Live in Concert: 50th Anniversary [Blu-ray] [Import]

VIDEO:

Beach Boys 50: Live in Concert arrives at blu ray with MPEG-4 AVC 1080p 1.78:1 encode. The transfer is only ordinary. The overall picture is soft. Details are present only on some close-ups, like Al Jardine’s wrinkled face and Brian Wilson’s white hair strands. Colours were generally subdued, even on Mike Love’s colourful shirt. When I compared this to my recently reviewed Katy Perry’s concert, here, there is simply no pop and no comparison. (3/5)

AUDIO:

The Dolby True HD 5.1 lossless track is much better, when compared to the video. You can hear the four part harmonies of the Beach Boys…simply wonderful! The live band was very tight, with great drumbeat! Still, Dennis Wilson will be missed. The falsetto sound is clearly defined. Here, Carl Wilson is also missed. I always have trepidation about aging pop group, trying to revive their career with concerts at the twilight part of their career. This is definitely not true with the Beach Boys. The beautiful harmony sound is still in the forefront, crystal clear. With a great backing band, the final sound is like those from the 60s. Remarkable! Dialogue is clear. (4/5)

CONTENT:

When I learned of this Beach Boys 50 Live in Concert release, I was overjoyed. The Beach Boys is going to release 50 Big Ones on CD soon. We know that during the Beach Boys recent concerts, they sang 50 songs, trying to at least get one song from each of their many albums. My heart sank when I read the song listing…only 21 songs! Although the price is cheap for this disc, I am sure many of us Beach Boys fans will feel that we are ripped off, and we will be glad to pay more to have the ENTIRE concert on blu ray. This is the only way to commemorate this famous surfin’ band. One positive note is that there is thankfully NO medley. Each song was performed to its full length. But I want the remaining 29 songs!!! (3/5)

SONG LISTING:
01 Do It Again
02 Catch A Wave
03 Hawaii
04 Marcella
05 Isn’t It Time
06 Little Deuce Coupe
07 409
08 Shut Down
09 I Get Around
10 Heroes and Villains
11 Sloop John B
12 Wouldn’t It Be Nice
13 All This Is That
14 That’s Why God Made The Radio
15 Sail On, Sailor
16 Good Vibrations
17 California Girls
18 Help Me Rhonda
19 Rock And Roll Music
20 Kokomo
21 Fun, Fun, Fun

FINAL THOUGHTS:

I gave the Beach Boys’ recent release Doin’ It Again a positive review. But although I am a huge Beach Boys fans, and I am glad to hear many of their greatest hits on this disc, somehow, I just have that empty feeling inside. This is a rush and cheap job to get the concert onto the market as soon as possible to entice more people to buy it because of the cheaper price. The sad news is that Mike Love and Brian Wilson are now separated. I really doubt if the full concert will ever be available. Despite of my negative feelings, the songs that appeared on this disc are still priceless and part of the Beach Boys’ Greatest Hits performed live. Therefore, it is still recommended, with the provision that you know what you are getting!

I hope the above review is helpful to you.

I understand that quite a few people have complained about the length of this film, and lamented the fact that it did not delve far enough into the catalogue as compared to the actual concerts. I say that what IS here is well worth the price. Pair this set with the previous "Doin' It Again" disc and you have yourself a lovely souvenir of what had previously seemed like the impossible. For everything else, stop complaining and go to YouTube and watch free.

Oh my goodness! Some things never grow old. The members of the group may grow old but the beautiful melodies and the harmonies that define the Beach Boys are immortal. I must admit that when I heard the opening number , "Do It Again", I wondered if I had made a mistake in buying this concert Blu-Ray. Mike's voice just didn't seem to do the song justice. And understandably, throughout the concert, I noticed that there were times when the vocals showed the ages of the band members. But with the help of some incredibly talented background vocalists (many of whom I recognized from Brian Wilson's more recent band), this concert gave me everything that I could have hoped for and more.

What an incredible joy to be able to watch these guys one more time giving us the best sound and video that current technology will allow.