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PLEASE NOTE: Michael D's is currently in READ ONLY MODE. Anything submitted will simply not be written to the database.
Lots of stuff is still broken, but at least reviews can now be looked up and read.
diVinyls-Live (JAiLhoUSE RoCK) (1993)

diVinyls-Live (JAiLhoUSE RoCK) (1993)

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Released 3-Mar-2003

Cover Art

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Details At A Glance

General Extras
Category Music Main Menu Audio
Biographies-Cast
Rating Rated E
Year Of Production 1993
Running Time 85:21 (Case: 65)
RSDL / Flipper No/No Cast & Crew
Start Up Menu
Region Coding 1,2,3,4,5,6 Directed By Chris Fitz-Gibbon
Studio
Distributor
Avenue One
Warner Home Video
Starring Christina Amphlett
Mark McEntee
Charlie Drayton
Jerome Smith
Lee Borkman
Case Amaray-Transparent-Secure Clip
RPI $34.95 Music Divinyls


Video Audio
Pan & Scan/Full Frame Full Frame English Dolby Digital 2.0 (224Kb/s)
Widescreen Aspect Ratio None
16x9 Enhancement No
Video Format 576i (PAL)
Original Aspect Ratio 1.33:1 Miscellaneous
Jacket Pictures No
Subtitles None Smoking No
Annoying Product Placement No
Action In or After Credits No

NOTE: The Profanity Filter is ON. Turn it off here.

Plot Synopsis

     There's no mistaking the sultry vocals of Chrissie Amphlett or pulsing lead rhythm guitar of co-founder Mark McEntee and this concert, Divinyls Live, presents the high priestess of Vamp and her long-term acolyte at their best. Founded in 1980, after a chance meeting in Sydney, the Divinyls served their obligatory apprenticeship in Sydney bars and clubs before being spotted by director Ken Cameron. Shortly after, they were signed up to write and perform for the soundtrack of the Australian film Monkey Grip which included their first Top 10 hit 'Boys In Town'. The 80's proved a tumultuous time for the duo after numerous band and recording label changes and varied locations including Los Angeles and the red-light district of Paris. The hallmark of the dynamic duo remained their mesmerising live act with the provocative, sexually alluring Amphlett teasing and pleasing the crowd with her mix of high heels, fishnet stockings and on-stage antics. Behind the high energy, shock-rock antics of mounting a microphone stand or else spitting on the crowd lay a musical talent for producing memorable melodies and riffs coupled always with a crowd-pleasing live performance. Band members, including subsequent Hoodoo Gurus bass player Rick Grossman, came and went and the Divinyls band became a duo with backing band and session musos picked for the tours and albums.

    Follow-up studio work after their successful first album release, Desperate, in 1982 was slow and painful in gestation involving several changes of record label and producers. What a Life was released in 1985, partly produced by Mike Chapman (who also co-wrote Pleasure and Pain), but despite favourable critical reviews it failed to achieve significant album sales and the duo relocated to Los Angeles, returning in 1988 with the more successful Temperamental. The 90's saw a slow evaporation of the band with more time spent again in the US and Paris and occasional live performances including this DVD recording of 'JAiLhoUSE RoCK - DiVINYLS LIVE' performed on 31st July 1993 at the recently decommissioned Boggo Road Jail in Brisbane. At this concert they were supported by Charlie Owen on guitar, Lee Borkman on keyboards, Jerome Smith on bass and Charlie Drayton played drums.

    This is a high energy concert with no punches pulled from the performance of Amphlett or McEntee. The backing band is competent, without being sensational and the crowd is suitably appreciative and unintimidated by the menace of the former penitentiary. Most of the favourites are there, although Sleeping Beauty is noticeably absent. The set opens with Boys in Town and proceeds at breakneck pace through 16 songs to finish with Pleasure and Pain. These are all delivered with suitable gusto without any particular track standing out.

Don't wish to see plot synopses in the future? Change your configuration.

