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DVD Review: Rush Snakes & Arrows Live

Whether or not you are a Rush fan, there’s no getting away from the fact that those three guys (particularly Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson) have a sense of humor and are not afraid to stretch themselves a bit and try their hand at some comedy routines. Their idea of comedy doesn’t align too well with my personal taste, but seeing Geddy Lee dressed up like a Scotsman complete with kilt and pretty well-executed accent was entertaining nonetheless.

I’ll confess to be a little slow on the uptake since I did not recognize the genie with the spinning noggin as Alex Lifeson until I heard about it later. I’ll give him high marks for his phony accent as well – not bad at all.

There are also appearances of various other comedic talents such as Jerry Stiller, The South Park kids as well as Bob and Doug McKenzie of “Great White North” fame. I’m not sure who many Dutch fans in attendance recognized some of these characters, but with the global nature of entertainment these days, perhaps they were more recognizable than the average North American might suspect.

The real meat (which of course, would be chicken) of this 3-DVD set (1 DVD for the Blu-ray version) is of course the concert footage, which was filmed over the course of two nights in Rotterdam, Holland during October of 2007. Employing 21 high-definition cameras certainly provides a very thorough presentation of the show and spends ample time featuring each of the three legendary performers and how they interact, and seem to genuinely enjoy performing for the assembled audience.

In addition to the Rotterdam performance, there are four songs on the “Oh, Atlanta! The Authorized Bootleg” portion of this release.

Sound quality is quite good, although I found the quality of the recently-reviewed David Gilmour CD set, Live in Gdansk more to my liking. This may be due to the open air venue in Gdansk as opposed to the indoor venue in Rotterdam, where recording may present more challenges. I’m no sound technician, and even though I prefer the quality of Gilmour’s recording, Snakes & Arrows Live is about as good as one might expect from a live recording.

Other minor criticisms include some portions of the mix that seem to bury Lifeson’s guitar a bit too far beneath the other instruments and vocals during certain passages.

I honestly don’t know whether Neil Peart’s snare drum malfunctioned or whether he switched to a different one during the performance of  “The Trees,” but I thought its muddy, shallow sound really detracted from that performance when compared to the punchier snare sound on during the original recording.

With the group’s decision to perform some of their older material such as “Red Barchetta” and “2112” came some significant vocal challenges for Geddy Lee who is not able to hit the high notes like he once could. He can hardly be blamed, however, since these guys are in their mid-fifties and are still out there putting on great shows and thrilling fans around the globe.

I’ll concede that some, if not all of these criticisms are probably a bit on the nit-picky side given the challenges of presenting a quality recording of a live performance, and none of these criticisms would sway my decision away from adding this release to my collection.

The set list is posted in about a billion other places, so I’ll save some space here and not bother with it. I think its enough to say that this release is a must for inclusion in the collection of any Rush fan. Being one whose somewhat reclusive nature makes me less desirous of standing amidst a few thousand screaming fans, I dare say that watching Snakes & Arrows Live is preferable to actually being there. Many will disagree, but you aren’t going to get close enough to each one of these guys to see the kind of detail you will see with this release, especially the Blu-ray version.

The obligatory drum solo was of course included, and as contradictory as it may seem for an old drummer (strictly amateur, trust me!) like myself to say, I’m not a big drum solo guy. Demonstrating ones technical ability and speed is of course impressive, but I’ve always enjoyed hearing a good drummer accompanied by fellow performers rather than solo.

However, Peart brings an interesting and more entertaining element to his solo by the use of some electronic pads to create a unique melodic interlude before launching into his big band style finale which I thought was very cool. As far as drum solos go, I’d say that was about the most unique and entertaining I have encountered.

In case you haven’t picked up on it by now, if you are a Rush fan and do not already have this release, go get it as soon as you can. I’ve been a fan since the late 70’s myself and for me, the Blu-ray version of this release on a big screen HDTV with a good surround sound system would be as good as being there. Actually, probably better.

