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The
next edition in the superb "Great Australian Albums" series, which
screened on SBS earlier this year, follows the often treacherous time
that The Chair (and in particularly, Daniel Johns) went through in
order to completely reinvent themselves with the historic "Diorama" LP.
According
to Rolling Stone, the album was "one of the boldest musical statements
ever made by an Australian rock band" - and it was. Let's face it, how
often will you see a band do a complete 360 degree turn from Garage
Grunge to Epic Musical? How often do you see a group of musicians so
totally prepared to fight for integrity against a 'Radio single' hungry
US label...and have it actually pay off? Never - hence, this is one
amazing story for Rock 'n' Roll folklore.
For Daniel Johns,
"Diorama" was a personal journey as much as it was a musical one.
Written and recorded amidst health and emotional issues (depression,
anorexia - and soon to be arthritis), "Diorama" was meant to be Johns'
take on the Beach Boys' "Pet Sounds" - and through a series
of
revealing interviews, Johns tells of that journey.
It's
amazing to think of all the musical and imaginative energy that was
flowing through those studios, with each interview (everyone from Ben
Gillies and Chris Joannau, to Paul Mac, Matt Lovell, John Watson and
Van Dyk Parkes tell their sides of the story) we get a closer glimpse
into...the world within the studio.
The most best aspect of the
"GAA" series is sitting with the artists as they listen back to the
original master tapes of the album, hearing new things for themselves -
noticing parts that were left out - and (in a classic case of Johns'
OCD) parts which they would like changed.
While Silverchair fans
will get more out of this than most, there has to be something to be
said for the charm and brilliance that you can see brewing in Johns'
brain. It's an astonishing little piece of time captured on DVD - and
will only get better when we can watch it in hindsight at the end of
Silverchair's career.
A great Australian album, another superb documentary.
EXTRAS
There
are more than a few extended and uncut interviews tacked on here. Some
of it offers very little - while other parts give an extra bit of
insight that may have been left out (or simply ignored) during the
feature presentation itself.
Well worth a look.
Conclusion:
Movie 75% Extras: 50%
 Download Album Here:
Purchase DVD: 
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