Spotlight customer reviews:
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Customer Rating:  
Summary: Buddy ok - video and story behind it strange.
Comment: Buddy played well on the DVD but more like he was on a road gig somewhere in Indiana. Just playin' for the date and then movin' on to the next one. With all the 'hype' this taping was supposed to have had how did the film get lost for years? Very nutty! Who put the money into this? The venture capitalists would have died had they heard the tapes were lost. Very screwy story. And the thing get's released nearly 20 years after it was taped? Hmmm. . .
The whole set is cheesy. Buddy is in front of neon lights and on a riser that looks like some kind of Egyptian monolith. The floor of the riser is clear and they put a camera below to see Buddy from down under. Screwy plot. All you see is an occasional shot of Buddy's crotch, his feet, his snare drum and the sweat pouring off his face. Very ridiculous camera angle and uninspiring.
There was 'hype' about the killer mics they had on the band. The sound isn't that great. In fact I've heard better boot leg .mp3's of the band in the internet.
The band plays typical Buddy arrangements and overall I would rate the band's playing as very good. Except for his trumpet soloist who has no business soloing. All he does is splat notes (lots of bad notes at that) like some kind of Arturo Sandoval that just been kicked in the crotch. Certainly Buddy should have noticed the frentic madness of that guy's soloing and put an end to it. The keyboard player is super. And that electric bass? Why Buddy why?
The one thing I have never liked about ANY Buddy Rich ensemble is that they DON'T SWING!! His bands always play like some kind of hard bop ensemble and don't lay back on the notes and phrasing. Buddy consistently kicked off tunes at torrid tempos forcing the band to really play hard and very on top of the beat. If you want a band that swings listen to Basie, Boss Brass, etc.
In any case this is an important work as Buddy died just a few years later. I admire Buddy for his incredible talent, drive and ability to keep big band alive. Personally Buddy is the most outrageous snob drummer to have played the skins. I sat down two feet from him during a break when he played at BYU and the prick didn't say a word to me despite my adulation. On the other hand I have been fortunate to meet several gentlemen of the craft including Erskine, Gadd, Roach, Williams, Dejonnete, Hamilton, Cameron and others. All fine people that treat the commoners with respect.
Customer Rating:
Summary: In A Class By Himself.....Great DVD
Comment: Buddy Rich played the drums without peer; he possessed lightening speed, but even more important, a self-taught technique that is often overlooked because of his sensational pyrotechnics. Beneath all the bravado, Buddy was also a very nice and generous person. Today's Neanderthal rock drummers, with their twenty piece kits with seventy-five cymbals could take a lesson and a half from him. The jazz drummers as a general rule have always been lightyears ahead of rock's noisemakers. Louis Belson, Gene Krupa, Syd Catlett, Dave Tough, etc., were all great musicians as well as great drummers. They had style, musicality, technique and natural ability that most rock drummers could only dream of possessing. They didn't just beat their snare like a caveman. These guys knew music. And at the top of this esteemed list sits Buddy Rich. In this DVD, Rich leads a big band whose members' average age is just twenty-two, but can they swing! Even at his advanced age and only two years after open-heart surgery, Buddy is playing at the top of his game. Check out his arrangements of "One O' Clock Jump" and "Love For Sale." It doesn't get much better than this.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Way Short of Greatness
Comment: Weatherby got it right, this is a bit disappointing. Having survived (sort of) a fire and the ensuing floodwaters, I suppose the quality is amazing. Still, it's a let down. It seemed a perfunctory performance by most of the band and even Buddy appeared worn down though he was doing more than simply going through the motions. I'm glad to have the DVD, but even happier I did not have to pay for it.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Great second set, first set is West Side
Comment: Quick echo of everyone else's comments...this is basically Set Two of the same concert in the Lost West Side Tapes...get West Side (part 1) and Channel One Suite (Set 2).
I like Westside more for displaying Buddy's drum solos, but Channel shows off his band more...and plus, I love Love for Sale...and that one is one this DVD.
The quality of the video is surprisingly VERY good, considering the footage was taken in the 70s...it really looks like an early 1990s movie, nice job. And sound? DTS and Dolby Digital 4.0...can't get better than that. Nice mix of the band
Give thanks to the DVD gods that we have Buddy Rich immortalized for eternity, in DTS glory and great video quality.
Thanks Buddy...we will miss you!
Customer Rating:
Summary: Channel One DVD
Comment: After first owning the first installment i must say this DVD is an improvement over the first one, that being the West SIde Story Set. The sound seems better to me on this DVD than the other and the picture is really sharp. As been said before, the band probably had better nights, but still they kicked butt on this DVD. I liked some of the extras, except i thought the explanations by the techs was too long. I wanted to see more Buddy, not more wires and cords and machines. One segment would have been enough, but they had three different segments on the tech aspect of the show, but id recommend this to anyone. Its BUDDY!!
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