Roy Orbison: Black & White Night [Blu-ray]

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Roy Orbison: Black & White Night [Blu-ray]

Starring: Roy Orbison, Jackson Browne, T-Bone Burnett, Elvis Costello, k.d. lang
Directed by: Tony Mitchell
Binding: Blu-ray
Published: 2008-09-30

$16.95

Features:

AC-3
Best of
Dolby
Live

Roy Orbison: Black & White Night [Blu-ray]

Editorial Review:

Presented on Blu-Ray for the first time, a special one-time event documenting one of rock and roll's greatest and most unique performances. Recorded live at the Cocoanut Grove in Los Angeles, Roy Orbison is joined by an eclectic ensemble of rock and roll superstars. Highlighting this all-star line-up are Jackson Browne, Elvis Costello, T-Bone Burnett, J.D. Souther, Jennifer Warnes, k.d. lang, Bonnie Raitt, Bruce Springsteen and Tom Waits. Orbison and fellow performers spend a scintillating hour performing many of his greatest hits.
Few early rockers were more gifted or less honored in their prime than the late Roy Orbison, whose vaulting tenor and vulnerable love songs conjured heartbreak and desire with operatic intensity. This 1987 concert special, originally broadcast on Showtime, came two decades after Orbison had retreated from pop's front lines, yet neither Orbison nor his music coasts on mere nostalgia: in every respect, A Black and White Night survives as a triumphant performance and a superb video production, as well as a first-rate retrospective of Orbison's hits.
Filmed in black and white against the streamlined art deco stage of the since-demolished Coconut Grove in downtown Los Angeles, the concert is buoyed by a remarkable cast of A-list Orbison fans who signed on as his accompanists. Under the direction of producer T-Bone Burnett, the stage band thus includes Jackson Browne, Burnett, Elvis Costello, k.d. lang, Bonnie Raitt, J.D. Souther, Bruce Springsteen, Tom Waits, and Jennifer Warnes, along with the rhythm section from Elvis Presley's fabled late '60s and early '70s touring band. That astonishing lineup is all the more noteworthy for the restraint with which they collaborate--it's evident that those superstars came to honor Orbison, not upstage him, resulting in a gratifying cohesion to the performances.
Orbison himself sounds as powerful as ever, his soaring falsetto cresting as dramatically as it did on the studio versions of the hits that inevitably dominate. Those songs meanwhile confirm that his blue chip admiration society came as much for the caliber of his writing as for his ravishing voice: if he remains best known for the jaunty come-on of "Pretty Woman," Orbison was first and foremost a rock balladeer, capable of bringing lumps to our throats with such classics as "Crying" and "Only the Lonely," or conjuring romantic trances through such gentle charmers as "Dream Baby." On this night, he handled all of them with fervor and finesse. --Sam Sutherland
Few early rockers were more gifted or less honored in their prime than the late Roy Orbison, whose vaulting tenor and vulnerable love songs conjured heartbreak and desire with operatic intensity. This 1987 concert special, originally broadcast on Showtime, came two decades after Orbison had retreated from pop's front lines, yet neither Orbison nor his music coasts on mere nostalgia: in every respect, A Black and White Night survives as a triumphant performance and a superb video production, as well as a first-rate retrospective of Orbison's hits.

Filmed in black and white against the streamlined art deco stage of the since-demolished Coconut Grove in downtown Los Angeles, the concert is buoyed by a remarkable cast of A-list Orbison fans who signed on as his accompanists. Under the direction of producer T-Bone Burnett, the stage band thus includes Jackson Browne, Burnett, Elvis Costello, k.d. lang, Bonnie Raitt, J.D. Souther, Bruce Springsteen, Tom Waits, and Jennifer Warnes, along with the rhythm section from Elvis Presley's fabled late '60s and early '70s touring band. That astonishing lineup is all the more noteworthy for the restraint with which they collaborate--it's evident that those superstars came to honor Orbison, not upstage him, resulting in a gratifying cohesion to the performances.

Orbison himself sounds as powerful as ever, his soaring falsetto cresting as dramatically as it did on the studio versions of the hits that inevitably dominate. Those songs meanwhile confirm that his blue chip admiration society came as much for the caliber of his writing as for his ravishing voice: if he remains best known for the jaunty come-on of "Pretty Woman," Orbison was first and foremost a rock balladeer, capable of bringing lumps to our throats with such classics as "Crying" and "Only the Lonely," or conjuring romantic trances through such gentle charmers as "Dream Baby." On this night, he handled all of them with fervor and finesse. --Sam Sutherland

Customer Reviews:

Avg. Customer Rating: 5.0 / 5.0

The Very Best that you will listen too of Roy Orbison:

I have the standard Roy Orbison Greatest Hits DVD. When you listen to it compared to the Blue Ray version of Black and White, it sounds like the music is coming through some muted filter. The Blue Ray version is absolutely the best Music you will ever hear. I have the Eagles Hell Freezes over and used to think that it was the standard by which everything else would be judged. The Blue Ray blowes it out of the water as far as pure sound enjoyment. Each note on the guitars, bass guitar, drums, harmonica,... more info

Superb Transfer:

This is the best audio and video transfer I've seen on HD-DVD or Blu-ray. I've watched it several times now and I never tire of it. A beautiful tribute to Roy Orbison.

*****:

Shot in black and white in the late 80s, this concert is one of the best. Being a big fan of Elvis (well, pretty much everyone from Sun back in the day), I was very excited to see Mr. Roy Orbison get to play with such a great band, The TCB Band. All in all, Roy Orbison and Friends: A Black and White Night is a keeper. Check it out on Blu-ray disc to get the best quality audio and video. *****

Great Music and even Better video of Roy Orbison:

Didn't think I would like to re-watch and listen to Roy Orbison over and over. This Blu-ray disc has been masterfully re-done to improve the resolution (even though in Black and White) to a level that makes one feel as if they are in the same smoke filled room listening and watching this classic performance. These songs are reproduced with much improved clarity in the full range both highs and lows and I remain extremely impressed and fully satisfied. If you like the sounds of Roy Orbison, add this to your... more info

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