The Velvet Forum

Ok, so Brian Eno's Twitter account has just posted this:

https://vimeo.com/146410460

I remember a while ago on the VU Webpage it mentioned there was an alternate colour version of the same live footage that's been around for years. Could this clip be from that rare source? I'm not convinced myself. The camera angles & panning are identical to version everyone we all know but the colours look oddly faded, minimal (blue, black, white and red) & therefore a tad unreal. Either the oft-used footage was a 'made for B&W TV' copy from the original colour reel or this has been crudely colorized in the modern era (which might explain why Oliver's site no longer mentions a colour version - it doesn't exist).

What do people think?

I never much cared for this concert. Too subdued and cowed. None of them sound like they really give a shit.

To me it looks colorized, but i'm not an expert - something about the colours and their positioning that isn't quite correct. But the lighting is murky to say the least which makes it more difficult to tell. I'd disagree that they seem like they didn't give a shit - Lou on that clip is singing beautifully and seems to be really thinking about the words. Its always been a bit of a mixed bag concert but its laid back ram shackle charm is the closest we got to a VU Unplugged.

I've got a (real) colour copy of the 4 (or is it 5? I cant remember) song broadcast, just the songs without the French guys talking. It came to me on a VHS tape back in 1991 or so, and has a "BBC globe" at the start. I had it put onto DVD sometime in the early 2000s.

This copy is the source of the original commentary on Olivier's web site - I'd be happy for it to be circulated in an "Emerson - style" fashion if someone was prepared to do that.