Customer Reviews

Eye to the Telescope (CD+DVD)

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Before you read this, you may want to take a look at my (5 star) review of the "Eye to the Telescope" CD (the version without the DVD included).

This CD/DVD combo contains the "Eye to the Telescope" CD -- with a bonus track that's not on the regular CD -- PLUS a DVD of music videos and live performances of several of the songs from the CD. The bonus song (called "Immune") is excellent; and is quickly becoming one of my favorites.

Most of the music videos are quite good (though I'll admit that the video for the hit song "Black Horse and the Cherry Tree" wasn't quite as good as I had hoped it would be). But it's the live performances that really make this DVD worthwhile. As good as KT Tunstall is in the recording studio, she's even better on stage in front of a live audience. I've seen her a few times on TV and the Internet, and was very impressed with the quality of her work on stage. The live performances on this DVD are simply astounding. In fact, the live version of "Black Horse and the Cherry Tree" on the DVD is far better than the studio version from the CD and the music video.

If you like KT Tunstall, then this CD/DVD combo set is definitely worth the price.

Natasha Bedingfield...Anna Nalick...Shakira...now KT Tunstall. What's with all these female artists re-releasing new versions of their albums shortly after the original is released and making fans buy it again? Is George Lucas now in control of the music industry too? Geez.

But having said that, this new version of Eye to the Telescope is absolutely 100% worth getting, yes, even if you already bought it before. Whereas the new re-issued albums from the aforementioned artists only contain different versions of songs and/or perhaps a bonus track/demo, the bonus DVD here is worth the price of admission. 5 live songs from KT Tunstall and all of her music videos. Doesn't get any better than that. And the bonus track "Immune" is definitely worth a listen.

I would normally encourage folks to avoid these blatant cash-in attempts of album re-issues, but with KT Tunstall I'll make an exception. Final verdict: 0 stars for corporate greed, 5 stars for KT Tunstall.

I agree with the prior reviewer, reissues of albums, less than a year after first release, I am not a fan of. HOWEVER, if done well, it's totally worth the coin and selling the earlier version used...if you'll find a store to take it in, that is, haha. This is one of those reissues done exceptionally well, and yes, I traded in the older US version.

To be honest, this is the way the album SHOULD have been released in the US in the first place!!! I mean, it did take a year for it to even GET released in the US, but as they say, timing is everything. The album itself is a masterpiece really, good gutsy spunky singer/songwriter pop/soul/rock. 12 cool songs, varying in tempo and mood, from all-out rockers to introspective, soulful, atmospheric ballads. The album is not at all overproduced either. The big US "hit", the short and tight "Black Horse And The Cherry Tree" is not the only good song here, unlike most artists, espesh 1-hit wonders. I'm not saying KT WILL be a 1-hit wonder in the US (she's not in the UK), but it could turn out that way, like Daniel Powter. I love the big catchy UK hit "Suddenly I See" (which should have clicked here too...it was a natural followup to "Black Horse"), opener "Other Side Of The World" is beautiful, the way KT breaks into falsetto on the chorus, but my fave would be the EXTREMELY catchy, jangly "Another Place To Fall"...whatta song!!! I call her sound "busker soul", and she reminds me of a few artists mixed together in her own individual way. Maybe Michelle Branch meets the late great Kirsty MacColl??? You figure her out. Keeps her music constantly interesting, and I'm looking forward to hearing KT evolve over time. I had the original US album, and didn't completely grasp her, and then I heard KT's fellow Scotswoman Sandi Thom, whom I liked as well, thinking she was better than KT. Then I saw this deluxe version, and hearing Sandi's record again, I'm thinking I could be wrong, as something was missing. Well, I was wrong, KT IS better, and this package sealed the deal. The music clicked more now and I had to see the visuals to see she is the real deal, and what's cooler is she's completely unpretentious and has no ego; I'd get on with KT very well I think, she seems really cool as a person, like I'd love to have a beer with her sometime. Oh yeah, the bonus track on this version, the acoustic, spare, Live At Gaia Music in London, performance of "Immune", another KT original not on the album, is a beautiful song, and like the rest of this album, and a fave singer/songwriter of mine, Shawn Mullins, just KT's voice and guitar can just draw you in. And to think, she was self-taught!!!!! Makes sense actually, as true originals can never BE taught and that way, they come up with their individual style and sound, if you know what I mean.

