Paul McCartney & Ringo Starr, Dwight Yoakam, Buck Owens, Alice Cooper Shine on New DVD Titles

An already-legendary benefit concert featuring both Ringo Starr and Paul McCartney, companion releases capturing country music heroes Dwight Yoakam and Buck Owens, and a groundbreaking period of Alice Cooper's '70s career finally released on DVD make for some terrific viewing (and listening!) via new releases.

Artists: Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Moby, Donovan, Eddie Vedder, Sheryl Crow, more
Title: Change Begins Within: A Benefit Concert for The David Lynch Foundation (Eagle Rock Entertainment)
You might like if you enjoy: The Beatles, Moby, Betty LaVette, Ben Harper
Tell me more: A special event featuring sets from a number of legendary musicians is reason enough to celebrate, but imagine a once-in-a-generation concert boasting sets from both Ringo Starr and Paul McCartney with the former Beatles then joining forces to perform several Fab Four classics together. Those are among the many reasons to run out and get a copy of Change Begins Within: A Benefit Concert for The David Lynch Foundation. Filmed at Radio City Music Hall in New York City on April 4, 2009, the now-legendary concert also features performances teaming Moby and Bettye LaVette ("Trouble So Hard/Natural Blues"), Eddie Vedder and Ben Harper (an excellent cover of the Queen/David Bowie classic "Under Pressure"), and Sheryl Crow and Harper (George Harrison's "My Sweet Lord"). Appearances from British singer-songwriter Donovan and comedian Jerry Seinfeld also shine in the concert film, directed superbly by Michael Dempsey. Bonus features on the DVD include interviews with McCartney, Starr, Vedder and Harper. Information: eagle-rock.com.

Artists: Dwight Yoakam
Title: Dwight Yoakam – Live From Austin, TX (New West Records)
You might like if you enjoy: Buck Owens, Merle Haggard
Tell me more: On Oct. 23, 1988, Dwight Yoakam and Buck Owens each performed individual sets while cameras rolled as part of PBS' series "Austin City Limits." Now both those performances have been issued as individual releases, with each title providing the performance on audio CD and on DVD. Although Yoakam was a native of Kentucky, from his youth he fell in love with Owens' groundbreaking "Bakersfield" sound (also a favorite of country-rock pioneer Gram Parsons) and fused that with his own bluegrass and authentic country sound. The Live From Austin, TX appearance from Yoakam is an hour-long joyride, with both uptempo favorites ("Guitars, Cadillacs," "Please, Please Baby," the night-ending "This Drinkin' Will Kill Me") and tender ballads ("Home Of The Blues," "I Sang Dixie") among the choice cuts. Yoakam is joined by Owens for a wonderful duet of their number one single "Streets Of Bakersfield," (also featuring the beautiful accordion work of Flaco Jimenez). And everywhere across the set the stellar work of guitarist Pete Anderson and fiddler Scott Joss add nuanced firepower to the selections. Information: NewWestRecords.com.

Artist: Buck Owens
Title: Buck Owens – Live From Austin, TX (New West Records)
You might like if you enjoy: Dwight Yoakam, Merle Haggard
Tell me more: It was an enthusiastic Yoakam who pulled his musical idol Owens out of a self-imposed 10-year retirement in 1988, leading up to the tandem sets showcased on the newly-issued "Live From Austin TX" releases. Owens' turn is pure fun, with the Sherman, Texas native kicking things off with his 1963 number one hit "Act Naturally" (a favorite of Ringo Starr, who recorded it with the Beatles in 1965). The fast-paced set also includes other beloved Owens nuggets including the lovely ballad "Together Again," his signature Bakerfield romp "I've Got A Tiger By The Tail," rockabilly-styled "Hot Dog" (the title track from his 1988 studio album) and honky tonk gem "Put Another Quarter in the Jukebox." Owens is joined on stage by Yoakam for a duet of "Under Your Spell Again." He caps off his performance with a countrified take on Chuck Berry's rocker "Johnny B. Goode." Information: NewWestRecords.com.

