Live Aid (4 Disc Set)

Perhaps I'm being too generous by giving the LIVE AID dvd set 5-stars. As another reviewer pointed out, many performances are left off of this set. However, some of the biggest acts of the 80s are shown performing their monster hits with the exception of TINA TURNER, WHAM, and THE THOMPSON TWINS. Although these performers do appear with other singers/musicians, the footage of them performing their hits was either destroyed or lost. I'm sure there might be other examples of groups/singers who appear on the LIVE AID dvds and they're not performing their big hits, but, as far as I can tell, most of them are.The fact that there's even a dvd set available is a miracle in itself.A booklet that comes with the dvd set explains the idea behind LIVE AID and how BOB GELDOF (singer of THE BOOMTOWN RATS) saw a BBC News report on television in 1984 (the news footage is included at the start of dvd #1) about the famine going on in Africa/Ethiopia. He wanted to do something about it and formed BAND AID in the UK. This in turn formed U.S.A FOR AFRICA in the US, which ultimately led to the LIVE AID concert which happened on July 13, 1985. The concert was filmed by MTV, ABC and the BBC, and aired on its respective channel with an estimated 1.5 billion viewers around the world.According to the dvd's producer, Jill Sinclair, Geldof wanted the concert to be shown only once and not recorded. ABC took Geldof at his word and destroyed the footage so it could never be re-broadcast again. The BBC ignored him but lost some of the footage, while the videos that weren't lost, sat collecting dust. MTV found over 100 tapes of b-roll of the concert and so Sinclair, and the rest of the LIVE AID dvd team, combined MTV's footage of the LIVE AID concert, with the remaining BBC footage and that's how we get this remarkable 4-dvd set! So bravo to Jill Sinclair and the dvd team.The concert took place at Wembley Stadium in London and JFK Stadium in Philadelphia. The dvds go back and forth from Wembley to JFK, but transitions smoothly, so there aren't any jarring cuts in between the musical acts. Considering that this concert was recorded using analog equipment and was meant for a one-time only showing, the footage itself has been restored as best as it could be and it looks pretty good (sharp, vibrant color, etc.). There are some instances where wavy-horizontal lines appear on close-up shots on some of the performances, and Sinclair explains in the booklet that this is a phenomenon called "microphany," which happens when the "camera lens is affected by great volume." The lines aren't that distracting since they aren't colored, and they don't distort the picture, but they're just noticeable. It only happens once in a while and according to the booklet, only on some UK performances.Along with the performances, the LIVE AID dvd set also includes extras:DVD #1**BBC TV NEWS REPORT**BAND AID - DO THEY KNOW IT'S CHRISTMAS - music video**U.S.A FOR AFRICA - WE ARE THE WORLD - "..."DVD #4-(includes performances recorded at different locations/times and either broadcast that day or never televised)**INXS - What You Need; Don't Change**B.B. KING - Why I Sing The Blues; Don't Answer The Door; Rock Me Baby**ASHFORD & SIMPSON with TEDDY PENDERGRASS - Reach Out And Touch(Somebody's Hand)**RUN DMC - King Of Rock**CLIFF RICHARD - A World Of Difference**DAVID BOWIE & MICK JAGGER - Dancing In The Streets (this is actually the music video; according to wikipedia Bowie and Jagger were supposed to do a live duet on the song, with Bowie in London and Jagger in Philadelphia, but because of technical difficulties it couldn't be done)**DOCUMENTARY - Food And Trucks And Rock 'n' RollInstead of a scene selection menu, the dvds have "search by artist" that lets you go right to the start of that performer's set (which will then play the rest of the concert from that point on, rather than going back to the menu). You also have the option to just play the Wembley performances or the Philadelphia perfomances.If you're too young to remember this concert, you might miss the significance of it. But it's still worth watching. Like Woodstock was to a generation before it, LIVE AID showed the world that young people could come together, through music, and collectively believe in something that could change the world. If you do remember this moment in time, watching this concert will bring back many memories.Some of the stand out performances on these dvds, IMO:FREDDIE MERCURY/QUEEN - The rapport between the audience and Mercury is incredible. He launches into an impromptu "scat" singing certain vowels to the audience and they sing it back to him, verbatimELTON JOHN & GEORGE MICHAEL - John playing the piano, while Michael belts out John's "Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me"PATTI LABELLE - The soul diva belting out her version of Lennon's "Imagine" and then going into "Forever Young." Towards the end of the latter song, she puts down the microphone, walking up to the front of the stage and continues singing...and you can still hear her voice, barely audible, but powerful enough to be heard over the cheering crowd and the back-up singersTINA TURNER & MICK JAGGER - duet on "State Of Shock" Turner matches Jagger move for move and lip for lipSo even though this set is not complete, it still deserves 5-stars.

