Tesla: Five Man London Jam Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		5.0
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		2.5
Overall		5.0

Tesla: Five Man London Jam Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov April 10, 2020

'Tesla: Five Man London Jam" (2019) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Universal Music. The only bonus feature on the release is an exclusive video interview with the members of the band, presented with optional English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, and Brazilian Portuguese subtitles. Region-Free.

And who's the reason you're livin' for?

Like so many other ‘smaller’ hard rock bands from the ‘80s Tesla should have gotten much bigger. They had legit talent and their music had a unique identity that made them instantly recognizable. But during the ‘80s and early ‘90s to get to the next level rock bands had to have the talent and the ‘right’ image, which meant that they had to create a lot of noise off the stage, like the guys from Motley Crew, W.A.S.P. and Poison did. Tesla were not troublemakers. There were guys in the band that could not resist the bad temptations of the business, like Tommy Skeoch, but they were not the flashy kamikazes Vince Neil, Axl Rose and Blackie Lawless were.

I got to know Tesla very early and largely because of my fondness for Cinderella. I loved Tom Keifer’s vocals so a friend recommended that I check out Tesla because the band’s lead singer, Jeff Keith, had a similar voice. Well, this wasn’t entirely true, but Keith’s voice turned out to have a similar raspy quality, which I did like. I also liked Tesla’s music a lot. They were definitely better musicians and after The Great Radio Controversy they were already way ahead of Cinderella. So, I followed them from the very beginning. (Another band that came out of Philadelphia that was actually in the same league with Cinderella and I liked a lot was Britney Fox. These guys had some great videos too).

The arrival of Five Man Acoustical Jam convinced me that Tesla will be around for a long, long time. No, in the early ‘90s I did not know if these guys will stick together for another decade or two, I just knew that there will always be folks that will appreciate their music. The show they did at the Trocadero and put on CD was the real deal, an authentic time capsule that preserved everything that made the rock scene special at the time – fantastic, gimmick-free music and great authentic atmosphere. It was simple but brilliant. (At the time MTV Unplugged was aiming for the same, but they never got it right).

Five Man London Jam is a lovely attempt to resurrect some of the brilliance and magic that are found in Five Man Acoustical Jam. Tesla staged and filmed it thirty years later at the famous Abbey Road Studios in much the same way the original show was done at the Trocadero. Well, almost. The band line-up is different and so is the track list, but the rest is basically all there. I am not exaggerating. These guys still sound amazing live -- no, not just good, but absolutely amazing -- and just as authentic as they did thirty years ago. Signs and Paradise floored me. The new renditions could have been on the first show and they still would have been amongst the highlights. No signs of aging either, just pure acoustic greatness of the kind that modern rock bands simply cannot deliver.

“What You Give”, another oldie but goldie, might be my favorite though, because it is even more touching now than the original studio recording. Pitch-perfect vocals, pitch-perfect solos, great emotion, this rendition has it all.

Five Man London Jam was filmed entirely in 4K, so the quality of its technical presentation is simply terrific. The audio, in particular, is exquisite, and if this Blu-ray release is played on a high-end system it feels like you are right in front of the band.

Tesla is: Jeff Keith (vocals), Frank Hannon (guitar, vocals), Brian Wheat (bass, piano, vocals), Troy Luccketta (drums and percussion), and Dave Rude (guitar, vocals).

*The show was filmed by director James Russell and cinematographer Nick Wheeler. The audio was mixed by Ronan McHugh, and mastered by Mazen Murad at Katara Studios.

TRACKLIST

1. CUMIN’ ATCHA LIVE / TRUCKIN’
2. TIED TO THE TRACKS
3. WE CAN WORK IT OUT
4. SIGNS
5. WHAT YOU GIVE
6. CALIFORNIA SUMMER SONG
7. FOREVER LOVING YOU
8. MILES AWAY
9. PARADISE
10. CALL IT WHAT YOU WANT
11. STIR IT UP
12. INTO THE NOW
13. LOVE SONG
14. BONUS: INTERVIEW WITH BAND RELECTING ON THE 30TH ANNIVERSARY OF FIVE MAN ACOUSTICAL JAM AND PERFORMING FOR THE FIRST TIME AT THE LEGENDARY ABBEY ROAD STUDIOS.

Tesla: Five Man London Jam Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.89:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Tesla: Five Man London Jam arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Universal Music.

The entire show was filmed in 4K and its technical presentation is simply superb. In the early days of the high-definition format I was incredibly pleased with the way The Cure: Trilogy looked, but this release has officially set the bar even higher. Obviously, technology has evolved quite a bit since 2009 and now it is easier to make live shows look great, but I wasn't this type of presentation. When upscaled to 4K the show looks absolutely flawless, with the visuals boasting clarity, depth, and all kinds of miniature details that the people inside the building would not recognize. It is just an all-around great looking release. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray release. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your player regardless of your geographical location).

Tesla: Five Man London Jam Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and English: LPCM 2.0. Optional subtitles are provided for the bonus features. (See below).

Both tracks are mixed very well. The 5.1 track expands the dynamic field quite well and it is the one you should probably view the the entire show with, but if some reason you go with the LPCM 2.0 track you will have an equally satisfying experience. I actually do prefer two-channel audio for a variety of reasons when I listen to some of my favorite albums/releases, but in this case the 5.1 track does appear to have the edge. There are no encoding anomalies to report.

Tesla: Five Man London Jam Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Interview - in this exclusive video interview, the members of Tesla explain how they feel about performing in the Abbey Road Studios and what motivated them to do Five Man London Jam, and discuss how Five Man Acoustical Jam came to exist as well as the evolution of their style. With optional English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, and Brazilian Portuguese subtitles. (18 min, 1080p).

• Booklet - 6-page illustrated booklet.

Tesla: Five Man London Jam Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The guys from Tesla insist that they did it their way and this is basically the truth. They were, and still are, a 'blue-collar' rock band that kept it real and made music any rocker can appreciate. Yes, their style evolved, but the sincerity of their music did not. This, combined with the fact that they were not part of the flashy LA scene, is why they are still around. Five Man London Jam is a superb homage to their classic live album Five Man Acoustical Jam that just might be one of the best rock shows to be released on Blu-ray. It is simple but absolutely brilliant. It brought back many memories for me, and at the moment I have to say it is one of my favorite releases this year. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.