Artist: Alice Cooper
Title: Welcome To My Nightmare Special Edition DVD (Eagle Rock Entertainment)
You might like if you enjoy: Vincent Price, KISS, Alice Cooper, Hollywood Vampires
Tell me more: Catching Alice Cooper deliver a powerful and entertaining concert at the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles last month, this writer was anxious to watch the newly-released Welcome To My Nightmare Special Edition DVD, a title featuring both a TV special Alice Cooper: The Nightmare and the Welcome To My Nightmare concert film from the mid-1970s. Both features on the DVD will thrill fans of Cooper. Aired on ABC-TV in the U.S. in April 1975, Alice Cooper: The Nightmare fully developed the concept of Cooper's album Welcome to My Nightmare, with Cooper portraying the child Steven and Vincent Price serving as the Spirit Of The Nightmare. The television special (directed and choreographed by David Winters) is fascinating, with Cooper delivering groundbreaking segments animated by creatively-lit theatrical sets, talented dancers and dynamic glam and shock rock that bring Cooper's nightmare to life. Filmed at London's Wembley Arena in September 1975, Welcome To My Nightmare was shown in movie theaters in 1976. The entertaining concert features seminal tracks from Cooper's early career including rousing versions of "No More Mr. Nice Guy," "The Black Widow," "School's Out" and the affecting ballad "Only Women Bleed." Information: eagle-rock.com.


Robert Kinsler

Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, and many more star in "Changes Begin Within" - on DVD 9/1

This legendary concert is coming to DVD later this summer. I remember hearing about this event, but I didn't realize it would be featured in a commercial release. Very cool! 

CHANGE BEGINS WITHIN – A BENEFIT CONCERT FOR THE DAVID LYNCH FOUNDATION

FEATURING PAUL McCARTNEY, RINGO STARR, SHERYL CROW, EDDIE VEDDER, AND MANY MORE!

~DVD, DIGITAL VIDEO OUT SEPTEMBER 1, 2017~

VIEW "HURDY GURDY" MAN HERE

New York, NY (June 22, 2017)-- On September 1, 2017, Eagle Rock Entertainment will release the Change Begins Within Concert on DVD [MSRP $15.98]. Featuring sets from Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, with each performing some of their best-known classics from The Beatles to Wings and beyond, and reuniting onstage for the finale, this incredible charity show also featured many other world-famous musicians. Sheryl Crow, Donovan, Eddie Vedder, Moby, Ben Harper, Paul Horn, Angelo Badalamenti, Betty LaVette, and Jim James joined the two Beatles to thrill the capacity crowd, as did Jerry Seinfeld in a brilliant guest performance.

This exhilarating, star-studded benefit concert was recorded on April 4, 2009 in New York City. It was this show, dubbed “Change Begins Within”, that launched the David Lynch Foundation into an entirely new level of public awareness. As these globally renowned artists took to the stage at a sold-out Radio City Music Hall, they helped raise funds for the Foundation’s international initiative to teach one million at-risk children to meditate - and to begin to change their world from within.

All those present at this remarkable concert were committed to helping the charity in its aim of bringing meditation to students everywhere and helping disadvantaged youth reach their full potential. In addition to superb individual performances, the musicians at this celebratory concert joined forces on many songs and the whole Change Begins Within show is characterized by a powerful, joyful onstage camaraderie and unity.

TRACK LISTING

Natural Blues - Moby, Betty LaVette, TM Choir
Rise - Eddie Vedder
Under Pressure - Eddie Vedder & Ben Harper
My Sweet Lord - Sheryl Crow
Hurdy Gurdy - Donovan & Jim James
Isle of Islay - Donovan and Paul Horn
It Don't Come Easy - Ringo Starr
Boys - Ringo Starr
Yellow Submarine - Ringo Starr
Baby You Can Drive My Car - Paul McCartney
Jet - Paul McCartney
Got To Get You Into My Life - Paul McCartney
Let It Be - Paul McCartney
Here Today - Paul McCartney
Band On The Run - Paul McCartney
With A Little Help From My Friends - Paul McCartney & Ringo Starr
Cosmically Conscious - All members
I Saw Her Standing There - All members

Dada's brilliance on display at the Coach House

dada performed a rousing set of 19 songs at The Coach House
in San Juan Capistrano, CA on February 18, 2017.

If there was any justice in the rock 'n' roll universe, dada's performance at the Coach House in San Juan Capistrano, CA on Saturday night (Feb. 18, 2017) would have played out before an audience of 25,000 fans.

But the flip side of that dream is the reality that the fervent audience that filled the Coach House was treated to an intimate performance fully celebrating the 25-year-history of the groundbreaking trio. For nearly 140 minutes, singer-guitarist Michael Gurley, singer-bassist Joie Calio and singer-drummer Phil Leavitt delivered a dynamic and freewheeling set of early band favorites, as well as newer material and a mini-set celebrating a recent offshoot of dada, the heavy blues-styled 7Horse.

