Customer Reviews

Echo and the Bunnymen: Live in Liverpool

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Having been a Bunnymen fan for over 20 years, and after seeing them live three times, I was eager to secure this live DVD. I am now enjoying the DVD for almost two weeks; I am very glad that I was not swayed by the various reviews that slag the quick editing / imagery.

I enjoy this DVD the more I play it. I especially like the mix of songs that were chosen for this production. Hearing some older and lesser known songs such as Villiers Terrace and Zimbo / All My Colours rounds out an excellent playlist.

The projection of old band related images onto the backstage does not distract from the production. Rather, I enjoy seeing the images of the band in younger days. The main focus of the camera remains Ian and Will; their performances become stronger and the show progresses.

This DVD is well worth the money. I've seen them live and actually walked out because the performance was very dismal and the sound was terrrible. Florida 1985, what was I expecting?
This DVD has great sound and shows the band as best as can be expected. The layering of images does get annoying but does stays true to the their psychadelic style. They really manged to get a great recording from a live performance. As for the Tom Petty comment, you really should get your hearing checked, LOL.

I have to agree with some previous reviews. The last thing the music of the Bunnymen needs is 'atmosphere'. I didn't like all the fancy visuals and editing at all. The overlapping images were completely unecessary. And at other times there were rapid fire cuts so fast it made my head spin. Still, a worthwhile concert document. The sound is INCREDIBLE. I viewed this without an elaborate 5 speaker system so I envy those that do. Great song selection as well - highlights "Killing Moon", "Rescue", "Back of Love" and "Nothing Lasts Forever". However, it would have been cool to have "Show of Strength" included.

I rented it on Netflix and am watching right now. I have seen them in concert 9 times and have been a fan since 1985. I am enjoying the DVD very much and plan to add to my wish list for my upcoming birthday. It's got a good mix of old songs with new. My favorites: Over the Wall, Villiers Terrace and always have to close with Ocean Rain. It's also got some bonus videos and an audio option in case you have surround sound. I just love them and if you're a fan you won't care about the budget quality. I mean come on, it's not like when they were playing huge arenas.

"echo & the bunnymen: live in liverpool" is a well produced film that impressively captures the passion of a bunnymen live performance. throughout the course of the DVD, longtime fans will note that ian mcculloch's voice has undergone a significant transformation from the powerful timbre he exhibited circa the 1980's to a less refined, nearly dylan-esque quality that is undoubtedly the result of heavy smoking. however, mcculloch's limited vocal range occasionally hints at the sheer brilliance of yesteryear during such songs as "the cutter" and "bring on the dancing horses." newer material transfers well to the concert setting and perhaps provides a more accurate understanding of the band's current capabilities...eschewing the bombast of 80's synth-rock and adopting wearier, wiser sound that is at times more reminiscent of tom petty and the heartbreakers than it is of echo & the bunnymen's contemporaries.

visual effects are somewhat profuse throughout the DVD. most notably, archive footage of the band is often superimposed onto the live performance. the results are mixed...while the imagery is interesting and sentimental, it occasionally detracts from the actual performance. audio quality is satisfactory.

"echo & the bunnymen: live in liverpool" is an extremely worthwhile investment for those who are familiar with the band and new fans alike. this DVD is a document of the continuing evolution of a brilliant band.

If you're an Echo and the Bunnymen fan, you no doubt are very interested in this DVD. Well, I love the band, and they sound as good as ever here. And I love concert DVDs (many good ones out there), but trust me, this one is absolutely awful. The rapid-fire editing that others here have complained about is the problem, not to mention the ridiculous overlays that supposedly add "atmosphere." The people who made this DVD should be taken out and shot. And the band should have the privilege of pulling the trigger.

Its too bad one of the best bands ever to come out of England has had there live performance butchered by truely amateur editing. I have seen Echo & The Bunnymen live, (in person) six times over the years. They put on an amazing show, but this dvd is unbearable to watch. The overly rapid cutting of the camera angles throughout the entire performance never gives you a good look at the images. Where the editing gets an F the music makes up for it with an A. I do wish they would have included "Do it clean" on the song selection, because it is one of Echo & The Bunnymen's most energetic live songs. Go Echo!
Paul K.
KonaSpy@aol

You would be better off taking a picture of the band, pasting it on the wall and playing the Liverpool CD. The DVD could have been great, but the camera work is annoying. It switches every half second and you never get a good look at Ian, or Will. There are 1980's effects too. It makes no sense to buy the DVD. Just get the CD for the music, which by the way, is 5 stars.

I agree with the consensus that appears to have been reached regarding this disc: the performance is excellent, the editing and effects are distracting. I do have one comment to add. I believed that I detected an uncomfortable fact when I saw E&THBM about half a year ago, and this dvd confirms my suspicion. Ian McCullogh (sp?) sounds uncannily like Neil Diamond these days. Age and about a million cigarettes will do that, I suppose. He could probably make a very nice living touring casinos as a tribute act.

Having said that, I like the change in his voice - it has a pleasant rasp to it, and he's now forced to sing in a lower register which I prefer personally. I always thought Ian tended to shriek at the upper end of his register too much on his old records.

I cannot say enough good things about the sound quality of this recording: it's brilliant. The video looks like it was edited by my four year old (or someone with an even less attention span). I couldn't even finish watching it and skipped right to the bonus material. I really enjoyed seeing old clips of the band throughout, but it was just not pieced together well at all. The video for "Make Me Shine" was great; they should have hired THAT guy to edit the concert footage! It does pain me to write such a negative review for the visual aspect since I am a long time fan, but this is a dvd and I have a gripe with with editor, not the band members. The band sounds great, Ian's voice sounds great, and Will's guitar playing was fantastic, but watching it was not a positive experience.