Yusuf Live in Australia DVD

I have only had time to see the dvd only once, and not on very high volume yet, which I enjoyed nevertheless, and may have a different opinion when I get the chance to see and hear it full volume, but if I have to review the dvd, it is only from my first impression. What I saw and what I felt, was the lack of excitment, and the thrill of a live concert. Of course there is no doubt that Yusuf, and the sound is great, but visually what you see, is very flat. I would have liked to have seen and heard more of the spontaniety of the enormous audience, and that could have only been captured if the editing was from only one of the many concerts. Surely of the many concerts, there must have been at least ONE concert they could have taped from start to finish. I wanted to feel the impact Yusuf had on the audience from start to finish. I think it seemed TOO perfect for a live concert, not enough human quality if that makes sense. You can still have a perfect sounding concert, and I would have given the dvd a 5* rating if the camera men and editors had been more creative. I cannot compare this as 'a' live concert dvd to the MAJIKAT and CAFE SESSION, (which I can watch over and over again), as it appears not to be 'a' concert, but if I would have to rate this dvd from 1*-5*, it would be 5* for the sound quality, 3* for the excitment, and 2* for the cover, and contents of the cover. I still wonder how much Yusuf was involved in this project. I hate to say it, but I believe some of the amateur videos gave you more excitement of Yusuf Live Downunder. If the worldwide edition is different, I hope it will have the MAJIKAT and CAFE SESSION quality that touches the heart. Now I have to find a way to get everyone out of the house, to really enjoy this new DVD, not gonna be easy.

I know this is not the right thread to mention this, and it may have been discussed before I joined Majicat. We have talked about his hair, eyes, teeth, etc, but have you noticed all the years as Cat/Yusuf, the way he strums his guitar? He never bends his right little finger. I think all artists I have seen strumming a guitar, have their little finger tucked in. I have tried the motion of strumming a make believe guitar in Yusufs manner, and it is very hard, my fingers cramp. Does anyone here who plays a guitar, plays in this style, or do you know how difficult it is to play a guitar in the Yusuf style? Maybe I'm wrong, but I wonder if it's because he has lost his flexibality in the finger due to an accident when he was a child? Sorry for going off topic, but I didn't want to start a new thread about his little finger, but I always wondered if others here have noticed this.

I agree, I also missed more from the audience... there are some sparks between them and Yusuf, but as I said, that is usually a problem with "compilation of concerts".

... and mine "-4" is perfectly explained in your's ratings ;D

Thank you for this honest and insightful review, Vicki. I think it was excellent to divide things into "sound quality", "excitement", and "cover." It's clear that it's the editing and cover art that are at issue and that Yusuf, the roadsters, and the concerts themselves are wonderful.

I also wonder how involved Yusuf was in the final product, and can't help but hope that the world release will address some of the easier aspects - adding the missing songs, improved cover art. I don't think it'd be practical to redo the whole DVD and use one concert from start to finish, so the lack of audience response will remain. Maybe nothing will change, and Live in Australia will be as it is.

LOL! I know what you mean about getting everyone out of the house to really enjoy the DVD. Especially difficult during the holiday season!

You do like to torture yourself, Jane! Your strength is enviable, but we'll all understand if you give in.

Personally, I would tear the thing open and chase the whole family out of the house to enjoy the DVD right away - nothing would stop me!

Modified to say, okay, maybe I'll let them stay home and watch with me - maybe.

It's not torture, actually. I would probably be more apt to watch it right away if I hadn't seen him live twice last year.

For anyone living in the US, I did get this DVD and had to make a copy on my laptop to play it in my DVD player. However, it will not all fit on a standard blank DVD, so you will need a dual-layer burner in your PC and use a dual-layer blank DVD.

I could have just connected my laptop to my TV with an HDMI cable - without having to copy the disc - but then I wouldn't have that comfort of the remote control in my hand to rewind as I please...

And here is the first review of DVD (correct me if it is not the first one ... 3 stars... fair I think.

www.perthnow.com.au/music-dvd-reviews-take-that-more/story-fn6cn2im-1225975089587

I just watched this and I have to say I think I liked it more than Vicki and Crobarbie. I have to say I LOVED IT!! They (and others here) have heard me say before that I can actually do without the audience - even AT the concert. For me, the lack of interaction with the audience was a plus and not a minus.

