11 best sony guitar dvds

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An all-star concert tribute in 1995 to the late Stevie Ray Vaughan.

Already a legend among musicians, Stevie Ray Vaughan was bringing new relevance and popularity to the blues when his career was cut short in a fatal helicopter accident following a 1990 concert appearance. His music offered the drama and sheer firepower of rock, and his flamboyant live shows likewise proved well suited to arena-sized crowds, yet there was little argument that Vaughan's fealty to the blues remained at the core of his style. This 1996 concert tribute underscores that common denominator through muscular performances from contemporary blues masters who readily (and appropriately) confirm the Texas guitarist as a true peer--it's no small matter that bona fide influences Buddy Guy and B.B. King cite the honoree on an equal plane with Vaughan's most obvious rock forebear, Jimi Hendrix.

King and Guy are among the stars who interpret Vaughan's own songbook in live performances backed by either his old band, Double Trouble, or the larger Tilt-a-Whirl Band. Bonnie Raitt, Eric Clapton, Robert Cray, Dr. John, and the late guitarslinger's big brother, Jimmie Vaughan (himself a major figure since his days with the Fabulous Thunderbirds) all pay gritty musical homage noteworthy for powerhouse guitar work. Whether clad in coveralls (Guy) or Armani (Clapton, of course), each reaches the same common ground in the soul-deep language of the blues; equally important, the choice of material points up Vaughan's sure sense of blues song form and a penchant for tough, frequently witty lyrics that fit snugly into blues traditions. The 80-minute concert also intersperses brief interviews with the principals, with the music building toward a satisfying climax in three high-octane jams featuring the headliners in lively exchanges. The DVD optimizes the full-frame visuals of the original videotaped special, and the 5.1 audio mix likewise fine-tunes the straightforward stereo mix with some added ambience. --Sam Sutherland

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Eugene Martone (Ralph Macchio, The Karate Kid & The Karate Kid Part II) struggles with the devil and his destiny when he goes down to the Crossroads in this contemporary drama. With a potent blend of adventure, romance, and music, the film takes gifted young guitarist Martone into a dangerous and challenging new world. Obsessed with unlocking the mysteries of the blues, the fledging musician finds cantankerous Willie Brown (Joe Senaca), a master of the blues harmonica, and frees him from prison. The unlikely duo hobos from New York to Mississippi as Martone searches for runaway Frances (Jami Gertz, Quicksilver). With a rich mixture of Delta blues and driving rock produced by Ry Cooder, the film takes Martone and Brown on an intense odyssey that leads them to a dramatic climax at the Crossroads.

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One was a living legend, the other was just starting out... for both, the turning point will come at the Crossroads.

Eugene Martone (Ralph Macchio) struggles with the devil and his destiny when he goes down to the CROSSROADS in this contemporary drama. With a potent blend of adventure, romance and music, the film takes gifted young guitarist Martone into a dangerous and challenging new world. Obsessed with unlocking the mysteries of the blues, the fledgling musician finds cantankerous Willie Brown (Joe Seneca), a master of the blues harmonica, and frees him from prison. The unlikely duo hoboes from New York to Mississippi as Martone searches for fame and Brown tries to break a contract he signed years ago with the devil. Enroute, Martone meets and falls for sexy runaway Frances (Jami Gertz). With a rich mixture of Delta blues and driving rock produced by Ry Cooder, the film takes Martone and Brown on an intense odyssey that leads them to a dramatic climax at the CROSSROADS.

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INCLUDES: SURFING WITH THE ALIEN, ALWAYS WITH ME/ALWAYS WITH YOU, SEX, FLYING IN A BLUE DREAM, ICE9, COOL#9, CIRCLES, UNTIL WE SAY GOODBYE, CEREMONY, EXTREMIST, SUMMER SONG, HOUSE FULL OF BULLETS, ONE BIG RUSH, MYSTICAL POTATO HEAD GROOVE THING, AND MANY OTHERS.

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Filmed this spring, Los Lonely Boys perform to over 25,000 people at the famed Auditorium Shores outdoor venue in Austin. This historic concert was the biggest South By Soutwest convention show ever. The boys performed tracks from their platinum-plus de

Austin-based band Los Lonely Boys are blazing on Texican Style, a 96-minute concert recorded before a huge, wildly enthusiastic audience in the Texas state capitol in March, 2004. And the brothers Garza do it with what remains rock & roll's most basic and reliable format: the rock guitar trio. True, there's nothing earth-shatteringly original going on here; guitarist Henry, like many others from Texas and everywhere else, is channeling Jimi Hendrix via Stevie Ray Vaughan, with a little Carlos Santana on the side (Jojo is the outstanding bassist, while Ringo--his real name, by the way--plays drums, of course). But Los Lonely Boys bring something else to the party: good singing (all three are capable lead and harmony vocalists), and enough other influences, from Tex-Mex to the Beatles, to forge a distinctive, melodically appealing sound. Their songs, notwithstanding the obvious influences, offer enough variety to keep things interesting, from the epic (nearly 15 minutes) "Onda" to the swinging little diversion "Supper Time," along with plenty of straight blues (like "Man to Beat," with its stone Stevie Ray minor groove) and some Los Lobos-style rock. Still in their twenties, Los Lonely Boys' future is bright--and their present ain't bad, either. --Sam Graham

