The Cars Unlocked - The Live Performances (with CD)

This 2006 production includes a music CD and a DVD, both of live concert recordings. They come nicely packaged in a book/sleeve. There is a lot a range in previous Amazon reviews of this work, critical of restoration quality, editing, etc. All I know, is that the entertainment value was there 100% for me.Sure, some of the hotel room stuff was dumb (throwing a sandwich on the wall), but in one segment the guys were commenting on how they didn't know how to use this handheld videocam (brand new technology then) that was running and actually provided this piece. Duh, no wonder it wasn't perfect. This videotape footage was NEVER meant to be seen by the public. On the upside, I never really had any clue to the off-stage personalities of the band members and this behind-the-scenes footage reveals a lot. Very interesting. I WAS BLOWN AWAY by the couple of film segments covering pre-concert soundchecks that transitioned the same tune into the live concert footage (that had to be a Ric Ocasek production idea). Wow! That footage alone was worth the price. The concerts range in date from 1978 thru 1987. I enjoyed studying the change in the band's style over that period (and the color of Benjamin Orr's hair).The DVD provides 20 live concert tunes plus 6 live "bonus songs". I think the bonus songs were segregated out because the film quality was generally inferior. The music CD contains 14 live concert performances, remastered nicely. These live performances were a fresh new listening experience for me, of songs that I've listened to scores of times. Extremely entertaining. The CD alone is worth the price. This all comes in a very attractive 28 page book (in a sleeve to boot) containing a montage of photos and partial song lyrics. The book alone is worth the price.If you love The Cars, ignore the music snobs and get this. You must! Do not let a critic talk you out of buying this because in their opinion, ". . . it's not perfect". There is nothing else out there like this. Don't miss it. Put either in (DVD or CD) and turn up the volume. I absolutely guarantee you'll be having a major rock event in the privacy of your own living room - or car.

This is just a one big letdown for Cars fans. I had hoped that this would be better that the Cras first DVD , but not in this case. If you are a huge Cars fan like me you will be sorely dissappointed !! If the VHS concert of the 1985 tour (hard to find) see's the light of day on DVD , that will be the ultimate Cars DVD , for that was a great VHS concert.

I adore the Cars so much that I try to overlook the strangely edited personal footage in between the great concert performances . (I gave this dvd 5 stars because of the concert footage.) I wish it made more sense and there were serious interviews in between the silliness and nonsense. It makes your head swim a bit, and it's really not fun watching Elliot and the rest throw food, in fact I was surprised at that (and there are other unidentified people in the footage that make you wonder who they are and an explanation of some sort.) I wanted to see more of the guys interaction with each other,(hear their voices and see their real personalities) as it's tough enough to find photographs, books and footage of them as it is. It makes you yearn for more, especially footage of beautiful Benjamin, who has sadly left us. Anything with him in it is more than precious, he was so private.When they show a performance, I also wished they'd inform us where that footage took place. They only give you a title and a year. There is one particular sound check that Greg Hawkes is playing some beautiful piece of music (not Cars music) on the keyboards, it doesn't last long but it's a nice glimpse nonetheless. I would have loved to see a still photo collection in the extra section, also. I'm glad to have this dvd, haven't yet listened to the cd but certainly will. I've been an avid fan since they started in the 70s and I still think it's worth your while to own it if you love them as much as I do.

The wrapping is beautiful - a hard-cover book of photos, lyrics, the DVD, and the CD. What the heck happened to the video? If you were alive in the era of Super 8 film, you get the idea what this looks like. Very grainy, flat colors, lots of jerky camera work. Even the audio is only adequate, comparable to that from my 1968 JC Penney cassette player.Is it a total loss? No, thank goodness we have at least this bit of nostalgia. However, you will find "The Cars Live - Musikladen 1979" to be a better investment if you need to choose one or the other. It's an entire concert rather than bits and pieces, and the film or tape was preserved fairly well. The audio is good enough to turn the volume way up.More about this bus wreck....one of the songs is from a performance in San Bernardino at the US Festival in 1982. Just as I noted above, it appears that Ric or Ben kept the video tape next to a box of magnets for 20 years. In contrast, the "Ramones It's Alive 1974-1996" DVD has a performance (of the Ramones) from the same 1982 festival, nine songs in brilliant color, sharp focus, and thundering audio, as if they played it yesterday. Why then didn't the Cars preserve the same quality of video?I wonder if this DVD could have had the video cleaned up, or maybe cleaner versions of the segments could be found. And, why not include an entire concert rather than bits and pieces? Better than dress this up with a nice book, the investment should have been in the video and audio. More suitably, the cover should have resembled a tattered LP jacket.The Cars was one of my favorite skinny-tie bands. They made a lot of good music that is poorly captured here. Let's hope some cleaner concert footage can be found somewhere, other bands from the same era have come out with some pretty good stuff.