Black & White Night

This concert is executed in such an outstanding way. Roy Orbison was one of the outstanding vocalist in my generation. You add all the top name performers he surrounded himself with, makes this a must have. His voice is one that keeps coming back in your mind because ha had such power. Elvis Presley admired his voice, and you can hear in some of his later songs, an almost operatic delivery. The filming so good, I even enjoyed the views of the audience, I recognized many individuals. He was loved by so many. His music transcends the generations, many try to match him, but few can come even close. We are lucky to have this excellent record of his talent. By the way, if you think about it, these concerts are just like time travel, you go back and witness history.

This review is for Roy Orbison "A Black & White Night on BluRay. I remember watching this concert back in 1988 on Cinemax. It was simulcast in stereo on FM radio stations around the country. Many of us had just upgraded to stereo TV, but most cable companies had not yet converted to the new TV stereo system. So the FM stereo simulcast was a nice touch. But now I have it in 1080i and 5.1 surround. This video is advertised on Amazon as being PAL TV mode. It says on the label that it is made in the EU. But it is Region Free and plays perfectly in my Region A/1 NTSC BluRay player. So buy it and enjoy. Roy and his friends...... Bruce Springsteen, Tom Waits, Elvis Costello, Jackson Browne, JD Souther, Steven Soles, Bonnie Raitt, KD Lang, Jennifer Warnes, and a few other top musicians, decided to get together at the Coconut Grove Ambassador Hotel in L.A. and jam for an HBO Productions special called, "Roy Orbison and Friends, A Black And White Night. And boy did they put on a show. The room at Coconut Grove is big but not huge. The band and the audience were not far from each other. It was aired on Cinemax. Yes it is in B&W but the 1080i HD 16:9 widescreen picture is as sharp as it can get, even for black and white. Yes I said 1080i and not 1080p. Don't know why, but I don't care. You can see dust floating around the room on close-ups. I even noticed a few tiny sprays of moisture from their mouths as they sang. The soundtrack is offered in PCM 2.0 Stereo, Dolby Digital 5.1, and DTS HD Master Audio 5.1 Surround. All three are fantastic but I always prefer the DTS HD MA 5.1 tracks on everything. Better dynamic range and 100% uncompressed. The DTS tracks are superb. They make very good use of the rear surround channels on this disc. They are not just for audience reaction or echo effect. All 5 channels are active with different instruments. The girls singing in the background, as well as some guitars and all strings and horns of the orchestra, are heard on the back channels with rear left to right separation. The sound is audiophile clean and wide ranged. The song "Blue Bayou' was not included in the original airing of the show due to time constraints. And the songs "Claudette" and "Blue Angel" were not included before now. But all 3 songs are added to this BluRay release. The nice part is that everyone in the band looks so happy and are enjoying making this concert. Roy himself is so professional. We all know he is blind, but he moves around the stage and looks at each person he is near as if he sees them. Roy Orbison may be gone now, but his music will live on forever, and so will Roy as one of the best songwriters and musicians from his time. R.I.P. old friend. We won't forget you. Ooby Dooby.

It's not often that a performing musician makes a comeback in his or her own lifetime. Usually performers wear themselves out or outlive their time. Or, they reach a certain age, meaning that age when they are labeled a has been, or never was. After that they just disappear. However, if they do survive to win the appreciation of a new generation, it's usually after a dry spell and then, well, blest be those lucky ones who find that they are once again new. Such was the case with Roy Kelton Orbison, one of the pioneers of rock and roll, or was he rock-a-billy, or was he just Roy Orbison. My answer is the latter, since Roy was one of the few early rock musicians who charted his own course. Blessed with a unique voice and singing style, and not schooled in the typical way of writing and performing a song, he struggled to find an audience in an era of Elvis, Fabian, Frankie Avalon and Bobby Rydell. His best time was in the early 60's when "Oh, Pretty Woman" was on every radio station imaginable be they AM or FM. When it fell off the charts it seemed like we never heard from him again until people started producing documentaries on early Rock and Roll featuring those few who survived into obscurity. Fortunately, something different happened to Roy, for unbeknownst to the disk jockeys and music mavens of the 50's and 60's Roy had become the artist of choice for a whole new generation of rock musicians. It is they who are with him on this DVD video and audio. It's been said that a man or woman can have no greater tribute than the admiration of his peers. Roy Orbison never lived long enough to be honored by the Kennedy Center, as did Bruce Springsteen, his greatest fan. However this DVD is the evidence that he received something greater. It was T.Bone Burnett who gathered Springsteen, Elvis Costello, James Burton, Jackson Brown, and a dozen or so other top music professionals to honor Roy by singing and playing his music, with him as the featured performer. Solid professionals all, and many of them stars in their own right, all of these people come together as a group and perform in a manner that leaves no doubt as to who is the star of the show. My favorite out of all of these are the women's backup team: Bonnie Rait, Jennifer Warnes, and k.d. lang, all of them singing with a smile as they back Roy in Dream, Dream Baby and Mean Woman Blues as only they can. And while all the songs aren't from the master's pen, we still have Only the Lonely, Cryin', Blue Bayou, Oh,Pretty Woman and other Roy Orbison classics. To my mind Roy Orbison - A Black and White Night is the very best of the best, the very best of Roy Orbison and his music, and the very best tribute the man would have. Buy it, request it, get it, for there was only one Roy Orbison, and after him there will be no more. Thank you.

