Four Decades is the latest DVD release from veteran Polish proggers SBB, celebrating their 'four decades' as a musical force on the international circuit. Actually, calling SBB strictly a prog band sort of does them a disservice, as more oten than not the band delves into jazz, fusion, pop, and hard rock just as often as they do straight ahead prog rock. This latest DVD set contains two shows filmed in Poland, one from 2006 and another from 2007. The 2007 show sees the band as a trio, with new drummer Gabor Nemeth, playing an extended 15 song set that dives into much of their recorded history. Soundwise this show sounds great, and the camera work is excellent, capturing the band in their prime in a gorgeous theater in front of an appreciative crowd. Quite a few tracks from the recent The Rock CD are played, including "Pielgrzym", "Sunny Day", and the hard rocking "Skala". Founding member Jozef Skrzek generally is the center of attention, laying down the organ & Moog synth lines as well as groovy bass, while longtime guitarist Apostolis Anthimos lends his sinewy fusion licks throughout the set. The other concert included here is from 2006, and features Anthimos and Skrzek with a four piece featuring former drummer Irek Geyk and second guitarist Slawomir Piwowar. While there is a little bit of an overlap as far as songs are concerned, you get plenty of tunes on the second show that don't appear on the first.
Interviews with the current members can be found on the special features section, and while they are conducted in Polish, English subtitles are included. Unfortunately many of the same questions are asked of each player, which makes this section somewhat redundant. Overall, this is a solid DVD set highlighting some of SBB's more recent material as well as their classic back catalog. Metal Mind Productions as always has done a great job with the packaging here, as the case and booklet features plenty of color photographs and info on the shows contained on the DVD.
Track Listing
Live at Wyspiański Theater, Katowice, November 19th 2007:
1. Pielgrzym
2. Odlot
3. Freedom with Us
4. 3rd Reanimation
5. Going away
6. Żywiec Mountain Melody
7. Memento z banalnym tryptykiem
8. Pieśń stojącego w bramie
9. Płonące myśli (Ojcu)
10. Rainbow Man
11. Drums
12. Walkin' around the Stormy Bay
13. Skała / The Rock
14. Sunny Day
15. Z których krwi krew moja
Live at Spodek Hall, Katowice, February 24th 2006:
1. Memento z banalnym tryptykiem
2. New Century (Incl. Tajemniczy Świat Mariana)
3. Odlot
4. Rainbow Man
5. Całkiem spokojne zmęczenie
6. Improv: Drums-battle
7. Walkin' around the Stormy Bay
Bonus Features-Interviews, Biography, Discography, Photo Gallery, and more
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