- Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
- Video Codec: AVC/MPEG-4
- Resolution: 1080i/60 (29.970Hz)
- Audio Codec: English LPCM 2.0 (48kHz/16-bit)
- Subtitles: English, French, German, Spanish
- Subtitles Color: White
- Region: ABC (Region-Free)
- Rating: NR
- Run Time: 94 Mins.
- Discs: 1 (1 x Blu-ray)
- Digital Copies: N/A
- Studio: Eagle Rock Entertainment
- Blu-ray Release Date: October 22, 2012
- List Price: $19.98
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Overall
[Rating:4/5]
The Film
[Rating:4/5]
Video Quality
[Rating:4/5]
Audio Quality
[Rating:4/5]
Supplemental Materials
[Rating:2/5]
Click thumbnails for high-resolution 1920X1080p screen captures
(All TheaterByte screen captures are lightly compressed with lossy JPEG at 100% quality setting and are meant as a general representation of the content. They do not fully reveal the capabilities of the Blu-ray format)
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The Film
[Rating:4/5]
Until 1986’s So, for a lot of people, Peter Gabriel was simply the former lead vocalist of Genesis that Phil Collins replaced. Sure, Gabriel had a few tracks from his solo career over the years that managed to break through somewhat to a broader audience, like “Shock the Monkey,” and “Solsbury Hill,” but in comparison to his former bandmates, Gabriel was a cult success. He was someone who people “in the know” would be familiar with, the center of debates amongst Genesis fans about whether the band was better with Gabriel or post-Gabriel. So changed that all. The first of Gabriel’s albums that wasn’t self-titled would also be the first of his albums to be a complete commercial success, a nearly perfect musical statement that was a culmination of his musical progression to that point. Producer Daniel Lanois who had already been working with U2 (but hadn’t yet had their classic The Joshua Tree under his belt) would helm the production.
This typical Classic Albums documentary tells the story of how the album came together, with interviews from Daniel Lanois, Peter Gabriel, and musicians involved with the recording sessions such as drummer Manu Katché and others. Among the usual song by song break down and the occasional listen in on isolated tracks from the original multitrack recording sessions, the documentary offers up some interesting tidbits. For instance, “Sledgehammer,” which paved the way for the album and helped turn it into a phenomenon, might never have been on the album. It originally started out as a late night afterthought and quick recording session for an idea Gabriel had for his next album. There are plenty more like that on this fine documentary on what is truly a classic and satisfying album from Gabriel’s illustrious catalogue.
Video Quality
[Rating:4/5]
Classic Albums: So has a 1080i/60 AVC/MPEG-4 encodement that is solid with detailed and life-like looking interview segments intermingled with lesser quality archival video footage. There are some moments in the 1080i image, however, even with the native high definition interview segments, where some noticeable combing can be spotted (notice the bass strings in the screen capture above).
Audio Quality
[Rating:4/5]
The LPCM 2.0 (48kHz/16-bit) stereo audio mix is more than sufficient to convey clear dialogue during the interviews and a good amount of dynamics and stereo separation during the brief musical clips.
Supplemental Materials
[Rating:2/5]
About 35-minutes of extended interview segments are provided.
The supplements:
- Extended Interviews (1.78:1; 1080i/60; 00:35:33):
- Big Time
- Amnesty Tours
- The Making of Sledgehammer
- In Your Eyes
The Definitive Word
Overall:
[Rating:4/5]
Classic Albums: So lets you go behind the story on how this top-selling, engrossing, and nearly flawless rock gem was crafted over the course of a year. The numerous interviews with all the people involved and backstory on just about every track (“Big Time” curiously absent) make it well worth at least a rental for music fans, and definitely a purchase for avid Peter Gabriel fans.
Additional Screen Captures
[amazon-product]B008N5UX5Q[/amazon-product]
Purchase Peter Gabriel: Classic Albums — So on Blu-ray at CD Universe
Shop for more Blu-ray titles at Amazon.com
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[amazon-product]B008N5UX5Q[/amazon-product]
Purchase Peter Gabriel: Classic Albums — So on Blu-ray at CD Universe
Shop for more Blu-ray titles at Amazon.com
Overall
[Rating:4/5]
The Film
[Rating:4/5]
Video Quality
[Rating:4/5]
Audio Quality
[Rating:4/5]
Supplemental Materials
[Rating:2/5]
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