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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.
Alice in Chains-Music Bank: The Videos (1999)

Alice in Chains-Music Bank: The Videos (1999)

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Released 3-Dec-2001
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Details At A Glance

General		Extras
Category	Music	Main Menu Introduction Main Menu Audio & Animation Discography
Rating
Year Of Production	1999
Running Time	93:33
RSDL / Flipper	No/No	Cast & Crew
Start Up	Menu	Cast & Crew
Region Coding	1,2,3,4,5,6	Directed By	None Given
Studio Distributor	Sony Music	Starring	Layne Staley Jerry Cantrell Mike Inez Sean Kinney
Case	Soft Brackley-Transp	Starring	Layne Staley Jerry Cantrell Mike Inez Sean Kinney
RPI	$24.95	Music	Alice In Chains

Video		Audio
Pan & Scan/Full Frame	Full Frame	English Linear PCM 48/16 2.0 (1536Kb/s) English Dolby Digital 5.1 (448Kb/s)
Widescreen Aspect Ratio	None
16x9 Enhancement	No
Video Format	576i (PAL)
Original Aspect Ratio	1.33:1	Miscellaneous
Jacket Pictures	No	Miscellaneous
Subtitles	None	Smoking	Yes
		Annoying Product Placement	No
		Action In or After Credits	Yes

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

Plot Synopsis

Heavy metal bands encapsulated the escapism and rebellion of so many young people in the 90s. The musical genre was new and unusual - naturally, thousands of youths streamed to the support of these 'out there' bands and their hard-hitting music. I was really a little too young to appreciate heavy metal when it first made the big time with bands such as Alice In Chains, Megadeth, Anthrax, and Metallica. I still have memories of badge-encrusted-duffel-coat-wearing, black-jean-clad, skateboard-riding, tobacco-smoking, long-haired teenagers who followed the heavy metal craze in the mid 90s.

Alice In Chains were first signed to Columbia Records in 1989 after being together for a mere two years. Renowned for their live shows, Alice In Chains toured prolifically, often along with the bands mentioned above. Not only did they tour frequently, they released numerous albums during the 90s, the first of which, Facelift, went gold in September 1991. Since then, the band has never looked back. Since 1999 the band has been on an open-ended hiatus and are not yet planning a reunion.

To ensure the continuing success of Alice In Chains, Columbia Records released the Music Bank in late 1999. Consisting of a mammoth collection of 48 songs spread over 4 discs, the Music Bank is considered by many to be the definitive collection of Heavy Metal music. Music Bank - The Videos is a collection of 17 of the best music videos taken from the Music Bank collection.

Music Bank - The Videos is an excellent collection of videos from Alice In Chains, a must-have for fans of the band. Although not truly a fan, I do like Heavy Metal music, and this DVD was quite enjoyable for me.

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Track Listing

1. We Die Young (Seattle Version)
2. We Die Young
3. Man in the Box
4. Sea of Sorrow
5. Would?
6. Them Bones
7. Angry Chair
8. Rooster
9. What the Hell Have I

10. Down in A Hole
11. No Excuses
12. I Stay Away
13. Grind
14. Heaven Beside You
15. Again
16. Over Now (MTV Unplugged)
17. Get Born Again

Transfer Quality

Video

The video transfer present on this DVD is sufficient for the source material. The artistic license often used in producing music videos does not often lend itself to razor sharp transfers with superb properties. The home video portions of the DVD were quite awful, although this is to be expected with home video camera equipment.

All bar one of the music videos are presented at an aspect ratio of 1.33:1.

In general, sharpness was quite good although some of the early tracks were quite soft. Again, it is difficult to blame the transfer for any problems as music videos vary hugely in quality. Shadow detail was acceptable throughout.

Colour was well saturated throughout with no noticeable problems.

There were no MPEG artefacts or film-to-video artefacts throughout.

There are no subtitles presented on this DVD.

This disc is single layered.

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

Audio

The audio track on this DVD is mastered at a very high level so I had to reduce my reference volume considerably. Aside from this, the soundtrack is very good.

The audio choices consist of a Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack at 448Kbps and a Linear PCM 2.0 soundtrack. The 5.1 soundtrack really shines with a very aggressive musical presentation befitting the heavy metal genre.

Audio sync seemed acceptable, although there were a couple of tracks that were not quite right. It is hard to say if the transfer is to blamed, or the recording.

The surrounds were used extensively to support the music. The 5.1 mix is quite good although there have been better. I found the percussion in the surround channels a little over-the-top.

The subwoofer is used extensively to support kick drums and bass guitar.

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

Extras

There aren't any 'extras' as such on this DVD. There is a 5 minute documentary as well as about 6-7 minutes of home video footage weaved amongst the other tracks. I found this quite annoying as it disrupted the flow of the DVD.

Discography

Complete discography for the band...

Censorship

There is censorship information available for this title. Click here to read it (a new window will open). WARNING: Often these entries contain MAJOR plot spoilers.

R4 vs R1

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

As far as I can tell there is no difference between the R1 and R4 discs. Excepting, of course, the superior PAL picture format.

Summary

Alice In Chains Music Bank - The Videos is a great example of heavy metal music that fans will have to have.

The video quality is acceptable

The audio quality is good.

The extras are very limited.

Ratings (out of 5)

Video
Audio
Extras
Plot
Overall

Review Equipment
DVD	Pioneer DV-535, using S-Video output
Display	RCA 80cm. Calibrated with Video Essentials. This display device is 16x9 capable.
Audio Decoder	Built in to amplifier/receiver. Calibrated with Video Essentials.
Amplification	Onkyo TX-DS787, THX Select
Speakers	All matching Vifa Drivers: centre 2x6.5" + 1" tweeter (d'appolito); fronts and rears 6.5" + 1" tweeter; centre rear 5" + 1" tweeter; sub 10" (150WRMS)

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