Live Aid (4 Disc Set)

Starring:Bob Geldof, B.B. King, Daryl Hall, John Paul Jones, Darryl McDaniels, Johnnie Fingers, Benny Hill, Francis Rossi, Michael Hutchence, Mel Smith, Chevy Chase, Adam Clayton, Chris Cross, Garry Roberts, Bono, Gary Kemp, Martin Chambers, Crosby Stills Nash & Young, Teddy Pendergrass, Elton John
Director: Vincent Scarza
Studio: Rhino / Wea
Product Type: DVD

Editorial Review:
Amazon.com
Billed as "the day music changed history," the Live Aid concerts of July 13, 1985, were held to raise money to fight the horrifying famines sweeping Africa. The brainchild of Bob Geldof and representing the efforts of countless musicians and technicians, Live Aid was a genuine and inspiring effort to help the victims of an overwhelming calamity. Twenty years after the twin concerts (one in London, one in Philadelphia) were broadcast worldwide, the 4-DVD treatment furthers the cause, with proceeds going toward the Band Aid Trust.

Amazon.com

Billed as "the day music changed history," the Live Aid concerts of July 13, 1985, were held to raise money to fight the horrifying famines sweeping Africa. The brainchild of Bob Geldof and representing the efforts of countless musicians and technicians, Live Aid was a genuine and inspiring effort to help the victims of an overwhelming calamity. Twenty years after the twin concerts (one in London, one in Philadelphia) were broadcast worldwide, the 4-DVD treatment furthers the cause, with proceeds going toward the Band Aid Trust.

The DVD set opens with a heartbreaking documentary on the crisis, followed by videos of the two hit songs that represented the collaborative nature of Geldof's efforts—Band Aid' s "Do They Know It's Christmas?" and USA for Africa's "We Are the World." Since Live Aid was never intended to be released in a recorded format, preservation of TV footage has been unreliable, resulting in some glaring omissions. Led Zeppelin's semi-reunion doesn't appear, and neither does a legendary session with Bob Dylan, Ron Wood, and Keith Richards. Some sets by performers who were popular at the time may inspire either nostalgic glee or head-scratching (Kiki Dee fans, you know who you are). Sprinkled amid these performances are a couple real gems, including a performance by Run DMC, the event's sole representative of the ascendant rap movement. Much of the music here was a passing fad, but the sentiment that brought it all together is timeless. -- Ryan Boudinot

Description

Customer Reviews:

A Moment In Time..........2007-06-05

Perhaps I'm being too generous by giving the LIVE AID dvd set 5-stars. As another reviewer pointed out, many performances are left off of this set. However, some of the biggest acts of the 80s are shown performing their monster hits with the exception of TINA TURNER, WHAM, and THE THOMPSON TWINS. Although these performers do appear with other singers/musicians, the footage of them performing their hits was either destroyed or lost. I'm sure there might be other examples of groups/singers who appear on the LIVE AID dvds and they're not performing their big hits, but, as far as I can tell, most of them are.

The fact that there's even a dvd set available is a miracle in itself.

A booklet that comes with the dvd set explains the idea behind LIVE AID and how BOB GELDOF (singer of THE BOOMTOWN RATS) saw a BBC News report on television in 1984 (the news footage is included at the start of dvd #1) about the famine going on in Africa/Ethiopia. He wanted to do something about it and formed BAND AID in the UK. This in turn formed U.S.A FOR AFRICA in the US, which ultimately led to the LIVE AID concert which happened on July 13, 1985. The concert was filmed by MTV, ABC and the BBC, and aired on its respective channel with an estimated 1.5 billion viewers around the world.

According to the dvd's producer, Jill Sinclair, Geldof wanted the concert to be shown only once and not recorded. ABC took Geldof at his word and destroyed the footage so it could never be re-broadcast again. The BBC ignored him but lost some of the footage, while the videos that weren't lost, sat collecting dust. MTV found over 100 tapes of b-roll of the concert and so Sinclair, and the rest of the LIVE AID dvd team, combined MTV's footage of the LIVE AID concert, with the remaining BBC footage and that's how we get this remarkable 4-dvd set! So bravo to Jill Sinclair and the dvd team.

