Bee Gees - One Night Only (Reissue)

The Bee Gees are one of those groups who seem to get better with age like a fine wine. Ever since the phenomenal worldwide success of the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack they have gone on to become one of the most successful musical acts in history. Selling more than 110 million albums worldwide and scoring 19 #1 hits in a career that has spanned five decades certainly puts them in the same league as The Beatles and U2.

One Night Only is a re-release of the 1997 DVD release of the same name with the addition of a DTS soundtrack. The performance featured is taken from their 1997 One Night Only show in Las Vegas at the MGM Grand and was first featured as a US cable TV special before finding a home on DVD.

There are some 33 songs featured in this performance and what a performance it is. Whether you are an avid fan or casual observer, you cannot help but get wrapped up in the charm and talent that is the Bee Gees. Their catalogue of songs is enough to make any member of The Beatles jealous and it is a joy to hear this repertoire of material during the one performance. The classics such as Stayin' Alive and You Should Be Dancin' are featured, along with hits such as Islands in the Stream and Heartbreaker, and make for a solid two hours of entertainment.

The video is presented in the full screen aspect ratio of 1.33:1 which suits this performance well. A widescreen enhanced 1.85:1 would have made for a much more dynamic presentation, but with such a great performance playing in front of you, this thought quickly leaves. The colours are vibrant and clean, and while this is not the richest presentation in terms of colour, each detail of the Gibb brothers' performance is captured well. The overall image throughout the presentation does seem to be a little soft - too soft for my liking, but this can be attributed to the source material - HBO quality control in 1997 for the purpose of DVD mastering probably wasn't at the forefront of the production team!

The Vari-lite presentation featured during the performance comes up quite well on this release, and while it is not the most intense of lighting presentations it does add all that is needed to frame the Bee Gees' performance. Soft strobes radiate in light blues and lilacs and don't really become too agressive except during uptempo songs like Stayin' Alive and You Should Be Dancin'. Overall a nice presentation.

We are given the options of two soundtracks here, Dolby Digital 5.1 and DTS 5.1.

Both soundtracks deliver a nice open soundfield that puts the viewer in the front seat of the MGM Theatre. The mix is quite front-heavy with the surrounds only used for audience effects and not much else. For a show that was recorded as a TV special four years ago, the mix comes up very nicely.

The new DTS track does hint at a more clean and open mix than the Dolby Digital one, but the difference is so small that upgrading for the sake of the new DTS track probably wouldn't be worth your while if you already have the original release.

A nice 19 minute interview with all three brothers Gibb is the only extra featured on this release, but it is a good interview with the trio recalling various stories from their travels and experiences. Various footage from music videos and movies they have contributed to (Saturday Night Fever being the most noteworthy) is also included as is documentary material taken from their younger days in Australia.

This reissue of the Bee Gees' One Night Only is just in time for Christmas, and does not disappoint. Regardless of whether you are a fan or not, one can't help singing along to the vast catalogue of songs that have made the Bee Gees one of the most successful musical acts of this generation.

So pull on those old flares, gel your hair and pull out your best Travolta moves as the Bee Gees prove why they are still one of the best acts going around.