Back to Basics: Live and Down Under

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Back to Basics: Live and Down Under
Image of Christina Aguilera against a red background
Video by
Christina Aguilera
ReleasedFebruary 4, 2008 (2008-02-04)
RecordedJuly 17–18, 2007
VenueAdelaide Entertainment Centre
(Adelaide, Australia)
Length130 minutes[1]
LabelRCA
Director
Producer
  • Christina Aguilera
  • Ian Stewart
Christina Aguilera chronology
Stripped Live in the U.K.
(2004) 		Back to Basics: Live and Down Under
(2008)

Back to Basics: Live and Down Under is the fourth video album by American singer-songwriter Christina Aguilera. It premiered on television on January 26, 2008, on VH1, and was released on DVD on February 4, 2008, by RCA Records. The DVD included material from recordings from two of Aguilera's concerts during her Back to Basics Tour in Adelaide on July 17 and 18, 2007. Behind-the-scenes footage is included with video from the concerts.

Upon its release, Back to Basics: Live and Down Under garnered positive views from music critics as well as attained chart success in a number of countries, peaking at number one on the DVD charts of Belgium (Flanders) and the United Kingdom. In the United States, the DVD debuted atop the chart with first-week sales of 18,437 copies. It achieved double platinum certification by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) and gold certification by Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).

Background and release[edit]

To support Back to Basics (2006), Aguilera embarked on the worldwide concert Back to Basics Tour.[2] The tour received mixed to positive reviews from music critics; The Georgia Straight's Mike Usinger praised Aguilera's vocals as "insanely powerful", while Dave Simpson from The Guardian criticized the setlist as "confusing".[3][4] The show in Adelaide, Australia on July 17 and 18, 2007 was filmed and was released as a DVD.[5]

On January 26, 2008, Back to Basics: Live and Down Under made it premiere on VH1 at 10 PM.[6] The DVD was released officially on February 4, 2008, in the United Kingdom.[1] The next day, it was released in Canada and the United States.[7][8] In Germany, it was released on February 8, 2008.[9] It was released on February 11 in France,[10] and on February 16 in Australia.[11] The DVD features old-school style materials such as trapeze artists, circus jugglers, and cabaret dancing.[12] It also includes behind-the-scene interviews with dancers, musicians, stylists, Aguilera's husband Jordan Bratman and the singer herself.[13]

Critical response[edit]

A blonde woman in a sparkling red bodysuit singing happily to a microphone
Aguilera performing on the Back to Basics Tour in 2006

Upon its release, Back to Basics: Live and Down Under garnered mainly positive feedback from music critics. Jake Meaney for PopMatters gave it a seven out of ten stars rating, commenting it "huge and overwhelming, deeply soulful and expressive, if sometimes a bit unsubtly melismatic".[14] Clayton Perry from the online website Blogcritics provided a positive review, writing that it "is more than a simple presentation of song and dance; the show, by all measures, is a Broadway-caliber production".[15] The New York Times was also impressed toward the video release, writing that it is "at the top of her already speaker-blowing vocal range".[16]

Commercial performance[edit]

On February 25, 2008, the DVD debuted and peaked at number 2 on the ARIA Music DVD Chart, where it remained its peak for two weeks.[17][18][19] On the Austrian Music DVD Chart, it debuted at number 7 on the issue chart dated February 22, 2008.[20] The following week, it fell to number 8.[21] The DVD reached its peak at number 6 on March 14, 2008.[22] In the Wallonia region of Belgium, Live and Down Under made its first chart appearance at number 10 on February 16, 2008.[23] It subsequently peaked at number 8 the following week.[24] In the Flanders region, the DVD peaked atop the chart on March 1, 2008, after two weeks charting within the top 10.[25]

In New Zealand, it peaked at number 7 on the RIANZ DVD Chart and remained on the top ten for on week.[26] It also peaked at number 6 in Austria,[22] number 4 in Switzerland,[27] number 2 in Dutch,[28] and atop the chart of United Kingdom.[29] In the United States, Back to Basics: Live and Down Under debuted at number one on the Billboard Top Music Videos chart on February 23, 2008, with first-week sales of 18,437 copies.[30][31] It fell to number 3 the following week.[32] On March 8, 2008, the DVD fell to number 4.[32]

The DVD was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for shipments of 50,000 copies in the United States.[33] It was certified double platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) for exceeding shipments of 30,000 copies in Australia.[34]

Track listing[edit]

