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PLEASE NOTE: Michael D's is currently in READ ONLY MODE. Anything submitted will simply not be written to the database.
Lots of stuff is still broken, but at least reviews can now be looked up and read.
Kool & the Gang-Live from House of Blues (2001)

Kool & the Gang-Live from House of Blues (2001)

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Released 8-Feb-2002

Cover Art

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Details At A Glance

General Extras
Category Music Main Menu Introduction
Menu Animation
Featurette-Kool & The Gang - Keeping the Funk Alive
Rating Rated G
Year Of Production 2001
Running Time 84:32
RSDL / Flipper RSDL (53:53) Cast & Crew
Start Up Menu
Region Coding 2,4 Directed By Kerry Asmussen
Studio
Distributor

Warner Vision
Starring Robert Bell
Dennis Thomas
Khalis Bayyan
Charles Smith
George Brown
Case Soft Brackley-Transp
RPI $39.95 Music Kool & The Gang


Video Audio
Pan & Scan/Full Frame None English Dolby Digital 5.1 (448Kb/s)
English Dolby Digital 2.0 (224Kb/s)
English dts 5.1 (1536Kb/s)
Widescreen Aspect Ratio 1.75:1
16x9 Enhancement
Not 16x9 Enhanced
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

NOTE: The Profanity Filter is ON. Turn it off here.

Plot Synopsis

    This is another disc in Warner Vision's ongoing series from House of Blues, this time featuring the legendary band Kool & The Gang.

    This live performance was recorded at the Chicago House of Blues club, celebrating the band's 30th anniversary. During this live set, the band performs some of their well-known early tracks as well as a number of tracks from their later albums. This performance features most of the original members of the band as well as a number of newer members with over a dozen performers on stage simultaneously.

    Kool & The Gang will be known to many people by their classic track Celebration or from their track Jungle Boogie, featured in the Pulp Fiction soundtrack. If you are a fan of the band you will definitely enjoy the live performance that is well presented on this disc.

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Track Listing

1. Emergency
2. Hollywood Swinging
3. Jungle Boogie
4. Kool & The Gang
5. Breeze & Soul
6. Chocolate Buttermilk
7. Sea Of Tranquility
8. Let The Music Take Your Mind
9. Wild & Peaceful
10. Open Sesame
11. Summer Madness
12. Ladies Night
13. Get Down On It
14. Celebration

Transfer Quality

Video

    The excellent transfer is presented at an aspect ratio of 1.75:1 but unfortunately is NOT 16x9 enhanced.

    The transfer is very sharp throughout and only appears slightly soft during some long shots due to the fine smoke that is present in the club. No low-level noise was detected at any stage during the transfer. Excellent levels of shadow detail are visible during the transfer with the numerous dark shots of the crowd and sides of the stage always displaying high levels of detail.

    A vibrant colour palette is displayed during this transfer. The stage lighting for the band utilizes a range of extreme colours including reds, purples, blues and some yellow. This lighting configuration is typical for performances at House Of Blues venues and is not distracting to the viewer.

    A small number of Gibbs artefacts may be seen during the closing credits at 82:51. These are only very minimally distracting to the viewer.

    A small amount of aliasing may also be seen during the transfer. Some examples of this may be seen at 1:58, 6:39, 10:24, 14:11, 14:23 and 14:46. Each of these instances are quite minor and are only minimally distracting.

    As this performance was shot on tape no film artefacts are present during the transfer.

    No subtitles are provided on this disc.

    The layer change occurs at 53:53, part way through Chapter 11 at the end of a track and is only minimally disruptive.

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

Audio

    The default track on this disc is a 448 kbps English Dolby Digital 5.1 mix. Additionally present are a Dolby Digital 224 kbps 2.0 and a dts 1536 kbps 5.1 track. I listened to all tracks in full and found both the surround tracks to be of much higher quality than the 2.0 mix. I found it difficult to discern any differences between the dts and Dolby Digital 5.1 tracks.

    The lyrics are clear and easy to understand at all times and no problems with dropouts or audio sync were detected during the transfer.

    The surround channels in both the surround mixes are used for crowd noises as well as some musical instruments that are replicated from the front channels. When compared to the surround mixes, the 2.0 mix is clearly muffled and sounds like a poor quality downmix.

    The subwoofer is used moderately throughout but never draws attention to itself.

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

Extras

Menu

    The animated menu is presented at an aspect ratio of 1.33:1.

Documentary: Kool & The Gang - Keeping the Funk Alive (12:01)

    This is a short interview with various band members discussing how the band was formed, their unexpected success, their album releases and the inspiration for various tracks. This featurette is presented with a Dolby Digital 2.0 soundtrack at an aspect ratio of 1.78:1 and is not 16x9 enhanced.

R4 vs R1

NOTE: To view non-R4 releases, your equipment needs to be multi-zone compatible and usually also NTSC compatible.

    Both versions of this DVD appear to be identical and I therefore would have no preference for either version.

Summary

    Kool & The Gang Live From House of Blues is an enjoyable live performance that will be appreciated by all fans of the band.

    This excellent video transfer is only let down by its lack of 16x9 enhancement.

    The dts and Dolby Digital 5.1 mixes help to capture this live performance.

    The documentary contains some interesting comments by band members but this could have been supplemented with some biographical information and a discography for people unfamiliar with the band.

Ratings (out of 5)

Video
Audio
Extras
Plot
Overall

© Anthony Kable (read my bio)
Thursday, April 11, 2002
Review Equipment
DVDToshiba 1200, using S-Video output
DisplaySony KP-E41SN11. Calibrated with Video Essentials.
Audio DecoderBuilt in to amplifier/receiver. Calibrated with Video Essentials.
AmplificationFront left/right: ME75b; Center: DA50ES; rear left/right: DA50ES; subwoofer: NAD 2600 (Bridged)
SpeakersFront left/right: VAF DC-X; Center: VAF DC-6; rear left/right: VAF DC-7; subwoofer: Custom NHT-1259

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