Customer Reviews

John Prine Live On Soundstage 1980

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

A great sounding show and excellent performance from all involved, heart-wrenching at times and belly-laugh inducing at others.

The DVD authoring isn't fancy but it all works.

This is vintage Prine and I was definitely excited when I saw the announcement of the DVD release. However the video quality of the copy I bought is extremely poor with excessive dropout and lots of video noise. I've had a copy of this program which was recorded off the air on VHS 25 years ago and the quality is as good as this official DVD release.

I saw this soundstage show when it first aired in 1980 and loved it. His backup band with John Burns is fantastic. My only disappointment with this dvd is that the sound quality is good but not great, so it might not get played as much as I'd like. i recognize that it's 27 years old, but as a comparison, Neil Young's Live at Massey Hall is 36 years old and that sound quality is fantastic. Go figure. Still a thumbs up and all true Prine fans should have it in their library.

There are glimpses of the possibility of a great video of a great artist, but to my regret, most of it is lost in a very poor sound mix. There is only one other DVD of a Prine performance that I am aware of, so I purchased this with great expectations. Perhaps someone will "find" the sound and reissue this.

I saw John Prine's Soundstage performance back in the day. I'm thrilled to have it in my collection.

THE SOUND QUALITY IS POOR AND JOHN IS PLAYING AN ELECTRIC GUITAR DURING THE LIVE PERFORMANCES. THE HIGHLIGHT OF THE DVD IS WHEN HE IS SITTING IN HIS OLD BACKYARD IN MAYWOOD ILLINOIS SINGING AND TALKING ABOUT HIS OLD HOMETOWN AND HOW HE GOT THE IDEAS FOR SOME OF HIS SONGS. HE TAKES YOU ON A TOUR OF MAYWOOD IN AN OLD CAR. I CAN DIG THIS PART BUT THE LIVE TRACKS PRETTY WELL SUCK. I CAN SAY THIS BECAUSE I HAVE SEEN JOHN AROUND 7 TIMES THROUGHOUT THE YEARS. PRINE IS AT HIS BEST WHEN HE IS ONSTAGE BY HIMSELF, ACCOUSTIC GUITAR BEING HIS ONLY INSTRUMENT. THE LOUD BAND FORMAT JUST DOESN'T WORK FOR ME. HE ALSO LOOKED LIKE HE WAS COPPING QUITE A BUZZ ALSO. BUY IT FOR THE DOCUMENTARY, BUT NOT FOR THE LIVE SET.

I saw this program on TV when it was first broadcast, and when it came out on DVD I knew I wanted to see it again.

As we know, Mr. Prine had an interest in rockabilly at this time, and not soon after released the album "Pink Cadillac," which featured rockabilly (and country) songs. This would explain the presence of the great Billy Lee Riley on several songs.

The performances are wonderful. I especially loved the backyard guitar-picking session that featured Mr. Prine and his brother, and the visit to the corner where "The Accident" took place.

My only criticism is that the sound quality on the DVD is not great. That is unfortunate, but if you love John Prine's music, you'll still love the show.

Trivia: The morning after I saw the show was the day that I was obliged to register for the draft; it was in the summer of 1980 that draft registration was revived. I remember the chorus of the John Prine song "Fish and Whistle" going through my head at the post office that day.

I saw this in the early 80's on PBS, and thought at the time it was great. Time moves on, but this is still a great performance. As the other reviews stated, technically the sound and video are not as good as they would be if recorded today. The content is still stellar, and as such this is one any fan should own.

Spend a wonderful evening back in the late 70's to 1980 with John Prine in his prime as a young man. The video quality is only up to the standards of the day, but the footage shot outdoors in Prine's hometown of Mayville makes up for the low tech of the era. What could be better than John Prine sitting at his childhood home's backdoor singing and playing guitar with a buddy? I was happy to be invited along.

The sound quality on this product is horrible -- BUT, there are so few John Prine videos available, that I am still extremely happy with the product. It's interesting to see a younger Prine performing - though he hasn't changed with age, except maybe to get better. Interesting glimpses through dialogue into the history of some of his best songs. Strongly recommend this product.