Aerosmith: You Gotta Move

Review by Peter

Production Year: 2004
DVD Release Date: November 23, 2004
Studio: Sony Music Video
Cast: Aerosmith (Steven Tyler, Joe Perry, Tom Hamilton, Brad Whitford, Joey Kramer)
Genre: Music - Concert
MPAA Rating: Not Rated

Aerosmith is one of the most successful American Rock bands of all time, with Steven Tyler, in this reviewers opinion, as one of the greatest front-men in Rock. The energy that they display in concert is amazing, and like a fine wine they appear to only get better with age. The 1970's saw such classics as Dream On, Back In The Saddle, Mama Kin, Walk This Way, Sweet Emotion, and Rats In The Cellar. The early 1980's saw their decline as drug use and squabbles resulted in the band dividing. In the late 1980's Aerosmith would once again be at the top of the charts thanks to a rap group called Run DMC and their remake of the Aerosmith hit Walk This Way. Over the next decade Aerosmith would pump out other hits such as Livin' On The Edge, Angel, Janie's Got A Gun, Crazy, and Dude (Looks Like A Lady).

Aerosmith: You Gotta Move was initially an A&E Network original concert special. It was part concert, part interview, part making-of Honkin' On Bob (the band’s blues drenched 2004 CD) and part behind-the-scenes The concert itself is very good with the band sounding tight and Steven Tyler's voice soaring (certainly better than most singers at his age). The concert occupies the majority of the running time and the band performs: Toys In The Attic, Love In An Elevator, Road Runner, Baby, Please Don't Go, Cryin', The Other Side, Back In The Saddle, Draw The Line, Dream On, Stop Messin' Around, Jaded, I Don't Want To Miss A Thing, Sweet Emotion, Never Loved A Girl, Walk This Way, Train Kept A Rollin'. The only unfortunate part of the concert, besides a lack of additional performances, is that the interviews at times interfere with the concert. The best example of this can be seen during the song Draw The Line; when the guitar solo is interrupted in the middle of the song with a split screen interview. The overlap makes it difficult to listen to the guitar solo. The other problem that some people may have with the concert is the MTV style editing, i.e. the camera not focusing on one person for very long before quickly cutting to something else.

The interview, behind-the-scenes and Making of Honkin' On Bobo is also interesting. The interviews allow the viewer to better understand the thought process of the band members, and behind-the-scenes footage offers up some of the back stage antics, whether it be getting the set list approved for the upcoming concert, a fan proposing to his girlfriend in front of Tyler or why I Don't Want To Miss A Thing is a special song for a family. The Making of Honkin' On Bobo is also very interesting though way too short. It is interesting to see how well this group works together in the recording studio and how all of them are involved in the recording process.

Video Quality

Presented in the full screen format, the video quality for the most part is very good, with lifelike colors and skin tones. Because the DVD is made up of footage from different sources the difference in picture quality varies. This is especially true with regards to the footage from the Making of Honkin' on Bobo. Color quality suffers here compared with the concert and behind-the-scenes footage and it also suffers from some noticeable grain.

Audio Quality

Containing two separate audio tracks, a Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound track and a PCM Stereo track, the audio is something that definitely makes this DVD a must own. The Dolby Digital 5.1 track is by far the better of the two. This track contains great separation between the central channel and the left and right front channels with the back channel receiving minimal use, mostly picking up the ambient sounds of the audience. The PCM Stereo track, while not as good as the 5.1 track, is impressive nonetheless. The audio is clear and the audio levels are good, with the music for the most part never overwhelming Tyler’s vocals.

Special Features

The two special features worth recognizing on the DVD is the inclusion of extra songs not contained on the A&E special and an extended Makin'of Honkin' On Bobo segment. For those who thought the music ends when the film is over you’d be wrong. Included as bonus songs are: Fever, Rats In The Cellar, Livin' On The Edge, Last Child, and Same Old Song And Dance. Each track is also presented in Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound and PCM Stereo. Following the extra songs we are greeted with a 35-minute Making of Honkin' On Bobo. This making of featurette is an interesting treat, especially for those who enjoyed the CD. It shows the band both in the studio and discussing the venture, which, despite expectations for a blues album, band members consider it to be a rock album with a blues theme.

You do not need to worry about your Aerosmith experience ending when you leave home because the DVD package also includes an interactive CD containing six songs from the concert. Tracks include Toys In The Attic, Love In An Elevator, Rats In The Cellar, Road Runner, The Other Side, and Same Old Song And Dance. The interactive feature of the CD is described as an interactive experience with the song You Gotta Move. While the CD is appreciated in the future hopefully they will get rid of the interactive experience and add more songs to the CD.

Summary

Aerosmith is one of the greatest American Rock bands and they have been immortalized in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. You Gotta Move provides a great look at this classic rock band on and off the stage. Any fan of Aerosmith or people simply interested in their music will definitely want to add this DVD to their collection.