Opening with the melodic rocker "Dim" off the group's 1992 debut "Puzzle," dada immediately impressed with a bona fide blend of energetic rock, melodic songcraft and impressive virtuoso musicianship that answered the question if there is somehow an artistic intersection where power-pop, alt rock and prog rock blend in unlikely perfection. Indeed, across the 19-song set, elements of Americana, blues, space rock and even jazz that crept into the intoxicating proceedings, making for a memorable night where the sheer joy of making music and showcasing brilliant songs were in perfect sync.

Ask 10 different dada fans to name their favorite song by the band, and it is pretty certain you will hear the titles of 10 different songs. That aside, the setlist delivered in Orange County was pretty dreamy and seemed to thrill everybody in the house. After the soaring "Dim" came the luxuriant "Surround," with its strong lead vocals by Calio, and the otherworldly harmonies that came with the addition of Gurley's voice in the choruses. After their two voices arched high, that suddenly gave way to an incredible guitar solo by the gifted Gurley that came over Leavitt's propulsive drumming.

Highlights came delightfully throughout the set; the Americana-tinged "Information Undertow" found Gurley cupping his mouth to deliver the lush song's final lyrics, the sweet intentionally-jarring harmonies on "Sick in Santorini," and the dynamic harmonics and hammering guitar work featured during "Here Today, Gone Tomorrow," the latter featuring Leavitt and Gurley sharing lead vocal duties.

dada in concert on February 18, 2017.

"Feet to the Sun" has long been one of my favorite dada songs and the version performed on Friday fully immersed this listener, from Calio's potent lead vocals to the nuanced blending of instruments through the glorious choruses featuring all three band members' voices.  

About half-way through the night, there was a strong mini-set from 7Horse (featuring the duo of Calio and Leavitt), that provided a dramatic sonic detour with Leavitt singing local vocals on the blues rocker "Meth Lab Zoso Sticker" and Calio singing "Please Come On Home."

Joie Calio rocking at the Coach House.

The last half of the night featured so many memorable moments, from a bluesy take on British singer-songwriter Donovan's "Mellow Yellow" and dada's magnificent psychedelic rocker "Hollow Man" and the delightfully introspective "Bob the Drummer."

The night didn't end until dada closed the regular set with a rousing and extended version of the iconic "Dizz Knee Land" (complete with a bit of the Fab Four's "Norwegian Wood") and a powerful encore that closed triumphantly with the sweeping "Dorina." What a night.

Opening the night was the Los Angeles acoustic folk rock group Waldo Bliss, who performed a short set of Crosby, Stills & Nash styled originals and a convincing cover of the Beach Boys' "In My Room" and the Tracey Ullman hit "They Don't Know."

dada setlist at the Coach House on February 18, 2017
1. Dim
2. Surround
3. The Fleecing of America
4. Sick in Santorini
5. Information Undertow
6. Here Today, Gone Tomorrow
7. Feet to the Sun
8. Love Is a Weird Thing
9. Ask the Dust (with extended jam)
10. 7Horse mini-set - Meth Lab Zoso Sticker
11. 7 Horse song - Please Come On Home
12. Mellow Yellow (Donovan cover)
13. Drum Solo / Posters
14. Feel Me (Don't You) / Satisfaction interlude
15. Hollow Man
16. Bob the Drummer
17. Dizz Knee Land
Encore
18. Moon
19. Dorina

Review and photos by Robert Kinsler

Sights and Sounds: 'T.A.M.I. SHOW/THE BIG T.N.T. SHOW COLLECTOR'S EDITION' coming to Blu-ray on December 2

Talk about some legendary performances! I'm sure this Blu-ray release would make a great holiday gift for some discerning music listener on your list! 

SHOUT! FACTORY UNEARTHS ANOTHER GILDED PIECE

OF AMERICAN MUSIC HISTORY WITH THE BIG T.N.T. SHOW

TWO LEGENDARY CONCERT FILMS,

T.A.M.I. SHOW AND THE BIG T.N.T. SHOW,

MAKE THEIR BLU-RAY DEBUT VIA SHOUT! FACTORY IN

THE T.A.M.I. SHOW/THE BIG T.N.T. SHOW COLLECTOR'S EDITION

DECEMBER 2, 2016

Los Angeles, CA – Fans of classic rock and soul rejoiced when the legendary concert film T.A.M.I. Show made its DVD debut on Shout! Factory in 2009. Now that beloved film makes its Blu-ray debut, along with its long-lost—and much requested—follow-up, The Big TNT Show, on December 2, 2016, as part of the 2-disc Blu-ray set T.A.M.I. Show / The Big T.N.T. Show Collector's Edition, from Shout! Factory. (The Big TNT Show will also be released as a standalone DVD on the same day.) The set will contain all the bonus features from the T.A.M.I. Show DVD, plus new interviews with The Big T.N.T. Show performers Petula Clark, Henry Diltz and John Sebastian, and a 36-page booklet featuring detailed essays by Don Waller, rare photos, and memorabilia.

