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Iggy Pop! Live:
San Fran 1981 DVD released: April 19, 2005 Approximate running time: 60 Minutes Aspect ratio: 1.33:1 Rating: NR Sound: ENGLISH: Dolby Digital 5.1/2.0 DVD Release: Target Video/MVD Region Coding: Region 0 NTSC Retail Price: $16.95
Don Guarisco on July 27, 2005 |
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| The Film |
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If you have any love in your heart at all for old-school punk rock, you have to love Iggy Pop. Not only is he an important elder statesman from this era, he’s managed to stay relevant over the years and can still knock ‘em dead on a stage. Any chance that one gets to see the Ig in action is guaranteed to be time well-spent… and Iggy Pop! Live San Fran 1981 does not disappoint. This video captures a forgotten period in his career – that post-David Bowie, pre mid-80’s comeback period – and does so in an exciting style.
During the course of this short but sweet set, Iggy tears through an energetic set of material that covers everything from his Stooges day through his Arista material. The backup band features Blondie member Clem Burke on drums and David Bowie sideman Carlos Alomar on guitar so the sound is fierce and tight. In fact, three guitarists are featured here – including one-time Blondie member Gary Valentine – so anyone who lives their post-punk sounds heavy on the guitar will be happy with this outing.
On the technical side, both the sound and video are a bit raw because it was two-camera shoot filmed under situations that weren’t exactly stadium quality. However, this will work in fvor of Iggy Pop! Live San Fran 1981 for fans because it gives the material a gritty, visceral edge that suits it nicely. The only other complaint is that the concert is short (a little under 60 minutes) but the quality of the songs and performance make up for such quibbles.
One last thing: fearlessness has always been a
hallmark of the Iggy Pop style – after all, this is the guy who once
told an audience full of heckling bikers that they could ‘suck his
ass’ before diving into the crowd to fight them. Fans won’t be
disappointed in this respect because Iggy performs in a leather
jacket, blank panties and stockings with garters during this
concert. Better yet, he does it with a straight face and no campy
affectations. Even if you don’t like the music, you gotta admit
this guy’s got a gutsiness that defines good rock and roll. We need
more like him. |
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| Video | 2.5/5 | |
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| The video transfer is raw in the extreme. It was shot on low-tech video equipment and suffers from some murk and bleeding colors. That said, the resulting ‘bootleg’ look fits the gritty tunes just fine. Like the rest of the Target Video releases, there is a burn-in that features a copyright notice throughout the presentation. |
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| Audio | 2.5/5 | |
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| This disco serves up the songs in both 2.0 and 5.1 Dolby stereo. Truth be told, its really hard to tell the difference between the two – the 5.1 mix sounds like it might have a little more bass to it. Once again, the show has raw, sloppily-mixed bootleg sound to it in either mix but the rough ‘n’ ready style fits the mood just fine. |
| Extras | 0.5/5 | |
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| The only extra is a trailer for a Stooges reunion disc also put out by MVD. |
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| Overall | 3/5 | |
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All in all, Iggy Pop! Live San Fran 1981 is great fun for punk veterans and anyone curious for what that ‘lost’ period in Iggy’s career was like. Order this disc from: www.xploitedcinema.com |
| Film Rating | DVD Rating | |||
| Director: | N/A |
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| Writer: | N/A |
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| Released: | 1981 |
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| Cast: | Iggy Pop |
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