Wednesday, February 1, 2012

DVD of the Month - "Copernicus: Live!"

DVD of the Month
Copernicus: "Live! In Prague" (MoonJune) 2012

Featuring: Copernicus (lead vocals & lyrics), Larry Kirwan (keyboards, guitar, vocals), Dave Conrad (electric bass), Thomas Hamlin (drums) & Mike Fazio (electric guitar)
Copernicus is a conceptual creation of Joseph Smalkowski

Filmed in 1989 by Corbett Santana (left camera) and the crew of Ceskoslovenská Televízia Praha/Czechoslovakian TV Prague (right camera).
Sound engineer: Michael Ford
Post-production by Fernando Natalici, Mourrice Papi & Adnor Pitanga, XT Studio, New York (Summer 2011)
Graphics by Leonardo Pavkovic
Liner Notes: Fernando Natalici

In 1989, after the release of the album "Deeper", Copernicus received many requests to appear live in a number of cities in Europe -- including Moscow, Sopot, Prague, Vilnius and Berlin. "Deeper" had received a lot of attention from the press and got tremendous radio airplay. This was a time of heightened tension in many countries, separated from the rest of the world by their mostly totalitarian regimes.

This concert footage documents the entire experience at Prague's Slavia Stadium. For the nine thousand fans, it was a rewarding experience. Copernicus and the audience interacted in an extraordinary manner. The effects of Copernicus' songs such as "The Authorities" and "White from Black" and others were visibly a big blow to the audience eager to absorb more of Copernicus' lyrics and the gripping original music performed by those musicians which included Larry Kirwan of Black 47 on keyboards, guitar and vocals, Mike Fazio on guitar, Thomas Hamlin on drums, and Dave Conrad on bass along with their American soundman, Michael Ford.

The use of split screen technology with footage from two separate sources heightens the experience that one almost feels that he is right there at the mixing board watching every move from the stage and from the audience's point of view. This video certainly is a document from the time when bands would go out and venture into these far away places. It is worth its price in gold.

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