Search - London Suede - Introducing the Band on DVD

Very disappointing

L. Furr II | Mechanicsbug, PA | 07/15/2003

(2 out of 5 stars)

"First off, I am a huge Suede fan, so my low rating is not because I dislike the group. Quite the contrary, Suede is my favorite group. I've seen Suede in concert, own all of their CDs, and can tell you that this DVD does them no justice. My four biggest complaints:1.) The band is not anywhere near its best on this DVD
Bret sounds off key at times, and doesn't seem to be trying to reproduce his album vocals. Perhaps he was just tired from being on the road, but it just seemed like he didn't care about whether or not he sang the songs well. Simon keep the tempo so poorly on several songs that you think you're listening to a garage band. Add to this that the band is very raw, lacking Ed Buller's studio production polish. The Dog Man Star songs especially suffer from this. While the stripped-down style works on songs like Still Life, most of the time you just want to press mute and watch the DVD while playing the CD instead. 2.) The camerawork is horrendous
There is no use of dollies, cranes, or tracks, but rather everything looks like it was shot on a hand-held home camcorder. The lighting is very bad. At times we can't even see the band because everything is so dark. There are no inventive camera angles except for a quick aerial shot near the beginning. During the concert we are forced to watch way too many crowd shots (I never could understand these) and the films which play in the background. This especially seems pointless considering that all the films are included in their entirety on the DVD. Call me weird, but during a concert, I want to see the band, not the crowd, and certainly not the background video. I would blame this on the editor, but quite honestly, the cameramen should not have even given the editor the option to choose crowd shots and background films over band footage.3.) The audio is even worse
The crowd drowns out the band and the recording is absolutely horrible. I've heard Suede bootlegs with better audio than this DVD. I wonder if there was any effort at all to improve the sound quality when manufacturing this DVD, or if they just popped in the VHS version and a blank DVD and pushed RECORD.4.) The editing is worse still
You would think it common sense that during a guitar solo you'd get to see the guitarist, but not here. Every time Richard has a great solo (like on Metal Mickey, The Asphalt World, or Animal Nitrate), rather than get to see his fingers do their magic, we are instead treated with watching Bret clap his hands, slap his arse, jump up and down, or do all three. Now I do consider Brett to be a formidable performer and it is quite entertaining to watch his stage antics, but during a guitar solo I want to see the GUITARIST!The funny thing is, I remember watching this concert on VHS many years ago when it first came out and actually liking it. I guess that was before I saw Suede in concert and saw how good they were. I'm also guessing that I probably chalked up all its shortcomings to the VHS format. Unfortunately, the DVD is no improvement at all.If you want a good Suede DVD, buy "Lost in TV". If you want to see a live performance on DVD the way live performances are supposed to be, buy The Cure's "Trilogy". Different band I know, but what a wonderfully performed and recorded concert. It's too bad "Introducing the Band" wasn't done better. Suede is great live, but you'd never guess it watching this DVD."

Quite accurate

amnestymatt | Seattle | 08/27/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Just to counter the negative review a bit, this is a live show. There are wrong notes here and there. There are off key vocals here and there. That's part of the charm of live shows, unless of course, you're perfect. It's live, not studio, live. That being said, it is quite fantastic. It documents the band when they were really at their best. It is packed with energy and emotion, something that often gets washed away with slick studio production. It is raw, as mentioned, and that is why it is so great. Camera work? I like it. It's natural, gives you some vantages you wouldn't have if you were there, and feels as raw as the music without being sloppy.For the most part the sound is quite nice..better than I expected anyway. There are a few places where it really gets a bit muffled, but I bet you'll enjoy it anyway. Cheers!"

Suede, rule okay.

Bret E. Parks | Walnut Cove, NC United States | 10/10/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Any true Suede fan will love this REISSUE of the classic video. Having to tour films on dvd is worth the price alone. The extras are great as well. The only odd thing is the preview of the Lost in TV dvd that was released almost a year ago. But, hey, Suede rule okay."