These videos... i have no words.

Well, video art had not yet reached its absolute highest form of giving maximum screen time for butt cheeks and barely covered breasts. Thus watching old videos like these might confuse the young mind as they employ all kinds of redundant imagery that interest no one these days.

novabrkr said:

Well, video art had not yet reached its absolute highest form of giving maximum screen time for butt cheeks and barely covered breasts. Thus watching old videos like these might confuse the young mind as they employ all kinds of redundant imagery that interest no one these days.

Old man i have seen videos from all decades. And trying to defend this cheesy mess by breats and butt cheeks won't work

Random football players? ninjas? swordsman? a gay dance trio? peoples eyes lighting up? in a song about heartbreak? it's obvious the director literally just put whatever and said DO IT

Sounds like you've never gotten your heart broken. Otherwise you'd understand

Back when videos were still creative

What's to explain? As cheesy as the videos may be, they're still a million times better than the mini-porn that's being passed off as music videos today. And the songs are over 30 years old and profoundly sound better than anything on the current Hot 100 that will be long forgotten and never even thought about in 30 years.

back when videos were, at worst, laughable, outrageous, stupid, tongue-in-check, or/and glossy, hell maybe even dull, but NEVER BORING

The amazing thing is that I'd forgotten just how crazy these were. I mean, I must have seen "Total Eclipse" a hundred times, but I didn't remember much beyond the glowy eyes kids and a general "Jim Steinman video bigness." Most Steinman songs I can think of had similarly over-the-top it-feels-like-clips-from-some-movie-but-I-don't-know-what-any-of-it-has-to-do-with-anything Good-god-was-that-the-kitchen-sink-ness to them. Maybe that was just the only way people could come up with to handle the swoony disconnectedness of the songs themselves.

Now that I think a little more--they also didn't seem that weird at the time. Sure, they might have used all 20 ideas instead of just the 5 or so disconnected things lots of other videos used, but nearly everything in these showed up fairly often in other videos. I mean, singing in front of burning buildings, on top of a mountain, running down a hall, a group of girls being ethereal.

HatrinaHaterwitz said:

What's to explain? As cheesy as the videos may be, they're still a million times better than the mini-porn that's being passed off as music videos today. And the songs are over 30 years old and profoundly sound better than anything on the current Hot 100 that will be long forgotten and never even thought about in 30 years.

These Bonnie Tyler videos were done when music videos were just starting to become the norm but not necessary to have a hit. They may have been cheesy but Bonnie is one of the greatest female Rock singers ever. Today's artists may have better, more elaborate dance videos where they are looking and acting like prostitutes and pimps to distract you from the fact they can't fucking sing a lick! Most of them couldn't sing on key if their lives depended on it so who cares about the videos when the music and singing lacks originality and creativity? And I have seen PLENTY of cheesy videos that were made over the past several years that had absolutely nothing to do with the song.

[Edited 2/23/14 19:10pm]

My thread has taken the exact turn i wanted it too. I made a joke about an 80's video for fun. And everyone rushes into to say how modern music videos suck. Which proves that y'all haven't watched good music videos. And it's your fault you haven't seen any, There's tons out there. I can name 50 fantastic, artistic, and top notch videos that came out last year. Off the top of my freaking head!

Not all modern music videos are about prostitutes and tits like y'all say. This also makes me laugh cause HUNDREDS of 80's video has tits, prostitutes, and nothing but flash.

Wait, could this mean. NO! I dare not thinkith... that like in todays modern times... the 80's had good and bad videos? and like... modern times has like good and bad videos... so like both decades had good and bad videos! and not all 80's videos were masterpieces? like... no... stop Guns... stop! the truth will not set them free.

novabrkr said:

Well, video art had not yet reached its absolute highest form of giving maximum screen time for butt cheeks and barely covered breasts. Thus watching old videos like these might confuse the young mind as they employ all kinds of redundant imagery that interest no one these days.

kitbradley said:

HatrinaHaterwitz said:

What's to explain? As cheesy as the videos may be, they're still a million times better than the mini-porn that's being passed off as music videos today. And the songs are over 30 years old and profoundly sound better than anything on the current Hot 100 that will be long forgotten and never even thought about in 30 years.

