RECORDED DURING HIS 1977 TOUR.

Over the course of three nights at Hollywood's Pantages Theatre in December 1983, filmmaker Jonathan Demme joined creative forces with cinematographer Jordan Cronenweth and Talking Heads. and miracles occurred. Following a staging concept by singer-guitarist David Byrne, this euphoric concert film transcends that all-too-limited genre to become the greatest film of its kind. A guaranteed cure for anyone's blues, it's a celebration of music that never grows old, fuelled by the polyrhythmic pop-funk precision that was a Talking Heads trademark, and lit from within by the geeky supernova that is David Byrne. The staging-and Demme's filming of it-builds toward an orgasmic release of music, rising from the bare-stage simplicity of Byrne, accompanied only by a boom box on "Psycho Killer" to the ecstatic crescendo of "Burning Down the House", by which time the Heads and additional personnel have all arrived on stage for a performance that seems channelled from heaven for the purpose of universal uplift. (God bless Demme for avoiding shots of the luckiest audience in 80s pop history; its presence is acknowledged but not at the viewer's expense. ) With the deliriously eccentric Byrne as ringleader (pausing mid-concert to emerge in his now-legendary oversized suit), this circus of musical pleasure defies the futility of reductive description; it begs to be experienced, felt in the heart, head and bones, and held there the way we hold on to cherished memories. On those three nights in December 1983, Talking Heads gave love, life, and joy in generous amounts that years cannot erode, and Demme captured this act of creative goodwill on film with minimalist artistic perfection. [+]

By any rational measure, Alan Parker's cinematic interpretation of Pink Floyd's The Wall is a glorious failure. Glorious because its imagery is hypnotically striking, frequently resonant and superbly photographed by the gifted cinematographer Peter Biziou. And a failure because the entire exercise is hopelessly dour, loyal to the bleak themes and psychological torment of Roger Waters' great musical opus, and yet utterly devoid of the humour that Waters certainly found in his own material. Any attempt to visualise The Wall would be fraught with artistic danger, and Parker succumbs to his own self-importance, creating a film that's as fascinating as it is flawed. The film is, for better and worse, the fruit of three artists in conflict-Parker indulging himself, and Waters in league with designer Gerald Scarfe, whose brilliant animated sequences suggest that he should have directed and animated this film in its entirety. Fortunately, this clash of talent and ego does not prevent The Wall from being a mesmerising film. Boomtown Rats frontman Bob Geldof (in his screen debut) is a fine choice to play Waters's alter ego-an alienated, "comfortably numb" rock star whose psychosis manifests itself as an emotional (and symbolically physical) wall between himself and the cold, cruel world. Weaving Waters's autobiographical details into his own jumbled vision, Parker ultimately fails to combine a narrative thread with experimental structure. It's a rich, bizarre, and often astonishing film that will continue to draw a following, but the real source of genius remains the music of Roger Waters. -Jeff Shannon.

It is regularly suggested that Steps are one of the hardest-working groups in pop and the Gold DVD provides further evidence that such an assertion is almost certainly true. Since crashing into the Top 20 towards the end of 1997 with the line-dancing inspired "5,6,7,8" (the "in" craze at the time) the group have been constantly churning out top-notch tunes. Their videos have been as equally colourful, energetic and fun (apart from the video to "When I Said Goodbye" which was shot in black and white). With their carefully choreographed dance moves, flashy locations and outrageous hairstyles and outfits, the videos have always been a top priority for the group. This collection ranges from the video for their more recent cover of "Chain Reaction" deceptively filmed in one continuous take, to the beach fun of "5,6,7,8" and are excellently matched to the style of each song. Admittedly some of the videos are rather cheesy, such as "Say You'll Be Mine", which is a pastiche of the group re-enacting scenes from recent Hollywood blockbusters, and the sleigh ride scene in "Heartbeat" (also the "bad hair" era for the female members of Steps). However the videos work best when a soap opera-style narrative is introduced, as with their flat-sitting escapades in the "Stomp" video, and the "Four Weddings and a Funeral" inspired video for their first number one single "Tragedy". On the DVD: This DVD is truly excellent value-literally bursting with extras, from a greatest-hits video medley, through to the single/album-cover interactive library. One member of the band concisely introduces each video, and there is an audio commentary by the group on selected videos (for "5,6,7,8", "Heartbeat", "Tragedy" and “Deeper Shade f Blue”) and bonus material includes the group performing "Too Busy Thinking About My Baby" on ITV's "Motown Mania". The CD-ROM option allows even more extras, such as additional footage (look out for, and click on the Steps logo that appears on selected videos) and web-links. [+]