Search - Uriah Heep: Magic Night on DVD

There I was on a November evening ....

Cartimand | Hampshire, UK. | 03/19/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

".... looking for great rock. And, oh boy, did I find it at London's Astoria! Thijs van Leer's legendary Focus was a magnificent support act (Eruption and Hocus Pocus being genuinely stunning), keeping the capacity crowd more than happy for 90 minutes. Then the Heepsters took to the stage to thunderous applause. If the tight and powerful renditions of Easy Livin' and Shadows of Grief warmed up the already ecstatic fans, the absolutely blistering Pilgrim (a very underrated Heep classic that doesn't get enough outings) totally blew us away! Mick's screaming guitar, Bernie's wild vocals and Lee's military-marching rhythms coming together perfectly in an absolutely unmissable performance that sent shivers down your spine. The gutsy, hard-edged Bad Bad Man and Devil's Daughter kept the adrenaline going in fine style. The acoustic set that dominates the middle of the show then gave us a chance to get our breath back, the highlight being a sensitive but powerful version of The Wizard. Spirited renditions of Stealin', Been Away too Long and Cry Freedom build up to the seminal July Morning which, believe me, has never sounded better! The guys still hammer out this classic with such enthusiasm and obvious enjoyment that it still sounds as fresh as the first time I heard it on Look at Yourself. Trevor Bolder in particular excelled himself with some almost miraculous bass work. Mick was clearly enjoying himself no end and entertained us with all the great axeman tricks he has made his own - playing above his head and holding that long-loooong note before blowing it out. Lady in Black - a great singalong as ever, closed this remarkable concert, which is one of the best I have ever been to in all the long years I've been into rock.A few comments on the DVD presentation. Strangely, the default audio setting appears to be a Dolby surround sound option that only produces silence on my system. I had to go to the audio link (a tiny option tucked away on the bottom right of the menu) and select basic stereo to get any sound. Stereo separation was good though, with Mick's screaming guitar assaulting you from the left, Bernie and Lee centre stage and Phil & Trevor over on the right. I found the sound did need a little bass boost though. Picture quality is absolutely pin-sharp throughout. The camera angles do flit around rather a lot, but not enough to ruin my enjoyment. My main disappointment is that the Magician's Birthday, including Mick's show-stopping guitar solo, is bizarrely absent from the DVD. I don't know if this has anything to do with the rather nasty strobe effect the lighting guys chose to employ througout Mick's virtuoso performance, but the absence of this track is a big disappointment. Furthermore, it is a shame that most of Bernie's and Mick's banter with the fans between songs has also been cut out. No extras of any kind on the DVD is a bit of a shame too, but let's not get too picky eh? What music fan could grumble at 90 minutes of such sublime rock?So 6 stars for the Heep's great music and maybe 4 for this DVD presentation, equates to a rating of 5 overall in my book. Whatever, I just HAD to buy this!When the camera pans around to the left during Stealin' you can see me (tall guy in the denim) and my son, who enjoyed it every bit as much as I did.This is a great souvenir of a great night and, I'll certainly be there for the 2004 party at Shepherd's Bush Empire!"

Heepster

Ross G. Murray | Australia | 11/04/2007

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Unlike the review from fripono, I was not at this concert so I am not confused between the great night I had and this DVD. Obviously being there was something very special however, I don't believe it comes through on the DVD. While I enjoyed it there are a number of things that are disappointing. I think the tracks selection is average. They run black & white clips from an old silent horror movie during Bad Bad Man, which ruins the visual for this track. Love in silence has a female singing guest. Don't know her connection to the band. She can sing but the song would be better without her. John Lawnton still sounds like he did when with the band and does a good rendition of Been Away Too Long. Never liked the track Cry Freedom and is unfortunately one of the songs. Good to see them do Pilgrim, which they do well. The accoustic set which includes Firefly, Heartless Land the Wizard & Free Me is disappointing. Micks guitar work is a little soft and Phil's keyboard work is weak. The highlights for me are July Morning which is nice and heavy and Wise Man with Pilgrim coming in 3rd. Bernie's vocal work is pretty solid throughout but clearly age is starting to make it harder to get up to the extreme notes. The pictures are sharp and quality. It just doesn't have the polish of the Legend Continues. Still worth a look. The guys still have it."