These Bonnie Tyler videos were done when music videos were just starting to become the norm but not necessary to have a hit. They may have been cheesy but Bonnie is one of the greatest female Rock singers ever. Today's artists may have better, more elaborate dance videos where they are looking and acting like prostitutes and pimps to distract you from the fact they can't fucking sing a lick! Most of them couldn't sing on key if their lives depended on it so who cares about the videos when the music and singing lacks originality and creativity? And I have seen PLENTY of cheesy videos that were made over the past several years that had absolutely nothing to do with the song.

[Edited 2/23/14 19:10pm]

Y'all betta PREEEACH!

Gunsnhalen said:

My thread has taken the exact turn i wanted it too. I made a joke about an 80's video for fun. And everyone rushes into to say how modern music videos suck. Which proves that y'all haven't watched good music videos. And it's your fault you haven't seen any, There's tons out there. I can name 50 fantastic, artistic, and top notch videos that came out last year. Off the top of my freaking head!

Not all modern music videos are about prostitutes and tits like y'all say. This also makes me laugh cause HUNDREDS of 80's video has tits, prostitutes, and nothing but flash.

Wait, could this mean. NO! I dare not thinkith... that like in todays modern times... the 80's had good and bad videos? and like... modern times has like good and bad videos... so like both decades had good and bad videos! and not all 80's videos were masterpieces? like... no... stop Guns... stop! the truth will not set them free.

So quit yappin and post 'em smartass... Better not be like that wack SB commercial you posted last year either,

I'm a seventies kid but lemme try to 'splain anyhow.....

It's a dreamscape. Kinda like when you go to sleep with something weighing heavy on your mind, (having your heart broken for example). I have gone to sleep like that and have had all manner of bizarre imagery show up in my dreams.

Not really that hard to figure out but I suspect you just wanted to use it as an excuse to take a swipe at the oldsters....carry on.

Still one of my favorite songs from the eighties,

As an 80's youth, Bonnie Tyler is the equivalent female version of Rod Stewart, OK British singer with B+ songs. Total Eclipse of The Heart is the brainchild of Jim Webb, a good song writer most notable for Meatloaf's signature songs and other schlock, hold him accountable.

The main focus back then was on the music and when the artists wrote the songs, they didn't write them with intentions of making a song that would be a good storyline for a video because videos back then were just an added bonus. Most of the early videos were shots of the bands on a soundstage with a few video special effects. Then some artists started getting more creative and making videos by doing things other than just performing on a sound stage in front of a camera. Lots of videos back then had absolutely nothing to do with the lyrics such as Eurythmics in the pasture with the cow and The Fixx coming down that tunnel with Doberman dogs.

.

Music itself back then was mainly about entertaining and escapism. It was fantasy and art. It wasn't reality and it wasn't intended to be reality. Nowadays, damn near everything is about reality from music to TV and that's why things are so dull these days. We listened to music back then to escape our problems for a little while and the videos helped us to escape also. It was more about escaping for a little while and having fun than anything else. But songs weren't written from their beginning stages with hopes of making a great video for them the focus back then was where it should be, on making the best song possible. The video came later (if one was even made because a lot of artists didn't even make videos). Nowadays, damn near everyone makes a video for their song, even those hard to find artists which I see as ridiculous anyway since video channels no longer play videos anymore and there's no shows on the regular networks such as "Friday Night Videos".

.

.

.

[Edited 2/23/14 22:36pm]

Gunsnhalen said:

Call me crazy and all. But when my heart was broken, I was sad. I was waking through a random school, running from ninjas, see people with shiny blue lights, or had men dancing up the stairs. Is this what happened when you got your heart broken in the 80s? Yikes y'all must have been on all kinds of acid.

