Ted Nugent - Full Bluntal Nugity
(DVD set & CD version)
Picture: C
Sound: B Extras: C+ Main Program: B- CD version sound: B-
It is hard to believe, but since his days with the
Amboy Dukes, Ted Nugent has been one of Rock’s great survivors for nearly 40
years. Most remarkable is that he has
never abandoned his politically incorrect, Rock-N-Roll ways, now seeming more
extreme than he actually is in the still-politically correct environment we
suffer from.
Full Bluntal Nugity offers
a range for footage from all eras of his career. The main focus of the DVD set is his solo work, but that does not
stop the set from going beyond that.
The main program is split between the two DVDs, running virtually two
hours long, with DVD #1 at 72+ minutes, and DVD #2 at 47:30 minutes. There is even more footage with in the
programs which can be accessed when a stickman/hunter symbol appears in the
lower left hand corner of a given track.
With this, two versions of the same song can be compared. A compact disc under the same title has been
issued separately and features 12 tracks from the 12/31/00 concert the DVD is
based on.
Both discs otherwise
repeat the same exact extras. A
“Special Bonus” option features the Amboy Dukes in a classic performance of
“Journey To The Center Of The Mind” from TV, which has been tinted green for
whatever reason, and is in 5.1 sound.
Unfortunately, that sound is from the old TV mono track. There are bonus performances of the
following songs: “Free For All,” “Wang Dang Sweet Poontang,” ”Cat
Scratch Fever,” “Motor City Madhouse,” and “Fred Bear.” These are all remarkably available with a
DTS sound option, though “Fred Bear” is missing sound in the right
channel. A making of “Caveman” short
just over 3 minutes, extended credits section with more than just crawling
names, www.tednugent.com piece, music video for “Crave,” and an
exceptional discography are also included.
That discography offers each cover to virtually every album Nugent was
key on, then when any of the covers are clicked onto, complete track
information is offered.
The picture is
anamorphic 16 X 9 TV widescreen, but the rest of the material is offered in
various aspect ratios from full screen to 1.66 x 1, which can be expected from
a set so extensively archival. That
averages out the picture quality, though the old filmed footage fares best,
what little there is of it, while the newest videotape is also up there. As for the sound, the DTS is the best choice
for the Rock music, but some of the sources do show their age. This is still a fine effort to present the
sound as best they could. The Dolby
Digital 5.1 and 2.0 stereo options are fair, if lacking the punch of the DTS. The PCM CD 2.0 sound has some of the
fullness the Dolby versions lack, but is not in the same class of the DTS on
the DVD. The DVD does not include any
kind of PCM CD sound.
The performances are
still delivered with the same thrust that Ted has been putting into his
performances for decades, and unlike many other rockers in the business as long
as he has been, he has not softened his stance or gone adult contemporary. Maybe a touch of energy is gone from age and
doing it so long, but that difference is negligible.
Overall, this is an aggressive archival set for
Nugent fans that is more loaded than similar DVD efforts to date. The CD is a convenient, if limited,
sound-only version good for the car stereo or portable CD player. Most enjoyable within the program, as well
as the extras, involves Nugent expressing his ideas about freedom and fun. He is for real about where he is coming from
and makes no secret about his viewpoints.
Whether you agree or not, it is refreshing to see someone speak their
mind, though he says nothing to get in trouble here.
- Nicholas Sheffo
