Post Description

ELO has had a bit of resurgence lately. Perhaps the 70's are more in vogue. Certainly ELO songs have made their impact on films that have the 70's as a backdrop. I loved "Boogie Nights". Besides the subject matter that attracted me, I felt that the soundtrack to that film made the 70's songs sound better than I've ever heard. There was a strong bounce and impact to these songs that I've never heard before.

ELO was one of the bands that contributed to that film and they are the subject matter of this music DVD. They are an odd melange of electronica and orchestra. And like their name implies, they are a grand sounding band with an impressively distinct sound. They are a favourite of the audiophile brigade as their music lends itself well to expensive setups.

This DVD is a 23 track slice of their 'Zoom' concert at CBS Television City in Los Angeles. It is lead by Jeff Lynne who looks like he's still in the 70's with his afro style hairdo and wrap-around sunnies. His easy-going interaction with the audience sets the tone for what is an easy listening slice of the 70's. The performance is impeccable with not a single misplaced note.

The concert is presented expertly by long-time music director Larry Jordan - plenty of professional and leisurely cuts and pans of the rather psychedelic stage. This concert runs 98 minutes and it feels short with the high production values that tends to make things fly along.

The picture is anamorphic 1.78:1 and of excellent quality. I could only nitpick some glaring blue lighting that tends to wash out pale details, maybe some isolated aliasing on keyboards and some greyish blacks. The band is all in black and they are well defined. There is also some border bleeding on say black on blue sections. This isn't the sharpest transfer with some loss of detail on certain instruments but it's a consistent issue with many music productions.

It is a very cool looking transfer due to the lighting so warm tones like skin takes on a paler hue. However... that's just the start!

The lighting changes to yellow-orange and sometimes green and then the dominant palette changes to a warmer hue. The overhead lights and the large projected images are solid, colourful well captured by the transfer. There is even a Matrix-style waterfall of characters in the background and the symbols are easily discernible. 

De gegevens:

Colour: PAL
Aspect ratio: 1.78.1 widescreen, enhanced for 16:9 TV
Geluid: DD 2.0 (192 k/s), DD 5.1(448 k/s) en full DTS (1536 k/s)
HQ cover en label: ja
Concert runtime: 98 minuten

Bestanden: ISO/MDS

Layer Information:
Layer 0 Sectors: 1.953.296 (53,92%)
Layer 1 Sectors: 1.669.378 (46,08%)

De band bestaat uit:

JEFF LYNNE: Lead Vocals, Electric Guitar, Acoustic Guitar
RICHARD TANDY: Piano, Keyboards
ROSIE VELA: Vocals
MARC MANN: Keyboards, Guitar, Vocale, Cello Arrangements
GREGG BISSONETTE: Drums, Vocals
MATT BISSONETTE: Bass, Vocals
PEGGY BALDWIN: Cello
SARAH O'BRIEN: Cello

Setlist:

   1. Do Ya
   2. Evil Woman
   3. Show Down
   4. Strange Magic
   5. Livin' Thing
   6. Alright
   7. Lonesome Lullaby
   8. Telephone Line
   9. Turn To Stone
  10. Just For Love
  11. Easy Money
  12. Mr Blue Sky
  13. Ma-Ma-Ma Belle
  14. One Summer Dream
  15. Tightrope
  16. State Of Mind
  17. Can't Get It Out Of My Head
  18. Moment In Paradise
  19. 10538 Overture
  20. Ordinary Dream
  21. Shine A Little Love
  22. Don't Bring Me Down
  23. Roll Over Beethoven