TISM-The White Albun (2004)

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General		Extras
Category	Music	Main Menu Audio Featurette-Before The Show Featurette-After The Show Multiple Angles-Ron Cam Multiple Angles-Do It Yourself Edit Trailer-Madman Propaganda CD-The White Albun Featurette-Ron & Humphrey Interviews Featurette-Home Videos Featurette-Film Clips Featurette-Live At Homebake Lyrics DVD Credits
Rating
Year Of Production	2004
Running Time	69:23 (Case: 60)
RSDL / Flipper	Dual Layered Dual Disc Set	Cast & Crew
Start Up	Menu
Region Coding	1,2,3,4,5,6	Directed By	Craig Melville
Studio Distributor	Genre B.Goode Madman Entertainment	Starring	Ron Hitler Barassi Tokin' Blackman Eugene de la Hot-Croix Bun Jock Cheese Humphrey B. Flaubert Les Miserables Jon St. Peenis
Case	Gatefold
RPI	$39.95	Music	None Given

"This Is Serious Mum"

     TISM formed in the early1980s as a band of (largely) anonymous ex university based friends with a shared interest in tongue-in-cheek and irreverent lyrics mixed with pop structured rock and techno beats. The TISM brand of high energy alternative rock songs, bizarre costuming and outrageous stage antics led to a vigorous underground following and semi cult status amongst the back-alleys of Melbourne. After releasing their debut single Defecate On My Face in 1986 and the follow up 40 Years - Then Death in 1987 they had enough material to compile their first album Great Truckin' Songs of the Renaissance. This record contained two vinyl LPs with one disc containing their most popular tracks and the other a mix of interviews and bedroom recordings. Phonogram Records signed the band in 1989 but not until 1991, after signing with Shock Records, did TISM achieve mainstream success. This period saw the band develop a more techno and dance based style which attracted the youth market of the time, and saw three of their singles featured on youth radio station Triple J. Their rise in popularity and increased public exposure also led to protests by conservative groups about the content of their songs and videos - which were designed to shock, amuse and offend. This of course only enhanced their reputation. After a short signing period with Festival Mushroom Records TISM found themselves out of contract in 2002 and effectively finished as a band. A short return to touring however led to the 2003 one-off concert at the Hi Fi Bar which was recorded for DVD and named The White Albun (in parody of The Beatles’ The White Album). In typical TISM style the concert was satirically themed as a "Save Our TISM" benefit, with a fake telethon running in the background. With only limited appearances following that event, and nothing in recent years, it is assumed that although not officially announced, TISM is defunct as a working group.

     The White Albun concert (titled A Film By Antonionioni) begins as a faux "Save Our TISM" telethon benefit hosted by "Marcel Proust" (Mark O'Toole) complete with a unit of telephone operators and props. Apparently needs to raise a million dollars to avoid splitting up after refusing an offer from Powderfinger to merge. TISM take to the stage in support of the telethon dressed in alfoil-like suits and immediately break into their techno favourites interspersed with crowd diving, telethon updates, and various stage incidents (including the tearing off of clothes). Bizarre although it may all sound TISM can really put on a show and there's a lot of fun to be had. The crowd is really pumped and participate in the antics with enthusiasm. When towards the end of the concert Proust (our telethon host) announces that TISM has fallen short of their goal by one dollar, the crowd proceed to pelt him with dollar coins. In hindsight he should have worn a helmet as many coins are seen bouncing off his head. After falling short of their target the band is declared disbanded and the concert concludes abruptly with the curtains closing and Barbra Streisand's The Way We Were playing in the background. At a little over an hour this is a very short but nevertheless entertaining concert. The music is high energy and humorous at the same time, with the stage antics of the seven TISM members always attention grabbing. Although I had seen TISM on late night music TV this concert was a bit of a revelation, and I'll be seeking out more of their material in the future.

Video

     The concert is presented in its original 1.33:1 aspect ratio. This is only a fair video transfer with all the faults usually associated with low budget concert material on display. Colours are patchy with stage lighting making a mash of the black and grey levels and shadow detail. The hand held cameras were often jerky and out of focus with a lot of grain evident - especially in the audience shots. Fortunately there are no obvious film artefacts and no evident faults introduced from the mastering to DVD. Overall, and allowing for the low budget and difficult conditions, the video quality was rated as fair.

     This is a dual layer disc but I could not see the layer change using my equipment.

