Review of Stereophonics: Rewind

Introduction

From when they first burst onto the scene with the song `Thousand Trees` from the incredibly successful `Word Gets Around` album, Stereophonics have been a mainstay of the British rock scene and, along with the likes of The Manic Street Preachers, Catatonia and Feeder, the best of Welsh guitar-driven music.

Over two discs (or in the case of the review discs, four), disc one of `Rewind: Stereophonics` includes a 100 minute documentary, charting the rise of the band from small hall gigs in the valleys as `Tragic Love Company`, to their signing by V2 Records in 1996, their sacking of drummer Stuart Cable and to the present. There are also several deleted scenes and trailers. Disc two contains live material, over 100 minutes worth, plus a feature on Kelly Jones` solo acoustic tour.

This disc is clearly a review version and the menus are basic with no `play all` function, but I don`t know whether this is the same as the retail version. The live performances and playlists are:

Stereophonics, Live and Direct in Australia, 1997
Too Many Sandwiches
Goldfish Bowl
Check My Eyelids for Holes

Cardiff Castle
Local Boy in the Photograph
The Bartender and the Thief

Morfa Stadium
Just Looking
I stopped to Fill my Car up
Roll up and Shine

Millennium Stadium
Vegas Two Times
Mr. Writer
Watch Them Fly Sundays

Isle of Wight
Jealousy
Moviestar
Maybe Tomorrow

Language. Sex. Violence. Other? Tour 2005
Devil
Pedalpusher
Jayne
Thousand Trees
Bartender and the Thief
Hurry up and Wait
Vegas Two Times
Carrot Cake and Wine
Too Many Sandwiches
Traffic

The Kelly Jones Live in York acoustic tour includes:
I Stopped to Fill my Car up
Mr. Writer
Live Forever (with Noel Gallagher)
I Wouldn`t Believe Your Radio (with Noel Gallagher)
Step on my Old Size Nines
Momma Told Me Not to Come (with Tom Jones)
Handbags and Gladrags

There is also the footage of Kelly Jones performing Just Looking at the Tsunami Benefit Concert.

Video

The `Rewind: Stereophonics` documentary is presented in a clear and crisp anamorphic 1.78:1 transfer. The acoustic tour unfortunately has a letterboxed 1.66:1 transfer, but the other live performances are presented in anamorphic 1.78:1.

As with any multi-camera live performance, the quality of the visuals is variable, but intentionally so.

There is no chaptering on the documentary which, I hope, is only on the supply disc as a 100 minute feature should really have chapters.

Audio

More time has obviously been spent on the `Rewind: Stereophonics` documentary as it has a DD 5.1 soundtrack which is, like the visuals, excellent. The rest of the material only has a DD 2.0 stereo soundtrack which is fine although a DD 5.1 would have been optimum.

There are no subtitles.

Features

Strictly speaking none, although the additional material on disc one and the whole of disc two could be classed as `extra features` as the selling point is the titular documentary.

Conclusion

This could easily have been a terrible `Behind the Music` type film as the Stereophonics are never on the front pages for excess drinking and drug use and don`t have a reputation for using groupies like `Mötley Crüe`! Concentrating on the music and the formation of the band sounds boring, but isn`t. The documentary has contributions from, amongst others, Ronnie Wood, Roger Daltrey, Tom Jones and Paul Weller.

I really liked the Stereophonics` first three albums and then, frankly, lost interest. On the basis of watching this DVD, I was enthused enough to buy their last two albums, having realised the quality of some of the more recent songs. `Rewind: Stereophonics` is a revealing and very well made documentary, although it`s a shame that they didn`t include Stuart Cable`s perspective on his sacking from the band.

Alone, the documentary is a must-see for any fan of the band and the live footage is a bonus. Sadly, the 61 minute `Kelly Jones Live in York` is not footage of the live gig, but a documentary of the acoustic tour with many of the songs not shown in their entirety.

With an interesting and comprehensive documentary covering the history of the band to date, an hour long documentary of the acoustic tour and over 100 minutes of live performances, this is a must-buy for any Stereophonics fan; the only possible improvement would be a third disc with the band`s music videos.