25 Years of #1 Hits: Arista Records 25th Anniversary Celebration; Eurythmics: Peacetour; House of Yes: Live from the House of Blues; Whitney Houston: The Greatest Hits

Given that one of DVD's best features is the capability of reproducing CD-like sound in Dolby Digital stereo on new music/concert releases, we decided to round up four recent titles from BMG, one of the primary producers of music video DVDs, and take 'em for the proverbial spin.Straight from its TV debut in May of this year, 25 Years of #1 Hits: Arista Records 25th Anniversary Celebration is a celebrity-filled homage to Arista founder Clive Davis that runs the gamut musically from Barry Manilow to Patti Smith to Brooks & Dunn to Puff Daddy. With such a wide range of talent, each listener's highlights will be different. Some will gravitate to the Latin groove of resurrected superstar band Santana ("Maria/Maria", "Smooth"), while others will get on the soul train with Queen Aretha Franklin (who sings a medley that includes "Freeway of Love," but--since this is the Arista days only--no early classics), and the Lilith crowd will appreciate Sarah McLachlan's fervent rendition of "Angel." The Dolby Digital stereo sound is superb, the picture crisp, and the talent line-up is stellar. Although it's all over the map musically, this is a good showcase program sure to appeal to a large audience. Unfortunately, the DVD extras (4 extra songs, some behind-the-scenes footage) is both skimpy and unmemorable. Other artists include: Annie Lennox, Kenny G, Dionne Warwick and Whitney Houston. Recommended, overall. Aud: P.Although I am not a dyed in the wool Eurythmics fan, I was--what's the critical term I'm looking for here?--oh yeah, BLOWN AWAY by Eurythmics: Peacetour, which is the best concert DVD I've seen since the landmark Talking Heads film Stop Making Sense. Filmed in London on Dec. 6, 1999, at the end of a whirlwind world tour promoting the new Peace CD and raising funds for (and awareness of) Amnesty International and Greenpeace, Dave Stewart and Annie Lennox, backed by sax, keyboards, a trio of soul sisters, and an appreciative audience, perform nearly all of their greatest hits, including "Would I Lie to You?," "Here Comes the Rain Again," "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)," and more. The combination of multiple cameras, superb editing, and crystal clear audio all work together to highlight the star of the show: Annie Lennox, whose vocal repertoire is stunning as she commands the stage in an expressive, heartfelt performance, which reaches its apex in the rousing feminist anthem "Sisters Are Doin' It for Themselves." DVD extras include a 60 min. documentary that will primarily appeal to fans, as well as song lyrics, album discography, and a picture gallery. Highly recommended. Aud: P.Although Yes was my favorite band as a teenager (and continues to hold a cherished position in my musical heart), House of Yes--featuring Jon Anderson, Steve Howe, Chris Squire, and Alan White--is a perfunctory performance of 12 songs (not counting three bridging ditties), of which no less than 5 numbers hail from the latest Yes disc, The Ladder. Classic hits include "Yours is No Disgrace," "And You and I," "Owner of a Lonely Heart" and "Roundabout", while notably absent are "Close to the Edge," "Long Distance Runaround" and "Heart of the Sunrise," all of which are featured on the superior (though unfortunately out-of-print) Anderson, Bruford, Wakeman, Howe: An Evening of Yes Music Plus DVD. Extras here include a music video of "Homeworld," with lackluster video footage from the CD-ROM game of the same name, a brief behind-the-scenes on "The Making of The Ladder," and group photos. Optional. Aud: P.How you respond to Whitney Houston: The Greatest Hits will depend, in large part, on your tolerance for watching 21 music videos--which have less narrative depth than recipe cards--back to back. "How Will I Know" and "I'm Your Baby Tonight" stand out from an otherwise visually inert bunch (including three from The Bodyguard, with far too many seriously troubled Kevin Costner facial expressions). Which is not to say that either the songs or the chanteuse are anything but stellar on such megahits as "You Give Good Love," "Greatest Love of All," "Didn't We Almost Have It All," "I Will Always Love You," "So Emotional" and "I'm Every Woman"--I'd just rather have seen Houston live (more than the 2 live cuts provided here) rather than these MTV-re-treads. DVD extras include her premiere performance on The Merv Griffin Show on Aug. 29, 1985, as well as a handful of other appearances, a behind-the-scene look at the making of her latest album, and a singularly boring photo shoot for the CD/DVD cover shot. Optional (I'd buy the CD instead). Aud: P. (R. Pitman)