Customer Reviews

Neil Young In Berlin

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(5)
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1 star:		(1)

 

 

For a variety of reasons, this video is a must-own for avid fans of Neil Young. The setting is the final show of Young's 1982 European tour preceding the December 1982 release of 'Trans'. In contrast to other Neil Young video recordings, the European venue offers a minimum of crowd noise (unlike Red Rocks Live) as well as an opportunity to watch Neil and Nils Lofgren work the runway jutting into the audience. And, thankfully, we have only a few shots of audience members, often an editing nightmare threatening to destroy the integrity and impact of the performances (see 'Weld'). One also wonders if Young ever wore a tie on stage again, after watching him competing with it to pillage the six strings of Old Black on 'Like a Hurricane'.

The sound quality is excellent, while the film quality is very good... spoiled by today's standard, you will notice times when the filming blurs a bit, or the camera moves too fast to manage the light. Nevertheless, there are several stunning images captured that more than make up for the deficiencies of 1980's technology. In particular is a hypnotic 'drummers-eye-view' scene during 'Hey Hey My My', looking out over Neil's back as the audience throbs to the numbers incessant driving beat. Neil's personal appearance is as 'clean-cut' as you will ever see him... quite a contrast to his overriding 'Grandfather of Grunge' image.

The personnel surrounding Young, and the song selection make this video quite unique. Nils Lofgren brings an unbridled energy to the visual performance that is simply priceless. Ralph Molina, Bruce Palmer and Joe Lala are an unassuming, solid backbone of rhythm for Lofgren, Ben Keith and Neil as they trade places on a variety of instruments. Larry Cragg offers an understated banjo on 'Old Man', while Joel Bernstein adeptly manages the vocoder and synthesizer.

The hard rock numbers, 'Cinnamon Girl', 'Like a Hurricane', and 'Hey Hey My My' manage to sound simultaneously clean n' dirty in classic Young style. If there is any weakness in the show, it would have to be the acoustic renditions of Needle and the Damage Done and After the Goldrush, which feel a bit strained and plodding. The cuts taken from Trans, 'Computer Age', 'Transformer Man', and 'Sample and Hold', produce a compelling flashback as we witness Young perceptively addressing the embryonic advance of digital technology into Western culture which is rapidly becoming our second nature. 'Computer Age' and 'Sample and Hold' rock out, while 'Tranformer Man' is thoughtful, and features some theatrical miming from both Young and Lofgren. Another Trans cut, 'A Little Thing Called Love', is a bouncy, effortless foray that seems out of character for the Trans LP, but nicely supplements the overall song selection for this video.

The concert, and the tour, is capped off with the completely appropriate 'After Berlin', seemingly written for the moment of its performance, and not performed since. It's the only blues-rock number in the set, and Young's guitar is crisp and wailing throughout. Seeing this rare performance was worth the price of admission for the fortunate few in Berlin, and owning it is well worth the price of the video or DVD for the rest of us.

This DVD is a welcome addition to any music library - excellent sound quality and very well photographed. The video is a documentary of the last show of the 1982 European "Trans Band" Tour (which supported the release of Neil Young's "Trans" LP), held on 10-19-1982, Deutschlandhalle, in West Berlin. The actual concert features 21 songs, with 11 of them selected for the DVD.

Mr Young and his band , ( Bruce Palmer(of Buffalo Springfield), bass, Ralph Molina(Crazy Horse) drums, Joe Lala congas, Ben Keith, pedal steel/keyboards and Nils Lofgren on guitar and keyboards) play with absorbed intensity, and are very, very "tight".

The highlights for me include the performances of the songs from Trans featuring the "vocoder", a device developed by Mr Young which gives his voice a mechanical/robotic tone, so that when he sings "Transformer Man", and "Sample and Hold", he sounds alienated and cold, appropriately expressing the inability of a human being to actually communicate with another human being via a keyboard or video screen.

The performance of "Like a Hurricane" is out-of-this-world, and Ben Keith is special with his steel-guitar work on "Old Man".

However, the best is left for last, where the song "After Berlin" is performed for the first and last time. This is a poignant song and the feeling Mr Young conveys with his singing and playing visibly moves the audience in Berlin.

I highly recommend this DVD to any one who loves music

I know it's like old, OK. This event happened in 1982, the DVD was remastered in 2001, but I had never seen it until earlier this month (May, 2006). The money I spent for this DVD is some of the best money I have ever spent for entertainment. I can see this concert whenever I want to for the rest of my life. I am luckier than the guys in the front row on the runway. I always knew he could write music and play the guitar. I just never knew how well.
His jam on "Hurricane" was phenomenal, it is the work of a master. His two synthesized numbers, amazing. "Needle and the Damage Done" was just the way I remembered it, only better than just listening to an album/CD .
When Neil Young signs his name to a project, "satisfaction guaranteed." I am eagerly awaiting the upcoming release of his "Heart of Gold" DVD.

