Recently the Polish progressive rock band SBB celebrated their lengthy career with the all encompassing 22 compact disc box set Anthology 1974-2004; now comes Follow My Dream, a career spanning DVD document of the SBB story so far.
The main program is the 37 minute "Follow My Dream" suite performed in a studio for Belgium television in 1978. While the band's music is often erroneously (I think) likened to Yes meets Return to Forever, SBB are definitely a symphonic rock band with jazz fusion undertones. However "Follow My Dream" finds them incorporating an almost spacey Pink Floyd element to their sound. As for the visuals that accompany the music, well… one will either be delighted by the ballet dancers and mimes which take up 90% of the camera work or screaming at the television for the monitors to instead focus on the nimble keyboard work of Jozef Skrzek. I find myself in both camps, depending on my mood as I watch.
Thankfully, the wealth of extras (nearly 3 hours worth) more than make up. A clip of the band performing "Zostalo We Mnie" at the Polish Song Festival in 1974 is particularly noteworthy for Skrzek's Moog work as well as Apostolis Antymos' imitation of Jimmy Page's bowed guitar technique. Another classic clip features the band performing "Moja Ziemio Wysniona" in 1979 after SBB had become a quartet. But for many fans, the inclusion of a virtually complete performance from 1994 is going to be the major selling point. The band have lost nothing in terms of chops over the years. I am assuming that SBB's performance is part of a festival as the duration of their set is just over an hour.
Other bonus material includes nearly 90 minutes worth of recent interviews with Skrzek, Antymos and Piotrowski as each reflects back on their respective careers. There's also a nice biographical text charting the sometimes turbulent history of the band, a comprehensive discography, still more concert footage and even a "Follow My Dream" cartoon!
Do I recommend this DVD? For the dedicated SBB fan, very much so. It may be a bit daunting for the newbie, mainly because there's just so much material here. The good news is that it retails for less than twenty dollars, making it an absolute steal and yes it is available as a region free NTSC disc.
Program Contents
Follow My Dream: Live in 1978 in Knokke Belgium
Bonus Features:
- Zostalto We Mnie (1974)
- Moja Ziemio Wysniona (1979)
- Live at Dom Muzyki (1994)
- Band Interviews
- Biography
- Discography
- Desktop Images
- Follow My Dream Cartoon
- And More!!
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