Anvil 'The Story of Anvil,' Thin Lizzy 'Are You Ready?,' and Billy Idol 'In Super Overdrive Live' DVD Reviews

Last Updated on Monday, 23 November 2009 12:11 Written by Gus Griesinger, Dee Haley, Jade Baird Monday, 23 November 2009 02:57

Anvil 'The Story of Anvil' 

    There have been plenty of movies made about the history of a band or how a band has reached a pinnacle. ‘The Story of Anvil” goes against the grain and talks about the hardships of this Toronto, Ontario, band. Robb Reiner and Steve “Lips” Ludlow are the 2 focal points of the movie and have been together for well over 30 years.
    Their journey to become rock stars is the focal point of the movie but it’s much more than that. Longtime fan, and now turned director, Sacha Gervasi created a movie to show the inner depths of the band that lives in obscurity to most, but to their fans they were always much bigger! The niche that are the true Anvil fans are well appreciated throughout the movie especially fans “Cut Loose” and “Maddog.”  Sacha’s vision was to show the human spirit of Anvil and who they are in day to day life. Sacha not only succeeded in doing that but also showed humanity for these guys.
    Regardless of whatever music you are into, you will appreciate this movie for what it is. A bare bones look at two human beings that through thick and thin have had each other's back no matter what life has dealt them. We can all learn a little from both Steve and Rob. The quote from Sacha to sum up the movie from the audio commentary is perfect: “Regardless of how bad it gets there is always something positive to be found!”  One of the true gems of the year! A can’t miss movie!

Review by Gus Griesinger

Thin Lizzy 'Are You Ready?' 

    Are you ready for Thin Lizzy?  The legendary Irish rockers, who originally formed their band in Dublin in 1969, have paved the way for many artists of today.  Led by the late Phil Lynott, guitarists Scott Gorham and Snowy White, keyboardist Darren Wharton, and drummer Brian Downey performed on German Television's Rockpalast series in 1981.  That stellar performance is now available on DVD.  Albeit a latter-day line-up, with the late great Phil Lynott at the helm, this DVD has an original Thin Lizzy sound complete with heavy guitar licks and barroom sing-a-longs.
    The band takes the stage in a cloud of colored smoke (fog colored by lights) and begins with the DVD title track "Are You Ready."  Singer, songwriter, bassist, and all around frontman Phil Lynott is ready to rock!  Lynott has a distinct voice and although I was not familiar with every song, each one had an identifiable Thin Lizzy sound to it.  Watching and listening to this DVD, you can clearly pick out a few riffs from some later bands that were obviously influenced by Thin Lizzy.  In fact, Axl Rose's (Guns N' Roses) Black Rose tattoo is believed to be from Thin Lizzy's "Black Rose: A Rock Legend" album cover.
    Classics like "Jailbreak" and "The Boys Are Back In Town" seem timeless.  The live footage from Loreley, Germany, is clearly vintage, but works well to show off Lynott's charisma as a frontman.  Lynott coughs a few times throughout the performance and draws attention to having a bad cough because of alcohol, smoking and indulging in the pleasures of sex.  He then says he's "Got to Give it Up" and performs the song with sincerity.  Unfortunately, he did not heed his own words and suffered an untimely death, at the age of 36, in 1986.
    One of the highlights of this DVD is the live performance of the traditionally influenced Irish song "Black Rose."  The lyrics tell of legends long ago and are complemented with an amazing 'traditional sounding' jam session and a drum solo that really gets the crowd excited.  This is the first time we get a good dose of Brian Downey.  We hear him throughout, but don't see him much.  After this explosion of energy, the band exits the stage, but the audience wants more and Thin Lizzy delivers.  The first song of the FIRST encore is "Sugar Blues."  The next and final encore begins with "Rosalie" and then we finally get a good look at keyboardist Darren Wharton in "Desaster."  Scott Gorham and    Snowy White have featured licks and mini-solos throughout the performance, both playing lead roles on guitar.
    Thin Lizzy's 'Are You Ready?' is guitar heavy, lyrically diverse and is clearly an example of a great influence on today's rock scene.  The 19 songs featured in this nearly two-hour performance are a showcase for this band’s career and the many bands that have followed their lead.

Review by Dee Haley

Billy Idol 'In Super Overdrive Live' 

    Billy Idol: In Super Overdrive Live, a live DVD filmed in Chicago's Congress Theater this past July (originally for the TV series, Soundstage), was released November 17th. The DVD spotlights Idol and his band's talent while performing at a live venue. He plays favorites such as "Dancing With Myself," "White Wedding" and "Rebel Yell." For being 53, its really impressive to see him still performing as he would have back in the 80's, and still being as lively and entertaining as he is. He does his infamous lip snarl every now and then, and growls a punk rock "Yeah" to the audience a few times.
    His vocals are very, very good for a live performance, and even sound exactly like the record version of the songs at times. You can tell he puts his all into his art, as he is sweating profusely throughout the entire concert and walking around the stage to make sure his whole audience gets involved in the show.
    Before starting "White Wedding," Idol says "Steve, show them what a hit song sounds like," which I found quite comical, and also very true. After all, it has appeared in both movies and video games. The band is right on target for this song, and the guitar intro gets the crowd going immediately. Before he starts "Scream" he points out into the audience and says "I've been looking at you. You look like you want to scream. Who wants to scream? I'll give you something to scream about," and takes off his shirt. Once again, for his age, he knows how to take care of himself, and his body.
    After that, he comes back on stage with a new shirt on, for a relaxed, acoustic version of "Eyes Without A Face." The whole performance is enchanting, with his deep vocals, the message given out through the lyrics, the gorgeous guitar playing in the background mixed with the keyboard line, and the female background vocals. Then, all of a sudden, it kicks up a notch as the guitar becomes electrified again, and Idol goes out further in the crowd to greet fans with high fives.
    Overall, the DVD is a great one to have, due to Idol's amazing showmanship and the band's skill, along with his own. The show goes from high past one minute, to chill and relaxed another, and includes all the songs most people would know. Billy Idol fan or not, you're sure to know at least two or three songs. And as with anything Idol does, it never gets boring. He and his band are great entertainers and know how to perform and how to please a crowd. This DVD re-instates why good musicians last, while the others fall to the wayside. If you're good at what you do, like Idol is, you can survive in the industry past the 50 year mark.

Review by Jade Baird