U.F.O. – Showtime 2005 Concert (HD-DVD/SPV Records)

 

Picture: B     Sound: B     Extras: C+     Concert: B

 

 

When we last looked at the band U.F.O., it was in retrospect, seeing an enduring career that has stood the test of time, especially within their music genre.  That was a DVD a few years ago you can read more about at this link:

 

http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/3292/Too+Hot+To+Handle:+The+Best

 

 

Little did we know that they were planning to do what is one of the first high definition concerts anyone in their field would record, but Showtime 2005 is just that and joins SPV label mate Motorhead as the only other Hard Rock/Heavy Metal band to have an HD-DVD and this also makes this release the last new non-major studio release we are likely to ever review in the format.

 

But let’s not have a moment of silence.  It is a good disc and SPV has created a disc that has great menus, interaction and decent performance.  The songs are as follows:

 

1)     Intro

2)     Mother Mary

3)     When Daylight Goes to Town

4)     I'm a Loser

5)     This Kids

6)     The Wild One

7)     Fighting Man

8)     Only You Can Rock Me

9)     Baby Blue

10)  Mr. Freeze

11)  Love to Love

12)  Too Hot Too Handle

13)  Lights Out

14)  Rock Bottom

15)  Doctor Doctor

16)  Shoot Shoot

 

 

Though not the hardest rocking concert I have ever seen, it is very consistent and the band does give it their best efforts.  Maybe the sound is an issue, but it is decent overall and unique in all the high definition concerts we have seen to date in that it does not have sweeping auto camera shots to a fault, which is a real plus for them.  Too many productions have whittled down their creative it to the level of a bad TV sitcom, but not this shoot or this band.

 

Versus the often rough footage from previous DVD and lesser-format releases, fans should be particularly happy with this show.  HD fans will not have much trouble with it either.

 

 

The 1080p 1.78 X 1 digital High Definition image looks good, but despite no breakup when there is movement, which is an improvement over the usual motion blur, there is still some motion blur.  However, color is consistent, though there are some Video Black issues and detail is not like the best HD-shot concerts to date.  The DTS HD Master Audio (MA) Lossless 5.1 mix is the smoothest of the four soundtracks included here, though it and the Dolby TrueHD 5.1 are not listed on the package.  That is a mistake.

 

Both easily trounce the Dolby Digital 5.1 and 2.0 options (not dubbed Plus, a label that is about to thankfully die) and though the TrueHD has some more punch and bass in the low end, the rest of the mix’s range is not as clear as that of the DTS MA.  That’s a shame, because the performance and Phil Mogg’s vocals fare much better than similar band’s their age.

 

Extras include a Dolby 2.0 Stereo-only “Studio Recordings” segment in which they are on camera performing the following:

 

1)     Pack It Up and Go

2)     Try Me

3)     Love to Love

4)     Slipping Away

5)     Cherry

6)     Profession of Violence

 

 

You also get low-def sub-segments like a “Making of DVD” section, slideshow, discography that has smaller print than it should, Making Of Studio Songs, Rockboat, History interviews, Bonus Statements (interviews), Credits, USA 2004 interviews and a nicely illustrated booklet inside the HD-DVD case with text and colorful graphics on high-quality paper.

 

SPV can also claim the best HD-DVD cases we ever saw, with the logo engraved at the top with the most silver or inking and the sturdiest of cases that might have become a standard if the format had succeeded.  You can read more about the band at www.ufo-music.info

 

 

-   Nicholas Sheffo