Rolling Stones: Totally Stripped (1 Viewer)

[bigshot]

Received the deluxe blu-ray box from Amazon today and breathed a sigh of relief. The sound definitely is in 5.1 surround. (That hadn't been announced previously, and it would have been a deal breaker for me if it wasn't.) The video is just upscaled standard definition due to the limitations of the original masters, but that is OK with a concert. The sound is what counts the most.

It's packaged in a album sized book with great photos and info about the documentary film, the three complete small club concerts included on the blu-rays and the selected tracks for the album on the CD. Very nice. I am going to dole the concerts out to myself over the next week or so and I'll share my notes on them with you. I'm really looking forward to it because there are about 20 songs in each of the three concerts, and very little repetition of songs from one concert to the next. It's like a retrospective of their entire career.

 

[Josh Steinberg]

Very cool! I had seen that set myself and was interested, but I balked at the price.. however, if you keep writing posts like this about it, my willpower won't be able to hold out...

 

[bigshot]

I watched the Amsterdam concert tonight, and it's as good of a filmed performance by the Stones as I've ever seen. The video was SD upscaled, but it looked great and the lighting and camera work was first class. The sound was 5.1 with a really practical layout... Ron Wood on the left, Jagger in the center channel and Keith Richards on the right. This layout really showed off how Ron and Keith do call and response with their guitars. You could see them sneaking glances at each other behind Jagger to see what was coming next. The sound was fantastic.

The performance included a lot of songs I've never heard them play live before, including a few covers. In fact, one of the highlights of the show is when they do a cover of Dylan's Like A Rolling Stone, and in the chorus Keith grinned broadly and gestured, "that's us!" At the end of the song, you can tell that they were very pleased with themselves and they all congratulated each other... then they launched into another cover where Mick completely butchered the vocals. You can see Ron wincing, and the mix dials Mick way down, focusing on Keith's backup vocal. At the end of the song, they all laughed and made fun of Jagger. Super loose and spontaneous.

The best thing is to hear them do songs from Sticky Fingers and Between the Buttons that you don't normally hear live. What a fantastic set. Definitely worth the hundred bucks. Tons of great stuff here.

 

[Ruz-El]

I have my sights set on this one but waiting for the price to come down on amazon.ca before biting. Glad to hear it's solid!

 

[bigshot]

Don't wait too long, because apparently the version with the concerts is limited. The regular release just has the documentary. That is what is likely to be discounted. The price isn't that far out of line considering there are three DVDs with over 5 hours of live footage on top of the documentary and CD.

 

[Mike Frezon]

Very cool! I had seen that set myself and was interested, but I balked at the price.. however, if you keep writing posts like this about it, my willpower won't be able to hold out...

I have my sights set on this one but waiting for the price to come down on amazon.ca before biting. Glad to hear it's solid!

Oh man...that's where I was when I saw this. I want to....but...

I'm just a casual Stones fan. I've got a few of their Blu-ray concert releases...and some of the audio mixes are definitely excellent.

Looking forward to further reports as you make your way through the set.

WHY did I just post here--automatically subscribing to this thread??? I just KNOW I'm going to get talked into this, too!

 

[Josh Steinberg]

WHY did I just post here--automatically subscribing to this thread??? I just KNOW I'm going to get talked into this, too!

You and me both. I hope this stays in print long enough that I can put it on a Christmas list or something. I'm not a big enough Stones fan to justify running out and purchasing it right away, but on the other hand, I really liked the Stripped CD that's already out there, so more of the same and with video seems pretty cool.

 

[Mike Frezon]

You and me both. I hope this stays in print long enough that I can put it on a Christmas list or something. I'm not a big enough Stones fan to justify running out and purchasing it right away, but on the other hand, I really liked the Stripped CD that's already out there, so more of the same and with video seems pretty cool.

AND...the 5.1 mixes. Those are what get me EVERY time!

The Sweet Summer Sun (Hyde Park) concert is really, really good. It and a bunch of other Stones Blus are at really low prices on Amazon right now (I just noticed).

