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With the recent Live-8 concert attracting so much attention (and I certainly do hope that you’ve been paying attention), I figured it would be as good a time as any to dig up the time capsule that I buried in the backyard twenty years ago. There, among the day-glo spandex pants, headbands, and Ronald Reagan campaign buttons, I expected to find my cherished video recording of the Live Aid concerts from July 1985. But, alas, the world had changed beyond my ability to predict, rendering my poor Beta-tape copy of the MTV coverage as obsolete as my 1985 Thompson Twins album collection. So, forlorn, but not beaten, I decided to search out a video copy of this historic event, and – what do you know? – right there at my local ‘Best Buy’ was a brand-spanking new, four-disk DVD copy of the entire event! Now, in perfectly contemporary and digitally accurate video and audio, you (or I) can watch now-classic performances by U2, Mick Jagger, David Bowie and Tina Turner, and Queen.
All of the above have lived up to the expectations of my decades-old memories. Unfortunately, though, I cannot always say that for much of the rest. The Who reunited (again) for this event, but it seems unlikely that they rehearsed beforehand. Roger Daltrey must have sung “Won’t Get Fooled Again” 5,000 times before this event, but apparently, that still wasn’t enough. He messes up the song structure so badly that poor Pete Townshend and John Entwhistle have to regroup to figure out where the hell they ought to be. At least nobody punched anyone, though, and the spirit of the day carried them through. Eric Clapton performs with an inappropriately heavy-handed Phil Collins on drums, and the Beach Boys performance made me grateful that Brian Wilson is now touring without the perennially annoying Mike Love to muck things up. These moments may be less than awesome, but it is still incredible to see these once-in-a-lifetime events exactly as they took place.
One of the most fun things to do while watching this video is to count the unbelievably disastrous fashion faux pas that parade before your eyes. Ultravox and Spandau Ballet look as though they exchanged costumes backstage, while Adam Ant, Boy George, and especially Duran Duran prove that their careers were based more on fashion than talent, and their fashion sense was abominable. In my opinion, Duran Duran’s performance here proves once and for all that they are truly the worst band of the past thirty-five years. As for the Thompson Twins (yes, they were there, too, with Madonna as a backup singer, no less! Can you believe that?), you have to see them to believe them. God, who invented those ‘80s haircuts, and what prison is he/she rotting in? Watching this band maul their way through John Lennon’s “Revolution” made me wonder what diner the band is working in these days.
As for the rest, it’s all great fun. Neil Young confounds the crowd by playing an unreleased song with an excellent Nashville/country outfit, Judas Priest prove that yes, they really ARE hell-bent for leather, and Ozzy Osbourne actually performs a version of “Paranoid”. In addition, a playful Pete Townshend gooses Paul McCartney during “Let It Be”, and I get to vaguely recall mediocre acts from the ‘US’ decade like R.E.O. Speedwagon, Wham!, and Nik Kershaw. All in all, a good time was had by all, and the event raised nearly $150 million for famine relief. Best of all, it’s not finished; All proceeds from this four-CD set (or the companion ‘Best Of’ collection on one DVD disk) still goes toward the Band Aid Trust in Africa. That alone justifies the entire experience, and this time, I’m not going to bury the DVD in my backyard.
DVD Grade: A-
Tom Ryan
Click Here to check out or buy the DVD (on sale July 12th)
 
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