Music DVDs

The latest releases reviewed

JAMES Fresh as a Daisy: The Videos Universal

A timely release, given that the band have just reformed and are working on new material. Watching this, you realise how you have forgotten how many good songs James had. Apart from the obvious Sit Down, there's also Come Home, Laid and She's a Star. The band members themselves provide a running commentary over the videos and TV appearances, complete with some hilarious anecdotes from their early days. It's well put together, but you can't help feeling that when they stray away from the singles, the quality control tends to suffer. Very good in places, though.   BRIAN BOYD

NIRVANA Live on Air American Legends

This DVD features previously unavailable and quite rare live performances from the band; for starters, there is the digitally remastered sound- track of Nirvana's live radio broadcast on KAOS FM from 1987. And then there is the by now legendary Saturday Night Live appearances, originally broadcast live in the US in 1992/93. The performances still crackle with vigour, and feature songs such as Heart Shaped Box, White Lace and Strange, Hairspray Queen, Smells Like Teen Spirit and Love Buzz. Padding out the songs and giving the performances some smidgen of context are less than revealing interviews with Kurt Cobain's grandfather, Leland Cobain, and band confidante/ photographer Alice Wheeler. All in all, no more and no less extra fodder for the Nirvana completist.  TONY CLAYTON-LEA