Customer Reviews

Spock's Beard: Don't Try This at Home: Live in Holland/The Making

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

 

 

Let me start by saying that this is possibly the worst-looking DVD, video-wise, I've ever seen. The encoding on the first DVD, the live in Holland disc, is simply god-awful. The blacks are full of blocking, and the video on the bonus features is so blocky it looks like they're meant to be viewed in a small window on a PC but were blown up to full-screen size. The video on the second disc, "The Making of V," is far less blocky but still rather grainy. It definitely looks like a VHS master.

However, having said all that, the poor video quality cannot diminish the fabulous content of these two discs. The sound is great, the playing is phenomenal, and (of course) the music is magnificent. The camera work on the concert disc is quite professional, and it's much more enjoyable to watch than the NEARfest/Whiskey or the Live in Leche videos. The inclusion of the second half of the concert also makes it superior to the "Don't Try This at Home" CD.

"The Making of V" is simply captivating. The personalities of the band members are revealed, and it is just fascinating to see what goes into the production of a progressive rock CD of "V"'s caliber. Great studio footage, great behind-the-scenes stuff, and an interesting look at the processes and technology Neal and his cohorts use. It's a far cry from the garage-band mentality you see on MTV!

There is also a bittersweet feel to watching these DVDs. Seeing how passionate and inspired and just plain fun Neal Morse was as a member of Spock's Beard, I can't help but think that something special was lost when he recently decided to quit the band.

Overall, the lousy video is distracting, but once you're captivated by the music and the players (and you will be) you, like me, probably won't mind the poor authoring that much.

Being a fan of old school symphonic prog, there are not too many post 70's prog rock I care to listen to, becuase it seemed that most current prog bands thought that the music was essentially songs that contained syncopated beats and stacatto structure and melodies. Then I came upon this group. I found this effort to be very impressive and refreshing in that there is that touch of symphonic flavoring (mellotron and classical phrasing) along with neo prog instrumentation. Imagine Flower Kings fusing with Gentle Giant and you have a musical idea of what this excellent band of musicians can do. Definitely first class!

I've been complaining for years now that the cd of "Don't Try This At Home Either" went out of print about a day after it was released. You see, the Spock's Beard concert on this DVD set was originally released in the form of 2 cds (kinda like what Genesis did with "The Way We Walk Live"). One disc, entitled "Don't Try This at Home" contained material from Kindness of Strangers and Day for Night. The other one "Don't Try This at Home Either" contained Ryo's keyboard solo, and material from "The Light" and "Beware of Darkness."

Now, two studio albums later, the whole thing is finally available on DVD. The concert is stunning. Morse is not only an absolute ham of a showman, but his voice is just perfect. He and drummer NDV have instantly addicted vocal timbres. Kinda like Hayward/Lodge, Anderson/Squire, or DeYoung/Shaw. They're also just plain entertaining with their onstage personalities. It's just great. And where else in today's music scene can you find a lead singer who alternates between keyboards, guitars, and drums, along with a drummer who occasionally plays guitar and takes on lead vocals, a keyboardist who mainly sticks to mellotrons and hammond organs, a guitar player who never uses a pick, and a bassist who gives flashbacks of Chris Squire? This band in concert is amazing. The setlist is Day for Night, Mouth of Madness, Skin, Gibberish, Go the Way You Go, June, Healing Colours of Sound, Ryo's Solo, The Doorway, (encores) The Light, Squonk, and Waste Away. There are bonuses on this disc as well. My fave is the "Legend . . . " bonus, which is the acoustic bit in the middle of "The Doorway" at a concert in 2001, where Neal and Alan are both playing the same guitar at the same time (and it's good to) while Nick sings the "I really don't care" part before bringing the band back in. Great great showmanship.

Disc two (The Making of V) doesn't even work on my DVD player, so I can't really review it other than to say the first 10 seconds of each chapter (before the disc skips and/or freezes) are interesting. Of course, the fact that the disc doesn't even work can't exactly be a positive review.

Disc three is the audio cd that was included as a bonus in the 3 disc "special edition" release of their 2002 concept album, "Snow." It's kinda like a making of audio documentary of "Snow" with live acoustic versions, and demo versions of the tracks from that album, along with a fantastic outtake of a Yes cover.

In a nutshell, this is a GREAT dvd to own just for the concert, but don't expect much past disc one.

I really enjoyed this band. One of the best if not the best progressive band today. On this DVD we get a very interesting documentary of the making of the the album V (the best spock's beard album). And on the second DVD we have a 2 hour show from the day for night tour in Holland. Very good music but the filming is not to my taste, because we can only see close shot of the musicians during the entire concert. There's no audience's view perspective from the back. Despite of this latest point of view, go buy this DVD, if you love progressive music.

If it were possible I would give this DVD 10 Stars. No overdubs on this one. The band plays live and the sound is live. Spocks Beard is one great live band and the sound one the DVD is really live. More bands ought to try this. Keep it up Spocks Beard.

The concert portion of this package is a great show of the beard. Yes, the sound could be better. Besides the sound (which isn't all that bad), this is the beard at their progressive best. The musicianship that shines through is breathtaking.
The Making of V is awesome. To see these guys at work is inspiring to say the least. They don't check their emotions at the door. They invite you into their home, studio, etc. and let it all hang out.
The CD doesn't knock my socks off, but it is good. If you like out-takes and demo versions, there is some great stuff here.

Another reviewer says the second disc won't play in his DVD player. For me, the second disc worked fine; the FIRST one won't play in my DVD player -- but it plays fine in my computer.

Obviously there are quality control problems with the package (but with all the companies listed on the box, just TRY to find which one to complain to).

This said, the music and the concert are all first-rate.

This 3 disc set in one case is fragile. The retaining clips on the top disc break in shipping and scratch the disc. 4 times I received it damaged from Amazon before I just gave up and got a refund. Each time the packaging was inadequate for a fragile product (1st padded envelope, 2nd fitted box no packing, 3rd cardboard envelope no packing, 4th fitted box no packing). I contacted Amazon and was assured that it would be packaged correctly the next time and it arrived with no packing material, damaged again. Don't waste your time, find another retailer who listens to customers and knows how to ship something fragile.

There is no question that this video allows us into the mind of genius (and the mouth of madness). Watching Neal Morse working through the creative process is an inspiration. There are many stand out moments on this video, from driving along the interstate while Neal films from behind the steering wheel as he sings along to Transatlantic, to the studio rhythm boogie of Nick D'virgilio, to the tears that Neal sheds in the privacy of his home studio as he records The Great Nothing. This DVD set will not let you down. There is a concert film as well, but it takes a back seat to the documentary in this viewer's humble opinion.

This is a great DVD from a truly great band. The music/video quality is outstanding and the audio mix is just right. Certainly worth every penny with the inclusion of the "making of V" and the additional audio disc (which is great too!). Highly recommend this DVD to all fans of progressive music and in particular to those looking to see "The Light".

Long grow the Beard!