Neil’s best video, in my opinion, is the currently out-of-print “I’m Glad You’re Here With Me Tonight”. This was the thing that made me a believer– prior to buying this, I wasn’t even a fan of his. And of course, I’d never heard of the album or any of the songs on it. The IGYHWMT performances are all superb, though opinions of the quality of the songs themselves may vary. These are not the same as the LP or CD- most of these were done live on a soundstage in crisp, beautiful VHS-Hi Fi stereo WITH (this is important) an orchestra, Alan Lindgren conducting. “Free Man in Paris” appears here in superior form, “Desiree” (with an alternate lyric) rocks, and it has some intriguing studio footage of “You Don’t Bring Me Flowers”, where Neil debates with the Bergmans over the use of “and” or “baby” or “nothing” on the last verse. When he finally sings it (isolated in a studio booth), it’s quite tolerable, benefiting from the lack of Streisand. It also has some montage videos of “Lonely Looking Sky/Skybird” (medley) and “Morningside”. Best was saved for last- the “hits-medley” that contains Neil’s best on-camera singing, topping Hot August Night at times – if that can be believed. The arrangement of “I Am… I Said” was particularly striking – it cleverly integrates themes from “Soolaimon”, “Holly Holy” and “Cracklin’ Rosie” into the closer. This video does not duplicate any music that was previously-released- all of it was newly recorded (or re-recorded- take yer pick). Plus, Neil, in his mid 30’s, was a real looker and that is MUCH in evidence here. Well worth the time and effort to hunt this down.