 

[Ruz-El]

Snuck a copy for $100cdn plus $5 shipping so hoping I'm not getting scammed! Should arrive before the end of the month. Thumbs held! It was on amazon.ca, but shipped from a third party seller.

 

[Mike Frezon]

So Russell's post made me run to Amazon to see what the US site had going on.

It looks like Amazon doesn't have any actual copies...but they are fulfilling for a single 3rd party seller for $95 + $4 shipping.

What to do?!?!?

 

[bigshot]

That's the same price Amazon was selling it for. Maybe Amazon has sold out already.

 

[Ruz-El]

I would go for it. I'm hoping Amazon will protect me if it's a scam. :S

 

[Josh Steinberg]

I would go for it. I'm hoping Amazon will protect me if it's a scam. :S

If you don't receive an item from a third party seller, or if the item is not as described, Amazon will make it right.

 

[Mike Frezon]

Now $94.22 with free shipping for Prime members.

Stephen, Russ...any new comments on this release? I'm still dithering.

Of particular interest for me is the fidelity and the mix of the surround mixes.

 

[Mike Frezon]

Actually, it's available for 62 pounds on amazon.uk (that's $80.64 in US dollars).

And $88.87 US on amazon.de (germany 80 euros).

 

[Ruz-El]

Hey Mike, I've only watched the documentary disc and thought it great. I might get to one of the shows this week, I'll let you know if I do.

 

[bigshot]

Of particular interest for me is the fidelity and the mix of the surround mixes.

The sound quality and camera work are absolutely perfect. The surround mix is basically up front with audience and room in the rears, but they use the left and right spread very well to differentiate Ron's guitar on the left and Keith on the right. The separation of the instruments is excellent, and the drums are very well recorded. It's among the best live mixes I've ever heard.

I've watched the first two concerts, but I'm saving the third because I don't want it to be over. Tonight I'm going to watch the remastered blu-ray of Talking Heads Stop Making Sense and stretch out the anticipation of that last disc a little longer.

 

[Mike Frezon]

Thanks, fellas.

Trigger pulled. I found a used copy for $79. Supposedly in excellent condition.

 

[Mike Frezon]

Anyone on the fence should now know that the set is currently selling for $84.32--new--on Amazon.

 

[Mikael Soderholm]

I watched the Amsterdam concert tonight, and it's as good of a filmed performance by the Stones as I've ever seen. The video was SD upscaled, but it looked great and the lighting and camera work was first class. The sound was 5.1 with a really practical layout... Ron Wood on the left, Jagger in the center channel and Keith Richards on the right. This layout really showed off how Ron and Keith do call and response with their guitars. You could see them sneaking glances at each other behind Jagger to see what was coming next. The sound was fantastic.

The performance included a lot of songs I've never heard them play live before, including a few covers. In fact, one of the highlights of the show is when they do a cover of Dylan's Like A Rolling Stone, and in the chorus Keith grinned broadly and gestured, "that's us!" At the end of the song, you can tell that they were very pleased with themselves and they all congratulated each other... then they launched into another cover where Mick completely butchered the vocals. You can see Ron wincing, and the mix dials Mick way down, focusing on Keith's backup vocal. At the end of the song, they all laughed and made fun of Jagger. Super loose and spontaneous.

The best thing is to hear them do songs from Sticky Fingers and Between the Buttons that you don't normally hear live. What a fantastic set. Definitely worth the hundred bucks. Tons of great stuff here.

I wish these shows were available separately, three shows from basically the same tour, although with different set lists, is a bit overkill if you're not a die hard fan, but Amsterdam contains the most magical version of Gimme Shelter ever recorded, and is probably worth the price of the whole set.
I loved the original Stripped album, one of their best ever, and this new edition (I got the 2CD) makes it even better. Truly a brilliant band live, especially in smaller venues. Wish I could have seen them here.
Speaking of Sticky Fingers, the live version from earlier this spring is really good, wonder if it was filmed as well as recorded.