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Van Morrison
Roger McGuinn @ the Huntington IMAC, Long Island, NY - April 4, 2008
Emily Saxe @ the Allen Room/Jazz at Lincoln Center - April 5, 2008
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Tift Merritt
Be Your Own Pet
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Paul McCartney – The McCartney Years (DVD)
Juno – Music from the Motion Picture
Various Artists
Yes - Their Definitive Story
Day and Night Driving
Seven Mary Three
InterMedia Arts Center 2/2/08
Huntington, NY
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Depeche Mode
Depeche Mode – Violator (Deluxe Edition)
Call me cynical (or dimwitted) but I think I finally understand why record companies are re-issuing ‘classic’ albums with a second DVD disk. The idea isn’t so much to attract new listeners as it is to seduce old fans of the band to buy a second copy with enhanced audio features and some video content. “Violator” inarguably represents a definitive moment in music history, so it stands to reason that it would be given the deluxe treatment. I’m just not sure if it’s worth shelling out the shekels for it.
The short ‘bonus’ movie that appears on the extra DVD inadvertently provides a few reasons to support my case. First of all, the movie contains little more than a few spotty interviews with bandmembers, their producer (Flood), and their associates. The subject matter revolves mostly around an in-store media event in Los Angeles, with small bits of info on the recording process and filming the videos. Unfortunately, the videos themselves are NOT a part of this package, and the footage regarding the in-store ‘event’ inadvertently backfires. In California, thousands of unsupervised fans waited for hours to meet the band, and grew restive. The media coverage of the near-riot offered a slew of publicity for Depeche Mode, who admittedly spent only four minutes at the store before being escorted away. I’m sure the intention of this footage was to portray the band as the ‘90s version of the Beatles, but instead, they seem callous and cynical. Rather than express sympathy or regret for the fans who were neglected or injured, they discuss their four-minute non-effort as a career-defining moment. As the film ends, an onscreen message points out that since its release, “Violator” has sold over 7,500,000 copies worldwide. With that many copies sold, who on earth is left to buy a copy?
The album certainly has not gained in relevance over the years. Rather, it is a timepiece for a generation, a piece of memorabilia to accompany memories of their youth, and they certainly still have their well-worn copies filed away somewhere. Yes, the album has a lot to recommend it, especially the moody club hits “Enjoy the Silence,” “Policy of Truth” and “Personal Jesus,” which has since been overshadowed by Johnny Cash’s spine-chilling version. The album flows well, and it hasn’t aged too badly, but people who missed it the first time around are unlikely to desire it fifteen years later. That leaves the original 7.5 million fans to consider buying a second copy. Perhaps the six bonus tracks will add some appeal. Other than that, the only real advantage of this deluxe package lies in the surround-sound mix. If you have a killer sound system that can process this, and you loved this album back in the old days, then go for it. Otherwise, I’m not sure that it’s worth it, even for hardcore fans.
Grade: 
 
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