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(More customer reviews)"Sarah McLachlan: Video Collection 1989-1998" was my first DVD. I received it as a present from a friend who shared my passion for Sarah McLachlan's music and artistic vision.
The DVD features fifteen music videos spanning all four of Sarah's studio albums (Touch, Solace, Fumbling Towards Ecstasy and Surfacing). The earliest, Vox, dates from 1988 and we see then-20-year-old Sarah as fresh-faced and angelic. The directorial tastes of some of the earlier videos are questionably cheesy, with Vox (Canadian version) being one of the most New Wave-stuck in the '80s mode. The picture quality is generally very sharp, with crisp blacks and vibrant colours. It is a pleasure to see Sarah's maturation as an artist and the directions that her music would take.
One of my favourite videos is "Steaming," a pseudo-film noir club scene reminiscent of Anita Kelsey's songs in the sci-fi film "Dark City." Sarah is a lounge singer, a temptress, with ardent eyes and gloved hands caressing the old-fashioned stand microphone. Her burning gaze bores a hole into you as the story in the video acts itself out.
Other notable videos include "Drawn to the Rhythm," a Loreena McKennittesque video full of surreal images and shot in black and white. The simple, haunting beauty of Sarah's voice and acoustic guitar combined with the wavelike rhythm and images of the ocean make this one tread on New Age/Celtic territory à la McKennitt and Kate Price.
"Possession" is full of muddled religious imagery: Adam and Eve, the severed head of John the Baptist, an actor portraying Christ, as well as blends of pagan imagery (witches/seductress).
"Into the Fire" is a very catchy song with a rather creepy video: naked, mud-coated Sarah rolling around in mud and soggy leaves. Ick. I felt grimy just watching it!
The last few videos from Surfacing really show Sarah's new image and darker songs. "Building a Mystery" features a mysterious man collecting stars and lights and sewing them onto a skirt (this is the top picture on the DVD case), and slipping into a crawl space that Sarah follows him into. "Sweet Surrender" is a bit more disturbing: a victim of a hit-and-run or an accident, apparently dead, mimes along to the music. The body mysteriously moves from the middle of the road, where we see it hit by a car, to the backseat of said car, then is carried into a house and placed on a chesterfield. Sarah and the "body" duet and mimick each other's actions. "Adia" is a neat study in still photography.
This is the perfect gift for that Sarah McLachlan fan. Lots of fun even the third and fourth time through. The variety of musical styles and directorial choices in the various videos make this a pleasure to come back to again and again! I can't wait until Sarah McLachlan's new album comes out..it's been five years since Surfacing. Work on the new CD was suspended for six months due to the severe illness of Sarah McLachlan's mother and Sarah's pregnancy (Sarah gave birth to daughter India on April 6, 2002. Congratulations Sarah and Ashwin!). There's a 75% chance that it will be released sometime in 2002, with the single being released an unheard-of 16 weeks in advance.
Here is the tracklisting for "Sarah McLachlan: Video Collection 1989-1998":
1. Vox (Canadian Version) 2. Steaming 3. Ben's Song 4. Vox (US Version) 5. The Path of Thorns (Terms) 6. Into the Fire 7. Drawn to the Earth 8. Possession (Canadian Version) 9. Hold On 10. Good Enough 11. Possession (US Version) 12. I Will Remember You 13. Building a Mystery 14. Sweet Surrender 15. Adia
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MCLACHLAN VIDEO COLLECTION 1989-1998 - DVD Movie
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