The Angels-Live at Narara (1983) |
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The Angels-Live at Narara (1983) |
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| General | Extras | ||
| Category | Music | Audio Commentary-Commentary by Doc Neeson | |
| Rating |
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| Year Of Production | 1983 | ||
| Running Time | 47:26 | ||
| RSDL / Flipper | No/No | Cast & Crew | |
| Start Up | Menu | ||
| Region Coding | 1,2,3,4,5,6 | Directed By | Robert Eagle |
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Studio
Distributor |
Liberation Music | Starring |
Doc Neeson John Brewster Rick Brewster Jim Hilbun Brent Eccles |
| Case | Amaray-Transparent-Dual | ||
| RPI | ? | Music | The Angels |
| Video | Audio | ||
| Pan & Scan/Full Frame | None |
English Dolby Digital 5.1 (448Kb/s) English Audio Commentary Dolby Digital 2.0 (192Kb/s) |
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| Widescreen Aspect Ratio | None | ||
| 16x9 Enhancement | No | ||
| Video Format | 576i (PAL) | ||
| Original Aspect Ratio | 1.33:1 | Miscellaneous | |
| Jacket Pictures | No | ||
| Subtitles | None | Smoking | No |
| Annoying Product Placement | No | ||
| Action In or After Credits | No | ||
“this is it folks - over the top!”
The Australian pub scene of the 1970's and 80's saw the emergence of classic pub-rock acts such as Cold Chisel, Australian Crawl, Hunters and Collectors, and the subject of this review - The Angels.
The core of the band was formed in 1970 by brothers Rick and John Brewster who were joined a year later by Belfast native Doc Neeson. Doc would arguably become one of the most charismatic rock 'n roll front men to ever front an Australian band. In 1975 after a number of years in the Adelaide music scene and on the recommendation of Bon Scott and Malcolm Young from AC/DC, the band was signed by the Albert recording label. At this point the band was named simply The Angels, and so began a musical collaboration that would continue under various iterations to this day.The Live at Narara concert was recorded on January 29, 1983 on the Central Coast of New South Wales near Narara in front of an estimated 40,000 fans. Unfortunately some songs from the concert were lost due to technical difficulties, however the surviving 46 minutes were edited together and simulcast on Channel 10 and Triple M radio. The concert was subsequently released on VHS and became Australia's highest selling music release - a distinction which continued for many years. This DVD with digitally re-mastered audio has been released as a special edition double pack with the Beyond Salvation Live DVD recorded during the band's Beyond Salvation Tour in 1990.
Being a follower of Australian pub rock of that vintage but never having seen The Angels live I was keen to see them in action. From the opening track it is obvious that Doc is in top form and bouncing off the energy that is coming from the enthusiastic crowd - understandable energy given that the legendary Australian band INXS preceded them. Although a couple of classic tracks such as Am I Ever Going To See Your Face Again are missing, there are enough favourites remaining to make this a satisfying, albeit short set. Transitions between songs which have been edited together are usually seamless however inexplicably, following After The Rain, we are reminded that we are watching The Angels-Live At Narara by way of a transition slide. I found this intrusion unnecessary although it was only a minor interruption to the flow of the concert overall. Interestingly during the closing track of Marseilles there is a nod to AC/DC by way of a small sampling of Back In Black. Whether this was standard routine or ad-hoc I don't know, but it was a nice inclusion anyway. Doc then proceeds to climb stage scaffolding for a better view of the surroundings and for some crowd interaction. No OH&S issues in those days!This concert is essential viewing for lovers of classic Australian rock.
| 1. Comin' Down 2. Eat City 3. Mr. Damage 4. Stand Up 5. No Secrets 6. Tale A Long Line | 7. After The Rain 8. Shoot It Up 9. Shadow Boxer 10. Is That You 11. Marseilles |
The video quality is acceptable given the age of recording and source material.
As you would expect the aspect ratio is the same as the original source at 1.33:1.
Considering that this video was shot over 25 years ago under less than optimal concert conditions the soft focus and grainy appearance is expected. Shadow detail is not good and colours outside of the stage spotlights are generally muted. On the positive side there are minimal film artefacts and no evident faults introduced in the mastering to DVD. I haven't seen the VHS video of this concert but imagine there were no significant improvements made in this transfer to DVD.
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| Film-To-Video Artefacts | |
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A re-mastered Dolby Digital 5.1 audio track encoded at 448 Kb/s has been included which adds some ambience to the concert experience. Most sound comes from the front three speakers.
Dialogue, both spoken and sung, was clear and easy to understand.
Surrounds are not used aggressively and are really only noticeable in between tracks where the crowd reactions are emphasised. There is not much separation in content between front and centre speakers although often an opening guitar riff is directed from the front right sound stage. There are no significant audio synchronisation problems.
The subwoofer is used effectively to emphasise the driving rhythm section and really pumps when the volume levels are increased.
| Dialogue | |
| Audio Sync | |
| Clicks/Pops/Dropouts | |
| Surround Channel Use | |
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| Overall | |
The menu was still and includes music.
A supplementary Dolby Digital 2.0 at 192 Kb/s audio track is included featuring commentary by Doc Neeson. It runs for the entire length of the video and consists mostly of Doc explaining song origins or experiences during the concert. For example Doc notes that Comin' Down was placed as the opening track in reaction to the then Queensland State Premier Joh Bjelke-Petersen's law forbidding general assembly and association. Overall Doc speaks intelligently and provides some interesting insights into the songs and concert itself.
NOTE: To view non-R4 releases, your equipment needs to be multi-zone compatible and usually also NTSC compatible.
Region 4 is your only option.
Live at Narara provides a great insight into why The Angels were one of the great Australian bands of the 70s and 80s, and why Doc Neeson is widely regarded as a legend alongside compatriots such as Michael Hutchence and Angus Young. It's unfortunate that the full concert recording doesn't exist as that would have earned a higher recommendation. Nevertheless The Angels-Live at Narara remains a must have concert DVD for all fans of The Angels, and a valuable library addition for all lovers of Australian rock.
The video quality is good.
The audio quality is good.
The extras commentary is well worth a listen.
| Video | |
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| Extras | |
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| Review Equipment | |
| DVD | Denon DVD-3910, using HDMI output |
| Display | Panasonic TH-58PZ850A. Calibrated with Digital Video Essentials (PAL). This display device is 16x9 capable. This display device has a maximum native resolution of 1080p. |
| Audio Decoder | Built in to amplifier/receiver. Calibrated with Digital Video Essentials (PAL). |
| Amplification | Denon AVR-3808 pre-out to Elektra Theatron 7 channel amp |
| Speakers | B&W |