Ben Harper - Pleasure & Pain

Customer Reviews:

Its NOT Closed Captoned .......2007-03-17

Yes this is plenty reason to flunk this dvd. I have dvd's 10 years old that have CC.

As you hit the "not helpfull" button, understand, that it was not long ago someone like Ben would not even be able to play the places he does now, because he is black.

If you dont think both of these are the same issues, your ignorant. Not stupid, ignorant.

Great!.......2007-01-18

This is a great DVD with quite a bit of insight as to what goes into Ben Harper's music. The interviews with him interacting with his family are especially interesting. The best though was Ben playing guitar with his Mom. AWESOME! BUY THIS!

Simply Ben.......2005-10-04

If you are unfamiliar with Ben Harper and his music this DVD is where you should start. Forget the albums and music, just know the man, and the music will come on as no surprise to how vital Ben is in today's music scene. Many people don't know of him, and that is for good reason. Throughout Pleasure And Pain Ben reveals the reasons for the lack of notoriety; conviction and pride, a pride to never be told what music to create and always being true to his roots and influences. His life story is told here throughout and intertwined with footage from his Will To Live world tour. The story is narrated and explained beautifully by Ben of how he was influenced so greatly at a young age by his mother, father, and growing up in his grandparents music store. This is also a creative project from a film medium. Danny Clinch does a great job, highlighting the many feelings that the viewer is experiencing with different types of film stock and effects. Buy this, learn about Ben, and then the music will follow.

5 Star Choice!!.......2003-05-06

It details the life and living of one of the most talented artists of this century. From his childhood through the time he realized his talent. This dvd showcases the amazing person and personaltity that is Ben Harper, match that with the awesome talent of one of the most versatile and incredible bands, Pleasure and Pain is an amazing experience.

About Ben Harper & The Innocent Criminal:

Ben Harpers style cannot be catergorised because there is no one style to his music. His amazing knowledge and capabilities on a huge variety of instruments and a band from a variety of different backgrounds you get a sound that has elements of jazz, funk, blues, latin etc the list goes on and on.

If you havent heard of Ben Harper and The Innocent Criminals take one look at Pleasure and Pain and you will be captivated by an artist millions of people have grown to love.

Excellent documentary, decent live footage.......2002-12-10

If you are already a fan or on the path of becoming one, then this DVD is a great addition to your collection. The primary piece on the disc is the 90 minute documentary Pleasure + Pain which is a surprising, humorous, and entertaining collection of behind the scenes and biographical footage of Ben Harper and his merry band of Innocent Criminals. Be warned, there is a very limited amount of live concert or studio segments in the documentary. However, there are a handful concert, studio, and bootleg tunes on the DVD that can be accessed separately including Faded, Gold to Me, Fight for Your Mind, Waiting on an Angel, I Shall Not Walk Alone, Strawberry Fields Forever, and an excellent version of Give a Man a Home featuring the Blind Boys of Alabama. I would have given it five stars if there was more footage capturing Mr. Harper's extraordinary live performances.

Average customer rating:

Ben Harper: Pleasure and Pain
Starring: Ben Harper (II) , Jean-Pierre Plunier , Dean Butterworth , Juan D. Nelson , and David Leach (III)
Director: Danny Clinch
Manufacturer: Virgin
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Blues | Styles | Music

( B ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
ASIN: B00007B995

Average customer rating:

Very Disappointing
Wonderful insite on a great artist.
A nice introduction to a special talent
Excellent documentary, decent live performances

Ben Harper - Pleasure & Pain
Starring: Ben Harper
Manufacturer: Virgin Records Us
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Rock | Styles | Music

General | Music Video & Concerts | Genres | DVD | Video

Biography | Documentary | Genres | DVD | Video

( B ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

Ben Harper - Live at the Hollywood Bowl

ASIN: B000077VRA
Release Date: 2002-11-26

Customer Reviews:

Very Disappointing.......2003-06-02

I bought this DVD after recently seeing Ben Harper live in concert in Byron Bay,Australia. The DVD does not do justice to his live performances which are emotionally uplifting and awe inspiring. It's very bland and monotonous. The footage looks really unproffesional and the editing/direction is poor.
I can't wait to take it back to the store and exchange it for something else.
Rather watch it at a friend if you must just don't buy it.

