BUSted: The Definitive DVD (2006)

Take a ride with Alien Ant Farm behind the scenes to see & hear their story of rock success and the moment when they thought they lost it all in a bus crash. Includes a band-produced docuemtnary called "Road to Wreckage" using archival band footage spanning from the early days of their demo sessions to recent footage of the recording of "Up In the Attic." Includes music videos live footage from Germany. Bonus features include Dryden & Mike's video commentary 2 versions of "Movies" and an alternate version of "These Days."Song Titles:Music videos: Smooth Criminal Movies Attitued Sticks and Stones These Days Glow Drifting Apart Forgive & Forget Around the Block She's Only Evil; Live: Courage Summer Sticks and Stones Stranded Whisper Calico Attitude Movies Bug Bytes SS Recognize Wish Smooth Criminal Angel of Death.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: MUSIC DVD/CONCERTS UPC: 602498784594 Manufacturer No: B000675009 Product Description

Music Videos, A Concert And A Lot Of Male Nudity

Being labelled as "The Definitive DVD," Alien Ant Farm's "BUSted" attempts to collect each and every thing Alien Ant Farm related, since their beginnings in 1996, all in one place. From their music videos -- of which, there are plenty -- to the obligatory on-the-road/in-the-studio documentary, to a complete concert, all you could ever want is in this one disc.

"Road To Wreckage" is a lengthy documentary that spans the band's career up until this point. Despite lacking more recent footage (perhaps due to label problems and missing members), this section more than makes up for it, by capturing AAF's early years really well. Unlike most band doc's, however, this one doesn't have much of a narrative or a direction, and mainly feels like a big party -- complete with WAY too much nudity. The mood gets slightly heavy when the group's infamous bus-crash in 2002 is brought up, but not enough to kill the mood. Look out for cameos from James Hetfield (Metallica) and members of 311, Papa Roach (who helped sign the band) and Linkin Park.

"Live In Germany" is a professionally-shot concert captured on February 13, 2002, and as such, it revolves mostly around material from "ANThology." The band does, however, break out a preview for the following album, "TruANT" in "S.S. Recognize" and even busts out the "Spider-Man" inspired tune, "Bug Bytes." As hinted at in the previous documentary, this DVD has been in the works for quite some time, so it's no wonder we don't have a more recent show to watch.

Finally, we have music videos, of which, there are plenty. From the three versions of their first single, "Movies" to "These Days" -- which finds the band performing everywhere, from a Gay Pride Parade to the BET awards -- not a moment is missed. Three videos from the new album, "Up In The Attic," -- "Forgive And Forget," "Around The Block" and "She's Only Evil" -- are extremely low budget and almost seem to be a parody of how obsolete conventional music videos have become.

Overall, it's an excellent little package, with few complaints. First off, maybe it's just my copy, but I could not get the subtitles off. At all. Which means, even during the music videos, I have the band's commentary being spelled out for me on the bottom of the screen. Also, as great as their sense of humor is, it would have been nice to see another side of the band. Regardless though, it's still a trip, and a worthy release. If you want to watch four guys have the time of their lives on the road and you really can't get enough Alien Ant Farm, you'll really dig this DVD. July 31, 2006

A Good Bang For Your Buck

I thought Alien Ant Farm were joking around by calling BUSted a "definitive" DVD, but they kid you not. This DVD (unlike most music DVDs I've watched) is absolutely FILLED with stuff, spanning the band's entire career, even pre-ANThology. The odd part is that it goes for a relatively low price everywhere I've checked. Some concert DVDs go for 35 bucks, but Alien Ant Farm gives you a full concert filmed in Germany, every music video they've made (including unreleased alternate versions and commentary from Dryden and Mike), and a documentary featuring recording sessions, live clips, and lots of footage of the band just kidding around. If you don't like seeing male nudity every 5 minutes, then you might want to skip this part...

Anyway, the DVD is great and is a must-have for any Alien Ant Farm fan. The only reason I give it 4 stars instead of 5 is because it's missing some important television performances that are only hinted at in the documentary, the documentary feels unnecessarily lengthy at times, and Mike's commentary on the videos is almost impossible to hear. The only way you can tell what he's saying is by turning the subtitles on.

So, what specifically is on the DVD? Let me enlighten you...

COMPLETE CONCERT LIVE IN GERMANY:
- Courage
- Summer
- Sticks and Stones
- Stranded
- Whisper
- Calico
- Attitude
- Movies
- Bug Bytes
- S.S. Recognize
- Wish
- Smooth Criminal

MUSIC VIDEOS:
- Smooth Criminal
- Movies (plus 2 alternate versions)
- Attitude
- Sticks and Stones
- These Days (plus an alternate version)
- Drifting Apart
- Forgive and Forget
- Around the Block
- She's Only Evil

ROAD TO WRECKAGE DOCUMENTARY:
- Recording session footage from all 3 albums
- Live clips from ANThology and truANT shows
- Plenty of band "ANTics" and naked Dryden July 26, 2006

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