videojukebox

Black And White: Mercury Rev v's Don Henley

noreply@blogger.com (beelzebubby) — Sat, 15 Sep 2007 05:44:00 +0000

Theres always a risk when shooting in Black and White that the music video may come across as a bit of a wank. I'm thinking here mainly of these Boy Bands and Hair Bands that seem to think that if they shoot a portion of their clip in Black and White then someone might actually take them seriously for once.
Black and White like all artistic devices should only be used when it actually adds something to the clip.
The best Black and White music video that I have seen is undoubtedly the clip by Mercury Rev for their brilliant song Opus 40.

The other is of course the classic 'Boys Of Summer' By Don Henley. I dont care what anyone says. Its a great clip and a great song.

The Art Of Appropriation (Body Magic v's Escort)

noreply@blogger.com (beelzebubby) — Mon, 03 Sep 2007 11:59:00 +0000

Usually a good way to make a video is to take existing video image and re-cut it for your own use, thus reinventing its context and sometimes adding an interesting or amusing twist.
The two best music videos I have seen which adopt this technique are Body Magic by Javier Alberto Morales which makes use of some quite daggy 80's Dance TV show footage.

The other which cleverly appropriates footage from the Muppet Show is the music video for All Through The Night By Escort (I think)

Cassius (The Sound of Violence) V's Jutsice - D.A.N.C.E

noreply@blogger.com (beelzebubby) — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 11:28:00 +0000

Theres something about the French at the moment. Some of the best electronic music is coming out of there and with it some of the best music videos. A couple of examples are Cassius with The Sound of Violence . I love this clip because it starts of very naturalistic with stop motion photography through a field and woods, but as the clip progresses things become more abstracted and virtual..Kind of like a history of Art really or mans demise maybe.

The other clip which is a little more recent is the clip for Justice D.A.N.C.E. Amazingly well done clip particularly when you consider how hard it is to motion track and comp animation onto a T shirt.

Gnarles Barkley (Crazy)

noreply@blogger.com (beelzebubby) — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 11:14:00 +0000

I guess the 3 things you need for a great music video are 1st, a great song to work with. 2, a great concept or idea and 3, great execution. You dont have to go any further then Gnarles Barkleys clip for Crazy. Such a great idea to have animated ink blotches for a song about being crazy and all done so well. My favourite clip of 2006 easily.

Michel Gondry

noreply@blogger.com (beelzebubby) — Wed, 22 Aug 2007 06:36:00 +0000

Michel Gondry is an amazing Music video director. he just has such an incredible and unique imagination, and the short form of the music video has proven to be a wonderful outlet for his visions.
He's moved on to feature film now and for my mind hasn't quite nailed it yet, although Eternal Sunshine of The Spotless Mind was brilliant. But personally I just get the feeling that soon a script is going to come along for Gondry which will be well suited to his visual style and when that happens the results will no doubt be incredible.
The thing that I particularly like about Gondry is that he is film maker who's firmly rooted in the tradition of cinema that does not shy away from it origins in the old time nickelodeons and optical illusions of the sideshow. A tradition which found its genesis as cinema through the work of Melies, (see my post on Smashing Pumpkins).
The fact that Gondry like Melies is French might suggest that its a French tradition particularly when you throw into the mix directors with such rich visual styles such as Marc Caro, Jean-Pierre Jeunet and Luc Besson.
But at the heart of all Gondrys work it seems is this kind of youthful enthusiasm for the optical illusion and the magic of cinema and all that makes possible.
The amazing thing about Gondry is that he chooses to do most of his tricks in camera rather then relying on CG. This no doubt just ads to his unique visual style.
I love this...For me Ive always been much more impressed by the magicians who use incredible sleight of hand rather then relying on the spectacle of fancy light shows and pyrotechnics.
No where is this more evident then in his clip for Let Forever Be by the Chemical Brothers. Which for the record is my Number 1 favourite music video of all time. Ive watched this clips so many times and each time I'm just blown away by just how complex the clip is visually. I think its the best music video ever made.

The other thing that Gondry does which I really like, is that in a lot of his clips he represents the music visually. Star Guitar is a classic example of this where the passing elements of a train journey come to represent an instrument or sound in the song. For instance a passing suspension bridge = the snare drum and so on.

