VH1 Storytellers - Rod Stewart

Starring:Camille Henderson, Ashwin Sood, Brian Minato, Sean Ashby, David Sinclair, Vince Jones, Sarah McLachlan, Paula Cole
Studio: Warner Strat. Mkt.
Product Type: DVD

Description

Recorded at New York's infamous Supper Club in the spring of 1998, VH1 STORYTELLERS-Rod Stewart finds the vocalist at his most engaging. Performing songs from his legendary career, Rod recounts the tales behind his biggest hits including "Maggie May," "Tonight's the Night," and "Forever Young." This DVD release includes 2 bonus performances not seen in the original broadcast.

Customer Reviews:

The band sucked, where was Ronni Wood just for this one?! .......2006-09-27

Rod sang well, the slow songs were excellent. but the band was worthless.

and Rod had to get in his bisexual comments, he never does seem to work to dispeel the talk that has gone on for decades. Sample, he says the word sin then looks at his guitar players pants and goes those are sinful, while staring at them, oh thats means nothing? they do on a man that has been so called dogged for being a bi all these years, and then the best one was when while he was singing turned the mic backwards and acted like he was buffing it with his mouth, it goes real fast, watch.

not that there is anything wrong with that, a la Jerry Seinfeld, but doing that on tv and knowing its going to be on dvd, no man, no.

It's Hard to Feel Sorry for a Rock Star, but..........2006-09-21

With all the glitz, glamor, and fame (not to mention the mega-bucks) that go with being a rock star of Rod Stewart's standing, it's very hard to feel sorry for someone like him, but this DVD did it for me. Backed by a band one step up from the garage level, Rod kills himself trying to engage his audience, but with a very few exceptions, they just aren't there for him. It's sure not Rod's fault; he turns in a great performance all around and even has the grace to seem a bit jealous of the guy who helps him out on "Ooh La La", but, for the most part, all the audience returns is polite applause. This is no reason not to buy the DVD, the little heard songs make it worth it, but if you have any of the later DVDs you will be even more appreciative of Janna Jacoby, Chuck Kentis, Don Kirkpatrick, Jeff Golub, Katja Rieckermann, and Natasha Pearce.

Short But Sweet.......2005-04-03

While I tend watch his more recent "It Had To Be You...The Great American Songbook" and "One Night Only! Live At The Royal Albert Hall" dvds more often, "VH1 Storytellers" captures Rod Stewart in a more intimate environment, allowing us to see a more relaxed and looser Stewart not seen on the other two.

Though the VH1 show "Storytllers" was supposed to showcase artists performing some of their classic hits in a small club and telling the stories on how some of their best known songs, Rod never really does that except when an audience member asks him who "Maggie May" is about. Other than that, he gives brief facts on certain songs but never divulges their true inspiration. This, however, should not dull the experience. With or without the actual storytelling, Rod nonetheless gives excellent performances of classics like "Maggie May", "Tonight's The Night", "Stay With Me", "Ooh La La" (sung with an audience member), "Forever Young", "You're In My Heart" and "Having A Party". Also, Rod performs two songs, "Cigarettes And Alcohol" and "Rocks", from his 1998 covers album "When We Were The New Boys", an underrated gem (or so I'm told, I've never actually heard it).

There are two bonus performances included that were not it in the television broadcast. They are "Hot Legs" and "Have I Told You Lately". They are good but not as good the originals.

Overall, a great Stewart live dvd. Pick up this dvd and the two I mentioned before as well, and you will experience how it feels to be at a Rod Stewart concert.

Absolutely Fabulous!.......2005-01-31

Wonderful concert. Shows why he is so popular. Didn't last long enough, left you smiling and wanting more! One you will watch over and over, at least I will.

Classic Rod.......2004-09-18

This was recorded right before the release of Rod's underrated 1998 release, When We Were the New Boys. The tour that followed was his last before his throat surgery, and the last before he split with his wife Rachel Hunter. The result is a terrific performance from a man with charisma, style and of course, that voice. Don't expect much in the way of info about the songs though, Rod has never been able to talk about his lyrics so it's just Rod sharing a few drinks and tunes with his audience. He also had a fantastic backing band on this tour as well. After listening to him do just passable versions of classic standards for the past two years, this concert reminds you what Rod Stewart should still be doing. It's also reasonably priced. A happy occasion for all......Pass on his standards CDs and buy this DVD OR the Faces terrific new box set, "Five Guys Walk Into a Bar."

Average customer rating:

Decent collection

VH1 Storytellers Classics
Starring: Jackson Browne , David Bowie , Ringo Starr , Rod Stewart , and Sheryl Crow
Director: Michael Simon , and Michael Chloe
Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Rock | Styles | Music

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

( V ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

The History of Rock and Roll

ASIN: 0738921637
Release Date: 2001-06-19

Amazon.com

Recommended more for quality of live performance than for storytelling, VH1 Storytellers: Classics is a seven-song compilation from the popular VH1 series, bearing all the strengths and weaknesses inherent in the program. Some of the featured musicians are fine raconteurs, and the format of the show encourages them to share the genesis of their best-known songs. Pete Townshend explains that the title of "Baba O'Riley" was a combination of two people who inspired him when he wrote the song: Indian spiritual teacher Meher Baba and electronic musician Terry Riley (he added the "O'" for a touch of Irish flavor). David Bowie explains how "China Girl" arose from a collaboration with Iggy Pop after a moving experience in a Berlin punk club; and before launching into an outstanding performance, Steely Dan's Donald Fagen describes "Kid Charlemagne" as an allusion to the passing of the 1960s.

Other performers have little or nothing to say about the songs they perform (when asked, Rod Stewart shamefully can't recall who originally played mandolin on "Maggie May"), but virtually all of these performances are first-rate and fully deserving of their inclusion. Surprisingly--or perhaps not--Ringo Starr provides the highlight, recalling how his melancholy feeling of exclusion during the recording of the Beatles' White Album led him to take a holiday in Sardinia. It was there that he was inspired to write "Octopus's Garden," and his performance of that song--with his hand-picked band the All- Stars--is as purely delightful as the original recording. --Jeff Shannon

Customer Reviews:

Decent collection.......2001-08-09

Nothing to write home about, but a nice set of performances from the Storytellers series, with a few good moments. For the price (and potential length) of a VHS tape, this could've been a lot longer (it's only about 40 minutes).

DVD:

DVD

Cambridge Spies [2003]

DVD: I Confess

Schimanski Vol. 1