Search - Girlschool: Live From London on DVD

IT'LL DO FOR THE TIME BEING

Michael Thomas Pazera | 01/24/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Being a HUGE fan of Girlschool, and having a copy of this on VHS that someone made for me (the 30 second intro on the DVD is different than on the VHS, but other than that it's the same show), it was kinda nice to get this on DVD and for not too bad of a price. True, it would be better to have a show during the time of their 1st or 2nd lps when they were heavier, but until that time comes (let's cross our fingers and /or pray),this will be worth getting for those who like the sound (and look!) of an all female band who never drastically altered their sound for the worse. Some weaker moments creep in ("Play Dirty" for example, which doesn't have the bite that a song like "Kick it down" could have provided). And, this was during the time when their Running Wild album came out, which has a bit of a poppier sound than their previous CDs. Thankfully, the better half of those 10 songs are included here. Due to the fact that Running Wild was never released on CD (I only have on cassette) makes this a cool purchase. This does include Jackie Bodimead doing lead vocals on some songs -and keyboards which honestly I can't hear at all. Talk about hair metal to the extreme! The other girls perform great (in tight black pants as I'm sure you need to know!), especially drummer Denise who hits it harder and much more often than the drummer for AC/DC! Lead guitarist Chris Bonacci does a pretty good job in filling Kelly Johnson's shoes. A good concert for the most part, and until another DVD comes out (hopefully an early show with Kelly), this is certainly better than going without. One final note: I had the supreme privilge of seeing Girlschool play at the Milwaukee Metalfest in 1993. They played last on the bill after all the "big" names played and left (Ice T's Bodycount, Flotsam and Jetsam, Testament, etc.)and their short set(around 25 min) was the highlight of the evening. Trouble disappointed by not showing up as advertised, so the sight of Denise walking on stage was one of the best things I've seen in my life. And when I asked the lady getting ready to play guitar what her name was (she definately was not Chris Bonacci) and she replied with "Kelly", people freaked out! Someone exclaimed "Kelly is back"! I would love to have THAT show on DVD! They also played shortly afterward in Chicago at the Thirsty Whale (probably a much longer show), but the internet provides some glimpses of the Kelly era. Not much in the way of extras on this DVD, it does show other available items, however, in the same series including a Magnum DVD which has aroused my interest."