I got the REM Live album recently. There’s a lot of stuff on it I’ve never heard, as a good proportion is from their last album. The hits are still there though, so it’s all good.
The album is a double CD/DVD set. The CDs contain the concert audio, whilst the DVD contains a film recording of the same gig.
My problem with it, is that the live DVD has been produced in an overly ‘arty’ style. It cuts around far too quickly, uses far too many video effects, and a good proportion of the camera work makes you think the cameramen were either drunk, or on something.
I’ve always thought of live DVDs as being a good surrogate for actually going to a live show. When I go see a band, it’s generally not a blurry mess for me. I like to see the band play, see the audience react. Not see a blurry singer, or a swooping shot of something.
Some do get it right. The Foo Fighters Skin and Bones DVD shows you the band playing, and does it well. Some are halfway there. The Dixie Chicks DVD is made up from the performances of two or three concerts. Usually they mix and match songs, only, the editor of that DVD decided to mix and match ALL of the shots, so you get multiple shots of different shows, going into making one song’s recording. The audio seems to be from one show though. It’s incredibly obvious, as the band wore different outfits for each show, so they appear to change clothes between shots!
I’m well aware REM are a more ‘arty’ band than some – their baffling videos attest to that fact, but please leave the DVDs alone guys!