Star Ratings

The star ratings are relative to the other Vengeance videos, not comparative to any other video that exists. The list above compares the videos to each other overall, 1-3 stars based on the performance, crowd response and the video and audio quality. A rating of 3 means it is among the best recordings of our best performances.

Ratings for performance are kind of subjective, technical ratings for video and audio are more objective, but none of the audio is great, as it’s just the audio track from a 1990s-quality hand-held, VHS loaded video camera wielded by one of our friends, not a pro cameraman.

We’re pretty lucky to have so much video of the band in a time when video recording was still fairly new and few bands bothered. I’m forever grateful to Todd Grubbs, who taped most of these for free, usually in exchange for studio time or just out of friendship.

Individual videos are rated by video quality, sound/mix quality, band’s performance/vocals and crowd size and response, using the following rough criteria:

Video

 Very clear video, good framing and camerawork, the best video we have
 Less than optimum, but still very good.
 Fairly clear but static camera work, uneven framing or less focused visuals
 Blurry, badly framed, poor camerawork or framing
 Nearly unwatchable and useless

Sound/Mix

 Very clear audio, tone and balance, vocals clear and audible, good drum sound
 Less than optimum, but still very good.
 Fair balance or sound quality, fair tone
 Very muddy or tinny tone, poor instrument or vocal balance, low audio/high noise levels
 Nearly unlistenable and useless

Band

 Very tight, inspired and proficient ensemble and solo playing, good crowd interaction
 Less than optimum, but still very good.
 Fair performances and crowd interaction, a few clams & rhythm breaks, fair vocals
 Poor playing, breakdowns, frequent clams, dropped beats or poor vocals
 Sex Pistols quality performance

Crowd

 Big, enthusiastic crowd evident on video
 Smaller crowd but still very appreciative and loud
 Small or quiet crowd reaction
 A few friends, girlfriends and the waitstaff, some of whom applaud politely
 Graveyard shift, playing to the chairs