Tina-All the Best: The Live Collection (2005)

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General		Extras
Category	Music	Menu Animation & Audio Interviews-Cast-All The Best Interview Bonus Track-The Best, Open Arms,Paradise Is Here,Be Tender With Me Baby Bonus Track-Cose Della Vita, With Eros Ramazzotti Booklet
Rating
Year Of Production	2005
Running Time	104:20 (Case: 150)
RSDL / Flipper	Dual Layered	Cast & Crew
Start Up	Menu
Region Coding	1,2,3,4,5,6	Directed By	None Given
Studio Distributor	Parlophone EMI Music	Starring	Tina Turner Bryan Adams David Bowie
Case	Amaray-Opaque-Secure Clip
RPI	?	Music	None Given

    I’m not sure why, but when I saw this disc in our “Available for Review” listing here at Michael D’s I thought it was by Tina Arena, possibly to accompany her recently released Greatest Hits DVD. Of course, it is actually by Tina Turner and is another in a string of “live” DVDs now on offer from the very popular star. I already have two discs by Ms Turner in my collection, and was keen to see what this new offering adds to her catalogue.

    Most of the currently available music DVDs in the market come in one of two flavours. The first is a standard “Greatest Hits” affair which offers a selection of songs accompanied by the promo video released at about the same time, and there may also be the odd live cut on these discs. The second type is the concert disc, usually showing the star performing on one or two nights at a particular venue, sometimes following a particular tour. This disc is a variation on this latter format, showcasing key hits (and the odd lesser-known track) performed live across the years 1985-2000.

    The disc must have been a labour of love for Ms Turner, as she is one of its Executive Producers. The list of songs includes some of her better-known numbers (such as Nutbush City Limits and What’s Love Got To Do With It) along with The Best in the Extras section. The performances are dynamic (including excellent performances from the accompanying dancers), and it’s great to see Tina rocking across the years (for this reviewer, she really is at her best live, some of her promo videos are rather ordinary), though some footage from her 1970s performances would also have been welcome.

    I’m sure most fans will lap this up, and there is some interest for the neutrals in excellent guest appearances from David Bowie (on Tonight) and Bryan Adams (on It’s Only Love). As an aside, Adams seems to be a perennial guest artist, he has popped up on several of the DVDs in my collection, including appearances on Live Aid, Elton John and The Who discs. Some of the performances here are classic. I have never really liked the track Steamy Windows, but it sounds awesome here, as does River Deep, Mountain High. I am still waiting for the definitive performance of Nutbush on DVD, but in the interview on this disc Turner notes that she personally prefers the up-tempo version on offer here.

    The appearance by Bowie highlights the only reservation I have with this DVD: it recycles a lot of material already available elsewhere. This guest appearance is also available on the Tina Turner - Simply The Best DVD, and most of the other tracks have already been released on other live DVDs; 7 of the tracks are off her Live in Amsterdam set, and 5 off her farewell concert disc from the year 2000 at Wembley. As a result, while this is a safe selection for someone looking to buy their first disc from this very popular performer, others should check out the track listing first and satisfy themselves that they are getting enough value for their money. That said, I have seen this disc on sale for less than $18, at which price it is a bargain, no matter what other Turner DVDs you may already have in your collection.

Video

    The quality of the footage on this disc is a direct result of the conditions under which it was recorded. If you have any other concert DVDs in your collection you will be aware of the havoc which stage lighting can cause to the picture, but it all adds to the atmosphere and the video transfer is pretty satisfying overall. There is also some variation in picture quality across the disc, reflecting the fact that the footage comes from performances recorded years apart.

    The aspect ratio is 1.29:1 and acceptably close to the ratio of 1.33:1 which is most likely the original.

    The transfer is sharp for the most part, though some of the older (1985) footage is a little soft for my liking (perhaps poor picture quality is the reason for the lack of older footage? - then again it may be ownership rights). Shadow detail is good (where there is any available ambient light) and there is no low level noise. That said, there is a great variation in lighting levels, but once again this is a result of the lighting used at the concert venue. At times parts of the picture are totally black (usually the crowd shots) but the overall effect is to immerse you in the whole concert experience.

    The colours on offer are vivid, with Ms Turner’s costumes showing up nicely, and some of the lighting effects being particularly vivid. Flesh tones come up nicely considering the variable lighting, though you will spot the odd moment of faded colour in some clips (as at 15:57 during Missing You).

