Pretty lightweight melodic rock in the vein of Styx/Survivor. I found this in a bargain-bin, it sounded promising but I've heard this type of music countless times by other bands. The band is good, the vocals are fine, the digital recording is very clean, but it didn't grab me. Full lyrics/credits, 11 tracks/47.01.

There has been a lot of discussion about this disc being mastered from vinyl, if that is true it was a very clean lp. Any surface lp noise will be masked by the music itself. There are not a lot of quiet moments on this disc. If Lemon records licensed this title from Universal/Island, it seems highly unlikely that they told Lemon 'no master tapes' exist and to use a clean lp. The disc sounds quite good with a broad range in low/mid/high freqencies, it has also been normalised so the volume level is consistent throughout. There are full lyrics/a forward discussion of the band and the disc resembles a 45 record. There are no credits/original or otherwise. I give the packaging/disc manufacturing quality 5 stars. As for the disc itself, 4 stars since the band wanders a bit in styles. The Hendrix influence is here in the trippy lyrics, but that's fine with me. My favourite tracks are Coming' Through, Right Back Down, Automatic Man. This title has been on my wish list for years and I am happy to have it finally. 11 tracks/48.00. If you liked this title in the 70's you'll want to have it.

Why this package was released is beyond me. Other than for nostalgia's sake, I suggest the hard-core fans pass on this one. Disc 1, featuring James Dewar is worthwhile even though the sound quality borders on 'bootleg' quality. Disc 2 featuring the 'trio' is a frisbee, you can't really understand the vocalist, he sort of mumbles his way through. Blank booklet is a shocker.

'Living out of time' is considerably better than the past few releases when Trower was a trio. Those releases were terrible: i.e: 20th Century Blues/This was now/Disc 2, etc. That setup didn't work well so now Trower is back to a 4 piece. 'LOOT' to me, is a laid-back affair. There are no balls-out rockers here featuring the usual Trower pyrotechnics, that's a shame too because fans know what he is capable of. The playing is top flight, vocals are very good. Sound quality is also very good. 'LOOT' doesn't remind me of any particular past release, the guitarwork is more mellow. Only on track 11 do things heat up a bit. I think he is headed in the right direction with this lineup. Maybe the next release will be a little heavier. 11 tracks/51.09. The booklet is sparse, just credits/no lyrics.

This is one of the best from this time period. The band is in top form all the way through the disc. Other 80's bands couldn't even come close to this level of prog-rock. This remastered edition comes with complete lyrics, photos and an extended version of 'Catwalk' which is 7.44 in length. I did find a mistake however: Social Orphan/Tracks 6 is listed as being 5.28 in length, when it is only 3.25. Sound quality is very close to the original domestic version. A metallic-sound best describes it, electronic drums(perhaps a bit too much)I was hoping for a little warmth added to the remastering i.e.: some bass added around 35hz would have been perfect. This disc has a very hot high-end, which you may or may not like. Still a very good disc from the Saga canon. 10 Tracks/48.00.

Direct Tv is showing this concert in the month of June, although it is not the full show(Direct tv is notorius for this practice)just the concert itself. Picture quality is a nasty brown sepia-tone complete with artifacts that make it look like an old battle-scarred film print. Not a happy viewing experience particularly for the dvd format. Song selection is fair with the stranger tunes being performed as well as a few kinda-unplugged versions. The band performs well and Tate sings as well as can be expected. Sound quality is in-your-face-typical-grunge-loud(but this is via Direct tv)and I doubt the actual dvd sounds much better. No surprises here just a pasted together collection of songs. The concert on Direct tv lasts about 56 minutes.

Finally, 'Dream Lover' makes it's debut on dvd. I thoroughly enjoyed this film the first time I saw it. I bought the unrated VHS version and waited for it to appear on dvd. Ironically, MGM chose not to use the unrated version and in the process, cheating viewers out of about 10 minutes of additional footage. If you watch the trailer, you can see scenes not in this 'R' rated version. The video is very clean with no artifacts, colours are fine. Choice of both widescreen and full-frame are available. No extras except the original trailer. Sound is dolby digital or stereo surround. Of course the visual treat here is Madchen Amick who is just stunning throughout the film. Other notable actors are Bess Armstrong and Larry Miller. If you want to see the entire film, seek out the vhs unrated version. Recommended for fans of Spader and Amick, both are superb. 1 hr 44 minutes.

'In Rock' has always been one of my favourite albums from the 70's golden era of rock & roll. 'Child In Time' blew my mind the first time I heard it. It's here in all it's glory as well as all the other tracks on this expanded edition. Some albums retain their magic through the years while others flame out in a hurry. 'In Rock' retains that magic these many years later. Although it does sound dated(both performance-wise and sonically)it is a classic in the DP catalog. The booklet is very informative but lacks lyrics which is strange for a special edition. Sound quality is best catagorized as 'raw', even the booklet explains this in detail(needles pinned to the red)so if you are expecting a 1000 veils lifted remaster, you'll be disappointed. Missing is the high end which is sad since a lot of detail is in that 16k region. Compared to the Warner Bros. version, this version is better but not that much better. It still sounds distorted and grungy which was probably the point to begin with. Master tapes were used but I would have liked to have heard a remixed version, re-eq'd of course. Still, it's worth having since it will be the definite edition for now. The bonus tracks are interesting but hardly essential. Picture disc. 20 tracks/78.29.

Knowing the two tracks from the 'Manhunter' score, I sought out this disc only recently. Track 4 'This Big Hush' and Track 10 'Coelocanth' is well worth the price of this disc alone. Sadly, none of the other tracks are even remotely as good as the two mentioned above. Had the rest of the disc had the same feel or ambience, it would be a killer disc. Sound quality is very good with lots of deep bass. 10 tracks/44.17. Forget trying to read the booklet unless you have a magnifying glass!

I am reviewing the budget version of this film which is available on the Sterling label. I paid about $6 for this dvd which I thoroughly enjoyed the first time I rented it. This budget version differs from the original A Pix version: There are no commentaries/alternate endings with this Sterling version. If you want those extras, you'll have to buy the other version. No captioning bothered me since I am so used to having that option. But since I listen with headphones, this isn't a problem. Picture quality is very good with some slight grain. Audio is 2ch despite what is printed on the keep case: Dolby Digital Stereo, it isn't. Minor complaints however considering the first-rate cast and excellent performances by all: Juliette Lewis as our victim-who-gets-run-through-the-mill by a creepy neighbor(Austin Pendleton), William Hurt as her 'I warned you' boyfriend, Shelly Duvall as the nosy oddball landlady. There is of course the apartment building with a long history and sinister feel about it, darkly-lit as well. I was reminded a lot of 'Rear Window'. I should also mention Tobin Bell as the beady-eyed handyman who has a secret. A perfect mix of atmospherics, characters, mood, pacing, score and the suprise ending. Quite a lot of six bucks.