Customer Reviews

Rammstein: Live Aus Berlin

5 star:		(114)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Considering everything you get - 17 tracks of live music (3 with 5 additional camera angles to choose from), 14:30 of interviews, 5.1 Dolby Digital sound (the Amazon info doesn't say it's there, but it is), and an additional hidden track for the controversial "Stripped" video (as previously mentioned here, hit 23, then Enter on your remote at the main menu) - fans of Rammstein can't afford not to have this DVD.

The "Buch Dich" track has been edited out of the DVD version, but this is not a censored DVD; it's just the only one available, at least in Region 1 NTSC format. The only way to see "Buch Dich" is by picking up the VHS tape. If you're trying to decide between the two formats, I'd say the DVD is tops, hands down. I have both, and since I've gotten the DVD I haven't picked up the VHS even once. The video and audio are superior to that of the VHS, and the VHS doesn't have any of the additional features you can find on the DVD.

Speaking of video and audio, they're both pretty good, but not great. There's some minor artifacting in the video due to the onstage smoke effects combined with the fact that this is just a single layer disc. The 5.1 Dolby Digital sound seems to be a bit lacking in bass (though the band never has been all that heavy on it) and the rear channels mostly only play crowd noise. But again, this DVD is definately the best way to enjoy a Rammstein concert, aside from actually being there.

....you should definitely consider purchasing this concert on DVD! This version contains some additional treats NOT included on the VHS version. However, in all fairness, there is one song missing from the DVD - "Bück Dich" has been omitted. This song is included on the uncensored version of the VHS (USA release and Euro PAL format). The following is a summary of some of the special inclusions on the DVD version:

Multi camera shots of the individual members of Rammstein for the songs "Tier", "Du Hast" and "Rammstein". An interview is included (translated sub-titles) with clips from all Rammstein videos. A contest to challenge your Rammstein knowledge (consisting of 140 questions) is playable from your CD-ROM using Windows. As a bonus track, the entire video for "Stripped" is included.

Convinced? I hope so. Because if you have never experienced Rammstein Live - this is the next best thing to actually being there!

Because I live in a place where concerts, especially those by European bands, are virtually impossible-- I had never seen Rammstein actually performing before I watched this video. I have no cable, and I have no MTV. At this point, I have been able to acquire music videos...but Live aus Berlin was my first experience beyond a CD. And I think that I fell in love the night that I watched it.

Rammstein is a lot of things, but one thing they are not is boring. It is a great shame that a lot of American music fans cannot appreciate this video because the intelligent lyrics are lost on those who do not understand them. The music is good-- yes-- but not surpassingly so. It is indeed moving and deep, but it's the lyrics, the fact that much of them are in archaic languages and rife with allusions to great poetry and culture; and, of course, the intensity with which they are performed that makes Rammstein truly great.

Firstly, I do not find them at all offensive. Even their sexual antics on stage are silly at worst, not upsetting, and they generally are amusing and witty. The lyrics don't strike me as unpleasent. Yes, they sing about unusual themes that are not generally accepted by the fragile norm. People don't like to be rattled into thinking a little harder. People don't like the suggestion that aesthetics can also lie in what they themselves find disturbing; like pain, fire, and yes, even death. But we all need a little disturbing. We have grown too static in our thinking. Our only disturbances are typically of the annoying-- yowling bands that spit youthful anger and hate at us-- not deep, macabre suffering tinged with irony and dark humour. Sometimes what is misunderstood about Rammstein is that a lot of Rammstein's songs are sarcastic social commentaries; not personal opinions. Weißes Fleisch is not promoting rape or assault-- it's expressing the horror of such mindless violence. After all, the mere mention of it in a song unnerves people! The problem is, so much time is wasted in attacking Rammstein for daring mention what people don't want think about on their own...that time could be spent in doing something about the very real issues of violence, rape, and racism. It doesn't go away if you ignore it.

Rammstein claims to want to cause a little trouble, but I don't think that that explains everything about them. My own mother (yes, I'm one of the restless 17's) dislikes them because she finds them frightening. But fire is an expression not just of destruction, but of passion; and also of love. It is the raging of unstoppable, immense emotion-- like the sun, it can warm the heart or it can burn down to the bone.

And I am not comparing Rammstein only to the other goth bands and rock bands and metal bands of this era, but also to the bombastic glory of Beethoven, the youthful madness of Wolfgang Mozart; and even to the melancholy operas of Verdi. All these things are not Rammstein-- but Rammstein do share one thing with the masters of music: majesty.

