Urgh! A Music War

Derek Burbidge

Overview

This music documentary presents 30 different performances nonstop, featuring both well-known and lesser-known bands with names that sound like they were picked at random from words thrown into a salad bowl and then mixed at high speed: Pere Ubu, XTC, Wall of Voodoo, Oingo Boingo, Steel Pulse, Surf Punks, 999, UB40, Echo and the Bunnymen, and so forth. The sounds recorded on this documentary are as varied as the names of the bands, and so there is something for everyone here -- at least, everyone enthralled by music as boisterous and eccentric (in some cases) as the nomenclature of the groups themselves.

Product Details

Release Date:	08/04/2009
UPC:	0883316195352
Original Release:	1981
Rating:	R
Source:	Warner Archives
Presentation:	[Wide Screen]
Sound:	[Dolby Digital Stereo]
Language:	English
Time:	2:01:00
Sales rank:	15,811

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

The Police	Performer
Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark	Performer
Chelsea	Performer
Oingo Boingo	Performer
Echo & the Bunnymen	Performer
The Go-Go's	Performer
Dead Kennedys	Performer
Steel Pulse	Performer
Gary Numan	Performer
Joan Jett	Performer
The Cramps	Performer
Devo	Performer
Gang of Four	Performer
X	Performer
UB40	Performer
Surf Punks	Performer

Technical Credits

Derek Burbidge	Director
Michael White	Producer

Editorial Reviews

More a collection of bite-sized musical oddities than a proper movie, Urgh! A Music War is a must-see for fans of late '70s-early '80s new wave music. Director Derek Burbidge unleashes his succession of unusual acts without a narrative spine, preferring to let viewers soak in the unconventional stylings and stagings of 30 bands who helped steer alternative rock music down its current path. For every Police or UB40, there are a half-dozen hidden treasures whose influence is not so obvious. What comes through in spades is how intentionally quirky and unhip many of these bands were, and how that transmogrified into a kind of nerdy cool. The poster boys for this phenomenon are the steadfastly square Devo, but other acts really open eyes in terms of inaccessible and self-involved geek rock. Notably, Gary Numan, who penned the classic "Cars," tools around the stage in a contraption better suited to conveying senior citizens, to further the operatic mystery of his synthesizer music and blend in with the flashing lasers. Klaus Moni adds kabuki makeup and cabaret trappings to his number, while the only way Cramps lead singer Lux Interior manages to keep his leather pants from falling down is by stumbling around the stage. For those looking to be grounded in something familiar -- well, this movie may not be for you. But the Police do come through at the end with a rousing rendition of "Roxanne," led by a boyish Sting. Watch also for Oingo Boingo singer Danny Elfman in the days before he became Tim Burton's personal soundtrack composer.

All Movie Guide