Product Details

• Actors: Emmylou Harris
• Format: Color, DVD, HiFi Sound, Live, NTSC
• Language: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Studio: Eminent Records
• DVD Release Date: October 10, 2000
• Run Time: 54 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B00004YS80
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #95,007 in Movies & TV (See Bestsellers in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
It's a sobering testament to the power of flash over substance that Nashville's major labels now routinely crank out slick "new country" videos while more heartfelt, authentic country music is nowhere to be found on industry radar. The inequity seems almost appalling in the case of Emmylou Harris, now releasing albums and this excellent concert video on her own imprint, despite an integrity and artistry that frankly tower above those of the "new country" pinups that get by on innuendo and packaging.

Although Harris helped open the country-music establishment to a new generation of rock-savvy songwriters and musicians, her music has always been concerned more with emotional truth than commercial crossover. Accordingly, when the new "hat" acts eclipsed the more authentic bluegrass and traditional country accents in Harris's music, she neither surrendered nor complained, sustaining her high standards while evolving toward a more mature personal style. The mid-'90s witnessed her bravest high-wire walk on the remarkable Wrecking Ball, in which she collaborated with producer Daniel Lanois to radically shift the sound and sensibility of her music. That partnership--clearly the most galvanic since her '70s apprenticeship with the late Gram Parsons, whose austere country-rock blueprint shaped Harris's earlier solo output--has directly influenced her subsequent band, Spyboy, which preserves the moody synthesis of electric textures and acoustic timbres mapped with Lanois.

Like the excellent Spyboy live album, this companion video, shot during performances at Nashville's Exit/In club, augments Harris's ravishing soprano and acoustic guitar with alternative country hero Buddy Miller's lead guitar and the lean, limber New Orleans rhythm section of bassist Darryl Johnson and drummer Brady Blade. Every bit as precise as her fabled Hot Bands, Spyboy handles older signature songs such as "Love Hurts" and "I Ain't Living Long Like This" capably, but it's on the Wrecking Ball songs--including "Where Will I Be," "Deeper Well," "All My Tears," and "The Maker"--that the results verge on transcendence. --Sam Sutherland

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars She gets better with age, September 2, 1999

By	Scott Holland ([e-mail]) (Washington, D.C.) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Spyboy Live [VHS] (VHS Tape)

I have been an Emmylou fan since I first saw her playing small bars here in Washington, D.C. and she just keeps getting better. This is by far her most musically adventurous band coming on the heels of her Wrecking Ball recording. Since I missed the Spyboy tour this is the next best thing. Emmylou sings with more power and soul than ever and Buddy Miller is a truly unique musician. If you like the Spyboy recording this is a must.

33 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great performance; a must-have for all Emmylou fans, April 9, 2001

By	C. Heinrich "wsidechris" (Oyster Bay, NY USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

If you're a fan of Emmylou Harris (and you probably are if you're reading this), then get this. Nothing more needs to be said other than it's essential for EH fans.

The performance here is much better than the live recordings put together for the "Spyboy" CD. This entire DVD is from one show at the Exit/In in Nashville, while the audio CD is a collection of performances from the "Wrecking Ball" worldwide tour. The songs sound much better here, and the band sounds much better here than on the CD (and when I saw them in Atlanta in 10/2000). The CD doesn't have the greatest sound (I get the feeling I'm in the very very back of a large auditorium), but the DVD is just great. And, yes, it could/should have been much longer. But I won't penalize it for that.

This is a must for EH fans. If only to see/hear the tearjerking performances of "Prayer In Open D", "My Songbird", and "Calling My Children Home"; but it's all great.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars If you don't like this, you don't like home cooking., December 19, 2000

By	Bernard C. Pattie (Christiansted, VI USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I really liked the Spyboy CD (not to mention Emmylou's entire catalog), and when I saw this DVD, I figured I had nothing to lose. Well, she came out of the box singing Spyboy over her acoustic guitar, and the [dang] thing was so completely gorgeous that I literally started crying. The whole thing is great, and the musicianship is awesome. The only reason I don't give it five stars is that it is not in digital surround, and it needs to be longer. Buy this.