  • Credits adapted from DVD liner notes[13]
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Intro (Back to Basics)"
2:01
2."Ain't No Other Man"
  • Aguilera
  • Martin
  • DioGuardi
  • Charles Roane
  • Harold Beatty
4:18
3."Back in the Day"
  • Aguilera
  • Martin
  • DioGuardi
  • Don Costa
  • Jimmy Castor
  • Langdon Fridle Jr.
  • Douglas Gibson
  • Harry Jensen
  • Robert Manigault
  • Gerald Thomas
5:08
4."Understand"
5:03
5."Come On Over Baby (All I Want Is You)"
3:39
6."Slow Down Baby"
3:29
7."Still Dirrty"
  • Aguilera
  • Martin
  • DioGuardi
5:13
8."I Got Trouble"
2:34
9."Makes Me Wanna Pray"
6:03
10."What a Girl Wants"
4:45
11."Oh Mother"
7:46
12."Enter the Circus"
  • Aguilera
  • Perry
1:46
13."Welcome"
  • Aguilera
  • Perry
  • Ronson
  • Paul Ill
2:38
14."Dirrty"
5:06
15."Candyman"
  • Aguilera
  • Perry
4:42
16."Nasty Naughty Boy"
  • Aguilera
  • Perry
5:46
17."Hurt"
  • Aguilera
  • Perry
  • Ronson
4:29
18."Lady Marmalade"
5:10
19."Encore: Thank You"
  • Aguilera
  • Martin
  • DioGuardi
  • Pamela Sheyne
  • David Frank
  • Steve Kipner
2:33
20."Beautiful"Perry4:56
21."Fighter"
8:24

Bonus content[edit]

  1. "Dancers"
  2. "Wardrobe: Simone Harouche"
  3. "Hair & Make-Up: Stephen Sollitto"
  4. "Musicians"
  5. "Background Vocalists"
  6. "Musical Director: Rob Lewis"
  7. "Jordan Bratman"
  8. "Christina Aguilera"

Personnel[edit]

  • Christina Aguilera – vocals, primary artist, creative director
  • Hamish Hamilton – director
  • Sasha Allen, Erika Jerry – background vocals
  • Irving Azoff, Kelly Perkins, Harry Sandler – management
  • Errol Cooney – guitar
  • Ethan Farmer – bass
  • Irene Fukunaga – executive assistant
  • Miguel Gandelman – saxophone
  • James Glader – photography
  • Jean-Pierre Leloir – photo courtesy
  • Rob Lewis – music direction
  • Peter Mokran – mixing
  • Raymond "Ez" Monteiro – trumpet
  • Garret Smith – trombone
  • Eric Weaver – assistant
  • Chris Woehrle – design

Credits adapted from AllMusic[35]

Charts[edit]

Certifications[edit]

Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[34] 2× Platinum 30,000^
United States (RIAA)[33] Gold 50,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Release history[edit]

Country Release date Format Label
United Kingdom[1] February 4, 2008 DVD RCA Records
Canada[7] February 5, 2008
United States[8]
Germany[9] February 8, 2008
France[10] February 11, 2008
Australia[11] February 16, 2008 Sony Music Entertainment

