DVD Review: Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Live

Available on DVD Tuesday, October 20!

In commemoration of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 25th Anniversary, Time Life is releasing the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Live DVD collection. Boasting 125 remarkable performances and 52 speeches, roasts and toasts on 9 discs by some of the most influential artists and bands in rock and roll history. This set is a massive collection totaling over 24 hours of rock and roll entertainment and over 9 hours of additional special features in the form of never-before-seen behind the scenes rehearsal footage.

I am a person of many tastes when it comes to music, so to say I was thrilled when the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Live DVD collection came across my desk is an understatement. Immediately diving in to this set I popped in disc one and began watching what can only be described as incredibly documented history. While the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has had its controversies over the years with the selections of those who are inducted, there is no shortage of pure musical greatness in this set. We are talking the likes of AC/DC, Aerosmith, B.B. King, Billy Joel, The Doors, Eric Clapton, George Harrison, Johnny Cash, Metallica, Queen, R.E.M., The Righteous Brothers, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, and ZZ Top -and that lengthy list is just to name a few of the artists and bands featured in the collection. I would love to go through each disc in the set and each performance and speech by all the big names on here, but I doubt any of you would want to read what would end up being a 15 page essay more than a review. So, I am going to try my best here to review this set as a whole.

Starting off with the speeches, toasts, roasts, etc. While one might buy this set strictly for the performances and the music, they might be surprised at exactly how entertaining the speeches are to watch. Many are quite touching and heartfelt, recalling the lengthy careers of those inducted -but this is the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, so there is no lack of drama, foul language, and bad behavior. For instance, The Beach Boys' Mike Love spends nearly his entire speech slamming The Beatles and The Rolling Stones before briefly stopping to give what I can only describe as a "Muslim shout out" to Muhammad Ali -baffling to say the least. Perhaps my favorite example of reprehensible behavior is by a band that didn't even show up to their own induction in 2006. The Sex Pistols instead chose to fax in to the powers-that-be at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame their thoughts on this honor. This nearly illegible and obscenity-laden letter referred to the Museum as a "piss stain" and refused to be inducted. Their fax was simply read on stage. If you pick up this DVD collection, don't make the mistake of just skipping over these moments in favor of the performances, you'll be missing a lot of great entertainment.

In a set this big from The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame amazing musical performances are not in short supply, period. AC/DC and Metallica give fantastic performances, proving that they just may never be too old to rock, and rock hard. The always great Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers jam out "American Girl". Buddy Guy, B.B. King, and Eric Clapton get soulful with "Let Me Love You Baby". There are very few sub-par performances in this set (I'm looking at you, Paul McCartney singing "Blue Suede Shoes"), but perhaps one of the best performances to ever grace the Hall of Fame's stage was 1988's performance of The Beatles’ “I Saw Her Standing There” with George Harrison, Ringo Starr, Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, John Fogerty, Mick Jagger and Billy Joel -Simply. Amazing. Obviously, anyone buying the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Live DVD set expects it to be full of these great performances, and I can easily say, I doubt anyone would be disappointed with the musical content. Even back in the 80's when these performances were less choreographed and more-or-less just jam sessions the greatness of these artists is on full display.

While this collection is unprecedented, it's not without it's flaws. First off, my biggest complaint: the organization of this set. In a word, it's terrible. Logically, one would think that this would all be presented chronologically, but it's not. Performances jump around from year to year, as do the speeches -in fact, some of the speeches are actually cut up and presented across multiple discs. Instead, Time Life has chosen to package certain performances together by "theme". For instance, one of the discs is called "Message of Love" and features The Who, Melissa Etheridge, James Taylor, the Bee Gees, John Mellencamp, Bonnie Raitt, Bruce Hornsby, the Pretenders, Metallica, and Lynyrd Skynyrd. Maybe it's me, but this is a pretty random sampling of bands and only a few would represent a "Message of Love". Each disc is like this in that they all feature an off mash-up of bands that supposedly represent a theme -the reason for this choice in arrangement is beyond my understanding. In short, with regards to the organization, it doesn't flow at all and actually takes quite a bit away from the overall enjoyment of this collection.

