DVD review - The Concert for Bangladesh
Robert Rouse
November 13, 2005
In early spring of 1972, I was still a junior in high school. I was a seventeen-year old musician who was still hoping against hope that the Beatles would get back together. The first time I ever heard Badfinger on the radio, I was certain my wish had come true. It was never to be. But that same spring, I was able to witness the magic that was George Harrison and friends in the film version of "The Concert for Bangladesh". Harrison had managed to assemble some of the finest musicians of the time for a single concert on August 1, 1971 at Madison Square Gardens in New York City. But this wasn't like any concert that had happened before. This concert was for the benefit of the peoples of Bangladesh, a small nation on the eastern arm of India. This was the first of the superstar charity concerts, the real precursor to Live Aid and similar concerts.
And now it is 2005 and (thanks to Rhino - man, could there be a better friend to classic rock?) the film has finally been released on DVD. I found the video to be a little grainy, but what can you expect from a concert film that was shot on 16mm film thirty-four years ago? But it is the music and audio that remain timeless, especially the resulting remix into the 5.1 audio format. Crisp, clear sound, even better than I remember from 1972. Watching the film for the first time since high school, a few memories immediately came rushing back. During some of the performances, especially those of Ringo Starr and Bob Dylan, I was reminded of how annoyed I was that Saul Swimmer hadn't set up for better camera angles. Microphone stands that stay in the line of sight some times take you out of the moment and you wish you could see the performance from a different angle. But this is nitpicking on my part. Over all, it is a joy to catch George in the prime of his life as a solo performer. "My Sweet Lord", "While My Guitar Gently Weeps", "Here Comes the Sun", "Something", and "Bangla Desh" all stand up as classic live performances.
When the DVD starts, there is a splash screen that shows the crowd at MSG waiting for George to come out. The options are simple, ? Play Concert ? Songs ? Audio ? Subtitles ?.
As a teenager, I recall being disappointed that the first concert footage we saw was of Ravi Shankar and his Indian sidemen, but this is a different time and I am astonished at the skill Shankar demonstrates on his sitar and have grown to appreciate his contributions to Harrison's growth as a musician. And of course, there's the fascination of knowing he is the father of one of my favorite new artists, Norah Jones.
In addition to wonderful performances by Harrison, Billy Preston, Ringo Starr, Leon Russell, and Bob Dylan, we're treated to the artistic adroitness of musicians like perpetual Beatles' solo artist sidemen, Jesse Ed Davis and Jim Keltner, Manfred Mann bassist and Beatles' Hamburg friend, Klaus Voorman, an acoustic guitar section made up of the members of Badfinger, Jim Horn leading a great horn section, and of course, the great Eric Clapton.
The second disc contains all the bonus features, including a documentary revisiting the concert and some great performances during the rehearsals, the sound check and the afternoon performances. There are "making of" shorts of the film and the album in addition to pieces about the original artwork, memories of the live show and more.
The packaging is first rate and contains a booklet that acts as a guide to the performances and the musicians. How would I rate this DVD? I have to give it 9 out of 10 and recommend it to all music aficionados. To use a quote from one of George's old friends, "a splendid time is guaranteed for all. To order the DVD, go to "The Concert for Bangladesh" home page.
And now it is 2005 and (thanks to Rhino - man, could there be a better friend to classic rock?) the film has finally been released on DVD. I found the video to be a little grainy, but what can you expect from a concert film that was shot on 16mm film thirty-four years ago? But it is the music and audio that remain timeless, especially the resulting remix into the 5.1 audio format. Crisp, clear sound, even better than I remember from 1972. Watching the film for the first time since high school, a few memories immediately came rushing back. During some of the performances, especially those of Ringo Starr and Bob Dylan, I was reminded of how annoyed I was that Saul Swimmer hadn't set up for better camera angles. Microphone stands that stay in the line of sight some times take you out of the moment and you wish you could see the performance from a different angle. But this is nitpicking on my part. Over all, it is a joy to catch George in the prime of his life as a solo performer. "My Sweet Lord", "While My Guitar Gently Weeps", "Here Comes the Sun", "Something", and "Bangla Desh" all stand up as classic live performances.
When the DVD starts, there is a splash screen that shows the crowd at MSG waiting for George to come out. The options are simple, ? Play Concert ? Songs ? Audio ? Subtitles ?.
As a teenager, I recall being disappointed that the first concert footage we saw was of Ravi Shankar and his Indian sidemen, but this is a different time and I am astonished at the skill Shankar demonstrates on his sitar and have grown to appreciate his contributions to Harrison's growth as a musician. And of course, there's the fascination of knowing he is the father of one of my favorite new artists, Norah Jones.
In addition to wonderful performances by Harrison, Billy Preston, Ringo Starr, Leon Russell, and Bob Dylan, we're treated to the artistic adroitness of musicians like perpetual Beatles' solo artist sidemen, Jesse Ed Davis and Jim Keltner, Manfred Mann bassist and Beatles' Hamburg friend, Klaus Voorman, an acoustic guitar section made up of the members of Badfinger, Jim Horn leading a great horn section, and of course, the great Eric Clapton.
The second disc contains all the bonus features, including a documentary revisiting the concert and some great performances during the rehearsals, the sound check and the afternoon performances. There are "making of" shorts of the film and the album in addition to pieces about the original artwork, memories of the live show and more.
The packaging is first rate and contains a booklet that acts as a guide to the performances and the musicians. How would I rate this DVD? I have to give it 9 out of 10 and recommend it to all music aficionados. To use a quote from one of George's old friends, "a splendid time is guaranteed for all. To order the DVD, go to "The Concert for Bangladesh" home page.
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