Review of UB40: Homegrown In Holland Live

Introduction

This is a recording of the band`s December 2003 concert at the Ahoy Arena in Rotterdam. Two hours and forty minutes of the best of UB40. That translates into twenty-two songs:

Present Arms
One In Ten
Keep On Moving
Maybe Tomorrow
So Destructive
Young Guns
Please Don`t Make Me Cry
Someone Like Me
Groovin`
Rudie
Freestyler
Love It When You Smile
I Knew You
Here I Am (Come & Take Me)
Rat In Mi Kitchen
Wear You To The Ball
Red Red Wine
Can`t Help Falling In Love
Food For Thought
The Way You Do The Things You Do
Cherry Oh Baby
Kingston Town

Video

This is an exceptional gig video. A lot of this kind of programme tends to be badly-lit and shot by at best two mobile cameras. "Home Grown In Holland" is the sort of music performance programme I thought tv companies had lost the knack of making. Shot by a large-scale multiple camera setup in anamorphic 16:9, picture quality is excellent. Coverage has obviously been a key part of the planning of the concert, because there`s no impression of the camera crew being there incidentally. Too many concert videos have that air, and consequently the performance in the programme seems second-rate.

Audio

Sound defaults to ordinary DD2.0 stereo, although a powerful DD5.1 mix can be selected.

Features

The concert footage is supported by a track-by-track commentary. There are interviews with the band, behind the scenes footage including "an in-depth look at the roll of the band`s backline crew and wardrobe/stylist." There is also a bonus track of `Swing Low`, filmed at the NEC Birmingham for an audience of members of the England Rugby Team. Martin Johnson and Dorian West of the England World Cup winners rugby team are also interviewed. There is a photo gallery featuring a dozen special images of the band.

Conclusion

What can I say about UB40? What can I say about UB40? Well, frankly not a lot. I`ve heard of them, of course, but I`ve never followed them. It`s mostly got to do with coming from the same era as them - the ironic band name backfired with me. I spent too much of the 1980s clutching a UB40 at the Benefits Office at Burton Buildings to find any humour in the name. In any case I`ve always been into movie music rather than pop (except where the two genres overlap.)

I have to say I`m not particularly into reggae, so I came to this disc with not the highest of expectations. Happily I was proved wrong.