Another issue with this collection is the audio and visuals. The older footage is choppy at best and isn't well done, though, as the years go on, it significantly improves. As far as the audio goes, it's quiet. I found myself turning up my stereo much louder than normal -and it wasn't to rock out to some Metallica, it was to just achieve normal listening volume. I understand that in the earlier years a lot of this footage was never really intended for distribution, but I feel that the later ceremonies don't have much of an excuse. In all fairness, there is a disclaimer at the beginning of each disc stating that due to the age of a lot of this footage the audio and visuals aren't exactly ideal.

Where this collection falls short, the special features make up for it. Compiling a lot of backstage footage you get to see these rock legends hanging out, bumming smokes of each other, and keeping their ego's at bay. Also included in the special features are full induction speeches of artists such as Led Zeppelin who never actually performed.

There is a lot to love about Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Live, especially for all you music buffs out there. But, for the casual fan, I think many are going to be disappointed with what seems like the half-hearted way Time Life put this collection together. I was hoping to pop these discs in to my DVD player, crank the volume, and enjoy some legendary music. Instead, I ended up cranking the volume just to hear it normally. Audio and visual problems aside, my guess is that this is the best we are going to get as far as a comprehensive collection of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's legendary performances. While this is a very good collection, it misses on being a great collection. Despite its flaws though, I recommend this for all you music fans out there; the performances and footage included in this collection far outweigh its short comings and would make a great, historical addition to anyone's DVD collection.

You can purchase the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Live DVD collection exclusively from Time Life starting on October 20!

DVD Specs (Broken Down by Disc)

Disc 1 - Light My Fire

• Mick Jagger, Bruce Springsteen and The Rock Hall Jam Band: I Saw Her Standing There, 1988
• Cream: Sunshine Of Your Love, 1993
• Roy Orbison with Bruce Springsteen and The Rock Hall Jam Band: Oh, Pretty Woman, 1987
• John Fogerty & Friends: Green River, 1993
• The Doors with Eddie Vedder: Light My Fire, 1993
• Crosby, Stills & Nash with Tom Petty: For What It’s Worth, 1997
• Jefferson Airplane: Volunteers, 1996
• Santana with Peter Green: Black Magic Woman, 1998
• Crosby, Stills & Nash with James Taylor and Emmylou Harris: Teach Your Children, 1997
• Jackson Browne: Running On Empty, 2004
• The Band with Eric Clapton: The Weight, 1994
• Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band: The Promised Land, 1999
• Tom Petty, Jeff Lynne, Steve Winwood and Dhani Harrison: Handle With Care, 2004
• Tom Petty, Jeff Lynne, Steve Winwood, Dhani Harrison and Prince: While My Guitar Gently Weeps, 2004
• Paul McCartney and The Rock Hall Jam Band: Let It Be, 1999

Disc 2 - Sweet Emotion

• Jackson Browne And Melissa Etheridge: Wake Up Little Susie, 1995
• Mick Jagger, Bruce Springsteen and The Rock Hall Jam Band: (I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction, 1988
• Mick Jagger, Tina Turner and The Rock Hall Jam Band: Honky Tonk Women, 1989
• James Taylor: Woodstock (A Tribute To Joni Mitchell), 1997
• Crosby, Stills & Nash: Wooden Ships, 1997
• R.E.M. with Eddie Vedder: Man on the Moon, 2007
• Aerosmith with Kid Rock: Sweet Emotion, 2001
• ZZ Top: La Grange, 2004
• ZZ Top: Tush, 2004
• AC/DC: Highway To Hell, 2003
• Metallica: Master Of Puppets, 2009
• Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band: Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out, 1999
• U2: Pride (In The Name Of Love), 2005
• The Rock Hall Jam Band: All Along The Watchtower (A Tribute To Jimi Hendrix), 1992