The White Stripes

noreply@blogger.com (beelzebubby) — Sun, 19 Aug 2007 02:36:00 +0000

The White Stripe are another band who consistently do great clips. This really is due in large part no doubt to their association with Michel Gondry, who in my opinion is easily the best music video director ever.
In fact the first time I took notice of The White Stripes was when I saw the clip for Dead leaves and The Dirty Ground. It's just such a great concept to show two stories simultaneously within a clip and the way it is realized by using projection on the walls is amazing. Gondry really is a master illusionist.

My other favourite clip for the white Stripes is the one for 7 Nation Army. Its another Gondy clip which is just done brilliantly (very hypnotic). Mind you I reckon it would be every music video directors dream to be given a song this good. I reckon Gondry actually copied the Clockwork Orange Poster with regards to the triangular form of the composition of the clip.

Radiohead

noreply@blogger.com (beelzebubby) — Tue, 14 Aug 2007 02:26:00 +0000

For me personally theres a path of Rock n Roll appreciation that goes Beatles to Pink Floyd to Radiohead. I think in terms of innovation and originality you just cant go past these bands whether you love them or hate them. Personally I love them all. They're certainly not bands I listen to all the time. But in 50 years from now like The Beatles you can bet that Radioheads albums will still be selling, because they are classics with a depth to them that enables you to keep coming back and listening to them again and again.
Radiohead have done some great clips but I reckon my favourite is the clip they did for the 'There There' video..Its all done as a stop frame animation and has a kind of Wind in the Willows feel to it..Not sure who animated it, so if anyone knows post a comment below.

My other favourite Radiohead clip is the one that was done for 'Go To Sleep'. I cant begin to tell you how well this clip is done. I particularly love the way the camera is animated though.

Rage Against The Machine

noreply@blogger.com (beelzebubby) — Mon, 13 Aug 2007 04:30:00 +0000

Ive often read stuff thats been written about the Sex Pistols and how 'Anarchy in the UK' when heard for the first time in the 70's just stopped you dead in your tracks. the line 'I am an antichrist' just resonated because it was like nothing that had ever been heard before and once heard meant that things wouldn't quite be the same again.
the Sex pistols were before my time but a song that came close to having this type of impact for me was Rage Against The Machines, 'Killing In The Name Of'.
I remember I was painting a bath room and was listening to JJJ radio station. Whoever the DJ was must of put the unrestricted extended version on by mistake....the song just made me stop and listen because it sounded so powerful and genuine....If the song had ended with the usual radio friendly edit it would of been amazing, but then came a momentary lull before a slow build up to the reprise. An entire verse where the only lyrics being screamed out with an intensity like he really really really meant it were:

'F*%ck You I wont do what you tell me'

'F*%ck You I wont do what you tell me'

'F*%ck You I wont do what you tell me'

'F*%ck You I wont do what you tell me'

So simple, but hearing that being blasted out across the nation was like suddenly having this weight being lifted, because someone had finally said what it seemed like everyone had been thinking but didn't have the guts to say up until that point.
So from that point I became a bit of a Rage Against The Machine fan. My two favourite clips are 'Renegades of Funk'.....Just an awesome cover and an awesome clip showing what can be done with stock footage.

The other clip which I love, which I believe was done in part with Mike Moore was the clip for 'Sleep Now in The Fire'. Love the game show aspect.

Nine Inch Nails & Johnny Cash

noreply@blogger.com (beelzebubby) — Fri, 10 Aug 2007 10:45:00 +0000

I love the clip for Gave Up by Nine Inch Nails..this video was released before they became really big and I always loved it for the intro. its just a peaceful suburban setting perhaps early on a Sunday morning. But all is not what it seems because hidden away in a basement is a bunch of freaks just going for it, as if the dark underbelly of America is always lurking just below the surface. After this NIN and industrial metal took off. Check out an early Marilyn Manson on backing vocals and bass,

Johnny Cash actually did a cover of a Nine Inch Nails song called Hurt. Its a great cover and a great video that makes use of some archival footage. It was directed by Mark Romanek and not long after its release Johnny Cash passed away.

