Music sights and sounds on video

It was while watching Paramore’s The Final Riot! that I got to thinking about this. Pop stars must not only be heard. They should also be seen, most readily in music videos, the promo tool which changed the way we listen to pop music. Now there was actually a time when fans did not even know what their idols looked like. Being attractive helped but looks did not really matter. The admirers were content to just listen.

Not anymore. Aside from having to make efforts to keep their mugs visible everywhere, today’s pop stars must also be able to act through music videos. And while these were in the early days considered merely content for TV shows, these are now also available on video CDs for private viewing.

Fans like getting copies of music videos. I kept a tape copy of Michael Jackson’s Thriller for years until the DVD was released. And record companies make sure they supply the demand. Selling videos and live concert footage is a good way to pay for their production cost and a great come-on for fans. They will not only be getting a CD but also freebies in the form of videos, live performances, interviews, photos, etc. etc.

Now videos may not seem like much to you but this is something of great value to fans of New Kids on the Block (NKOTB). The biggest boy band of the ’80s retains a big fanbase and producers are only too willing to supply these with lots of goodies. That I believe is why the NKOTB DVD, is fully loaded.

New Kids on the Block Greatest Hits Collector’s Fan Pack (P430) is made up of a CD with all the big hits and a 70-minute DVD of live tracks and videos. This is NKOTB from 30 years ago, before the members got thinning hair and took to wearing business suits in their shows. This is great stuff for everybody who grew up at that time and for historians who will surely marvel at what made those boys very special.

It is unfortunate that four of the most interesting audio tracks are not presented in DVD. These are Seiko’s duet with Donnie Wahlberg of The Right Combination, Ana’s duet of Angel of Love with Jordan Knight, Joey McIntyre’s solo hit Stay the Same and the 2008 edition of NKOTB, older but still sounding great. But the hits are there. Step by Step, You Got It (The Right Stuff), I’ll Be Loving You Forever, Cover Girl, Didn’t I Blow Your Mind, Please Don’t Go Girl, Tonight, etc.

Also full of treats is 10 Years of Westlife Live at Croke Park Stadium (P475). This features the boy group in its biggest concert ever. Although now reduced to only four members, Westlife still packed in a massive 82,500 audience in its home country of Dublin, Ireland last June. It was a grand 10th anniversary show for Kian, Mark, Nicky and Shane and it is documented in a well-annotated and beautifully shot video release.

Includes Hit You with the Real Thing, World of Our Own, Something Right, What Makes a Man, Uptown Girl, Easy Way, If I Let You Go, Get Down on It, I’m Your Man, Unbreakable, Queen of My Heart, Fool Again, Catch My Breath, Home, Us Against the World, Swear It Again, Flying Without Wings, You Raise Me Up plus others. The Road Home docu chronicles Westlife’s journey home to its biggest show ever and it comes free.

This DVD comes free with the Panic at the Disco — Live in Chicago CD (P375). Panic! is one of the most exciting young bands around. I like the band’s quirky lyrics and unconventional approach to melody. Check out its song titles. And I find it amazing that Panic! has already collected a lot of hits, good enough for a video release despite having only recorded two albums.

Here are live performances and alternate versions of Do You Know What I’m Seeing, Behind the Sea, She Had the World, The Piano Knows Something I Don’t Know, We’re So Starving, Nine in the Afternoon, But It’s Better If You Do, That Green Gentleman (Things Have Changed), I Write Sins Not Tragedies, Northern Downpour, Time to Dance, Pas De Cheval, Mad As Rabbits plus more. The DVD has the complete Chicago concert, a tour documentary, music videos, short film, photo gallery and more.

Il Divo at the Coliseum (P475). Il Divo is that quartet of lyrical singers from various countries who is known for giving classical versions of current pop favorites. The Coliseum here is the beautiful Arena on the coast of the Adriatic Sea in Pula, Croatia. It is one of the oldest and best-preserved coliseums built during the heydays of the Roman Empire.

Great setting for an Il Divo performance and there are great songs, Amazing Grace, The Power of Love, Hallelujah, The Winner Takes It All and Adagio. There is also The Promise, Il Divo in Conversation where Carlos, David, Sebastien and Urs talk about success and being an Il Divo.

Fans might like watching these guys talk and move around but this is not really worth the price with only five songs and an interview. Grab the others but wait till Il Divo decides to be more generous in a future video.