The concert took place at Wembley Stadium in London and JFK Stadium in Philadelphia. The dvds go back and forth from Wembley to JFK, but transitions smoothly, so there aren't any jarring cuts in between the musical acts. Considering that this concert was recorded using analog equipment and was meant for a one-time only showing, the footage itself has been restored as best as it could be and it looks pretty good (sharp, vibrant color, etc.). There are some instances where wavy-horizontal lines appear on close-up shots on some of the performances, and Sinclair explains in the booklet that this is a phenomenon called "microphany," which happens when the "camera lens is affected by great volume." The lines aren't that distracting since they aren't colored, and they don't distort the picture, but they're just noticeable. It only happens once in a while and according to the booklet, only on some UK performances.

Along with the performances, the LIVE AID dvd set also includes extras:

DVD #1
**BBC TV NEWS REPORT
**BAND AID - DO THEY KNOW IT'S CHRISTMAS - music video
**U.S.A FOR AFRICA - WE ARE THE WORLD - "..."

DVD #4-(includes performances recorded at different locations/times and either broadcast that day or never televised)

**INXS - What You Need; Don't Change
**B.B. KING - Why I Sing The Blues; Don't Answer The Door; Rock Me Baby
**ASHFORD & SIMPSON with TEDDY PENDERGRASS - Reach Out And Touch(Somebody's Hand)
**RUN DMC - King Of Rock
**CLIFF RICHARD - A World Of Difference
**DAVID BOWIE & MICK JAGGER - Dancing In The Streets (this is actually the music video; according to wikipedia Bowie and Jagger were supposed to do a live duet on the song, with Bowie in London and Jagger in Philadelphia, but because of technical difficulties it couldn't be done)
**DOCUMENTARY - Food And Trucks And Rock 'n' Roll

Instead of a scene selection menu, the dvds have "search by artist" that lets you go right to the start of that performer's set (which will then play the rest of the concert from that point on, rather than going back to the menu). You also have the option to just play the Wembley performances or the Philadelphia perfomances.

If you're too young to remember this concert, you might miss the significance of it. But it's still worth watching. Like Woodstock was to a generation before it, LIVE AID showed the world that young people could come together, through music, and collectively believe in something that could change the world. If you do remember this moment in time, watching this concert will bring back many memories.

Some of the stand out performances on these dvds, IMO:

FREDDIE MERCURY/QUEEN - The rapport between the audience and Mercury is incredible. He launches into an impromptu "scat" singing certain vowels to the audience and they sing it back to him, verbatim

ELTON JOHN & GEORGE MICHAEL - John playing the piano, while Michael belts out John's "Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me"

PATTI LABELLE - The soul diva belting out her version of Lennon's "Imagine" and then going into "Forever Young." Towards the end of the latter song, she puts down the microphone, walking up to the front of the stage and continues singing...and you can still hear her voice, barely audible, but powerful enough to be heard over the cheering crowd and the back-up singers

TINA TURNER & MICK JAGGER - duet on "State Of Shock" Turner matches Jagger move for move and lip for lip

So even though this set is not complete, it still deserves 5-stars.

Blast from the past.......2007-05-18

Great buy!!Like walking back in time...This will bring back memories for lots of people..

Live Hair.......2007-05-14

I was not lucky enough to see the concert when it happened, but am glad to be able to now. The music is great, but it's fun to see the hair styles - mullet city! My daughter and I think Queen steals the show!

First Live Aid.......2007-03-24

My family and I watched the first live aid on TV. We we're a bit shocked to see that Robert Page of Led Zeppelin was not included on the 4 disk set.

So many recollections !.......2007-02-16

I was a teenager when the show was in the air and I could only record four hours on a VHS tape.

Now ten hours on DVD !

OK, it was originally a sixteen hours live but it's so good to watch this twenty years after. Madonna was a young singer, Freddy Mercury was there, etc...

So many recollections !

Live Aid 20 Years Ago Today - Selections From the Four Disc Set

Average customer rating:

A Moment In Time...
Blast from the past
Live Hair
First Live Aid
So many recollections !