I'm assuming that the glowing eyes were to go with the lyric "Turn around bright eyes". As for everything else in the video, the 1980s was a lot about abstract art on the walls back then. Some people thought the paintings had a meaning but most people that liked them, liked them because they simply looked good. Seems like music videos did the same thing. Whoever shot the videos may claim to know some meaning behind them but we didn't care what the meaning was. We simply liked them because they looked good. Like I said before....abstract.

kitbradley said:

HatrinaHaterwitz said:

What's to explain? As cheesy as the videos may be, they're still a million times better than the mini-porn that's being passed off as music videos today. And the songs are over 30 years old and profoundly sound better than anything on the current Hot 100 that will be long forgotten and never even thought about in 30 years.

These Bonnie Tyler videos were done when music videos were just starting to become the norm but not necessary to have a hit. They may have been cheesy but Bonnie is one of the greatest female Rock singers ever. Today's artists may have better, more elaborate dance videos where they are looking and acting like prostitutes and pimps to distract you from the fact they can't fucking sing a lick! Most of them couldn't sing on key if their lives depended on it so who cares about the videos when the music and singing lacks originality and creativity? And I have seen PLENTY of cheesy videos that were made over the past several years that had absolutely nothing to do with the song.

[Edited 2/23/14 19:10pm]

Gunsnhalen said:

My thread has taken the exact turn i wanted it too. I made a joke about an 80's video for fun. And everyone rushes into to say how modern music videos suck. Which proves that y'all haven't watched good music videos. And it's your fault you haven't seen any, There's tons out there. I can name 50 fantastic, artistic, and top notch videos that came out last year. Off the top of my freaking head!

Not all modern music videos are about prostitutes and tits like y'all say. This also makes me laugh cause HUNDREDS of 80's video has tits, prostitutes, and nothing but flash.

Wait, could this mean. NO! I dare not thinkith... that like in todays modern times... the 80's had good and bad videos? and like... modern times has like good and bad videos... so like both decades had good and bad videos! and not all 80's videos were masterpieces? like... no... stop Guns... stop! the truth will not set them free.

You seem to be the one that's in bondage by your belief that you have to compare today's crap with the music of decades gone by. The rest of us know there's no comparison and only speak on such, when somebody's child gets it in their britches to bring it up. I'm an '80's kid but I have never and would never attempt to try to compare '80's music with music of the '50 and 60's because there was no comparison.

No one is saying ALL of the music of today sucks. I can think of two songs from this decade - off the top of my head - that I greatly enjoy, both musically and visually.

However, the truth is what it is and both sadly and honestly, the greater majority of today's music does in fact suck. Pretending that it not the case does not make it so.

If we're just a bunch of old "elitists" that's just overlooking the good stuff, then don't just stand in the corner stomping your feet about it, show us what we're missing.

babynoz said:

Gunsnhalen said:

My thread has taken the exact turn i wanted it too. I made a joke about an 80's video for fun. And everyone rushes into to say how modern music videos suck. Which proves that y'all haven't watched good music videos. And it's your fault you haven't seen any, There's tons out there. I can name 50 fantastic, artistic, and top notch videos that came out last year. Off the top of my freaking head!

Not all modern music videos are about prostitutes and tits like y'all say. This also makes me laugh cause HUNDREDS of 80's video has tits, prostitutes, and nothing but flash.

Wait, could this mean. NO! I dare not thinkith... that like in todays modern times... the 80's had good and bad videos? and like... modern times has like good and bad videos... so like both decades had good and bad videos! and not all 80's videos were masterpieces? like... no... stop Guns... stop! the truth will not set them free.

So quit yappin and post 'em smartass... Better not be like that wack SB commercial you posted last year either,

I'm a seventies kid but lemme try to 'splain anyhow.....

It's a dreamscape. Kinda like when you go to sleep with something weighing heavy on your mind, (having your heart broken for example). I have gone to sleep like that and have had all manner of bizarre imagery show up in my dreams.

Not really that hard to figure out but I suspect you just wanted to use it as an excuse to take a swipe at the oldsters....carry on.

