Customer Reviews

Pete Townshend - Music from Lifehouse

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This really is a wonderful document of the concerts, with a rare live glimpse of Pete performing his music on his own terms. His guitar work is, as always, superb, and the neck-cam on "Can You Help the One You Really Love?" brings into focus--literally--his underrated skills as an acoustic guitarist.

That said, the CDs (available on his website eelpie.com) are much better quality for not containing his false starts, forgotten lyrics, and for the best versions of almost all of the songs over the two performances. The DVD also leaves out almost all the classical compositions, as well as an absolutely wonderful version of "Sister Disco."

The DVD is wonderful and oddly compelling, but it would've benefited from the expanded and more polished contents of the CDs.

Watching and hearing Townshend play his compositions from 'Lifehouse' with the backing of a full orchestra and others such as John 'Rabbit' Bundrick and Chucho Merchan was a pleasure.

However, I was rather disappointed with the quality of the video recording. Cameras were often making focus adjustments or still searching for their shot when cut to and the picture quality varied greatly between cameras (and I don't mean the cam on the neck of Pete's guitar during on "Can You Help the One You Really Love?" which was great and was, as a miniature camera, understandably of different quality). The camera registration therefore came across as a little amateurish and for a DVD priced at around (this price) I found that rather disappointing.

Some more extra's on the DVD in the form of background info / interviews etc. would, I'm sure, have been warmly received as this is really a DVD for Townshend fans.

Conclusion: The show was great but a DVD should offer more than this.

The Music as said many times by Rodger Daltry is by "Pete Townshend" and he and THE WHO are lucky enough to perform it.
On this DVD you see the core make up of Pete Townsend, his total depth.
Passion comes exuding out of himself and his guitar on the Tracks, watch the song "Mary", followed by "I Don't Even Know Myself", any Pete Townsend Fan is awestruck and emotional as well.
If you are any kind of Pete fan, or Just want to enjoy an amazing Guitar show this DVD will not dissapoint you

Pete Townshend's masterpiece is everything you've read about and everything you've dreamed about as a Who fan. WHO'S NEXT was a great album. It could have been the greatest rock album ever had the band been able to capture the magic of LIFEHOUSE on tape. This is the next best thing to hearing the Who perform the music: Pete Townshend with an incredible backing band plowing through LIFEHOUSE like an obsessed train out of control. You will sing along with every WHO'S NEXT song and will be thrilled by all of the "new" songs. If you like this video (and you will), visit eelpie.com and purchase the CDs from the concerts. AWESOME!

It is not widely known that Who's Next, known as one of the greatest rock albums of all time, was actually the most disappointing failure of Pete Townshend's career. A much more vast and grandiose project called "Lifehouse" had been envisioned, but Townshend couldn't pull it all together, and finally settled for a meager Best of Lifehouse collection which was called Who's Next. Pete never finished Lifehouse as a rock opera, but the music remains. In 2000, he decided to make a decent production of the songs. The result is a performance that showcases Townshend at the peak of his instrumental and vocal talent, performing some of his greatest songs as well as some amazingly beautiful rarities and reconstructions of greatest hits. The acoustic performance of "Mary" is shocking in its instrumental virtuosity, worth the price of the DVD all by itself. Townshend is accompanied by a tight, competent and spirited back-up band as well as the London Philharmonic Orchestra. Among the catalog live solo performances by Pete Townshend, including Deep End and Psychoderelict, this is the strongest and most inspired.

Music From Lifehouse was Pete Townshend live in 2000 backed by a full rock orchestra including John 'Rabbit' Bundrick, Jody Linscott, Chucho Merchan, Billy Nicholls and Peter Hope-Evans. Despite all the musicians on stage, he still relied on the same backing tapes he'd used since 1971.

These songs (mostly written between 1970 and 1972) were some of the best he had ever written.

Long live rock!

Tracks:
01 - Fantasia Upon One Note
02 - Teenage Wasteland
03 - Time Is Passin'
04 - Love Ain't For Keepin'
05 - Greyhound Girl
06 - Mary
07 - I Don't Even Know Myself
08 - Bargain
09 - Pure And Easy
10 - Behind Blue Eyes
11 - Let's See Action
12 - Gettin' in Tune
13 - The Relay
14 - Join Together
15 - Won't Get Fooled Again
16 - The Song Is Over
17 - Can You Really Help The One You Really Love?

[DW]

I cant really call this music for its beyond that, its Art, from a truly gifted Artist.

This is pretty much "Who's Next" by Pete Townshend with full Orchestra.

The songs and arrangments are amazing, sound quality is superb and the passion is a 10!

I have tons and tons and tons of WHO DVD's and CD's and I must say, I enjoy this DVD the best of them all, maybe because Im getting older and the songs are so elequintly arranged sounds just great.

It's sad this DVD is out of print, get it while you can.

Have to agree with most of the observations about "Music from Lifehouse." While a few editing cleanups and some bonus features may have been niceties, this is really just about the concert, and the booklet has enough quotes and backstory from Pete. If you want more, watch the Classic Albums series DVD of "Who's Next." On the other hand, if you want a beautiful concert of Who staples and their Lifehouse counterparts, played by a fantastic band of musicians, with lead by Pete the storyteller himself, you've come to the right place indeed!

Ok. I was at one of the Lifehouse concerts in London. It was really great. However the DVD does not convey the dynamics of the whole project as Pete Townshend and co-workers did on stage. It is however much better than some available Who DVD's and is still a must-buy for any fan, especially those fascinated by the whole aborted Lifehouse concept.

The production quality is well above average for capturing a live performance. Pete fetches a newly tuned guitar/Capo combination for almost every song. Keyboards and percussion are excellent, lighting is good, sound is good to very good. The violin soloist on "Baba-O-Riley" was note-on perfect, it was the highlight of the show, and Pete's guitar and "Rabbit's keyboard" were right there too. Backing vocals were good to great. The London Chamber Orchestra was very professional. I think Pete poured a lot of energy into getting this right and it really shows.