4.5
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Product Description
THE 4 COMPLETE ED SULLIVAN SHOWS STARRING THE BEATLES,DIGITALLY REMASTERED AND INCLUDING SOME PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED MATERIAL, TO BE ISSUED ON DVD BY UNIVERSAL MUSIC ENTERPRISES When The Beatles stepped onto Sullivan’s New York stage on Sunday, February 9, 1964, to make their American TV debut, 86 percent of all TVs on at that hour–73 million Americans–tuned in. It was the most-watched program in history to that point and remains one of the most-watched programs of all time. Nearly 50 years after the four landmark live performances of The Beatles on “The Ed Sullivan Show,” those legendary appearances with newly remastered audio and carefully restored video will finally be made available worldwide on home video through a major distributor. The 4 Complete Ed Sullivan Shows Starring The Beatles will be released September 7, 2010. The 4 Complete Ed Sullivan Shows Starring The Beatles was produced by SOFA Entertainment. “We used the full extent of today’s technology,” says Andrew Solt, Executive Producer and CEO of SOFA Entertainment. “The quality is better than it ever was, in fact, better than when the shows aired, especially visually. For example, the February 16 performance was from Miami’s Deauville Hotel, not from a studio. The quality of the tape image was very fragile. We went back and improved it frame by frame.” With a running time of more than 250 minutes, The 4 Complete Ed Sullivan Shows Starring The Beatles presents those shows uncut, including not only all of the other performances but also all of the original commercials. Also included is The Cast of Oliver! (featuring a young Davy Jones) singing “I’ll Do Anything For You.” The audio is available in both mono and a 5.1 remix. In addition, the new DVD set has been augmented with approximately 13 minutes of additional footage.
5 Comments
If you’re here looking at this DVD chances are the Beatles on the Ed Sullivan Show is meaningful to you. This is ground zero for modern Rock music, sure Elvis popularized Rock `n Roll, but this is where everything switches from singles to Albums and later to an Art form. The performances speak for themselves; the Boys are in fine form and in spite of the antiquated, very primitive sound system they sound great. This new version of the Beatles on Ed Sullivan DVD has been improved, the picture is brighter and a bit more clean, the 5:1 surround sound is quite good. If you’re playing this through a surround sound system, the subwoofer handles the bass parts very nicely with little or no audible rumble, the vocals are clear and the overall presentation is quite remarkable especially considering the circumstances. A must buy for anyone of a certain age who wants to bask in the glory of the old days, and for newcomers who want to see what the fuss was all about. If you have the original SOFA release and you don’t have a surround sound sytem, the old version will suffice, if you’ve got the Surround Sound, then spring for the new one, it’s worth the investment. You shoulda been there.
Rating: 5 / 5
Like other reviewers and Beatle People, I’m wondering why this is being hailed as a “new release” when most of us bought this the last time it was released a few years ago.
If there were any new bonus features or additional footage, I imagine they they would be touting those in the promotional material. So far, I’ve seen none.
This leads me to believe that the licensing rights to the original Ed Sullivan tapes has changed hands, and the new licensees have given it a new package and put it out.
If anyone here buys/watches this, please post to let us know if there is anything new or different about this release.
Thanks!
Rating: 5 / 5
Overall it is still a very good set. These are the original shows featuring the commercials as it was aired on those very special days. I agree though, there is nothing new about this 2 disc set. I also agree that production must have switched hands. Regardless it is still worth the money for this very cool piece of history. Imagine a night with the family, connect a DVD player to a old B&W TV, shake up a pan of Jiffy Pop and go back in history! Love it!
Rating: 3 / 5
I am so excited for this DVD to come out! I love all the classic rock n roll performances from The Ed Sullivan Show but that firt Beatles show was historic. My understanding is that this DVD also includes some unseen footage and interviews of the Beatles and Ed Sullivan. I think if you are a fan of the Beatles, rock n roll and the golden era of television than you have to get this DVD. This is a piece of US history!
Rating: 5 / 5
Yes it is all in black and white. Ed Sullivan wasn’t broadcasting in color yet. The Beatles fantastic as always, especially the very interesting interpretation of “Help!” in show four. The rest of the acts are a mixed bag. Some are pretty bad “borscht belt” type comedians, some are performers who were very big in their day and were good. Check out Mitzi Gaynor, hot stuff. Watch that segment and you will see what I mean. Overall, very enjoyable.
Rating: 5 / 5
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