Gary Moore and the Midnight Blues Band-Live at Montreux 1990 (1990)

This review is sponsored by

BUY IT

General		Extras
Category	Music	Menu Animation & Audio Booklet Bonus Track-Out In The Fields, Over The Hills, Parisienne Walkways
Rating
Year Of Production	1990
Running Time	105:53 (Case: 130)
RSDL / Flipper	RSDL (65:14)	Cast & Crew
Start Up	Menu
Region Coding	4	Directed By	None Given
Studio Distributor	Montreux Sounds Rajon Vision	Starring	Gary Moore Don Airey
Case	Amaray-Transparent-Secure Clip
RPI	$29.95	Music	None Given

    Founded in 1967, the Montreux Jazz Festival has established itself as one of the most prestigious annual music events in the world. The extraordinary list of artists who have played Montreux is drawn from across the musical spectrum (it's not just limited to jazz as the name might suggest) and from around the world. It includes the likes of Ella Fitzgerald, Aretha Franklin, Miles Davis, Van Morrison, Dizzy Gillespie, Dexter Gordon, BB King, Santana, Johnny Cash and even decidedly non-jazz groups such as The Corrs and ZZ Top. 2006 sees the festival celebrate its 40th anniversary with the event to take place in the Swiss town from June 30 to July 15.

    In 1990 the crowd at Montreux was treated to the first of many performances from Gary Moore and The Midnight Blues Band. Moore was riding the crest of a wave of mainstream popularity at the time thanks to frequent radio rotation of his hits Walking By Myself and the soaring Still Got The Blues from the album of the same name. Born in Northern Ireland, Moore is regarded by many as one of the finest musicians that Britain has ever produced. His career dates back to the 1960s and he has graced the line-ups of several rock bands including Thin Lizzy, Colosseum II and Skid Row.

    With chart success bringing huge popularity and instant recognition, Moore and band are on top of their game for this 1990 show. Joining Moore on stage are Don Airey on keyboards, Andy Pyle on bass, Graham Walker on drums and a horn section of Frank Mead, Nick Pentelow, Nick Payn and Martin Drover. Running for just under two hours there are 16 songs on the set list with many highlights. These would have to include a blistering Still Got The Blues, the instrumental The Stumble, Midnight Blues, and three songs featuring blues legend Albert Collins who joins the stage for Too Tired, Cold Cold Feeling and Further On Up The Road.

    As someone who has never quite "got" the blues and why fans are so passionate about it, this show is probably as good a place as any to gain some sort of understanding into the art and its power. A couple of these songs literally make the hair on the back of your neck stand up and bring a lump to the throat. That I think is the power of the blues at work.

    The following tracks are featured in this 100 minute show:

Video

    All of the Montreux titles have so far exhibited excellent video quality despite some of the material getting quite long in the tooth. Gary Moore and The Midnight Blues Band Live At Montreux features probably the best video transfer to date of all the titles I have looked at.

    The aspect ratio of this concert is 1.29:1 and it is not 16x9 enhanced.

    The level of sharpness and detail is excellent with every bead of perspiration easily seen glistening on Gary Moore's forehead as he pumps out another guitar break. There is no grain at all and no low level noise in the black areas.

    Like the other discs in the series, the colours are solid without being spectacular.

    No compression artefacts were detected. Video artefacts are mostly absent except for some excessive comet trails noticeable whenever a bright light source flashes momentarily on the screen or the light catches a reflective surface such as a guitar face.

    There are no subtitles.

    Unlike the other discs in the Montreux series that I have reviewed, this one is a dual layered effort with the layer change at 65:14.

Video Ratings Summary

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

Audio

    Gary Moore Live At Montreux follows the standard set by the other discs in the series when it comes to audio options. Once again we spoilt for choice with three audio tracks available covering all possibilities and personal preferences. A Dolby Digital 5.1 surround effort is joined by a lovely PCM stereo 2.0 track and a delightful dts 5.1 surround soundtrack.

    Like the similar vintage Moody Blues Montreux disc, the quality of the remastered tracks here is excellent. They are not quite top shelf but are close with clear instrument separation, solid vocals and a wide dynamic range. There's not a whole stack of solid or powerful surround activity, but the front soundstage is utilised fully and will please even the fussiest fan.

    The sub is nicely integrated. The Dolby Digital 5.1 track makes more use of it than the dts track, but both offer seamless bass throughout.

Audio Ratings Summary

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

Menu Animation & Audio

Booklet

    A six-page fold-out style of booklet that in addition to advertising some of the other Live at Montreux titles includes a comprehensive Gary Moore history written by Michael Heatley and a reproduction of the 1990 official festival poster.

Bonus Track

    Three bonus tracks, Out In The Fields, Over The Hills and Parisienne Walkways are included as extras. These songs are taken from Gary Moore's 1997 appearance at Montreux and seem to be before a much larger crowd. Audio is limited to a PCM 2.0 stereo track only. Total running time is 26:54.

    The Region 1 disc appears identical to the Region 4 version.

    Gary Moore and The Midnight Blues Band - Live At Montreux is another disc in the series of titles from the Montreux Jazz Festival. For anyone who can't work out why the blues can make grown men cry, this is a disc to savour. An artist of exquisite talent, Gary Moore was at the very top of his game for this 1990 performance. A great selection of tracks including the radio-friendly Still Got The Blues and Walking By Myself are featured in this 100 minute concert.

    As with most of the other titles in this series, the video quality is excellent, while the audio, which includes an excellent dts soundtrack, shines as a better than average effort.

    The extras include a booklet and three bonus tracks taken from a later Montreux appearance.

Video
Audio
Extras
Plot
Overall