    There is very little in the way of physical damage on view, with the only blemish worth noting being the occasional aliasing (as on the microphone at 40:05). The worst offenders are the large monitors on stage, but then these often look pretty ordinary at the show itself, let alone when re-recorded.

    There are no subtitles; as with many of my other music DVDs I would have liked to see lyrics available for those of us who can’t catch all the words, but I can live without them.

    I did not notice any layer change, but it may well have come between tracks. The running time noted on the rear cover of the DVD includes the extras, which seems to be a common feature on many music DVDs.

Video Ratings Summary

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

Audio

    The audio transfer on offer here is very good, particularly the Surround mix. The only two minor issues are some variation in volume level between tracks, and the rather abrupt cut off in sound between them. This transition tends to spoil the effect of viewing a concert, and could have been avoided with better use of the fade control during sound mixing.

    There are two audio tracks available here, an English Dolby Digital 5.1 track encoded at a bitrate of 448 Kb/s and an English Dolby Digital 2.0 track also encoded at 448 Kb/s. The 5.1 mix is the better of the two and the ratings here are based upon that track, as are the comments, unless otherwise noted. I listened to the 5.1 mix in its entirety and to a selection of tracks in the 2.0 mix.

    The vocal performances are excellent, and are well represented in the audio mix. The singing is clear at all times with good audio sync. The crowd are also well represented in the mix, but do not intrude on the artist vocals.

    The music is a good selection from the star's extensive catalogue, and ranges from excellent rock tracks through to occasional ballads, all adding to the excitement and atmosphere of the show.

    The vocals and the music are fused in a surround field which is nicely immersive with the occasional truly stunning moment (for example the drums at 28:54 in Addicted to Love). The crowd effects are nicely placed in the rear surrounds and really give the listener the feeling of being at the venue. While the instruments are naturally placed at the front of the sound field they project forward enough to give depth. The subwoofer supports all of this activity with some very effective bass, and for once the 5.1 remix is not too bottom heavy. By comparison the 2.0 mix is good, with nice forward projection, but it does not compare with the 5.1 mix in developing atmosphere.

Audio Ratings Summary

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

    There is a small but interesting collection of extras present, which is always a bonus on a music DVD.

Menu

    The menu is animated with accompanying music, and from it you can Play the Concert, go to the Track Listing, go to the Extras menu or select your choice of Audio.

Booklet

    This is 8 pages long, and includes the song writing credits and a full list of the DVD contents.

“All the Best” Interview

    Not strictly an interview, this is more a 23:42 monologue from Tina Turner, where she appears to be answering questions we don’t actually hear. It is presented at an aspect ratio of approximately 1.85:1, non 16x9 enhanced, and has crisp video and nice clear audio. While it appears to be promoting a recently released CD, and not this DVD, there is a lot of interesting information to be found here. For one, I did not previously know that Bono and The Edge from U2 wrote the song Goldeneye. Tina comes across as articulate and personable and I enjoyed watching this.

Bonus Tracks

    This one is a little strange. There are 5 bonus songs here, and I’m not sure why 3 of them aren’t in the main show. These three (The Best, Paradise Is Here and Be Tender With Me Baby) are presented with rather flat stereo sound, and all being live performances could have been better presented in the main show with its superior 5.1 mix. Each track must also be selected individually (there is no “Play All” option), which is rather poor.

    The other two tracks seem more like extras, as Open Arms is a TV studio performance (in a widescreen ratio of approximately 1.85:1), and Cose Della Vita (with Eros Ramazzotti) is a standard promotional clip. I must admit to thinking the latter track would be light opera, but it turned out to be a pleasant enough piece of Euro rock.

    The Region 1 version of this DVD appears to be identical to the Region 4, so there is no winner on relative merits. For the potential purchaser, ease of access and price may tip the hat in favour of the local version.

    This is another excellent DVD from Tina Turner, one of the true divas of modern music. The excellent audio mix and generous playing time make it a disc of choice for fans of the star (perhaps alongside her Greatest Hits DVD). If you already have a selection of her discs then the overlap in contents might deter you, though the decent Extras and a good price at some outlets might tempt you as well.

    The video quality is good, especially given the nature of the concert footage.

    The 5.1 audio mix is really good, and the 2.0 mix is solid enough.

    The extras, while not abundant, are interesting, and add to the overall enjoyment and value of the package.

Video
Audio
Extras
Plot
Overall