Under Review 1976-79 The Berlin Trilogy

• Format: Closed-captioned, Colour, DVD-Video, PAL
  Language: English
  Region: All Regions
  Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
  Number of discs: 1
  Classification: Exempt Studio: Chrome Dreams
  DVD Release Date: 6 Nov 2006
  Run Time: 125 minutes

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Under Review 1976-79

The Berlin Trilogy

DVD features live and studio performances by David Bowie along with rare interviews, reviewed by esteemed experts such as Dieter Moebius, Michael Rother (former members of both Neu! and Cluster, key Bowie influences), Mark Prendergast, David Stubbs, Daryl Easlea (journalists, authors), and Paolo Hewitt among others.

By the mid 1970s David Bowie was the biggest pop star in the UK, but his personal life was in turmoil. In a bid to escape the chaos of his drug problems and to flea from the media spotlight, the singer eventually found his way to Berlin, where he started to work on what would become some of the most memorable and critically lauded recordings of his entire career.

With Low, 'Heroes' and Lodger, Bowie stopped moving from persona to persona as he had previously done, settling instead on being simply himself. He began to blend the music he was hearing in his adopted homeland (Krautrock, Kraftwerk) with thrilling and often avant-garde methodologies as used by his friend and colleague Brian Eno.

David Bowie - Under Review 1976 - 1979: The Berlin Trilogy features live and studio performances by Bowie, rare interviews, and a host of other features, all interspersed with independent review and criticism from a panel of esteemed experts. These include; former members of both Neu! And Cluster (and key Bowie influences), Dieter Moebius and Michael Rother; broadcaster, journalist and ambient author of The Ambient Century, Mark Prendergast; ex-Melody Maker/Mojo scribe and Reviews Editor at Wire, David Stubbs; music expert and author Daryl Easlea; style aficionado, Paolo Hewitt amongst others.

Is It Worth It?

This is so shockingly bad it is really for the Bowie completist only. You know, someone like me who collects everything on the great man so I may as well get this as well type-of-person. Certainly there is nothing new here - indeed, it reeks of cheapness. For example if you don't use over a certain amount of music or videoclip (I think it is around 10 mins) then the studio who put this thing together don't have to pay any royalties. Sure enough, the studio who put this thing together don't go over that time limit.

A clue to the 'quality' of this release is inadvertently on the front cover. 'An Independant Critical Analysis', it says. In other words, Bowie's management have had nothing to do with it and wouldn't touch it with a bargepole.

A thorough release of the history or events behind the Berlin Trilogy is long overdue.

Sadly, this isn't it.

Nice picture of Bowie on the front though. Is that enough?