Customer Reviews

The Who - Live at the Isle of Wight Festival 1970

5 star:		(33)
4 star:		(27)
3 star:		(16)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

The sound and picture are in much better shape than on the first release. On the first edition four of the first five songs ("Can't Explain", "Young Man Blues", "I Don't Even Know Myself" and "Water") were largely untouched. Heaven and Hell had some of its footage sped up slightly but otherwise was just as electrifying as the other four numbers. From there the film became a slice and dice of patchwork concert footage that looked a like a badly pieced together jigsaw puzzle.

The bad news is that the editing is still a hatchet job. The concert is still out of order. "Tommy" was played in the middle of the show not at the end. Much of the material is cut. The Shakin' All Over/Twist and Shout" medley has at least a third of its content missing as does "Magic Bus". "Substitute" and "Naked Eye" are missing completely. In the case of the "Naked Eye" footage that may be a case of copyright blocking presentation. The footage does exist and can be seen on the "Message to Love" DVD. The content from "Tommy" is a mess. The "Overture", "It's a Boy", "Eyesight to the Blind", "Go to the Mirror", "I'm Free" and "We're Not Gonna Take It" are all presented as fragments edited into song form. "1921", "Amazing Journey/Sparks", "Tommy Can You Hear Me", "There's a Doctor", "Smash the Mirror" and "Tommy's Holiday Camp" were omitted the first time around and haven't been inserted. Most of the editing is smooth enough but the gaps are still glaring.

The saving graces for this film (and especially this release) are the parts of it that have been done right. The interview with Townshend is enlightening and enjoyable (though allowances have to be made for his sense of drama). The picture is much clearer than before. The sound is vastly improved. It's noticeable everywhere but particularly outstanding on the bass and drum tracks. Keith Moon's drums sound the way they should. It's amazing how much of what couldn't be heard before can be heard clearly now. The same can be said of John Entwistle's bass lines. Anyone wanting to understand and appreciate his contribution to the group should be watching this issue. The re-master places his contribution where it should be rather than burying much of it as happened with the first release. And then there's footage that has been left intact. This is some of the most electrifying concert footage ever captured on film, period. The Who were a blistering band that made playing rock sound and feel like a matter of life and death. If nothing else this film captures that. As such it's an invaluable historic record for anyone wanting to know what makes rock and roll tick.

But, it's still not what it could have been.

First, for those who own and love the original release DVD - this remastered version sounds and looks MUCH better. Thanks to Pete and Murray for giving us that.

As for all the complaints about choppy footage, missing songs, out-of-order song list and the like, well, they're all true.

We should remember that, at the time, neither Murray nor The Who knew that this set was going to become one of the most legendary rock performances of all time. Murray Lerner was out to make a rock movie about the Isle of Wight Festival, and The Who (just one standout of the many acts who performed there) were going about the business of being The Who. They had performed hundreds of times before this, and had many, many shows to go afterwards. For them, it was just another night on the job, (although it seems to have been an exceptionally good one.)

No one knew that Keith would eventually semi-fry his brain and then leave us far too soon. No one knew that the short, fragile, golden age of authentic, people-driven rock was about to end. If Murray Lerner had been able to know all of these things, I'm sure he would have given us the complete set, in order, without a single note left out. And while we're dreaming, we'd have a DVD bonus feature of film from a camera pointed directly and unerringly at Keith for the whole length of the concert. Drummers everywhere would give a pint of blood for that one.

But we don't have these things, and we never will. The cut footage from the 1970's editing room floor has undoubtedly long since been swept into the dustbin of history. What we do have, is a glimpse of magnificence. We have a flawed gem, and an irreplaceable one. In a nutshell, if Rock and Roll moves your soul, then the Who's performance on this DVD will leave you slack-jawed.

And when you finally get tired of watching it, get off your couch, find some people with equipment, set up in your garage, and do something new, something fresh, something that says who you are and what you feel. Just be sure to do it loud enough to piss off your square neighbors. Somewhere, Keith will be raising a glass to you.

