Customer Reviews

HELL FREEZES OVER

5 star:		(285)
4 star:		(34)
3 star:		(20)
2 star:		(10)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

Hell Freezes Over has to be the most realistic concert sound yet available on DVD. I have the DTS encoded six-speaker surround system with a 55" Widescreen HDTV, so the video is better than what I can see or hear at just about any motion picture theatre. I have found no other DVD that can match the production quality and sound, yet. Mostly due to the DTS encoding which is noticably superior to the Dolby Digital 5.1 surround on the home theater system. Above technical quality, the Eagles themselves perform their best yet. Comparing Hotel California on this DVD with their original is like comparing an old Chevy with a Rolls. The old Chevy is a great classic, and attractive, but the Rolls has the ride and the class. Don Felder and Joe Walsh perform better than I have ever before heard them, and playing the Alverez classical guitars on the Hotel California cut is hands-down, just the best version ever. Glenn Frey and Don Henley give impressive performances, and Timothy B. Schmidt also is at his best ever on bass and vocals. I watch it again and again. There is just no comparison to the sound of the DTS DVD and the CD of this same album. I have both and the CD is always a letdown after hearing the DVD. Well worth the price, and a DVD you will listen to again and again.

The music in the concert, filmed in April of 1994, is lovely and exquisitely performed, but somewhat underwhelming in its presentation.
The strength of the Eagles is in their wonderful songs and masterful musicianship, but anyone looking for a razzle-dazzle performance should look elsewhere; these are laid back performers to the point of sometimes being as exciting as watching a CD spin. It would have helped had they ditched the stools for the first 6 songs, varied the lighting a bit in the middle section, which is cast in an almost steady dark blue, and mixed in a few up-tempo songs, instead of the first 12 selections being of approximately the same speed and mood; it picks up with last 5 songs starting with "Take it Easy", with brighter lighting and more energy projected from the musicians, and even a rousing new song, "Get Over It".

Highlights for me are a gorgeous arrangement of my favorite Eagles song, "Hotel California", "New York Minute", with its Gershwinesque string section intro and jazzy horn solo, and "Life in the Fast Lane", one of the 3 up-tempo songs.
The first 15 minutes of this film are about the preparation for this concert, and include interviews with the Eagles who are: Glenn Frey / Don Henley / Joe Walsh / Don Felder / Timothy Schmit. The sound is great and total running time is 100 minutes.
Song list:
"Hotel California"
"Tequila Sunrise"
"Help Me Through the Night"
"The Heart of the Matter"
"Love Will Keep Us Alive"
"Learn to be Still"
"Pretty Maids All on a Row"
"The Girl from Yesterday"
"Wasted Time"
"I Can't Tell You Why"
"New York Minute"
"The Last Resort"
"Take it Easy"
"Life in the Fast Lane"
"In the City"
"Get Over It"
"Desperado"

############################################################### This review is for those of you who are unaware that a dts version the DVD is available, I am actually posting the review for the dts version of the DVD here. If you have a dts capable DVD player/receiver combination buy the dts version of the DVD. It is available on Amazon. ################################################################

Now Read on ....

Among other tracks, this DVD has Hotel California, Tequila Sunrise, The Girl from Yesterday, New York Minute, The Last Resort, Take It Easy and Desperado. I enjoy these the most. This DVD is the most excellently produced DVD in my collection. The video and audio quality are outstanding. When played on a DTS capable receiver, you are "immersed in " and " surrounded with " music. You can hear the twang of the guitar-strings, the beats of the drums and the vocals from distinct speaker channels. As one song rolls off to another, you can hear the audience's claps and whistles in the background come through the rear-speakers. The home theatre experience is awesome. This DVD has no drawbacks at all.

If you have a dts decoder in your receiver or on your DVD player, don't forget to select the dts option. It plays Dolby by default. If your receiver is not dts capable, don't worry - the DVD is worth buying, regardless : You'll one day upgrade to dts capable equipment.

