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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).
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..."
Blue Man Group - Complex Songs
Complex Music Review
Average Rating: (4.2 out of 5 stars)    List All 9 Reviews Great audio mix!
Blue Man Group do a great job with digital surround for this album, if you have the equipment to play it, this is the version you'll want.
Some more dymamic visuals would be welcome when playing the audio tracks, but at least there's more presented on-screen than just a track listing...
Submitted by Mike (Downeast Maine) 
Was This Review Helpful? Yes No 1 of 2 found this helpful.  wonderful 5.1 mix!
This is a very entertaining surround mix from the Blue guys. Maybe not quite as much pure percussive slam as the "Audio" album, but it's very close and the songs are more listener friendly what with all the guest artists here. I'd give it a B+.
Submitted by Bruce (Lenexa, Kansas)
Was This Review Helpful? Yes No 1 of 2 found this helpful.
 The definitive DVD-Audio disc
Buying this DVD-Audio on a whim, I had no idea what an experience I was in for. This should be a required purchase for anyone with a DVD-Audio player. Anyone familiar with Blue Man Group can imagine what they can accomplish with a full complement of discrete channels. Sounds come from every corner of the listening environment, moving diagonally, circularly and somehow even overhead.
Stop what you're doing, buy this DVD-Audio and enjoy!
Submitted by Dave (Merrimack, NH, USA)
Was This Review Helpful? Yes No 1 of 2 found this helpful.
 dissapointing
If you're wanting to see the Blueman Group....don't waste your time,They're not on this DVD. It's all animation. Good soundtrack, but watching the Blueman Group is 80% of the enjoyment.
Submitted by c_coast1 (Ft Lauderdale Fl, USA)
Was This Review Helpful? Yes No 2 of 6 found this helpful.
Awesome
This cd is awesome. They have a rockery tune and theres singing which sounds pretty cool. Song #9, The Current, isa song blue man group created for the new Terminator 3 movie. It is a great song, ithinks its the best. The cd is awesome, go out and buy it right away.
Submitted by a reviewer (Michigan)
Was This Review Helpful? Yes No 1 of 1 found this helpful.
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