Together for one night only: Belle & Sebastian with orchestra,
joined by Grace Jones, Yes, Seal, ABC, Lisa Stansfield and more
— including cameos by folks like Tom Jones via remote
video, plus appearances by Prince Charles and the Royal Family. The
link connecting this baffling roster? Producer Trevor Horn, one of the
music industry’s most defining and influential figures since his ’80s
heyday. This DVD preserves a 2004 Prince’s Trust benefit concert in
tribute to Horn.
Starting with “Video Killed the Radio Star” by Horn’s first band the
Buggles, this enjoyable, unabashedly nostalgic 170-minute concert looks
and sounds as massive and slick as the albums that Horn produced. In
the finest, most spectacular live treatments they’ll likely ever get,
here are some of the most unforgettable songs of the ’80s. As executed
live with full orchestra, the classic Art of Noise track “Close (to the
Edit)” is downright goosebump-inducing. The similarly lavish
performance of “Dr. Mabuse” by Propaganda (a cult hit in the U.S.) is
an exhilarating treat. And while some hardcore prog-rockers may despise
Yes’ 90125 era as Top 40 bubblegum, “Owner of a Lonely Heart” is
a perfect, ultra-catchy, quintessentially 1980s pop song. —
Michael David Toth
This article appears in Jun 17-23, 2009.
