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DVD REVIEWS

back to DVD reviews home Artist: Melvins Title: Salad of a Thousand Delights Label: MVD

Recorded live at the North Shore Surf Club in Olympia Washington, this DVD is the antithesis of DVDs. Every reason why DVDs are rapidly becoming the preferred medium over videotapes is not present on this live Melvins disc. The transfer from video is horrid, but then again the videotape sources have been sitting and rotting for over ten years before being digitally transferred. The sound quality is average. The mix is decent, the tones fair and the crowd noise kept to a good minimum. The footage of the band is shaky, edited together from mostly hand-held camcorders (about four of them), one of which was in the pit getting jostled around a good deal. Often times the camera roves around, unsure of what to focus on and often choosing simply to erratically and nauseatingly pan and tilt around the stage from member to member until King Buzzo hits a solo. I find it strange that no better footage of the Melvins exists from this time period when Seattle was becoming the new monster on the record industry block. The DVD offers three bonus features: an alternate perspective (different edit) of the song “Antioxidite,” some poorly videoed footage of the band playing the Off Ramp in Seattle and the Melvins live in the studio way back in 1984. I can’t tell if the latter bonus is actually them or some freakish Eddie Munsterish kids pretending to be the Melvins. I discovered no Easter Eggs in my mad hunt for them, but my surprise Easter egg was right in the video itself when King Buzzo plays a few seconds of Killdozer’s “King of Sex” on his guitar between songs. “Salad of a Thousand Delights” is for die-hard fans, collectors, aficionados and the bi/gay curious only.

DICK