Brian Setzer - Christmas Extravaganza (2005) Review

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(More customer reviews)I saw the Brian Setzer Orchestra two years back when they did a Christmas show here in Wisconsin, and I'm seeing them this holiday season as well, so I figured this would be a great disc to buy. And was I ever right! This disc does a much better job of capturing the fun atmosphere and high energy music of the band than their previous DVD release did. The band sounds just as good as they do on both of their Christmas CD's, and watching the band mambers get into the music while playing it, makes it even more fun for the viewer. The highlight of the disc (and of their live show in general) is when they play the "Nutcracker Suite" for an encore. While often considered a "novelty" swing band, the Nutcracker really shows that all members of the band are world-class musicians first and foremost. It was good to see a few non-Christmas Setzer classics in the playlist, but "Rumble in Brighton" and "Fishnet Stockings" seem odd choices for a Christmas show. Overall, great Christmas fun for all viewers, and I highly recommend it!

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Filmed December 18, 2004 at L.A's sold-out Universal Amphitheatre, its is easily the best video presentation of the Brian Setzer Orchestra ever. A 1-hour-and-40-minute concert, plus behind the scenes b-roll footage, including a first-time look at Brian Setzer and his orchestrator composing a chart from scratch. Track Listings:Dig that Crazy Santa Claus, This Cat's On A Hot Tin Roof, Boogie Woogie Christmas, Dirty Boogie, Winter Wonderland, Sleigh Ride, Santa Claus is Back in Town, Caravan, Pipeline, Stray Cat Strut/You're A Mean One, Mr. Grinch, Jump Jive An' Wail, Zat You Santa Claus?, Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!, Run Rudolph run, Gene & Eddie, Blue Christmas, Rat Pack Boogie, Fishnet Stockings, Rock This Town, Nutcracker Suite, Rumble in Brighton, Gettin' In the Mood.

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Christmas Rocks: The Best of Collection Review

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(More customer reviews)Let's face it, more than a few of us need a little Prozac during the holidays and this disk might just be the ticket. Brian Setzer does a very upbeat Christmas.
This is a compilation of his previous two Christmas CDs, so if you have them, you may not 'need' this one. I have one of the two, so I felt free to buy.
Favorites:
Jingle Bell Rock
Is that you, Santa Claus
To add to all of this, the CD is a very generous 20 tracks which is about twice what we are getting now in this age of iTunes and packaged disks.
Rebecca Kyle, December 2008

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The Brian Setzer Orchestra has established a new standard by which holiday albums are judged. They struck a major chord with audiences everywhere and catapulted the super-charged 18 piece Big Band into a Christmas franchise via their annual sold out holiday tour. This magnificent collection is a combination of the very best tracks from their two holiday releases, paired with two previously unreleased tracks plus two seasonal selections from his 2007 materpiece Wolfgang's Big Night Out.

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Don't Mess With A Big Band: Live Review

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(More customer reviews)In a recent online poll Brian Setzer was voted "The World"s Greatest Living Guitarist". If you are skeptcal about this I urge you to check out the phenomenal new double disc album "The Brian Setzer Orchestra: Don't Mess With A Big Band". Recorded during the band's 2009 tour of Japan "Don't Mess With A Big Band" offers up 19 exciting and innovative tracks including some old time rock and roll, a few swing numbers and a boatload of Setzer's favorite genre rockabilly. I rarely buy "live" recordings but this one was a "must" purchase as soon as I learned about it.
Word has it that Brian Setzer has a huge guitar collection spanning many decades and brands. He is known to prefer the vintage models and Brian put a number of them through their paces during the group's tour of Japan. "Jaw-dropping" is the term the record company uses to describe Brian's guitar work on this album. I would most certainly agree! There are so many highlights on these discs but I would have to single out Brian's amazing interpretation of Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov's classical piece "Flight of the Bumblebee". "Honey Man" features what has to be the most amazing piece of guitar work that I have ever heard. Listen and see if you agree! Meanwhile, the balance of the orchestra is on top of their game throughout as well. As always the brass section is terrific and I actually enjoyed their work every bit as much. Among my favorite tracks on Disc One are "Batman" (the original ABC- TV series theme), the swingin' sound of "The Dirty Boogie" and the group's remake of the 1958 Eddie Cochran classic "Summertime Blues" which is quite true to the original. Great stuff!
But I liked Disc Two even more! From the earliest days of his career Brian Setzer's first love has been rockabilly and the entire second disc is devoted to this genre. Each and every one of these ten tracks is a winner. You can tell that the Japanese audience just eats up this stuff. "Gene and Eddie" is a tribute to rockabilly pioneers Gene Vincent and Eddie Cochran. What a super tune! And Stray Cats fans will be happy to hear that several of the group's most popular numbers including "Stray Cat Strut", "Rock This Town" and of course "Jump, Jive An' Wail" are included here as well. I found that it is virtually impossible to sit still while this album is playing.
"The Brian Setzer Orchestra: Don't Mess With A Big Band" includes a nicely done 12 page booklet featuring s number of remarkable photos from the Japanese tour. My first instincts proved to be right. This is an album definitely worth owning and something I will listen to again and again. Very highly recommended!



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"Don't Mess With A Big Band" is a sizzling recording of The Brian Setzer Orchestra's 2009 tour of Japan. Brian is in rare form and the display of guitar-playing (raw and live as it was played on the night) is truly jaw-dropping! The album contains all of his biggest hits (Stray Cats & The Brian Setzer Orchestra) and includes a couple of rare gems that he had never previously performed live.

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The Brian Setzer Orchestra - Live in Japan (2001) Review

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(More customer reviews)Live concerts like this are what DVD is all about and this production is killer. Everyone is having fun (the fans, Brian, the band, the backup singers and stage crew -- everyone!)and it shows. Some of the numbers, like "Hawaii 5-0", are performed rather over the top, with the twang factor reaching maximum, but everyone is smiling and enjoying "playing with the music" while they perform it. No one is taking themselves too seriously, and some of Brian's facial expressions as he plays are priceless. This is a truly fun show to watch.
Brian Setzer is a lot more than a "Stray Cat". For this show he has an Orchestra and backup singers. The music is like a post WWII timeline as we hear some Swing and Big Band numbers, then move into early Rock (and this band Rocks!) but we also hear some music from Broadway, even some Folk as he slows the pace down a bit, and it all comes together well. Brian Setzer has paid his dues and accomplished certain milestones in his career, as he explains in one of the interview segments. It's clear he has reached a point where he is comfortable with himself and his abilities. There is no self-consciousness in his performances, nothing strained, just true craftmanship. His guitar solos are impressive.
This DVD captures all the excitement of a live show, and you get glimpses backstage and interview snippets. It is a complete production, technically and musically well done.
This is a DVD I would recommend.

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Rock and Roll's ultimate revivalist, Brian Setzer takes his swinging big band to Japan for this hot, hot, hot concert in the Land of the Rising Sun. Having led the resurgence of rockabilly in the '80s with his band the Stray Cats, Setzer has turned his muse to swing music and helped to restore this great music to the mainstream of popular music during the '90s and continues into the new millennium. Songs: Hawaii 5-0, This Cat's on a Hot Tin Roof, The Dirty Boogie, Jumpin' East of Java, The Footloose Doll, Drive Like Lightning (Crash Like Thunder), Caravan, Americano, I Won't Stand in Your Way, Mystery Train, Gene and Eddie, Guitar Rag, Sleepwalk, Stray Cat Strut, Jump Jive an' Wail, Pennsylvania 6-5000, Gettin' in the Mood, Get Me to the Church on Time, Rock This Town.

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