MUSICDVDs

JAMES BLUNT

Chasing Time: The Bedlam Sessions

Atlantic

By now, we all have our James Blunt stance. For some, he's yet another epicene, male singer-songwriter waxing lyrical and deep about love and its associated complications. To others, he's the latest, most intense soundtrack to their lives. Whatever the reason for your loathing or loving, Blunt is here for a while, so get used to it. We're certainly used to most of the material on this live DVD (with an attached Live in Ireland CD), as it virtually replicates, in the confines of a BBC studio, Blunt's incredibly successful debut album, Back to Bedlam. The unusually considered DVD extras are useful to even the casual fan: lots of videos and making of same, an interesting documentary (Being Blunt), and an even more intriguing and honest interview segment. For the committed fans, there is a suitably smouldering photo gallery.

www.jamesblunt.com

Tony Clayton-Lea

ALICE COOPER

Good to See You Again - Live 1973: The Billion Dollar Babies Tour

Eagle Rock

Marilyn Manson? Wuss. Slipknot? Sissies. Gwar? Don't make me laugh. The first and best shock-rocker was son of a preacher-man Vince Furnier in his godless guise as Alice Cooper. When Led Zeppelin laid waste to the world, Alice and his band were there to scavenge the entrails and deliver glam-rock horror to the masses. Their outrageous stage show featured blood, body parts and live pythons, and culminated in the star's beheading - offensive in the day, but looking tame compared with Dustin's Christmas panto. The DVD features classics like I'm Eighteen, No More Mr Nice Guy and Schools Out, and the un-PC Raped and Freezin' and Dead Babies. There's also a lot of mucking about posing as a storyline. The best feature is the "play concert only" icon, which takes you straight to the raw meat of the matter.

www.alicecooper.com Kevin Courtney