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This video, The Satch Tapes, explores Joe's up-and-coming days and provides a look into the development of a committed artist. While Joe talks candidly about the ups and downs of "making it" in the music business, The Satch Tapes presents a rare opportunity to get to know th reserved artist through his anecdotes on life and music. The continual thread running throughout the video is Joe and his guitar as we're led behind the scenes: into the studio with Gregg and Matt Bissonette working with mega-producer Andy Johns recording The Extremist, on tour with the Flying In A Blue Dream band, and some really cool historical footage. Go back in time with videos from Surfing With The Alien, and Flying In A Blue Dream. See unreleased footage from The Extremist as well as never before available concert performances. Get the real scoop from some of Joe's closest friends, includin his high school pal an former student Steve Vai and legendary axeman Nigel Tufnel of Spinal Tap.

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Just 20 feet from stardom, an elite group of “First Call, A-List” musicians share their behind-the scene stories of touring, what it takes to play next to the world’s most iconic musicians, and create some of the world’s most popular songs. Hear incredible stories from Alice Cooper, Rob Zombie, Steve Vai, David Foster, Ray Parker Jr. (Ghostbusters), Liberty DeVitto (Billy Joel), Jason Hook (FFDP), Phil X (Bon Jovi), Kenny Aronoff (Mellencamp), Rudy Sarzo (Osbourne), Justin Derrico, Mark Schulman (P!NK), Jason Newsted (Metallica), Eric Singer (KISS), John 5 (Rob Zombie), Glen Sobel, Nita Strauss (Alice Cooper), Steve Lukather (M. Jackson, Toto), Paul Bushnell (Katy Perry), Jay Graydon (Steely Dan), Derek St. Holmes (Ted Nugent), Chris Johnson (Rihanna), and more!

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'Hired Gun' is the story of the A-list musicians responsible for the most famous instrumental guitar, drum and piano solos in the world. They perform right on stage next to the musical legends who hire them, just 20 feet from stardom, yet rarely receive credit for their work. The ‘hired gun’ community lives and breathes music, and, for the first time share their incredible stories and exclusive musical performances with the world. 'Hired Gun' details the highs and lows of touring life, the demands of session schedules, and the dedication required to play next to some of the world’s most iconic musicians.

Jason Hook

Lead guitarist from the widely popular Five Finger Death Punch, Jason Hook shares stories from his former career as a ‘hired gun’, playing for such artists as Hilary Duff, Vince Neil, Mandy Moore and Alice Cooper.

Ray Parker Jr.

Before Ghostbusters fame, Ray Parker Jr. was hand-picked to record with Stevie Wonder, and went on to become one of the best session guitarists recording with Marvin Gaye, Barry White and Aretha Franklin.

Jason Newsted

Jason Newsted auditioned, went home and learned the entire Metallica library in four days. He was a ‘hired gun’ who eventually was included as an equal partner in the band for over a decade.

Kenny Aronoff

Kenny Aronoff contributed greatly to the success of John Cougar’s band and gave multi-instrumentalist Crystal Taliefero her start.

Eric Singer

Eric Singer, a fan-turned ‘hired gun’ who attended 'Kiss' shows as a young man, and eventually wore the cat mask as drummer of the band.

Rudy Sarzo

Rudy Sarzo was hired as the bassist for Ozzy Osbourne and went on to play for Quiet Riot and then became a ‘hired gun’ for Whitesnake at the peak of the band’s career.

Liberty Devitto

Liberty Devitto was Billy Joel’s drummer for over 30 years. Credited for molding the backbone of many of Billy Joel’s biggest hits including The Stranger, 52nd Street, Glass Houses and many more.

John 5

John 5 started as a country guitarist with K.D. Lang and went on to play with Marilyn Manson, Rob Zombie, wrote with Avril Lavigne, Garbage, Rod Stewart, Lynard Skynyrd, and more.

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This concert features sixteen performances that were originally broadcast on MTV Unplugged on November 11, 1992, plus three bonus tracks: "Living Proof", "If I Should Fall Behind" and "Roll Of The Dice." It contains the first appearance in any format of "

Another superb live performance in a career filled with them, MTV Unplugged: Bruce Springsteen in Concert (Plugged) finds the Boss at an interesting point in his life, musically and otherwise. Working without the E Street Band (except keyboardist Roy Bittan) for the time being, having divorced one wife and married another (singer and bandmate Patty Scialfa), Springsteen had released Human Touch and Lucky Town, two "solo" records, about eight months before this November 1992 MTV appearance. Selections from those two underrated albums account for over half of this 114-minute set's 19 songs (including three that weren't part of the original broadcast), and while Bruce is still Bruce ("Human Touch," for instance, is a classic Springsteen song), some changes are definitely apparent. He has always been an impassioned performer, but he seems genuinely energized by the presence of Scialfa (can "Red-Headed Woman" be about anyone but her?) and his young new band, including guitarist Shane Fontayne, drummer Zachary Alford, and no less than five backup singers. These folks rock their butts off, basically, especially on a wild, extended version of "Light of Day"; there's even some experimentation happening, like the various sound effects added to "57 Channels (and Nothin' On)." OK, so there's no "Born in the U.S.A." or "Born to Run"; as far as standards go, you'll have to be satisfied with "Atlantic City," "Glory Days," and an acoustic "Thunder Road" (Live in New York City, another superb DVD, is heavier on the hits). Anyway you slice it, Plugged is another welcome addition to the Springsteen catalog. --Sam Graham