Video Ratings Summary

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

Audio

     The default Dolby Digital 5.1 at 448Kb/s offering delivers plenty of driving rhythms and accurate front stage action but little with regards to rear surrounds. The Dolby Digital 2.0 at 224 Kb/s offering is slightly more subdued in using left and right directional effects and is also set at a lower sound level. Singing and dialogue is always easy to understand with no synchronisation problems. Overall this is very good concert audio presentation that will get your room jumping if the volume is turned up.

     The front sound stage was very good and clear with main voices coming from the centre channel. Rear surround channel use was limited. The subwoofer was used well and did not overpower the vocals.

Audio Ratings Summary

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

Menu

     The menu featured looping audio with static background.

    Extras - Disc 1

Before The Show (2:36)

     Some brief fan vox pops before the concert and backstage with TISM.

After The Show (4:57)

     More brief fan vox pops - this time after the concert.

Ron Cam

     Enables a viewing of the concert with Ron Hitler-Barassi always in camera shot.

Do It Yourself Edit

     Allows the viewer to select and combine segments from four camera views of Forty Years - Then Death with subsequent viewing on the fly.

Madman Propaganda

     Trailers for: 24 Hour Party People (2:08), Amandla (1:42); A Weekend In The Country (3:43); Standing In The Shadows of Motown (2:02); The Story Of Cool Britannia (2:01); Kung Faux (1:01).

    Extras - Disc 2:

The White Albun CD

     The White Albun CD containing the following tracks:

     1. Everyone Else Has Had More Sex Than Me; 2. Bone Idol; 3. Message From The Big Day Out Port-A-loo; 4. DJ Trevor; 5. I Rooted A Girl Who Rooted A Guy Who Rooted A Girl Who Rooted A Guy Who Rooted A Girl Who Rooted Shane Crawford; 6. The Birth Of Uncool; 7. As Seen On Reality; 8. The Song Of The Quarter Time Siren (Car Battery); 9. Diffident Strokes; 10. Ken Bruce Has Gone Mad; 11. Sorted For D'n'M; 12. Cerebral Knievel; 13. Tonight Harry's Practice Visits The Home Of Charlie "Bird" Parker; 14. Somebody Start A Fight Or Something; 15. Neck It; 16. TISM Are S***.

    Extras - Disc 3

Ron & Humphrey Interviews (21:32)

     TISM Explained by Humphrey B. Flaubert and Ron Hitler-Barassi. Humphrey and Ron explain why no one should be interested in this extra but then proceed with a tongue in cheek exposition on their "art" and origins. Quite entertaining as these blokes are pretty amusing but it's hard to know what's real and what's performance.

Home Videos (57:10)

     Concert and backstage clips of pretty poor (usually bootleg quality) video with 1.33:1 aspect and Dolby Digital 2.0 audio at 224 Kb/s.

• Art - Income Dialectic
• Gerard Manly Hopkins
• Acrid
• Root
• All You Don't Know and All You Don't Need To Know
• The List
• Death Death Death Amway Amway Amway
• Death Death Death Amway Amway Amway (2)
• Death Death Death Amway Amway Amway (3)
• The P**** Is Mightier Than The Sword
• I'll 'Ave Ya
• Backstage
• UOY Sevol Natas
• Give Up For Australia
• Greg! The Stop Sign!!
• All Homeboys Are Dickheads
• Defecate On My Face
• The Caveat Emptour

Film Clips (57:10)

     All music videos with 1.33:1 aspect and Dolby Digital 2.0 audio at 224 Kb/s. Note that clip six has high level (simulated I assume) sexual content.

• Defecate On My Face (4:52)
• Saturday Night Palsy (3:38)
• Let's Form A Company (4:25)
• Greg! The Stop Sign!! (3:27)
• (He'll Never Be An) Ol' Man River (2:24)
• I Might Be A C**t But I'm Not A F***ing C**t (3:03)
• Whatareya? (3:39)
• Thunderbirds (3:29)
• Famous By Fourteen (3:50)

    There are no other versions available.

     The White Albun is an excellent introduction to the world of TISM with clever songs using driving rhythms and a lot of tongue-in-cheek (if vulgar) humour. The concert is disappointingly short however the numerous bonus videos make up for it. The video is fair for a low budget concert offering with audio quality rated as very good. The extras are comprehensive although a lot of it is just filler. Overall I’d class this DVD as recommended.

     Video is fair.

Audio is very good.

Extras are very good.

Video
Audio
Extras
Plot
Overall