The Pretenders Greatest Hits DVD with The Pretenders (NR) +Movie Reviews

Another Missed Opportuntiy To Get It Right!

Eric Vaughnes | Hollywood, California USA | 06/03/2005

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Not prone to elicit reviews, but simply couldn't hide my disappointment here, for the "visual" Pretenders have always been an important part of their story. Too bad Rhino is offering viewers a truncated version of their rich legacy.

I originally greeted Rhino's DVD release of Chrissie & Co.'s acoustic outing "Isle Of View" with just as much anticipation until I realized it omitted the tracks "Tequila" (one of the VERY first songs played by the original quartet), their great take on Radiohead's "Creep," and the positively brilliant and indispensable "Blue Sun." Now comes "Greatest Hits"...and while I am fully aware that the DVD is supposed to mirror the original 2000 U.K. audio CD, fans (and Pretenders completists like myself) are more than deserving of an 2005 "upgrade." A quick browse of the track listing reveals that the clips for "Tattooed Love Boys," "The Phone Call," "Show Me" (a bona-fide U.S. single), "Day After Day" (a bona-fide U.K. single), and several others are conspiculously absent; back to the vaults, probably never to be viewed again. Moreover, the original full-length version of the superb "Message Of Love" has NEVER made it intact to either this new DVD, the original '00 import VHS, OR WEA's VHS release "The Singles." I'm certain that adding the documentary to this version is meant to quell complaints destined to be hurled Rhino's way, but even THIS is a letdown: VH-1's old "Legends" series ran an incredible 1-hour doc a few years back chock full of ancient footage and rare photos that even I had never seen; simply brilliant.

"Don't Get Me Wrong"...It's nice to have it on DVD in the U.S. at last. But with a little research and a stronger "Sense of Purpose", Rhino could have really made this a knockout."

Entertaining and informative...but incomplete.

David Kenner | Fort Worth, Texas United States | 06/30/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I've been waiting for a DVD of Pretenders videos for a long time and am very happy to see this come available. For the most part, it's great. Picture quality and sound are both remastered beautifully. However, I can't help but be disappointed in the overall track selection. I don't know why the two UB40 collaborations were chosen for inclusion over far more interesting videos like "Tattooed Love Boys" and "Show Me". During the documentary that's on this disc, about a minute of "Tattooed Love Boys" is shown but that just makes me want to see the full video that much more.

I enjoyed the documentary but found the camera angles during some of the interviews annoying. And while I applaud Chrissie Hynde's efforts to bring attention to the plight of defenseless animals and to the work of PETA, again I have to say I would rather see the entire "Tattooed Love Boys" video or even more of the original "2000 Miles" clip than to watch graphic animal abuse footage. It goes without saying that I will never want to view that particular part of the documentary again."

Rerelease Sadly Doesn't Include Missing Videos

Cary_Granite | New York, NY United States | 06/16/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"When this was originally released a few years ago, I was disappointed at the omission of several videos. When I heard it was being rereleased, I hoped they would include them on the new version. Nope. That's the only reason I gave this 4 instead of 5 stars. What's there is great, but the sins of omission are unforgivable. Well, maybe if they release it a third time..."

Excellent quality, but content is limited

P. Leahy | New Hampshire, USA | 06/16/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I agree with a couple of the reviews so far, particularly Eric's. I just can't understand why so many retrospective DVD compilation projects are so poorly executed. They're dealing with the DVD format which can hold such a lot of content, and instead of giving you the works, they leave things out which are known to be available. In this case, I was at least expecting to have all of the songs on the old VHS "The Singles"

compilation show up on the DVD. And maybe some little seen or previously unseen gems. But no, of course not. I love Rhino products, but in my opinion they do far better with their CD releases. I think that in light of the Pretenders' recent induction to the HOF, there should have been an all-new production that includes every damn video and interview that's ever been released anywhere on any video format. All that said, I still like it on its own flawed merits because they did a good job with what's there. Between the videos and that great documentary with Chrissie Hynde right at the center of it,

you're definitely getting your money's worth.

"

Stunning Sound Quality!

Jason W. Bellenger | Byron Center, Michigan, USA | 06/07/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The main reason for this 5-star rating is the enhanced sound quality. Not only do we get a standard LPCM stereo version but we also get a 5.1 Dolby Digital option. I wasn't sure what to expect from this release in terms of audio quality but it seems like Rhino has done it again with their brilliant remastering! The music is breathtaking, namely the vast improvements in earlier cuts such as "Brass In Pocket (I'm Special)" and "Back On The Chain Gang" -- both of which have never sounded so full of clarity, depth, and range. It's amazing how much kick this new mastering treatment gives the songs -- so much that it's hard imagining that some of these recordings are 20-25 years old!

I was expecting the quality to be the same as on the 2000 'Greatest Hits' international release -- which wasn't that impressive and a major letdown. I was hesistant to buy it at first, thinking I would get the same stereo track as featured on the CD. That is, of course, until I saw the Rhino logo. Luckily, Rhino has not let me down! It's simply the best The Pretenders have ever sounded!

I won't comment too much on the actual video quality since age is the main factor in determining how well it has been restored. Earlier cuts like "Brass In Pocket" and "Message Of Love" may lack visually but can be expected considering their age (1979 and 1981, respectively). Therefore, I have no complaints regarding the picture.

Most of these videos I've never seen, since I was too young when they originally aired. It's nice to be able to get a large chunck of their video catalogue on DVD and hopefully be able to enjoy what I've missed over the years. As another reviewer pointed out, some videos are missing. Such is the case with a lot of releases by many acts, unfortunately. We often get a nice collection but it's always missing something! I will never understand why we can't just get it all given it will probably be many more years before we get anything new!

Nonetheless, it's a solid video collection capturing most of The Pretenders' best moments on video with the best audio quality yet!!!"

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	The Pretenders - Greatest Hits Actor: The Pretenders Genres: Music Video & Concerts NR 2005 2hr 0min The Pretenders Greatest Hits captures the band from their early days on Sire through their last album on Warner Bros. Records, Viva El Amor. It's the band's only career-spanning video collection, featuring such early nugge... more » « less
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