The Very Best of the Bee Gees Live!

The Brothers Gibb--Barry, Maurice, and Robin--serenade an Australian audience with 28 golden oldies, circa 1989. Eight of these jewels are from the '80s Bee Gees releases (which, by my count, is approximately eight too many--hum a few bars of "Givin' Up the Ghost"), but the other 20 offer some solid hits from the '60s ("Words," "Holiday," "To Love Somebody") and '70s ("Lonely Days," "How Can You Mend a Broken Heart?," and "Stayin' Alive"). Highlights (for me; you'll have to choose your own) included "I Started a Joke" (a rare departure--for the Bee Gees--into surrealism) and the Saturday Night Fever stuff (and we thought they were singing soprano already in the '60s; that was profundo bass by comparison). As for the actual DVD extras: the picture was better than VHS, though not exceptionally so, and the audio--while very good--sounded better in stereo mode through my receiver than in home theatre mode (not uncommon with concert DVD's). Too, the onscreen discography and Bee Gees timeline were nothing to get terribly excited about. Bottom line: Bee Gees fans will enjoy (except for the awful '80s songs). Recommended. Note: MPI Home Video, one of the commendable producers taking a lead in DVD releases, also has three Beatles titles (A Hard Day's Night, Help!, and Magical Mystery Tour) available, as well as DVD, VHS and laserdisc versions of the PBS-aired Close to You: Remembering the Carpenters. Aud: P. (R. Pitman)