Seeming Rammstein is one of my favourite bands and i had just gotten a dvd player I though i'd may aswell buy this dvd, and what did i get??? I got the best metal dvd performance you can get!!!

The dvd contains 17 tracks from their albums Herzeleid and Sehnsucht(done live)and the extra features you get the concert with german subtitles and you get a multicamera mode for the 3 songs Tier, Du Hast and Rammstein. With the multicamera mode you get a choice of 6 angles which lets you decide what you would like to mostly see e.g. directors cut, guitars, drums, bass and keys, wides and vocals. Another extra feature you get is a 14:30 interview with the band. The interview allows you to have a choice of subtitles including English, Spanish and French, and if your computer can read dvd's you can insert this dvd and you view a rammstein trivia fan contest containing 140 questions.

The performance was great. Rammstein perform with a great deal of colourful lights and mist and there is a great use of fire at the concert. The dvd lets you see all the action including the violence and as a special treat for the fans, rammstein use explosives, flame throwers, flaming arrows and fireworks and the main highlights of the dvd are the tracks Rammstein were Till Lindeman(singer) performs on fire(using safety clothesing) and another highlight is Engel were the guitarists daughter plays as the girl in the cage with fire. My favourite performance is Du Riechst So Gut were Till Lindeman(singer) shoots flaming arrows at the beginning of the song. Another great thing about the performance is that Till Lindeman(singer) didn't just stand there and sing, he sang while acting like that people can understand the message he is trying to get across.

The crowd is good aswell, they are very loud. They jump up and down or nod their heads for most of the time and they join in on the choruses and before and after every song they show their respect by clapping or whistling, so if you like metal dvd's with big crowds then this is for you.

The subject of the songs are mainly about various types of love(even says in interview) and there are a few songs about religion. The disturbing songs about love include Du Riechst So Gut which talks about stalking and Spiel Mit Mir talking about gay love(in an explicit way which is why its bad). Ok, now onto the the nondisturbing songs about love. The nondisturbing songs about love include Wilder Wein which is about love including a bottle of whine. The songs about religion include the song Engel and Asche Zu Asche and yes Rammstein do include violence in some songs including Weisses Fleisch which is just about mindless violence, so if you have a faint heart and are thinking about getting this, i suggest you not look at the lyrics translated which may put you off.

Ok, i've basically told you a fair bit about the dvd, so now i shall chucck in some reminders. The song Bueck Dich is censored from the dvd seeming people thought not only the lyrics but the performance was explicit, though in my opinion i though the performance was silly and in the dvd there is a hidden track called stripped, i hav'nt tried it, but i hear you press 23 at main menu and you then press enter. Overall thankyou for your time reading this review. I hope it gave you more of an idea of the dvd and hopefully you may buy it.

Hi, I am german and since the beginning a fan of Rammstein. When you know Rammstein better from some Interviews, you will see, that they make a show when they stand on the stage but in real life they are very funny guys and worlds apart of their life on stage. I love their music and that they have a very good sense of sarcasm and irony. In the music and on stage they create their own world - the dark cornors of life.

And know to the translations:

Du hast can mean both you hate and you have. It's the same word in german and so even germans doesn't know, what is meant.
Heirate Mich = Marry Me

The main editorial review is way off. For one, Du Hast means 'you have'. Two, Heitare Mich means 'marry me'. Three, Bück Dich ('bend over') is NOT on the DVD version, regardless of the censorship. So if you are looking for that live performance, you need to purchase the VHS version of Live Aus Berlin. Also, don't even look at the main review, because it's obviously a one-sided opinion made by someone with no taste for this type of music. Look at the customer reviews, which are written by people who appreciate the music. Having the DVD reviewed by someone who doesn't like the music is like having the KKK commenting on the Family Matters sitcom; it's not happening.

As for what I think, if you like Rammstein, you need this. Period. I have shown people who were saying "I hate Rammstein, they suck, they have no talent" and have had them say to me "Holy crap, that's got to be the best live show I've ever seen anyone perform." So do yourself a favor, and pick this beast up.

As other reviewers have stated, the Amazon review has INCORRECT translations of German. "You hate" is NOT spelled "Du Hast" but rather "Du hasst" (or haßt). "Heirate Mich" means "marry me", not "worship me". Anyone in a beginner's German course could translate the lyrics and understand the context, or barring that, use some minor effort to look up English translations of the songs on the internet. Not only that, but the Amazon review focuses on rather old news of controversy rather than the merits of the music and performances. The current Amazon review is not only dated, but seems to attempt to associate Rammstein's leanings with that of the Columbine killers. Anyone familiar with R.'s music and interviews would know that they are quite "Left". The Amazon review doesn't tell potential buyers enough about the Rammstein DVD, but it does rather illuminate the ignorance of that particular author. Amazon needs to replace that review with something more apropos. Considering the number of folks who have called Amazon on these errors, why hasn't the review been updated? Shame on you, Amazon.com!

