The Killers - Live From The Royal Albert Hall (DVD & CD) Review

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(More customer reviews)The Killers - Live From Royal Albert Hall is an excellent concert video, revealing The Killers as brilliant musicians, both individually and in ensemble. Ronnie Vannucci's drums beat at the center of this astounding group like the steady heart of a seasoned jazz musician: always alive, always responsive to the band, always in perfectly chosen tempo. Dave Keuning, on guitars, is lightyears beyond the generalized strumming of most rock chord-players, speaking to us articulately and beautifully with his nimble fingers. On Bass, Mark Stoermer is powerful and elegant, never missing a step, or beat, and is vigilantly alert to his fellow musicians, always nuanced.
The group inspires total confidence, which is in no small part due to the astonishing talent of Brandon Flowers, a singer whose grasp of vocal possibility, both technically and creatively, is far beyond his years. His pastiche of power, nuance, simplicity, refinement, flawless technique, and elegance place him solidly in the pantheon of great singers. Did I mention power? At 28, he has a command of his instrument, and an insight into it's mysteries, that most advanced artists do not begin to approach before they are in their 40's. And like all the greatest musicians, he is always listening: watch him listen to the band, to his audience. Simply put, he is a phenomenon: delivering unbroken passion in perfect balance with his skill. Never missing a note or moment of connection, his attention is always with his audience, with giving them the best, and ALL of it. And they are ready and willing to take him up on his offer.
The concert DVD / Blu-ray is first rate, mostly due to The Killers all-around brilliant talent as performers and composers, Flowers' lyrics always interesting, always impressionistic and captivating. The audience of fans delivers what has come to be expected by Killers followers: total enthrall and open-hearted excitment. Killers fans are always smiling. And as this concert proves, so are The Killers. Seldom, if ever, have I seen a band (or solo performer) project such open-hearted enjoyment, pure joy, at making music. Flowers and Vannucci never stop smiling, and neither do we. This DVD is simply brilliant.

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Now The Killers know how many holes it takes to fill the Albert Hall. On July 5-6th, during their 8-country European festival tour, the multi-platinum VMA Award-winning, Grammy-nominated band performed two historic nights at the legendary Kensington venue. LIVE FROM THE ROYAL ALBERT HALL, The Killers' first official DVD release, is a spectacular 22-song live concert experience - filmed in HD (with 'Fan's Eye View' alternative camera angle) and full 5.1 sound. The package, with live performances on the DVD plus a 17-song live CD from the shows (unavailable elsewhere), will be released November 10th on Island Records. Killers fans will appreciate how faithful the DVD is to the band's sight and sound onstage. Moreover, the songs cut across all four of the Killers' album releases, from their debut Hot Fuss ("Somebody Told Me," "Smile Like You Mean It," "Mr. Brightside," "All These Things That I've Done," "Jenny Was A Friend Of Mine"); to Sam's Town ("For Reasons Unknown," "Bling (Confessions Of A King)," "Sam's Town (acoustic)," "Read My Mind," "The River Is Wild," "When You Were Young"); to Sawdust ("Shadowplay," "Sweet Talk"); and Day & Age ("Human," "This Is Your Life," "The World We Live In," "Joy Ride," "I Can't Stay," "Losing Touch," "Spaceman").
The DVD, who's running time is over 2 hours, is packed with bonus extras - starting with an additional five songs from the festival tour: "Tranquilize" (live at the Oxegen Festival in Ireland, July 12th); "Human" and "Mr. Brightside" (from Hyde Park in London on June 26th); and "Smile Like You Mean It" and "When We Were Young" (from the V Festival in August). A behind-the-scenes documentary, including interviews with crew and fans, rounds out the bonus content on the DVD. The 78-minute live CD was mastered by British producer Stuart Price.

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Live from the Royal Albert Hall Review

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(More customer reviews)In a live setting, The Killers really take their music to the next level! I have absolutely nothing bad to say about the DVD or the CD. Everything, from the music, to the video quality (and even the packaging) is perfect. Brandon's vocals are clear, with a wide and incredible range. Dave's guitar comes in at all the right moments. Mark Stoermer's bass playing is some of the best that I've seen in a really long time! And of course, there's Ronnie's drums that tie everything all together. The band really feeds off the crowd, and you can tell there's no other place the crowd would rather be. These boys can really put on a good show! Just as I was losing faith in modern music, The Killers came along and turned everything around for me. This live DVD is long overdue

