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1.48am
8 November 2012
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Inspired by this post, I thought I’d start a thread to share music videos that made an impact on us – either personally or culturally. They can be ones you love, ones you hate, ones you thought were just interesting. I was an 80s kid, so music videos made a direct impact on my music listening experience.
So, I’ll start by posting my favorite video of all time – Herbie Hancock’s “Rockit.” It was weird and creepy… but not so much it was nightmarish. It was just so freaking cool, and I asked if we could buy Future Shock. I remember one of my father’s friends being surprised to hear I liked Herbie Hancock, and my father said, “Well, he’s making music for the kids now.” LOL.
Also, I’m x-posting this video by Yes for “Leave It.” I remember being blown away by this video when I was a kid. Not only were the effects amazing, but they looked so elegant in their suits:
I have a feeling a lot of the videos I’ll be sharing will be from the 80s, so I’ll be looking forward to anything people want to share from other decades.
Edit: This thread has the potential to become a slow page-loader. So I just ask that if you quote someone else’s post, please avoid quoting the video URL. Von Bontee had the idea of using spoiler tags around an embedded videos, so I’ll be using that most of the time.
parlance
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Starr Shine?, vonbontee, Von Bontee2.28am
8 November 2012
Offline I just realized that a factor binding the two videos above is that they were both directed by Godley & Creme.
They were a rock duo who are possibly more known for the music videos they directed than the music they created. Nowadays, music video directors have an immediately recognizable style, and often their videos become too samey. Godley and Creme’s videos overall, however, were impressively visually diverse.
I didn’t want Beatley videos to be the main focus of this thread, but you’ll know them for directing “Real Love“:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7HGfhl65tWc
and George’s “When We Was Fab:
Other videos Godley & Creme directed that I loved as a kid were:
* Duran Duran’s “A View to a Kill.” It was that video that made me a Durannie, in fact:
Also – and it’s not one I count as a favorite by a long shot – they directed the infamous video for Duran’s “Girls on Film”:
(including the very NSFW version. We won’t talk about that one. 
)
* Sting’s “If You Love Someone Set Them Free.” It was another trippy one that intrigued me nonetheless:
* Go West’s “We Close Our Eyes.” I jokingly called it the Oscar statuette video:
* Wang Chung’s “Everybody Have Fun Tonight.” Silly song, but a great (if seizure-inducing) video:
The irony is that I hated the video they directed for their own song, “Cry.” It doesn’t help that I wasn’t fond of the song:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KxtPRF6NG7I
parlance
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Starr Shine?4.25am
14 December 2009
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Lord, if this thread becomes popular, it’ll take an hour to load on my piece-o-crap laptop!
I’m only a bit older than parlance, so the ’80s video boom loomed large over my adolescence too. I was bothered by them in theory (’cause you know it should be all about the MUSIC, man, not the makeup/hairspray/editing etc.) but yeah, several of them did make a big personal impact. This one I saw no more than 3 or 4 times total around 1984-5 during the early days of Canada’s MuchMusic channel but I never forgot it. Dizzying! (And look for the WTC towers)
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parlancePaul: Yeah well… first of all, we’re bringing out a ‘Stamp Out Detroit’ campaign.
4.33am
8 November 2012
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Thanks for posting that, Von Bontee. I’ve never seen that one. I like the camerawork and editing.
The music video boom happened right when I was finally allowed to listen to pop music, so I think that’s why music and image often go hand in hand for me.
Yeah, maybe I won’t embed videos in this thread. I just liked the fact you can get that thumbnail when you do.
Edit: Spoiler tag, that’s a great idea.
parlance
4.46am
Reviewers
17 December 2012
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There is no greater video than this. It can still bring tears to my eyes. Audio ain’t as great as it could, but this about images more than audio quality – the audio’s good enough, and the visuals are devastating (and this was the only full-screen version I could find):
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parlance, Von Bontee, Necko"I only said we were bigger than Rod... and now there's all this!" Ron Nasty
To @ Ron Nasty it's @ mja6758
The Beatles Bible 2020 non-Canon Poll Part One: 1958-1963 and Part Two: 1964-August 1966
4.52am
14 December 2009
Offline Ok, I won’t deny that in my teens I liked this one a lot too (Annabella + hormones). But it’s interesting that you could, if you want, draw a direct line from many of the techniques used here to their origins in “Help !”
