James Taylor: Live at the Beacon Theater (1998)

Sensitive singer-songwriter, soft-rock poster boy, boomer troubadour: James Taylor has outlived the stereotypes offered by fans and critics alike by simply staying his musical course and continuing to refine his familiar, deceptively mellifluous style. This 1998 concert displays Taylor's craftsmanship and easy rapport with both his band and his audience to satisfying effect, offering a repertoire that draws from his entire career while providing a generous selection of songs from his Grammy-winning 1997 set, Hourglass. Fans will love it, of course, but even jaded listeners can find fresh feeling and formidable expertise here.

By now, Taylor's skill at low-key love songs is a given, making him an archetypal "sensitive New Age guy" on the strength of his canny mix of emotional vulnerability, romantic imagery, and understated delivery. Less obviously, Taylor has gradually transformed the shadows of disillusionment audible in his earliest songs into a nuanced acknowledgment of his own age. "Line 'Em Up," from Hourglass, typifies his skill at limning disarmingly lucid, frankly philosophical vignettes, here woven around a recollection of Richard Nixon's last hurrah, while "Jump Up Behind Me" affords a testament to self-determination ultimately as serious in theme as it is buoyant in its musical framework. Throughout, Taylor's stage band proves a thoroughbred, its accompaniment rock solid and delicately detailed, and perfectly matched to a crack backing chorus.

Among the first video concerts produced with DVD in mind, Live at the Beacon Theatre has been in heavy rotation in home demonstration suites ever since its release, an achievement understandable after hearing the crystalline 5.1 mix engineered by Frank Filipetti, who shared a Grammy as coproducer on Hourglass and snagged a second award for his engineering of that album. --Sam Sutherland Amazon.com

Exellent service

Product arrived on time in excellent condition. Would recommend
Amazon as the same. September 23, 2008

Best DVD concert ever.

I was amazed by the quality of this concert DVD. The audio and production standards applied to this project were tremendous. I have had a number of friends over to watch "Live at the Beacon" and you couldn't have a better keepsake of/or introduction to a James Taylor experience. August 27, 2008

The Only JT Concert DVD That You'll Ever Need!

Wow! Not only was this a great concert by a legend and his excellent supporting band but this is one great dvd too! The sound quality is very, very good in both the LPCM and the Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound formats although the bass was a little too much at times but otherwise this is still very good sound quality. The picture quality is good although not great but is certainly a lot better than VHS quality making this overall one of the best music concert dvds that I've ever seen.

I have to take exception with the reviewers here who pan the overall direction of the dvd and somehow feel that a good dvd means the camera never shifts from the star; thank God this is not the case here or I would have truly regretted my purchase. If you are a musician or have ever been in a band or made music yourself, you will certainly appreciate the dvd direction here because you know that no man is an island and that you are only as good as your supporting band.

James Taylor is a humble man and he knows it and as you will see throughout how he goes out of his way to introduce the band and to gesture to them so that the cameraman has to follow James' direction when for example Bobby Mann plays his great licks especially on "Steamroller Blues" or on the backup singer when he does his great solo on "Shower the People" or on Luis Conte when he does his great work on "Only a Dream in Rio" or on the solo cellist etc. This is excellent because for a musician like me, I get to see the other talented band members do their thing and I get to learn from them and hence this dvd even more than if I was to go to the concert and watch live as I will not get to see the great camera angles of the other things that are going on.

In any case, there are many moments when James plays solo that the camera is almost totally fixated on him like on "Fire and Rain" for example. Also included are a couple of music videos with poor sound and picture quality compared with the main course and a short but poorly conducted interview because of the few and lame questions asked of the great man but thankfully these do not detract from the overall enjoyment of the dvd.

And so for those who want a more complete experience and a view of what really goes on during a JT concert that you almost certainly won't get from your seat at the theatre watching live then this is the perfect dvd for you.

Highly recommended! August 19, 2008

Folk Muzak

Strangely, as a youth caught up in the fervor of the early 1960's folk revival and its aftermath James Taylor the subject of this review was never on my personal radar. I knew the name, knew people who knew him, and had many chances to hear him perform in the old days. I passed. And with the exception of a couple of songs here that remains true. Somehow he is, however, the perfect performer for aging `baby boomers' who have lost the taste for hard-driving, edgy music but still love the old tunes-and memories. Moreover, Taylor is the perfect performer for Public Broadcasting System fundraisers. The PBS fundraising moguls know their demographics.

Oh yes, I listened to Fire and Rain and You Can't Close Your Eyes back in the days like everyone else. That is not the question. I listened to tons of stuff in those days (and now, as well). However, those songs lacked pathos for me then and off of Taylor's performance here at New York's Beacon Theater in 1998 that condition still prevails. Moreover, the covers here like Jimmy Jones' Handy man and Buddy Holly's Not Fade Away point to my problem with Taylor's work. Generally, good workmanlike performances but no "soul". And to these eyes and ears no real stage presence despite the blurb accolades that accompanied the DVD to the contrary. Unless you are a diehard Taylor fan pass this by.


August 15, 2008

James Taylor and his Killer band!!

James Taylor and his absolutely KILLER Band tear the roof off of the Beacon Theatre in NYC. Not an easy feat by any stretch of the imagination. What is even more incredible is the fact that longtime JT drummer Carlos Vega, committed suicide the week before this show was taped. Carlos was an incredible talent and may he rest in peace. JT called on an old friend who was definitely up for the task of learning the 30+ song set. Mr. Steve Jordan does a marvelous job with all of JT's classics as well as his newer material. His band is top notch as well! Buy this DVD, you won't be dissappointed!!! July 2, 2008

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