The British Invasion Returns

The British Invasion of the early and mid-1960s is alive and well in this reunion concert, recorded at the Foxwoods Resort Casino in Connecticut, and broadcast in 2000 as a PBS special. There's no way to recapture the exuberance of the original invasion that began with the Beatles in 1963, but as nostalgia tours go, this one's ambitiously inclusive, consisting of 31 songs by nearly all of the top performers that found fame on both sides of the Atlantic. They include Herman's Hermits, Mike Pender's Searchers, Billy J. Kramer, Gerry & the Pacemakers, and the Troggs. Each band plays two or more of their hits, and while some of these old-timers have lost their edge, the musicianship is consistently high (even if the voices aren't), and Eric Burdon turns his raspy bellowing into a stylistic asset, staying honest to his bluesy roots and allowing the New Animals ample room for lengthy instrumentals. (Of all these performers, only Burdon seems willing to stray from the familiar; the others repeat their hits with high fidelity.) And while this is more of a museum piece than a great rock show, it's a fine reminder that there was much more to the British Invasion than the Fab Four. Without exception, these are talented bands with a legacy of great songs, and the DVD's informative performer biographies will quickly get the uninitiated up to speed on the timelessness of this good ol' rock & roll. -- Jeff Shannon