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parlance, Starr Shine?Paul: Yeah well… first of all, we’re bringing out a ‘Stamp Out Detroit’ campaign.
5.14am
8 November 2012
Offline Thanks, Ron Nasty. That video touches me too.
Von Bontee, oddly enough, I’d never seen that video. The area of Chicago where I lived didn’t get cable as quickly as other cities (political wrangling over the carriers, as I recall), so no MTV. I tended to watch the more mainstream shows like “Friday Night Videos,” and a local show on a UHF channel called “MV60,” and I don’t remember either of those showing Bow Wow Wow.
I dig it, but I’m not sure I would have liked it when I was a kid. I had an aversion to low budget videos, which seems funny to me as an adult. I haven’t even thought of this until now. I usually didn’t like them if they were clearly videotaped instead of filmed. I guess I needed a cinematic element to enjoy them.
And one time, I tuned into an LA-based show called “MV3,” and they showed Bow Wow Wow’s “Do You Wanna Hold Me”:
And I was turned off instantly. I didn’t get it, and it was too chaotic. As an adult, I appreciate it as a commentary on consumerism, and the student video aesthetic seems fun now. So it’s possible that “I Want Candy” was playing on the shows I watched, but I may have switched channels due to my initial revulsion. I know I avoided “MV3” after that.
Edit: “I Want Candy” was directed by Steve Kahn, and “Do You Wanna Hold Me” was directed by Bill Henderson.
parlance
5.33am
14 December 2009
Offline parlance, I think it’s so awesome that you have an opinion on the film-vs.-video (I’m a video supporter too!), but I guess it’s natural considering that you’re a visual artist. I just have kind of a hardware-fetish regarding those old-school first wave (and early second-wave?) video effects, from the kind pioneered on the rock tv shows in the psych era all the way up to & including that Yes video you posted. And yeah, those old videos shot on film don’t seem to be too well-preserved in many cases. Anyway, I’m sure the Belfegore vid would look better on a big screen rather than all youtube-pixilated. (Hey apparently David Fincher used this song in his “…Dragon Tattoo” film!)
I’d never seen “Do You Wanna Hold Me” before now – you’re right, it’s not great. (Song or video) I did like the way the guitar solo was spotlighted, though, and it’s always nice to see the Pink Panther!
Never seen the Johnny Cash before, that was quite nice. (Didn’t realize it was a NIN song til just now!) Both Johnny and June Carter dead within a year.
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parlancePaul: Yeah well… first of all, we’re bringing out a ‘Stamp Out Detroit’ campaign.
11.02am
Reviewers
Moderators
1 May 2011
Online I think its sweet that one couldn’t and didnt want to live without the other, well thats how i look at it. Johnny and June were very devoted to each other.
havent heard ‘I Want Candy’ for years. For some reason reminds me of Buddy Holly’s ‘Brown-Eyed Handsome Man’ – i think its the drums and the guitar fills.
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vonbontee"I told you everything I could about me, Told you everything I could" ('Before Believing' - Emmylou Harris)
10.32pm
8 November 2012
Offline Von Bontee said
parlance, I think it’s so awesome that you have an opinion on the film-vs.-video (I’m a video supporter too!), but I guess it’s natural considering that you’re a visual artist.
I’ve become more aware ever since I went back to school for photography. Beforehand – particularly when I was a kid – it felt like I was overanalyzing. Today, I started a class in cinematography, so I’ll get to know other visual nerds.
But I’m in awe of what these filmmakers managed to accomplish in the days before digital.
parlance
11.17pm
8 November 2012
Offline Another favorite trippy video that was ahead of its time – Hyperactive by Thomas Dolby. The only version I could find was at muzu.tv, so no embedding.