.....for those who know 'the hits' nothing but the hits'.....and who dont like it any other way but, here it is, for the most part, from start to finish, as it was in that Hot July Summer Moment......Though ,Live Aid's main organizer and head honcho Robert Frederick Zenon Geldof aka Bob Geldof claimed (according to his book) that he wouldnt have had 80 percent of those acts on the bill at all! If Bob Marley were still alive (at the time), Geldof would have begged him (Marley) on his knees to perform. Aswad, another possible pick, was hardly known outside of the university walls. Most would turned on to something else on the telly and would have poured very little monies into the Live Aid fortious pot!So with that in mind, and keeping with the 'current trends' of the mid 80's timeline, this is what one is treated to (amorously).For what it's worth....a five-starrer.....for me, no more than a 2. For those music lovers of Farrokh Bulsara/Helen Folasade Adu.... and not to forget those ardent fanatics of Johnny Michael/Anthony/Terrance/and William of Sab ....and hey Rogey and Petey....ah the Tim Ripper Owens crowd.....oops I mean Bobby H/KK DEE's leather lovers....others have gone and done t-h-e-i-r appropriated props and accolades......With that outta da way.....Let's get to the good stuff....not much....mostly on the first disc and mainly the artists who started off the days proceedings......Status Quo..... the 12 bar 'boogie brothers' Francis Rossi and Rick Parfitt (whose last names also sounded like a nice dessert wine)cranked out a nice but short 2 song set (there is a 3rd toon that got cut to techincal difficulties), Johnny FOGerty's classic 'Rockin All Over The World' and a Quo classic in its own right, 'Caroline.' For those 'few' who like their blues served up in 'the usual' , dont know what u is expecting....but this is it....and its mighty good...Style Council......John 'Paul' Weller and Mick Talbot.....the 80's aggregation that took over where The Jam DIDNOT..... Much Much more funkier than aformentioned group's earliest records etched to wax.....but nevertheless......a nice little romp thru a psuedo-Stax/Motown world of r&b musical delight to the bouncing beat of 'Internationalists' and 'The Walls Come Tumblin Down'.....# 3 'De Man of the Day' -Bob G and his famously 're-nowned' Boomtown Rats, who promised to never love Eva Braun, deliciously serve up two 'Hot Ratz' fav-ravs.....'I Dont Like Mondays' and the almost hit that never was....'Draggin Me Down' (the latter was Little Fifi Geldof's toon she loved the most by her daddy!) Now only if America knew what this was all about.........Fast forwarding a tad-bit to Midge Ure/Ultravox's two-fer tasty goodies, 'Dancing With Tears In My Eyes' and 'Vienna' are done to perfection with the group's frontman evoking the passion plus of the studio-recorded treasures. Midge, who NEVER had an interest in Eva Braun , is, btw, the co-written of the all-star studded 'Band-Aid' , world-wide hit, 'Do They Know Its Christmas' whose monies were ardously donated to the Africa relief program(s).REALLY skipping ahead to his girl Friday's best 'disposable matinee idol' (more so than Robert Bobby Mitt Romney) is the 'fornlorn' leader of the 70's leading 'art-rock' act, 'Roxy Music', the flushed-out of the flesh man hisself, Bryan Ferry..... who delivers a bouncy, bossa-nova-ish Ferry forte, of his own 'Slave to Love' and the J.W.O. Lennon's poignant ballad, 'Jealous Guy. Ah nice nice very nice....Up next on the 'hit list' is the Scottish Band, 'Simple Minds', whose perennial leader/vocalist Jim Kerr and partner in crime, guitarist/co-writer Charles Burchill, who give their best to the group's two most overplayed toons of the time, 'Ghost Dancing' and 'Dont You Forget About Me' But hey...a good band IS A good band regardless, which for the most, set the pace, for their 'continued' haul in the biz right to this day!Finally, the formerly known David Jones (not to b confused with the one time teen heart-throb of 60's manufactured tv group The Monkees) kicks things immediatley into full throttle with a 70's go round of 'TVC15' , 'Rebel' 'Modern Love' and the Brian Eno collaborated experminetal drone, 'Heroes" (Just For One Day). Bowie's Band is quite tight, not to mention!And oh yeah...the bonus footage of the phenomenal/emotional Nick-O-Val/Teddy 'Bear' Pendergrass performance of 'Reach Out...' is without q , the icing on the cake for this all day extravogonzo of wonderous delight......Cheers and injoy (who u havent already........)

I was a young child when Live Aid was aired. I remember hearing about it but I never saw it until now. I'm glad to have this bit of music history and togetherness for a great cause. An unexpected lovely sense was seeing Princess Diana there.

Good production

I thought it was good. ( Enjoyed it)