Customer Reviews

Pictures At An Exhibition (Special Edition)

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

Having just finished reinforcing my sagging old postal box in anticipation of the oncoming barrage of hate mail, I'd like to present a few points about this release which you might find usefull.

The Amazon Editorial review is pretty complete and accurate so refer to that for DVD specifics (sans ranting and raving.) There's one thing they didn't mention since the DVD cover (insert actually) gets it wrong. The jacket states that the sound is PCM Stereo. It is most certainly NOT stereo, in PCM or any other format. It is the same mono soundtrack that the previous DVD had, at least as far as the P@aE concert is concerned. I've never previously seen the Belgian TV footage that is included here, but it also is simple mono, issued from both L & R channels. I listened carefully to the entire disc (over 100 minutes longer than the previous one!) in Sony headphones and there is not a single sound from either side that is not precisely duplicated on the other. Credit Eagle Rock Entertainment for having the sense to NOT create a fake digital stereotrack, which would've been easy with today's mastering software, and keeping the film's original integrity. I don't pretend to know if the original audio recordings still exist somewhere, but I DO know that remixing and sync-ing them for this edition WOULD be a hellatiously time-consuming and expensive project, and the few die-hard ELP fans like you and me out there just plain don't rate it. Fact of life...

That said, I'm delighted to have this even though I bought the 2001 version not long ago, and it's the ONE to have if you don't own this piece of prog history. The extras are extensive and as good or better than the centerpiece suite. As ELP were known for, they almost never played songs "straight" like you'd hear them on a studio album. They mixed them up, rearranged, regrouped and lots of times played themes from some material as 'segments' of something else. So it is here, where the 1st encore "Take a Pebble" also includes middle snippets of Emerson piano improvs, "Tank," and "Hoedown" before returning to finish the last verse of "TaP."

The Belgian TV show POP SHOP obviously showed the set recorded for them as two, half-hour episodes, as the credits roll twice, once in the middle (spliced in during "Nutrocker," as more freaky effects) and again at the end. The video quality is much weaker than the P@aE film, but the mono audio is, if anything, a tad better. The version of "Take a Pebble" included here is worth the price of admission alone.

OK... What about those "Rock and Roll Your Eyes" visuals (as this movie was rechristened for US release.) Yeah... they're stupid looking... even obnoxious. But (as my wife accurately commented) Keith Emerson jumping up on his Hammond, crouching down and rocking it back and forth like he's trying to hump it is just as stupid. The 70s were just plain 'everything to excess' and this work is a product of the time. Keep that in mind and close your eyes if it bugs you. Fortunately the soundtrack is unaffected by the silly video "enhancements." And there's lots of time where the video is shown straight-no-chaser anyway. The junk doesn't even start for the first time until over 17 minutes in, and then it comes and goes about half-and-half for the rest of the show. I found it easy to "get over it."

If this were just a live album from this early stage in ELP's career, and noone knew it had attendent glopped-up video, they'd be jumping for joy to even HAVE a copy of it. May be a fan-boy, but I certainly am!

I've said it before, in previous reviews: the ELP camp consistently &^@!!?!!'s on its fan base. After all these years...the constant complaint about this concert has been the superimposed psychodelic and cartoon crap. I read once that a "clean" videotape copy exists, sans the obnoxious effects. I've hoped against hope that someday "they'll" get it right...apparently not. After all, these are the same people who blew it with the "Beyond the Beginning" DVD ( California Jam footage out of sync with the audio, while stereo audio from the one-time FM simulcast exists; a disjointed montage of concert clips, etc ).

Fortunately for me, another reviewer posted that the "bonus" concert is nothing other than the Masters of the Vaults footage, already out for a few years. That footage, too, hasn't been changed...more superimposed images, albeit not as blatantly obnoxious as the Lyceum debacle. Tell me again just where the incentive for buying this latest rip-off is?