Snakes & Arrows Live is available at Amazon.com for about $20, which seems like a good bargain for a release packed with this much content. The previous link takes you to the Blu-ray version, so just be sure you select the standard version if you decide to order from Amazon and don’t have Blu-ray player at your disposal.

I consider myself a pretty dedicated Rush fan, although not quite to the level of a “Trekkie” who might show up at a Star Trek convention wearing a pair of Spock ears, so I’m still a bit mystified with regard to the recurring “chicken” theme that’s referenced on this release.

Maybe I’m just a bit dense or have somehow missed something obvious, but if you are as clueless about the whole poultry thing and how it relates to Rush as I am, the internet – I presume – is at your disposal. Myself, I’ll just enjoy the show and allow the mystery to endure.

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Tags: DVD, Review, Rush, Snakes & Arrows Live

Australian Researchers Warn About The Dangers of Headbanging

OK metal heads, listen up. Researchers at the University of New South Wales in the land down under have been setting their scientific sites on the phenomenon known as headbanging, and the conclusions they have reached don’t bode well for the physical well-being of the overzealous headbanger.

According to Dr. Andrew McIntosh, an average head-banging song with a tempo of 146 beats a minute could cause mild head injury when the head’s range of motion is greater than 75 degrees and the researchers say higher tempos which encourage greater ranges of motion carry a higher risk of injury.

Now I’ll be the first one to admit that I never understood headbanging and still do not. As one who has always been content to tap my foot on the floor or fingers on the table, just the thought of headbanging gives me a headache and probably a neck ache as well. Even in my younger days, the idea of whipping my head around like that made me fearful of permanent injury. Then there’s the fact that I never once felt the urge to try it.

Lord knows how guys like this can move their heads in such a fashion and continue to successfully produce music. It’s certainly something that is beyond my abilities. I’m all for headbanging or any other non-violent activity that helps music fans get into their favorite music, but be careful out there, headbangers!

For more on this research, check out News-Medical.

Tags: Headbangers, Headbanging, heavy metal, Injury, Research, University of New South Wales

Vh1 Classic Rings In 2009 With 2,009 Classics

At the stroke of midnight on New Year’s Eve, Vh1 Classic will air a special program called “2,009 For 2009 Music Video Marathon.” The program will feature 2,009 of the the classic video music channel’s favorite videos. That’s a lot of videos and may challenge the hard disk space on your DVR or Tivo just a bit since the program runs for seven days.

From the schedule on the Vh1 Classic website, it appears the program will air from 6:00 AM to 4:00 AM in the days following the kickoff on New Year’s Eve.

The program will be hosted by Mark Goodman who many of us may remember as one of the early VJ’s on MTV back in the good old days when the music video format was in its infancy.

Among the artists on the playlist for the program are Van Halen, Madonna, Guns N’ Roses, Duran Duran, Cyndi Lauper and, of course, a lot more.

Presented in an orderly alphabetical fashion, the program will begin with Gloria Estefan’s “1-2-3” and wrap up a week later with David Bowie’s “Ziggy Stardust.”

Tags: 2009 For 2009, VH1 Classic, Videos

Robert Plant Won’t Tour But Says He Is Still Friends With Old Band Mates

Each statement that we hear from Robert Plant seems to diminish the chances that he will ever tour with his old Led Zeppelin band mates again. Recently, Plant was quoted as saying that all the speculation about the group’s future is “frustrating and ridiculous.”

In a recent chat with the BBC, Plant says there is no truth to the rumors regarding a rift between him and his old band mates. “I still see Jimmy quite a lot and he’s very complimentary and supportive of what I’m doing,” he said.

Although it is easy to understand how fans could become excited about the possibility of a Led Zeppelin reunion — or as some fans might want to point out, an “almost” Led Zeppelin reunion considering that the late John Bonham’s son Jason is filling in for him on drums – when rumors about bad blood between himself and the rest of the group start surfacing, it is easy to understand his frustration.

Assuming Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones are reasonable guys, there is no reason for them to be upset with Plant just because he does not want to attempt to relive the Led Zeppelin years. Apparently, he is quite satisfied with the more low-key work he has been doing with Alison Krauss and may just be feeling a bit too over-the-hill to be on stage belting out “Whole Lotta Love” over and over again.