The Big T.N.T. Show was filmed in Los Angeles in November of 1965 and stars some of the biggest acts of the day, including many future Rock and Roll Hall of Fame members, performing their best material. The Byrds, in their original line-up of Gene Clark, David Crosby, Chris Hillman, Michael Clarke, and Roger McGuinn, perform two # 1 hits, “Mr. Tambourine Man” and “Turn! Turn! Turn! (To Everything There Is A Season).” Ray Charles gives a rousing performance of “What’d I Say” and “Let the Good Times Roll.” A sultry performance by The Ronettes on “Be My Baby” is met with impassioned screams from the audience; The Lovin’ Spoonful perform their Top 10 hits “Do You Believe in Magic?” and “You Didn’t Have to Be So  Nice”; and Bo Diddley fires up the crowd with “Bo Diddley” and “Hey, Bo Diddley.” To close the show, The Ike & Tina Turner Revue give an electrifying performance, including “I Think It’s Going to Work Out Fine” and “A Fool in Love.”

Also on the stage that evening was Petula Clark, performing her No. 1 hit “Downtown”; Roger Miller, playing his biggest hit, “King of the Road”; Donovan, opening his set with Buffy Sainte-Marie’s “Universal Soldier”; and the reigning queen of folk, Joan Baez, reflecting the continuing popularity of the genre as the Vietnam War escalated.

Performing to the side of the stage in between acts, but not seen in the film, was the Modern Folk Quartet. Made up of future luminaries - songwriter/producer Chip Douglas, Lovin’ Spoonful member Jerry Yester, famous rock photographer Henry Diltz, and songwriter/musician Cyrus Faryar, with session player “Fast” Eddie Hoh on drums, the band closed the evening with the show’s Harry Nilsson-composed theme song “This Could Be The Night.”

Originally billed as a companion piece to the T.A.M.I. Show after that show’s success, The Big T.N.T. Show holds up as an essential time capsule from its day. Phil Spector was on board to help produce, to serve as the on-screen music director, and to play piano for Baez’s rendition of The Righteous Brothers’ “You’ve Lost That Loving Feeling.” David McCallum, a rising star appearing in the new TV series The Man From U.N.C.L.E., was tapped to emcee. Filmed at what was then the Moulin Rouge nightclub on Sunset, footage also includes shots of the Los Angeles haunts Chateau Marmont, Ben Frank’s coffee shop, and fleeting hot spot The Trip nightclub.

One of the most acclaimed rock events ever captured on film, the 1964 concert known as T.A.M.I. Show also featured performances by several future Rock and Roll Hall of Famers. In a lineup like no other, the Rolling Stones, James Brown, the Beach Boys, Marvin Gaye, Smokey Robinson & The Miracles, the Supremes, Chuck Berry, Lesley Gore and others took the stage one after another on October 29 at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium.

Aside from the five rock groups, all the performers were backed by a band that we've come to know as the Wrecking Crew, famed for playing on Phil Spector-produced hits, Beach Boys albums and much more, with future stars Glen Campbell and Leon Russell, among others. Fanita James, Jean King, and future solo star Darlene Love, billed as The Blossoms, provided backing vocals.

Mastered from a new High-Definition transfer, The T.A.M.I. Show / The Big T.N.T. Show Collector's Edition brings both of these history-making films to life in a definitive set that no fan or scholar of rock and soul music will want to be without.

