Got mine last night. I agree - it's tremendous. Based on the LP, I did not think that the level of resolution found on this disc would be attainable. Incredibly clear and punchy, and creative use of the surrounds (on one track, David Thomas' vocal is mixed to the left rear speaker, making it seem as though he sneaked up behind you and started howling in your ear, if you can imagine such a thing). Thomas has always been cranky about vinyl, but he certainly should have no complaints about this disc...
...which brings me to the coolest part. The video content on the DVD side is an interview with Thomas, in all his misanthropic glory. He expounds on his dislikes (punk rock - he says it's "unAmerican" - and long jams) and likes (surround sound, though it's obvious from his comments that he was prepped by a publicist to say nice things about the format - he waxes a little too rhapsodic about how it's the best thing since sliced bread, then admits that he doesn't have surround equipment - "...but I gotta get one of those things.")
Coolest of all is the interview length - over 30 minutes. I was expecting a five minute EPK full of pithy soundbites, but this is a real sitdown, indepth session. He talks about the pre-Ubu days, how the band came together and the various musicians who have drifted in and out of it over the years, including his late co-founder of the band, Peter Laughner); his songwriting style (the band members create the music, and he then listens to a tape to hear the message the music conveys before writing the words); and the so-called Cleveland scene of the mid Seventies.
Though the disc was manufactured in England, the video was NTSC and, apparently, region-free. I haven't put it in my computer to see if it has a PAL version, or what the DVD-ROM extras are - perhaps David Thomas sounds for your computer?
