21 October, 2009

PAUL IS LIVE – Paul McCartney (1993/2003)

This record of the 1993 New World Tour suffers the same problem as the album that accompanied. By including only songs not performed on the previous tour (plus Let It Be, Yesterday and Hey Jude, but you knew that didn't you?), the concert comes across as disjointed. That's somewhat understandable in the VHS release, but if they were going to remaster and remix the show for DVD, why not reinstate the songs omitted on the original version?
The other letdown with Paul Is Live is the direction. Rapid cuts and pointless visual effects only serve to distract. It's a style that might be appropriate for a 4-minute MTV clip, but over 90 minutes it's just plain annoying. The pre-show film is included at the end of the concert – naturally.

All the performances are top notch but on the whole, this DVD is a wasted opportunity.

Highlight: The Melbourne skyline (even when it's meant to be Kansas City)
Feature: * *
Extras: None
Audio: Dolby 5.1

Previously posted at Strawberry Fields and at Fishpond.

5 comments:

  1. I've never seen this one and based on everything I've ever heard about it I probably never will.

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  2. It's sad, because this is the only tour I saw, and knowing that some of the footage is from Melbourne is an extra thrill.
    I tell myself it's from the show I was at, even though it could just as easily have been from the previous night. But either way, there's no chance of you seeing me in the crowd.

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  3. If they ever release a DVD from the show in my town [likely?] I was on the big screen for a healthy fraction of a second. As was everybody else.

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  4. You might have a chance here:
    http://mychaosandcreation.blogspot.com/2009/07/dvd-journey-to-israel-disc-1-fab.html

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  5. And I don't even have to buy it. I can download it all illegally and delete the crappy bits.

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