Annie Lennox - Live in Central Park

Starring:Annie Lennox
Director: Joe Dyer
Studio: Arista
Product Type: DVD

Editorial Review:
Amazon.com
This 1995 outdoor concert captures Annie Lennox at the climax of her emergence as a solo performer, drawing from both her stunning, largely self-written 1992 debut album, Diva, and its immaculately crafted sequel, Medusa, devoted to gourmet cover performances. With Lennox in powerful voice, a solid live band attuned to the material's mix of pop, rock, and R&B accents, and an enraptured audience, Live in Central Park thus charms from opening downbeat to final coda, retaining Lennox's usual bracing mix of intelligence and drama. With her close-cropped, dark hair and bold tartan outfit, the erstwhile Eurythmic dials down the sharper edges and chillier mood of that band's most stylized work to focus on the haunted passions that bridge the Scot's solo and group efforts; her choice of songs from her old band's repertoire locks snugly into the spectrum of romantic obsession, heartbreak, and resignation that shape solo signatures like "Walking on Broken Glass," "No More 'I Love You's'," and "Little Bird."

The concert footage is solidly shot and recorded, while the audio recording is crisp if not optimally mixed for 5.1 surround coverage, a fate neither surprising nor uncommon for a pre-DVD era production. Four promotional clips, produced for the Medusa project, largely offset such flaws, especially in light of her scant output since. --Sam Sutherland
Description
Recorded live at Central Park, Summerstage, New York City, September 8, 1995.

1. Money Can't Buy It
2. Legend in My Living Room
3. Walking on Broken Glass
4. No More "I Love You's"
5. Who's That Girl?
6. You Have Placed a Chill in My Heart
7. Waiting in Vain
8. I Love You Like a Ball and Chain
9. Little Bird
10. Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)
11. Train in Vain
12. Why

Amazon.com

This 1995 outdoor concert captures Annie Lennox at the climax of her emergence as a solo performer, drawing from both her stunning, largely self-written 1992 debut album, Diva, and its immaculately crafted sequel, Medusa, devoted to gourmet cover performances. With Lennox in powerful voice, a solid live band attuned to the material's mix of pop, rock, and R&B accents, and an enraptured audience, Live in Central Park thus charms from opening downbeat to final coda, retaining Lennox's usual bracing mix of intelligence and drama. With her close-cropped, dark hair and bold tartan outfit, the erstwhile Eurythmic dials down the sharper edges and chillier mood of that band's most stylized work to focus on the haunted passions that bridge the Scot's solo and group efforts; her choice of songs from her old band's repertoire locks snugly into the spectrum of romantic obsession, heartbreak, and resignation that shape solo signatures like "Walking on Broken Glass," "No More 'I Love You's'," and "Little Bird."

The concert footage is solidly shot and recorded, while the audio recording is crisp if not optimally mixed for 5.1 surround coverage, a fate neither surprising nor uncommon for a pre-DVD era production. Four promotional clips, produced for the Medusa project, largely offset such flaws, especially in light of her scant output since. --Sam Sutherland

Description

Recorded live at Central Park, Summerstage, New York City, September 8, 1995.

Promotional video clips:
13. No More "I Love You's"
14. A Whiter Shade of Pale
15. Waiting in Vain
16. Something So Right

Customer Reviews:

passionate and pure..........2007-06-12

Obviously a must for Lennox fans. Most of the songs are from her "Diva" CD and very well performed. She warms up after the first few tunes and as her interview states she reacts to her audience's enthusiasm. She's a wonderful lyricist and composer. Video quality is acceptable but audio is above average. It's obvious they spent time rehearsing as the renditions are almost indistiguishable from the original recordings.
I could have done without the ears on the musicians but like Rush's tumbling washers/dryers during their "Vapor Trails" tour I guess it's all part of the act.

