Barenaked Ladies-Barelaked Nadies (NTSC) |
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General | Extras | ||
Category | Music |
Menu Animation & Audio Audio-Visual Commentary-Videos DVD-ROM Extras-Weblinks; Barenaked Ladies Revoice Studio |
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Rating | |||
Year Of Production | ? | ||
Running Time | 64:53 (Case: 160) | ||
RSDL / Flipper | Dual Layered | Cast & Crew | |
Start Up | Menu | ||
Region Coding | 2,3,4,5,6 | Directed By | None Given |
Studio
Distributor |
Warner Vision |
Starring |
Steven Page Ed Robertson Tyler Stewart Jim Creeggan Kevin Hearn |
Case | Amaray-Transparent-Secure Clip | ||
RPI | $34.95 | Music | Barenaked Ladies |
Video (NTSC) | Audio | ||
Pan & Scan/Full Frame | Full Frame |
English Dolby Digital 5.1 (448Kb/s) English Dolby Digital 2.0 (256Kb/s) English Audio Commentary Dolby Digital 2.0 (192Kb/s) |
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Widescreen Aspect Ratio | None | ||
16x9 Enhancement | No | ||
Video Format | 480i (NTSC) | ||
Original Aspect Ratio | 1.33:1 | Miscellaneous | |
Jacket Pictures | No | ||
Subtitles | None | Smoking | No |
Annoying Product Placement | No | ||
Action In or After Credits | Yes, a repeat video plays under the final credits. |
It was with trepidation that I took on the task of reviewing this DVD. I am a casual fan of the band, and own a copy of their very successful Stunt album, but never bothered to check out any of their earlier (and now also more recent) music. After the first Barenaked Ladies DVD, the fan-loved, but ultimately somewhat alienating Barenaked In America, I wasn't too sure about looking at this disc. What an experience I almost missed out on!
This DVD is a presentation of all the videos made for their singles released since their 1991 debut Lovers In A Dangerous Time. This is an impressive collection of videos, both in terms of content - the band are not afraid to show their less polished earlier efforts - and music. They are a good demonstration of how the band's sound has changed over the last twelve years, as they matured from their initial complex pop stylings into the very polished songwriters and melody makers they are today.
This DVD is an excellent way to get into the Barenaked Ladies for the very first time. It lays out a compilation of what are presumably their best songs (as they are all the singles, that is a fair assumption), and it displays their sheer enthusiasm for what they do. This is a band that is full of energy, and just loves performing - and it shows. On top of that, they have created some of the most sublimely melodic pop music I have had the pleasure to hear. This is most obvious in their early work of What A Good Boy, Jane, and The Old Apartment, but is still present - in a far more subtle, and rewarding, fashion - on later material. Their lyrics may not be considering major issues (at least most of the time), but they speak to the every-day, the things that every one has to go through, which also helps the music connect.
For the die-hard fans of the Barenaked Ladies, this DVD is a must have - it will fit perfectly into your collection. For those who may only know of them through One Week, then I heartily recommend grabbing this disc and exploring the band. The videos will draw you in, and the live concert footage (an almost half-hour bonus) will make you a fan - and you might just find yourself wondering why this group of superb musicians and composers has not had more success.
Finally, please note that this DVD is in the NTSC format, and as such, you will need equipment capable of viewing NTSC material in order to make use of it.
1. Lovers In A Dangerous Time 2. Enid 3. What A Good Boy 4. Be My Yoko Ono 5. Jane 6. Alternative Girlfriend 7. Shoe Box 8. The Old Apartment 9. Brian Wilson | 10. One Week 11. It's All Been Done 12. Call And Answer 13. Get In Line 14. Pinch Me 15. Too Little Too Late 16. Falling For The First Time 17. Thanks That Was Fun |
The transfer is not 16x9 enhanced, and is presented at a variety of aspect ratios, depending on what ratio the video in question was shot in. The majority of them are in the 1.33:1 ratio.
