Duran Duran-Live from London (2004)

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Video		Audio
Pan & Scan/Full Frame	None	English Dolby Digital 2.0 (384Kb/s) English Dolby Digital 2.0 (192Kb/s) English Dolby Digital 5.1 (448Kb/s) English dts 5.1 (768Kb/s) English Audio Commentary Dolby Digital 2.0 (192Kb/s)
Widescreen Aspect Ratio	1.78:1
16x9 Enhancement
Video Format	576i (PAL)
Original Aspect Ratio	1.78:1	Miscellaneous
Jacket Pictures	No
Subtitles	None	Smoking	No
		Annoying Product Placement	No
		Action In or After Credits	No

    Duran Duran were once the biggest band in the world with the good looking, suave members all household names and poster boys on several million bedroom walls of captivated teenage girls. In the early to mid 1980s Duran Duran was at the forefront of the new romantic movement and could do very little wrong, with millions of record sales, massive tours and a huge following from thousands of screaming teenagers around the globe. Even teenage boys loved them with plenty of scantily clad women in bikinis appearing in their expensive and often flamboyant videos that were at the forefront of that recent phenomenon. With hits such as Girls On Film, Rio, Hungry Like the Wolf, The Reflex and the James Bond theme A View to a Kill the five lads from Birmingham UK were on top of the world. Things of course never stay the same, and after the Live Aid concert the band started to go their separate ways. Various solo projects ensued for the five and while Duran Duran the band did continue in name (with several line-up changes) and with a couple of minor hits such as Ordinary World it was not until 2001 that the original five who started it all decided to get back together and recorded again. Throw in a UK tour to the mix and fans of this 80s supergroup could begin to salivate again.

    This DVD features a concert that was filmed at London's Wembley Arena in April 2004. The show features the five original Duran Duran members with Nick Rhodes on keyboards, John Taylor handling bass, Roger Taylor on drums, Andy Taylor on lead guitar, and instantly recognisable (despite the addition of a few kilos) Simon Le Bon on lead vocals. Incidentally, unlike a band such as INXS which features three brothers, none of the Taylors in Duran Duran are related.

    Released simultaneously as both a single disc (which is the copy we were provided for review) and double-disc editions, Duran Duran: Live From London sees the original band during their spectacular 17 date 2004 arena tour. These are the first shows to be recorded since Duran Duran got back together in 2001 and features almost all of the hits from their 25 year catalogue, together with versions of some of the singles from their most recent album, 2004's Astronaut.

    The concert was directed by award-winning film-maker Lawrence Jordan, and it is easily among the most professional and big-budget looking concert films I have seen for some time. Slick editing with crystal clear vision provided by multiple cameras, with just enough glimpses of the audience to make you realise it is a big live show, coupled with flashy images on the screen behind the stage and a massive lighting rig make this a concert to savour. It harks back to the flamboyant 80s on many occasions (though thankfully there is no big hair in sight) and the lads seem to be really enjoying themselves. Throw in a great video and audio selection plus a pack of extras and this is a concert disc that is required viewing by any fan of '80s music.

    While we were not provided the double DVD/CD version of the disc for review, from what I can gather it includes the extras found on this single disc version plus a more comprehensive twelve-page booklet, a ten-track live bonus CD and a version of I Don't Want Your Love in 3D (with 3D glasses included).

    The following 20 songs get a run in this quite lengthy 112 minute concert:

Video

    This is a lovely widescreen transfer that really does look an absolute treat and is easily among the best video transfers I have seen for a stadium concert.

    It is presented in an aspect of 1.78:1 and is also 16x9 enhanced.

    Shot with some fourteen 1080 24p high-definition cameras this transfer benefits greatly from being recorded on high definition broadcast video, and as such it is extremely sharp and detailed throughout. There is no trace of any edge enhancement and there is not a single problem with shadow detail. Grain is absent and there is no low level noise. It really is that clear and detailed you feel like you are almost there.

    The colour palette isn't affected by the usual problems associated with so many concert shows. The majority of the lighting rig is quite bright with white being the dominant shade.

    There are no MPEG artefacts present, and no video artefacts of any sort. Given the nature and youth of the source material, this is not unexpected.

    No subtitles are available on this disc, which is a bit of a shame.

    This disc is a dual layered disc with RSDL formatting. The layer change occurs between Ordinary World and Night Boat at 54:18.

Video Ratings Summary

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

Audio

    There are a staggering five audio soundtracks on this disc, covering just about the full gamut of what is available. Two are Dolby Digital efforts, in 5.1 and 2.0 stereo respectively. There is also an SRS Circle Surround track that provides some element of surround activity from standard two channel audio setups, plus a lovely pumping dts 5.1 track. Rounding out the selection is an all-too-rare concert commentary track for many of the songs. I briefly sampled the two dual channel tracks while listening predominately to the two 5.1 tracks. In a word - they rock!

    The Dolby Digital and dts tracks are cracking and very similar in terms of quality. Both offer some of the most enveloping and immersive surround experiences yet heard while thumping at you from all speakers. This is almost like being there and you are placed squarely in the centre of the stage with instrumentation all around. The level of instrument separation and sheer clarity is amazing, while the vocals are as clear and precise as they can be.

    There is plenty of surround channel use from both 5.1 soundtracks. The usual sounds of audience clapping and cheering from the rears emanate throughout the performance to impart that 'front-row' feeling.

    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

    There's a half-decent collection of extras on this disc, despite the packaging not mentioning a single one (hint for marketing people - if you want people to buy DVDs you need to detail on the back cover slick just what is on the disc).

Menu Animation & Audio

Booklet

    A small booklet (it's only four colour pages) with a couple of photos and a listing of the full Duran Duran tour personnel.

Featurette - Documentary

    Running for 27:49 this is a new documentary that features interviews with all five original band members coupled with some location shots around their old haunts in Birmingham plus some back stage footage of the 2004 concerts. Some good history of the band is provided, proving they were a far more complex group than many probably give them credit for.

Gallery-Photo

    An automatically running slideshow style photo gallery featuring colour photos taken during the concert set to the song Save A Prayer. Runs for approximately 6:20.

Audio Commentary

    This is not a separate commentary soundtrack for the entire concert but selected commentaries accessed via a menu showing the five band members in a line with guitars. Select the band member of your choice with your remote and you'll get a choice of two songs that the selected band member will talk about. They discuss a mix of the actual concert performance and the history of the song. Quite enlightening and presented really well.

    The songs and the band member who talks about them are as follows:

    John Taylor – A View To A Kill, Notorious
    Roger Taylor – Hungry Like The Wolf, (Reach Up For The) Sunrise
    Simon Le Bon – The Chauffeur, Ordinary World
    Nick Rhodes – Come Undone, Whatever Happens Tomorrow
    Andy Taylor – Is There Something I Should Know, New Religion

DVD Credits

    Simply lists the people involved with the production of the DVD.

    The Region 1 and UK Region 2 version of this concert has also been released as either a standard edition, which is the same as this Region 4 disc reviewed, or a deluxe edition which includes a 10-track live CD and a 3D version of I Don’t Want Your Love with 3D glasses included.

    Duran Duran Live From London is the sort of quality concert DVD we have come to expect in 2006. Clear, colourful and highly detailed video, classy and powerful soundtracks coupled with a swag of meaty extras. Top it off with a great performance from a bunch of guys who prove they are certainly not has-beens and this is a disc that comes highly recommended for both Duran fans and those looking for a top-shelf music DVD.

Video
Audio
Extras
Plot
Overall