One of the best film documents of rock'n'roll ever, "Listening to You: The Who Live at the Isle of Wight Festival 1970" captures a legend of rock at the absolute height of its powers.

If you're expecting a high-fidelity kind of Event Coverage that Sees All and does everything except an indepth study of John Entwistle's nose hair, you either were born too late or have gotten too spoiled by culture and technology. It's easy to forget that at the time this concert took place in 1970, Led Zeppelin didn't sell cars and the Rolling Stones didn't shill for Bill Gates. Rock was youth music, viewed with suspicion by Old People (i.e., over 30. Yes, if you're 34, old as you may feel, you were probably an embryo when this gig went off). You never heard real rock on TV, and had to hunt to find it on radio. The Square View was what prevailed in the national media: squeaky guitars, flashing discotheque lights and gyrating girls in plastic dresses and boots. Hippies figured in there somewhere. But the so-called general public, i.e., you, if you were over 30 at the time, didn't know what rock sounded like. The huge potential of the young as consumers was just being sniffed about by The Establishment.

Then there's the filming. Murray Lerner's crew was, well, about as big as your immediate family. There was no Sky Cam. You had a camera here, one there, one someplace else. They pivoted when the person holding them did. OK, not that home-movie primitive, but essentially a hand operation. Rock gigs weren't mass merchandise yet, and you couldn't buy plane, hotel and concert tix on the Internet (something that makes the enormous gatherings at places like Monterey, Woodstock and the Isle even more amazing in retrospect and attests to the pangenerational power of the infant Rock). So big technology wasn't being catered to, even to the extent it existed at the time, because the big money wasn't there yet to cater to it. (I once bought a Led Zeppelin ticket from a scalper. For twenty bucks. That kind of money is what we're talking about here.) Filming the Stones or the Who was like filming a Vietnam firefight, only without the ordnance.

So don't complain about how few camera angles there are, or how the same stuff keeps getting filmed. (As one who saw this lineup from the second row one night, I can tell you that Daltrey really did do the same stuff, over and over and over.) Focus instead on how everyone in this band plays lead - unlike the Stones, for example, who anchored firmly to a dynamic yet by comparison pedestrian rhythm section - yet everyone, somehow, stays right on time, even when somebody screws up! (Pay attention; it happens more than once.) Focus on the incredible energy and fluidity Townshend brings to the guitar, and the Olympic athleticism of his physical presence. Focus - and this disk does, further evidence that this crew knew its stuff - on John Entwistle's breathtaking finger runs up and down the fretboard, and on how much he holds down the sound and plays second guitar through Pete's flights of fancy and violence. Focus on Keith Moon! You can't help it; the camera loves him, and he loves it back, and he shows here why he probably didn't need to so much as lift a finger between shows to keep the weight off. Focus on Daltrey's stage presence; he was immobile compared to Mick Jagger, but knew how much to do of what when, and sang the roof off the joint. There is enough, no, wait, way more than enough, way more than an abundance, of every single thing that made The Who great to see and hear on this DVD. Yes, the modern monkeying with the picture and sound helped a lot. And what the heck is wrong with that, eh?

Focus on what you can see, and be happy that you can see it. Shot in 1970? Sometimes, it's hard to believe. If someone wants to erect a monument to The Who, this film, playing in perpetuity on a Pyramid-size screen, will do. Quite nicely, thank you.

What could have been a definitive document of the Who at the height of their powers as the world's greatest rock n' roll band is instead presented as a nearly-unwatchable mess of a film. Songs are obtrusively edited (sometimes in half), key numbers are missing (Tommy without "Amazing Journey/Sparks"?), and the whole show is shown out-of-sequence, as if we wouldn't notice.

And to add insult to injury, many songs contain footage from other songs, ostensibly edited in to cover for missing footage. It happens with disorienting frequency, until you're no longer sure of what you're watching... "Overture," in fact, seems to be contructed entirely from footage taken from other songs. You don't have to be a musician -- or even be particularly fluent in the Who's music -- to notice when what you're seeing doesn't match what you're hearing (just watch Keith).

