Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
good but not the best, 3 Jan 2009
I was at this show when it was recorded. The DVD certainly lacks some of the energy of the live show, but I kind of expected that. However, in relation to his other live DVDs, it still lacks something. All the songs are there, the show is there, the man is there, but I found it didn't really capture the excitement of the crowd or the buzz of it being "the big fifty".
It includes 5.1 surround sound, which I happen to have with my TV, and which really helps the show along. That's a big plus. I give it four stars because I enjoyed it a lot, but I think it could have done with another day in editing, to inject the energy that somehow ended up on the cutting-room floor.
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12 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Disappointed!, 26 Dec 2008
I've been buying Cliff Richard DVDs for years now and all given them
5 stars because each and every one has something special and catchy.
This time however, although celebrating his 50th anniversary as a
singer, it may be the scenery, the colours used, the songs chosen,
there's something lacking. It doesn't "catch" you and after half an hour,
as happened with me, I stopped it and saw the rest days later.
There's no connection with the audience as on all other DVD's like
Castles in the Air, Live Here and Now, From A Distance, World Tour 2003
etc. All these are full of life with clapping and "wild" audiences
participating in each and every song. I would recommend any of these
mentioned, before getting this one. I was disappointed for the first
with a Cliff Richard show.
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3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Absolutely Golden!, 14 Feb 2009
Cliff's "Time Machine" tour concert dvd in celebration of his staggering 50 years in showbusiness is an absolutely amazing concert; totally breathtaking; possibly the best music dvd I've ever seen. I was lucky enough to attend this concert twice last November. Firstly I must say what is not said nearly often enough: Cliff has just got a voice to die for. I can't believe any voice can be this beautiful. He has an incredible range, fantastic control, tremendous versatility. What stands out the most for me is the velvety richness of his voice, the stunning clarity and the capacity for emotion and depth of feeling. All this has been true of Cliff on record throughout 5 decades, but these qualities are magnificently magnified when he sings live and, rather than being in any way diminished or fading after 50 years, they seem to have been infused with new intensity, vibrance and vitality. I listen to loads of male pop, rock and R&B/soul singers decades younger than Cliff, like Daniel Bedingfield, Mika, Will Young, Westlife, Take That, Keane, Usher, NeYo, Shayne Ward but I've never heard a voice like Cliff's anywhere.
I also seriously love the set design, I thought the whole time-machine idea was awesome, and the sci-fi theme exciting and effective. So evocative! The staging is spectacular with stunnung lighting and sound effects, excellent costumes and dancers. I thought the wheel and whirring sounds were deliciously tantalizing - when you're waiting for Cliff to appear. The screens - four of them - were really, really effective - with images both from the show live and ones from Cliff's life and experience; or additional stellar lighting effects.
The concert is 2 1/2 hours in length and features over 40 songs (a few are part of medleys but mostly songs are sung in full.) No-one I saw ever gave more of themselves on stage than that. (I have a Mariah Carey dvd and of course she is a marvel live as well but it's only an hour long!). There is an awesome band which Cliff described as "the best band in the world" and I'm not about to argue. Cliff's not thought of as a rock artist but his band are electrifying, passionate and staggeringly forceful and he has the voice and the energy to rock you off your feet in the upbeat numbers. In terms of setlist, it is a career-spanning golden anniversary tour, so the classic hits and concert favourites are there in abundance: "Move It", "Living Doll", "Travelling Light", "The Next Time", "We Don't Talk Anymore", "Devil Woman", "Green Light, "Daddy's Home", "From A Distance", "Ocean Deep", "Wired For Sound", "I'm Nearly Famous", "Millennium Prayer", all performed with more class, elegance and beauty than ever before. But then there are also some surprises. Cheekily reminding the audience that he was singing the American songbook long before Rod Stewart, he performs the standards "I Don't Know Why" and "We Kiss In A Shadow" and he is completely mesmerizing. I hope he makes an album of standards as this is sheer bliss! Four incredibly talented backing singers allow Cliff to perform five of the most sumptuous duets of his career: the sensual "Suddenly", the gorgeous "All I Have To Do Is Dream", the romantic "All I Ask Of You", the soul-baring epic "Had To Be" from the musical "Heathcliff" and the hidden masterpiece "She Means Nothing To Me" (vocal dark chocolate.) The much-loved concert perennial "Miss You Nights" is on the playlist too but, unusually, sung acapella, much more emotional than usual, in memory of family and friends Cliff had lost over the years and clearly heartfelt. He also sings movingly about his faith which has defined his life in the great hymn "When I Survey The Wondrous Cross" and the philosophical "It's In Every One Of Us". He unearths some songs that were previously little known and/or unreleased; the stirring country ballad "Honky Tonk Angel" and the recently discovered "Mobile Alabama School Leaving Hullabuloo", a dazzling blend of country, rock and soul. He stuns the audience with an exhilerating 12-minute medley finale of early rock songs, some less well known, all stellar here, originally recorded with the Shadows in the 50s and 60s, beginning with "High Class Baby" and ending with "In The Country". His encore is a new song, "Golden", a warm and loving tribute to his fans; and a perfect romantic ballad, that moved me to tears; and the final song is another new song, his latest single "Thank You For A Lifetime". Thankfully, however, he says it's by no means over yet and I look forward to future albums and concerts from him. I think feeling as much happiness as I did at this concert, and as I do, watching this dvd, knowing it wasn't just the heat of the moment - leaves a lasting glow.
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