Customer Reviews

Time Again...Amy Grant Live

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

In September 1978, a young girl with an acoustic guitar set out on tour in support of her first album (available in vinyl, cassette and eight-track). Amy Grant's first stop -- Will Rogers Coliseum.

She performed all 11 songs from the album and then threw in a couple of Carole King tunes. This was her first concert to which tickets were sold, and she wanted to give the people their money's worth. Still it wasn't enough, and she didn't know what to do until someone in the audience yelled, \"Just sing 'em again!\"

Grant returned to Fort Worth in April. This time, she performed two sold-out shows at Bass Performance Hall, the city's world-class concert facility. This time, the woman who became the most successful female singer in the history of contemporary Christian music had no shortage of songs. And this time, microphones and cameras captured the event for Time Again ... Amy Grant Live, available on CD and DVD.

Because she wasn't touring in support of a new album, the song list is practically a greatest-hits collection and provides a good retrospective of her remarkable career, from the early days to more recent material.

The production quality of the CD is amazing. The sound is so polished that it's easy to forget this is a live recording. The picture quality of the DVD also is first-rate.

A first rate concert. Filming this in hi-def was a good move. Sound is terrific. Amy goes thru her best stuff from every stage of her long career. The band is very good and Amy's vocals are as good as they've ever been. My only complaint is the "artsy" editing: quick cuts,MTV video type effects,(especially at the beginning).I was blaming the director for this,until I discovered that it was Amy Grants idea to do this in a bonus feature interview. It gets better after awhile, particularly during the excellent acoustic set. Overall,for new or old fans alike,well worth owning.

If you enjoy Amy Grant in concert, then I highly recommend this DVD. Recorded from two live shows, Amy performs many of her hits and fan favorites at the Bass Hall in Fortworth, TX where she held her first concert 25+ years ago. The musical instrumentation and vocals are so tight at this concert that I would sometimes forget I was listening to live music. I highly recommend this DVD. Pure eye candy.

If you are an Amy Grant fan .. this DVD is a must have!!

The songs featured span her 30 year career .. from the old
days of Father's Eyes, Thy Word and El Shaddai .. to the pop hits like
Baby Baby and Heart In Motion .. Good For Me .. Lucky One .. beautiful
covers of Big Yellow Taxi and Oh How The Years Go By .. those heart
tugging Amy specials like Carry You and Ask Me .. and newer classic Amy
songs like Eye To Eye, Out In the Open and It Takes A Little Time ..
there are Amy stories interspered .. and the finale, a dressed down,
solo rendition of If These Walls Could Speak (Jimmy Webb song), sung with
only piano accompaniment, is Amy at her personal best .. moving, vlunerable and human.

I have no stones to throw at Amy Grant or those who show what seems like prejudice towards her music. I've witnessed other Christians turning against her because of her choices. I have no desire to find fault with them. I recognize that there is a place for judging the behavior of fellow believers. But as one Christian leader said, too often we criticize in a way that leaves no room for response or discussion. Sadly, it seems that too many people (Christians included) have become better at tearing people down rather than building them up.

Who am I to judge the servant of another? My sins and their consequences may be different from Amy Grant's, but am I any less guilty? Aside from the grace of God in Christ Jesus, I deserve to be forever separated from the presence of God. I'm in no position to wrongly judge Grant or her critics.

Despite any mistakes that Grant may have made in her personal life, there is one thing that I do know about her. She has never ceased to grow and develop as an artist, and this new release is no exception. It does not disappoint.

Since we don't have a definitive bio of Amy in print--it's a story I would like to read--Time Again serves as the next best thing--a musical bio of a long career. Most of her biggest and best-loved songs are performed live in front of an enthusiastic audience at Bass Hall in Ft. Worth, Texas. Ft. Worth was the site of her first ticketed performance 28 years ago.

If you have ever seen a PBS Soundstage concert, you know that the sound, lighting and performance are first-rate. This production and Grant's performance are as good or better than the best in that series. This is one of the best music DVDs of the year.

