Distributed by
Pioneer LDCE

Cat.no: CMPL 6115

Cert: E

Running time: 120 minutes

Sides: 2 (2 CLV)

Year: 1996

Pressing: UK, 1997

Chapters: 21 (11/10)

Sound: Stereo

Presented in Fullscreen

Price: £24.99

Extras : None

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Director:

David Mallet

Featuring:

Tina Turner (Lead Vocals)
Jack Bruno (Drums)
Timmy Capello (Percussion, Keyboards, Saxophone and Vocals)
Bob Feit (Bass Guitar)
Ollie Marland (Keyboard and Vocals)
John Miles (Guitar and Vocals)
Kenny Moore (Keyboard and Vocals)
James Ralston (Guitar and Vocals)
Cynthia Davilla (Singer/Dancer)
Sharon Owens (Singer/Dancer)
Karen Owens (Singer/Dancer)

Tina Turner - Live in Amsterdam is the PAL Laserdisc release of Tina's Wildest Dreams Tour to accompany her latest album, featuring a number of tracks from it as well as a healthy selection of greatest hits from the past 30 years. Tina lifted the roof off the new Amsterdam Arena for three nights in September 1996, in front of 150,000 people on this European tour, on which she performed over 150 shows to 3,000,000 people.

Tina, real name Annie Mae Bullock, had a few hits with her husband Ike back in the late 60's and early 70's, the most notable being River Deep Mountain High (No.3 in 1966) and Nutbush City Limits (No.4 in 1973). It was in late 1983 that Tina began to establish her career as a solo artist, kicking off with Let's Stay Together (No.6), and following that along with a number of other songs that have become her established anthems such as Private Dancer (No.26, 1984) which was written by Dire Straits' Mark Knopfler, What's Love Got To Do With It (No.3, 1984), which went on to title the film of her life story with her brutal husband, We Don't Need Another Hero (No.3, 1985), the theme tune to Mel Gibson's film Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome which also saw a starring role for the singer, The Best (No.5, 1989), and Goldeneye (No.5, 1995), the theme tune to the most recent James Bond film.

I went to see Tina Turner in 1990 at the Birmingham NEC during her Foreign Affair tour and it was definitely an entertaining experience, especially from a lady who was closing in on the age of 50. Now in her sixth decade, she shows no sign at all of calming down giving the stage dancers, 30 years her junior, a run for their money in the choreographed routines.

Watching a live concert in person is always different than watching it at home, and the two can't really be compared. At home, the Tina Turner experience is certainly worth checking out, with close-ups aplenty of the singer and her band, as well as occasional audience shots and a few far-shots of the stage. It must be a task-and-a-half to create an engaging version of a live show and put it on film, and director David Mallet has achieved just that.

Picture quality is excellent, the sound rocks, and chaptering is well done with, as you'd expect, one track per song. There are no extras on this disc, though while the sleeve states: Bonus Track: Something Beautiful Remains this is the song she did for an encore, the end credits rolling at the end of the previous track, On Silent Wings.

There are 21 chapters, one for each song, and the track listing is as follows :

Side One

1. Whatever You Want
2. Do What You Do
3. River Deep Mountain High
4. Missing You
5. In Your Wildest Dreams
6. Goldeneye
7. Private Dancer
8. We Don't Need Another Hero
9. Let's Stay Together
10. I Can't Stand The Rain
11. Undercover Agent For The Blues

Side Two

12. Steamy Windows
13. Givin' It Up For Your Love
14. Better Be Good To Me
15. Addicted To Love
16. The Best
17. What's Love Got To Do With It
18. Proud Mary
19. Nutbush City Limits
20. On Silent Wings
21. Something Beautiful Remains

I gave this disc a 4/5 overall as not quite every Tina song is my cup of tea, those not making the grade for me including Missing You, The Best and On Silent Wings. However, for anyone with a Laserdisc player wanting to show off a good concert reproduction, you'd be hard pressed to find something to top this one, and if you're a die-hard Tina fan, this is an essential purchase.

Film : 4/5
Picture : 5/5
Sound : 5/5

Review copyright © Dominic Robinson, 1997.