Critic's Pick with Kenneth Turan -- Music DVDs

By Kenneth Turan

Nov. 22, 2012 12 AM PT

Musical performances from both the dawn of sound and the beginnings of one of rock ‘n roll’s most storied careers are featured on newly released DVDs.

“Vitaphone Varieties: Volume Two” is a two-disc set available from Warner Video on Demand that features 35 short films that present performances recorded between 1926 and 1930.

The DVDs reveal musicians like Fred Waring and Georgie Price and actors like Fred Allen and Edgar Bergen in a time-capsule collection that uncovers classic vaudeville acts just as they were put on stage back in the day.

Much more recent is “The Rolling Stones Charlie is my Darling - Ireland 1965,” an often-written-about but never officially released documentary that shows the band just at the moment when “Satisfaction” was reaching the No. 1 spot on the charts.

This handsome boxed set features several versions of the film, additional performance footage, two audio CDs an even a 10 inch vinyl record. If you are any kind of a Stones fan, this combination will draw you in like a magnet.

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