All this adds up to make this video a singularly infuriating viewing experience. It's hard to know who this video is targeting -- only relatively hard-core Who fans will likely be interested, and such fans will be driven to distraction by its egregious inadequacies. Stick to the 2-CD audio set.

One can easily say more negative things than positive about this concert DVD, but let me insist at the outset that the small number of positives unquestionably outweigh the many negatives. At the heart of the disc is a phenomenal live performance by the Who in 1970, when they were at their instrumental height, and before the excesses of the sixties and seventies began taking their toll on the playing and hearing of the quartet. Yes, there are many things to carp about, but in the end it all comes down to the fact that these guys were flat out superb that evening. Although much of the end of the concert consists of a performance of highlights from TOMMY, most of the concert on the DVD (more about the contents in a bit) contains a host of covers, all of them stunning. While all of the band members are outstanding, Pete Townshend (who was ironically of the three musicians the least virtuosic, both Moon and Entwistle having few peers) always seems able to steal the show with his helicopter power chords, brilliantly inept dancing, and congenial lunacy. I am not generally a fan of concert DVDs, but I had a whale of a time with this one.

There are, as I have said, some negatives. For me the most irritating is that the cameras had very limited angles to film the concert. Almost all of the concert seems to have been covered by two cameras, one onstage that seems to linger almost exclusively on stage left (the right side viewed from the audience or camera) and one that is in front of the stage. The result is a feeling of constriction, as if you aren't really getting a good view of what is going on. This is exacerbated by a tendency (primarily early in the performance) of the cameramen shaking the camera while filming the performers, as if an active, dynamic camera produces results preferable to a static one. As is always the case, they were wrong (one of the great benefits of Jonathan Demme's STOP MAKING SENSE is that since then almost all concert footage has been shot with rather static cameras). The problems aren't restricted to the visual. The sound, while not exactly muddy, isn't as crisp as one could hope.

The most controversial aspect of the DVD is the excision of a number of songs. I wonder about this. Perhaps another reviewer can expand upon this, but I wonder about whether there is actually footage for every song in the concert. Perhaps there is, but it is also quite possible that we lack footage (or usable footage) for a number of tracks for which we possess soundtracks. If so, this would not be the first concert film for which this would be true. Just because we possess a soundtrack, we mustn't assume that we possess film. Now, having said this, I will add that it is possible that such footage exists, and they merely decided not to include it, and if so, that is greatly to be lamented. Nonetheless, I do not regard this as a fatal flaw, and it certainly didn't lessen my enjoyment of the music that we have.

The Who were unquestionably one of the very greatest live bands in the history of rock, and this disc will go a long ways towards reminding their fans of this fact and of illustrating that fact for younger viewers who may have missed them at their peak. Either way, I am grateful this disc was released.

This show and this disc define The Who that I saw at The Fillmore East in 1968-69, and, define rock'n'roll - angry, loud ,funny, obnoxious...and mind-blowing. After Woodstock , The Who performed at England 's annual Isle of Wight Festival in August of 1970 before some 600,000 people.

This disc is a visual and sonic record of that performance, and the project was overseen by Pete Townshend. He supervised the sound mix from the original 8-Track tapes to 24 Bit Dolby Digital stereo and 5.1 surround and DTS Surround. The full-screen video was taken from the original negatives. The concert lasts 85 minutes and there is an extra - an excellent 2004 Pete Townshend interview. The disc comes in a no frills digi-pak.

Especially considering the age of the show, the sound is truly incredible and the video is richly colored, detailed and mostly on-stage with the band. I really hate poorly produced DVD's with all that MTV cliches filming stupid audience shoots most of the time!. Fortunately, this DVD is fantastic in every single aspect.

