Music Videos with Dave Christy and Melanie Newton

Welcome to our Thursday Music Feature! Today Dave and Melanie are talking about Music Videos!

Be sure to let us know what you think in the comments!

Dave - The Buggles seemed to have ushered in a new age with the first video to hit the MTV airwaves "Video Killed the Radio Star". That wasn't really the beginning though, was it? Occasionally I'd see classic videos from Black Sabbath, Jimi Hendrix and the like that were basic performance clips with colorful, trippy backgrounds that always made me ask the question "Why?". There was no MTV back then. Why were they made? What were they played on?

Melanie - So I can actually answer this one. Music videos has actually been around for many years before MTV. From the first known attempt in 1895 where Edison had slides of dancers next to a violinist, (which was lost for many years), through the 50's and 60's where performances or videos were made to play on shows where the band was unable to have a live performance, until the 1970s where a show from Australia actually had shows for teens that only played music videos - a format that made it to the USA in 1978 (3 years before MTV would launch) with Video Concert Hall which played several hours of music videos every day on the USA Network with no host

Dave - That all brings us to today’s topic-- the evolution of the music video.  There are varying opinions about which style is preferred. Some just like to see the band playing. Personally, I find those a little basic. I like to see something a little different but I do like it be from the band. It's their song, it should be their vision not the director’s vision of the song. 

​One of the first innovators of the music video has to be Michael Jackson and what he did with "Thriller". He made that like it was a mini-movie. Plot, make-up, choreography, special effects. That had everything! Going in the opposite direction we have Peter Gabriel who also went all out to make a different style of video with songs like "Sledgehammer" and "Big Time" using stop motion and Claymation. At the time, it was state of the art technology but still we rarely see videos like that now. MTV even acknowledged the importance of the video and the directors when it added the directors name to the info on the screen at the beginning and end of the videos in the very early 90's. 

Melanie - I remember waiting up to see the premiere of Thriller! I was on vacation in the Isle of Wright with my parents and there just hadn't been anything like it before. As you said Dave, it was literally a mini movie - complete with everything that went with it. I remember the Claymation videos too - as MTV was a lot rarer in the UK a video like that often really influenced chart positions because one of the ways that you were guaranteed to get to see it was if it was number 1. Then music shows like Top of The Pops would have to play it! Star Trekkin was a perfect example of that!

 I totally get what you were saying with the band performances versus an actual story type video.  Whilst I will confess that seeing the video now of Bon Jovi flying up out of the stage at a concert never ceases to make me smile - there is no video for me that can beat out the story version of November Rain. I remember sitting for hours waiting for this to be shown and would watch it every time. For me it is one of the best examples of how a video can elevate a song so much. I even owned the VHS "Making The F*cking Video Part 2" which was the story behind it. (Part 1 was the song Don't Cry - which is also great but for me has nothing on November Rain. Plus I wanted that wedding dress!!!) 

Dave - Metallica is one band that swore they'd never make a video. But times have changed-- a lot apparently. They did stand by this oath for a while. It wasn't until their 4th album that they finally made a video for "One" incorporating footage from the movie "Johnny Got His Gun" complete with dialog from the film. In the coming years, they would often go for something a bit different, a little more artistic in their approach to making videos. With their most recent studio effort "Hardwired to Self-Destruct", they even made a video for every song on the record upon its release. However, they are not the first band to do this. When Butcher Babies released "Take it Like a Man", they made performance videos for every song. Metallica's approach was a little different though.

Melanie - That was definitely a different approach than bands in the UK had. Maybe it was a budget thing? I can't think of any UK bands that had music videos for every track - it was pretty much just the singles they were releasing and occasionally the "live" versions where footage was taken from actual concerts - which was a throwback to when that was pretty much the standard.

​And I can't have an article about music videos without a mention of Rock DJ by Robbie Williams! This convtroversial video had 2 versions - the generally accepted one that was played regularly - and the full length more graphic one which was only available to watch after 10pm.  Emily loved this so much that we actually ended up with the DVD - somehow - still not quite sure how that happened!

 So while I am on that topic - we had a TV Station like MTV in the UK called "The Box". It didn't have VJ's, instead you called in and used an automated system to request the video you wanted and it was added to the queue. Which sounds great ..... but if you wanted to watch the uncut Robbie video you were generally out of luck. Call before 10pm and the video was automatically added as the family freindly version. Call after 10pm- and it would depend how many songs were ahead before it could possibly come on - and once the 5am threshold hit all requests reset to the family friendly version. Suddenly I am appreciating YouTube all the more!

So Dave - is there anything you would like to see more of?

Dave - One thing I don't think we see enough of is bands in the studio. We have the chance to see them perform in music videos, or see them live on stage, or even occasionally see performances at awards shows if they are popular enough. But rarely does a band release a video of them in the studio. I'm not just talking about a music video of them in the studio. A few bands have done that. One that comes to mind is Aerosmith "What it Takes". There were actually 2 versions of that-- a concept video, and a studio version. I actually like to see what goes into the making of the record. Behind the scenes, writing, rehearsing, tweaking, discussing arrangements. I don't just want to hear it; I want all the details! Yes, I am that much of a geek! Aerosmith did it with the Making of Pump, and Metallica did with 2 1/2 years in the Life. The first half covered the making of the Black Album, the second half covered the tour.

Melanie - So a bit like my Guns N Roses video - but on a way larger scale. You will probably be pleased to hear that Paramount+ is reviving the Behind the Music series. I bet you will be watching that!  Final thoughts?

Dave - Since MTV has actually distanced itself from videos, bands are actually a little freer to expand on their visions in making videos since they are going straight to YouTube. No need to edit for time restraints. No need to censor is there is a bad word or 2 (or 12 if the case may be). We used to have to sit and wait for a world premiere video. Now YouTube reminds us when they are coming. Or we can check our subscriptions at our leisure.

Melanie - That feels like the perfect spot to end! So tell us Musers - What do you think? Do you prefer to see a concept video or do you just want to see the band play? 

About The Writers  -

DAVE - Dave Christy loves horror, music, documentaries and more.  He is also the co-runner of several fan based groups including Morningstars (THE Lucifer fan group also run by Melanie), and now is a member of the VIPers Spotlight Lounge team for Melanie's Muses.  Other than "In The Spotlight" Features -check out his "31 Days Of Halloween Movies"

MELANIE - Founder of Melanie's Muses - You should know who I am lol If not click - All about Melanie