20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
An Excellent Historical Document of Orbison, August 7, 2005
Comparing this DVD to modern DVD presentations, or even to latter-day Orbison shows will leave you disappointed.
However, as a document of an Orbison concert from 1972, this DVD is great considering what they had to work with. It's clear that all they had to work with was this black and white videotape master from Australia. The restoration job (a comparison between the unrestored and restored footage is included on the DVD) does indeed improve the picture.
This was a transitional period in Orbison's career, thus the show is a strange mixture of powerful performances of Orbison's own self-penned hits and a number of cover versions. It's a bit odd to see such an amazing songwriter perform so many cover versions (most of which don't come near his greatest songs), but it's also interesting to see him perform songs that certainly aren't available on any other video or DVD. It's also a bit odd to see him in a bit of a Elvis Vegas-style mode, with a jumpsuit and a bit of theatrics pumping his arms during one song. But this DVD is a perfect historical document of the show.
Plus, Roy's voice still sounds amazing.
I give this DVD 5 stars because it is a commendable, accurate, and succinct presentation and an important historical document of Orbison's career. The footage looks and sounds as good as possible, and presumably the full show as originally aired in Australia is included. The bonus documentary footage only adds to the excellent job this DVD does of documenting this era in Orbison's career.
If you're an Orbison fan, this is a must-own, and it is enjoyable. If you want the best live Orbison show on DVD, the "Black and White Night" or "Austin City Limits" DVD's are better shows in terms of song selection and stage presentation. If you want something other than late 80's or 60's-era footage of Orbison, this DVD offers an excellent document of Orbison in the 70's.
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20 of 22 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Roy Orbison peforming live in Australia, August 17, 2005
It was a real treat to see Roy Orbison pefrom live in a concert, that has never been seen in the United States, until now, or at least this year. In 1972, Roy Orbison got to do something that his idol Elvis Presley never got to do, pefrom live outside the United States, or even North America. Elvis did play in Canada before, but that was before his longtime manger took over, Roy made stops in Holland, Denmark, Italy, Japan, Germany, and Australia, you can see more on the back of the dvd, and he did a 4 month tour, and it came to an end at Madison Square Gardan in December of 1972. On October 3rd. 1972 Roy Orbison along with an orchestra, and his own band, took the stage at The Festival Hall in Melbourne, Australia. The concert was seen on tvs in Australia, but for some reason, never got seen in the United States, and got lost somewhere for all this time, until Roy Orbison's widow Barbara Orbison, found this footage, and decided to release it, it was restored, and was released on dvd, earlier this year, so if you love this concert, please thank Barbara for finding and releasing this concert on dvd, and my thanks go out to her to. Like Roy Orbison and Freinds: a Black and White Night, this concert is also seen in black and white. Roy Orbison perfomances his hits, and also does songs that he very rarly does, like Sweet Carolina, Too Soon to Know, Bridge Over Troubled Water, and Land of 1000 dances. I don't know if I can even naem any ofther cds, or dvds where you can see and hear him sing Bridge Ovwr Troubled Water. The concert is 51 mintues long, which is shorter then a lot of his other concerts that was filmed, and released, they are 64 minutes long, including the ends credits, at last the live concerts I know about. The songs that he sings in this concert are
1. Only the Lonely
2. Crying
3. Dream Baby
4. In Dreams
5. Mean Woman Blues
6. Too Soon to Know
7. Penny Arcade
8. Blue Bayou
9. Land of 1000 Dances
10. Bridge Over Troubled Water
11. Leah
12. Running Scared
13. Sweet Caroline
14. It's Over
15. Oh, Pretty Woman
16. Oh, Pretty Woman (Encore)
While, som of his other hits that you nromally seen him sing, include Ooby Dooby, Candyman, and Go Go Go (Down the Line) aren't in this concert, and I am not sure what the song list was for other places, he pefromed was, but I bet he sure did a lot of his hits. And in other places, they don't speak English, so you haven't to wonder how they got understand what he was saying or even singing, but then again they could have always heard the songs in English before, so that wouldn't make it too diffuclt, but if you have feel like if you need to take a break from his other live concerts that was released, and look for another one to watch, I would suggest you try this one, because I don't know of how many other dvds of concerts out there, that you might have not seen before, and this one would make an nice addition to your library of muiscal dvds, or Roy Obrison dvds. But I bet even that Roy Orbson forgot that he perfomed live in Australia, since this concert has been missing through the rest of his lifetime, remember he died from a heart attack late on Decmember 6th, 1988 minutes before midnight in Tennessee, and this conert has gone missing for over over 30 years, that was a long time ago, and maybe before some of your lifetime. There is also a 22 mintue interview with the band on this dvd, and I will have to check that out soon, and why don't you do, check out this concert on dvd, and maek the memories last.
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