Ed Sullivan's Rock 'n' Roll Classics Boxed Set

Starring:Ed Sullivan, Beatles, Elvis Presley, The Supremes
Studio: Rhino / Wea
Product Type: DVD

Editorial Review:
Amazon.com
With a total of 144 songs (including repeats) and well over 500 minutes of playing time, this massive boxed set, whose nine discs each contain between 12 and 19 performances, truly is, as host Ed Sullivan famously said, "a really big show." With some 20 songs between them, the two most important rock acts of the 20th century, Elvis Presley and the Beatles, both of whom received huge career boosts from the Sullivan show (garnering a reported 80 percent audience share and 70 million viewers, respectively), are well represented; so are other genres, like Motown and '60s rock. And wonderful, galvanizing performances by, among others, the Jackson Five (especially "the little fella in front," as Sullivan calls Michael), the Animals, James Brown, Janis Joplin, Jackie Wilson, the Rolling Stones, and even the Association ("Along Comes Mary") are enough to counter the curious inclusion of the Brooklyn Bridge, Jay and the Techniques, and other obscure minor talents.

Still, the boxed set (whose DVD bonus features include "trivia tracks" and limited discographies) has serious flaws. Audio and video (color and black and white) are good, but far too many songs are repeated (the Jefferson Airplane's "Crown of Creation" appears twice on the same disc!), while others are obviously truncated; and there's no excuse for programming two songs each by the likes of Dino, Desi and Billy, and Freddie and the Dreamers. In the end, the good music saves the day, but the set's drawbacks keep Ed Sullivan's Rock 'n' Roll Classics from being an essential purchase. --Sam Graham
Description
On Sunday nights throughout the '50s and '60s, Ed Sullivan brought pop culture into America's living rooms with th e most influential show of its kind. If you made it there, you had it made because for the first time, the entire county was at home watching. During the course of the show's run, many of the early rock and roll legends were featured in career-defining p erformances. These cultural milestones have been compiled for Ed Sullivan's Rock 'n' Roll Classics, along with archival footage and narration for insight on the artists, their eras, and their classic appearances. Now seen with half a century of hindsight , it's clear Ed Sullivan was right--his was a "really big show."

•Chart Toppers Volume 1: Top Hits of 1965, Top Hits of 1966, Top Hits of 1967
•Chart Toppers Volume 2: Top Hits of 1968, Top Hits of 1969, Top Hits of 1970
•The Soul of the Motor City: Motortown Review, Sweet Sounds of Soul, Motor City Magic
•Elvis and Other Rock Greats: Elvis Presley, Move to the Music, The Temptations & The Supremes, The Temptations, The Supr emes
•Love Songs: Classic Love Songs, Rock 'n' Roll Love Songs, Teen Idols
•Rockin' the Sixties: San Francisco Scene, Smash Hits of the Sixties, Psychedelic Sixties
•Legends of Rock: Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Rock Legends - Vol. 1, Rock Legends - Vol. 2
•The British Invasion: The British Invasion Vol. 1, The British Invasion Vol. 2

Amazon.com

With a total of 144 songs (including repeats) and well over 500 minutes of playing time, this massive boxed set, whose nine discs each contain between 12 and 19 performances, truly is, as host Ed Sullivan famously said, "a really big show." With some 20 songs between them, the two most important rock acts of the 20th century, Elvis Presley and the Beatles, both of whom received huge career boosts from the Sullivan show (garnering a reported 80 percent audience share and 70 million viewers, respectively), are well represented; so are other genres, like Motown and '60s rock. And wonderful, galvanizing performances by, among others, the Jackson Five (especially "the little fella in front," as Sullivan calls Michael), the Animals, James Brown, Janis Joplin, Jackie Wilson, the Rolling Stones, and even the Association ("Along Comes Mary") are enough to counter the curious inclusion of the Brooklyn Bridge, Jay and the Techniques, and other obscure minor talents.

Description

On Sunday nights throughout the '50s and '60s, Ed Sullivan brought pop culture into America's living rooms with th e most influential show of its kind. If you made it there, you had it made because for the first time, the entire county was at home watching. During the course of the show's run, many of the early rock and roll legends were featured in career-defining p erformances. These cultural milestones have been compiled for Ed Sullivan's Rock 'n' Roll Classics, along with archival footage and narration for insight on the artists, their eras, and their classic appearances. Now seen with half a century of hindsight , it's clear Ed Sullivan was right--his was a "really big show."

Plus trivia tracks, selected discographies, interview with John Moffit (director), rare footage of Ed & Sylvia, variety acts.

Customer Reviews:

Exelent.......2007-03-13

We are very pleased with the way the set has been digitally reproduced and presented, well worth the money for all those wonderfull memories.

Can't live without.......2006-02-11

So many DVDs, so many performances! I still haven't checked out all of them yet. A must-have for artists, musicians, and anyone who appreciates and wants to re-live the music of the 60's.

A Great Disappointment.......2005-12-30

Imagine my delight when I got this set for Christmas! But the anticipation was far better than the reality. Granted the performances were great. However, the old question of what is Rock 'n' Roll burns brightly!

I'm old enough to have lived through the years represented on this set, and recall seeing many of the broadcasts. I am also old enough to recall that we called James Brown,The Supremes, Temptations, Four Tops and The Jackson Five, "Soul" music not Rock n Roll.

I have three main gripes...
Why nine discs??
Why all the repetition?
Where's the rest of the real Rock acts?? Far too much Motown!

There are lots of great vintage Rock n Roll DVDs available please see and buy, The Music Scene and Hullabaloo sets everyone a winner!

If any DVD companies happen to read this in future please put Rock acts together and Soul acts together. Each is to be treasured but there are a lot of us who see Rock and Roll and want the Beatles, Stones, Herman's Hermits, Doors etc. I would be happy to buy a Soul R&B Sullivan Box Set!! I love Jackie Wilson, James Brown, Little Anthony and especially Smokey Robinson but not served with my Billy J Kramer.

Lets not confuse the issue...or re-issue. You wouldn't mix Buck Owens or Tammy Wynette into this set so why combine Rock & Soul?

God Bless Ed...let's see more, just packaged better.

A great trip back in time.......2004-12-13

First the negatives,as other reviewers have pointed out:Too much repetition, this could have easily been a 5 or 6 disc set and the fact many of the songs are heavily edited. That said, I did enjoy this package..a wide variety of music including shows devoted to Elvis,the Supremes and the Temptations..by shows I mean the half hour syndicated shows that make up this collection.I enjoyed the background information along with the historical clips and the narration by Jay Thomas..same guy from Murphy Brown and Cheers and a very good disc jockey.This is probably the most comprehensive music set put together and those Sullivan intros are priceless. He once forgot the Supremes name and said "here are the girls!" There are a lot of great artists represted and goes back to 1955 right through the end of the show in 1971/The asking price is a bit steepbut if you can find it for under $100..go for it. A better rock and roll time capsule you won t find.

Good Set.......2004-08-30

I love the Ed Sullivan Show, and these DVDs bring you the greatest rock acts of all time - all in one place! In this excellent 9-DVD package, you will find Elvis, the Beatles, the Doors, the Rolling Stones and many more. Yes, some songs repeat throughout the set, and yes, the discs are a little too short, but I'm willing to overlook that and enjoy my favorite rock acts again and again. Now it's your turn.

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