Her Unique Style . . ........2007-05-08

is well presented in this DVD. She is just so talented as a performer, writer and arranger. We saw this show when it was presented on TV in 1995. Having it on DVD is icing on the cake.

Annie Rules Central Park.......2006-09-10

I love both Annie Lennox and Eurythmics, especially their live performances, and this Live In Central Park is simply stunning: Annie knows how to make her interpretations unforgettable. Wonderful as usual, wrapped in a daring tartan suit, she leaps on the stage catching the audience with her exclusive voice. The concert includes songs from her solo albums Diva and Medusa and also hits from her Eurythmic career. You can also view the song's lyrics as subtitles. The concert is mixed together with footages of Annie in N.Y. and studio rehearsals with the band. The DVD also contains the videoclips for No More "I Love You's", A Whiter Shade Of Pale, Waiting in Vain (very funny, with a multi-Annie playing Minnie Mouse) and Something So Right. Each video is presented by Annie sitting in the theatre where some clips were filmed. Maybe the DVD could appear a bit dated, but remember that it was filmed for the first time in 1995.

Here is the concert playlist:

1. Money Can't Buy It (Diva, 1992): similar to the album version. ***
2. Legend In My Living Room (Diva, 1992): similar to the album version. ***
3. Walking On Broken Glass (Diva, 1992): a very happy and inspired rendition. *****
4. No More "I Love You's" (Medusa, 1995): touching and intimate: Annie performs with the same hairstyle of the videoclip. *****
5. Who's That Girl? (Touch, 1983): sensuality and angst for one of the best performance of the concert. *****
6. You Have Placed A Chill In My Heart (Savage, 1987): to the verse "I just want someone to hold", Annie thrills the audience screaming "I" for nine times! Disarming. ****
7. Waiting In Vain (Medusa, 1995): a Bob Marley classic reinterpreted with guitar accompaniment. ****
8. I Love You Like A Ball And Chain (Be Yourself Tonight, 1985): a roaring performance launched by a powerful only-voice intro. ****
9. Little Bird (Medusa, 1995): smart and electronic. ****
10. Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This) (from the same title album, 1983): Eurythmics' masterpiece, always magic and upsetting. *****
11. Train In Vain (Medusa, 1995): simply intriguing and exciting. Amazing. *****
12. Why (Medusa, 1995): Annie's solo masterpiece, elegant and moving. *****

Videoclips (all the videos are from Medusa, 1995)

1. No More "I Love You's": Male dancers dressed as ballet girls (!) introduce you to Annie, eerie mistress in front of a creepy audience. *****
2. A Whiter Shade Of Pale: Ms. Lennox, dressed as a teddy bear with a pageboy cut, goes on a swing in a circus arena, surrounded by clowns, dancers and a white horse. ****
3. Waiting In Vain: Annie "Minnie Mouse" does the cleaning up, waiting for her love as the seasons pass. At the end of the video there will be six Annies!!! *****
4. Something So Right: dressing a costume, Annie plays in a theatre, filmed like in an old recital. The less impressive video of the series. ***

And now... Enjoy it!

For Annie Lennox Fans.......2006-04-11

I am an Annie Lennox fan. I enjoy her powerful alto voice and respect her vocal range. I would listen to her sing anything. Because of that, this is a very enjoyable DVD for me. If I try to be objective, it may lack in video presentation and have some audio issues. It was recorded outside and the lighting and stage setting may not impress a lot of people. I also think it takes a while for her to hit the kind of intensity that would impress the less dedicated fan. If you are a hardcore fan, it's all good, but if you want a spectacular stage show and pristine audio and video, you may want to pass on this one.

excellent.......2003-05-21

i bought the vhs when it came out years ago and was blown away. she is fantastic live. i'm sure the dvd is even better. she has a great voice, stage presence and of course not hard on the eyes. almost all the footage is from her live concert, but there is some footage from rehearsal. well edited. the only bummer is that the concert is a tad short and she didn't sing as many eurythmics songs as i'd like.

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