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It’s always been quite rare to see AC/DC - unless you go to their concerts. Television appearances, and later music videos, have always been a necessary evil to this band of nononsense rockers. Consequently, only their early years were documented on television - mostly in Australia and Europe - and when the time came to switch to promotional video clips, the band always made their own and gave them the appearance of a live show. But they’ve also never wasted an opportunity to make a big statement with their clips. From singer Bon Scott dressing like a school girl (to Angus Young’s school boy) and smoking(!) on their first major television appearance, to the giant rocking spectacle of the "Big Gun" video (with guest appearance by Arnold Schwarzenegger), AC/DC has always been larger than life and their timeless brand of rock and roll has been as big on screen as it has off. Now for the first time Epic Records is proud to announce the first ever compilation of AC/DC videos from all parts of their storied career. Starting in 1975 on Australian TV’s Countdown show through the Spanish TV clips filmed just ten days before Bon Scott’s death - the first great era of the band is chronicled on Disc One. Disc Two starts with the promo videos for Back In Black (several never before available) and sees many of the 80’s and 90’s clips on DVD for the first time. This is truly a monumental collection of clips from one of the world’s greatest bands - all completely remastered for DVD with the same care as the Epic CD remasters and the Live At Donington DVD.

Although this compilation ends fifteen years before its 2005 release, the double disc video summation of AC/DC’s colorful career from 1975-1990 is a bonanza for fans and an education for newcomers. Like fellow boogie veterans ZZ Top, these clips range from acceptable to embarrassingly dated, but through it all AC/DC’s intensity and trooper status remain intact.

Conveniently divided with 20 videos on each platter that split the band’s two vocalists (Disc 1, the Bon Scott era and Disc 2, the Brian Johnson years), this is a frills-free, no extras rundown of a journeyman outfit whose roaring blues rock hasn’t noticeably changed over the years. Still, lead guitarist Angus Young’s Chuck Berry on amphetamines duck walk, and the group’s thunderous, riff-happy sound remains a force of rock and roll nature, impervious to trends or fads.

There are some disappointing moments--the "Fly On The Wall" mini-movie of five tunes joined by a silly storyline with bad dancing, worse acting and substandard animation can charitably be considered a failed experiment--but the powerhouse energy of the Australian rockers never lags even in its weakest video moments.

This treasure trove of rare television appearances, promo clips and assorted odds and ends isn’t as much fun as seeing the group live, but delivers a history lesson along with a knockout, 2 ½ hour punch that’s nearly as potent. Hal Horowitz

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By the summer of 1982, Stevie Ray Vaughan, desparately searching for his big break, was asked to play "Blues Night" at the annual Montreux Jazz Festival in Montreux, Switzerland. Stevie put on a fiery performance - full of future SRV classics like "Pride

If you have even a passing interest in Stevie Ray Vaughan's peerless mastery of urban blues guitar, you must own Live at Montreux 1982 & 1985. Spaced almost exactly three years apart, these concerts (60 and 93 minutes, respectively) represent the Texan blues god at his fiery best, with Double Trouble (drummer Chris Layton and bassist Tommy Shannon) laying the solid foundation upon which SRV built a Fender-driven sound as fierce as it was perfectly refined. The '82 show was truly "success in disguise," because despite booing from a festival audience lulled by a day of acoustic blues, and the stunned dejection that SRV felt after persevering through a uncompromising set, this was the turning point in SRV's career, leading to post-show encounters with Jackson Browne and David Bowie, who proved instrumental in bringing Stevie's music to an appreciative global audience.

When Stevie, Chris, and Tommy returned to Switzerland three years later, with organist Reese Wynans adding rich new dimension to the Double Trouble sound, the Montreux crowd was primed for a rip-snorting set, and SRV's jubilant response is a joyous thing to witness. One of SRV's favorite bluesmen, Johnny Copeland, appears for a three-song triumph in a set that's uniformly superior and ecstatically energized. Basic three-camera coverage is all you need, although guitar students--for whom this DVD is a godsend--will surely wish for more emphasis on SRV's picking and fretwork. Recording quality is superb in the Montreux tradition, with 5.1-channel remixes that surpass the original masters. A splendid 23-minute documentary features retrospective interviews with Layton, Shannon, Browne, and John Mayer, and the accompanying booklet includes a heartfelt reminiscence from Bowie. Stevie Ray may be gone, but Live at Montreux ensures that his gold-standard legacy will endure. --Jeff Shannon