Meltdown - Full 24 Minute Version

[Wickerman]

I've never heard the full 24 minute version of Meltdown and was wondering if it's worth tracking it down? Not a big fan of The Altogether really, but I do like the closing track. Does the extended version on the DVD add some different ideas, or does it just repeat over similar themes to the album one?

[TheEmbryo]

It's pretty much just drawn out over a longer time period. I like it though

[Pirtek]

I like both the 10 minute version and the 24 one. Worth having the dvd.

[memly]

Pretty much what TheEmbryo said, although if you do have a surround cinema system, the DVD sounds great in 5.1.
It is however just an extension of the album track with no new ideas (from what I can remember, to be honest I have not watched the DVD for years now).

[donkey rhubarb]

Strangely enough I just discovered the DVD last week whilst having a bit of a clear out and gave it a spin. Was never a huge fan of TA but the album sounds a lot better in 5.1 and there's some interesting vids in there (although the menu seriously confuses me). I'd say the DVD is well worth having.

The longer version of Meltdown is pretty much an extensiom of the CD version but I like it a lot more as it extends many of my favourite aspects of the song.

[Wickerman]

Thanks for your comments guys! I'm very impressed with the full version - it was well worth tracking down! Even though I like the album version, it always felt a bit like (to steal a phrase from one of the Wonky video diarys) 'a list of musical bits'. In the long version, I feel like the ideas come properly to fruition, and revisiting certain sections gives it more cohesion too.

The DVD as a whole makes me less critical of The Altogether. I suspect that with all the soundtrack work and extra commissions they were getting at the time, and the ambitious 5.1 / visual project, the actual music kind of got forgotten a little bit. With a bit more time - some more critical editing of some ideas, some more work on others - it could have been fantastic. Still, it wasn't to be. I also suspect that the critical backlash to The Altogether may have been responsible for the guys loss of enthusiasm, leading to diminishing confidence for the Blue Album and deciding to call it a day (for at least a few years). But I don't think they lost it like some people (myself included) may have thought at the time - they were just directing their energies in too many different directions and needed that break. And, obviously, as they've shown us since their return, they've definitely still got it!