Alchemy - DVD/Blu-Ray Reviews/Thoughts

[herlock]

One more comment - the most ennoying thing about this release, IMHO (besides not featuring the LoG video clip as a bonus and not releasing the new mix on CD), is that there is no dedicated track for "Carrousel Waltz"; worse still, CW is not glued to Tunnel of Love, as it would be natural, but to the end of Two Young Lovers; meaning that if you want to watch the full Tunnel of Love with intro (one of my favourite activities, I must say), you need to play TOL, then rewind to the proper place. So much for a 21th century release ! When  I was watching my old VHS converted to DivX, I was dreaming: at least with the official release I'll be able to go to the right track at once ! well, not even ! This demonstrates a lack of attention to details; seem that the only true perfectionist in the team who produced this is Chuck Ainlay. Well, thanks for the sound, Chuck...

[nando]

Alchemy 2 week as number 1 in Portugal, with almost no promotion at all. A good product, a great set list, sells all the time.

Fans by what they like...just give it to them!

I

[dustyvalentino]

Number 6 in the UK music DVD chart apparently:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio1/chart/musicdvds/

[Jon]

Really enjoying the blu-ray of this.  Picture quality isn't perfect, but that's the 80s for you.  Sound is greatly improved though, even in plain old stereo, nevermind the rather good 5.1.  I wish they'd put this stereo mix out on CD.

[lfblaauw]

One more comment - the most ennoying thing about this release, IMHO (besides not featuring the LoG video clip as a bonus and not releasing the new mix on CD), is that there is no dedicated track for "Carrousel Waltz"; worse still, CW is not glued to Tunnel of Love, as it would be natural, but to the end of Two Young Lovers; meaning that if you want to watch the full Tunnel of Love with intro (one of my favourite activities, I must say), you need to play TOL, then rewind to the proper place. So much for a 21th

Well, that's not true. If you play ToL on the Alchemy DVD then it starts with Carousel Waltz, like on the album. Carousel Waltz is the organ part. The part you're mentioning isn't called Carousel Waltz. That's the intro to ToL, and a small bit of the outro of Portobello Belle. But i agree with you that it is strange that this intro isn't 'glued' to ToL.

Regards,
Lars B.

[herlock]

Oops, you got me here. You are absolutely right. But isn't the intro to TOL the outro to Two Young Lovers rather than Portobello Belle ? or did I miss the cut ?

[lfblaauw]

Oops, you got me here. You are absolutely right. But isn't the intro to TOL the outro to Two Young Lovers rather than Portobello Belle ? or did I miss the cut ?

Portobello Belle was also played that night, after Two Young Lovers, but never released on the Alchemy album/video. The calypso-sounds from the intro of ToL are just the end of Portobello Belle.  There is an audience recording from this night , there you can hear it clearly.

regards,
Lars B.

[Love Expresso]

Yes you did. It was never on the official released CD, but when you listen to bootlegs from that time, you will hear a very long and great Portobello Belle,
and on CD they just faded into it. The very first seconds of this, this kind of Caribian percussive playing if you know what I mean, is the last part of PB.
In fact, if I remember, there was no break, it just went through to this middlepart until Mark says "The Song is Tunnel of Love"... As PB was about more than 10 minutes I can understand why they cut it then. But on BluRay or DVD it would have been nice to have it, together with Industrial Disease and Twisting By The Pool which would have been the complete concert. That is what I prefer to Simfy these days!

LE

[dustyvalentino]

Portobello Belle turned up on the Money for Nothing compilation, or "Contractual Obligation Album" as MK wanted to call it.



Also as a bonus track on a re-release of Sultans at the same time.



Although technically not a re-release if memory serves because it is the album version.

[herlock]

Yes you did. It was never on the official released CD, but when you listen to bootlegs from that time, you will hear a very long and great Portobello Belle,
and on CD they just faded into it. The very first seconds of this, this kind of Caribian percussive playing if you know what I mean, is the last part of PB.
In fact, if I remember, there was no break, it just went through to this middlepart until Mark says "The Song is Tunnel of Love"... As PB was about more than 10 minutes I can understand why they cut it then. But on BluRay or DVD it would have been nice to have it, together with Industrial Disease and Twisting By The Pool which would have been the complete concert. That is what I prefer to Simfy these days!

LE

Actually I know that Portobello Belle was part of the concert, I just thought that there was not cut between "Two Young Lovers" and "Carrousel Waltz". Are you saying PB was in between them ? I have to watch this again

[Love Expresso]

Set of my bootleg Dire Straits Live in Paris 83, which should be similar to the Alchemy show:

---
Sultans Of Swing 12:24
Twisting By The Pool 3:40
Two Young Lovers 4:49
Portobello Belle 15:30 !!
Tunnel Of Love 10:31 !!
Telegraph Road 14:08
---

On the "Money For Nothing"-Dire Straits Sampler however PB is heavily cut with 4:33, even if the improvised middle part could also easily be not put to that song but seen as just an .... improvisation. Hope you understand...  ?

LE

[Rollergirl]

Just watched the Blue ray on the big screen. I am 15 again. Just like when I bought the VHS all those years ago, I kicked the family out (then out of the living room, today, out of the house) and enjoyed it uninterrupted, very loud.

Definitely a big step up on the sound, even if it's not up to today's recordings (like Get lucky, if that's comparable). You can hear Terry's symbals and Hal's rythm guitar much better than on the CD.

The picture is OK.

[Rollergirl]

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[boboDS]

Definitely a big step up on the sound, even if it's not up to today's recordings (like Get lucky, if that's comparable). You can hear Terry's symbals and Hal's rythm guitar much better than on the CD.

The picture is OK.

Is it? Am I the only one who thinks that sound is not so great? Yeah, Hal's guitar is better now, but what the hell happened to snare drums?? Imho because of this the overall sound suffered, for me it is just differently mixed, but definitely not better.

[Rollergirl]

It's a long time since I listened to the CD and from what I remember, it's a lot clearer on the blue ray. I will put the CD on the same system later (not same player but same amps and speakers) and tell you what I think.