Disc 3 - Start Me Up

• The Who and The Rock Hall Jam Band: Won’t Get Fooled Again, 1990
• Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers: American Girl, 2002
• Lynyrd Skynyrd: Sweet Home Alabama, 2006
• The Righteous Brothers: You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’, 2003
• The Byrds with Don Henley and Jackson Browne: Turn! Turn! Turn! (To Everything There Is A Season), 1991
• The Mamas & The Papas: California Dreamin’, 1998
• Cream: Born Under A Bad Sign, 1993
• Traffic: Dear Mr. Fantasy, 2004
• Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham: Landslide, 1998
• Fleetwood Mac: Say You Love Me, 1998
• Queen with Dave Grohl and Taylor Hawkins: Tie Your Mother Down, 2001
• Billy Joel: Only The Good Die Young, 1999
• Mick Jagger and The Rock Hall Jam Band: Start Me Up, 1989
• John Mellencamp: Pink Houses, 2008
• U2 with Bruce Springsteen: I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For, 2005

Disc 4 - Feelin'' Alright

• Jerry Lee Lewis, Chuck Berry and The Rock Hall Jam Band: Roll Over Beethoven, 1986
• Little Richard: Tutti-Frutti, 1995
• Bo Diddley with Robbie Roberston and Eric Clapton: Bo Diddley, 2005
• Eric Clapton with Robbie Robertson: Farther On Up The Road, 2000
• Little Richard: (Sittin’ On) The Dock Of The Bay, 1989
• Tina Turner and The Rock Hall Jam Band: River Deep—Mountain High, 1989
• Etta James: At Last, 1993
• The Isley Brothers and The Rock Hall Jam Band: Shout , 1992
• Chubby Checker and The Rock Hall Jam Band: The Twist, 1986
• The Ronettes: Be My Baby, 2007
• Little Richard, Mick Jagger and The Rock Hall Jam Band: I Can’t Turn You Loose (A Tribute To Otis Redding), 1989
• Joan Jett, John Mellencamp,John Fogerty and Billy Joel: Glad All Over (A Tribute To The Dave Clark Five) 2008
• The Rascals: People Got To Be Free, 1997
• Dave Mason and The Rock Hall Jam Band: Feelin’ Alright, 2004
• James Taylor and The Rock Hall Jam Band: How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You), 2000
• Jeff Beck with Jimmy Page: Beck’s Bolero, 2009
• Kid Rock and The Rock Hall Jam Band: Sweet Little Rock and Roller, 2004
• Chuck Berry with Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band: Johnny B. Goode, 1995

Disc 5 - Whole Lotta Shakin'

• Billy Joel and The Rock Hall Jam Band: What’d I Say (A Tribute To Ray Charles), 1999
• Johnny Cash and The Rock Hall Jam Band: Big River, 1992
• Ben E. King And The Rock Hall Jam Band: Stand By Me, 1988
• Jerry Lee Lewis: Whole Lot Of Shakin’ Going On, 2005
• Ruth Brown with Bonnie Raitt: Mama He Treats Your Daughter Mean, 1993
• John Lee Hooker with Bonnie Raitt: I’m In The Mood, 1991
• Buddy Guy with B. B. King and Eric Clapton: Let Me Love You Baby, 2005
• Billy Joel with Bonnie Raitt: Runaway (A Tribute To Del Shannon), 1999
• Paul McCartney and The Rock Hall Jam Band: Blue Suede Shoes, 1999
• John Fogerty & Friends: Born On The Bayou, 1993
• The Doors with Eddie Vedder: Break On Through, 1993
• Bruce Springsteen & The E Steet Band: Backstreets, 1999
• Jeff Beck, Jimmy Page, Ron Wood, Joe Perry, Flea, and Metallica: The Train Kept A-Rollin’, 2009

