Customer Reviews

Prince: Sign O The Times - Live

5 star:		(44)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Who cares how long it took..? Actually I do, and so do plenty of others it seems - it's at sales rank position 73 on 22 June 2005 and apparently still rising! Still, here it is at long last.

On a technical level, the DVD surpasses all expectations. Audio and image are crystal clear which is particularly amazing for something recorded almost 20 years ago now. If you ever had this on tape you will be amazed. As other reviewers have said, the picture quality for You Got The Look is indeed the dreadful exception but you get the promo video for the single, not live footage, plus it is meant to be a "dream sequence" and I think was inferior on the original VHS edition of the movie. The audio for the track is however of the same quality of the rest of the DVD and great to listen to with its extended intro.

As for the live performances of Prince and his entourage, be in no doubt that this is the best you will ever get, and that's pretty near perfect. The arrangements of the songs taken from the album are in many ways better than on the album itself, particularly "Gonna Be A Beautiful Night" which is far more energised than the album version as recorded in Paris, "Hot Thing" with its fantastic extended organ intro, "Forever In My Life" with its wonderful warm up and much improved "gospel" backing, and "I Could Never Take The Place..." which is just Prince at his absolute best. Overall of course there are no duds here at all - I just thought I should mention my favourites.

Be in no doubt - whether you bought this on tape the first time or are diving into Prince's back catalogue to understand what the fuss was all about in the 80's, you really should buy this DVD.

Finally, an official release of a great piece of musical nostalgia. It just so happens Alliance Atlantis is also affiliated with the movie's original distributors, Odeon Films. This probably explains why the picture and sound appears to have come from a good high-quality source. There are no extras, but that's OK. I'm just glad that this film's getting the DVD remastering treatment it deserves. Better than all previously-released VHS, laserdiscs, and DVDs (PAL or otherwise) combined!

After reading many reviews, I purchased the Canadian version of Prince: Sign O The Times - Live...and LOVED IT!!! (I'd read the Canadian version was the best quality of this video, especially for the sound quality.) The video and sound quality were GREAT! I'm a HUGE fan of Prince and highly recommend this particular video!!!

If you've been waiting for a professional DVD release of this must-have classic, then I recommend purchasing this item. Many fans have resorted to purchasing "hobbyist quality" transfers while waiting for a professional release. Alliance Atlantis is a professional film/broadcast production and distribution company based in Toronto, Canada. Alliance Atlantis' release of this classic provides a basic, professional quality release with sound and video that appear to be every bit as good as the original. While the DVD doesn't feature any sort of extras, it does offer professional quality Dolby 2.0 or Dolby 5.1 mastering. Kudos to Alliance Atlantis for finding the way to bring this grossly overlooked classic into the modern age!

One of the best - if not THE best - rock concerts ever recorded on film. Anyone who has been waiting for the DVD release should wait no more. Don't know if this is an "official" release, and don't know why it's only available on amazon.ca. But sound and widescreen picture are great. I've played my VHS version a hundred times, but there are things on this version I've never noticed before, or heard before, the sound is that good. Yes, for some reason the "You Got The Look" video is out-of-focus and grainy, but the sound is still OK. Until he releases a DTS-ES version, this is the one to have.

I know most are skeptical due the promise and resultant trash quality of the past brazilian and dutch versions of this dvd. Well, you can finally throw away your bootlegs! Alliance has delivered this concert the way it was meant to be, in true widescreen and dolby 5.1 glory! The Audio/Video quality is so crisp (except for the 'U got the Look' dream sequence), you'll feel you're watching this show for the first time. Now only if "Prince and The Revolution Live" and "Lovesexy '88" can get this same treatment, I'll finally be happy

I've owned the VHS version of Sign O The Times for years, so I didn't really expect any surprises. In fact, I was hesitant to purchase this Canadian import since I had no way of knowing how good the quality would be. I've flirted with the idea for months and finally came to a decision after reading the reviews here and on other sites online. First of all, the dvd arrived WEEKS before I expected it. Found the package in my mailbox and quickly loaded the disc into my dvd player. The first thing I saw were vibrant horizontal streaks running the length of my tv screen. ("I knew it was too good to be true.) As I watched with some disappointment, I remembered a conversation I had with a coworker earlier today in which I explained my preference for watching dvds on my laptop because the resolution was so much better (!!!). I immediately set up my laptop and loaded the disc. I wasn't prepared for what I saw. This dvd version of Sign O The Times is simply BEAUTIFUL! The resolution is crystal clear and the colors are vibrant. The audio is pristine; the stereo mix clear and bombastic, the separation supurb! In fact, I plugged in my cheap set of headphones and was amazed at how great this disc sounded. Can't imagine what I'll hear once I get a pair of quality headphones. (Gotta wait til the family leaves before I plug in my external speakers.) While sampling the disc, I was reminded of why I fell in love with this performance when I first experienced it many years ago. The distributors of this Canadian version obviously took great care in transferring SOTT into the dvd format. As you can tell, I'm greatly impressed. I highly recommend the purchase of this disc. I commend Amazon.ca for their excellent service and for allowing me the opportunity to re-experience Prince in what's arguably his finest performance on film.