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Now The Killers know how many holes it takes to fill the Albert Hall. On July 5-6th, during their 8-country European festival tour, the multi-platinum VMA Award-winning, Grammy-nominated band performed two historic nights at the legendary Kensington venue. LIVE FROM THE ROYAL ALBERT HALL, The Killers' first official DVD release, is a spectacular 22-song live concert experience - filmed in HD (with `Fan's Eye View' alternative camera angle) and full 5.1 sound. The package, with live performances on the DVD plus a 17-song live CD from the shows (unavailable elsewhere), will be released November 10th in regular and Blu-Ray editions on Island Records.Killers fans will appreciate how faithful LIVE FROM THE ROYAL ALBERT HALL is to the band's sight and sound onstage. Moreover, the songs cut across all four of the Killers' album releases, from their debut Hot Fuss ("Somebody Told Me," "Smile Like You Mean It," "Mr. Brightside," "All These Things That I've Done," "Jenny Was A Friend Of Mine"); to Sam's Town ("For Reasons Unknown," "Bling (Confessions Of A King)," "Sam's Town (acoustic)," "Read My Mind," "The River Is Wild," "Bones," "When You Were Young"); to Sawdust ("Shadowplay," "Sweet Talk"); and Day & Age ("Human," "This Is Your Life," "The World We Live In," "Joy Ride," "I Can't Stay," "Losing Touch," "Spaceman," "A Dustland Fairytale"). The DVD, who's running time is over 2 hours, is packed with bonus extras - starting with an additional five songs from the festival tour: "Tranquilize" (live at the Oxegen Festival in Ireland, July 12th); "Human" and "Mr. Brightside" (from Hyde Park in London on June 26th); and "Smile Like You Mean It" and "When We Were Young" (from the V Festival in August). A behind-the-scenes documentary, including interviews with crew and fans, rounds out the bonus content on the DVD. The 78-minute live CD was mastered by British producer Stuart. Price's work with the band began with his 12-inch remix (`Jacques Lu Cont's Thin White Duke Mix') of "Mr. Brightside" in 2004. He later remixed (again as the Thin White Duke) "When You Were Young," the first single from Sam's Town. Price produced two tracks, "Leave the Bourbon on the Shelf" and "Sweet Talk," re-recorded for the B-sides album, Sawdust, which also included the "Mr. Brightside" remix. He went on to produce The Killers' third studio album, Day & Age, and created an extended remix (as the Thin White Duke) of its lead single "Human." In addition to the Killers, Price has worked with Madonna, Missy Elliott, Gwen Stefani, Keane, and others. LIVE FROM THE ROYAL ALBERT HALL was produced by Jim Parsons and directed by Dick Carruthers, whose credits include The Who Live at the Royal Albert Hall (2000), and long-form live performance DVDs with Oasis, Noel Gallagher, Keane, Van Morrison, Kaiser Chiefs, Bryan Adams, Aerosmith, White Stripes, and many others.DISC 1 DVD LIVE FROM THE ROYAL ALBERT HALLSET LIST1. Human2. This Is Your Life3. Somebody Told Me 4. For Reasons Unknown 5. The World We Live In 6. Joy Ride 7. I Can't Stay8. Bling (Confessions Of A King)9. Shadowplay10. Smile Like You Mean It11. Losing Touch12. Spaceman13. A Dustland Fairytale14. Sam's Town (Acoustic)15, Read My Mind16. Mr. Brightside17. All These Things That I've Done18. Sweet Talk19. The River Is Wild20. Bones21. Jenny Was A Friend Of Mine22. When You Were Young EXTRASBehind-the-scenes documentary including interviews with crew and fans.FAN'S EYE VIEWAlternative camera angleBONUS FESTIVAL PERFORMANCESTranquilize - Oxegen FestivalHuman - Hyde ParkMr. Brightside - Hyde ParkSmile Like You Mean It - V FestivalWhen We Were Young - V FestivalProduced by Jim Parsons Directed by Dick Carruthers Approx. Running Time: 2 hr. 40 mins. DISC 2 Live CD1. Human2. This Is Your Life3. Somebody Told Me4. The World We Live In 5. I Can't Stay6. Bling (Confessions of A King)7. Shadowplay8. Smile Like You Mean It 9. Losing Touch10. Spaceman11. A Dustland Fairytale 12. Sam's Town (Acoustic)13. Read My Mind14. Mr. Brightside 15. All These Things That I've Done 16. Jenny Was A Friend Of Mine 17. When You Were Young

