Review of Pointer Sisters, The: All Night Long

Introduction

The Pointer Sisters have been around in showbusiness for almost 30 years and show no sign of slowing down. From May 2003 they start the UK leg of their world tour to sell out crowds which proves that there is still a fanbase out there. No doubt coinciding with this is the release of Gravity`s DVD, All Night Long, a 40 minute concert filmed in 1974 in front of 80,000 screaming fans.

The back of the box claims this `74 concert was when the band were at their hottest, but they only formed as a band in `73. So how hot is hot?

Video

This fullframe transfer, from the concert which was shot in 1974, looks barely better than good VHS. If the camera remains still, you won`t get some of the smearing that this has. The colours look drained and whether you`re backstage or upfront with the sisters, the image looks the same, i.e. dull and flat. There`s no live `razzmatazz` which is disappointing. You`ll be hard pressed to find any evidence to support the fact that this concert was filmed with siz 35mm cameras. The condition of the negatives or whatever tape used is terrible.

Audio

The Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack here sounds very thin and without any real power of a live concert performance. It was remixed from the original 2-channel stereo, but alas it sounds tinny and dull.

Features

Just a chapter selection. Very poor.

Conclusion

I was expecting something more than this paltry 40 minute short. It`s about 35 minutes when you watch the warm up going on while waiting for the Pointer Sisters to make their appearance on stage. When they do finally reach the front, the performances are lacklustre with a poor soundtrack that doesn`t do any justice to their 70s sound. Where`s the Grammy award winning "Fairytale", "Little Pony or "Black Coffee"? The Pointer Sisters` early work, in the 70s was jazz and be-bop oriented and this is what we get here, but the poor sound quality doesn`t do it or us any favours. It sounds shrill and induces headaches, so I can only wonder if someone listened to it before deciding to release it.

If you liked any of the music of the time, you`ll be sorely disappointed with this release. It barely looks average, it sounds worse and the image of the band isn`t helped any by this less than dazzling concert. I`d urge everyone to stay away from this disc, fans and others alike.