Chic-Live at the Budokan 1996 (1996)

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General		Extras
Category	Music	Trailer-Donna Summer Live, Superstars Of Seventies Soul Live Trailer-Marc Almond, En Vogue-Live In Alabama
Rating
Year Of Production	1996
Running Time	69:13 (Case: 83)
RSDL / Flipper	No/No	Cast & Crew
Start Up	Programme
Region Coding	1,2,3,4,5,6	Directed By	None Given
Studio Distributor	Umbrella Entertainment	Starring	Nile Rodgers Bernard Edwards
Case	Amaray-Transparent-Secure Clip
RPI	$24.95	Music	Nile Rodgers Bernard Edwards

    If you have heard of Chic, then maybe you remember them as a Disco group from the 70's. Do not be misled - unlike many artists who had Disco style hits in the late 1970s these guys were the real thing, a great funk band, who happened to make some commercially successful tunes during the time of Disco. This band can stand shoulder to shoulder with funk greats such as James Brown, Funkadelic/Parliament, Sly & The Family Stone and Graham Central Station. They were formed in 1977 by Nile Rodgers (Guitar) and Bernard Edwards (Bass) who had been playing together for some time. They recruited two female singers (Norma Jean Wright and Alfa Anderson) and proceeded to rack up quite a few big hit singles and albums including Good Times, Le Freak & Dance, Dance, Dance. The cover photo features this original line-up even though they don't actually all perform the concert. The original band broke up in the 1980s but then Nile and Bernard proceeded to have brilliant careers as producers and continued to perform together. In the early 1990s they recorded a new album as Chic and then toured Japan in 1996. The tour produced this incredible show but also lead to the death of Bernard Edwards in his Tokyo hotel room in April 1996. He died of pneumonia only a few days after this show was recorded. He even mentions during the concert that he does not feel well.

    The show features two different singers, Jill Jones & Sylver Logan Sharp, plus a band of top quality session players including the great drummer Omar Hakim. The new singers are not quite as good as the originals but they can certainly sing and look fantastic on-stage. The stars of the show are undoubtedly Nile & Bernard who run a masterclass in funk bass & guitar playing. Sister Sledge appear to sing their two big hits (both written by Nile & Bernard) and other guests include Steve Winwood and Slash from Guns'n'Roses on one track. The concert seems to have been edited somewhat both in terms of length and running order when compared to the CD version of this show. Unfortunately, a cover of Jimi Hendrix's Stone Free is missing which is a shame. Regardless, this is an excellent live show from a top notch funk band, made all the more important because it was their last show as a band before the untimely death of Bernard Edwards.

    Annoyingly, the disc itself is not time coded and there are no chapter stops. The songs included are:

1. Do That Dance - Pretty much a warm up song but funky nonetheless.
2. He's the Greatest Dancer - Sister Sledge come on to sing this hit of theirs. Their voices are showing their age a little but the funky music certainly holds the track together.
3. We Are Family - Another Sister Sledge tune which takes the show to another level. Great bass and guitar solos are included and it really gets the Japanese crowd dancing.
4. Dance, Dance, Dance - The two new Chic singers return for this number and it keeps the momentum going. Excellent music.
5. I Want Your Love - Not up to the standard of the previous two tracks but still funky and enjoyable.
6. Good Times - Probably the highlight of the set, again featuring great bass and guitar work from the two mainstays of the band.
7. Le Freak - Another great Chic tune which features Slash on lead guitar. Unfortunately, his first solo sounds like he thinks he's playing with Guns'n'Roses but the second one fits better with the tune.
8. Chic Cheer - This track introduces all the band members and allows them all to have a moment in the spotlight. Funky stuff.
9. Just One World - This is not really Chic so much as a duet between a backing singer, Christopher Max, and Sylver Logan Sharp. Not bad but superfluous. It was not included on the CD.

    This is an excellent live show by one of the great funk bands, which is unfortunately the last show they ever performed. Highly recommended for funk fans.

Video

    The video quality is good but not without issue.

    The feature is presented in a 1.33:1 aspect ratio non 16x9 enhanced which is the original aspect ratio.

    The picture was quite clear and sharp throughout although wider shots were softer, whereas close ups were very sharp indeed. There was a little bit of low level noise in blacks especially noticeable towards the end of the show.

    The colour was very good and natural with no issues to report.

    The only noticeable artefact was MPEG grain and some macro-blocking especially noticeable in backgrounds and when the bitrate dipped towards the end of the show. Chic Cheer is the worst affected by this.

    There are no subtitles.
    

Video Ratings Summary

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

Audio

    The audio quality is very good.

    This DVD contains two audio options, an English Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack encoded at 448 Kb/s and an English Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo soundtrack encoded at 224 Kb/s. I listened in full to the 5.1 track which was quite impressive. The stereo track was also fine but the 5.1 was significantly better.

    Vocals were clear and easy to understand and there was no problem with audio sync.

    The music sounded great with excellent definition of the various instruments.

    The surround speakers provided significant atmosphere and a generally immersive sound. The 5.1 remix did not grate by trying to do too much.

    The subwoofer added significant bass to the music, especially assisting with showing off the great bass lines of Bernard Edwards.

Audio Ratings Summary

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

Menu

    The menu was very simple allowing for a choice of soundtracks only.

Trailers

    Trailers for other Umbrella music releases including Donna Summer, Superstars of Seventies Soul, Marc Almond and En Vogue.

    This show does not seem to have been released on DVD in other regions. This edition is coded for all regions.

    The video quality is good.

    The audio quality is very good.

    The disc has no real extras.

Video
Audio
Extras
Plot
Overall