Again, sharpness ranges considerably over the videos, from very poor on some of the earlier videos, especially Lovers In A Dangerous Time and What A Good Boy, to quite good on the more recent videos, such as Pinch Me and Too Little Too Late. Grain is often present, in both old and new material, and can become quite disturbing at times. This is especially obvious on Lovers In A Dangerous Time, and the archive footage used in Be My Yoko Ono. Shadow detail goes along with the sharpness, being quite good on the newer videos, and quite bad on the older. There is no low-level noise present.
Colours are slightly more uniform, although the older videos do suffer from what would most likely be a video-tape source, and as such are looking a little washed out after the years they have been lying around. The filmed videos, for songs from Stunt onwards, all exhibit bright and vibrant colour. The worst problem is a colour bloom at 30:11.
The videos are largely devoid of compression artefacts, suffering only from some pixelation during periods of high grain. There is what appears to be a tape dropout shortly after the start at 0:19. Aliasing does occur, but due to the general softness of the image, is rarely a problem, only becoming very obvious at times such as 37:48 where the whole frame breaks into jagged lines. The video monitors during Enid, and especially from 4:20 to 4:28, display some fairly obvious moire effects that become a little distracting. Fortunately by the time the later videos appear, the directors had learned to deal with the phenomenon. There are only a few film artefacts, and compared to the other problems exhibited by the videos, they are nothing really to worry about.
Once again, we have a music DVD that comes devoid of lyric sub-titles. When will the DVD producers realise that not every one is capable of memorising the lyrics to their favourite band, and would appreciate being able to sing along? Ho hum. On the upside, sub-titles of the band commentary have been provided, although one wonders at the appeal of a music-dvd to the hearing impaired. Maybe it is for those who have difficulty understanding Canadian.
This is a Dual Layer disc with the feature and extras divided among the layers, resulting in no layer-break during the feature itself.
Sharpness | |
Shadow Detail | |
Colour | |
Grain/Pixelization | |
Film-To-Video Artefacts | |
Film Artefacts | |
Overall |
There are three audio tracks present on the main feature. These are the original English music in both Dolby Digital 5.1 (at 448 kbps) and Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo (at 256 kbps), as well as an English audio commentary track in Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo (at 192 kbps).
The lyrics are generally clear and easy to understand at all times, while the music is rich and also demonstrates good clarity. The mixing levels are perfect, as there is no problem hearing the vocals over the music or vice-versa. Audio sync is not always perfect, with almost all of Lovers In A Dangerous Time being badly out of sync (although it does seem intentional in this case), and other problems occurring from time to time, such as at 16:32.
The major problem with this soundtrack (and it is also the case with the concert section of the disc) is that the surround soundtrack is very much over-done. The rear speakers are used largely to reflect vocals, giving a rather bad re-verb effect. It is not to the point of being unlistenable, but it does make the stereo soundtrack more pleasant to listen to. Fortunately, the stereo track is very good, delivering excellent separation, and a very wide soundstage, that makes determining the individual instruments an easy task.
The subwoofer is very well handled, adding just the right amount of bass to the music to give it some added power, without becoming overbearing. Bass re-direction in the stereo soundtrack is very effective and just as good as the dedicated LFE channel from the 5.1 track.
Dialogue | |
Audio Sync | |
Clicks/Pops/Dropouts | |
Surround Channel Use | |
Subwoofer | |
Overall |
The tracks presented during this section are:
NOTE: To view non-R4 releases, your equipment needs to be multi-zone compatible and usually also NTSC compatible.
The video quality is highly variable, as the older videos are very much showing their age, while the newer ones look superb. Note that the video is in NTSC.
The audio is the major selling point of this DVD. The stereo track is an excellent representation of their music, while the 5.1 track is good, but tends to have too much mixed into the surrounds for my liking.
The extras, while low in number, more than make up for it in quality. The commentary is excellent, and the concert footage is worth just as much as the videos.
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Extras | |
Plot | |
Overall |
Review Equipment | |
DVD | Pioneer DV-555K, using Component output |
Display | Loewe Xelos 5381ZW. Calibrated with Video Essentials. This display device is 16x9 capable. |
Audio Decoder | Built in to amplifier/receiver. Calibrated with Video Essentials. |
Amplification | Onkyo TX-DS787, THX Select |
Speakers | Rochester Audio Animato Series (2xSAF-02, SAC-02, 3xSAB-01) + 12" Sub (150WRMS) |