LIVING WITH THE PAST

First of all add another "half star" at least, then you can start reasoning about it: naturally this is another immortal band from the UK, whose recent production has not been regarded just as much remarkable as the original solid (and "sold-out" as well) works belonging to their early progressive folk/rock blues era;nevertheless the DVD-a partial video collection regarding their long career, taken from a successful concert dated 2002- is their typical connection with the past, not including a lot of hit-singles. In fact, if you think of a few excellent albums like "Thick as a Brick" or "Aqualung" (these latter represented by their classic title tracks and of course "Locomotive Breath" too, the hit-single of the past)- except on a few other classics always played live ("Crossed-Eyed Mary" for instance or also "A Song For Jeffrey", quite unusual... ), you can not find any "diverse" song ...moreover there isn't any particular predilection for the recent albums (where is "Crest of a knave" for example?!?), even though you can watch them performing "Roots to Branches". Well the old classics could become tiring at the end, above all if they don't like to include some less famous albums of the seventies into their next concerts, in the future (I think for instance of the complex and sometimes unbearable "A Passion Play" (1973) or "Minstrel in the Gallery" (1975), passing anyway through the following "Songs from the wood" dated 1977, which for me is another important work). However, especially if you consider the original music program presented at their famous gig at Hammersmith Apollo Concert, you can not say that your're watching something new, but nevermind-cause nowadays the band is always welcome with such a great hospitality received by a wide crowd (otherwise today, july, 9 2005,at the moment of my review, J.T are going to perform another concert- enriched with some classics- at Estival Jazz in Lugano-Switzerland- ...not to be missed once again by so many European people, certainly enthusiastic)... but coming back to the present DVD-instead I don't know whether the present DVD is essential or not; however the quality of its picture is excellent and the sound quality as well...so at the end -as usual- make your own choice!