The advent of the DVD-R has democratised the production of DVD's. After all if pro bootleggers like Watchtower opt for DVD-R rather than the factory pressed alternative than why be dismissive of DVD's sourced from fellow Stones fanatics.
Particularly when in the case of Roy (R.S.V.P. 2000) the finished product is this good. All his DVDs come with packaging that puts the competition to shame. In addition DVDs such as this boast menus which are the biz as regards looks and ease of use.
And in this instance you get arguably the best live Stones show of 1976 in stellar quality. Sound and image are the sharpest I've seen and this from someone whose previous video of this show was sourced from a B.B.C. contact. But R.S.V.P.'s DVD puts even this version to shame. Colours are rich and vibrant and although there is the usual bane of video sourced film - i.e. slight colour seepage in the department of vivid reds and blues - this is nevertheless master quality imagery and a joy to behold.
The concert itself is a high spot (one of many) in the Stone's pantheon and was very much a riposte to some rather lacklustre reviews of their album of the moment; "Black and Blue" and what they regarded as the looming threat to their hitherto unassailable street-cred from the burgeoning punk movement.
Late in the tour and in light of these considerations a back to basics reassesment resulted in the augmenting of their then repetoire with such classics as "Little Red Rooster", "Route 66", "Around and Around", "Satisfaction" and "Let's Spend the Night Together", to a suprised and highly appreciative audience, who despite the late hour and the uncharacteristic cold in the middle of one of the longest English heatwaves in living memory, really did feel that they had witnessed one of the best Stone's shows ever.
The source of this fabulous DVD is the largely unbroadcast TV special that was being filmed. Portions of the show including songs not included here were shown in widescreen format and are in circulation in various degrees of degradation. But this superb copy is the best there is, the running order is completely up the creek and there are various wonky bits such as gaps between each number and outros and intros which hint at more in a can somewhere.
But in the meantime this is the best there is and as with so many Stones collectables although you can't always get what you want - you just might find you get what you need.... |
