Peter Gabriel – Growing Up Live + Still Growing Up Live & Unwrapped (Blu-ray Review)
October 25th, 2016 by Shohan Cagle
Man, now THIS is the kinda of live show that is sorely missing from this generation of artists! Folks today think they can get away with throwing up a bunch of flashy lights and random explosions and still call it a live show! Peter Gabriel is here to tell you that that concept just isn’t up to snuff! The man actually attempts to visually recreate his songs while onstage. Each and every song gets it’s own unique visual interpretation. Whether it’s something as simple as synchronizing himself with a few musicians as they twirl to the beat of the music. Or it’s something as grand as climbing inside a giant inflatable plastic bubble and rolling it around while the stage itself rotates at the same time! Growing Up Live is simply a JOY to watch!
Filmed during the 2014 “Soundtrack of the Summer” tour, Styx hits the Las Vegas stage to bring us their signature sound! Live at the Orleans Arena Las Vegas also includes behind the scenes interview with the band and their road crew about the in’s and out’s of life on the road. We get everything from the joys of exploring a new city everyday, to the struggles that come with trying to remain connected to those back home. So strap on your multi-necked guitar and find out if Styx still has what it takes to bring the house down!
Oh yeah! You can almost hear the fire-breathing front man, Gene “The Demon” Simmons, scream watch this once-in-a-lifetime event on the Blu-ray format. And who am I to argue with his wisdom? I’m a nobody in regards to Mr. Simmons, but one thing you can’t question is my undying discipleship to the legendary, finally in the Rock Hall of Fame, rock band KISS. They have been like a religion in my life and my coverage of certain KISS related events 
This album is the very definition of “Garage Rock”. It’s played in a very loose and raggedy sort a way that has a lot of heart, but not much in the way of technical proficiency. Hater totally encapsulates the very essence of what was happening during the early “Grunge” era of the 1990’s. You can hear little bit’s of Soundgarden, Peal Jam, and Nirvana sprinkled throughout this album. Which is to be expected with a group that features members of Monster Magnet, Mother Love Bone and Devilhead. But that’s by no means to say that Hater is is just a rip off of more sophisticated acts. I’m just trying to paint a picture of what the musical atmosphere was like when this album originally came out. When you have a little background on a band as unconventional as Hater, it gives you a better appreciation for what they tried to accomplish musically.
I really can’t see how anyone could possibly listen to this album and NOT be compelled to take on the world! It really doesn’t hold back on the positivity which makes it the best kind of music to wake up to on a Monday morning. I’m sure there are some people who might find songs with such an up beat message to be pretty corny and unrelatable, considering all the ill’s of the world. But that’s just when we need this kind of music the MOST! It’s times like these when we need to be shaken out of our “doom and gloom” mind set and reminded that there are still things in this world worth believing in!
This movie focuses squarely on a family as they struggle to survive in the America’s during the 1600’s. In a way it’s a lot like a stage play in that, save for the first few minutes, the cast consists solely of these 6 people. As a rule of thumb, when writing film music for small or intimate scenes you should use minimal instruments and keep the melodies fairly simple or else you stand to disrupt the scene. This score handles this with great elegance and care. Even during the scenes of intensity where someone is frantically running through the woods, the music still keeps to it’s sparse elements which gives everything a sense of urgency. If the music were large and bombastic, even during scenes of violence, it would make itself far too noticeable and distracting.
Mondotees.com has a wide selection of exclusive Posters, Music, and original art that would make even the most casual collector of pop-culture salivate at the chance to get their mits on these great items! Here are a few of Mondo’s top Vinyl soundtrack choices that are currently shipping and available for pre-order!
From “Mondo” comes the original score for the classic film “Star Trek 2: The Wrath of Kahn” composed by James Horner. This deluxe re-issue is pressed on 180 Gram 2XLP Mutara Nebula colored Vinyl, features breathtaking original artwork by Matt Taylor, exclusive liner notes by Devin Faraci, and has been remastered for Vinyl by James Plotkin.
From Universal pictures comes “Roger Waters The Wall”. Filmed at London’s O2 Arena, this spectacular and elaborate concert also includes a film that follows Waters as he embarks on a deeply personal journey and reflects on the impact that war has had on him and his family. Waters travels to the graves of his father and grandfather who both died in combat. The journey offers a revealing, candid portrait of a man who is passionately and unapologetically anti-war.
This isn’t just a live concert for The Motels, it’s actually a celebration of the 50th anniversary for the historical LA rock club, “The Whiskey a Go-Go”. The show opens with an introduction from Rosanna Arquette and Linda Perry. Arquette gives a brief description of the history of the “Whiskey” followed by Linda offering up a cheeky tale of her fondness for Martha Davis and her music. Most live concert home videos show the band ready and on stage with their Instruments set up and prepped. But in this case they actually show the band gradually walk on stage minus Martha Davis. I thought that was a really cool way to open the show as it really gives you the feeling that you’re in the crowd waiting with anticipation as the house lights dim, the stages lights come on, and the show begins. 
From “La La Land Records” comes the Soundtrack for The CW’s third season of “Arrow”! Written by award winning Composer Blake Neely, this limited edition 2 disc release is jam packed with intense and darkly emotional music that allows you to relive the experience of watching the show! It also includes music from THE FLASH VS. ARROW crossover episodes, with Part One appearing on THE FLASH album and Part Two appearing on the ARROW recording. 
From “La-La Land Records” comes the Soundtrack for The CW’s first season of “The Flash”! Written by award winning Composer Blake Neely, this limited edition 2 disc release is jam packed with exciting and emotionally driven music that allows you to relive the thrilling experience of watching the show! It also includes music from THE FLASH VS. ARROW crossover episodes, with Part One appearing on THE FLASH album and Part Two appearing on the ARROW recording.
It seems like the main goal that they were striving to achieve when making this concert was to maintain the classic aesthetic and style of the band while expanding upon the visual and musical experience. The Electric Light Orchestra, or ELO as they’re more commonly known, is something of a juggernaut of classic hits. Even the most casual music fan is likely to know a few of their tunes. This is one of ELO’s headlining performances during BBC Radio 2’s “Festival in a Day” in London’s Hyde Park. 
So this album is something of a rarity these days. It’s a musician from one genre actually acknowledging the artistic merit of someone with a completely different style. Most often when a cover album is made the tendency is to alter the original concept to such an extent that the core message and feeling that the lyrics are trying to convey, is almost completely lost. What Ryan has done is not only recreate the songs in a his own image, but he’s also maintained the core values that Taylor Swift initially set forth to express. 
Anyone that knows me well understands that my love for the 90’s grunge band Nirvana is infinite. It literally knows no boundaries. Equally so I would gladly roam this Earth on my hands and my knees wiping up every blood, sweat and tear Kurt Cobain ever shed, that is if he wasn’t taken away from us so tragically young. You all know the truth right? He was murdered! Blasphemy you say? The proof is in the pudding! LOL. However, I digress. That’s not what we are here to discuss today. We’re here to celebrate the life and times of Kurt Cobain, his band Nirvana and the legacy they left behind with the remastered re-release of Nirvana’s greatest hits album so to speak. I can’t believe it’s been over ten years for this one. It seems like only yesterday I was hearing “You Know You’re Right” on the radio for the very first time. Ah…memories. 
