"Actor: Simon Fields"

• Michael Jackson - History- Video Greatest Hits | DVD | (15/12/2003) from £19.99   |  Saving you £-10.00 (N/A%)   |  RRP £9.99

  Since age 11 as the lead singer of the Jackson 5 Michael Jackson has had a truly amazing life and has enjoyed one of the most successful and celebrated careers in popular music. With an immediate string of No.1 singles for Motown Michael quickly became a public icon and with his brothers rode high on the charts throughout the '70's. As Michael grew up his creative energies outdistanced those of his brothers and he embarked on a solo career of mythic proportions - releasing four

• British Rock Symphony | DVD | (29/08/2005) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £10.99

  Be honest now: what rock fan hasn't fantasised about one day seeing Alice Cooper and The Who's Roger Daltrey on stage together, belting out the Rolling Stones' "Start Me Up" with backing by Pete Townshend's brother, Ringo Starr's son, and the bombast of a full symphony orchestra? Well, OK, so maybe that peculiar pairing is no one's idea of rock & roll heaven. But that didn't stop the producers of British Rock Symphony, a 90-minute outdoor concert, from assembling a wildly disparate cast, ranging from Daltrey, Cooper, and Procol Harum's Gary Brooker to Darlene Love (best known as the voice of the Crystals' classic "He's a Rebel") and lesser lights like singers Alvin Fields and Nikki Lamborn, to raise money for the Let Music Live charity and to celebrate the music of the Beatles, the Stones, The Who, Led Zeppelin, and others. Some of it is pretty predictable (there's a feeling of inevitability to "Stairway to Heaven", "With a Little Help from My Friends", "Pinball Wizard," and others), but there are also moments of genuine inspiration. Daltrey, who never seems to tire of those Pete Townshend songs, sounds great on "You Better You Bet" and "Who Are You", as well as outside fare like the Stones' "Street Fighting Man"; and Love, despite an occasional tendency to oversing, brings soulful fervour and conviction to the likes of "Ruby Tuesday". The DVD sound is superb, the visuals are good, and performers and audience alike seem to be having a good time. Still, aside from the curiosity (or novelty) factor, one has to wonder why anyone would prefer these versions to the originals. --Sam Graham, Amazon.com