Track Listing

1. Boys In Town
2. Make You Happy
3. Only The Lonely
4. Guillotine Day
5. I Need A Lover
6. Open Windows
7. Love School
8. Lay Your Body Down
9. Science Fiction
10. Tempermental
11. Sex Will Keep Us Together
12. Make Out All Right
13. Bless My Soul
14. I Touch Myself
15. Aint Gonna Eat Out My Heart
16. Pleasure And Pain

Transfer Quality

Video

     This concert was formerly released on video and although this release claims to be digitally remastered I can't really say the difference is overwhelming. With an 85 minute concert fitted onto a single layer DVD-5 we shouldn't expect top quality video and we don't get it!

    The feature was shot on video and is presented in an aspect ratio of 1.33:1. It is not 16x9 enhanced.

    The transfer is of moderate sharpness but loses this in low light scenes such as the grainy crowd scenes at 2:27. Shadow detail is limited and low level noise is present in the backdrops towards the end of the feature.

    Colours were quite bright usually, but were occasionally washed out due to the spotlights on Chrissie and due to the stark contrast of the on-stage lighting setup.

    There are lots of transfer artefacts to be seen, right from the word go, on account of the single layered transfer - we're treated to Gibbs effect on the opening titles at 0:05, posterization at 0:39, macro-blocking (eg the drums at 46:44) and although aliasing is infrequent it's noticeable on a crack in the stage floor (eg at 4:18).

    There aren't any subtitles and they're not really necessary.

    This is a DVD-5 (a single layered disc) and so there's no RSDL transition.

Video Ratings Summary
Sharpness
Shadow Detail
Colour
Grain/Pixelization
Film-To-Video Artefacts
Film Artefacts
Overall

Audio

    Although the video quality isn't great, the audio is slightly worse!

    We have just the one stereo Dolby Digital 2.0 track on offer, encoded at a measly 224 bps. This means that although the concert doesn't sound too bad on your TV, blasting it out on your shiny HT system reveals a harsh, 2-dimensional soundstage lacking presence and bass. In fact, the only time we get to hear the bass is in the intro to Pleasure and Pain at 76:49. This is an occasion when reaching for your tone controls, or even better, putting the digital feed through DTS:Neo or Dolby Prologic II processing, results in a much more pleasant listening experience. Incidentally, IMHO, DTS:Neo knocks the spots off DPII on most music, this DVD included.

    Dialogue from Amphlett's lead vocals was clear enough and in synch, but McEntee's backing contribution got largely lost in the mix.

    Unless you resort to putting your sound processor into gear, there is no surround or subwoofer activity.

Audio Ratings Summary
Dialogue
Audio Sync
Clicks/Pops/Dropouts
Surround Channel Use
Subwoofer
Overall

Extras

     Our extras are limited to 8 pages of notes largely featuring Chrissie's career.

R4 vs R1

NOTE: To view non-R4 releases, your equipment needs to be multi-zone compatible and usually also NTSC compatible.

     Apart from the video encoding and region, the R1 and R4 releases appear to be identical.

Summary

     There's not much else around of film footage of the Divinyls so this is going to have to do for their fans. It's a pretty low budget offering in line with projected interest in the group, who have largely fallen off the radar.

    The video quality is mediocre but acceptable on the small screen.

    The audio quality is disappointing and justifies after player digital bass and surround management.

    The extras are just about non-existent and a token offering only.

Ratings (out of 5)

Video
Audio
Extras
Plot
Overall

© John Lancaster (read my bio)
Saturday, April 12, 2003
Review Equipment
DVDHarmon & Kardon DVD10, using RGB output
DisplayPioneer SD-T50W1 (127cm). Calibrated with Video Essentials. This display device is 16x9 capable.
Audio DecoderYamaha RX-V995. Calibrated with Video Essentials.
AmplificationYamaha RX-V995
SpeakersB&W 602 front/rear. B&W LRC6 Centre / Solid (AKA B&W) 500 SW

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