The top of the DVD says it all: "This is the Punk Cabaret." The Dresden Dolls taped two shows at the legendary Roundhouse in London and brought a small army of dancers, singers and musicians to assist them in putting on one of the most thrilling concerts you’re likely to see (Master of Ceremonies: Margaret Cho, no joke). Amanda Palmer and Brian Viglione are cute and clever on tape but they’re positively ferocious live – put Viglione near the top of the list of best drummers in rock today – and there is much more to them than "Coin Operated Boy." Their pre-encore closer, "Sing," leads the audience to continue singing long after the song is over (think U2’s "40"), and you won’t believe what they do to Tears for Fears’ "Mad World." They even get Lene Lovich (!) to join them for a song. It surely cost them a ton of money to record this show for posterity, but thank God they did.
Page 306 of 583
The legend of Frankie Laine has slightly diminished over time, mostly because it’s been almost 40 years since his last Top 40 hit. But it shouldn’t be forgotten that Laine, who passed away in February 2007 at the age of 93, actually had more than 60 Top 40 hits in his career. In the field of pop music interpretation, the man was a musical force to be reckoned with, and he could bounce back and forth between jazz, country, rhythm and blues and popular standards without blinking an eye. In this 1976 performance, recorded in Sheffield, England, as a special for the BBC, Laine runs through 12 songs, including some of his biggest hits: "Jealousy," "Dream A Little Dream of Me," "Your Cheating Heart," "Lord, You Gave Me A Mountain" and "Jezebel." Of course, he also does his signature song – the theme for "Rawhide" – though, surprisingly, it’s the third song in the set. (If he’d been in the States, you can bet that it would’ve been the closing number.) Unfortunately, however, there are several moments of pure schmaltz, such as his version of the theme to "Love Story" and a cover of Morris Albert’s "Feelings." Despite Laine being in fine voice throughout, it feels more like a nightclub act than a proper concert. If this is the only video artifact of Frankie Laine in a live setting, more’s the pity.
Eagle Rock has released so many shows from the Montreux Jazz Festival in the last few months that we’re considering adding a "Montreux DVD of the Month" slot on our Music DVD home page. That is not to say that the sheer ubiquity of the titles should result in listener fatigue. Indeed, this set by UB40 from 2002 is a keeper, with an impressive, comprehensive set list that covers all their U.S. hits (the Neil Diamond cover, the Al Green cover, the Smokey Robinson cover, etc.) and U.K. singles like "If It Happens Again" and "Don’t Break My Heart." And resist the urge to snark at a show by a band that’s 15 years past its heyday: bands like UB40 can put on a solid live show until they collapse into a pile of dust onstage. The one gripe about the show is that, as a live video, well, it’s awfully fun to listen to, at least. Pop it while cooking dinner: actually watching the band play is a bonus, but by no means essential to the experience.
Think of it as the Chairman of the Board’s version of those 1 albums that Elvis Presley and the Beatles released a few years ago. Granted, the songs collected on Nothing but the Best are not all Number One singles – in fact, it’s startling to see how many of these well-known songs didn’t even crack the Top 40 – but this is as bulletproof as Reprise-era Sinatra compilations get. “Strangers in the Night,” “Somethin’ Stupid,” “A Very Good Year,” “My Kind of Town,” “Fly Me to the Moon,” “Luck Be a Lady,” “Theme from New York, New York,” they’re all here. Of course, this album has no reason whatsoever to exist – Sinatra’s catalog has gone through the “reissue, repackage, repackage” machine more than anyone outside of, well, Elvis and the Beatles – but if you are one of the ten people left that do not own any of Sinatra’s music, you have officially run out of excuses. (Label: Reprise)
Like a less prickish Ryan Adams, Joseph Arthur has a skyscraper’s worth of ambition – and the assload of songs to back it up. The eight-song Crazy Rain is his second EP of 2008, with two more to follow, and a full-length LP to cap it all off. If you’re reading all that and feeling a little lazy, don’t feel too bad; although Crazy Rain is heavy on the rock star swagger (check out those retro shades on the cover!), it’s light on…you know…songs. Arthur doles a ladleful of swampy electronics over these tracks, shoves his vocals way down in the mix, and plays host to his pal and fellow indie rock god Greg Dulli on a track; it’s got plenty of attitude and a not-insignificant amount of DIY fizz, but the whole thing just kind of staggers past in a blur. Saying it’s strictly for fans would sort of be beside the point – and even if you hate it, you don’t need to worry, because Arthur’s next EP, titled Vagabond Skies, is due out in less than a month. Throw enough stuff at the walls, and something is bound to stick eventually. (Lonely Astronaut 2008)
FOLLOW US!
CATEGORIES
© 2026 Eat Sleep Drink Music
Theme by Anders Noren — Up ↑