Customer Reviews

Visage

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I was disappointed to see that nobody has reviewed this yet, so here it goes...

I've been debating on whether or not to purchase this DVD for quite a while now, pretty much since it's release last year. I finally gave in after doing a few Internet searches regarding the product. Well, I'm not disappointed!

First of all, this is NOT a live DVD release from Visage. It does NOT feature any concert material! Some websites are listing this release as a live release due to the actual DVD menu showing "play concert" and "concert audio options" links. So what exactly is on this disc? Here's the tracklisting:

01. Visage 3.45
02. The Steps 2.07*
03. Fade To Grey 3.22
04. Interview 0.10*
05. The Dancer 1.46*
06. The Damned Don't Cry 3.47
07. Pleasure Boys 3.34
08. Mind Of A Toy 3.35
09. Whispers 0.16*
10. Night Train 3.46
11. Can You Hear Me 1.25*
12. Casualty 1.41*
13. Intro 0.32*
14. The Horseman 3.06
15. Yesterday's Shadow 6.20
16. Love Glove 3.54
17. Wild Life 3.48
18. Beat Boy 3.25
19. Can You Hear Me 1.47*

Extra features:
Jukebox
Audio-Only Option

*Note that the actual DVD case back sleeve does not list these interludes and music pieces. They are, in fact, part of the release! My understanding is that this DVD release is in fact a reissue of the original 1985 VHS release. So what's different?

The video has obviously been digitally remastered! I have never seen the original VHS release, but the DVD has obviously given the original early/mid-80's material an upgrade. Early clips such as "Fade To Grey" and "Damned Don't Cry" look stunning for early 80's music video promos. Universal has obviously gone back to the original masters and presented them in full quality here.

I was pleasantly surprised to see how well "Fade To Grey" looked in DVD quality after having previously only viewing the clip on the Internet. It really doesn't show it's age for a 1980 clip. I'm no expert on video quality, but I can tell when an early music video clip has been given a remastering treatment verses a simple VHS/poor quality transfer. Thankfully, Universal went the extra mile here.

The audio presented here is the real treat! Not only do we get a crisp 2.0 LPCM stereo track but also an excellent DTS 5.1 surround sound track! Check this out! Not many labels go above and beyond in order to present older recordings in 5.1, let alone in brilliant remastered sound. The sound is simply the best I've heard for these recordings. For those who are wondering, the music is NOT presented in discreet 5.1 sound. I tested this out myself by listening closely to each speaker in my surround sound system and discovered that the original 2.0 stereo track has been upmixed to 5.1 surround. Nonetheless, for recordings 20-25+ years old it has been remastered beautifully at a very high bit rate.

It's worth noting, too, that several of the videos have been mixed together as if watching a continuous video show. By mixing I mean that the audio/video tracks slightly overlap. I would have preferred to have watched these video clips individually without overlapping, but this is just a minor complaint.

I must admit that I purchased this DVD release on the basis of hearing only "Fade To Grey", "Mind Of A Toy", and "Damned Don't Cry" and enjoying the videos on the Internet. Most of this material is new to me! The "Mind Of A Toy" clip is freaky, but I love it! "Damned Don't Cry" is a classic! I'm discovering some of these promos for the very first time since I was only a baby when many of these videos were staples on MTV.

Region = 0 (all regions)
Format = NTSC
Disc format = 1 X DVD 9
Audio formats = DTS 5.1 | 2.0 LPCM stereo
Running time = 55 minutes approx.
2006 Universal Music Group International
UPC: 6 02498 75678 2
Made in the EU

Overall, this release gets a 4-star rating. I'm knocking the release down a star simply for the sloppy menu work, stating the concert options. Otherwise, this is an excellent video reissue on DVD and definitely worth grabbing for the upgrades!

This is a half great DVD. Why half great? Because the first six videos are a perfect example of the style of the New Romantic period. The other six videos were like a travelogue of exotic places, which do not fit with the context of the music. The quality of the dvd is fantastic.

The early videos, especially "Visage", "Fade to Grey", and "Damned Don't Cry" are the ones that make this DVD watchable. The later ones, filmed in the great outdoors, and unremarkable and flat-out boring.

80's new wave synth laden music was a cornerstone for many of who found ourselve's gravitating toward this genre. The cool thing is Visage was on the forefront of the european new romantics movement which spawned the careers of a lot of more well known artists from that period. I recommend finding a copy of Steve Strange's autobiography as it accounts for him and his band's life during their career. This is a great compilation of Visage's music videos.