Live Aid 20 Years Ago Today - Selections From the Four Disc Set
Starring: Bob Geldof , B.B. King , Daryl Hall , John Paul Jones , and Darryl McDaniels
Director: Vincent Scarza
Manufacturer: Rhino / Wea
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B0009VBTPA
Release Date: 2005-07-12

Amazon.com

Description

Any music fan can tell you exactly where they were on July 13th, 1985. There had never been a concert event of such magnitude-the biggest names in music performing in a concert broadcast live from two continents to an audience of over 1.5 billion. It is estimated that 85% of the world's television sets were tuned in to Live Aid that day. Track Listings: Live Aid Opening, Rockin All Over the World -- Status Quo, I Don't Like Mondays -- Boomtown Rats, Walls Come Tumblin Down -- Style Council, Vienna -- Ultravox, True -- Spandau Ballet, Slave to Love -- Bryan Ferry, Wouldn't It Be Good -- Nik Kershaw, Your Love Is King -- Sade, That's The Way Love Is -- Paul Young & Alison Moyet, Roxanne -- Sting, Hide & Seek -- Howard Jones, Love Is All You Need -- Elvis Costello, Money For Nothing -- Dire Straits & Sting, Sunday Bloody Sunday -- U2, Kids Wanna Rock -- Bryan Adams, Paranoid -- Black Sabbath, King of Rock -- Run DMC, Footloose -- Kenny Loggins, Nothing Is Perfect (In God's Perfect Plan) -- Neil Young, Just What I Needed -- Cars, American Girl -- Tom Petty, Stop Your Sobbing -- Pretenders, Don't You Forget About Me -- Simple Minds, Living After Midnight -- Judas Priest, Holiday -- Madonna, Wouldn't It Be Nice -- Beach Boys, Teach Your Children -- Crosby, Stills & Nash, Radio Gaga -- Queen, Heroes -- David Bowie, Won't Get Fooled Again -- Who, Bennie & the Jets -- Elton John, Link -- Billy Connolly, Don't Let the Sun Go Down On Me -- Elton John & George Michael, In the Air Tonight -- Phil Collins, Layla -- Eric Clapton, Reflex -- Duran Duran, Ain't Too Proud to Beg -- Hall & Oates with Eddie Kendricks and David Ruffin, State of Shock -- Mick Jagger & Tina Turner, Blowing in the Wind -- Boy Dylan, Keith Richards, and Ron Wood, Forever Young -- Patti Labelle, Let It Be -- Paul McCartney, Band Aid Finale

Customer Reviews:

A Moment In Time..........2007-06-05

Blast from the past.......2007-05-18

Great buy!!Like walking back in time...This will bring back memories for lots of people..

Live Hair.......2007-05-14

First Live Aid.......2007-03-24

My family and I watched the first live aid on TV. We we're a bit shocked to see that Robert Page of Led Zeppelin was not included on the 4 disk set.

So many recollections !.......2007-02-16

Average customer rating:

A Perfect Concert DVD

Without the Aid of a Safety Net
Starring: Big Country
Manufacturer: EMI Int'l
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

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Big Country - Final Fling
The Ultimate Collection
Without the Aid of a Safety Net

ASIN: B0007YKL1C
Release Date: 2005-07-12

Customer Reviews:

A Perfect Concert DVD.......2005-06-06

Big Country were one of the most under-appreciated bands of the rock era, and if you want proof of this, just pick up this excellent live DVD and see them at the top of their game.

Recorded in Glasgow, Scotland's Barrowlands Ballroom in front of a rabid hometown crowd, this concert shows a band that had been around long enough to give a very polished, professional rock & roll show, while still retaining the energy and passion that made their early concerts so memorable. The first five songs are acoustic performances, giving an earthy, authentic folk-rock feel to classics like "Chance", "Harvest Home", "13 Valleys", and "The Storm". The electric portion of the set kicks off in fine fashion with "Look Away", which has never sounded better, and includes rousing versions of "Wonderland", "Steeltown", and several songs from the Buffalo Skinners LP which sound far better live than they ever did in the studio.

Description

First, an interview with country music star Willie Nelson. He introduces his new instrumental album, Night and Day, discusses the tragedy of the loss of his child, and looks back at his 1996 performance at Farm Aid with the Beach Boys. Also, singer/songwriter Lyle Lovett shares his new recording Live in Texas, an homage to his home state. Later, he reflects on the evolution of his musical career and his acting roles in four Robert Altman films.

Average customer rating:

A Moment In Time...
Blast from the past
Live Hair
First Live Aid
So many recollections !

Live Aid [Region 2]
Starring: Bob Geldof , B.B. King , Daryl Hall , John Paul Jones , and Darryl McDaniels
Director: Vincent Scarza
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Pop | Styles | Music

General | Rock | Styles | Music

General | Music Video & Concerts | Genres | DVD | Video