Très bon montage réaliste et très bien fait

buena calidad de audio

Story (5) Jennifer Warnes, Bonnie Raitt und k.d. lang zusammen auf der Bühne zu sehen, ist schon ein Ereignis für sich - dass die drei aber nicht etwa im Rampenlicht stehen, sondern dezent im Hintergrund den Backgroundgesang übernehmen, lässt erahnen, mit was für einem aussergewöhnlichen musikalischen Anlass wir es hier zu tun haben.... Wenn dann auch noch Bruce Springsteen, Elvis Costello und Tom Waits zur musikalischen Unterstützung auf der Bühne stehen, dürfte dem Letzten klar geworden sein, hier geschieht Grosses... Unterstützt werden die Stars durch Elvis‘ ehemalige Bühnenband, die TCB-Band: Glen D. Hardin am Piano, Jerry Scheff am Bass, Ronnie Tutt am Schlagzeug und natürlich James Burton an der Lead-Gitarre. Im Rampenlicht steht allerdings nur einer - und das ist Roy Orbison! Das exklusive Konzert wurde 1987 im legendären Cocoanut Grove Nightclub in Los Angeles in schwarz/weiss aufgezeichnet und gehört mit zum Besten, das es von Roy Orbison live zu sehen gibt. Stimmlich war Roy Orbison immer noch voll auf der Höhe und musikalisch ging sowieso die Post ab, kein Wunder mit dieser erlesenen Begleitband! Wir hören hier viele seiner grossen Hits wie „Only the Lonely“, „Blue Bayou“, „Crying“ und natürlich „Pretty Woman“. Das Einzige, das man dem Konzert vorwerfen kann, ist die Tatsache, dass bereits nach 64 Minuten Schluss ist. Anderseits sollte derart auserwählte Musik wie guter Wein genossen werden - in ganz kleinen Einheiten! Bild (4) Das Bildseitenverhältnis liegt in 1.78:1 (16:9) vor. Grundsätzlich muss man wissen, dass das Konzert 1987 von einem amerikanischen TV-Sender aufgezeichnet wurde und dies im damals üblichen Bildformat 1.33:1 (4:3). Für die vorliegende Blu-ray-Ausgabe wurde das Bild unten und oben beschnitten, um auf das Breitbildformat von 16:9 zu kommen. Obwohl die Aufnahmen auf dieser Blu-ray in 1080i vorliegen, haben wir es mit einer sehr guten und detailreichen Bildumsetzung zu tun. Der Schärfegrad ist gut bis sehr gut. Die Publikumsaufnahmen wurden mit einer 8mm Handkamera gedreht und sehen dementsprechend sehr körnig und unscharf aus. Mit diesem Stilmittel wurde hier wohl versucht, einen nostalgischen Touch zu erzielen. Ich konnte mich damit leider nicht wirklich anfreunden. Der Schwarzwert ist gut und auch die Kontrastwerte können überzeugen. Alles in allem eine solide und gute HD-Umsetzung! Ton (5) Das Tonformat liegt in DTS-HD Master 5.1 vor. Die Tonumsetzung kann man getrost als High-Light bezeichnen. Die Surroundumsetzung ist hervorragend gelungen und gibt dem Zuhörer das Gefühl mittendrin zu sitzen. Die Dynamik ist grossartig und auch die Basswiedergabe überzeugt auf der ganzen Linie. Tontechnisch wurde wirklich das Beste herausgeholt! Extras (3) Es gibt noch den Titel Blue Angel zu hören. Ansonsten haben mich die Extras nicht weiter interessiert. Es ist ein Wende-Cover verfügbar! Fazit: Ein legendäres Konzert mit einem Roy Orbison in Bestform. Wer mit seiner Musik etwas am Hut hat, sollte sich diesen wunderbaren Konzert-Film unbedingt zulegen!

Pour cadeau . Très bel achat. Bonne sonorité, belle vidéo. Il a fallu l attendre longtemps...mais quel plaisir !

Fantastic with Bruce Springsteen and Elvis Costello son of Russ McManus of the Joe Loss Band. 1950s to 1960,s or later