Pearl Jam V's Fat Boy Slim

noreply@blogger.com (beelzebubby) — Fri, 10 Aug 2007 06:55:00 +0000

Ive put Pearl Jams clip for Do The Evolution and Fat Boys Slims clip for Right Here Right Now together because in a way they're similar clips in that they both deal with the evolution of man. Both cover a massive amount of time in around 3 minutes taking us on a visual journey through our evolution...Pearl Jams is amazingly animated.

whilst Fat Boy Slims uses more CGI.. Needles to say I think they're both incredible clips.

The Smashing Pumpkins

noreply@blogger.com (beelzebubby) — Fri, 10 Aug 2007 02:44:00 +0000

OK The Smashing Pumpkins did one of my all time favourite clips for their song Tonight Tonight. The look and the production are amazing not too mention the quality of the song. its also my favourite because its references George Melies A Trip to The Moon.
For those of you who don't know, Georges Melies was one of the founding fathers of cinema. He was the first guy to really use film to create fantasy and narrative based movies drawing upon his incredible imagination and love of illusion and magic.

If you want to watch the original Melies film here it is.

Red Hot Chili Peppers

noreply@blogger.com (beelzebubby) — Thu, 09 Aug 2007 23:30:00 +0000

The Red Hot Chili Peppers have always done great clips..They're always so full of movement and vitality...For me one of their most memorable was the clip for Give It Away.. For some reason its just burned into the brain. I guess a lot of a clips job is just to cut through visually so that you always remember it above all the other clips and visual noise thats out there....Give it away certainly did that....I don't know what it is but theres something about seeing someone covered head to toe in gold paint that just triggers a nerve. Ask someone what the most memorable scene in all the James Bond films were, and at the top of the list will be the scene with the dead woman in Gold Finger covered head to toe in Gold.

My favourite Red Hot Chili Peppers clip though was a reasonably recent one for Zephyr. Its the type of clip that just makes everyone stop and watch when its on TV. kaleidoscopes are alway good.

Nirvana

noreply@blogger.com (beelzebubby) — Thu, 09 Aug 2007 10:52:00 +0000

So we get out of the 80's and bam! Nirvana burst onto the scene with Nevermind. I'm not going to go on about the whole Nirvana thing but it goes without saying that the clip to Smells Like Teen Spirit was just and absolute classic. The way it just captures the energy of the song is fantastic....It just blew everything away on the TV at the time...And I still think the shot where the camera slowly pans over the cheerleader with the anarchy sign on her top is the sexiest thing ever on a music video.
But in some ways I actually preferred the In Bloom video. there was just a lot more going on with it. It really is quite a subversive video.

As good as that clip was, for me my absolute favourite Nirvana clip and one of my all time favourite clips is Heart Shaped Box. just the saturation of the colours (I heard they shot it in black and white then digitally recoloured it), and the whole esoteric nature of the imagery just blew me away.

Madonna

noreply@blogger.com (beelzebubby) — Thu, 09 Aug 2007 05:10:00 +0000

My last Blog was about Kate Bush at the end of the 80's going into the early 90's. I guess if your going to talk about successful female artists and music videos, then you cant go past Madonna.
Not that I'm a huge fan or anything but I just find her interesting from the perspective of being a visual artist. Each year she had a new look and a new image which she sold through her clips. Basically she just released a new model of herself each year..Not dissimilar to the way a manufacturer will release a new model of their product, be it a car or whatever.
I think for this reason she is a really interesting Artist and I would have no problem in drawing parallels between her and say someone like Andy Warhol.
having Said all that probably my favourite clip of hers came much later in her career with the video for Ray of Light. Again just a simple idea done really well.

I also really like the clip she did for Drowned World/Substitute for Love. The bar scene with the distorted faces is done so well. had a couple of nights out on the town like that myself

Kate Bush

noreply@blogger.com (beelzebubby) — Thu, 09 Aug 2007 03:54:00 +0000

Almost finished with the 80's, but before I do I have to mention Kate Bush. Musically and visually she was always really interesting. One clip that she did that always stood out for me was the video for Cloudbusting, not just because it is such a good song but because the clip is based on the life of Wilhelm Reich . For those of you who don't know who he his, you should look him up...Basically he had some fairly radical ideas on energy manipulation. The clip focuses on his attempts to manipulate the atmosphere to cause rain. In the end he was investigated by the US FDA...Some would say persecuted as they not only through him in jail but dismantled most of his experiments before finally burning around 6 tonnes of his books and note books. He died in custody in 1957.

