Dead Can Dance - Toward The Within

Starring:Brendan Perry, Lisa Gerrard
Director: Mark Magidson (II)
Studio: Warner Strat. Mkt.
Product Type: DVD

Amazon.com

There are few voices in popular music like that of Dead Can Dance's Brendan Perry and Lisa Gerrard. Perry's is rich and earthy, whereas Gerrard's multi-octave instrument is, at times, downright unearthly. Toward the Within, the audiovisual version of a 1993 concert at Santa Monica's Mayfair Theatre--chosen, no doubt, for its excellent acoustics--is a fine showcase for their unique talents. Joined by five musicians on keyboards, strings, and percussion, Mark Magidson (Baraka) has filmed the proceedings in a straightforward manner, but the music is intricate and exotic enough that no special effects or fancy camera moves are necessary. The songs, which incorporate pop, folk, and world-music influences, are interspersed with interview clips, turning the release into a hybrid between a concert video and a documentary. Highlights include the hypnotic "Rakim" and soaring "American Dreaming." Toward the Within was also issued on CD, sans the interview and video clips. --Kathleen C. Fennessy

Customer Reviews:

Unique.......2007-05-07

Excellent for DCD fans, this DVD illustrates how unique this band is. If you've heard the CD it's quite an eye-opener how to see how the amazing labyrinth of sound is produced. Quality not the ultimate but camera work pretty good. A must-see.

Dead Can Dance and Lisa Gerrard's Sanctuary.......2007-04-28

I'm a DCDaholic! I eat up everything and go to any concert in my neighborhood even if I have to drive for hours/days. This is by far one of their best products! I wish we had more of these. The new Sanctuary Lisa Gerrard is also very cool, check it out.

Poor quality.......2006-01-21

I own the VHS tape and purchased the DVD. The DVD is horrible fuzzy quality and only 2 channel Dolby. I absolulety love the performance but the DVD is of such inferior quality that it detracts from the performance.

Charming!.......2005-12-03

I went to see DCD with my partner when they came here on October 4th of this year (my birthday). We sat so far from the stage, it was hard to see Brendan, Lisa and the entourage, because they were so small and we were so high up in the rafters. If it hadn't been for the DCD website and Lisa's website, I wouldn't know what the duo look like. So...getting back to the DVD...I always had the CD somewhere in my music collection. The music was just 'okay' on the CD, because I couldn't see DCD performing. But now that I own the DVD of the concert, it's so pleasing to watch & listen at the same time. Obviously, the band puts a lot of effort into their performances, coming up with a sound so similar to the studio recording, it's incredible.

Yes, it's true...the picture is a bit fuzzy, but so what? For the price I paid for the DVD, I'm more than happy for buying it. And, the DVD plays on both my computer and TV DVD players. The sound is great and there's little distortion. My only gripe regarding the item is due to the editing of 'Yulunga' and 'The Carnival is Over' from the live setlist. Why did they have to cut out those 2 fantastic tracks? Darn! Oh well, that's what you get when they give you 5 bonus tracks to watch instead. Not bad, but it would've been nicer to see those 2 extra tracks live. It is nice to have 'The Host of Seraphim' on this collection, because it's one of my fave songs of DCD.

Customer note:
- There are 2 editions of this DVD, depending on when it was made.
- Early edition was released in a hard plastic, slimline jewel-case DVD case.
- Re-released in an amray case (standard 'fat' DVD box).
- Amray case comes with just the front & back insert (1 piece) without any booklet.
- Additional performances are NOT live performances. They are MTV videos.

The amray case edition is the one I have. It's obvious the DVD was re-released. When I bought the DVD, I thought it would come in the slimline jewel case. What i'd like to know is...did the original have a booklet? Lisa Gerrard and Brendan Perry are cool, intelligent musicians with a God-Given talent. I love the little interview snippets between performances. Lisa is pretty and her voice doesn't match the face. Everyone I've played DCD to, says the same thing, and it was amazing to watch the DVD for the first time, right from my computer.

Tracklist:
01- Opening Credits
02- Rakim
03- Song of the Sibyl
04- I Can See Now
05- American Dreaming
06- Cantara
07- The Wind That Shakes The Barley
08- I Am Stretched On Your Grave
09- Desert Song
10- Oman
11- Gloridean
12- Tristan
13- Sanvean
14- Don't Fade Away
Additional performances:
15- The Carnival Is Over
16- The Host Of Seraphim
17- Yulunga (Spirit Dance)
18- Frontier
19- The Protagonist

Hopefully DCD will release more live concert DVDs in the near future. I've already purchased "Nierika" on DVD from the October 4th performance in Montreal. That show was an excellent birthday gift. Perhaps if DCD read the reviews on amazon, they would sell the DVDs commercially. But then again, that's wishful thinking.

towards the within.......2004-09-23

The DVD quality of the DCD concert in 1993 is well below the VHS Quality, Goodness WHY? I have been a collector of everything DCD have produced, How could Brendon and Lisa let something of this poor quality get released by the Distributors
Still DCD are or were a terrific band of musicians. Lets hope this DVD will get remastered

Average customer rating:

Toward the Within
Starring: Dead Can Dance
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

General | Musicals & Performing Arts | Genres | DVD | Video

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