People who can't distinguish the difference between DTS and DD probably can't distinguish the difference between mp3 and cda format by ear. there is a difference only can be distinguished by sensitive ears. difference between 20bit audio and 16 bit audio can be compared to digital graphic images. picture looks the same at glance but if you look carefully 20bit has sharper image and more brilliant colors. On this eagles DTS dvd, you will not only hear guitar sound but you will also hear plastic pick strumming against each strings. that's the difference. I close my eyes when i listen to this dvd and i can visualize sonic images of each instrument precisely. i'm not just talking about multiple channel audio mixing. but actual sonic image as something almost tangible being created before my ears. with DD, sound move from speaker to speaker. with DTS, sound goes beyond where speaker doesn't even presence. so far I've listen to VH1 Divas(DD), sarah mclachlan mirror ball(DD), tina turner(wild dream tour)(DTS),3 mozart DTS audio cd, Sting(ten summoner's tale)(DTS),BoyzIImen(DTS) all 5.1 audio dvd or cd.

nothing has matched quality of audio mixing or sonic realm of this dvd.

This DVD is the best concert available. Both technical production and the band's performance are excellent. Don Henley freezes the hell over. The only missing thing is a video clip for "Seven Bridges Road". I've read a comment about the absence of stereo version of this song. The only way to understand the reason is to have DTS compatible DVD player and amplifier. Simply pump up the volume and stand in the middle of the room. You'll hear each member of the band from each speaker. 5 members, 5 speakers. There's no better way to demonstrate DTS. That's why it is available in this format. Listen to this song every morning before you get out for work. No other medicine needed for the rest of your life.

The other reviews have already said it: this is the most superb-sounding DVD available. I have no Eagles in my music collection and am not even that interested in their music yet:
1. Attention home theatre types: the fidelity of sound in DTS mode is the finest you'll find on any DVD at this time (Feb 2002) - this is the DVD to impress your friends with how great the sound can be on your home theatre.
2. The picture quality is amazingly sharp (I've been asked by friends if it was shot on HDTV - it wasn't but it looks that sharp).
3. It's assuredly composed and edited...which is much more than I can say for 99% of the concert videos out there. The cuts make sense, the angles aren't crazy or weird and the flow is excellent.
4. Finally, but not least, the band sounds (and even looks) every bit as good as they did 20 some years ago. Don Henley's voice in particular is completely "there" - he hits every high note and never falters.

I'm no fan but I am completely blown away by this DVD. As far as I'm concerned it sets a standard for all other concert DVD's.

This is by far the best concert DVD that I've come across in a long time. The quality of performance is simply matchless.

The set opens on a darkened stage with a few guitar notes played in tremolo style, then unto a guy setting the pace on a percussion instrument making way to Don Felder and Joe Walsh alternating on classical guitars that shortly turns into the familiar opening strains of 'Hotel California' - giving this rock standard a classical air so far removed from the electric treatment in its original studio version - before Don Henley takes over in his wailing vocals. What a way to open a concert!

Don Henley, Glen Frey, Timothy Schmit, Joe Walsh and Don Felder never sounded better. In fact the songs sound far superior in this concert than in the original studio versions, which in itself is a novelty considering that studio versions are supposed to be more polished and refined than live versions. This only attests to how great performers The Eagles really are.

Some of the Eagles standards are performed in this concert, from the high notes of 'I Can't Tell You Why' featuring Timothy Schmit to the fine harmony of 'Take It Easy' with Glen Frey taking the lead. Joe Walsh's rapid fire guitar work in 'Life In A Fast Lane' is a thing to behold, not to mention the mandolin-flavored 'Tequila Sunrise' with Don Felder tinkering with his stringed instrument. 'Desperado' is simply outstanding in its simplicity, with the bulk of the instrumental work focused on the piano ably played by Glen Frey.

