The Holiday Concert

This is replacing a laserdisc and the picture quality on the dvd is-less sharp than the laserdisc. When this arrived I was afraid the dvd would be damaged as the case was smashed because the package was just a flimsy envelope.

Finally, the Peter, Paul, & Mary Holiday concert, that was originally only available on VHS through PBS is available for anyone to purchase on DVD. So, REJOICE! Just to be clear, this is the complete video that was shown on PBS stations back in the 80's. If you are a Peter, Paul, & Mary fan you won't be disappointed. There was a previous poster who complained that they were bored. The only thing I can say is either they weren't familiar with Peter, Paul, & Mary before purchasing the video, or they are simply an Internet troll (someone who posts something controversial just to stir up arguments)Now to my rating and my title. I've given the video 4 stars simply because there are some problems with the video. On a wide-screen Plasma TV that is normally pushing out 1080p video there is noticeable blurring when panning, and some noticeable blurring from some of the angles that the cameras were positioned at. The animation at the beginning of the video showing Peter, Paul, & Mary arriving at the concert in a sleigh is especially bad; but this is just a short sequence separate from the actual concert. However, and this is just my opinion, I believe those problems are uncorrectable and due to the quality of the original video that was used for the transfer. That said, 95% of the video is of good quality, with a little bit of graininess, again I believe because of the quality of the original video. I don't have theater speakers or any special audio equipment hooked to my TV, but as far as I'm concerned the audio from my TV's internal speakers was just fine and you won't be disappointed.You might wonder why I didn't give the video a lower rating because of the blurring. The rest of the video, and the concert itself, make up for the fact that the video transfer wasn't perfect. Remember, I was watching this on a large TV that may have aggravated the video problems.I never did have the concert on good VHS before and I'm happy that it finally became available on DVD. As far as I'm concerned this was a worthwhile purchase and even though the video isn't perfect, as I stated above, 95% of the video is good and I'm satisfied.

If you aren't familiar with PPM (outside of "Puff, The Magic Dragon") this is a concert they did back in 1988, and it is still outstanding today. They sing many Christmas songs, as well as many of their favorites, such as "Puff", "Blowin' in the Wind" and "Weave Me the Sunshine."But a PPM concert wouldn't be a PPM concert without audience participation--and they get it. PPM audiences (I saw them more than ten times before Mary Travers recently died) always have the widest range of ages of any musicians I've ever seen...and everyone sings along, from kids barely able to walk, to elders who have been listening to this music for 50 or more years. PPM are so natural, so playful, so used to each other that they are a joy to watch. I particularly recommend watching them do "Puff" (for reasons which will become immediately clear); "Marvelous Toy", where Noel Paul Stookie gives the kids in the audience permission to make rude noises, and Mary has the audience do a vocal version of "the wave" that you'd see in a sports stadium; and "Light One Candle", which will grab you as few other songs will.If you have children, grandchildren, or you'd like to be a child again yourself, even for a little while, buy this DVD--you can't possibly go wrong. And ten or twenty years from now, when this has become a holiday tradition for your family, you'll think back and say, "Glad I listened to that guy so long ago..."

This brings back years of wonderful memories. I looked forward to the annual winter PBS fundraiser when they would play this concert as part of their annual show. Watching this DVD brought all of those great feelings. Yes, it is a copy from a VHS copy but it is still more than watachable.. Another viewer complained about that but I have no problems. The sound is good and the songs are so great to hear again and again. The PPM set is another part of my enjoying this concert. To watch the three of them sing Puff the Magic Dragon, Where Have All the Flowers Gone, and This Land is Your Land with the same enthusiasm that they sung them when I heard them in person in the 70s is marvelous (this show was recorded in 1988). I do so miss Mary but thank goodness we have DVDs like this to watch over and over. If you like Peter, Paul and Mary and want to relive their Christmas Special, BUT if now!

My mom and I always watched this while cleaning up after Thanksgiving dinner... it was our official entrance into the Christmas season. Even though I've seen this, thanks to PBS and our DVR, dozens of times, I have yet to be able to make it through the entire thing without tears streaming. Especially watching the man in the choir during "We Shall Overcome"... getting a lump in my throat just typing this. I also really love the fact that this focuses so much on the WHY of the Christmas.... and Hanukkah... season. "Hayo, Haya" is a basic lesson in the beginnings of Hanukkah and why it's celebrated. Long live the harmonies of Peter, Noel Paul, and Mary!! A very nostalgic and touching stroll through years of memories.

We had fond memorizes of watching this concert back in the 80's. Thoroughly enjoyed the trip down memory lane and it will be added to our holiday viewing list in the future. Video quality decent for when it was recorded.

I just watched this DVD quickly as Iwant to save it for the holiday season but it looked and sounded great and is a great addition to my Christmas collection.

This was a re[placement for an old video tape I had of this programme. As a long-time fan of Peter, Paul & Mary, watching theirholiday special has always been part of my pre-Christmas preparation.

Looking goreard to viewing it

Really enjoyed the DVD have been going to buy since I saw it on PBS

For years we watched an old VHS copy of The Holiday Concert until it wore out....we were thrilled to find it on Amazon and ordered a copy of it for each of our daughters....we were pleasantly surprised at how reasonably priced it was as well...I would definitely give it a thumbs up to anyone that asked.