Wonderful insite on a great artist........2003-04-19

As a huge Ben Harper fan, I had been hoping that Ben would release a DVD of one of his live shows, because Ben Harper is the greatest performer I've ever seen live. I was a bit disappointed when I heard that his DVD was going to be a documentry. I am a big fan, so I knew I would get it eventually, but I am not typicly a fan of documentries. Besides, I thought, this would be just another low production value, behind the scenes interview.

Boy, I couldn't have been more wrong. This Documentry does more to show why so many people love Ben Harper than any strait concert DVD could have. We get behind the scenes footage along side live performances, and together they paint a fuller picture than I could have imagined. Besides the documenty there is extra stand alone concert and studio footage, lot's of it, but there is no question that the documentry is the feature presentation on this DVD.

I have to give it to director Danny Clinch for giving us such great insite into a band that I loved before, and love more now. He catches not just the physical actions of a moment, but also the emotions of the moment as well. His camera work is invintive, and enhances the visual rather than distracts like one might think invitive camera work might in a documentry.

I can not overstate how much this documentry is important to true fans of Ben Harper. Also, if you want to win Ben more fans, next to taking them to one of his live shows, showing them Pleasure and Pain is the way to do it. On all levels this DVD is a success. As Concert footage, as a Documentry, and as another essential item that fans can put on the shelf with all his albums.

A nice introduction to a special talent.......2003-02-02

Ben Harper has organically grown his career over the last ten years through personal and intimate recordings with often great depth of meaning. Couple that with mesmerizing live performances, whether acoustic or rocking, and it is easy to understand how and why Ben Harper has built a very nice sized audience and music career of substance and quality.

Ben Harper's journey through life and music has touched so many listeners because, like most great musicians, he is sincere and honest in sharing his thoughts and feelings. That sincerity and the continuing striving to uncover, reveal and share the emotional travels one must navigate in seeking those universal truths, plus what has become a crackerjack band in "The Innocent Criminals" - along with Ben's virtuosity, is what makes Ben Harper a special artist. The ultimately hopeful and uplifting message of his music doesn't hurt either.

His music rises from such a rich soup of diverse influences that nourish his soul so that the spice of "variety" is natural and tasty in his music. You won't find this kind of soup from Campbell's, but it is mmmm, mmmm, good. Good for the soul.

In an age of manufactured bands and "hits", with one or two decent songs (maybe) on albums, Ben Harper cd's can be bought with confidence. Every Ben Harper cd returns great value of many good songs, some great and some even profound. Multiple listenings are richly rewarded. Ben Harper has released four cd's of studio recordings along with the "Live From Mars" two-cd live set. Get them all, certainly the four studio recordings, at least. Then, absolutely see Ben Harper and The Innocent Criminals when they come to your town. Everything I have said about Ben Harper is elevated exponentially in the context of a performance not just for, but with, an audience. Ben Harper is a great showman not because of tricks or gimmicks but, like all the greats through the years, because Ben and the band communicate. The best performers do this. This is music's highest potential, to communicate. And that ability to communicate is what makes Ben Harper, like all the greats - no matter the genre, such a special artist.

Oh yeah, the movie. Well, context is everything. So too with the film, "Pleasure + Pain". Long time fans will really enjoy getting to know Ben and the band even better. While this is not a concert performance (can't wait for a full blown Ben Harper concert on dvd!!!), there is enough music to allow one to get a sense and feel for the music of Ben Harper. (But you may want to pick up all his cd's, just the same.:-))

There are moments funny (Juan is especially photogenic and fun, while Ben does a mean Dr. Evil impersonation) and lovely (Ben talking about his father and performing a newly composed song with his mother, a musician). We also learn about Ben's childhood and the musical influences from his parents and his kind, sweet and musical grandparents - the owners of a music store where Ben learned about music and life (same thing, right? - it can be!).

I am rambling, but I hope this gives you a sense of what you are going to experience with Ben Harper's "Pleasure + Pain", but most gratifyingly, mostly pleasure. This a touching film. Whether this is your introduction to Ben Harper or a visit with an "old friend", I don't think it is possible for the viewer to come away with any feeling beside gratitude. Thankfulness that they saw this and learned more about music, the making of music and that there are still kind, good and thoughtful people like Ben Harper sharing such music.

Excellent documentary, decent live performances.......2002-12-10

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