Blue Oyster Cult: Longs Days Night (UK)

I`d like to respond to your previous reviewer; and before starting out, I should say that I`m a long time fan of this band.

Over the years the band has changed and moved on, as we all do, so anyone basing their expectations on BOC circa-1976 stands a fair chance of being disappointed.

The voices? Well, bear in mind that these guys are 25 years older; you have to expect the odd glitch. I noticed your reviewer mentioned Deep Purple; I saw them a couple of months ago, and it`s significant that they don`t play "Child in Time" any more, presumably because Gillan`s voice can`t handle it. This show didn`t leave out anything.

The musicianship? It`s never been better. In Buck Dharma, BOC has one of the most underrated guitarists around. Recently Allen Lanier has come forther out of his shell, and their playing on "Last Days of May" is spectacular. (You wouldn`t have heard anything like that back in `76 .....)

The material? It`s a good cross-section of the 30 years of history of BOC - and I defy anyone to listen to "Perfect Water" and not be moved.

The performance? I don`t know a BOC fan who isn`t impressed with this DVD. You might think that that`s because we just sit back and lap up anything that`s issued. Not true. The DVD was preceded, a month or so ago, by a CD recorded at the same show. Opinion was widely divided on this, with some quite negative views being posted on some of the fan sites. I haven`t seen any negative views of the DVD .....

One last point. This is a single show, recorded live on the night. No retakes; no "off-stage backing singers"; no studio over-dubs. As such, it`s not perfect - no live performance ever is. But it is a faithful reproduction of a band who still play 100 live gigs a year.

Watch and enjoy .....!

Blue Oyster Cult`s "A Long Day`s Night" marked their 30th Anniversary on being "On Tour Forever". A Long Day`s Night captures the entire experience of a Blue Oyster Cult show and their loyal following.

The Concert has 19 songs from 11 different albums, a good representation of their different incarnations over 30 years. It`s obvious that the Band chose the set list to reward the Hardcore fans. Watching the video, you find yourself seeing five minute mini-epics, except for the 10 minute Last Days of May. It`s amazing that BOC is able to create sonic novels in the 5 minute range, each complete and totally different from the next.

The video, shot in HDTV, is clear and the cameramen had a clue on who was playing what. There is certainly plenty of Buck Dharma on this film with many close-ups of his astonishing fingerwork. There`s not a musician out there that could watch this DVD and not learn something from this Guitar-God. Of all the reasons to see this DVD, the witness of Buck Dharma`s brilliance is the most essential.

If I was the lighting director, I would have illuminated the entire house for the whole show. It`s a little dark in some spots and the camera`s do not capture the "view from the back" concert lighting effects enough to make a Concert Lighting worthwhile.
The audio is in 2.0, 5.1 and DTS. I found the Dolby 5.1 mix to be the best with my system. Buck Dharma is clearly the spotlight of this mix and I`ll take that anyday. The Bass is way down in the mix and that is a little disappointing.

The extra features are weak, except for the band interviews that are very good. The omission of an insert worthy of a 30 year celebration is sorely missed. It was filmed in only one night, though, with no overdubs. What you see is what you get and it`s plenty.
Overall, this is a very special piece of Rock History. BOC has lived up to their "On Tour Forever" tag probably doing more shows than any other Rock Band in their 30 years. Unfortunately, this relentless touring has limited output, especially on film. A Hard Day`s Night fills that void admirally.

Wow, I thought this was a pretty good concert! At some point the vocals might not have been as strong as they were 25 years ago but the guitar playing was awesome. Deep Purple might be more theatrical but who is Deep Purple? Where is Ritchie Blackmore and who the hell is their current singer. With BOC you at least have the three key founding members. Their isn`t a better rock guitarist from this generation than Buck Dharma still actively touring. Overall the production values were modest but very good the sound was decent and if you liked this bands music 30 years ago your gonna love this video. It is a tight quality package!!!