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Flamingo Review

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(More customer reviews)What is it with the negative mentality from fans when a lead singer goes solo? I am glad I grew up during a different era when it was just fine for a lead singer to go solo with fans. For example, Peter Gabriel, Phil Collins, David Lee Roth, Peter Cetera, Jon Anderson, etc., etc. Nowadays it seems there's this negative element involved for no really good reason.
Brandon Flowers of The Killers releases his first solo album and it's, "This isn't what I expected" or "This is another Killers album" or "The fans who give this positive reviews are deluded", etc., etc. The fact of the matter is The Killers are popular right now, "Flamingo" entered the Billboard Top 200 Albums Chart in the top ten, the first single "Crossfire" has done well on the charts.
Also, Flowers brings in the heavy artillery with three great producers: Stuart Price (New Order, Madonna, Scissor Sisters, Pet Shop Boys, Gwen Stefani, Seal and Keane), Daniel Lanois (U2, Peter Gabriel and Robbie Robertson) and Brendan O'Brien (Stone Temple Pilots, Pearl Jam, Rage Against The Machine, Korn, The Offspring, Train, Bruce Springsteen, Incubus, The Music, The Wallflowers, Audioslave, The Bravery, Velvet Revolver and AC/DC). This has ensured a quality product. Plus a duet with Riley Kilo's lead singer Jenny Lewis on "Hard Enough".
I listened to all three Killers albums in sequential order prior to listening to "Flamingo", and I have to say I liked "Flamingo" slightly more than The Killers albums. This is the first album where I felt there was a musical unity throughout. I did not feel, upon repeated listening, that there were any weak tracks here. Some are better than others, but overall the album sounded good, not great. Flowers (and The Killers) still have the potential to develop into a classic rock band, but they have yet to hit their stride.
Growing up in the 1980's, this album reminded me of many other artists/bands from that era with a modern polish, and The Killers are, after all, a retro band, a post-new wave revival band. Flowers' influences are also from that era, and they are evident here.
"Welcome To Fabulous Las Vegas" is a great, grand, sweeping opener. "Only The Young", the album's second single, is a beautifully sung, electronic ballad. "Hard Enough" has a country tinge with a carefully placed hook in the chorus. "Jilted Lovers & Broken Hearts" is the most Killers sounding track and one of the fastest paced tracks here. "Playing With Fire" might be the weakest track here, but it redeems itself in its melody line during the second half of the song. "Was It Something I Said?" has a good melody. "Magdalena" is pure vocal hook magic. "Crossfire" is likewise catchy and melodic. "On The Floor" and "Swallow It" finish off the original 10 track album with more hooks. The four bonus tracks are equally as good with "The Clock Was Tickin'" and "Jacksonville" being very catchy.
Overall, "Flamingo" deserves four stars for its great production and hooks galore. Anyone can quibble over the lyrical content here, and many have complained about the religious content, but I inspected the lyrics online and did not feel Flowers was being overly preachy. I mean give me a break here. There are so many other artists that are absolutely preachy in their convictions, and who cares? That's what's great about popular music--passion, conviction, opinions, points of view, attitudes. People are so easily perturbed by the smallest things.
Here's how "Flamingo" compares to The Killers:
2004 Hot Fuss: Four Stars
2006 Sam's Town: Three and a Half Stars
2008 Day & Age: Three and a Half Stars
2010 Flamingo: Four Stars (from a biased, non-zealous fan)

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Inextricably tied to Vegas in both showmanship and ideology, Flamingo is a bombastic 10-track collection of stadium-ready songs that runs the gamut from expert pop executions and forlorn electro dirges to gospel tunes and even blues-tinged rock (read: pedal steel, and plenty of it).

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Hot Fuss: Deluxe Tour Edition Review

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(More customer reviews)The Killers - Hot Fuss is a great album. All the reviews for the American edition obviously stand, but if you're a die hard fan, then this is a great addition. The three extra songs were taken off of singles and demos. I just grabbed the Japanese version so I could have them all in one place. Its more of the great stuff on the album you've heard here in the states. Go to the concerts and to a local record store and see if you can cop some of the singles for free. That's how I heard them originally. Otherwise, buy this album if you're lucky enough. The three new songs are:
Glamorous Indie Rock 'n' Roll - Probably the weakest of the three lyrically. The hook is a bit annoying if you ask me. Its like a metaphor for falling in love with a girl because of Indie Rock. Musically though, its a great song. Great melody and the guitar accompaniment we've come to expect.
The Ballad of Michael Valentine - This is a great song. Tells a great story. Like Indie Rock 'n' Roll, its more of a rehash of the same great musical stylings of the Killers.
Under The Gun - This was my favorite. Its a bit more original as far as the musical aspect compared to the first two. The first two seem almost like a rehash of the style (still great, but we've all come to expect a lot out of the Killers), whereas you can tell the difference in tempo and stylings in this song. Still The Killers sound, don't get me wrong, but a great song at the end of the day.
So as you can see, its really just 3 songs that die-hards should get. Otherwise, get Hot Fuss right now as this may never even get to your mailbox.
Enjoy!

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Limited edition Japanese two disc (CD + NTSC/Region 0 DVD) pressing of the Las Vegas Rock band's hit 2004 debut album includes three bonus audio tracks, 'Glamorous Indie Rock 'n' Roll', 'The Ballad of Michael Valentine' and 'Under the Gun'. plus a bonus DVD that includes four video clips: 'Somebody Told Me', 'Mr. Brightside' (First Version), 'Mr. Brightside' (Second Version) and 'All These Things That I've Done'. The Killers' blend of modern Rock and New Wave influences caught the imagination and attention of music fans worldwide, helping the band notch up hit records in the U.S., Europe, Japan, Australia and elsewhere. Island Records. 2005.

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