The Other Kate Bush Clip I like is her clip for Rubber Band Girl. Mainly for the song but also for the way she seems so willing to just put herself out there and give her all.

A Couple More

noreply@blogger.com (beelzebubby) — Thu, 09 Aug 2007 01:07:00 +0000

Theres a couple more clips that stand out in my memory from the 80's. the first was Tom Petty's Clip for "Don't Come Around Here No More". I just really liked the Alice in Wonderland theme and Dave Stewart sitting atop a giant mushroom.

The other clip was "Small Town Boy" by Bronski Beat. I always considered myself a bit of a Mod growing up (you know combat jacket UK Flag on the back)....And for a long time I thought this clip was about a Mod getting into a scuffle at a swimming pool with some Rockers, then being chased down by them on their motor bikes. it wasn't until much later that a friend of the family pointed out what now seems so obvious....Should of realized Mods don't sing with such high pitched voices.

The Cure

noreply@blogger.com (beelzebubby) — Thu, 09 Aug 2007 00:44:00 +0000

In my last Blog about the Police's music videos I mentioned about how sometimes not having a budget isn't such a bad thing sometimes. In the end all you really need for a good clip like most things is a good idea. To me the Cure have always made good clips right from their early days because they always had good ideas and were so creative. Boys Don't Cry is a classic!

Of course once they had a lot more money to spend, their clips were still awesome because they were just so creative and talented..Lullaby is one of my favourite Cure Songs and one of my all time favourite clips....Love the make up.

The Police

noreply@blogger.com (beelzebubby) — Wed, 08 Aug 2007 20:53:00 +0000

A clip very similar in some sense to Duran Duran Wild Boys in that it that it seems to have this theme of an Apocalyptic wasteland going on, was the Polices Synchronicity II. In fact like Wild Boys, I always assumed this clip was directed by Russell Mulcahy as well. In writing this Blog however I discovered that it was in fact directed by Kevin Godley & Lol Creme of all people. Another couple of names synonymous with 80's pop.

I've always been a bit of a fan of the Police and its interesting to compare the 80's excess of this clip to their early clips where they had no budget and just didn't give a stuff. In some ways they are the best.... Limited budgets are sometimes good...Oh we need a clip for 'Walking on the Moon'....Ok heres the idea your in an apocalyptic wasteland it costs a million dollars and Stuart is perched precariously atop a massive drum stack...Narh how about we just swing by the Kennedy Space Centre and we get Stuart to bang his sticks on the thrusters of a giant rocket like its a drum. If it's sunny we can all wear funky sunglasses.

Wild Boys

noreply@blogger.com (beelzebubby) — Wed, 08 Aug 2007 14:52:00 +0000

Well my last Blog entry was about Queen and how Radio Ga Ga just always stood out in my mind, because it was such a lavish clip. But for sheer spectacle (forgetting Michael Jackson's Thriller which really was the Godfather of the music video spectacular), you cant go past "Wild Boys", by Duran Duran. Directed by Russell Mulcahy (the king of Pop videos in the 80's). This clip was like a major event that you came home early from school for. There were making of documentaries and like a 15 minute story line before the clip actually played. The storyline was about some apocalyptic wasteland (a la Mad Max). It made no sense but then neither did the 80's.

Queen

noreply@blogger.com (beelzebubby) — Wed, 08 Aug 2007 13:12:00 +0000

Well seeing as this is my first Blog entry I figured I should really go back to the start. Queen was the first band I really got into as a kid, and whilst I know Queens Bohemian Rhapsody is generally considered to be the birth of the modern day music video.

I don't really remember it (bit before my time). For me though the video that always comes to mind is Radio Ga Ga. It was like the mid 80's and the music videos had evolved into lavish spectacles. Video had indeed killed the radio star.. Quite ironic really that the song was actually anti video/image.

"So Stick around because we might miss you. When we grow tired of all this vision"