For anyone who was a fan of the progressive rock band Discipline, Live 1995 is a must own DVD of this important band from the 1990's who unfortunately no longer exist as a unit. Mixing the theatricality of Genesis with the anger and aggression of Van Der Graaf Generator, Discipline recorded two highly regarded studio albums in the 90's but then broke up never to be heard from again save for a live album released in 1999. Lead vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Matthew Parmenter continues to record and perform to this day in a similar style, but many fans still talk about and miss Discipline and wonder what it would be like if they were still around today.Well, this DVD is from a show in 1995 and features nine lengthy songs from both the Push and Profit and Unfolded Like Staircase albums, and the power and mystery that was Discipline is very evident from the opening moments. In addition, you get over an hour of rare footage of the band in concert from their beginnings in the late 80's up until just before they called it quits in 1998.
The main show is well shot and the audio very good. Some of the band's more well known tunes are played, like "Canto IV (Limbo)", "Carmilla", "The Nursery Year", and "Blueprint", plus some songs not on the two albums that they were doing live at the time. Parmenter, obviously influenced heavily by Peter Gabriel as far as the costume changes, make-up, and between song banter was concerned, also owes a lot to Peter Hammill as well with his bursts of angst and aggression, really is the focus of the band from a visual standpoint. Not to be outdone however is guitarist Jon Preston Buda, whose muscular yet melodic leads and riffs helped shape the Discipline sound, which was supported by the organ, synth, and Mellotron sounds from Brad Buszard, drummer Paul Dzendzel, and bassist Matthew Kennedy. The band's brand of moody and brooding prog rock is a wonder to behold, at this the peak of their powers. If the main concert included here was not enough, there are also a wealth of extra live clips from throughout their career, spanning back to 1988. Many of these are of poor quality with limited camera angles, but it shows how the band grew and matured over the years into the powerhouse they eventually became. Highlights include Parmenter's "Eyeballs Story", which so reminded me of vintage Gabriel, as he kept the audience busy with a funny little oddball tale in between songs, and a great version of the epic "Into the Dream" from 1998, recorded probably shortly before the band split up. The camera work may be lacking, but the performance of the band on this stirring and emotional song is quite breathtaking.
In short, this is a must own for fans of 90's era progressive rock. After viewing this wonderful DVD, I'm sure most viewers will wonder just why this great band is no longer together, yet treasure what they did give the world of prog when they were a creative ensemble. Treasure it my friends, treasure it.
Track listing
LIVE 1995
1. Diminished (8:00)
2. Canto IV (Limbo) (14:50)
3. Carmilla (10:04)
4. The possession (6:00)
5. Blueprint (6:08)
6. The nursery year (6:11)
7. Circuitry (7:00)
8. When the walls are down (6:37)
9. Homegrown (11:42)
DVD EXTRAS
1. Interlude (1988) (3:52)
2. Piddle-a-dink (1988) (1:42)
3. Piddle diddle iddle (1988) (5:18)
4. Still night (1992) (6:14)
5. Faces of the petty (1992) (5:12)
6. Mickey mouse man (1992) (5:42)
7. Man in transition (1992) (4:06)
8. When she dreams she dreams in color (coda) (1997) (7:22)
9. Eyeballs story (1997) (5:03)
10. Into the dream (1998) (21:45)
Total Time: 2 hours 24 minutes
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