.........and peace.

So many critics try to make him out to be trite and irrelevant(probably my least favorite word.Who are they to tell anybody what is relevant?) But I think you'll find more strength and depth in John than you will in any of his detractors.

What can I say? John Denver was the best. This dvd collection is long overdue. I hope that, ultimately, they release some of his classic tv specials. He was one of a kind.

As I have read on Amazon.co.uk this 5Disc DVD Box-Set is Live concerts in Sydney {Aust}-Japan-England all digitally re-mastered from the master tapes.....All John Denver fans will be waiting for this.....Fantastic news. This will bring back wonderful memories for millions of fans around the world....WELL DONE

I have been a hard core John Denver fan for most of my life. So I was thrilled to receive this 5 DVD box set and felt it was long overdue. Although the Wild Life concert was also an excellent staging of John Denver's music the concerts presented in this box set gives the viewer a more complete look at the pure artistry and talent John Denver delivered while performing live. In today's over produced concerts with elaborate dancers and stage productions the simplicity and brilliance of a John Denver concert shines through on each disk. It is a rare performer who can hold an audience in the palm of his hand while mesmerizing, thrilling and touching them with just his songs, his personality and a small backing band.

The quality of the DVDs are spectacular. Eagle Rock did a great job restoring the footage to pristine quality making you feel you have a front row seat to your own JD concert which you can enjoy any time you want to. The song selections cover his greatest hits while sampling a wide variety of his lesser known but high quality material. But what soars above it all is his voice which was clear as a mountain stream and as powerful as a thunderstorm in spring.

A bonus on disk 5 are two documentaries. The first one is a 1990 Earth Day related documentary speaking of the environmental movement and its importance to us all. It stars John and is educational, quite interesting but never preachy. The second documentary is his 1972 Bighorn documentary. This is classic John Denver in his element, out in the rocky mountains learning about the Bighorn sheep and all the other animals that live there. This documentary is peppered with Johns music throughout including the tongue in cheek tune "How to say hello to a Grizzly Bear." Many fans have been waiting for this gem to be released on DVD and this will not disappoint.


If you're a fan of John Denver then this is an absolute must have for your collection. Hopefully in time to come there will be concerts and more TV shows to be released.

I look forward to this 5 - DVD SET of John in Concert - it carn,t come soon enough, My wife & I had the pleasure to see John in concert four times in the 80s & 90s in Brisbane, Australia and John,s concerts were simply -the BEST , There is never a week goes by that I don,t play some of his beautifull songs , over the years we have seen some great concerts including ,THE BEE GEES , MONKEES , GLEN CAMPBELL , CLIFF RICHARD & OLIVIA NEWTON- JOHN , DAVID CASSIDY & many other great artists , however - no- one puts their heart & soul into a live concert more than JOHN DENVER . It will be wonderfull to see John preform songs including , Heart to Heart & Its about Time & many others that were not on the EXCELLENT- WILDLIFE CONCERT. I am 52 years old & purchased my 1st JOHN DENVER album - Farewell Andromeda in the early 70s , shortly after he became my all time favorite singer ,even replaceing ELVIS PRESLEY who had been my all time favorite untill I heard Johns records , so this 5 DVD set will be cherished by all the fans around the world . I HOPE THERE WILL BE MORE CD & DVD RELEASES STILL TO COME , GOD BLESS JOHN DENVER.

(1) I got this 5-disc DVD package and view most of them, first question I have is for Jeroen (of Netherlands)'s posting, I don't see those bonus tracks, are they available in England or Netherland only?
(2) Live in Australia DVD : DTS sound is good, but with this setup, John's guitar sound is at it's minimum level, video quality is OK only, most are blurry, only the close-up is clear.
(3) Live in Japan: Both video and sound are good, is this reason, Eagle Vision picked this one to release as stand alone DVD?
(4) Live in England : Both video and DTS sound are excellent, the band is fantastic, however, I believe JD must have caught a bad cold before the show, his voice in second half is horrible, otherwise, I like the songs selection as well as John's guitar playing can be heard very clear.
(5) Solo Acoustic in Japan : Both video and DTS sound are excellent, I remember John opened it with Boy From The Country but the DVD starts with Rocky Mountain High, voice and guitar sound are the best among these 5 discs.
(6) Documentary disc is nice to have, the video and sound quality are average.

