Bee Gees: One Night Only Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		1.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		1.5
Overall		2.5

Bee Gees: One Night Only Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman August 21, 2013

To paraphrase a certain famous quote from Cool Hand Luke , “What we have here is not a failure to communicate.” For once in the annals of home entertainment, a label is being completely upfront about releasing upscaled material, even branding their releases as SD Blu-rays. That may seem like a contradiction in terms, but when we’re regularly confronted by even major labels either wittingly or unwittingly putting out upscaled material, at times at least seemingly surprised that anyone even noticed, it’s downright refreshing to have Eagle Rock Entertainment simply state the obvious, so that no real caveat emptor should be required. The real (perhaps some might argue the only) draw on this new line is the lossless audio each features.

This career spanning concert from 1997 was taped at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, but this is not a traditionally glitzy Vegas stage show. The three brothers are rather unadorned here, simply standing on stage and moving through an incredible 33 hits. Wisely, this concert doesn’t merely focus on their post- Saturday Night Fever output, and so we get lovely renditions of some of the early hits, including “New York Mining Disaster 1941” and an especially evocative rendition of “Words”. The disco and post-disco phase is covered here in abundance as well, and there are a couple of great cameos (including some nice members in the audience) that will both delight and touch many viewers.

Bee Gees: One Night Only Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Not all upscales are created equal, as even a cursory comparison between this outing's AVC encoded 1080i offering in 1.78:1 and the simultaneously released Scorpions with the Berliner Philharmoniker: Moment of Glory will show. That may in fact be damning with faint praise, but the fact remains that this Blu-ray doesn't have the rampant, almost nonstop, artifacting that made the other release so problematic. Things surely don't look great here by any stretch, but close-ups look relatively decent, with acceptable color and detail.

Bee Gees: One Night Only Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The lossless audio options on this Blu-ray are Eagle Rock's typical DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and LPCM 2.0, and the good news is, as bad as the video is, the audio will probably more than make up for it, at least for fans who will want to listen more than watch. The 5.1 mix is extremely fluid and full sounding, and even though the Bee Gees tend not to exploit the lower ranges where a 5.1 mix would perhaps offer the most to exploit, there's a great deal of depth and breadth here that really allows the music to breathe, especially when all three brothers are singing harmonies. The rhythm instruments sound bright but not brittle and overall both of these options provide a really nice, full bodied listening experience.

Bee Gees: One Night Only Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Bonus Tracks (1080i; 13:15) include:

  Medley: Heartbreaker/Guilty/Chain Reaction

  How Deep Is Your Love

  Jive Talkin'

• Interview (1080i; 18:59)

Bee Gees: One Night Only Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Give Eagle Rock at least some grudging kudos for having the honesty to not only clearly state that these are upconverts, but to actually brand these releases as such. Certain major and mini-major labels could do well to learn from this tactic. Consumers want to know what they're getting. So with the understanding that the video isn't going to be much to write home about, how is the audio on this release? Excellent.