Various V2 Best of the Beat Cl

Vol. 2 is a wonderful collection of early 70's rock. This West German television show originally aired from September 1965 through December 1972. In my Vol.1 review, I had pointed out that the "Psychedelic" effects/images that were added to the background of most of the performances were my biggest issue. Fortunately that is not the case on Vol. 2. First off a few observations:

* Biggest disappointment: No "Badfinger" performance (one of my favorite bands)!!?? The track (#5) is not only missing but is completely skipped on the selection menu (shows track 4 then 6 right after).

* The "Run Time" on this disc is 40 minutes (not 42). Assuming this is due to the missing Badfinger track.

* Audio quality on all I would rate 3.5 stars (not bad for 30+ year old TV performances).

* Video quality on all I would rate 4.0 stars. Most tracks tend to be slightly on the dark side but images are still sharp and clear.

* No Bonus features

The following is a brief critique of each track:

* Jethro Tull - Short but well performed by Ian and group.

* Alice Cooper - Alice's original line-up performing a great version of I'm eighteen right after release. There are some bright psychedelic images in the background but do not take away from the performance. As good if not better than the studio version.

* Kiki Dee - Has the atmosphere of a true "club" scene with audience members standing around the stage area rather than sitting. A very good performance. Her band members are each given equal time on camera.

* Johnny Rivers - Johnny & band doing his 1972 Classic. This was a great comeback song for the 60's hit maker. He sports his 70's curly natural doo rather than his slicked black "Secret Agent Man" styled hair.

* The Hollies - An early Beat Club performance (circa 1966). This is one of only two black & white tracks on the disc. Graham Nash was still in the band at this time (shown the least of any band member on camera). The performance is reminiscent of an "American Bandstand" performance with the audience dancing in front.

* BTO - Has the look of the old NBC Burt Sugarman American showcase "The Midnight Special" (1972-1981). Very odd spotlight lighting on this one but still entertaining.

* Doobie Brothers - Very cool performance. Tom Johnston is in top form.

* Ten Years After - The other track in black & white. Alvin Lee & company (including go-go dancers) doing one of their classics (approx. 5:30 minutes long).

* Canned Heat - Rare studio performance by this great blues/boogie band. Laid back but good performance.

* Three Dog Night - This actually a "One Dog Night" line-up. It's a good rendition of this song by a bearded Cory Wells but Chuck Negron (normally the lead on this song) and Danny Hutton were not present for this performance. The rest of the original band members are here.

Although the DVD is short in total length, this is still a great buy ($8.99 at time of review).

THIS IS IDENTICAL TO THE OOP BEST OF MUSIKLADEN VOLUME 4 SAVE FOR ONE VIDEO, THAT OF HUMBLE PIE'S NATURAL BORN WOMAN. THIS IS A MUCH BETTER VALUE COMPARED TO THE $25+ AMAZON SELLERS WANT FOR THAT ONE.

I enjoyed watching these great artist preform at the height of their popularity. Each clip is unique and deserves a watch.
It was interesting to see how the artist react to stuff on stage and around them. Ian Anderson from Jethro Tull restarts his song and then he storms off stage at the end of his performance obviously upset with the bands sound-as a listener it was excellent. Other performances of note, Alice Cooper with his original band, Canned Heat, Kiki Dee Band, Johnny Winters.The only track that was really disappointing was the BTO track with the intro cutting into the song and a premature cut at the end.
The fade outs at the end of the songs and the limited tracks of only 39 minutes are minor complaints. -other than that this is a must have DVD-enjoy!

› Go to Amazon.com to see all 3 reviews  4.7 out of 5 stars