The fact that it was a compilation did not take away from my enjoyment at all. I must admit that I was a bit smug at times. For example, during the medley of his 60s songs I actually said out loud, to myself, "He did those for us first!" (at RAH last year.) I like the way he did "Sitting" at RAH better. There, when he sang "Sitting on my own not by myself" the curtain started to rise just as he sang "everybody's here with me" to reveal the band. It was great!

I loved him wearing the short-sleeved t-shirt and vest - very hip and youthful!

And I cannot believe that we are not making a bigger deal over the reggae version of "Remember the Days of the Old Schoolyard" in the rehearsal footage! It was FANTASTIC!! Very fun to hear him sing that way and his mention of ganja - loved it!

Just like at a concert there are always songs you wish the artist had sung, but I was not disappointed in this at all. If you are in the US I suggest you order it from Australia instead of waiting...

Jane glad that you finally saw it, and enjoyed it as much as I did, and that you felt a little smug, and that the RAH concert was just incredible, but that's exactly what I'm talking about. Jane just imagine if they captured special moments from one concert only of the Australian tour.There must have been some magical moments the way Yusuf connected with his band, and the audience, and as Yusuf himself, and that's what I missed.

I am very grateful that we were given the opportunity to buy a DVD to see Yusuf in concert once more, so soon. I enjoyed watching and listening to the concert, as every time I see Yusuf performing, and the bonus rehearsals, Noxshi, I thought were very generous. And yes, as in every dvd of Yusuf, there was a special element of surprise , and that was the raggae rendition of 'Old school yard', like 'Peace train blues', from 'Cafe Session' DVD. I was not talking about that certain songs were missing, or that the performance wasn't great, but just expected more from a live concert performance, I can't explain it, looked more like it was directed, probably because of the editing. I know I am talking about minor details, and what really matters that I have one more Cat/Yusuf in concert DVD to enjoy, and appreciate. The deisign of the cover was probably to keep the cost down. I guess I have been spoiled from the packaging of Yusufs previous DVDs, and CDs.

Anyway, speaking for myself, I would prefer to be amoung a loud spontaneous audience in a Yusuf concert anytime, but if that can't always be so, I appreciate every Cat/Yusuf in concert DVD, which is closest to the real thing, on my own, in the quietnesss of my room. Still finding it hard to get everyone out of the house to hear it in higher volume.

No, no mention of it.

Regii - if he sings that song in May are we going to have to pick you up off the floor? I can just imagine you will be so happy you will faint!

What did He say about Ganja? Please telll!!! I love when He talks spontaneously .. and I love when things sporatically happen .. It reveals that Heart Soul and Mind dont really change ..that He is the same young boy He was when God breathed him into the world.. I do love all of that ... like when his glasses came off couple of times in Rahh It was so divine and human at the same time... I tell you that RAH Concert would sell double the Aussie DVD .. I can stake my account on it ...
well, If I was to purhcase the Aussie DVD.. Will it play in my new laptop only and not on my tellie ??
thank God Neils vids and Oystermans and a few other of RAH are on you tube.. .they reveal so much...
unleashing .. of wings ....
Well... has anyone bought it from the USA and are able to play it
xoxo Love and Joy,
C

Like in the first Melbourne show, he made a comment about being in the newspaper. He said something along the lines of " It had to be in "The Age", and I look so old!"...funny stuff.

My last two laptops have both come with software that allows me to make copies of CDs / DVDs. If yours does not, you can probably download something for free from the internet. I have a Gateway and the program I use is called "Power 2 Go" from CyberLink. You can actually download a free trial version of it here:

www.softpedia.com/get/CD-DVD-Tools/Data-CD-DVD-Burning/CyberLink-Power2Go.shtml

HOWEVER, as I posted earlier, it will not all fit on a standard DVD. You will need to use a dual-layer DVD which means your laptop needs to have a dual-layer burner. If your laptop is pretty new, chances are it has one. The software is intuitive - put the Aussie DVD in, choose "Copy" and then just choose how many copies you want to make. The software then automatically starts saving the DVD content temporarily to your hard drive and when ready, prompts you to put in the blank DVD. Once the blank DVD is in, the software automatically burns the DVD content to it.

Your other option is to watch the Aussie DVD on your laptop OR connect your laptop to your TV.

Oke a few strong hands to trow me in the air then lol so he sees where i'm sitting ,maybe a can offer him a babytree