Thursday 25 September 2008

Live - Under A Blood Red Sky (Remastered) by U2

While it's great to see the full concert on DVD at last, to a hypercritical U2 obsessive, this seems like another missed opportunity.

Sadly there was a camera malfunction during "I Fall Down", so that track is missing from the concert footage, but wouldn't it have been worth including the audio as an easter egg?

Both CD and DVD feature horrendous edits during "The Electric Co." due to Bono dropping in a snippet of the tune of "Send In The Clowns". Isn't remastering an opportunity to fix these things? How much was Stephen Sondheim asking for?

Otherwise, the package is nice enough - a slipcase, a booklet with plenty of photos, some wallpaper for your computer and a dodgy old screensaver.

I'm going to dig out my original vinyl copy...

Wednesday 17 September 2008

Regatta de Blanc by The Police

I couldn't listen to this album enough when I was younger. I'd first noticed The Police when "Can't Stand Losing You" was a hit second time around and I remember being excited to hear "Message In A Bottle" one afternoon in the car on the way home from school. I finally borrowed the album from a friend a year or two later and taped it, listening to it almost nightly.

It was one of the first albums I picked up on CD, but it's now been surpassed by the boxed set and there's little point hanging on to it.

Sorry Sting, I can easily stand losing this.

Wednesday 10 September 2008

Easy Rider

I learned an important lesson when video cassettes were nearing the end of their lifespan. The deluge of cheap merchandise hitting the bargain bins indicates the passing of the format, not an opportunity to fill your boots. Do not repeat the mistake with DVDs - sell them now!

My dad was a bit down on this film when he saw it. I thought it was great. It's about time I watched it again. I think I'd enjoy it...

But the tape is heading out on the highway.