Lana Lane
Storybook - Tales From Europe and Japan DVD
Review by Gary Hill
As a reviewer and music fan, I get a chance to see a lot of concert videos, and I have to say they really did it right on this one. Looking strictly at the content provided, this is a first class product. They include a bit of interview about each performance, but, as opposed the Black Sabbath DVD, here you can choose to watch the show with or without those segments. It's a simple little touch, but definitely something that makes for a better DVD. In shooting the footage, it occasionally shifts to black and white for artistic value, but this is only short segments, and adds to, rather than takes from the experience.
Enough of the packaging - the performances are all top notch. This band shows that, although in some interview segments they discuss how difficult a task it can be, can reproduce their studio material live. The choice of songs is quite good, and indeed, I would say that this would be an excellent first choice for those looking to experience this artist.
The only downside o the release I can see is that much of the video shows "noise", what looks to be scratches and such on the visual image. The concert footage covers a wide range of time from 1997 to 2003, so I wonder if perhaps some of that was intentionally added to the newer clips to make it more closely match the aging of the older footage.
In any event, this one should be a special treat to Lana Lane fans. For those of you who have yet to check her music out, I recommend this as your first purchase. They really put together a killer product, and Lana's accessible take on symphonic rock/prog is definitely worth a try.
This review is available in book format (hardcover and paperback) in Music Street Journal: 2004 Year Book Volume 1 at https://garyhillauthor.com/Music-Street-Journal-2003-and-2004/.
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