Blue Man Group Complex DVD Audio

Additional personnel includes: Dave Matthews, Tracy Bonham, Josh Haden, Esthero, Gavin Rossdale, Venus Hum, Rob Swift, Arone Dyer, Peter Moore (vocals); Spalding Gray (spoken vocals).

This is a DVD-Audio disc. The DVD-Audio content can only be read by a DVD-Audio player. The Dolby Digital 5.1 and DTS audio tracks provided on this disc will play on a standard DVD player.

Tubular percussion abounds on the cerulean trio's second album, which intersperses instrumental segments from the ever-expanding organization's show with guest spots from Tracy Bonham, Bush's Gavin Rossdale, and Dave Matthews, among others. Musically, the Blue Men concoct a kind of quirky metal from their collection of found and conventional instrumentation that's effective in settings such as "The Current," where they're combined with Rossdale's grunge-lite vocals.

But the Men are also good at being laid-back and slightly sinister when occasion demands, one example being the accompaniment to Dave Matthews's distinctive vocal on the infectious "Sing Along." The outfit's crowd-pleasing version of Jefferson Airplane's "White Rabbit" is an ideal vehicle for Esthero's Beth Gibbons-like vocal, shedding the retro-jocularity of the live show version for something darker and more explicit. Ultimately THE COMPLEX neatly sidesteps any questions about translating the Blue Man oeuvre to a non-visual medium, with a combination of quirky arrangements and strategically placed guest stars.

The powerful tracks released by this group on their second album are now available on DVD-Audio in Surround sound. Aided Dave Matthews, Tracy Bonham, and Gavin Rossdale of Bush, the band transcend their instrumental-only approach into more of a full-on rock 'n' roll presentation. Special features include DVD-A Surround remixes, Surround and stereo, plus DTS for DVD-video players, behind-the-scenes interviews & tour footage, music videos of "Sing Along" featuring Matthews and "Exhibit 13," special "Mix Breakdown" track, on-screen bio, and photo gallery.

DVD-A Surround English

DTS - English

Featurettes - 1. Behind-the-Scenes

Music Videos - 1. Blue Man Group - SING ALONG

2. Blue Man Group - EXHIBIT 13

Biographies - 1. Blue Man Group

Photo Gallery

Recorded at Blue Man 3rd Street Studio, New York, New York.

Blue Man Group: Matt Goldman (cimbalom, upside-down bass, air poles, low-octave PVC, big drum, drumbone, backpack PVC, shaker gong, Utne drum, ribbon crasher, dumpster); Phil Stanton (cimbalom, air poles, drumbone, tubulum, Utne drum, mid-octave PVC, extenstion cord bull roarer, ribbon crasher, dumpster, Phil drum, backpack tubulum, timpani, drum wall); Chris Wink (cimbalom, tubulum, high-octave PVC, air poles, piano smasher, cuica, doppler toms, drum wall, drumulum, drumbone, dumpster, backpack tubulum, Utne shakers).

Blue Man Group: Todd Perlmutter (spoken vocals, drums, percussion, programming); Chris Dyas (guitar, baritone guitar, E-bow, zither, harpsichord); Larry Hennemann (guitar, zither, bass guitar, Chapman stick); Blue Man (percussion, sound effects).

DVD Features:

Additional Release Material:

Text/Photo Galleries:

Additional personnel: Dave Matthews, Esthero, Gavin Rossdale, Josh Haden, Peter Moore, Arone Dyer, Tracy Bonham, Venus Hum (vocals); Spalding Gray (spoken vocals); Dave Anania (percussion).

Region 0

Audio:

This is an Enhanced CD, which contains both regular audio tracks and multimedia computer files.Rolling Stone (5/1/03, p.56) - 3 stars out of 5 - "...Chic Euro-techno atmospheres that won't wear off even after you've seen the live show..."
Q (10/03, p.100) - 3 stars out of 5 - "...An engagingly quirky rock record....This is a concept album that actually works..."
CMJ (03/24/03, p.8) - "...Full of danceable arthouse takes on West African percussion, catchy '90s-era alt-rock and tons of high-profile guests givin' the blue stew some tubular balls..."