Glastonbury Anthems-The Best of Glastonbury 1994-2004 (2005)

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General		Extras
Category	Music	Menu Animation & Audio Featurette-A Visit ToThe Glastonbury Greenfields Featurette-Glastonbury By Air Featurette-My Glastonbury - Interview With Michael & Jean Eavis in 1995 Gallery-Photo Featurette-Glastonbury Fayre - Footage From 1971 Film Custom Play-Random play of tracks
Rating
Year Of Production	2005
Running Time	83:07 (Case: 114)
RSDL / Flipper	Dual Layered	Cast & Crew
Start Up	Menu
Region Coding	1,2,3,4,5,6	Directed By	Various
Studio Distributor	EMI Music	Starring	Various
Case	Amaray-Transparent-Secure Clip
RPI	$29.95	Music	Various

Video		Audio
Pan & Scan/Full Frame	None	English Linear PCM 48/16 2.0 (1536Kb/s)
Widescreen Aspect Ratio	1.75:1
16x9 Enhancement
Video Format	576i (PAL)
Original Aspect Ratio	1.75:1	Miscellaneous
Jacket Pictures	No
Subtitles	None	Smoking	Yes, some performers smoking.
		Annoying Product Placement	No
		Action In or After Credits	No

    The Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts has been gracing the green fields of Somerset (in the UK) with an eclectic mix of music, art, and lifestyle for over 30 years. On Glastonbury Anthems: The Best of Glastonbury 1994-2004 we are presented with a selection of performances from the main stage over the last ten or so of those years. Being something of a musical dinosaur, I had only heard of a handful of the artists on the disc (Robbie, Macca and Coldplay) and was really looking forward to seeing the rest, given how famous this festival has become (a sort of English Woodstock if the stories are to be believed).

    Well, on the evidence here, you might be forgiven for wondering what all the fuss is about. Most of the acts are presented in derivative, lifeless performances, like some washed-out relic of wannabe 70s bands. The three performers I mentioned show they are a cut above most of the rest, though The Chemical Brothers present a pretty lively number. From what I have seen on the Internet the selection here is rather odd, with headline bands such as Oasis missing and the tracks from the bands on offer not showing them at their best.

    With that in mind, if you like the set list then the presentation is fine. There are brief labels before each song so you know what is coming up, but they don't detract from the show, they help the fade between acts seem more natural. The camera work and editing is not bad, giving a nice feel for both the bands and the crowds (who seem to be having a great time).

    For those of us in Australia there is some local interest with The Levellers making nice use of a didgeridoo. The Extras present an alternative look at Glastonbury, focussing on the small city that grows up in the week of the festival and all of the post-hippie goings-on. The DVD is rated M here in Australia for swearing and nudity; I heard very little of the former and the latter is only a few naked souls dancing in the sunlight in the mid 1970s, all very harmless.

    Overall, a mixed bag of performances presented nicely on the disc. I can't help escaping the feeling that the whole thing is a bit of a missed opportunity, but then again one of the organisers notes that it is "Everything else ... not the bands", so that perhaps this is representative. I would be interested to hear from readers about what they thought were the best and worst performances on this disc, my vote for the latter being The Prodigy with Breathe. The running time on the box cover (114:00) includes the Extras - the time I have listed is for the main feature.

Video

    The video transfer is quite solid, but you have to keep in mind the havoc stage lighting can cause to colours and overall brightness levels.

    The aspect ratio of the transfer is 1.75:1, 16x9 enhanced, which I assume is the original production ratio. I really like watching music DVDs shot in widescreen - the shape of the picture really suits the shape of the stage, and the framing here adds a lot of impact to the viewing experience.

    The focus is reasonably sharp, with some minor variations between the tracks which were filmed across a span of 10 years. Brightness varies considerably depending upon stage lighting in night shots, and the amount of sunlight during daytime tracks, but is satisfactory overall. Shadow detail is generally poor (due to lack of lighting, not limitations in the transfer), and there is no low level noise.

    Colours are predominantly blues and yellows (thanks to the stage lights), which certainly helps the Coldplay track. They are a little subdued in daytime, but not overly so (take a look around 20:11 to judge).

    The transfer is in fine physical shape, with very few artefacts and only a minor hint of aliasing in crowd shots.

    There are no subtitles. I would have appreciated onscreen lyrics.

    The layer change at 53:59 is between songs. It was brief and unobtrusive on my equipment.

Video Ratings Summary

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

Audio

    The audio transfer is fine, which is nice to see (err, hear) on a concert disc, which can often be susceptible to poor microphone placement or variable acoustics.

    There is only the one audio track on the disc. Unusually it is an English Linear PCM 48/16 2.0 surround-encoded track encoded at a bitrate of 1536 Kb/s. It defaulted to Dolby ProLogic on my amplifier and sounded a lot better in this mode, with surround information adding to the 'live' feel of the show.

    The quality of the dialogue (well, the singing) is very much dependent upon the singer and the song, but is as clear as can be expected given the range of performers here, and audio sync is fine.

    The music represents quite a mix of styles, and is well balanced with other audio elements with a reasonably consistent volume level between tracks.

    The level of surround activity in ProLogic mode is pleasing, with some nice forward projection and enveloping audience involvement. If you do not engage the surrounds then the sound is flat but crisp. The subwoofer adds good bass if directed to do so.

Audio Ratings Summary

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

    There is a reasonable selection of Extras here. Most are brief but add some insight into the festival away from the main stage. Some of the songs playing in the background of some features (particularly tracks by The Cosmic Rough Riders and Paul McCartney) add to the feeling that perhaps there are better performances to be had at Glastonbury than we hear on this disc. All of the Extras are presented at an aspect ratio of 1.33:1.

Menu

    The menu is animated with audio. Your menu choices are: Play All, Tracks, By Year, Extras.

Glastonbury By Air

    A short (2:16) aerial view of the festival accompanied by a nice performance of Glastonbury Revisited by The Cosmic Rough Riders.

My Glastonbury

    An interview (running 4:45) with festival founders Michael & Jean Evis from 1995, who provide some background on how they took their farm and turned it into the amazing cultural institution it is now.

Random

    You can play the tracks in random order? OK.

Photo Gallery

    30 snaps from the show and from the larger festival around it.

Glastonbury Fayre

    A short (3:46) excerpt from a 1971 film about the festival. This is a real curio. Oh, and the great music in the background is not The Beatles but Paul McCartney from his 2004 appearance.

Glastonbury Greenfields

    Running for 19:52 this is the real meat of the Extras, and I actually found it more interesting than the main show. It gives a glimpse of the varied activities that take place across the festival site, including alternative energy and agriculture, participative performances, the Green Roadshow and Radio Avalon. There is a little overlap with the other Extras, but if you are into post-hippie culture - this looks like the place to be.

    The Region 1 (and possibly Region 2) release of the disc is similar to the Region 4, but appears to include one more track (Matinee by Franz Ferdinand). This is a little disappointing, but given local availability I will still call this one a tie.

    I have mixed feelings about this disc. While music appreciation is often a matter of taste, I still get the feeling that we have been given an odd collection of tracks here. The overall package is fine, but this may still be one for the bargain bin.

    The video transfer is good for a live show.

    The audio transfer is also good, though the lack of a Dolby Digital track is rather odd.

    The Extras are brief, but of some interest.

Video
Audio
Extras
Plot
Overall