This DVD is a weird one to describe as it explains the band’s history a little bit, detailing how all of it came together to make one of the best live records of the 70s; namely Strangers In The Night by UFO.  Add to that, the only member of the classic line-up involved in the video is bassist Pete Way, so you are really only getting his perspective from the band’s point of view.  There are other critics that make their opinions known (Malcolm Dome is the only one I recognize), but the live footage sprinkled in between the interviews is where the real “meat and potatoes” lie in this DVD.

I have read probably every book on the band that exists, so there wasn’t much new information revealed that I didn’t already know but to the novice fan, this is a great introduction to the group that focuses on their “classic” period culminating in Strangers In The Night.  By the time of the album’s release, UFO were a well-oiled machine, and the interviews go through the previous releases stating why the tracks that make up the live record belong on that release.    You may not agree with everything said since they are opinions, but the reasons behind the decisions are solid. 

Again, that being said, the live footage is where the focus should be and even with all the early footage provided, we can see a band that gave it all on stage.  Not all of the clips are complete during this section, so the creators of this DVD did the smart thing and included all the unedited versions as bonus material.  “Boogie For George” shows the band in their psychedelic jam-band phase, while the next four tracks show the more song-oriented rock band era with Michael Schenker on guitar.  These live tracks come from Don Kirshner's Rock Concert where the band performed in front of a very tame audience.  “Give Her the Gun” and “Space Child” are included here, but are not on Strangers In The Night, so I guess they wanted to show the whole Rock Concert segment.  The final bonus track is a video of “Only You Can Rock Me,” which I believe is the only produced video from the Schenker-era.  Since there isn’t much out there on UFO, I wholeheartedly recommend this DVD if only for the bonus live section.

This review is available in book (paperback and hardcover) form in Music Street Journal: 2024  Volume 1 More information and purchase links can be found at: garyhillauthor.com/Music-Street-Journal-2024.