The Proclaimers - The Best Of 1987-2002 DVD

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This Best of collection is a richly entertaining catalogue of The Proclaimers' resolute failure to fit in with anyone else's ideas of what pop stars are supposed to be. This, along with their glorious voices and frustratingly erratic knack for simple affecting songs, has always been one of their strengths: Craig and Charlie Reid may look like they were dressed by a well-meaning aunt, and wear glasses thick enough to prevent a spaceship disintegrating on re-entry, and be unfashionably keen on God, marriage and family, but they're for real. The early videos, from "Letter... to America", in which they bellow, pink-cheeked, from a windswept hillside, to the sublime "Sunshine On Leith", recorded in a dilapidated pub, are clearly intended to reinforce The Proclaimers' rugged authenticity. It's ironic, then, that the best clips here are the ones on which The Proclaimers disdain their usual asceticism and allow themselves to be caught having a good time being driven through a glittering Las Vegas on "Let's Get Married", wearing tartan suits for "What Makes You Cry?", or impersonating Nashville gentry for their lovely version of Roger Miller's "King of the Road". The showbiz approach doesn't always work, though: the video for "The Doodle Song" is mesmerisingly bad, like a cross between Robert Palmer's "Addicted to Love", a Gap commercial and a beginners aerobics class. On the DVD: The Best of The Proclaimers, 1987-92 has rather desultory special features. There's a discography, song lyrics, a link to The Proclaimers' official website and a television advertisement for the Best of album. It seems strange that nobody thought to include the electronic press kit which was sent out to media with their Persevere album, which was a very funny and illuminating history of The Proclaimers, and would have made a worthwhile addition to this package. --Andrew Mueller [show more]

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