As I've noted before, Roy Orbison is not one of those woefully underrepresented artists when it comes to music DVDs: in addition to this new-to-Blu-ray classic concert, the svelte-voiced ‘60s troubadour's oeuvre includes Roy Orbison: Greatest Hits (VL-9/03), Roy Orbison: The Anthology (VL-5/99), Roy Orbison: Live at Austin City Limits (VL-5/03), and Roy Orbison: Live from Australia. But the best of these is this 17-song 1987 HBO special filmed in b&w at the Coconut Grove in Los Angeles, which finds the crooner backed by an incredible band and orchestra on hits such as “Only the Lonely,” “Crying,” “Dream Baby,” “In Dreams,” and “Blue Bayou.” When I say “incredible” band, I mean precisely that, including Bruce Springsteen, Elvis Costello, T-Bone Burnett, and J.D. Souther on guitars, Tom Waits on organ and guitar, with Jackson Browne, k.d. lang, Bonnie Raitt, and Jennifer Warnes on backup vocals. Highlights include a rousing version of “Ooby Dooby,” a wall-of-guitar-sound rendition of “Candyman,” and a bring-down-the-house performance of Orbison's signature classic “Oh, Pretty Woman.” Sadly, Orbison would die of a heart attack the following year in 1988. Presented in crystal clear, room-encompassing DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, Dolby Digital 5.0, and PCM stereo, the sound on this BD release is simply stunning. DVD extras include the bonus track “Blue Angel.” Highly recommended. Aud: P. (R. Pitman)
Roy Orbison: Black & White Night
(1999) 64 min. Blu-ray: $24.98. Image Entertainment (avail. from most distributors). Volume 24, Issue 1
Roy Orbison: Black & White Night
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