Carly Simon Live From Martha's Vineyard - HBO Video [VHS]

Pop singer Carly Simon has rarely performed a "Live" concert, which makes this DVD version of her 1987 live concert from Martha's Vineyard (which originally aired as a special on HBO) all the more a collector's item.   The concert on this DVD represented her first live performance since 1980, and is one of a mere three concerts by the smooth-sounding singer ever to be captured on film.This concert was filmed on June 9, 1987, which turned out (after some rain earlier that day) to be a beautiful Tuesday afternoon/early evening.  Pretty Massachusetts seafront scenery complements the proceedings nicely.  Carly's "Live" audience this day seems to be a rather small one, which allows for a more natural, relaxed, and "homey" feel to the performance.The previous VHS version was pretty good too....for VHS videotape.  But it's really nice to be able to upgrade this great Martha's Vineyard outing to the improved DVD format.  This Digital version looks pretty darn good to me. It's not perfect, but definitely an improvement over the VHS version. Not having to deal with annoying VHS "tracking" difficulties, and being able to directly access each song via chapter selections, make the DVD version of this concert the ultimate video format of choice.In the parlance of DVD-Video terminology, the picture quality here might be deemed as being slightly on the "soft" side. And there's still quite a bit of grain evident. It could definitely have been a bit sharper in places, but it still looks fine to my eyes. And the colors look very "warm" and natural.Audio .... There's a new re-mixed Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround soundtrack here.  Sounds fantastic!  There's a second audio track included also -- an "enhanced" Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo track, which ain't half bad either. Both audio tracks are quite full and robust.There's a convenient chapter stop for each of the concert's 13 songs, so you can go straight to your favorite Carly tune.  And there are many "favorites" here (as far as I'm concerned).  About the ONLY thing that would have made this exemplary concert (and DVD) any better would have been if Carly had also performed "Haven't Got Time For The Pain", which isn't included in this concert's roster of hits.  But, even without that great 1974 ditty, the song selection is superb.Here is a listing of songs contained on the DVD, in order of appearance (total running time for the concert = 59:45):1. Give Me All Night2. Anticipation3. You Have To Hurt4. You're So Vain5. Do The Walls Come Down6. Two Hot Girls7. It Happens Every Day8. Nobody Does It Better9. All I Want Is You10. The Stuff That Dreams Are Made Of11. You Belong To Me12. Coming Around Again / Itsy Bitsy Spider13. Never Been Gone Menus .... The menu system on this DVD is a silent and static one, with no lengthy (or animated) transitions between sub-menus. (Kudos to this type of menu design!)  Several good pictures of Carly are seen on the various sub-menus.A nice batch of Special Features adorn this first-rate DVD as well.  Let's have a look.......>> A new interview with Carly, filmed in January 2004, which was created just for this DVD release.  It's a very interesting and informative bonus, as Carly reflects back on the "Vineyard" concert. The interview is presented in three separate segments, with a total running time for all segments amounting to 20 minutes and 10 seconds.   The individual sections of the interview are entitled "The Concert", "The Songs", and "The Band" -- with segment #2 ("The Songs") lasting the longest, at 9:23.  We see lots of bonus concert footage throughout this twenty-minute interview, most of which was taken from a second day of filming on Martha's Vineyard.  None of this second day's worth of filming actually made it into the final televised concert version. This is a very nice and well-done bonus feature! >> "Carly's Scrapbook" (Photo Gallery) -- I love a good photo gallery on DVDs.  And this one is quite nice indeed, featuring (as stated in the disc's official press info) many "rare photographs from Carly's personal archives".  This well-crafted gallery runs for 2:35 with no user intervention required. The gallery CAN, however, be paused for longer looks at any image. Thankfully, the "pause" button has not been disabled here.  This is a very interesting collection of Carly photos, displayed while Carly's 1992 ditty, "Back The Way", plays in the background.  Within this gallery, we see Carly alongside some other big-name stars in the world of music, such as Paul McCartney and John Lennon, and others.  There's even a photo featuring Carly with that great sax player, William Jefferson Clinton.  Yes, the former President himself must also be a Carly Simon fan.  :)>> A Carly Simon "Discography" -- This text feature utilizes multiple screens to paint a word picture of the long career of the dynamic songstress.>> Bonus Track: "The Right Thing To Do" (length -- 2:55).  This extra song can only be accessed through the "Special Features" menu on the DVD.>> English subtitles for all songs. On-screen subtitles are also included for all of Carly's between-songs dialogue, as she briefly addresses the audience occasionally during the concert.One special bonus that didn't end up making it to the DVD is a 2003 performance by Carly of "Let The River Run".  When the DVD was initially being planned, this extra song was expected to be included. But evidently there was a snag, and the tune was left off the disc. But even without it, this DVD amounts to a thoroughly pleasant sonic (and visual) music experience.Any Carly Simon admirer with a DVD Player who does not yet have this terrific disc should add it to the "To-Get" list asap! The angst brought on by not having this DVD on the shelf just might cause serious physical side effects. :-)