Shout! Factory, LLC is a diversified multi-platform media company devoted to producing, uncovering, preserving and revitalizing the very best of pop culture. Founders Richard Foos, Bob Emmer and Garson Foos have spent their entire careers sharing their music, television and film favorites with discerning consumers the world over. Shout! Factory’s entertainment offerings serve up feature films, classic and contemporary TV series, animation, live music and comedy specials. In addition, Shout! Factory maintains a vast entertainment distribution network which delivers culturally relevant programming, movie and audio content to all the leading digital service providers in North America and across multiple platforms. Shout! Factory owns and operates Shout! Factory Productions, Scream Factory, Shout! Factory Kids, Shout! Factory Films, Mystery Science Theater 3000, Timeless Media Group and Shout! Factory TV. These riches are the result of a creative acquisition mandate that has established the company as a hotbed of cultural preservation and commercial reinvention. Shout! Factory is based in Los Angeles, California. For more on Shout! Factory, visit shoutfactory.com.

The Big T.N.T. Show Performances:                                                The T.A.M.I. Show Performances

David McCallum, emcee, conducting the orchestra                      Jan And Dean

(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction (instrumental)                                     (Here They Come) From All Over The World

Ray Charles                                                                                           Chuck Berry

What’d I Say                                                                                          Johnny B. Goode

                                                                                                Maybellene

Petula Clark

Downtown                                                                                             Gerry And The Pacemakers

                                                                                                                Don’t Let The Sun Catch You Crying

The Lovin’ Spoonful                                                                             It’s Gonna Be Alright

Do You Believe In Magic

You Didn’t Have To Be So Nice                                                          Chuck Berry

                                                                                                                Nadine

Bo Diddley                                                                                            

Hey Bo Diddley                                                                                     Gerry And The Pacemakers

Bo Diddley                                                                                             Like It

Joan Baez                                                                                               Smokey Robinson & The Miracles

500 Miles                                                                                              That’s What Love Is Made Of

There But For Fortune                                                                        You’ve Really Got A Hold On Me

                                                                                                                Mickey’s Monkey

Ray Charles

Georgia On My Mind                                                                           Marvin Gaye

Let The Good Times Roll                                                                     Stubborn Kind Of Fellow

                                                                                                                Pride And Joy

Joan Baez with Phil Spector                                                               Can I Get A Witness

You’ve Lost That Loving Feeling                                                        Hitch Hike

The Ronettes                                                                                        Lesley Gore

Be My Baby                                                                                           Maybe I Know

Shout                                                                                                      You Don’t Own Me

                                                                                                                You Didn’t Look Around

Roger Miller                                                                                          Hey Now

Dang Me                                                                                                It’s My Party

Engine Engine #9                                                                                 Judy’s Turn To Cry

King of the Road

England Swings    

                                                                                                                Jan & Dean

The Byrds                                                                                              The Little Old Lady (From Pasadena)

Turn! Turn! Turn! (To Everything There Is A Season)                    Sidewalk Surfin

The Bells Of Rhymney

Mr. Tambourine Man                                                                          The Beach Boys

                                                                                                                Surfin’ USA

Petula Clark                                                                                          I Get Around

You’re The One                                                                                    Surfer Girl

My Love                                                                                                 Dance, Dance, Dance

                                                                                                               

Donovan                                                                                                Billy J. Kramer And The Dakotas

Universal Soldier                                                                                  Little Children

Summer Day Reflection Songs                                                           Bad To Me

Bert’s Blues                                                                                           I’ll Keep You Satisfied

Sweet Joy                                                                                              From A Window

                                                                                               

The Ike & Tina Turner Revue                                                             The Supremes

Shake                                                                                                     When The Lovelight Starts Shining Through His Eyes               

A Fool In Love                                                                                       Run, Run, Run

It’s Gonna Work Out Fine                                                                   Baby Love

Please, Please, Please                                                                         Where Did Our Love Go

Goodbye So Long                                                                                

The Barbarians

David McCallum, conducting the orchestra                                    Hey Little Bird

1-2-3                                                                                                     

                                                                                                                James Brown and The Flames

                                                                                                                Out Of Sight

                                                                                                                Prisoner Of Love

                                                                                                                Please, Please, Please

                                                                                                                Night Train

                                                                                                                The Rolling Stones

                                                                                                                Around And Around

                                                                                                                Off The Hook

                                                                                                                Time Is On My Side

                                                                                                                It’s All Over Now

                                                                                                                I’m Alright

T.A.M.I. Show / The Big T.N.T. Show Collector's Edition Bonus Features

• Interview with T.A.M.I. Show director Steve Binder
• New interviews with The Big T.N.T. Show performers Petula Clark, Henry Diltz and John Sebastian                                                         
• Commentary by T.A.M.I. Show director Steve Binder
• Original T.A.M.I Show/The Big TNT Show radio spots
• 36-page booklet featuring detailed essays by Don Waller and rare photos and memorabilia