Customer Reviews

Marty Balin - Live At The Boston Esplanade, June 14, 2008

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

 

 

I agree with previous reviewers' comments regarding the poor production quality of this video. I am a Jefferson Airplane and Jefferson Starship fan and have seen Marty Balin perform a number of times. Due to the poor quality of this release, it is not representative of a Marty Balin concert. It seemed like only one of the cameras (camcorders?) used was in focus, others blurred through most of the performance and the camera shake, at times, grew to be unbearable. If I had known this was an amateur production, I would not have purchased this DVD. I am now stuck with a DVD I will probably not watch again.

This is an excellent DVD! Not only am I a near by Boston resident, who finds joy in viewing performances in places i have visited, but this is a great representation of who Marty Balin really is. I loved the intimate interviews by Joe Viglione, which were video taped in what appeared to be a hotel room. It's not often you get see an interview where the person being interviewed is totally at ease and unrestricted. I highly reccomend this DVD for any fan of Jefferson Airplane, or any fan of Marty Balin himself!!

For a younger Jefferson Airplane/Jefferson Starship fan that didn't get the honor of seeing Marty perform in the 60's and 70's it was a dream come true to finally purchase a live document of Marty's solo excellence.

Mr. Fenton's words are very clear, when somebody that has written about the Jefferson 's such as Craig Fenton or Jeff Tamarkin gives the DVD 5 stars (as Craig did) it certainly is an attention getter for the right reasons.

The 2008 Marty performance is wonderful for the chance to hear and see a bit of the Airplane/Jefferson Starship/solo catalog from one of the finest singers ever. The bonus material with interviews and extra tracks selected by Rock Journalist Joe Viglione could have been worth a separate release. When you listen or is it watch, maybe both to Marty performing Somehow The tired Reach Home you can ascertain he hasn't lost his drive, desire, or sound.

Hearing Didi's powerhouse voice on White Rabbit/Somebody To Love exceeded expectations. The version of Hearts reaffirms why it is one of the most played songs in music history and could you ever go wrong with the energy of 3/5 of a Mile In 10 Seconds?

By the time I got to Boston we were 20,000 (maybe more) strong.

To Marty, Slick, Didi Stewart, and band may all your flights be this good.

A piece of rock and roll from my heart to yours!

If you think about all the decades Marty Balin has been performing there was one glaring omission. There had never been a solo performance captured on video or CD for us to enjoy.

That is why I am so thankful to have found out the June 14th 2008 show Marty played in Boston was filmed for release.

Mixing Airplane gems such as 3/5 Of A Mile and Volunteers with the Jefferson Starship's Count On Me and Miracles as well as Hearts from Marty's solo catalog. Bruce Cockburn's If I Had A Rocket Launcher is given Marty Balin's own arrangement.

Unlike so many of the newer releases that place glitz over substance this one makes sure it is all about the performers on stage.

It's nice to see the Airplane parts still flying.

This Marty Balin DVD is the "ultimate fan package"...meaning, rather than allow unauthorized tapes to flourish we got footage together from both professionals and people who are long-time Balin supporters who wanted to run cameras at the June 14, 2008 concert in Boston. The spirit of the recording was to document a rare Balin gig a la Cracker & Camper Van Beethoven's "The First Annual Camp Out Live at Pappy and Harriet's P". It's a 9 camera shoot utilizing 7 of the cameras in the edit. Don't expect a multi-million dollar production - this disc is a labor of love spanning 14 years beginning with an interview from 1995. As the 1995 concert footage that accompanied the original television broadcast interview was Jefferson Starship material we decided to film a new concert with Marty's band. Balin was originally scheduled to open for Johnny Rivers in 2007 but due to a prior commitment with Jefferson Starship in New York the date got moved to June of 2008 - a gig with the group/duo America at the Hatch Shell on the Esplanade (same venue Rivers played the year before).

The cover photo is not from this America/Balin concert...that's a picture that former Jefferson Starship lead singer Darby Gould took from the stage when Marty was in the latter-day J.S....and we thank her for such a beautiful and mysterious shot. Marco Centola and Rob Fraboni remastered the two-track soundboard audio...D.J. Eli Polonsky at WMBR in Cambridge/Boston played "Somebody To Love" on the air and it sounded great coming over the radio. Marty Balin was interviewed by Polonsky on Tuesday, November 24, 2009 and when the DJ noted that singer Didi Stewart is a legendary Boston figure Marty said immediately "She's a great singer!" As producer/director I would love to see an extended version of this DVD a few years from now...and maybe an audio CD mixed from both the soundboard and the multiple cameras. The August 1976 hit "With Your Love" was performed in the studio practice at Newbury Media on 6-13-08 the day before the show and is probably up somewhere on the web as a trailer for this project, though that classic wasn't performed the next night at the show. Those songs were digitally recorded, multi-track, at the world class facility which has gold and platinum for Marky Mark, New Kids on The Block and other major recording artists. Three of the Newbury Media rehearsal sessions are on this DVD - Essra Mohawk's "Shaping The Night", a second version of the Jesse Barish classic "Count On Me" and Balin's own "Somehow The Tired Reach Home". The audio on those three bonus tracks was mixed by Ken Kanavos at the studio and the quality is superb.

