Cheap Steve Hackett: Somewhere In South America (DVD) (Steve Hackett) Price

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Customer Reviews of Steve Hackett: Somewhere In South America

Perfecto
De los tres DVD que actualmente tiene Steve Hackett en el mercado, este me parece el que ofrece una visión más completa del artista. EL repertorio elegido, excelente, es interpretado con gran convicción y sin exceso alguno de alarde por el grupo. Quizás se pueda achacar a Hackett un poco más de variedad en los temas que elige para los conciertos, prácticamente más de la mitad son los interpreta sistemáticamente desde principios de los 80. No hay ninguna necesidad de seguir tocando Horizons cuando tiene decenas de temas impresionantes para guitarra clásica. La excelencia de los últimos discos de Mr. Hackett le permiten hacer de "King Crimson" y centrarse en ellos sin necesidad de echar mano del pasado, ni suyo, ni de Genesis, aunque siempre sea de agradecer escuchar tan grandes temas.

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Perfect Live Show
Fans of Steve Hackett have long been waiting for this release, a double live album together with DVD or VHS showing this guitarist in his element with a live electric band. These last few years there have many sides to the musical nature of Steve Hackett ranging from classical to an almost jazz-like approach to music. However, in all his performances and recordings he has never strayed away from his progressive rock style, which all fans of progressive rock have come to love and admire.

Thus what should one expect from the audio recording? For starters one of the things that struck me from this album was the sheer energy that blares out of the speakers especially on tracks such as The Mechanical Bride or the following Medley which fuses solo, Genesis and GTR material (Myopia, Los Endos, Imagining, Ace Of Wands and Hackett To Bits). On the other hand we have the intense fillers between the more lengthy tracks such as Lucridus, Wall Of Knives and Pollution which see the band playing out at full force in a heavy fusion style. The tightness that is demonstrated is indeed impressive proving to most that this band really gelled together. Furthermore they act as the introduction to tracks rather than having Steve Hackett talking his way into a piece (a stark contrast to his acoustic sets!). This further contributes to the rather dark nature of the album, which comes on the back of the brooding Darktown allowing short musical interludes to pave the way for the longer and well-known pieces.

Something that has occurred to Steve Hackett over the years has been an inability to categorise the artist, as critics and music aficionados so like to do. Pieces like Satie's Gnossienne #1 and Walking Away from Rainbows shows the dexterity with the acoustic guitar that he possesses and his classical leanings which have also become more prominent with his recent spate of acoustic concerts. Dramaticity is another feature of this double album. Serpentine Song with its delicate style, soaring harmonies and delicate flute is simply superb. The vocals are impressively good and it is a wonder why the band do not resort to vocals as often as one might expect them to. Sierra Quemada offers that nostalgic feeling with a taste of South America while In Memoriam stands out as one of the more moving pieces played here.

The album has been released in conjunction with a VHS tape. Fans can also buy a box set version of the album complete with DVD as well as the double audio CDs. The DVD also features bonus footage with interviews from the Italian tour the band made in 2000 as well as footage from the sound checks of that same tour. Though lacking in a variety of camera angles, the concert itself is superbly sounding, especially when heard in Dolby Surround and is a must for Steve Hackett fans.

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Exceptional performance, great sound, decent picture
Steve Hackett is often thought of as an extraordinary guitar player with flying finger technique, surrounded by an audience full of guys who love old Zeppelin and King Crimson records. This DVD captures the the experience of being in the company of Steve and shows him to be a man in love with music, movies, and his audience, which includes men, women, boys, and girls all in love with romantic, powerful, music that glances at the past while being very modern.

Often overlooked, his ability to put a great band together has been tested many times over the years. This 2002 group is young, very British and shows a true affection for rock and jazz. Twenty-year-old songs appear in striking new arrangements along with new material ranging from beautifully melodic to drastically chaotic; with highlights that include the dreamy and elegant "Serpentine Song" and a punchy, wailing "Vampyre" that fairly explodes from your speakers.

The picture quality is slightly soft, and the camera occasionally seems placed in the exact wrong spot, leaving performers outside the picture area. Perhaps this disc was originally shot on a widescreen medium like HDTV and transferred to standard DVD.