Morrissey - Oye Esteban [DVD]

This DVD is ruining my life. I CANNOT stop playing his songs in my head! Though I have been a big Morrissey/Smiths fan since their inception in the '80s, I have often gone for long periods of time where I just don't play his music. When I heard recently that he was going to be playing in concert here in South Florida, and, never having seen him live before, my friends and I were quick to purchase tickets, even though I rarely attend live events anymore. But, for Morrissey, I'd make an exception, and I'm glad I did. It was by far the best concert I can recall. As his fans know, he is mesmerizing on stage. He is one of those rare, rare performers who truly are an enigma, it is not contrived. I bought this DVD hot off the heals of having seen his concert, and it is wonderful. I'd had little exposure to any of his videos, and was very pleased with this collection. I haven't bothered with music videos of any kind for at least ten years or more, as the ones that were showing on MTV AND VH1 were boring at best, and usually repulsive, with very little exception. The thing that I like best about "Oye Esteban" are the very things that some have commented it is lacking, the so called "qualities" which have become de ri-gueur in almost all music videos; big budget, special effects, re-heated imagery and style, and a general sameness that renders them all sterile. But, the thing that makes these so enjoyable is Morrissey himself. He stares in the camera with his androgynous beauty, the sincerety of his lyrics and singular magic allowing him to get away with what would only be posing and indulgence for almost any other performer. He is, for me, one of those performers, , there are and have been very, very few, who go way beyond being merely entertainers, with a few danceable or pop hits, and are touched by genius. This usually doesn't happen in the "Pop" world, not that you can define Morrissey's music in any particular genre. He is so very talented and one of a kind that he makes all the attempts by someone such as, say, Madonna, and many before and after her... to be "larger than life", to appear only phony. These are people who are desperate to be "artists", and work overtime, with slews of effects, assistants, stylists, publicists, etc..., trying to convince everyone that what they are doing is unique and special, and, it almost never is. What you are left with, after all the diversions, is the song (or, the movie.) These things have become almost totally incidental in most performers careers. Sad. All Morrissey has to do is open his mouth and sing the songs that he has written from his soul, about lonliness, consumerism, isolation, the cruelty of man, longing, etc..., to make bunk out of almost the entire music industry. This collection is, I feel, a great time for the diehard fan, of whom there are many, though I realize there are people out there who just don't "get it", and would maybe dismiss it as a slight pleasentry. They are misguided, and have no taste! Morrissey is a total genius, and some of that genius transfers quite effectively on this DVD. The downside is that he has ruined me for almost all other performers. The plus side is that he has thus far left a legacy of work that will feed the soul and ears for a long time, though I doubt that this most private, gentle of men who simply must write will ever stop creating that which truly deserves to be called "ART."

Let's face it-- most of the videos on this are pretty boring. Modern music videos have upped the bar a lot, and these don't have a lot of fancy editing or artistry (with the exception of "The More You Ignore Me," his mainstream hit.) But why should you, the devoted Morrissey fanatic, care? This DVD contains exactly what you want, and that is LOTS and LOTS of footage of the Mozzer, looking beautiful, weird ("November Spawned a Monster"-- Morrissey in a black mesh shirt and lots of eyeliner, doing a funky Michael-Stipe-esque dance in the desert), or entirely absent ("Sunny"). Thankfully the videos in which he doesn't really appear are few in number. There are extreme enough close-ups for you to notice that he has unusually long lower incisors. There are cute snippets where he can't help laughing at the antics of his band mates. It's enough to make up for the painfully low-budget (c'mon Moz, you make a lot of money, spend some of it) or totally 80s look of a lot of the videos. Therefore, you, the true apostle, must own this DVD.

When Oye Esteban was released in 2000, Morrissey was much younger and his body of work was still growing. This collection of videos is pretty much a must own for any Morrissey fan. It includes some really popular songs, some rarely played songs, and a very cool group of videos from Morrissey's solo career post-Smiths and pre-year-2000.I actually happened on this DVD somewhat by accident, having bought a copy for a dear friend who is an even bigger Morrissey fan than I am. After playing this DVD start to finish several times over the years, I had to buy myself another copy. It's not normal for me to buy a DVD of music videos, especially considering I already own all these songs in some audio format. But these videos are so unique, and this mix of songs is so well ordered, this DVD almost screams "buy me!"The highlight songs here for me have to be "Everyday Is Like Sunday," "The Last Of The Famous International Playboys," and "Sing Your Life." They bookend this DVD's other tracks, all of which are very well chosen.If you don't already own this DVD, do yourself a favor and buy it. I've been lucky enough to see Moz live a few times over the past few years. He's lost none of his vibrancy nor any of his stage presence. And his shows seem to be structured the same (songs separated by old videos and very daring opening acts). Yet the Morrissey we see in `Oye Esteban' is most certainly younger. And that will make many Morrissey fans happy to see, because that's the mental image I think most fans have of him.It's hard to really find a knock with this DVD of videos. But still some people will, and I understand that. These are presented in standard format (same way they were shot, so there's nothing to complain about there). These don't include all his videos (not meant to be an anthology, just a cross-section). And of course, some will moan about the sound mix (once again, when they shot DVDs in the 80s and 90s this was standard sound mixing).I am personally happy with this DVD. The videos are as clear as you could ever want from standard definition DVD. I definitely like watching these videos (some of which I hadn't seen before getting this DVD) and all the memories that come with listening to these songs.Check it out for yourself, it's almost like a Morrissey time-capsule from 1987 to 2000.Enjoy!

My Guy & I are huge Morrissey fans, and we listen to Moz/Smiths almost every day, so the other day he wants to watch Oye Esteban! We hadn't seen it in months. So he puts it on and it doesn't play!! He was soon Mad that he broke it to push himself another one, so I found a "like new" used DVD for $3!! It was meant for me because x-mas shopping left me broke and I hadn't got my Guy a gift only our families. So I ordered it and it arrived here 3 days later on Christmas Eve!! It was like new! NOT A SCRATCH! It was an awesome gift, & a great buy! THANKS! =D