Jackson Browne-Running on Empty (DVD-Audio) (1977) (NTSC)

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General		Extras
Category	Music	Main Menu Animation Gallery-Photo Lyrics Gallery-Running On Empty Montage (4:59) Gallery-Photo-Tour Scrapbook (5:46) Web Links Credits
Rating
Year Of Production	1977
Running Time	54:11
RSDL / Flipper	Dual Layered	Cast & Crew
Start Up	Menu
Region Coding	1,2,3,4,5,6	Directed By	None Given
Studio Distributor	Warner Vision	Starring	Jackson Browne
Case	?
RPI	$32.95	Music	Jackson Browne

    After a release that sort of qualifies as a new release, even though the music is thirty years old, we return to what is almost the staple of DVD-Audio releases to date: the music of the 1970's. This time it is the album for which Jackson Browne is almost entirely known and/or remembered: Running On Empty. Whilst I know that it was not the only album he ever did, if I were pushed to name another album he did release, I basically would come up with a very blank look. Simply put: I cannot name another of his albums off the top of my head. In essence, that says an awful lot about how pivotal this album was to his career.

    Truth be told that whilst the album has graced both my LP and CD collections, it has never been an album that I have been especially enamoured with. For some reason it was a recording that always disappointed, never really allowing the music to shine. Obviously many of the songs on the album are well known, most especially the title track, but whilst most will disagree, the lack of quality in the available recordings thus far just have left me cold. Thus the news that the album was to be released on DVD-Audio was welcomed as far as I was concerned: here was a format that might just be able to present the music with a recording that would finally allow the music to shine.

    To some extent that is precisely what has happened, at least to my ears. Putting the disc into the player and pushing play was somewhat of a mind-altering moment. There was the opening of the title song and a sudden burst of detail in the music that I doubt anyone barring the original sound engineers had ever heard before. The entire album continued in the same vein, right through to the very last note of the album. With the clarity of sound afforded by the new format releasing new detail, which gives the music plenty of space within which to shine, this is finally the chance for the album to impress me more than it ever has before. Whilst I would still not call it the greatest album I have ever heard, at least it now has somewhat more importance than I previously afforded it.

    In just about every respect, this is a very good release. The music shines like it hasn't before, the transfer is excellent in nearly every respect and you would be hard pressed to ignore this release.

Video

    The only video on the disc are self running galleries in the extras and the minor amount of menu animation, everything else comprising NTSC menus and stills. These are clear and reasonably sharp.

Audio

    For the second DVD-Audio disc in a row, there are five soundtrack options comprising: an MLP 5.1 surround soundtrack, an MLP 2.0 stereo soundtrack, a DVD-Video compatible Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack, a DVD-Video compatible Dolby Digital 2.0 soundtrack and a DVD-Video compatible dts 5.1 soundtrack. I listened to all barring the Dolby Digital 2.0 soundtrack in their entirety: I sampled a decent portion of the latter track.

    The DVD-Audio MLP 5.1 soundtrack is the default track on the disc so was the first to be reviewed. This is a very nice soundtrack indeed, although with perhaps a surround presence that some might have a problem with. In essence it sounds like a 3.1 soundtrack, with basically nothing apparently going on in the rear surrounds barring some ambience. This gives the soundtrack a rather frontal surround sound, but curiously I found this suited the music well indeed. It gives the entire album a live recording sort of sound style, which of course the album partly is. The soundtrack has a decent load of presence.

    The DVD-Audio MLP 2.0 soundtrack was the second up for review and is also very good. There is some very nice definition to be found here, not quite of the same standard as the MLP 5.1 soundtrack, but still very listenable. The vocals are a little recessed at times, but nothing that would unduly worry most listeners. The sound is clean and open, lacking the presence in the sound of the six channel soundtrack but making up for it with more naturalness.

    The DVD-Video compatible Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack is another very nice soundtrack. It is actually quite similar in style to the MLP 5.1 soundtrack, with the same sort of lack of surround encoding in the rear channels. Where it does score over the MLP soundtrack is in the additional bass information in the overall sound. It gives the sound a heap more presence, but thankfully without overstepping the mark. The only time that it gets close is just a little bit of excess reverb in You Love The Thunder, but since I barely bothered about it, everyone else is likely not to be worried. Definition is again very good and this is a really a darn good listen...

    ...just not as good as the DVD-Video compatible Dolby Digital 2.0 soundtrack that's all. This is an absolute beauty, with way more presence than I was expecting and anticipating. Okay, there is no bass information but this was by far and away the best soundtrack on the disc from what I heard. Gorgeously open, beautifully clear and with everything mixed together very well indeed.

    The DVD-Video compatible dts 5.1 soundtrack is surprisingly the poorest on the disc. It seems to be very slightly muddied, certainly not as clean and clear as the other soundtracks. The vocals are even more recessed than on the other soundtracks and the surround encoding is simply not that great. The definition of the instruments in the overall mix is much poorer and the bass is a little bit overdone in You Love The Thunder. Not one of the great moments of dts on DVD-Audio.

Audio Ratings Summary

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

    A decent enough package within the context of normal DVD-Audio releases.

Booklet

   Presumably the release will include a booklet, but unfortunately we have only been provided with a pre production sample of the disc, and therefore cannot confirm that this is the case.

Gallery - Photo

   I will not vouch for the total number of photos, but I think it runs to 163 different stills! This can either be viewed as a single gallery in DVD-Video mode or as a smaller bunch assigned to each separate track in DVD-Audio mode. The photos themselves are all either from behind the scenes or from performances and are of very decent quality in general.

Lyrics

   These are either accessed during playback of the songs in DVD-Audio mode or as text from the menu only in DVD-Video mode.

Gallery - Running On Empty Montage (4:59)

   Comprising a whole bunch of still photographs put together into an almost five minute video montage, with the title track of the album playing over the top of the presentation. The presentation is prone to a bit of rather obvious aliasing whenever camera movement takes place. The sound is quite decent Dolby Digital 2.0.

Gallery - Tour Scrapbook (5:46)

   Comprising more of the same, this time with audio bites from various tracks off the album. The presentation is again prone to some aliasing on camera movement, although thankfully far less this time, and there is a slight glitch in the video about twelve seconds from the end of the presentation. It certainly is not serious and is only mentioned for completeness sake. The audio is again quite decent Dolby Digital 2.0.

Web Links

   Navigate to the folder on the disc and you will find a page with a link to Jackson Browne's web site, www.jacksonbrowne.com. It is basically promoting the album The Naked Ride Home, along with other news and information about the man.

Credits

   Covering both the album and the DVD.

    This is the same disc as will be released worldwide.

    Something of an ear-opener as far as I am concerned, and fans of the album will probably be in seventh heaven with this. I don't necessarily consider Running On Empty as a classic album, but others do, and as such this has been treated with a deal of respect in the entire process of preparing the DVD. Whilst I might quibble about the dts soundtrack, the Dolby Digital 2.0 soundtrack is terrific. If the music is to your taste, highly recommended indeed.

Video
Audio
Extras
Plot
Overall