The
Story of UFO: Too Hot To Handle (1969-1993/DVD-Video/Music)
Picture: C
Sound: C Extras: D Film: B
Though they came from the same school of hard rock as Led
Zeppelin and Deep Purple, British rock band UFO never hit it big in the same
way as their early counterparts.
Throughout the 1970's they produced albums and tirelessly worked the
concert circuit. Not only did they
survive into the 80's, they influenced that entire generation of musicians with
their style presence.
Led by singer Phil Mogg and Bassist Pete Way, UFO's sound
was primarily defined by powerful vocals and driving bass riffs. Guitarists came and went over the years, but
the early influence of Michael Schenker cannot be underestimated. Every guitarist who came after him in the
band (Schenker went on to form the Michael Schenker Group and became hailed as
one of the genuine guitar gods of the 80's) simply attempted to follow his
lead.
Originally released on video in 1994, The Story of UFO
does not tell their story so much as act as an appreciation of the band. There are good interviews with Mogg, Way,
and Schenker, as well as clips of other musicians of the era talking about
their influence. The DVD contains a lot
of live clips from across the spectrum of their career; unfortunately, they all
tend to look a lot alike. The track
listing is:
- This
Kids
- Out
In The Street
- Shoot
Shoot
- Come
On Everybody
- Love
To Love
- Doctor
Doctor
- Lettin’
Go
- Mystery
Train
- Lights
Out
- Too Hot To Handle
- Rock Bottom
- Let It Roll
- The Coming Of Prince Kujuku
- Borderline
- Running Up The Highway
- Backdoor Man
- This Kids
The 1.33 X 1 image is older and on the weak side, often
coming from old analog NTSC reel-to-reel 2-inch videotape, something we are now
seeing surface more and more often for music acts in the industries need to
come up with more goodies and great performances by key artists like UFO. In its original VHS edition, it was one of
the earliest such releases. The Dolby
Digital 2.0 sound is simple stereo at best, but background noise and limited
fidelity pervade throughout the playback.
This is an improvement over that VHS release, more durable than that
format for certain.
It's a good collection of music for the fan and a chance
to see live performances by a band that has had little exposure considering
their history. But, the DVD suffers
from bad picture and sound quality. It
looks like you are still watching an old video, and there is an audible hiss
underlying the entire program. There
are no extra features.
- Wayne Wise
Wayne Wise is a native of Southwestern Pennsylvania
currently residing in Pittsburgh. He
has earned a Masters degree in clinical psychology and undergraduate degrees in
psychology and history. He has worked
as a freelance journalist for over ten years.
In 1993, he co-created a comic book called Grey Legacy. In 2002 his first novel, King of Summer,
was published. You can go to www.wayne-wise.com and learn more.