Was looking for this for a long time. Not easy to find for sure. LOVE it !!!!! 🎸🎸🎸

Pure delight! Carly in the wild with the Atlantic breeze blowing her beautifull hair behind her. She appears to be among friends as their warmth helps to create a cozy setting for this event. This allows the full energy of Carly to emerge--in what we have been led to believe is not her comfort zone--live concerts. The kids' voices in the "Itsy-Bitsy Spider" song, cleverly interwoven with,"Coming Around Again" form a magnificent musical mandala. Video is, of course, a bit outdated. It's from 1987 and is shot in film technology of that time. Sure, the audio may be "lip-synced" or "voice-over," (sweetened?) but I'd rather that, than the poor acoustics of a windswept Martha's Vineyard with motorized water craft, sea birds and buoy bells competing for my attention! We do get some of that "atmosphere" between songs. The musical sound is just fine when played on my entry level BD player (DVD is standard format) through a good home theatre system. After the 59 minute concert, be certain to visit the bonus material for sections narrated by contemporary Carly, plus a bonus song from the cloudy day before.In the bonus material, we get an insight into some of the intent in the songs offered--including, "You're so Vain." Two very different days, weatherwise, created some continuity issues. As a result of this, we do not get to see the whole of Carly's planned repertoire. She shares that her fingers were too cold to play a few of the songs on her planned playlist. This is our loss as she strums her guitar and plays the piano so well along with her velvet voice in what we DO get. Perhaps a future BD version could include some outtakes and alternates. I hope the original footage is stored safely in some vault. Pictures from her career & family album as well as an interesting discography complete the bonus material.Thanks to Carly and whomever else got this DVD remastered and re-issued, cleaned up the sound and added the bonus material. I had been watching the marketplace price for the original DVD approach the $100 point for the last few years. This NOW is simply a "must have" that is within the reasonable reach of all who have known and loved Carly via her career. This DVD issue would appear to exceed the original in both quantity of Carly and precision of production.

one song is long and tied into the itsy bitsy spider ruins the song other than that great entertainment if you like Carley

This must have been one heck of a concert to be at. Carly's having a blast - and sounding (and looking) great. I haven't been listening to much of her stuff lately, but when I went to find this DVD and discovered that it's now out of print (and as I soon found out, pretty rare), I had to get a copy. The search was worth it.Check out other reviews for the song listing. The video editing is good. There is a slight softness in the video which suits the content and location. It appears to have been shot in the evening, and that light is often naturally soft. Another reviewer wrote that the video was overly soft and grainy. I'm a very critical photographer, and it looks good to me. That same person also complained about the sound quality. I was amazed that with it being an outside concert, with an apparenly substantial breeze, that the sound was so good. Indeed, it's quite obvious that the event itself was a totally professional, top-notch concert production (for the couple hundred people actually there!). I think this was a special originally produced for HBO ...The DVD has some worthwhile extras, like a couple of more recent interviews with Carly about that concert.I'd consider myself a casual Carly fan (only really know the radio stuff) -- but now I need more Carly after seeing this video. Like I said, this video makes me wish I could go back almost 20 years and be there.

