AMERICA > Live In Central Park 1979

Supple, vocally splendid harmonies and intriguing, if sometimes puzzling lyrics have been the blueprint of America’s folk-rock sound since their inception. Peter Clifton’s visually dynamic and sonically awesome new DVDLive In Central Park 1979 expertly captures everything about the music of Dewey Bunnell and Gerry Beckley that fans love and detractors hate.

Label: EMI
[RATING: 3]

Supple, vocally splendid harmonies and intriguing, if sometimes puzzling lyrics have been the blueprint of America’s folk-rock sound since their inception. Peter Clifton’s visually dynamic and sonically awesome new DVD Live In Central Park 1979 expertly captures everything about the music of Dewey Bunnell and Gerry Beckley that fans love and detractors hate. Their performances of “Tin Man,” “A Horse With No Name,” “I Need You” and “Sandman” are seamless and tight, delivered in an emphatic, confident and rousing manner. Clifton made the journey from Australia to New York in order to film the last concert of their world tour and his shots depict Bunnell, Beckley and their bandmates in alternately sentimental and exuberant moments. He augments concert footage with a commentary outlining the struggles and joys of the experience, and adds extra studio shots that recall the ideas and motivation behind the creation of “A Horse With No Name,” both their most memorable and reviled hit. Here’s a fine cinematic portrait that equally displays the joys of live performance and the journey from concept to execution.