Still working through my pile of CD and DVDs, with a few trickling in the run-up to Christmas (for release early next year). There is an interesting mix on here and some of it is rather good.
DVD Reviews
Hades: Bootlegged in Boston 1988
As you can imagine from the date on this DVD, the live music on here is crude as you would expect. Rather than just toss it out for the fans, the DVD includes an excellent and interesting documentary on the 80s thrash also-rans. The video was recorded in the early 00s so you get to hear exactly what the rest of the band are up to now.
They have a rather interesting place in metal history with many in the know lamenting their break-up post their European tour. It's very much a tour of a bunch of arrogant metalheads who don't like it when reality hits them and they realize making it ain't going to be that easy. They still occasionally get together for the odd show every year. Though having a song called “Groundzero NYC” recorded in 2000 might not have helped their cause.
There are only 9 tracks on the DVD plus some even more ropey stuff as a bonus. If you are a Hades fan then you will probably like this quite a bit. It's quite an interesting trawl down memory lane for those who followed some of the lower tier bands in the 80s. This is one of those things that you watch and wonder what could have happened. If you are interested in the band, studio offerings are probably a better bet as this is pretty crude.
Yardbirds: The Story of the Yardbirds
This is the proto-heavy band of the 1960s that supplied the next generation of guitar masters to so many bands. It was the Yardbirds and the Bluesbreakers that were the “finishing school” for guitarists of the age. It could be argued that at least three musical styles grew out of the band's heavy metal and hard rock styles you all know and love.
Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page, and Jeff Beck all did their time honing their chops with this lot. One of the great ironies is that Clapton left after “For the Love” because they were going too commercial; most amusing considering what Clapton ended up doing in the 80s. Page went on to form the heavy rock of all heavy rock groups with “the New Yardbirds” aka Led Zeppelin. Jeff Beck managed to have such a following that he has remained a solo artist to this day.
The documentary is 52 minutes and is hosted by the legendary Tommy Vance. The fact the last track on here is “Dazed and Confused” just shows where they members were heading. There is an amusing extra from German TV recorded in 1967 (with Jimmy Page on guitar) where you get to hear the band try to play over the screaming of the audience.
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