Stacks of Hi-Watt amps, Townshend's Gibson SG and ever-present white flight-suit, Daltrey's lion's mane of hair and bare chest, Entwistle's signature skeleton suit of the time coupled with his lightning-fast, unmistakeable, defining low-end sound, and Mooney's break-neck command of seemingly miles of drums surrounding him...it's all here. Townshend: the stomping, thumping, marching, jumping lurching angriest of angry young men. Moon the Loon: an excellent, up-close example of why and how he earned that monicker. Entwistle: the perfect stalwart anchor. Daltrey: the lion-voiced, scream-singing, mic swinging rock god. This DVD proves that each was, undeniably, the master of his own instrument.

Townshend, never bettered by any guitarist, ever...strangling, abusing, swinging, throwing, throttling, and generally playing his guitar into submission... and, my gawd, those patented Townshend windmills! Moon, easily killing that giant squid of a drum set entangling him from every direction, always smiling, with a gleam of the devil in his eye! Entwistle playing thick bass strings so hard and so fast his fingers become a blur, wringing so much outta that bass that you'd swear there was at least a five piece band up there, with all the fills and flurries he provides behind Townshend's lone guitar! And Daltrey's voice - huge and guttural, singing Townshend's lyrics as only he could - a look larger than life!

Loveable, smart-ass punks, the lot of 'em, as they quibble amongst themselves and with the audience. Highlites of the show include the usual suspects: "Young Man Blues", "Shakin' All Over/Spoonful/Twist and Shout", "Summertime Blues", "My Generation", "Magic Bus and 14 tracks from "Tommy"...Entwistle's unholy bass sound on "Pinball Wizard", "We're Not Gonna Take It"'s "Pictures of Lilly" riff, chorus and coda, "See Me, Feel Me/Listening To You" as it gains hurricane strength and builds into a tornado of sound, absolutely flattening everything in its path, and those Klieg lights aimed out at the audience from behind the band...I've seen it live, and believe me, it is like seeing God!!

If you truly want the real live Who experience, you gotta be willing to crank this mutha up to 11! I've heard and seen it all live and on video 100 times and I still get chills and goose bumps every time. How did Moon do it? He lived and played too fast and too hard...until he just burned out. There's a funky little video tribute to Mooney after the concert footage to the tune of "Tommy Can You Hear Me?"

This is so much a concert DVD as it is a historical documentary starring the heart and soul of the band featured within.

This Who concert from 1970 is everthing a Who concert from that era should be: Exciting, energetic, moving,... you get the idea. The one thing it isn't on this DVD is complete, and for all the bells and whistles that the format offers, the producers of this concert video passed them up, and it leaves the watcher feeling a little left out. Let me count the ways..... 1. No Dolby 5.1. There are multi-track recordings of this concert that could have been converted to 5.1, but this simply uses a simple stereo mix, probably from the original film. 2. Why truncate it? I have numerous DVDs that last well over 2 hours, with the 5.1, plus audio commentary and other goodies, but this one cuts numerous songs completely out, and absolutely edits Tommy to pieces. This is particularly disappointing, considering that is generally considered the highlight of the shows from that era. Why? 3. No extras. The Hendrix Band of Gypsys has a nice documentary about the show, and extra Hendrix info, but this: Zip. Geez, 3/4 of this band is still alive! Can't get any quotes? No other behind the scenes? No Outtakes?
I suppose if it weren't that the show iself was so amazing it wouldn't matter as much, but what you do get leaves you panting for more. Maybe there're going to do the Live At Leeds treatment, and re-re-issue it later until they get it right. I hope not. Only 1 re-issue to get it right would work for me just fine.

Note in 2004: They have now reissued it in a "deluxe" version with a 5.1 mix. Tommy, unfortunately, is still only about 10 minutes long.

The original Who line-up performingia full live set in front of 600,000 people at the Isle Of Wight Festivaliin the UK in 1970. At 2am August 30th...The Who appeared on stage and gave one of the most memorable concerts of their careers.

The Who were at their truly pinacle when this gem was made. Not only were they at their maximum loud style, but the video gives you an insight to their legendary on stage fun and banter. The performance itself is completely flawless, and as a four piece band their sound has not been tighter.

