DVD Reviews

By Jeff Swindoll Nov 7, 2007, 11:53 GMT

DVD Review: Amazing Journey: The Story of the Who

The story of the Who is told in this amazing two disc set that fans are sure to eat up. They use new interview footage with the surviving members of the band, Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey, and archival interviews with those that has passed.

The Who started off as a rock group called the High Numbers, but they eventually chose the name The Who. They included lead singer Roger Daltrey, bass player John Entwistle, guitarist Pete Townshend, and drummer (and madman) Keith Moon. The two surviving members, Daltrey and Townshend, tell the story of the group while those that have passed on, Moon and Entwistle, tell their tales through vintage interviews. Those four are the most important, but some famous fans also are interviews about the band. These include Sting, The Edge (of U2), and Eddie Vedder. They also interview many of the behind the scenes people that have managed, set up, played with, or have been related to The Who.

This two hour look at the history of the band is excellent and well worth viewing, but as they say in the marketing biz “but wait there’s more.” Not only do you get the Amazing Journey on disc one, but also there’s a second disc of extra documentaries entitled “Six Quick Ones” that cover each of the band mates individually, Roger (16 minutes), John (7 minutes), Pete (18 minutes), and Keith (9 minutes), and adds two more mini-documentaries. “Who Art Thou?” (9 minutes) looks at the band’s origins and influences in art school. “Who’s Back” (26 minutes) had filmmaker D.A. Pennebacker (famous for Monterey Pop and Don’t Look Back) followed the band in 2003 and this short film is the result. It also adds footage, considered lost, of the band that got them discovered, “The High Numbers at the Railway Hotel 1964” (7 minutes) is from an unfinished film by Chris Stamp and Kit Lambert. The Scrapbook section also has a collection of short featurettes. “Dinner with Moon” is a 4-minute story by the band’s manager about a fateful encounter of Keith Moon and eighteen margaritas interrupting John Entwistle’s quiet dinner. “A Legal Matter” (4 minutes) covers the band getting out of their first record deal when the contract isn’t particularly good for them. “Won’t Get Fooled Again” (2 minutes) is Townshend explaining lyrics to the song whose origins are quite different than what the song has come to stand for. “Cincinnati: The Whole Story” (7 minutes) is about the fateful 1979 concert where eleven teens were trampled to death. “Royal Albert Hall 2000” (2 minutes) is about Noel Gallagher (of Oasis) playing the guitar solo in ‘Won’t Get Fooled Again’ during rehearsals and fluffing it. There’s also an eleven-page booklet with liner notes and photographs. Both the feature and the special features are presented in anamorphic widescreen (1.85:1) and are enhanced for 16x9 televisions.

The Who is a legendary band and these excellent documentaries take a look at their past, present, and future. It’s quite an interesting look at one of the great rock bands of all times both through their highs and lows and definitely full of some great music. Amazing Journey: The Story of the Who is now available at Amazon and AmazonUK. Visit the DVD database for more information.

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Pete Townshend - View Pete Townshend Pictures - Pete Townshend News

Click to launch this Pete Townshend gallery

Roger Daltrey - View Roger Daltrey Pictures - Roger Daltrey News

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The Who - View The Who Pictures - The Who News

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rock n roll fan.Nov 17th, 2007 - 11:46:53

i just had to come here . never did like this band . i think they suck ! smashing guitars !? townsend , you're a bozo .

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TommyNov 20th, 2007 - 13:28:23

Perhaps the first commenter should read the lyrics (or first learn to read!) to understand the art and significance of the band.

The Who - along with The Beatles and The Rolling Stones - clearly represented a large part of the cultural revolution in the 60's and 70's. Compared to the Beatles and Stones, The Who expressed - in form and in content - more of the inner conflict and turmoil teen-agers had across Europe and the US at that time. Teens then were dealing with significant issues - like Vietnam, alienation of parents and family in pursuit of expression, 1st widespread exposure to drug and alcohol use, etc. - not like today's kids who must decide which color mobile phone to charge on Mommy's credit card, or what inane comment I can post online before thinking.

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guitarman21Dec 27th, 2007 - 05:58:37

Just finished watching the whole 3 DVD set for the first time.
Mine came with a 3rd DVD, which has most of a 1979 concert in
Chicago. I attended this one. I've seen the Who 16 times.

What I love about this, and every other Who DVD/Video is there
is a non marketed 'honesty' about their story. Unlike the
Stones, and some of the Beatles releases, these are the Who,
warts and all.

The sound quality, as always with everything the Who has ever
released, is fantastic. My only suggestion is that some of
the live performances of songs should have been uninterrupted.

The bands power live is unchallenged. If you like this, check
out 'Live at Leeds' (the double CD), and 'The Kids are Alright'
DVD, and The Royal Albert Hall DVD from 2000. For comparison
purposes, sit through the entire concert for New York DVD from
2001. As the Edge states, 'they owned that stage'.

One last suggestion: Get a great pair of headphones, and
listen to the sound Real Loud.

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DVD Review: Amazing Journey: The Story of the Who

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