Review of Brian Wilson: On Tour

Introduction

For me, the highlight of last year`s Party In The Park wasn`t Brian May on the roof of Buckingham Palace. It wasn`t Ozzy, and it wasn`t Dame Edna describing HM as the "Jubilee Girl". It was Brian Wilson`s set. He sat there at the keyboard and went through a set that was totally evocative of the sixties, of a more innocent era full of sunshine where the only worry on peoples` minds was imminent nuclear destruction.

Sorry, mixing my nostalgia and my cynicism there. The Beach Boys, and specifically Brian Wilson, were a soundtrack to an era, and for a fortunate few the blueprint to a lifestyle. At turns full of the joys of spring and at others genuinely moving in its simplicity, the music of Brian Wilson has rightly earned him a place in the Songwriters` Hall of Fame, which we see him inducted into by Sir Paul McCartney.

This disc is a record of Brian Wilson`s "An Evening With" tour, and includes much documentary and behind the scenes footage as well as the performance of twelve of his best known songs. There is also bonus footage comprising tour bus footage, Brian`s views on The Beatles and a "Meet The Band".

Video

Recorded in 4:3 videotape, quality is exactly what you would expect from a fly-on-the-wall documentary. The concert footage of course suffers from the curse of stage lighting, but the transfer to the digital medium has done nothing to compound any faults.

Audio

This comes in three flavours - plain Stereo, Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround and DTS 5.1. Unfortunately, the sound has not been the first consideration in the making of the original programme, and the sound is not as clear or spatial as one would like. The DTS mix has considerable oomph, but simply adds bass to the basic mix. There are twelve songs on the disc, varying in mood between the joyous "California Girls" and the touching-in-its-simplicity "God Only Knows".

Features

The three mini documentaries mentioned above, which all have the three sound mixes like the main feature, are the only extras. There are no subtitles.

Conclusion

This is a very pleasing documentary-cum-concert disc containing most if not all of the star`s best works. We meet his family and friends, see him preparing for the tour and going on the road with his band. For fans of the surfing milieu this is a keeper, and for anyone who enjoyed the Party In The Park performance it`s the perfect Beach Boys primer.