If anybody from ELP's management happens to be reading this...I won't buy this concert until you get it right. NOBODY WANTS MARVEL COMIC BOOK CHARACTERS ON TOP OF THIS PERFORMANCE. If you STILL don't understand, back up and read this again. That means actually going to the trouble of doing some research,and tracking down that pristine copy...we'll wait. We'd rather you take your time, and GET IT RIGHT.

Prog-rock, for sure, so if you don't like that; this isn't the thing for you. But if you like a creative combination of classical music, rock techniques and showmanship, and some great writing, this is the deal. Some of the music is very beautiful. And for those of us who're a bit older, it brings back the wonderful innocence and excitement people had at seeing this sort of thing live. Excellent.

Those cartoons. After all these years these marvel cartoons hasn't been removed from this ELP historical performance and now they are presented as psychedelic effects (laughs).

This is an authentic early performance with no gimmicks or overdubs. The band performance and image are very good and naive: K Emerson, in his brand new suit, fighting with the oscillators of his new MOOG synthesizer; G Lake is absolutely fantastic in the breathtaking acoustic solo; C Palmer was even then a solid drummer and it can be seen trying to get into the rhythm on a part of The Great Gates of Kiev.

The extra material was already available on previous DVD Master from the Vaults.

I recommend this DVD but I put one star just because the cartoons.

I never saw ELP live but I remember seeing the movie of Pictures (along with 'Woodstock' and 'Grave New World' - a fantastic triple bill) back in the early 70's. That was a good version. This version, with all the needless psychedelic add-ons is dreadful. There is a place for cartoons and psychedelia - for example, they were an integral, and I think valuable, part of The Old Grey Whistle Test - but here, they are totally distracting and disruptive. I cannot bear to watch this movie. (Of course, the music is good.)

As with many other commenters, I hope that at some time the real video is released.

DO NOT BUY! This is the worst video I have ever seen. Most of the best bits are COVERED over with someone showing off their immature psychedelic color washing or comic book pictures. If you want to SEE the musicians play, DO NOT GET this video. I should have listened to the one star comments! It seems that who ever added the junk to this concert hated ELP and didn't want you to see them. I wish my one star could be a negative 5.

For a collector its worth it. The music and live performance is ELP historic. The special effects layered over the live performance takes away from your imagination. Thats the sole purpose of a live DVD performance, no distractions. The music is great. Greg Lake sounds perfect. Its my opinion, that it was a distraction using multi-colored special effects... Its worth having, tough to watch.

I have both Pictures at an Exhibition DVD's the Lyceum DVD, and the more well known one.

While the Lyceum DVD offers a few extra songs, the cartoon overlays

are three times more annoying. I'm as big an ELP fan as anyone, but I'm going

to pass without even watching this DVD. One day, preferability before I pass

to see them 'Live in Heaven', I'd like to see the straight no cartoon version.

Hey boys (ELP) your fan base isn't growing, it's getting older and wiser.

In addition to the December 9, 1970 London Lyceum footage, this "Special Edition" includes a bonus feature consisting of most of the February 6, 1971 concert shot at Theater 140 in Brussels, Belgium as shown on Belgian TV's "Pop Shop" program.

Unfortunately, it's missing "The Barbarian," which is available on the Masters from the Vaults - Emerson, Lake & Palmer DVD, which is the entire "Pop Shop" film, but not as good video quality.

Note that the "Pictures... (Special Edition)" DVD lists separate tracks for "Interview" and "Blues Jam / Nutrocker," but they are included on "Masters from the Vaults" as well: the interview clips are after "The Barbarian" and the "Blues Jam..." is the encore after "Knife Edge."

By the way, "Knife Edge" and "Rondo" from this film are also included on the Emerson, Lake & Palmer: Beyond the Beginning DVD.

The psychedelic stuff did not look good and there was way to much of it in the main part of the feature. It gave me the impression that somebody might have been on a bad acid trip when the originally put the film together? The psychedelic stuff was terrible and way to much of it was shown, The sound quality was better than what I was expecting. I suggest just putting it in your player and doing chores around your home and just listenning to the sound. However, I really enjoyed the bonus material and it is worth watching. I thought it was far better than the main feature.