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c "Back To Basics Live And Down Under [2007] [DVD] [2008]". Amazon.com UK. Retrieved July 22, 2013.
  2. ^ "Aguilera Going 'Back To Basics' On Tour". Billboard. Retrieved July 22, 2013.
  3. ^ Usinger, Mike (March 14, 2007). "Christina Aguilera". The Georgia Straight. Archived from the original on July 27, 2014. Retrieved June 12, 2014.
  4. ^ Simpson, Dave (November 24, 2006). "Christina Aguilera, MEN Arena, Manchester". The Guardian. Retrieved June 12, 2014.
  5. ^ "'Christina Aguilera: Back to Basics Tour: Live and Down Under' Makes Its U.S. Television Premiere on VH1, Saturday, January 26 at 10PM" (Press release). PR Newswire. January 26, 2008. Retrieved July 22, 2013.
  6. ^ Maynard, John (January 26, 2008). "Highlights". The Washington Post. Retrieved July 22, 2013.
  7. ^ a b "Back to Basics: Live and Down Under (PAL) [Import]". Amazon.com Canada. Archived from the original on March 11, 2008. Retrieved July 22, 2013.
  8. ^ a b "Back to Basics: Live and Down Under (PAL)". Amazon.com US. Archived from the original on March 20, 2016. Retrieved July 22, 2013.
  9. ^ a b "Back to Basics: Live and Down Under" (in German). Amazon.com Germany. Retrieved July 22, 2013.
  10. ^ a b "Back to Basics - Live and Down Under" (in French). Amazon.com France. Retrieved July 22, 2013.
  11. ^ a b "Back to Basics: Live and Down Under". Sanity. Retrieved July 22, 2013.
  12. ^ "Christina Aguilera – Back to Basics: Live Down Under DVD". CD Universe. Retrieved July 22, 2013.
  13. ^ a b Back to Basics: Live and Down Under (Media notes). Christina Aguilera. Adelaide Entertainment Centre, Adelaide, Australia: RCA Records, a division of Sony Music Entertainment. 2008. 88697 28520 9.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  14. ^ Meaney, Jake (March 31, 2008). "Christina Aguilera: Back to Basics Live And Down Under [DVD]". PopMatters. Archived from the original on August 1, 2013. Retrieved July 22, 2013.
  15. ^ Perry, Clayton (February 2, 2008). "Music DVD Review: Christina Aguilera – 'Back to Basics: Live and Down Under'". Blogcritics. Retrieved July 22, 2013.
  16. ^ Cammila Collar (2016). "Christina Aguilera: Back to Basics - Live Down Under (2008)". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. Archived from the original on March 14, 2016. Retrieved July 22, 2013.
  17. ^ a b "Week Commencing 25th February, 2008" (PDF). Pandora Archive. 939. Australian Recording Industry Association: 22. February 25, 2008. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2008-03-19. Retrieved July 22, 2013.
  18. ^ "Week Commencing 3rd March 2008" (PDF). Pandora Archive. 940. ARIA: 22. March 3, 2008. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2008-03-19. Retrieved July 22, 2013.
  19. ^ "Week Commencing 10th March 2008" (PDF). Pandora Archive. 941. ARIA: 22. March 10, 2008. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2008-03-19. Retrieved July 22, 2013.
  20. ^ "Musik-DVDs Top 10 Hitparaden 22.02.2008" (in German). IFPI. Hung Medien. February 22, 2008. Archived from the original on September 10, 2014. Retrieved July 22, 2013.
  21. ^ "Musik-DVDs Top 10 Hitparaden 29.02.2008" (in German). IFPI. Hung Medien. February 29, 2008. Archived from the original on May 5, 2015. Retrieved July 22, 2013.
  22. ^ a b c "Musik-DVDs Top 10 Hitparaden 24.03.2008" (in German). IFPI. Hung Medien. March 23, 2008. Archived from the original on May 5, 2015. Retrieved July 22, 2013.
  23. ^ "Musik-DVD Top 10". Ultratop (in French). Hung Medien. February 16, 2008. Archived from the original on July 2, 2013. Retrieved July 22, 2013.
  24. ^ a b "Musik-DVD Top 10". Ultratop (in French). Hung Medien. March 1, 2008. Archived from the original on July 2, 2013. Retrieved July 22, 2013.
  25. ^ a b "Musik-DVD Top 10". Ultratop (in Dutch). Hung Medien. March 1, 2008. Archived from the original on September 21, 2013. Retrieved July 22, 2013.
  26. ^ a b "Top 10 Music DVDs". Recorded Music NZ (formerly known as Recording Industry Association of New Zealand). Archived from the original on September 21, 2013. Retrieved July 22, 2013.
  27. ^ a b "Swiss Charts – Music DVD Top 10". Schweizer Hitparade. Hung Medien. February 17, 2008. Archived from the original on June 20, 2013. Retrieved July 22, 2013.
  28. ^ a b "Musik-DVD Top 10". MegaCharts. Hung Medien. February 9, 2008. Archived from the original on March 9, 2014. Retrieved July 22, 2013.
  29. ^ a b "Iron Maiden". Billboard. Vol. 120, no. 20. May 17, 2008. p. 72.
  30. ^ a b "Top Music Videos: Week of February 23, 2008". Billboard. Archived from the original on September 22, 2013. (subscription required)
  31. ^ "Superstar Christina Aguilera Debuts at No. 1 on the DVD Music Video Chart With Back to Basics – Live and Down Under" (Press release). New York: PR Newswire. February 13, 2008. Retrieved September 23, 2013.
  32. ^ a b "Top Music Videos". Billboard. Vol. 120, no. 10. March 8, 2008. p. 68.
  33. ^ a b "American video certifications – Christina Aguilera – Back to Basics: Live and Down Under". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved December 14, 2014.
  34. ^ a b "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2011 DVDs" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved December 14, 2014.
  35. ^ "Back to Basics: Live and Down Under | Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved March 22, 2016.
  36. ^ "バック・トゥ・ベーシックス:ライヴ・アンド・ダウン・アンダーDVD". Oricon (in Japanese). Archived from the original on March 4, 2015.
  37. ^ "Swedish Music Chart: Search". Sverigetopplistan. Archived from the original (Enter the keyword "Christina Aguilera" and then click "Sok", search for "Back to Basics – Live and Down Under DVD, Audio/Video Album" and then click "Visa") on May 21, 2013. Retrieved February 10, 2014.
  38. ^ "ARIA Top 50 Music DVDs 2008". ARIA. December 31, 2008. Retrieved July 22, 2013.
  39. ^ "Jaaroverzichten - DVD Music 2008". MegaCharts. Hung Medien. Retrieved July 22, 2013.
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