“The Best of Fridays”
Shout Factory
Starring: Larry David, Michael Richards, Melanie Chartoff
Rated: N/A
Runtime: 13 hr. 30 min.
Our Score: 3 out of 5 stars
“Fridays” was the west coast’s answer to “Saturday Night Live” and is responsible for launching the careers of Michael Richards, Larry David and Melanie Chartoff. Skit comedy and live musical performances make up the 5 DVD set from Shout Factory titled “The Best of Fridays”. Over 13 hours of material make up this release which is a must have for both music fans and fans of sketch comedy.
The people at Shout Factory have done it again with their latest compilation release titled “The Best of Friday’s”. “Fridays” aired live from 1980-1982 and was probably best known for some of its musical performances by the likes of The Clash, Kiss and Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. The collection is laid out on four discs which feature the chosen highlights from that particular season with the 5th disc consisting of bonus material. Though the compilation features some interesting appearances by Andy Kaufman, William Shatner and Peter Fonda the musical performances were really what I enjoyed the most. It was great seeing these performances for the first time. Some of which I didn’t even know existed. Kiss performing songs off the ill fated “The Elder” prior to Ace Frehley’s departure, The Clash’s first television appearance along with Devo performing their classic hit “Whip It” was really special to watch. At times the audio is not the greatest however the video which is crisp and clear more than makes up for any other short comings.
The special features portion of the disc was ok however there was nothing out of the ordinary. Cast and crew interviews/stories make up the majority of this section along with a photo gallery and a skit documenting the making of an episode. Fans of sketch comedy will surely want to make room in their collection as will fans of the bands also featured on the collection.