Customer Reviews

Public Enemy - It Takes a Nation: London Invasion 1987

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1 star:		(2)

 

 

I am happy that I picked this item up because I am a long time public enemy fan. However, this item may not be for the casual fan.

To begin with, the 1987 material is well below what I would expect from even archival footage from the era. The dvd contains watchable, but overall poor quality footage shot on VHS. Indeed, although I doubt the mastertape is much better, it appears that the source for the dvd is probably a few copy generations removed from the original. The picture is generally blurry and the colors are terrible. I suppose the audio track must be professionally recorded, but it sounds like an audience recording. Presumably, very few mics were used, and therefore, there was no opportunity to mix and balance discreet tracks. The cd material from 1987 also suffers from poor audio quality.

I don't regret purchasing this set, but I was disappointed because I expected the dvd to have a brilliant picture and punchy sound. Not only was the material neither brilliant to look at nor punchy to the ears, it is far from what I would expect from any professionally recorded concert from the 70's, or even 60's, forward. The material is more akin to semi-pro multi-camera shot bootlegs with an audience audio tape source (if you are familiar with unreleased and amateur recordings, you probably have seen at least a few shows with that type of production).

Enjoy the great material, but don't have high recording quality expectations.

As someone who saw Public Enemey appear live around the time this video was shot, I would say that this may be one of their best concert videos. Yes, they rapped over their own records (as did all Def Jam acts around this time--if the record skipped on the instrumental, there was no way for the artist to catch up with the beat. The teopry was who cared if you were 70 rows away--you came to SEE them, not hear) However, the picture and audio quality on this DVD is terrible, obviously dubbed from Chuck's 20 year old VHS. This is not a "home shot" video, but an actual broadcast on the BBC. An awesome time capsule, the broadcast also featured Jazzy Jeff and The Fresh Prince, Whodini and LL Cool J. This is PE's full performance (it was clipped on the original show) but it's disappointing that the original masters weren't sought for this DVD. True fans should seek out the two out-of-printlongform PE VHS tapes that Sony released back in the day. They are also PE concerts but they are so overedited in an attempt to match the energy of the show that they'll give the casual watcher a seizure. Hopefully these an the other early Def Jam Videos will make it to DVD one of of these days (or even the rest of the performances filmed for this special). Until then this will have to make due.

Hip-Hop needs more video and audio documentation of concerts, especially in this era of the video superstar, where plenty of rap acts kind of become lazy to the art of live performance.. PE is one of the pioneers that helped bring respect to rap as a live phenomena, and not just a records-only experience.

When I copped mine, it was great... I wonder what sales are so far.. old school fans and younger rap fans can gain a lot from watching and listening to this..

You get to see the full 1987 concert of Public Enemy, as the opening act for LL Cool J-- watch for an extended cameo of LL!

.. loving the live concert cuts on the audio cd, 11 deep, from the YO BUM RUSH THE SHOW LP, though some were excerpted more than I expected..

The bonus cuts and remixes go from Trance to Drum N Bass to Trip Hop to Euro-House and more..

also the bonus cuts-- new cut "bass in ya face", DJ spooky's 'drums of death' trance remix of PE #1, also the Geronimo Punx dark-core remix of the same cut, johnny juice's remix of mklvfkwr, 23 skiddoo's remix of "Do You Wanna Go Our Way", also the NextMen's remix of the same cut; the brand new "bring that beat back", etc..

I guess WORLD TOUR SESSIONS is next on the menu?

or Rebirth of a Nation?

"I got flame in my eyes, I'm obsessed with this London thing."

--- Chuck D

This is a groundbreaking document for you -- if you call yourself a real hip-hop head. It features my favorite rap group of the month, Public Enemy, in a semi-documentary-semi-live-show DVD, filmed back in 1987, when the P.E. were not yet recognized in the US, as Chuck D, the mind behind, says:

"...But over here [in England] it's what we say rather than how we kick it. It means a lot to me."

Highlights of the film include the now retired from showbiz-original-genius DJ - Terminator-X, Leader of the S1Ws Professor Griff, Flavor Flav - young and raw as ever, and of course - the voice of the group, Chuck D. Most of the film features the actual London show, with bits and pieces of group interviews by Brit journalists, some crazy wicked behind the stage licks PLUS an extra freestyle from LL Cool J, which was a part of the tour alongside Eric-B & Rakim.

"Everything is real. Real real real real..."

---Flavor Flav

True, Video quality is poor, but it doesn't get any better than this for the London show. I don't mind, in half-screen it's still pure gold.

More of the same?

The audio version of this show: It Takes a Nation: First London Invasion Tour 1987

Public Enemy's debut album - so relevant to this era: Yo Bum Rush the Show

Chuck D's book, gives you the details behind the 1987 show, and the complete history of the group. I found the 2nd chapter especially fascinating: Fight the Power: Rap, Race, and Reality

Terminator X's Solo album - ORIGINAL hip-hop from the mind of a genius: Terminator X & Valley of Jeep Beets

Enjoy.

I'm a HUGE fan of PE. Been to four shows, backstage twice, etc etc. Thus I was really jazzed to check out this CD/DVD, since after all the greatest rap album of all time, Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back, opens with the classic Hammersmith Odeon bit.

But I must say that this was very disappointing. The first four tracks on the CD appear that they played their record and didn't even rap live over the pre-recorded sounds! Miuzi is the first track that appears definitively "live." Plus, they edited the CD like a 1987 mix tape (maybe that was the "theme" intention??) You'll have abrupt fades to silence, then a new song. No mixing. Weird. You can tell that the first song and second was clumsily mixed, at best. Finally, BE WARNED: the sound quality is as if they had a mic in the audience, like a Grateful Dead show. Very weak. perhaps they culled audio from the same weak VHS video tape they used for the DVD? I must recommend you pass on this package--and that's from an old school, but sadder and wiser, fan.

I'm very disappointed... I'm purshased with great expectations, but it's te wost original DVD I saw ever!! very very poor video & audio quality, even with traking problems from original tape!! It's a home video, made with a ordinary and cheap camera of 80's, and viewed millions of times. The earliest Public Enemy VHS saw too much better. REALLY. I am #1 latin Public Enemy fan, and I'll always be. But this DVD sucks.

While the DVD is a must-buy for any P.E. fan or anyone wondering why they were the greatest of all time, just be forewarned that the quality is not the best, the picture on the DVD looks like it came from an old VHS videotape so its definitely watchable but might be a bit of a shock if you're used to watching pristine quality footage.