Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #170948 in DVD
• Released on: 1999-02-02
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: AC-3, Color, NTSC
• Original language: English

Amazon.com
On the evening of September 15, 1997, legendary British music producer George Martin (who had risen to prominence with the Beatles) held a benefit concert at London's Royal Albert Hall for the small Caribbean island of Montserrat, which had recently been devastated by a volcanic eruption. All of the invited superstars had recorded some of their biggest hits at Montserrat's Air Studios, which Martin had founded in 1970, and this shared history gives Music for Montserrat an added sense of enjoyment among friends. Despite a few vocal dropouts and forgivable mixing problems, this outstanding concert has been captured with impressive fidelity, and while each artist performs songs appropriate to the occasion, they share the stage (along with a house band, choir, and orchestra conducted by Martin) in brilliant combinations that bring out the best in everyone involved.

The show hits full stride with Mark Knopfler's exquisite "Brothers in Arms," which segues nicely into "Money for Nothing" with guest vocals by Sting, who then performs two hits from his Police years. And while Elton John and Eric Clapton form the centerpiece of the concert (especially Clapton and Knopfler's acoustic "Layla"), Paul McCartney anchors the show with a spectacular four-song conclusion. Phil Collins's expert drumming is matched throughout by legendary percussionist Ray Kooper, and McCartney's fully orchestrated "Golden Slumbers" is a genuine show-stopper, followed by a "Hey Jude" sing-along with everyone on stage. They all follow McCartney's lead for a rockin' rendition of "Kansas City" (which the Beatles had performed as early as 1960), by which time Music for Montserrat had given its royal audience a show they would never forget. --Jeff Shannon

Customer Reviews

Not perfect, but one of the best
I've owned the laserdisc version of this concert since it was first released. While the sound quality is occasionally disappointing (especially Sting), it's generally quite good. And most of the performances are excellent, particularly Knopfler, Elton, Clapton and McCartney.

I'd buy it again, if only for the McCartney/Elton exchange on "Hey Jude." I've watched this concert many times, and it still sends chills everytime Elton's voice appears in the second verse of this song.

As for the complaints about the "tambourine bloke" -- that's Ray Cooper, the legendary (with good reason) percussionist who has backed most of these performers in studio sessions, and who is a mainstay of almost every all star concert. If you want a video concert that will absolutely knock you over, try to find "An Evening with Elton John and Ray Cooper" -- it used to appear occasionally on the Disney Channel (oh, well, so did Annie Lennox's Central Park concert), and if I ever found it on a commercially released video, I'd pay almost anything for it. Listen to Cooper's incredible performance on this concert (or better yet, see one of the live Elton John/Ray Cooper, sans band, shows) and you'll never again complain about Cooper being a "distraction." Ray rocks!

One of the best DVD concerts available.
I love my DVD music performances. I have a large collection. This is one of the very best. In some ways, for me, a child of the 60's it is the best. When Paul McCartney sings "Yesterday" I got a tear in my eye. It means even more than ever from a 50+ year old. The video and music recording are excellent in every way. Seeing Clapton, McCartney, Mark Knopfler, Carl Perkins, Sting, Elton John, Phil Collins and Jimmy Buffet on stage together for the final songs was UNBELIEVEABLE!!!! They looked like they were having as much fun playing as I was watching. It is a mistake to not have this in your collection.

FANTASTIC - What a show!
I was afraid to buy this after some of the reviews here, but I went ahead anyway. With such a LEGENDARY lineup, I couldn't resist. And I was VERY pleasantly surprised. Elton John's solo set was great, and so was the sound. Clapton's set also was FIVE stars, both performers received well deserved standing ovations. Yes, Phil Collin's song and on Sting's two the sound was uneven, but not enough to ruin their performances! Paul's voice, yes like Elton and Clapton, has matured, but was very good. I thought his voice was actually strong, nowhere did I hear him struggle. AND! to see Phil Collins on drums, Eric Clapton on guitar, and then Paul sing a verse of HEY JUDE, then Elton John sing a verse, and then Sting. AND all of them NaNaNANA. WOW WOW WOW. I think some of the reviewers must be perfectionists who reviewed this earlier. IT WAS FANTASTIC. I sat down today for my first go to just listen a tiny bit, and couldn't drag myself away! I played the entire concert. It is that good. Maybe the recording is not top notch, but the performances ARE. Yes, the tamborine bloke was a distraction, but only on a handful of songs, I'll grant that. But the sound is 4 stars. I gave this 5 to offset the perfectionists! It is at least 4.5 stars, overall. Honestly.