Although the film has been known to have existed since 1970, the quality was considerd to be too dark for it to have been released untill now if only live at leeds hade been recorded on film as well as record, we would have had a better performance, but we should be deeply greatful that we have this, lasting reminder of the greatest rock band that is is lively now as it would have been then

Thirty-four years later, the filmed negative of the show, shot Academy Award winning Director Murray Lerner, has been conformed to the highest visual quality. The sound has been remixed from its original 8 track tapes under the personal supervision of Pete Townshend at his El Pie Studios in London. The result is a stunning 24 bit available for the very first time in 5.1 Surround Sound and DTS.

The complete highest-energy performance of The Who is now reproducedi in superb quality on this DVD, with an additional exclusive interview with Pete Townshend shot this year by Murray Lerner.

wish I'd been there..

I'm a huge Who fan, so it bothers me that I'm giving this DVD a rating of only three stars. Here's why: First, although the packaging claims that this is the Who's complete performance at the Isle of Wight, this is simply NOT the case. Look at the set list for the Who Live at the Isle of Wight CD (same performance as this DVD) that was released in 1996 and you can see the glaring and numerous omissions. For example, no "Naked Eye"?? Deleting "1921" from the performance of Tommy (the very song that explains why Tommy goes deaf, dumb and blind in the first place)?? Give me a break. Is the footage missing because it was somehow too damaged, or because the makers were just too lazy? Even worse, is there a plan afoot to "force" everyone to buy this DVD again by later releasing a "complete" or "expanded" edition? I don't know, but if the case is that all existing and salvagable footage was used, let the fans know in the liner notes so we can feel good about buying this DVD. Otherwise Mr. Lerner and Mr. Townshend, please add the rest of the footage and show the Who's performance in its entirety. The seemingly incomplete job evidenced on this DVD makes you appreciate Jeff Stein even more. He really went all out putting together the "The Kids Are Alright" DVD, including the addition of the "lost" portion of the "A Quick One" performance.

Second, some of the footage is presented out of sequence. Again, see the 1996 CD of this performance for the actual set list. I'm not sure why the makers of this DVD would want to present a chopped up version of this great Who performance. It's a total crime if the missing footage is available.

As for positive comments, hey, this is the Who being filmed at or near their peak as a live act. Saving for the reservations above, what more could a fan ask for? Also, the DTS and Dolby Digital sound is great. Finally, kudos to Mr. Lerner for conducting and including the Pete Townshend interview. Any Pete or Who fan will find it very interesting and revealing.

Anyway, know what you are getting (and not getting) with this DVD, and rock on.

In closing, the person who wrote the Amazon blurb on this and called the three "new" songs "awful" should really reconsider that view. One cannot fairly describe "Heaven and Hell", "I Don't Even Know Myself" or "Water" as awful unless they don't really like the Who in the first instance. This person is clearly a casual Who fan at best if he's a fan at all. I think, as I'm sure most Who fans would, that these rarities are gems and, more importantly, rock---there is much more to the Who's song catalog than the 12-15 "hits" that they always include on their far too numerous greatest hits compilations.

LIVE AT THE ISLE OF WIGHT is a somehwat shoddy production, largely in the editing department. Many numbers are out of sequence and key songs are missing - what good is a concert touted for its full TOMMY if half the songs are absent and those that are present are out of order? The sound quality suffers at times as well as the audio seems to shift from a sort of stereo to mono and somewhere in between (1.25 surround sound?). Still, I attribute the latter to the equipment available when the concert was filmed and find it relatively easy to overlook when considering this film as a whole.

This is currently the best collection of live footage of the Who available on DVD and it captures the band at their peak. I find the film superior to many concert films as the cameras are pointed directly at the band and waste very little time on the audience. The viewer is treated to many quality shots of Moon's frenzied drumming, Townshend's leaps and windmills, and so on. Not being a Who scholar by any means, I have no idea what kind of live footage exists and what could possibly be released that would be superior (though THE KIDS ARE ALRIGHT is one I'm looking forward to). In the meantime, I find this to be perfectly satisfying as I can watch a great band have a great time. Better yet when viewed as a companion to the superior double CD set of the same name which presents the concert in its entirety and proper sequence.