This is easily the most extensive John Denver release to date. Unlike the excellent "Wildlife Concert," these are actual concerts, flaws and all, that show what an extraordinary live performer John Denver really was. Some have complained about the imperfections in the DVDs' sound and video quality, but remember that the restoration team, led by Barry Ehrmann, was dealing with videos ranging from 32 to 18 years old; that considered, the sound and picture are surpringly strong and present. Also, it is great to have all of Denver's Farm Aid performances together and to finally have "Bighorn" on DVD. I would love to have had other Denver performances here (for example, his 1982 "Man and His Music" BBC concert), but that's a small quibble. This is nirvana for die-hard Denver fans, and I applaud Eagle Rock Entertaniment for making this box set available.

These DVD's are a wonderful collection of Johns songs. I love to see his smiling face, hear his wonderful voice, hear him making his jokes.....
I think that everyone visited a concert of John and has caught by the magic will feel that magic again!
I love it!
Irma

Having only watch the first dvd Im writing an early review but a confindent one, The box is beautifully packaged and has a booklet with lots of rare pictures and a essay by Hal Thau which explains his career in a short sweet way, its also has the setlists to all the concerts, the first disc is Australia 1977 and it blew my socks off.

The Picture was so good, remaster picture, looks as if it was recorded with High Definition cameras. The sounds is as clear and the audio is faboulous, the mics picked up everything, the clips on youtube have nothing ont the quality of the dvd, much more enjoyable to expeirence plus all the tidbits of John's Jokes and stories between each song and introduction to his band memebers.

John's performance was beyond extradinary, his vocals were absoulutly flawless thorught the show and Hal Blaine's drumming was just right, big orchestra, backing vocals, keyborads, blue grass insturments for the many blue grass tunes he played, faomus rhoads keyboards! It was a long show like almost 3hours of pure fun with John playing many favorites of mine and all his hits!
Around The World Live
The only thing that disapoints me is they had to cut out one song he did on the show and it was a gem that i've seen on youtube.
They cut out John's performance of "Today" It was'nt written by John but by one of his band memebers and was first heard on the "Evening with John Denver" album, its one of his most moving performances of the concert, I enjoy the whole concert, many of the performances I have never seen and was memorized, I was so happy when he did Love Is Everywhere and Annie's Song, and How Can I Leave you Again/ Singing Skies and dancing waters.

Overall im more then satisfied with what this dvd offers, the documentary Day at the big horn offers insight to how John feels about the natural world and showcases him in the wild, many great qoutes of his wisdom too, a fairly old one from 1972; it will be a treat seeing it in crisp clear audio and video for the clips on youtube were pretty fuzzy and mono. I can't wait to watch the other discs and I'll post some reviews once im finished, for now peace be with you my friends and god bless!

John Denver - Around the World Live

On October 13th Eagle Records released what is being heralded as the definitive John Denver DVD Release. "Definitive" is one way to describe it. "Eclectic" is another, and "excessive" is also an option.

Consisting of four live concerts: "Thank God I'm a Country Boy" Live in Australia 1977, "Rocky Mountain High" Live in Japan 1981, "Country Roads" Live in England 1986, "Solo Acoustic Show" Live in Japan 1984, his "Farm Aid Performances" 1985, 1987, 1990, and two documentaries "Earth Day" 1990, and "Day at Bighorn" 1972, the collection has 592 minutes of material on 5 discs.

The collection is definitive in that it spans more than ten years of live performances, it is eclectic in that it includes such things as the Earth Day documentary, which may have been one of Mr. Denvers passions, and is briefly hosted by him, but it really has little to do with him, and the material is outdated, and the collection is excessive in it's repetitiveness. The collection includes no less than six performances of "Take me Home Country Roads", and numerous performances of other Denver Classics.

Though it is interesting to watch how the technology to film a concert advanced over the years, eventually the footage becomes more enjoyable to listen to, rather than to sit and watch an incredibly talented man, stand in front of a microphone and strum his guitar. The concert from Australia in 1977 is awkward from the opening where it fails to properly capture Denvers introduction, and remains awkwardly filmed throughout. As technology improved over the years, so does the footage of the concerts.

The documentary "Day at the Bighorn" lends the most insight into Denver, his personality, and his passion for animals and the great outdoors, but it is clumsily edited, and generally results in poor story telling.

The gem in this release is the acoustic performance in Japan from 1984, as it truly displays the immense talent and vocal range of Denver.

The sound quality of all segments is excellent, and most of the footage looks great if you are so inclined to watch all of it.

Recommendation: This collection seems thrown together, as the Earth Day documentary seems out of place. A documentary on John Denvers Life would have made for the perfect conclusion to the story that was attempted to be told here. Even the addition of the made for television movie "Take Me Home: The John Denver Story" from 2000 with Chad Lowe as Denver, would have made for a more well rounded release. The true fan may enjoy sitting and watching all of this, but most will simply enjoy listening to some of it.