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29 of 30 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Don't quit your day job, Steve., October 4, 2001
By A Customer
This review is from: Pat Metheny Group - Imaginary Day (DVD)
I have owned the cd of Imaginary Day since it was released but never had the chance to see PMG live. This seemed like my chance to put images with the music Ive been listening to. First of all, the music is amazing. I am always blown away listening to Pat Metheny because his musical ideas are always so emotional and complete. The sound quality on the DVD is also very good, you can barely tell its live and not in the studio. I thought I was paying to see a Pat Metheny concert in my living room, instead I shelled out twenty bucks to watch Steve Rodby play with amateur video effects. It looked to me like he just got bored editing the footage so he starting playing with colors and transitions to the point I almost had to turn it off. I would have if it hadnt been that the music is so damn good. For example, it was pretty common that in the middle of someone's solo, the picture would turn into a little box in the middle of the screen and then turn blue. Then maybe it would get really fuzzy. I guess it was supposed to be visually pleasing but I just found it funny. So in conclusion, music and concert: excellent
Production: not even close.
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20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Awesome Audio, Awful Video, August 16, 2002
This review is from: Pat Metheny Group - Imaginary Day (DVD)
I've had this DVD of Imaginary Day for some time now, and since I've had it and watched it a few times I really don't like to look at the visuals anymore...The whole thing visually plays like an early-80's rock video. It kills me to think that Steve Rodby, PMG's bassist/producer, who has been in the band for 16 years at the time the film was shot would make decisions like that. It seems to me like he took the raw film and ran it through his computer and said, "Hey, I just picked up this cool video editing program and it lets you do all these neat special effects! Let's see what I can do with it..." All that's missing in the video is a cheesy star wipe. To some this might not be such a bad thing, but a lot of people (like myself) are just totally in awe of Pat's guitar technique. When we're watching him blaze through a solo like it was the easiest thing in the world, and for some reason the video switches to a camera shot behind Pat's back shown at 12 fps it's extremely frustrating. Thank goodness the effects (mostly) take a break for the ballads, otherwise I don't know what I'd do. Those effects might be plausible for an in-studio session, but I like my live DVD's to give me the "you are there watching it all happen" illusion. Now, the sound, however, is nothing short of astonishing. I would go so far as to say that the reproduction of sound was as faithful as it could possibly be, which is a vast improvment from the "We Live Here" DVD (which was by no means bad, but the sound was a little thin at times). If you were looking for a great concert VIDEO you may be disappointed, but the sound may be enough to justify purchansing this DVD if the Group is your cup of tea.
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19 of 21 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Brilliant Guitarist on a DVD with Brilliant Live Sound, March 29, 2002
This review is from: Pat Metheny Group - Imaginary Day (DVD)
Not a new release [2001], but having bought it last week I just have to share what I find to be an excellent, outstanding DVD (video and audio) of a concert given by the Pat Metheny Group at a small ampitheater in the Calfornia wine country. If you aren't familiar with Pat Metheny, he is a most accomplished jazz/rock fusion guitarist, having won 14 Grammy awards in his career. "Imaginary Day" won a Grammy, a song on this CD won another Grammy, and a second song was nominated for yet another. Pat Metheny has won an unprecedented 7 Grammys for 7 consecutive album releases. The most stunning thing about this DVD is the *sound.* It takes advantage of the Dolby/DTS 5.1 soundstage to deliver this incredibly clean, rich sound that is full of life and energy. If you want to demo your home theater system to show its music capabilities, pop in "Imaginary Day" and play "Follow Me," an optimistic toe-tapping pop-jazz number that soars and glides and builds to a great finish. The range of styles and the range of types of guitars that Pat plays is amazing. The first cut, "Into The Dream," is an acoustic solo with Pat playing a 3-headed 40-string 'guitar.' "Minuano (Six Eight)" blends pop-jazz with Brazilian vocal stylings that build and build into a controlled fury. Despite PM's fast guitar playing each note is played cleanly and with astonishing purity; the band does get loud but never overextended. "The Roots of Coincidence" really rocks, in which PM plays over an edgy bass/rhythm guitar line that is reminiscent of Nirvana and The Cure. The drumming of Paul Wertico and the keyboards of Lyle Mays really shine along with PM. The whole is definitely greater than the sum of the parts. The one drawback to this DVD is the video. While it filled my 16:9 widescreen monitor without a hitch, the film transfer can be somewhat grainy at times, particularly on night shots. It looks like they pushed the film. The video production is so-so -- there are a couple of moments when you wish the producer would stop fiddling with the video effects. Despite the mediocre video, the stunningly rich 5.1 audio and absolutely top-notch playing of the Pat Metheny Group makes the DVD a very enjoyable experience if you like jazz-rock fusion. If you have a 5-speaker plus subwoofer DTS-capable system, this DVD really is a must listen.
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