Search - X (The Band) - The Unheard Music on DVD

Band gets Ø from DVD sales

chumley | 01/08/2006

(1 out of 5 stars)

"until the license arrangement changes, please seek out VHS copy or at least buy DVD 2nd hand, theres plenty on a well known auction site.

support the band not Martin W. Greenwald & Image Entertainment ($97,000,000 in revenue last year)."

Play it loud

Flipper Campbell | Miami Florida | 02/03/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"X holds the title of quintessential L.A. rock band, brushing past such contenders as the Doors (too psychedelic) and Love (too ephemeral). W.T. Morgan's jittery "X: The Unheard Music," finally surfacing on DVD, captures the band in the mid-1980s, standing tall atop the ashes of the city's punk scene.



Morgan makes the most of the band's Hollywood vibe. Stylized segments feature guitarist Billy Zoom (part Buck Owens and part Gorgeous George); singer Exene Cervenka (a rag doll with Bette Davis eyes); and singer-bassist John Doe and drummer D.J. Bonebrake (both blessed with leading-man looks).



"Unheard Music" covers some band biography ("Billy put an ad in the Recycler ...") but mostly it's X performing amid a blitzkrieg of images that range from Edsel ads to death squads shooting up El Salvador. A ghostly night scene shows a house transported across a freeway bridge as the title song plays. How L.A. How X.



The 1986 film, shot in 16mm, looks decent aside from persistent speckling. DTS and stereo audio options sound fine, but the Dolby 5.1 had a weird effect that sent vocals to the rear speakers. The Image Entertainment DVD offers no extras."

The Clash weren't the only band that really mattered!

Dave | Staten Island, NY USA | 02/16/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"X were an amazing, amazing band and this DVD really drives this point home. The live club performances show their incredible musicianship--DJ Bonebrake and Billy Zoom are PHENOMENAL! The studio performances show what incredible songwriters and artists John and Exene were. The video montages throughout put it all into context, and made me feel really nostaglic, there's nothing quite like superimposing a cruise missile over Ronnie Reagan's face to bring a tear to your eye. There's also this groovy, artsy video of Exene to White Girl that really sticks with you. No band in the last 20 years comes close to X--X were the real thing, and luckily there's The Unheard Music to remember them by. Buy it, watch it, and lend it to your paperboy, and afterwards the two of you can burn all his Emo CDs and start a band together."

Excellent.

Jess | kentucky | 03/12/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Even though I would have probably enjoyed this due to my predisposition to the criminally marginalised music of X I was thoroughly surprised on how well made this film was ,particularly the fictional opening. With it's freewheeling editing and inspired montages it's almost like watching a cinematic version of a punk zine. Regardless of how you feel about the music this really is exceptional."