Oh BTW, I did very much enjoy the DVD. However, I would recommend the Lichtspielhaus DVD as far superior. I'd never even heard of Rammstein until a friend told me about them and loaned me the DVDs. Sure, they're not everyone's cup of tea, but don't let phrases like "industrial metal" (or whatever lame label people use) scare you off. I generally do NOT like "metal", but these guys are something else! It's very richly textured music, very distinctive, thematic (and sometimes near-Operatic) and I also think the lyrics are worth the effort to understand. (HINT HINT AMAZON.COM!)

I have been a huge fan of Rammstein (And Megaherz, they deserve mentioning, if you like Rammstein check them out) since the album Sehnsucht came out. Ever since i first heard their music i was blown away by the sheer power of it. I bought the VHS of Live Aus Berlin when it came out and their visual performance is appropriate for the music which contains such a roller-coaster ride of mixed emotions. The DVD is even better than the VHS of course because everyone knows the quality is higher but the added bonus features are very nice too.
I dont however see why they had to censor Buck Dich, it was a comical gag and was not meant to be taken seriously. I mean they preformed it that way live in Europe and never had and problems as far as people complaining about it being "dirty and homosexual" but when they preform it in USA they get arrested for it, and the song gets edited from the DVD but its still on the vhs? . How pointless is that, i mean if you dont want to see it you can just push a button and then - WOW - you are on the next song.
But aside from that it is still a worth while purchase if you like Rammstein even the slightest. However, the "Official amazon review" that is at the beginning of this page is, in a word - pathetic. I mean of the 2 song titles the guy tried to translate he got neither of them right. "Du Hast" means "You Have" NOT "You Hate", and "Heirate Mich" means "Marry Me" How could anyone mistake that for "Worship Me"? (obviously no research was done for this article). So since the reviewer didnt know exactly what they are saying he just assumed for the worst, and made their lyrics sound even more fitting to his relating of Rammstein to the little angry kids at Columbine and Nazis. Get better reviewers Amazon.com, geesh.

I just recieved this movie today and I LOVE IT! It is the best Video Concert I have ever seen! I cannot name one favorite part, for the Whole movie is my favorite! I could watch it forever! Till Lindemann is a great Singer and has a great stage performance, as does his Keyboardist and Guitarists. All I can say about the Drummer is: Wow! Of course, I cannot comment about the movie without commenting on their performance during "Buck Dich" At first I was a bit shocked by what they did, but then I couldn't stop laughing about it. It was more funny that perverse. I will be laughing about that for God knows how long. Overall, this was great! The whole show had me mesmerized as it held most of my friends on my Reservation. RAMMSTEIN RULES! I recommend this to anyone who enjoys dance/heavy metal music in a very awesome language, German, and for those who have an open-mind and can laugh.

This is a great DVD that is very entertaining and without a dull moment. I don't like to watch concert footage because they are boring and the music usually doesn't sound as good but this is Rammstein and they know how to put on a show. They are playing to a soldout stadium in Berlin. The audience is consevative looking and the age group is mixed which is interesting to see because Rammstein is an industrial metal band. If this was in America the audience would be smaller and they would all be young and wouldn't understand what they were saying. The band members are in costume and have silver stuff in their hair which you don't see too much from rock bands who usually go on in a t-shirt and a pair of jeans. The pyrothectics rage from sparks coming out of boots, drum sticks, a bow and arrow also microphone stands and the singer are on fire and the singer shooting a flamethrower over the audience. It also has some humor to it like when the very skinny keyboardist tries to dance and the singer thrusting his hips and when he wheels himself around during the song Heirate Mich. Sometimes the keyboards are little bit louder than the guitars but I didn't mind it because it gave it a different sound. The song Wilder Wein is much better here than the studio version because it isn't as long and the accoustic guitars and violin give it a nice touch. There is also an interview at the end with subtitles for those who don't know german.
Now for the things that weren't that good. They show the same clips of the audience members over and over, some of the parts are slowed for a second and when the singer slams a microphone stand on stage they show it from different angles. The reason I didn't like all that was because it took away from the live feeling but it's easily ignorable. I find myself watching this DVD all the time and it never seems to get old and watching this DVD will either make you a fan or a bigger fan of Rammstein like me.