Bride
The Ultimate Bride Video
Reviewed by Brian Vincent McGovern
This pioneering band has always been willing to take the initiative to put together and sell videos all by themselves. This, The Ultimate Bride Video, is a continuation of their series of exclusive videos, and has such an ultimate name because of its conceptual diversity and wide span of years covered. There are several "Flashback" segments, featuring footage from 1986 through 1994. It's all here. You see the long hair, spandex and synchronized stage antics, all the way up to the extreme passion flowing from the heart of Dale Thompson in soccer arenas in Brazil. Unfortunately, sound quality is not always the best. The Brazil stuff has excellent camera work and picture quality, though. Also included is plenty of live footage. The making of the "Worm" video is followed by a live version that is plagued by some nifty camera tricks that gets old quick. The thing we noticed about the making of... is that Dale really sings as videos are filmed, lending a visible credibility that most lip-synced videos don't have. Other highlights include footage of drummer Jerry McBroom's first show, some stuff from the Ric Foley era, the "God Gave Rock & Roll to You" video with DOC, and some Spinal Tap-ish stuff from the Stryper tour. (It's a shame there was no musical footage from that tour.) There's also stuff from some of the band's many C-stone appearances, including unplugged versions of "Hired Gun" and "Heaven's Door." And what's a Bride product without a Gospel message? Well, this one's lifted straight from HM Video Magazine, Vol. 4. But no matter what cassette on which you happen to view it, the Gospel is still the Good News of Jesus... and Bride is all about Jesus. This video is a must-have for a serious Bride fan. For ordering info, write 295 Churchview Rd, Westpoint KY 40177