Anyhoo, the packaging on this deluxe packge is nice, I like the cover with the overlaying of shiny details on top of that cool silvery B+W pic of KT. The extra pics inside are cool, of KT busking and with her band. And the expanded booklet is nice, with the extra pics and sleeve artwork of her UK singles, full lyrics, etc. My only problem, and it's a tiny quibble...the side spine was printed upside down. I had to cut and tape it so it's right-side up, some people don't mind...it's a slight, but fixable, problem with me, what can I say???

Now, most important in this package is the DVD (without it, you basically have the original album, correct??), which is 41 minutes and change, a nice value, not too skimpy. It's cool to have all 5 videos from the album, including both US & UK clips of "Suddenly I See". I hope they don't redo "Other Side Of The World" for US play on VH1, as the UK clip is fine and has a cool concept along with the lovely song that it is. And, the 5 live performances are GREAT!!! Three of them at Washington, D.C.'s awesome 9:30 club, with her full band; I was there for another show whilst visiting my relatives for Thanksgiving one year, I love that place. The other two are even better, at one of my fave venues: NYC's tiny intimate Mercury Lounge, just KT on acoustic guitar and pedals, and her drummer boyfriend accompanying her. What's cool is she's creating all the sounds at that moment...guitar sounds and layers of vocals & effects using echo. You have to see it to know what I mean. And KT seems so normal, accessable, etc...aka not a "star", which is probably how she likes it, as do I. The only thing I wish the DVD had, in addition to all this goodness, is an interview with KT, an on-the-road profile or a documentary on the making of "Eye To The Telescope" as many of these types of DVD have, oh well...this DVD is good enough.

This package, you really GET what KT Tunstall is all about...she might go down as a "1-hit wonder" in America, but really, who the hell cares??? Better to be remembered as an ARTIST. I prefer artistry, not hits.

From her 1st Music Video in the USA. I knew this female and her way in the music was different and would somehow make a impact. When I seen her on TV preforming live, no track in the background, makes all the music in person; right there as she goes on. You know that's basically the read deal, and you can't really talk trash (could you do it?). You show me someone else that can really do that. Jessica Simpson? Ashlee? Britney Spears? Even females that play stuff, Michelle Branch and others have nothing on KT. You can even mention males too like Nick, or so. Whether they DO play something, or not, or have a band with them to perform. KT Tunstall is all in one! Like the Real Deal basically, lol.

I wanted to buy her CD, there was something about it that said "No, Don't buy it". I couldn't figure it out, Until now!! If you bought the 1st either have it as a back up, or sell it used. This would be the one to buy :) All the Vids, and some of her Live. If you never go to concerts, this is prefect for you to experience it.

Here's the thing: the song "Black Horse and the Cherry Tree" was the equivalent to fingernails on a chalkboard to me (it seemed another annoying 'gimmick' song [those 'ooh hoo's] that seem to go over so well on American radio) and it's the very reason I avoided this album for an entire year. In my opinion, that song just made her sound like yet another raspy voiced singer from any bar band that I could see down the block.

But here's where things turned suprising for me. I found numerous rave reviews for this album (one that dared Aimee Mann to write songs as good!) and these finally forced me to listen beyond the one (and, to me, one dimensional) song.

Wow, what a happy suprise!

Seriously, if all you've heard is the one big 'hit' in America then you're really missing out... and getting the completely WRONG idea about Tunstall--this is music that is far more complex, intriguiging and, well, just plain better than "Black Horse and the Cherry Tree" would lead you to believe.

Get it.

