HEAVEN & EARTH - THE MAKING OF HEAVEN & EARTH (DVD) (A) Black Star

Records, 2007

RT: 237:06
[ http://www.heavenandearthband.com/ ]
[ http://www.myspace.com/heavenandearthband ]
[ http://www.blackstarrecords.com/ ]

Remember the "Classic Albums" series of documentary DVDs that went
behind the scenes on records by bands like Judas Priest, Iron Maiden,
and Metallica? This nearly four-hour beast is kind of like that, but
way, WAY more comprehensive. Shame on you if you haven't yet heard of
Heaven & Earth, an entity that began as guitarist Stuart Smith's solo
project and has evolved into a band, and one that I feel most Detritus
readers would love. The actual album HEAVEN & EARTH first surfaced in
1998 as a Smith solo effort -- complete with tons of guest stars --
but it's since been re-released in expanded form as a self-titled disc
from the band Heaven & Earth. This DVD briefly traces the history of
Smith and his project from the infancy stages, ranging back to a late
'80s/early '90s band called Midnight -- which at various times
featured Smith, drummer Richie Onori, Hurricane's Kelly Hansen and Jay
Schellen, keyboardist Scott Warren (Dio, Warrant), Joe Lynn Turner,
and bassist Sean McNabb (Quiet Riot, Great White) -- and a group with
ELP's Keith Emerson known as the Aliens Of Extraordinary Ability.
There are plenty of amusing stories and commentary from these folks,
including the tale of how Smith faked a bidding war for his band by
taking a rejection fax and "Photoshopping" it to instead look like a
contract proposal for a $150,000 deal. Good stuff! Then, the bulk of
the disc's main section focuses on a detailed track-by-track analysis
of all the songs that have appeared on the various versions of HEAVEN
& EARTH. This section features snippets of all the above names plus
other involved parties like producer/keyboardist Pat Regan, guitarist
Howard Leese (Heart), singer Bobby Kimball (Toto), and drummer Carmine
Appice. They speak about their involvement with each track, how the
songs were written and/or recorded, and pretty much anything else that
came to mind while the cameras were rolling. Interspersed are bits of
video featuring live performances, recording sessions, promo video
clips, and shots of Stuart playing signature song licks. Glenn Hughes
and Richie Sambora, who both played on the album, are featured in
these video bits but unfortunately are not interviewed. The coolest
piece of footage is probably the one showing Smith and friend Ritchie
Blackmore performing Christmas carols in a bar although in general
it's all extremely watchable and the trio of Smith, Hansen, and
Schellen comes off as quite the comedy troupe. Then comes nearly two
hours of bonus footage, complete with photo galleries, gear talk, more
live/promo/rehearsal video (this time, each song is a complete
performance), and a host of amusing anecdotes entitled "Stories And
Shenanigans." One particularly funny prank related by Regan had to do
with Blackmore's people putting a "F*ck The Irish" bumper sticker on
Regan's car before he drove through Massachusetts on St. Patrick's
Day, and there's really cool footage of Smith and Turner in the studio
writing an acoustic track called "Alma D'Alma." All this, plus a bonus
MP3 of the new track "When The Stars Collide" performed live last year
with vocalist Keith St. John. This is truly an extensive, detailed
look at a fine album that should not be missed.

- Tim Wadzinski (tsw512@yahoo.com)