The Wailers-Live (2002)

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General		Extras
Category	Music	Main Menu Audio & Animation Featurette-Behind The Scenes
Rating	?
Year Of Production	2002
Running Time	83:29
RSDL / Flipper	No/No	Cast & Crew
Start Up	Menu
Region Coding	4	Directed By	Mike Breault
Studio Distributor	Warner Vision	Starring	Gary Pine Aston Barrett Earl Lindo Al Anderson Glen DaCosta
Case	Amaray-Transparent-Secure Clip
RPI	$34.95	Music	The Wailers Bob Marley

    The Wailers are renowned for their early career with Bob Marley and have continued to perform their Reggae fuelled rhythms all over the world since their frontman's passing. This concert was filmed in 2002 at an intimate club venue in the U.S. for cable television and is a good production, the standard of which you would expect from TV.

    The band in this performance consists of only three original members that recorded with Bob Marley; bassist Aston "Familyman" Barrett, organist Earl "Wya" Lindo, and guitarist Al Anderson. Their new vocalist Gary Pine does a great job without trying to emulate Marley too heavily, and although I must admit that I'm not a big fan of reggae (the closest my listening habits come to it is The Police) I don't believe much is lost in the feel of the music with so few original members present.

    Included in the Wailers' setlist are a couple of recognisable Bob Marley tunes, some of which are performed instrumentally - but the gig is hardly bursting at the seams with his classics. Buffalo Soldier is faithfully sung by vocalist Gary Pine with great similarity to the original recording, but there's no I Shot The Sheriff or Get Up Stand Up to be found. If you're a big fan of reggae, you're sure to enjoy this concert DVD.

Video

    This is a good, sharp transfer for a live concert considering it was filmed relatively recently. Much of the camerawork is handheld and comes across rather shakily sometimes, but as a whole the production and transfer is quite professional. The transfer is presented in an aspect of 1.33:1 full frame.

    Colours are generally rich and true, with no signs of bleeding or oversaturation. The stage lighting is relatively natural and doesn't cause the skin tones to lose their natural hues. Black levels are solid and shadow detail is adequate.

    There are no film or MPEG artefacts to be concerned about. A little aliasing can be spotted now and then but it never becomes a problem at all.

    There are no subtitles on this disc.

    The cover slick confusingly states that this disc is both DVD-5 format and dual layer format. It is in fact a single layered disc (DVD-5 format).

Video Ratings Summary

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

Audio

    There are three audio options included on this disc - the default Dolby Digital 5.1, a dts equivalent and a Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo track.

    The mix is clear and sharp, with very few problems to report. Vocals are always prominent and easy to discern, while the cymbals and hi-hats are reproduced with a nice crispness. Guitars and keyboards are spread evenly across the frontal soundstage and never overpower each other. Bottom end response is very good, with lots of depth from the bass guitar and kick drum. There were no issues concerning audio sync.

    Surround usage is limited to crowd noise and some slight spill from the guitar and drums. During the breaks between songs you can clearly make out the cries and heckles from the audience.

    There is little difference between the Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack and its dts equivalent - I would say that the dts is presented at a slightly lower level than the others, but when this is compensated for there is little to separate it from the Dolby Digital 5.1 track.

    The Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo option does a good job of bringing across the live feel of this performance, but lacks the spacious nature that is inherent in the surround mixes.

Audio Ratings Summary

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

Menu

    The main menu is animated and accompanied by audio from the feature. Page transitions fade nicely from one to the next. There is no 16x9 enhancement.

Featurette - Behind The Scenes (2:15)

    This is a short compilation of footage from rehearsals and general preparation for the gig. There are three audio options for this featurette, including dts.

    The video transfer is great for a live performance such as this.

    The audio transfer is nicely enveloping and well mixed.

    There are no extras.

Video
Audio
Extras
Plot
Overall