Midge Ure: Rewind - The Greatest Hits Tour (DVD, 2003)

This DVD, quite simply, is a MUST HAVE for anyone who is a fan of Midge, of Ultravox and of music in general.
Here is one of the best there is pulling out gem after gem and it's a pleasure to be along for the ride!
We are treated to some of the more famous Ure solo songs, from eighties classics "If I Was", "No Regrets" and "Call of The Wild" to nineties greats such as "Breathe", "Move Me", "Alone" and "Monster". On top of that, there's a delightful bevy of the most beloved Ultravox songs. "Hymn", "The Voice", "Dancing With Tears In My Eyes" and "Love's Great Adventure" are joined by a soulful re-wprking of "Lament" and a version of the timeless "Vienna" which includes special guest Russell Watson.
In addition, the extras include videos "Under a Spielberg Sky", acoustic versions and interviews where Midge shares snippets of information about the songs and the circumstances surrounding them.
Though the evening starts with Midge sounding slightly croaky, he soon warms up and his voice hits top form, where it is met by his communicative, melodic and highly underrated guitar playing. Though the band is not quite in the same league as Ultravox themselves, it has to be said that the drumming is superb. Bass and Keys-wise, it's easy to miss Messrs Cross and Currie here, but nevertheless the musicians - on the whole - seem well rehearsed and sensitive to Midge's highly evocative performance throughout.
Top marks for the mix, too. A great balance of the instruments - few concert DVDs achieve this as well as this one, it must be said. I enjoyed the visual approach, too - excellent clarity and it is refreshing to see editing which allows one to view the players and the performance in a relaxed, natural manner. Too many live discs nowadays flash from strange angle to frustratingly brief montage in a vain attempt to be hip and "edgy". This is concert footage the way it SHOULD be done.
Complaints: There seems to be no "Play All" function for the extras. It's a bit annoying to have to keep flicking with the remote as opposed to just sitting back and watching it all - especially if you're multitasking! This slight difference would have made them far more enjoyable. I'd like to have seen more interview footage, too. The clips are tantalizingly terse and it'd be more fulfilling to watch some good long candid footage here.
However, all in all, this is a wonderful concert DVD; a standout which offers some real musical substance to enjoy in today's climate of too much colourful emptiness and definitely well worth buying.
My only regret is that I didn't get two............