New materials, some of them lifted from Don Henley's previous solo album releases, are also featured, showing to full effect Don Felder and Joe Walsh's guitar virtuosity, Don Henley's prowess on drums and Timothy Schmit's subtle but fine bass playing. Timothy takes the lead in the uplifting 'Love Will Keep Us Alive' and Joe does his thing in 'Pretty Maids All In A Row' before Don takes over in 'New York Minute', the somber 'The Last Resort' and the fast and exuberantly danceable 'Get Over It'. What a pleasant surprise that a rock band like The Eagles could be so effective doing a pure country tearjerker, the sad and melancholic 'The Girl From Yesterday', with Glen Frey emphatically taking the lead with full orchestral backing. The guy can obviously give those Nashville folks a run for their money! One has to wonder though why Don Felder did not take the spotlight as lead vocalist in any of the songs in this program, just contentedly concentrating on his electric/classical/slide guitars and mandolin.

As singers and musicians, The Eagles are difficult to match. In 'Hell Freezes Over', the group really soared to new heights!

This reunion concert of The Eagles is a memorable event, from 1994, when the guys decided to get back together after many years apart. The opening song has a brilliant rearrangement in a deelectricfied set....Hotel California! The sound of the guitars' strings being plucked are crystal clear, in the incomparable DTS format, and after the synchronized guitar intro - Don Henley's voice hits his "On that dark desert highway...." notes superbly, with the center speaker solely devoted to him on this track! An incredible version of this classic song - which, of course, received favorable airplay on the radio! My favorite song: I Can't Tell You Why, has bassist Timothy B. Schmidt singing his lead vocals, dead on, to the 1979 studio recording....Glen Frey soothes the listener with his keyboard playing, on this one. Overall, this is The Eagles best concert recording, ever! I own the first 1999 DVD release of Hell Freezes Over, which happened to have the DTS audio! The sound on this disc is phenomenal....you'll have to hear it to believe it! I treasure this DVD of mine; I know you will too! Take It Easy!

If you want to impress your friends the next time you have them over, put on "Hell Freezes Over" and you can bet they will forgive your bad cooking. This DVD is an excellent production with a spectacular sound that will satisfy even the most discriminating audiophile. Even the casual listener will likely sit down to watch, and more importantly, to listen.

The DVD contains clear, sharp images, and good, unobtrusive camera work. As soon as you load the disc, you will be prompted to choose DTS or PCM. If your system is DTS-capable, just hit Play. On the other hand, you can still enjoy the PCM sound, but you will not realize the sonic experience that DTS offers. The DTS sound puts you in the front row seat and allows you to hear every nuance of the music. The sound quality on this DVD is neither too bassy nor too bright. Make sure that your speakers are well-placed so that you'll be able to spot the music as it is played, distributed, and reflected on the sound spectrum. One thing you will notice is that the scenes fade in and out instead of shifting seamlessly into the next. Somehow it breaks the momentum, but nevertheless, it keeps you firmly seated in anticipation of the next song.

Don't blame your friends if they ask you to play the DVD over and over again. To paraphrase the last line of "Hotel California," they can pause it anytime but they may never leave.

After weeks of searching for the perfect DTS demo disc on either DVD or LD, it would seem almost anti-climactic that my search ended with a live performance of a classic rock group instead of an explosions-and-gunshots assault on the senses.

Instead, this disc proves without a doubt that while any program can be loud just for the sake of being loud, it's only through the subtlety and detail of a DVD like this that shows just how superior the DTS surround format really is. From the sound of the picks scratching the guitar strings, to the soaring harmonies of the vocalists, to the downright eerie way that bongo drum in the beginning of "Hotel California" seems to hang in the air just right of the right speaker, this DVD will show off your DTS-equipped rig more effectively than any other program could.

If you're even half as fanatic about your rig as I am, do yourself a big favor and get this disc. You will not be disappointed.