This DVD is an excellent rendition of what must have been a beautiful open-air summer concert (apparently on an unseasonably cold evening !) by Carly Simon in the port area in Martha's Vineyard. It includes a number of her best-ever songs, including (obviously) "You're so Vain". Carly is supposed to suffer from stage-fright - don't know why, because on the evidence of this concert, she is a most accomplished performer. The event took place in 1987 more than 30 years ago (& indeed was the first programme I ever recorded on my then new VHS recorder when it was shown on TV in the late 1980's !), but has really stood the test of time. Well worth buying.

Here it is then. The 2009 edition of the previously hard-to-get-your-hands-on-concert... And it's a DVD this time. Live from Martha's Vineyard.Many who appreciate Carly Simon's songs and voice own a worn out VHS of this particular concert and I'm no exception.Filmed back in the "Video Era" (1987) and in NTSC format, you're sure to get a picture quality that is only second class, but Carly's voice is first class. Even if image quality isn't excellent, it doesn't affect sound quality and certainly not Carly's performance. She looks happy and lovely.Good news for european customers may be that most TV sets and DVD players will be able to handle the NTSC format, so you will most probably have no playback trouble with this edition since it's also REGION FREE even if it's sold as REGION 1. At least my copy was, look at the uploaded images of the DVD's back cover.However, I can leave no guarantees what-so-ever since I have a multi region DVD player, so would not notice any difference.Strong points: Carly, Carly's voice, the songs and the intimate feeling of this outdoor concert with a relatively small audience at the sea side. It's like a family gathering.The baddies: Mainly the 80's style clothing she wears in the beginning. Look at those padded shoulders! And with those trousers, I mean, she looks like the third man in Miami Vice! To some extent also video tape image quality and 80's choreography, which certainly left room for improvement.Luckily, she soon removes the Miami Vice horror clothes and looks like a woman in a dress for the rest of the show. Pheew!

Whilst I also saw and recorded the tv film of this performance I have not yet bought the DVD. Can anyone say why one costs £48? It was the only DVD available at one time. Seems the US loves to hold back on producing Region two DVD's with some sort of pleasured immature glee. I'll be buying the cheap one soon as I put in a full stop on this.The concert is stupendous and all those great words. Carly is pure Woman with femininity and all other attributes that make special women special. Some talk of soul singers all being black but Carly has soul, heart, passion, subtlety and pure joy of life in this performance. Probably the best ever by anyone.(As a conclusion, forget that reviewer's comments about her clothes and style. Pure nitpicking for god knows what reason. The whole viewing experience, clothes, music, atmosphere is of its day and time. What's the point of knocking it and yet today you'll find girls in those clothes and aren't they the better for it. yep)

Sexy, soulful, superbly sung songs! This concert is all of this. I bought the video of this concert way back, long before DVD's were available, and fell in love with the magic Carly brings to this event. When this DVD became available, I couldn't wait to get it. And it has been worth the wait. Additional footage, including an interview with Carly where she looks back to those halcyon days at Marth's Vineyard,one cool evening long ago.There is something about her I can't quite define. She has a peculiar beauty, quite enchanting, with a great smile. Her voice is captivating. The setting perfect. What more could you ask for.This is one you have to add to your collection.....

The answer? Move your concert outdoors to a beautiful location, bathe it in fading daylight , dress your first-class musicians in Ralph Lauren, and put them in in front of a casually arranged 'picnic' of families. The end result is visually and musically stunning but without the need for camera tricks or distractions.I saw this concert when it was first broadcast in the 80's and it has not dated at all, Carly Simon's songs and style are as fresh now as then. This was almost certainly the first time that a concert video spawned a best-selling album, and the reason is clear; the feelgood atmosphere generated by Ms Simon and her expertly assembled band of supporting singers and musicians infuses all aspects of this film.