Finally, a legit DVD release of Prince's Sign "O" The Times!
Thank you, Alliance/Atlantis for finally putting this out in anamorphic widescreen and with DD 5.1 to boot!
The picture on this disc is amazing and finally allows me to retire my old Japanese laserdisc version.
No extras to speak of, but that's not the point now, is it?

The "Live" designation is a bit of a misnomer as this film features a TON of overdubs and lots of scenes reshot inside the Paisley Park soundstage and not at the concerts the film pretends to be from.

All in all, a welcome addition to the collection!

Surprisingly good video. Excellent sound. It upscales well on a PS3. When I threw out my VCR years ago, this was the concert film I'd miss the most. For folks who follow pop, rock, or funk, this is required viewing. Just another reminder that "Purple Rain" was only one stop on a rare journey. As brilliant as that was, this music demanded a little more from listeners. The same could be said of "Lovesexy", and if this company has anything from that tour, they need to release that ASAP. A catalogue release to be remembered.

One thing to the curious new viewer: it's not a straight performance release. There's lots of schtick and gimmick thrown in; one man's showmanship is another's pork. When this film first showed, I thought it was all unneeded. I was all heavy rock in those days, and only wanted to hear Prince blast away rock jams. No horns or synths...unless absolutely necessary. But as I grew and listened to different kinds of musics, especially jazz, I grew to love this more and more. I'm not sure what happened to "U Got the Look"(video's a mess on that. Sound is "hecka slammin", however.) Perhaps there was some Warner Bros rights issue, because that was a standalone video. Highly recommended. Imports to the US in less than a week, and price is a true bargain.

When this hit the big screen back in 1987 I could not see it. I was a mere 13 yrs old and everyone around me gave me a hard time for listening to Prince. Needless to say that those people are no longer a part of my life and SOTT (Sign o the Times) lives on in my heart forever. I still have the album and its maxi singles at home awaiting for me to purchase my self promised turn table to record them. I just cannot wait!!! In the pantheon of rock Prince of old is every bit as amazing in a way the the gloved one could never be. It seperates the hyped ones from the trully gifted people who do more than rely on out dated dancing and empty songs that fade into the furniture. Prince is trully king no matter what the critics may say. This show is trully breathtaking today and a million miles ahead of its time. It is painful to see Alicia Keys attempt to sing (warbble) her way through How Come You don't Call Me Anymore. Why bother when you are NOT Prince??? SOTT features Prince in his second Warner Bros. video release with Sheila E.,the late Boni Boyer,Atlanta Bliss, Miko Weaver, Eric Leeds, and also Dr. Fink (the only remaining member of The Revolution) on keybords in a rousing performance that only serves to put the dance, shimmy, shake, and razzle dazzle on a masterpiece of an album. Among SOTT's highlights are I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man, The Cross, and Forever In My Life. The late Boni Boyer sizzles and sings her heart out on Forever in My Life in this breathtaking performance that is worth the price of admission alone. It is trully because of all the love, labor and effort that went behind this amazing production that Warner Bros. should do everything possible to do this on DVD the right way!!! Everyone is entitled to complain about the inferior DVD and rightfully so however, Warner Bros. is to blame for the mess. I am also a big fan of other groups and have witnessed how we as fans often settle for a little less just to get our fix. It's all a part of keeping the memories alive. It's part of our who we are and how the music reflects and connects with us. The album and film is what people today are still trying to capture. It's astounding that the album did not sell as big as Purple Rain considering that the album is made of the funk, the love ballads, crunchy heavy metal chords, and poetic magic that is every bit as tasty as anything that came before!Don't miss out on this show and album because this is the stuff that is NOW and will always be ahead of its time. Do yourself a favor and buy this album and VHS tape show. It will only make you a better listener.