Customer Reviews

Hall & Oates - The Best of MusikLaden

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

 

 

It is hard to believe something this cool actually exists. For fans of Hall and Oates during the 70's this DVD is fantastic. Is It a Star, Ennui on the Mountain, Gino and a killer medley of Room to Breathe and Johnny Gore and the C Eaters are gems that I would never have expected to be available. Hall and Oates may have been the act of the 80's but before Voices they made some incredible music. We are very fortunate some of those live performances are captured here. Plus, Mr Casual Charlie DeChant like you have never seen him. Buy it while you can.

This video shows Hall & Oates at their early best, and was an extremely nice surprise. The band, including outstanding saxman Charlie DeChant, are very tight and right on target. The songs from this show, (actually two 70's TV shows from Germany), includes hits and non-hits. Material from War Babies and the Silver album abounds, and many of the tunes are those that I thought I'd never have the opportunity to see in a live performance. Daryll is in outstanding voice, as is John Oates. If you're a fan of the band, you can't go wrong with this video.

Good show on DVD. Contains a lot of early music that Daryl & John don't do much in concert anymore including some "War Babies" songs and music from "Whole Oats". Playing the smaller venues overseas, this 1977 show features 'new' songs from the "Bigger Than Both of Us" and "Silver" albums. Good performance, sound and video.

Beware of other versions of this video with different packaging. Check the track listing to make sure you don't end up getting a duplicate.

This appears to be exactly the same program as the other "Best of Musikladen" dvd: a seamlessly edited compilation of two live performances from German television. The runtime listed here is not accurate - it's more like 48 minutes, not 105 (which would have been great!). Also, it does not contain "Back Together Again" as indicated. (For those of you with multi-region players, there apparently exists a German dvd of the complete 1976 show which DOES have that track, as well as several others not included here. Definitely worth hunting down.) I'm not entirely sure what difference, if any, there is between the two dvds (this newer version has different, though equally tacky, artwork). I can certainly vouch for the quality of THIS disc, though. Visually, there are a few minor source tape glitches, but it looks about as good as a concert shot on video for German television in the mid-70s can look. Audio-wise, I believe the packaging suggests stereo, but it sounds more like high-quality mono, with some incidental ambience. Regardless, it sounds pretty darn good.

As far as the content goes, it's a superb set. The only thing keeping me from giving this five stars is the song selection. "Is It a Star?", "Ennui on the Mountain" and "Abandoned Luncheonette" are not exactly my favorite tunes from their respective albums, but even so... the back-up band puts so much raw energy into the music, even the lesser tracks smolder. Special nods go to drummer Edward Zyne and lead guitarist Todd Sharp, but the whole group, really, tears the roof off, giving the music a ferocity in unexpected and pleasing ways. "Luncheonette", in particular, displays an aggression (thanks to some fiery drumming) completely absent from the original recording - it's truly electrifying. Even "Sara Smile" (a great song no matter how you slice it) rocks out in places. And they nicely punch up an already punched-up "Gino (the Manager)", which retains the polished harmonies from the Silver Album, but adds a welcome shot or two of adrenaline. Daryl Hall (looking exactly like Robert Mapplethorpe!) injects his vocals with a venom and passion that he's not generally given credit for.

There's a slight bittersweetness in watching the video: I would periodically (and wistfully) think, "Wow... Daryl Hall used to be really cool!". As much as I enjoy their later hits, commercial success ultimately lead Hall and Oates down a road which was, for me at least, artistically destructive: the mid-to-late seventies had them collaborating with Todd Rundgren and Robert Fripp; a decade later they were being produced by Jon Bon Jovi. These performances catch the duo before they lost the plot. For fans of this period in the their long and varied (some might say schizophrenic) career, this is pretty much essential. And if you're (understandably) dubious of Hall and Oates' artistic merits, this dvd (along with "War Babies", "Sacred Songs" and "Along the Red Ledge") would serve as an effective antidote to some of your preconceived notions.

This is a great example of Hall and Oates in the pre-mega stardom years. They were just scoring with thier first run of RCA hits from the 'Silver' album and 'Bigger Than Both of Us', plus the reissue of 'She's Gone'. This dvd highlights the guys and their touring band live in the typical Musikladen studio environment, running through their set to a seemingly uninterested crowd of spectators - still, they put on a commendable performance, particularly pumping out energetic versions of 'Room to Breathe' and 'Johnny Gore..' at the end. Good historic value, and an OK TV quality vid.

This was one of the best recorded shows I have seen and I have seen plenty.Culled from two possibly three sets, Hall and Oates give a blinding performance. The supporting players give a very good account of themselves as well.I really like Hall and Oates early years and you will get a big dose of it here. As with the America set from the same T.V. Show, well worth the money.

I loved these guys before they got to be mega stars. Saw them at MANY small venues in the Philadelphia area and even though I was happy for their success, they lost something when they hit it huge. This is a short (45 minutes) of them at their best. Also the best backup lineup they ever had. Highlight "abandoned luncheonette" These guys USED to have fun onstage