Alice In Chains: Unplugged
Sony Music
Cast: Alice In Chains
Extras: Timeline, Discography
Rating:
The new “Alice in Chains: Unplugged” DVD is a presentation of the band’s 1996 performance on the once-popular MTV program. The DVD presents the program in its entirety, plus three songs (“Frogs”, “Angry Chair”, and “The Killer in Me”) which were not shown on the original broadcast. The feature has been digitally mastered and is presented full-frame, as it was a TV show. The picture on the DVD is crystal clear, even clearer than the original broadcast. DVDs ability to show true blacks is noticeable here as the band stands out in sharp contrast to the shadowed audience.
The highlight of the DVD is the audio. Presented in Dolby Digital 5.1, the audio mix on this DVD is breathtaking. We all hear the term “CD quality sound” thrown around, but this DVD delivers the goods. It’s rare that music in feature films has the proper stereo sound, but here it does, with booming bass coming from the front speakers and more subtle sounds eminating from the rear. On the “Unplugged” DVD, Alice in Chains perform many popular songs from their first two albums and two EPs. The standout performances are “Would?” (from the “Singles” soundtrack) and “Down in a Hole.”
As DVD catches up with the output of VHS, hopefully we will get more quality musical releases such as “Alice in Chains: Unplugged.” If you’re an Alice in Chains fan, I urge you to pick this one up.