Glastonbury Anthems - The Best Of Glastonbury 1994-2004 - Franz Ferdinand,Coldplay,Chemical Brothers,Radiohead,Paul McCartney,Travis,Miscellaneous Performers DVD Review
DVD Review
Thirty thousand fans voted via a poll on the official festival site for this tracklisting:what an excellent choice they made.Twenty snippets from a decade of world renowned Glastonbury festival in Somerset between 1994 and 2004.This fantastic none chronological running order of the best of Glasto-Blasto featuring the cream of the ever evolving roster of British and American artists.Since its beginnings in 1971,which you can experience on the extras(Glastonbury Fayre)the event has embraced not only seminal rock acts,but has branched out into Dance,World Music,Jazz,Folk etc.It’s a shame that some the lesser known acts such as Nitin Sawney don’t get a look-in as I can recall some great performances,especially a mesmerising jazzed-up At The River by Groove Armada.
Fresh-faced Scottish combo Franz Ferdinand kick-off the proceedings with their riff-ladened Matinee from their award-winning album.
Travis,the band that opened the door for the mellow pop revival,display a band overtaken by Coldplay and Keane.Dance outfit Faithless raise the atmosphere,but they’re not as hot a band as you might think.Their repetitive beats border on tedium.
Thankfully,the Manics are on top form with A Design For Life,arguably the rock anthem of the 90s as James Dean Bradfield roars out each lyric.
Richard Hall aka Moby,the genre-bending maverick,delivers a neuvo-Gospel classic-Why Does My Heart Feels So Bad,with huge backup singer Diane Charlemagne giving the best performance on the DVD.Robbie does his usual thing on Angels,but only serves to prove the song is mightier than the singer.Elsewhere,dance band Basement Jaxx are always good value for money,as are hip-hop funk-blending Fun Lovin’ Criminals.It hits a low when Blur trash-out a dire This Is a Low.
Rock festivals need a big one,and THE festival song prize goes to The Levellers for a blistering rendition of their debut single of 1991-One Way as the throng goes nuts.McCartney rounds it off with a stirring Hey Jude.
Extras are not spectacular by any means.There’s a 1995 interview with Mike and Jean Eavis,the farmers who provide the land.The aerial footage serves no more a purpose than showing the expansive site littered with tents and bodies.Archive footage from 1971 simply shows revellers in various states of ‘happines’-some in the nude-during the post-hippy period.
Gigs
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