In fact, get the CD/DVD version! The CD adds a great song and the DVD will make a couple of things apparent straight away: Tunstall is even better live, and the videos illustrate that in the UK she's marketed a bit more truthfully, as the lion's share of the videos are UK specific and are of the far more superior songs to her one American 'hit'.

I was 56 when my older cousin invited me over for dinner and a look and listen to a concert DVD/CD situation he'd come across. After BBQing some steaks and corn on the cob with a little salad, we dished up some Ben & Jerry's and sat down with a nice glass of full-bodied red and our ice cream and threw this little gem in the player.

My cousin, the tour guide, had seen it before and he skipped over the music videos to the LIVE concert cuts right away.

What a heartless SOB.

WOW! (This was about June of 2009 and I was literally blown away.) HOW could I possibly not have heard of this woman before? She just rocks! (My cousin Bob was amused at my reaction to that first cut I watched... BIG TIME! I think he knew I'd like her and the boys pretty good.)

Song after song, lyric after lyric and melody after melody, I was dumbstruck with the quality I was seeing and hearing. Aside from the singing, K.T. can flat pick an acoustic guitar as well. Just a tiny little powerhouse of a gal! On one cut she goes over to these floor toms and just proceeds to kick out the jambs on a very tasty little drum solo that just sounds so right... almost hard to believe what you're seeing and hearing.

On the last cut, she does this sampling thing and multi-tracks herself so she can play along with the rhythm guitar lick and background vocal she's got captured. The cool thing here is they're captured as they are played as a part of the song, not like some gimmick deal or elements separate from the song at all. They're just played and woven right in.

You'd have thought she set her phasers on STUN...

At the end of the song, she's really rollin' and then she suddenly stops all of that other material and finishes with one line a cappella.

I'm tellin' ya, if I'd have had dentures they would have fallen right out of my mouth.

In these intervening months I've tried to think of just who K.T. Tunstall reminds me of and the short answer is nobody. This little gal is one-of-a-kind and it's the very best kind indeed. Her music is also hard to classify. It's kind of Indie blues, contemporary Americana (even though she's British) soul funk... pop... kinda. All I know for sure is that it's damn good whatever you want to call it.

If you're considering buying just the CD version, I would recommend against that. You'd be missing something very special in the person of one K.T. Tunstall and her band.

WARNING: Played twice, the rhythms and melodies and lyrics will be very difficult to get out of your head once they're in there. So 'do this at home' when you first fire it up!

I thought I'd throw my two cents in about this CD/DVD. Honestly, I don't have the CD, but the DVD is my favorite of numerous concert videos I have. Even my picky wife liked it. Why? The live tracks are perfect! The sound, everything about them is perfect. They're just five songs, so you can watch them over and over. They're a good example of really good musicians live, so they're educational, too. The Black Horse song, even though I don't particularly like it, is fantastic, as KT, her drummer-husband, and a fancy voice effects processor create a musically (and technically) complicated live masterpiece. I'd like to see Miley or Lady GaGa pull this off -- no way.

I love this CD and the DVD ! KT is so talented, and the DVD is sooooo good.
You have to get this!Eye to the Telescope (CD+DVD)

This CD is an excellent choice for anyone who loves indie ~ folk ~ rock. It offers all of the above with smart lyrics ~ stong vocals ~ and superb musicianship ~ the track 'silent sea' is wonderfully fluid folk jazz ~ and 'suddenly I see' is rock at it's best. The DVD has good concert footage as well as a few well-produced videos.

Reiterating the title of my review, is it worth paying more money for this Japanese import? Answer: only if you are a die-hard KT Tunstall fan/collector who must own every version of every album she releases. This import is literally the exact same thing as the domestic version of the Eye to the Telescope (CD+DVD) deluxe version.

Amazon's Product Description contains a minor error here, as the bonus track on disc 1 on this version is "Immune," the same bonus track as the domestic version. And the DVD on this version (region free - will play on any DVD player) offers the exact same 5 music videos and the exact same 5 live performances as the domestic version.

Bottom line: for the serious collector only.