Disc 6 - I'll Take You There

• Percy Sledge: When A Man Loves A Woman, 2005
• The O’Jays: Love Train, 2005
• Jerry Butler: Only The Strong Survive (A Tribute To Gamble & Huff), 2008
• Solomon Burke: Cry To Me, 2001
• Martha & The Vandellas: Dancing In The Street, 1995
• The Four Tops and The Rock Hall Jam Band: I Can’t Help Myself, 1990
• Booker T. & The MG’s and The Rock Hall Jam Band: Green Onions, 1992
• Isaac Hayes: Theme From Shaft, 2002
• The Staple Singers: I’ll Take You There, 1999
• Aretha Franklin: Don’t Play That Song (A Tribute To Ahmet Ertegun), 2007
• Aretha Franklin: I Never Loved A Man (The Way I Love You) (A Tribute To Ahmet Ertegun), 2007
• Al Green: Take Me To The River, 1995
• Parliament-Funkadelic: Tear The Roof Off The Sucker (Give Up the Funk), 1997
• Wilson Pickett with Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band: In The Midnight Hour, 1999

Disc 7 - Come Together

• Green Day: Blitzkrieg Bop, 2002
• Blondie: Call Me, 2006
• Elvis Costello & The Imposters: (What’s So Funny ’Bout) Peace, Love And Understanding, 2003
• Bruce Springsteen and Axl Rose: Come Together (A Tribute To John Lennon), 1994
• The Doors with Eddie Vedder: Roadhouse Blues, 1993
• John Fogerty & Friends: Who’ll Stop The Rain, 1993
• Cream: Crossroads, 1993
• Jackson Browne: The Pretender, 2004
• Patti Smith Group: Because The Night, 2007
• Patti Smith Group: People Have The Power, 2002
• Jonny Lang and Jeff Beck: Be-Bop-A-Lula (A Tribute to Gene Vincent), 1999
• Jeff Beck: People Get Ready (A Tribute To Rod Stewart), 1994

Disc 8 - Message of Love

• The Who and The Rock Hall Jam Band: Substitute, 1990
• The Who and The Rock Hall Jam Band: Pinball Wizard, 1990
• Melissa Etheridge: Piece Of My Heart (A Tribute To Janis Joplin), 1995
• James Taylor: Fire And Rain, 2000
• Bee Gees: Massachusetts, 1997
• Bee Gees: You Should Be Dancing, 1997
• John Mellencamp: Small Town, 2008
• Bonnie Raitt with Melissa Etheridge and Bruce Hornsby: Thing Called Love, 2000
• The Pretenders: Message Of Love, 2005
• The Pretenders: My City Was Gone, 2005
• The Pretenders: Precious, 2005
• Metallica: Iron Man (A Tribute To Black Sabbath), 2006
• Lynyrd Skynyrd: Free Bird, 2006

Disc 9 - The Concert

In September 1995, what had been a wild dream for so many became corporeal reality as the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame finally opened its doors. To celebrate such an august moment, a concert to end all concerts, featuring a Who's Who of rock and rhythm and blues greats, was held at Cleveland's Municipal Stadium. The Concert For The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame contains eleven of the greatest performances from that day, ranging from the street-smart sounds of Lou Reed and Soul Asylum to the sanctified soul of Al Green. If you were lucky enough to be there, you know how incendiary the concert was. If not, the material on this DVD will blow your mind and send you straight to rock and roll heaven!

PERFORMANCES:

• John Mellencamp: R.O.C.K. In The U.S.A.
• Eric Burdon and Bon Jovi: It’s My Life
• Aretha Franklin: (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman
• Lou Reed and Soul Asylum: Sweet Jane
• The Allman Brothers Band with Sheryl Crow: Midnight Rider
• The Kinks: All Day And All Of The Night
• Ann and Nancy Wilson: The Battle Of Evermore
• John Fogerty with Booker T. & The MG'’s: Fortunate Son
• James Brown: I Got You (I Feel Good)
• Al Green: Tired Of Being Alone
• Al Green: A Change Is Gonna Come

Each of these discs include roughly 60-90 minutes of extra footage in the form of addtional speeches, back-stage footage, and rare rehearsals!