Customer Reviews

Peter Gabriel - Secret World Live [VHS]

5 star:		(133)
4 star:		(27)
3 star:		(25)
2 star:		(20)
1 star:		(18)

 

 

This isn't just a concert video. This is a beautifully orchestrated performance that you will watch again and again. Passion is the hallmark here...Gabriel has never been content with just singing songs he's written. He throws his soul into what he does, and the superbly talented musicians he plays with can't help but to shine as well. It's a joyfull show filled with brimming sound and imagery.

All of the musicians Gabriel works with past and present are always artists in their own right. Here you will see Singer Paula Cole looking gorgeous and giving Gabriel's dusky vocals a smooth comlement. It's no wonder her career soon skyrocketed. Tony Levin, who has played with Gabriel since his Security album and also has played with King Crimson and others as well as producing his own solo work, lends his commanding stage presence and unbelievable bass playing. David Rhodes gives us his understated but vital guitarwork. Manu Katche is a joy to watch, his percussion style reminding me a bit of a cross between Stewart Copeland (who also has written and played with Gabriel) and Neil Peart. And then there is Shankar, talented Indian double violinist...with his darkly beautiful playing filled with so much emotion.

If you are already a Gabriel fan, you are in for a treat here. The imagery his music invokes is here for you, live, and on stage. If you are only familiar with Gabriel's hits, you will be introduced to a musician who is a true artist that has so much more to offer than a hit or two. Seeing this may make you an avid fan.

I taped this concert from TV a decade ago and literally wore out the tape. I almost didn't buy this DVD because of the negative reviews here. (The criticisms were not about the concert but picture/sound quality, transfer to DVD, etc.) I got my DVD from Amazon today and let me tell you it is a beautiful thing. Crisp clear sound and picture, widescreen, Dolby 5.1, DTS, etc. This DVD is the 2003 remaster of the 1994 concert and has LOTS of previously unavailable bonus features. There may have been a substandard disc of this concert in the past, but this isn't it. Buy this item new from Amazon with confidence. I'd avoid used copies of this particular item since there has been problems with this title in the past. There are probably about a dozen killer concert DVD's that no one should be without. This is one of them. Excellent show. Great quality disc.

My friends saw this tour live and I didn't realize what I had missed . . . until I saw this video.

For those who are tired of bands looking like they're still in the recording studio while performing live, this video is a must!

Peter Gabriel, and co., developed an elaborate and visually stunning performance - on two separate stages nonetheless - that can get even video audiences out of their seats and cheering.

This is not a concert - it's a theatrical event!

For Peter Gabriel Fans, this concert was about 90% new material. Most of that was from the "Us" album. However, the personal nature of the album was mirrored well by the song selection and powerful performances by Peter Gabriel and Paula Cole. These songs include "Blood of Eden", "In Your Eyes", "Don't Give Up" and "Shaking The Tree".

Other faves include "Sledgehammer", "Steam" and "Kiss That Frog". "Salisbury Hill" is a welcome entry, and "Across the River" is a moving performance. [There are more songs, but space here is limited.]

The band is in top form: Along with Paula Cole are familiar faces like Tony Levin (Bass), David Rhodes (Guitar) and Manu Katche (Drums), with Jean-Claude (Keyboards) and Shankar (violin) rounding out the main band.

Words are not enough. You must see it to get a taste of this truly monumental tour. I don't want to spoil anything, but I especially enjoyed the last part of "Secret World" near the end of the concert.

I was so excited to have this concert come out on dvd. Peter Gabriel is so talented, and this concert is blow-away amazing. Imagine how my heart stopped when I saw the very poor video transfer on this Universal Music dvd. It is in widescreen, but the techs fell asleep on the transfer. My original laserdisc looks 20 times better (thank God I didn't sell it!). Much of the video content appears blurry and there is little detail. I know it is not the camera guy's fault, because the laserdisc version looks clean and detailed (this concert is high-quality all the way). The dvd really looks that bad, and I blame Universal Music. The sound gets five stars, and the extras are very nice, when most concert dvd's lack any. The 'making of' and the preview of the Growing Up tour are great. Get this dvd for the extras and the sound, not for the video. Why did Universal drop the ball on one of my all-time favorite concerts? I feel sick when I watch this dvd version...I'm glad I kept the laserdisc!

I've been a Peter Gabriel fan for years and have been to several of his shows, but until last week I'd never seen the "Secret World" concert footage before (although I've listened to my "Secret World" CD hundreds of times.) After seeing it, I can't stop smiling. What an amazing show - right up there with Talking Heads' "Stop Making Sense" and U2's "Live in Boston" as my all-time favorite concert movies.

I shouldn't be surprised, given Gabriel's gifts as both a musician AND a visual artist. Certain images will forever remained burned into my brain... trapped in a bright red British phone booth during COME TALK TO ME; his "breathing shadow" at the end of SAN JACINTO; rowing down the conveyor belt "river" during SLOW MARIMBAS then happily skipping around the stage while singing SHAKING THE TREE; and ending with a completely exuberant IN YOUR EYES.

I'm not going to quibble with video quality (it wasn't apparent to me) or sound synching (very minor... don't worry, this ISN'T Britney Spears lip-synching our National Anthem, for crying out loud!) What I was left with was an immense appreciation for Peter Gabriel's infectious energy and charismatic stage presence. Add to the mix a VERY talented band (Paula Cole is luminous) and one of the most innovative stage shows you'll ever see = an incredibly satisfying way to spend an hour and a half... over and over again!

What a feast for the ears and eyes.