Grant is relaxed and jokes with the audience in the occasional song introduction. But in addition to a great overall performance, she deserves credit for assembling an outstanding supporting band. They are terrific, and almost all of them join in at times on background vocals. Some songs get slightly new arrangements, and except for a short, quiet acoustic portion in the middle of the set, most of the songs have a rock edge, which puts muscle into mostly pop songs.

These live versions sound surprisingly fresh and in most cases, if not all, surpass the original studio recordings. I never expected to care so much about several songs from Heart in Motion. They have never sounded so good. Even though I've heard "Baby Baby" many times on the radio, I enjoyed it more than ever. Grant succeeds big-time in breathing new life and creative energy into her classics.

With any collection of past hits, choices have to be made and there's not always room for everything. There are no songs from Unguarded and her two recent hymns recordings. It may be that they just didn't fit the mood, which is generally upbeat and celebratory. She does slow the pace with a mostly solo acoustic set of "In A Little While," which has a new arrangement, "Thy Word," "My Father's Eyes," and "El Shaddai." She performs each of these on her living room couch, which is located in the center of the stage on a large rug. A scenic painting fills the background area behind it. Seated and playing her guitar with the painting in the background is a nice touch.

This is a must for any Amy Grant fan. It's the definitive Amy Grant video. Lots of bonus material is included. It appears that no expense was spared in making this the best it could be.

A CD of the performance can be purchased separately. The track list differs slightly from the DVD. In addition to the live version, a new studio version of "In A Little While" is included on the CD. There's also a live version of "Believe," the theme song from the Three Wishes TV show that Grant hosted. This song is not on the DVD.

The CD also includes a bonus DVD consisting of four of the songs from the full-length DVD. If you have to choose between the two, the DVD captures the best performances and includes a few songs not found on the CD, but both the DVD and CD are excellent.

All the comments are accurate that I've read. This is an outstanding album & performance by Amy Grant. I listen to it over and over. The editing is disappointing. Too many camera angles too often. Would have rather had less transitions between performers. Still, it is not as bad as some rock concert DVD's I've seen (ie All Garth Brooks DVDs) so I'll only say it is disappointing.

I love Amy Grant. She is a fantastic songwriter and entertainer. But the editing on this DVD is just plain BAD. The editor must have been a video game writer. Every 1/2 second (or less) the scenes change.

Also as a musician, I like to watch the guitar player, BUT, they mixed clips from the two shows they did in Texas. One second the guitar player had one guitar the next second he had another guitar and then back again. I believe they whole problem was that they did not have enough cameras. So they would throw in scenes from either show to give them multiple angles.

At one point several of the songs were in black and white. For "special effect"? I believe they had cheap cameras that could not record well in color under low light conditions.

Yes, I have this DVD and I love to watch it for the musical content, but please re-edit the thing!!!

Am a big Amy Grant mark, and music contained on this dvd is just wonderful, but I must have to say that the direction of this concert DVD is beyond bizarre.
The director seemed to want to cut angles on every beat of some songs on DVD. Why ? What was the point ? All it did was create a dizzying and often irritating reaction and I can see why you can grab this dvd for as little as 2.99 new.
I realize that some folks like to be creative, but this was not a dvd I would tell everyone to stay away from.
Not flattering to anyone involved in decision making as far as what direction this would take in filming and editing.
How about re-releasing this as a normal concert film ?
Final word...buy the cd and skip dvd unless you have a good supply of dramamine !

This DVD is a career covering retrospective from Amy. The accompanying musicians are top notch and the acoustic set on the sofa in the middle works well. She mixes her Christian and more secular items well, and has occasional brief introductions to the songs she sings. This is a DVD I thoroughly enjoy and will watch many times.

I am a huge Amy Grant fan and watching her live is an awesome experience, either in person or on DVD. This DVD offered a wide range of her hits and plenty of extras. She has always been a performer that sings to you on a personal level and this DVD is no exception. If you love Amy Grant I would highly suggest getting this DVD for your library.