The video was directed by Daniel Kleinman, known for directing not only music videos, but title sequences for the James Bond series. From Wikipedia:
Prior to Bond, Kleinman had directed music videos for artists such as Madonna, Fleetwood Mac, Paula Abdul, Simple Minds, Wang Chung, Adam Ant and many others. His 1989 James Bond-inspired video for Gladys Knight’s title song to Licence to Kill led to him being chosen as the replacement for regular Bond title designer Maurice Binder after his death in 1991. In addition to the titles, Kleinman also directed the music video for Sheryl Crow’s Tomorrow Never Dies title song.
parlance
3.37pm
8 November 2012
Offline In honor of George’s birthday, here are the two versions of I’ve Got My Mind Set on You. I always liked the first more than the second since we don’t get Cheesy Fake George doing somersaults in that one.
Both videos were directed by Gary Weis, who directed short films for Saturday Night Live. From Wikipedia:
In the 1980s, he married Kathryn Ireland, a future decorator star of the Bravo reality-television series Million Dollar Decorators. Together, the two “conceptualized” music videos for Toto’s “Without Your Love,” The Bangles’ “Walk Like an Egyptian”, Paul Simon’s “You Can Call Me Al” and others. They have since divorced.
And just for the heck of it, someone sync’d Weird Al’s parody to the second video (editing gets clunky at the end, but really funny at the beginning)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tI4oRt7PLnc
parlance
4.52pm
Members
18 March 2013
Offline I remember George said in an interview before that people came up to him and asked him “did you actually do the backflip in the video?”
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parlance
INTROVERTS UNITE! Separately....in your own homes!
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Make Love, Not Wardrobes!
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"Stop throwing jelly beans at me"- George Harrison
7.57pm
8 November 2012
Offline Today, I want to focus on the work of Michael Patterson and Candace Reckinger, names unbeknownst to me until, um, a few minutes ago. But most likely you’ve all seen at least one of their videos.
Inspired by this discussion, I started listening to Sting’s Nothing Like the Sun. And I remembered the video for “Be Still My Beating Heart” striking a chord:
And then I remembered it bore a resemblance to the video for Suzanne Vega’s “Luka.”
And I figured there was a good chance they had the same directors. And yes, they were directed by the afore-mentioned duo. I looked them up at Wikipedia, and I was excited to find that they did the groundbreaking video for a-ha’s “Take On Me”!
^^ If you watch only one video from this post, watch this one. It was a defining visual media moment of the 1980s. It also inspired a pretty funny “Family Guy” parody.
It’s not surprising that Patterson was involved given his animation background (and he still teaches at USC). Film buffs might recognize that the end was inspired by Altered States (warning: horror-like images that I wouldn’t even watch today).
They also directed the video for Paula Abdul’s “Opposites Attract,” (another “Family Guy” target):
According to Wikipedia:
The couple also directed videos for Sting (‘Be Still My Beating Heart’), Suzanne Vega (‘Luka’), Roy Orbison, Wilson-Phillips, Ian Hunter, Edie Brickell and the New Bohemians, and Go West among others.
I think it’s sad that the pioneers behind the scenes during the music video boom have been largely forgotten, and I hope to highlight them more here.
parlance
12.23am
Reviewers
4 February 2014
Offline I just really love this video! Especially Stewart Copeland playing a chair and a little cymbal.
There are definitely cooler music videos, better by The Police even, but this one’s just fun to watch and a great song.
12.36am
8 November 2012
Offline6.12am
11 November 2010
Offline Here’s a funny semi-Beatle-related one. Back in 2007, The Smithereens did a song-by-song cover album of Meet The Beatles called Meet The Smithereens and this was the video released. It’s a shot-by-shot recreation of an Ed Sullivan Show performance with the Smithereens as Beatles bobbleheads.
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parlance, Von BonteeI'm Necko. I'm like Ringo except I wear necklaces.
I'm also ewe2 on weekends.
Most likely to post things that make you go hmm... 2015, 2016, 2017. 
6.21am
8 November 2012
Offline8.56am
14 December 2009
Offline I always liked this one, fantastic lighting
Paul: Yeah well… first of all, we’re bringing out a ‘Stamp Out Detroit’ campaign.
11.43pm
8 November 2012
Offline I introduced this animated video for Was (Not Was)’s “Dad I’m in Jail” to a couple of teenagers for creative inspiration. They went nuts over it. It makes me proud to keep the 80s spirit alive. :-‘)
Animated by Christoph Simon, who, according to Wikipedia also created other videos for the group, “What Up Dog?” and “Earth to Doris.”
parlance
