Beloved (US) – Kiss It Goodbye
Solid State Records – November 8th, 2005
By Jason Jordan
One would think that as good as
Beloved (US)’s material is, a DVD would be an excellent addition to the now-defunct band’s catalog. But, sadly, that isn’t really the case, and this inadvertently cements the notion that
Failure On is the only must-own item crafted by these North Carolinians.
Recorded during the quintet’s farewell show on January 14th, 2005 in Winston-Salem, North Carolina,
Kiss It Goodbye showcases a group of guys whose songs don’t translate to the live setting all that well. As much as I like
Failure On – there are about five songs that move me considerably – the live renditions, though faithful to the individual recordings, are kinda boring. Unfortunately,
Beloved (US) don’t have much of a stage presence, even when lifted by good-yet-flawed cinematography. The seventy-seven minute set elapses rather slowly, and a few of the camera angles just plain flopped. For instance, I loathed how every time the focus shifted to the camera nearest the drums, the shot would be black and white. It may be a menial gripe, but the aforementioned shot isn’t used sparingly throughout the film. The sound isn’t anything to write home about, though it is noticeably clear, plus the bonus content (music videos, behind the scenes, et cetera) is a nice addition to
Kiss It Goodbye. Still, the add-ons felt more substantial to me than the bulk content.
Beloved (US) fans may want to shell out a ten-spot for this, and as one of the former, I warmed up to the price quickly. Although, I left
Kiss It Goodbye disappointed, because I was bored through much of the DVD. At any rate, we won’t ever be able to catch these veterans in concert again – barring a reunion of course – and that in and of itself may warrant a purchase. Bottom line: I wasn’t captivated and I doubt you will be either.
6/10
Official Beloved (US) Website
Official Solid State Records Website