At the risk of being very unpopular (given the previous reviews of this video), I can only give the "Secret World" DVD two stars. Before detailing the reasons for that rating, let me say that I love Peter Gabriel's music - the deep spirituality conveyed in his songs and the intensity in which he delivers each musical offering are beautiful every time I see him perform. Also, he is such a beautifully unique visual performer - the movement he seemingly improvises to the music as he performs reminds me of a cross between Twila Tharpe and Bob Fosse (as done by an aging guy with the beginnings of a paunch :~)
Now for the critique...
Knowing the exacting technical standards P.G. has brought to his music videos and recordings, I find it hard to believe he would have approved the technical production of this recording. In regards to the audio, I can't believe I listened to the same disc as previous reviewers (althought this review refers to the DD5.1 mix, not the DTS). It sounds almost like AM radio - muted highs, muffled lows, and the vocal mix is WAY in the back of the 5.1 soundstage. I finally had to crank up the center channel to adequately hear his and Paula Cole's vocals. And, the post-production studio-added musical bits were NOT seemless - they stood out like a sore thumb, sometimes relegated arbitrarily to the surround speakers, sometimes panned around. The added vocals sounded like they were done in a cheap basement studio and then rather ham-handedly thrown into the mix. Even the levels were off, sometimes hugely - several times my wife and I jumped as a chorus of tinny, disembodied voices shouted at us from the rear. On some tracks, the sense of "additional music" added in post-production to the live mix was so overwhelming that I felt that I was watching a video with a different CD providing the audio. Also disconcerting was the use of pre-recorded rhythm tracks. I realize that the sound P.G. was aiming for would have made for a very complicated live mix and would have required more musicians and staging, but sometimes the pre-recorded tracks (or maybe they were midi loops from the keyboards?) completely overwhelmed the competent (I think?) drumming by Manu Katche... All in all, not engaging or enveloping, but claustrophobic and disjointed.
As for the video portion, the film stock that the DVD was transfered from was grainy, washed out in color, and with terrible shadow detail. You would have thought this was footage from a late 70's concert rather than shot in 1994. The grain and video noise in the picture was distracting, and the washed out color palette rendered what looked to be a wonderful lighting design pretty impotent - Either hot whites or murky grays. I will say that the camera shots and coverage, in fact the entire visual concept of the show were beautiful and creative. Too bad about the lousy capture of both audio and video.
That being said...if you can fight your way through the poor audio and video, Peter Gabriel himself is a revelation to watch. Each song is a psalm of praise or discovery- pure poetry that transcends the banal and the earthbound.

I won't delve into the concert performance on this DVD, since it's been out on VHS tape for many years, except to briefly state the concert itself is fantastic. Instead, I'd like to comment on the qualities of the DVD itself.

First off, the DVD's four added features, though not groundbreaking, certianly take advantage of the format. A timelapse of the stage being set up, a 'making of SWL' segment, a remixed version of "Steam" set to tour photos, and a glimpse of Peter's most recent "Up" tour, all give added value to the presentation.

As to the DVD itself, the DTS 5.1 sound mix is the best I've ever heard. I had seen this concert tour at Madison Square Garden and am happy to say this sounds just like being there. The seperation in the mix is perfect, placing Gabriel's vocals right up front. Tony Levin's bass will give your sub-woofer a workout, Manu Katche's drums are crisp and clean, David Rhode's guitar never gets lost, and the keyboards are mixed just slightly to the background. Background vocals and other instruments are always subtly there. Also, there appear to be no overdubs, you are watching and listening to the same performance. This is not something all concert videos can claim. All in all, a perfect example of how a live 5.1 channel recording should be.

On the other hand, the picture quality is another story. My DVD player is hooked up to a widescreen digital tv using component-out connections. Unfortunately, the picture is so grainy it becomes distracting, bordering on unwatchable. At first I thought the DVD was defective, but the bonus material does not have this graininess. I do not know if this is a result of the film being transferred digitally to widescreen, but if this is the case, I would prefer a regular fullscreen analog version. I have the Pearl Jam "Touring Band 2000" DVD, which has a slight graininess to it, however this gives it a certain raw feel that suits a live Pearl Jam concert. In the case of "Secret World Live" it is a disaster.

Someone out there will say I'm too picky about the picture, but with the all the hoopla about the 16:9 anamorphic widescreen digital transfer, I am dissapointed. Half of me wants to scream 'this is the best concert DVD ever', and half of me just wants to scream. Geffen Records certianly owes an explanation for the very poor video quality.

I love this concert. At least the VHS version. I have been waiting for this DVD for two years and I am very dissapointed. The grainy video is distracting, and the concert is different than my VHS version. The tempo is not the same, and the energy seems less intense. I guess if I hadn't watched the VHS version so much I wouldn't care, but I love that video. Maybe one problem is the Dolby 5.1 mix which (on my system) supresses Paul Cole, which is a big negative to me. It is still one of the greatest concerts ever (IMHO). Guess new isn't always better...

I was more than impressed when I first saw this on videotape , but the DVD adds sound options which really help to immerse yourself in the music .

The staging has been much talked about and it is certainly something to behold , yet it does not detract from the focus of the show .

I hesitate to call Peter an entertainer as this DVD shows him to be more than that - after all , his band match him in creating the moods for all the songs .
It is almost like a movie .

I look forward to showing this to people over the years so they can see the full potential of presenting music to an audience .
This DVD together with STOP MAKING SENSE would be a potent double bill .
See this and be enriched .

I agree that this is a great concert, and a "must have" for anyone who enjoys collecting concerts, but the quality of the video is just plain terrible, period. And yes, I have a high-def 57" television, so it's not because I'm viewing it on a small tv. Grainy doesn't begin to describe it. So when I watch it, I pretend that I'm there and viewing the show through a thick smoke :)