Continuing their attempt at offering value for money to fans, Def Leppard have released Visualize/Video Archive to accompany their recent release, Historia/In the Round In Your Face . As was the case with the aforementioned release, they have again included two of their earlier VHS releases on one DVD and thrown in some extras to boot. This time around they have included the Visualize and Video Archive titles and although they do double up on a couple of songs, they are both very good and lengthy titles individually, let alone together on one DVD.
Visualize
The first title is a documentary style release that looks at many topics through interviews with band members. Subjects covered include the loss of Steve Clark, a member of the band from 1978 until his death in 1991, the joining of his replacement Vivian Campbell, drummer Rick's accident, making videos and about performing live. There are many TV guest spots, but most notable is a performance with legendary singer Ben E King in San Remo, performing Stand By Me. The documentary is very well paced and includes full clips of several songs.
Track Listing:
Rocket
Let's Get Rocked
Make Love Like a Man
I Wanna Touch U
Have You Ever Needed Someone So Bad?
Tonight
Heaven Is
Stand Up (Kick Love Into Motion)
Two Steps Behind
Love Bites
Photograph
Although there are comments from the band between tracks, an option is available to choose tracks individually if required. The last three tracks are from the Don Valley Stadium concert and include probably the longest version of Love Bites you'll ever hear.
Video Archive
The second offering in this double header is Video Archive, which funnily enough contains a plethora of music clips. These are split into three sections and are all preceded by comments from the band.
The first selection is a live performance from their concert at the Don Valley stadium in Sheffield in June 1993. Considered by the band as a highlight of their performing career, this hometown show is great. They perform a number of their biggest songs to a massive audience and the energy is electric.
The second selection is a collection of video clips made to promote the band. The highlight here is the clip for the Sweet's classic track Action, made from footage of earlier concerts and with Joe Elliott added on later to perform the lead vocal part. It is also nice to see two different versions of When Love and Hate Collide.
Lastly is the acoustic collection of tracks. This is from a show at the Wapentake Club in Sheffield in October 1995. This is the club where the band performed in their early days for a paltry fifteen pounds a night. One of the best tests for a band's ability is to hear them unplugged and Def Leppard sound terrific. It is also a great chance for them to show that their outstanding vocals are not electronically produced. The highlight in this performance is their rendition of the David Bowie classic Ziggy Stardust.
Track Listing:
Live
Let's Get Rocked
Foolin'
Rocket
Two Steps Behind
Armageddon It
Pour Some Sugar on Me
Rock of Ages
Love Bites
Video Promos
When Love and Hate Collide #1
Two Steps Behind
Action
Miss You in a Heartbeat
When Love and Hate Collide #2
Acoustic
Two Steps Behind
Armageddon It
When Love and Hate Collide
Animal
Pour Some Sugar On Me
Ziggy Stardust
Again Def Leppard have exceeded expectations and released two good programmes on one DVD. It is one thing to fill a DVD with hours of material, but to take the trouble to provide quality entertainment is a welcome surprise and something that other bands should look at. Thank you Def Leppard for setting a fine example.
Considering there are varying types of footage used, the quality is surprisingly good but not without fault. There are of course the standard problems encountered with live performance such as grain, colour bleed, lack of detail and aliasing, but considering the age of some footage, this is still very minimal. The majority of footage is presented in full frame with a large portion of footage also supplied in differing ratios, predominantly 1.78:1 (but not 16x9 enhanced). There is a choice of subtitles, but sadly not English. A layer change appears at the end of the track Action in the second part of this release, but this is so minor that it's hardly noticeable.
Audio supplied throughout is Dolby Digital 2.0 and although a DD 5.1 or even DTS track would have been nice, this is more than adequate. Sound is clear at all times with little trouble in the way of synch. Separation is used well across the front speakers and a full sound is delivered.
Extras included are the same as with the Historia/In the Round In Your Face release. There is the Interview section, broken up into categories of DVD, Playing Live and Shooting Videos where the band comment on these subjects. Also there is a Discography which lists the bands previous releases along with track listings.
The quality of the material, the overall running length and the easy navigation menu allowing you to select songs from either title make this a must have for Def Leppard fans. From the guys that made mullets, shoulder pads and poodle perms look good, let's get rocked!