It is my hope that everyone gets to see the genius of Marty Balin 39 years after he performed at Woodstock and enjoys this presentation that we put a lot of time and love into, released on the 40th Anniversary of the Woodstock event. Four of the songs the Jefferson Airplane performed at Woodstock appear on this disc recorded 4 decades after the Summer of Love.

As noted above I'm the producer/director of this document. The 5 star rating I give it is for Marty Balin's performance and the performances of singer Didi Stewart, keyboard player Gordon G.G. Gebert (of a latter day version of the group Angel), bassist Dave Trupia (also on Marty's upcoming CD) and the extraordinary Donny Baldwin, drummer with Elvin Bishop Group and the latter day Starship (the Mickey Thomas version of the band after Marty Balin went solo). It was an absolute honor to work with these talents and it is my hope that the public enjoys this recording for what it is: an historical record of a rock & roll hall of famer with no frills and lots of bonus material including interviews with Signe Anderson, Jeff Tamarkin and Marty Balin himself.

Let it be known that I have no economic stake in the DVD. My thoughts are as a fan and rock music fanatic. Thank you!

It's no secret that for decades, Marty Balin's Hall of Fame voice has captivated the record-buying public from America to Australia. Omitted from the equation has been the opportunity to see and hear Marty on stage commanding his own brigade.

A perfect June night in Boston will forever be a living document. Marty Balin has been captured! Marty Balin, along with five ready and able musical accomplices, have commandeered the Esplanade. It's not an illusion when it's reality and it certainly was magical.

With a concoction of sounds penned from 1966 to 1984, Marty had taken the pulse of the audience and knew several doses of rock and roll would provide a memorable night in a legendary setting.

I have met few with Marty's resume that don't have an ego the size of the current United States debt. Marty has always been about the music buyer and those that possess a concert ticket. That is why he continues to perform several songs he didn't create. Didi Stewart can fly high on two numbers because Marty Balin doesn't need to monopolize the spotlight. A band is a team, and Marty leads them to the head of the pack.

It was ballads and rockers with Marty and friends performing four from the Jefferson Airplane days- "3/5 Of A Mile In 10 Seconds," "Somebody To Love," "White Rabbit," and "Volunteers." On board from the Jefferson
Starship classic period were "Runaway," "Count On Me," and "Miracles." Marty's worldwide hit "Hearts" along with the cover of the Bruce Cockburn tune "If I Had A Rocket Launcher" rounded out the odyssey.

I look forward to seeing you in the front row.

All the best,

Craig Fenton
Author:
Jefferson Airplane 'Take Me To A Circus Tent'
Jefferson Starship 'Have You Seen The Stars Tonite'

I was struck by the poor video and audio quality of this dvd, at least to the point of writing here which I've never done before. I understand the continual reference to this being a "labior of love" but frankly, it should have had more labor put into it. Content=great (five stars), production=terrible (no stars).

Balin deserves so much more than what the producer of this dvd gives. The lack of production gets in the way of the concert recording.

The producer and his note writer use Amazon Customer Review to hustle their own production and rate it at five stars. From a customer's viewpoint, these "rock journalists" are wannabe producers who know nothing about sound and vision technology. And seem unwilling to invest in it. Their camera crew seems to be making a home movie: jitters, jumps, bleached out colour, no close-ups, and a sound that is not very good. Is 5.1 too much to expect on a dvd? Can't Balin connect with better producers, maybe experienced producers?

But to be fair the problem is deeper. Balin's band cannot rouse the crowd, which seems pretty indifferent and sleepy in the midday sun. This is because the band is doing just a routine run-through of 8 hits; any potential customer has probably heard these played better many times. If you haven't, check youtube. It was a mistake to record an afternoon show. The one new song, "If I had a rocket launcher", seems extraordinarily inappropriate in these terrorist-conscious times. Didi Stewart impersonates Grace Slick, which of course cannot succeed. Stewart should consider Slick's advice about older women performing onstage. Sorry if politically incorrect. The band's performances do not engage and are not memorable. Take a look at youtube, where you can judge her and the band's performances for yourself. I find that youtube performances from other concert venues on the same tour, especially Wisconsin, would have made a far, far better dvd.

I would have liked to recommend this product, but the production sucks and the concert is boring and lackluster.

Balin really needs to consider what he has to offer as a solo artist, how to make his concerts interesting and to whom he is going to entrust his productions. If he is just going to rehash the hits, maybe he does not have to bother.

Big problems come in the bonus features. How about the word "slapdash"? A book writer gets time to plug his own book. When the bonuses finally get around to Mr Balin, "Later on" is promised, but it turns out to be wordless...lalala, lala... In a couple, Balin is visually unrecognizable. In another, the camera is unmanned, and bystanders walk in front and dawdle. The producer seems to think that a fan will accept any kind of quality. However, I think he will learn that fans expect good quality dvd productions. But in these bonuses, Balin gives some intimate and engaging performances. You just have to overlook the production.

Balin is a great writer and performer. Production detracts lots from these. If you only have this dvd, then you would not know why anyone liked Mr Balin's work. Maybe someone else will do a decent production of Mr Balin's music.