It’s hard to speculate about how the remaining group members will be received if they do decide to take their act on the road with a replacement for Plant. The last word on that possibility indicates that they are planning to do just that, but it still appears to be up in the air where their choice of replacement frontman is concerned.

[Real Rock News was unceremoniously knocked out of action by an ice storm here in New Hampshire that is being described as the worst the state has ever experienced. No power for 11 days and lack of internet access until yesterday made it a bit tough to keep the news flowing from RRN Headquarters, but everything is back to normal – at least for now. We’ll be hoping for Mother Nature’s mercy for the remainder of the winter season here in the northeastern U.S.]

Tags: Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones, Led Zeppelin, reunion, Robert Plant

CD Review: Sammy Hagar’s Cosmic Universal Fashion

To me, Sammy Hagar has always typified a straight-up rock and roll kind of guy. He’s never found a place on my list off all-time favorites, but as I have said here before, I think Van Halen’s best years were during the time Hagar was with them. Besides preferring Hagar’s voice over Diamond Dave’s, I’ve never cared much for big egos. Maybe those old VH videos with Roth throwing his blond locks around and casting those“come hither” looks towards the camera just creeped me out a bit too much to ever take the guy seriously. Some footage from the most recent Van Halen tour with Roth riding a giant inflatable microphone around the stage surely didn’t help.

As far as being a straight-up rock and roll kind of guy goes, this latest effort is a bit of a departure, and some if it can definitely be classified as music with a message. Awareness about the environment seems to be a key part of the message Hagar is trying to convey with Cosmic Universal Fashion.

The CD is packaged in a cardboard case that is described right on it as being “Printed on 40% recycled paperboard,” as well as “Environmentally friendly package: No booklet, no waste.” Indeed, there is no booklet accompanying the CD as you would normally expect, which is really not a big deal for me and the cardboard packaging certainly was easier to open than that shrink-wrapped plastic fortress that CDs are usually encased in. You can however, visit Hagar’s website and view or download the booklet if you choose.

If you’re a Sammy Hagar fan, there’s a fair chance that you will enjoy this new album. For someone like myself who is  a bit more neutral where the Red Rocker is concerned, I found myself left with only one track that I really liked. I certainly don’t consider the other tracks “unlistenable,” but the one I found myself playing over and over a number of times was “Loud.” Now that’s straight-up rock and roll, and the kind of thing I would have liked to hear more of on a Sammy Hagar album.

Getting to the title track, “Cosmic Universal Fashion,” it is not your typical rock song, and it’s a difficult one for me to classify, although it has more of a machine-generated sound to it which is a bit too repetitive and certainly does not sound like any of the old classic Hagar I remember. Of all the tracks on the album, this was the one I liked the least. It’s creation is an interesting story however, since it was born out of a collaboration between Hagar and an Iraqi fan took place over the internet. Unfortunately, I found the story of the song’s creation more interesting than the song itself.

The whole album is somewhat of an odd collection, since some of the tracks don’t seem like they belong on the same CD and were made up of a collection of songs that Hagar did not know what else to do with. That’s confirmed to some degree by the credits where Hagar talks about a couple of songs he wrote with Neal Schon just before he signed on for the Van Hagar reunion and had to put his plans with Schon on hold. Those two tracks, “Psycho Vertigo” and “Peephole” are on this album, with “Psycho Vertigo” being the better track in my opinion. Deen Castronovo’s hard-driving drum work really provides a strong backbone to this guitar-driven track.

Although I have seen some criticism of Hagar’s singing on this album, I think he’s holding up pretty well at the age of 61, and to me he sounds pretty much like the Sammy Hagar I remember from the 80’s.

As someone whose favorite groups include Rush, Yes, Heart and Kansas, Hagar’s creative work, much of which has that party-inspired feel to it, has never been much of a draw for me. For Hagar fans however, this album may be worth checking out.

Tags: Album, Cosmic Universal Fashion, Review, Sammy Hagar