PS: I own both "How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb" by U2 and "Prarie Wind" and enjoy them both. I believe "Prarie Wind" should have won the Grammy, however (by a country mile). Neil Young is a journeyman and his works are a treasure.

Dave

Coming off the Trans tour, one would think this would be a medicore concert at best. Not the case. Neil mixes his 80's techno tunes Sample and Hold, Transformer Man and Computer Age, not with similar treatments of his classic songs (as he did with mr. Soul on the Trans album), but with wonderful classic renditions of Old Man and a powerful Cinnomon Girl. To top it off we are treated to a new song (Berlin) that never made it on any CD. A must have.

This DVD captures a concert given by Neil and the Trans Band in Berlin in 1982. If you are a Neil Young fan you will undoubtably enjoy the 60 minute concert with good versions of Cinnamon Girl, Like A Hurricane and songs from the Trans album.

The main disappointment of this set however is the complete abscense of extras (a disappointing 5.1 stereo mix is not an extra !),the uninspiring packaging and the short running time.

The main positive point is the inclusion of the unreleased track Berlin, which it has to be said is a damn good song.

As I noted earlier fans will enjoy this. If you are looking for a definative Neil DVD I'd recommend the RoadRocks show.

One of the things you have to like about Neil Young is that he doesn't limit himself strictly to one genre--his music moves from folk through pop to classic rock to near grunge--yet always retains his own distinctive edge and style.

This is an excellent video in that most of those genre's are covered in a fairly eclectic set of tunes that represent a good cross section of his career. There's a bit of overemphasis on his "electronic" phase, which is somewhat understandable as he'd just released Trans prior to this tour. That caveat aside, this is an excellent and powerful performance that features an equally eclectic array of periodic Young sidemen in a supporting role.

I'm not normally one for video music--I usually fine it flat and contrived at best--but this session is an exception. The performance comes through with a lot of energy and highlights why Neil has a reputation as a much better than average live performer.

This is a tape that will please any young fan and will act as a good general introduction to those not familiar with his work.

Pick this up and keep Rockin' in the Free world!

While I have to admit I am not a huge Neil Young fan, this is truly an awesome concert. The first time I saw it was many years ago on the USA Network's Night Flight program. For you younsters out there, this was the during the very early days of MTV, music videos, etc. I can remember getting up off the couch (no "clicker" way back then) and cranking up the sound. Wow, what a show!

Then, out of now where comes Sample And Hold. At the time, I was a beginning computer geek and this song totally blew me away. While obvious that some of the other band members just didn't get it and had no idea how to relate to the music, Neil and Nils really nail it in this futuristic view of a cyber world that was soon to come. Neil's techno preview of the dawning of a new age is always overlooked and rarely mentioned in reviews of his body of work.

I am sure you will enjoy this rare glimpse at yet another side of the amazing Neil Young.

This is the best DVD I have ever seen. Just awesome. Lots of excellent closeup footage of Neil sweating and really getting into his music. Every song is a favorite. His backup guitar guys are outrageously talented, and to see Neil do his best is a real treat. Watching him play "Hey, Hey MY MY" is mind bogeling. And, of course "Computer Age", "Sample and Hold" Transformer Man" played with the Trans Band, all are so exciting to watch.
There is no sitting down on this DVD. Absolutely my favorite anything to watch......forever! I'm a 62 year old rock'n'roll Gramma, thanks to Neil.

It's a pretty good dvd, and his songs 'Hurricane' & followed by 'Hey, hey, my, my,', these 2 really rock good. The bonus track called Berlin is ok, and the opener 'Cinnamon Girl' is good enuf to be called cool. I recommend to buy this if u want to see Neil in the early 1980's, cuz he's young in this video. Recommended. His other older songs r good 2, i.e. 'old man', and 'after the goldrush'. Just go out & get it, cuz Neil's a positive guy. Let him make your day (better than Dirty Harry, who's not Canadian.)

I overlooked Berlin for a couple of years because I thought it was more of the same sounds. One day I got a hankerin for wanting to see a performance of "Old Man", a staple tune for me at age 16 in Rome, NY in 1973. When I bought Berlin, and opened the case, I got a real surprise. The surprise was that Neil also performed "Like a Huricane," which was not listed on the outside of the case. Neil also did some Geffen Years stuff like Transformer Man very well. Now if we could just get some footage with Southern Man .....

Oh yes, Old Man was awesomely performed by Neil as well.

Mark in Tucson, 3-11-07