DVD Documentaries from The Ramones and U2

By Norm Schrager at September 20, 2007 | 11:08 pm | Print

Two of the most influential rock bands of the 20th century — U2 and The Ramones — have new performance documentary DVDs.

The Ramones’ documentary is It’s Alive 1974-1996, and it’s about as comprehensive as it gets. Four hours of performance footage, all of it rare or never released. Two discs, 119 songs. “Judy Is A Punk” from CBGB in ’74, “Blitzkrieg Bop” from Germany in ’78, “Rock ‘N’ Roll Radio” from Rochester, NY in ’88. Could it be that Joey and the boys really played 2,263 gigs? Almost seems impossible. If you’re even half a fan, you gotta watch the trailer. Gabba gabba freakin’ hey.

TRAILER

DVD Details: A 2-disc set, covering the entire Ramones career. Of course, Disc 1 is superpacked with performances through 1977 when these guys played constantly. Disc 2, has some major gaps, like ’81 to ’85. But the whole set’s about as thorough as you’re gonna get. And it’s available October 2nd.

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U2′s PopMart Live from Mexico City was available on video in 1998, but is now on DVD for the first time. Remember Bono’s wacko “MacPhisto” character of the Zoo TV era? This is a couple of years later, but no less creative/ego-driven/silly.

Watch the PopMart Live Trailer

PopMart was where shtick met hyper-pop: described as a “sci-fi disco supermarket,” it featured works by Haring and Warhol as well as a giant cocktail stick. (Not better than David Lee Roth’s giant mic. And not as phallic.) Anyway, the film was shot on 12/3/1997, directed by music performance legend David Mallet. 

DVD Details: Two options: A single-disc concert-only release, and a Special Limited Edition 2-disc set with previously unreleased material and DVD-ROM extras. Available now.

QUESTION: You have to pick one. Bono or Joey Ramone? VOTE

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