Still one of my favorite songs from the eighties,

I posted this in another thread. But here's a start


It's honestly your fault for not seeking out good music. You like good music? find it! i can some great artists that none of you haven't listened to that have

Great Lyrics
Great production
Great Intrumentals
Great Personalities

Like rock?
Portishead
TV On The Radio
The Flaming Lips
The National



Like Conscious Hip-Hop?
Fashawn
Kendrick Lamar
Brother Ali
Immortal Technique
Lupe Fiasco
Madvillany
Blu Exile
Danny Brown

Like r&b?
Van Hunt
Frank Ocean
The Weekend"
Sister Weekend


Like metal?
Opeth
Cult Of Luna
Kamelot
Shining
Mastodon

Like Synth-Pop or Dark Electronica?
Crystal Castles
LCD Soundsystem
Flying Lotus

Like Avant Garde?
Matana Roberts


Like Industrial Hip-Hop?
Death Grips
Shabazz Palaces

Just a few off the top of my head. If you want more genres let me know.

I grew up in age of music video so those don't seem like anything unusual to me, at all. It was still a new form, you might see a video that looked like nothing you had seen before. They're wacky, sure.

I think the reason people keep bringing up the videos made today is because we know you are a younger dude. Music videos stopped being wacky and started being big business not too long after this. This is just the way things were done then. It's not up to us to defend it or explain why that was so, or why it's good, it's just what we remember as normal.

At the very least they're memorable and still played today. It's fun watching the progress of the music video, seeing how the artists and directors were experimenting with what they could do on a shoe-string budget.

Gunsnhalen said:

My thread has taken the exact turn i wanted it too. I made a joke about an 80's video for fun. And everyone rushes into to say how modern music videos suck. Which proves that y'all haven't watched good music videos. And it's your fault you haven't seen any, There's tons out there. I can name 50 fantastic, artistic, and top notch videos that came out last year. Off the top of my freaking head!

Not all modern music videos are about prostitutes and tits like y'all say. This also makes me laugh cause HUNDREDS of 80's video has tits, prostitutes, and nothing but flash.

Wait, could this mean. NO! I dare not thinkith... that like in todays modern times... the 80's had good and bad videos? and like... modern times has like good and bad videos... so like both decades had good and bad videos! and not all 80's videos were masterpieces? like... no... stop Guns... stop! the truth will not set them free.

As to the bolded--by the end of the 80s, that was all any videos had, at least according to everyone who was over the age of 40 at the time.

Actually, they weren't that far wrong... but as a teen, I didn't seem to mind that much.

Gunsnhalen said:

babynoz said:

So quit yappin and post 'em smartass... Better not be like that wack SB commercial you posted last year either,

I'm a seventies kid but lemme try to 'splain anyhow.....

It's a dreamscape. Kinda like when you go to sleep with something weighing heavy on your mind, (having your heart broken for example). I have gone to sleep like that and have had all manner of bizarre imagery show up in my dreams.

Not really that hard to figure out but I suspect you just wanted to use it as an excuse to take a swipe at the oldsters....carry on.

Still one of my favorite songs from the eighties,

I posted this in another thread. But here's a start


It's honestly your fault for not seeking out good music. You like good music? find it! i can some great artists that none of you haven't listened to that have

Great Lyrics
Great production
Great Intrumentals
Great Personalities

Like rock?
Portishead
TV On The Radio
The Flaming Lips
The National



Like Conscious Hip-Hop?
Fashawn
Kendrick Lamar
Brother Ali
Immortal Technique
Lupe Fiasco
Madvillany
Blu Exile
Danny Brown

Like r&b?
Van Hunt
Frank Ocean
The Weekend"
Sister Weekend


Like metal?
Opeth
Cult Of Luna
Kamelot
Shining
Mastodon

Like Synth-Pop or Dark Electronica?
Crystal Castles
LCD Soundsystem
Flying Lotus

Like Avant Garde?
Matana Roberts


Like Industrial Hip-Hop?
Death Grips
Shabazz Palaces

Just a few off the top of my head. If you want more genres let me know.

The videos you posted to start this conversation, were considered "mainstream" in their day. So I thought that's what this conversation was about.

I'm more than familiar with several artists and their music on the list you've just provided and "mainstream" in today's musical culture...they ain't!

They're in a group we "elitists" do recognize as good because we know good music when we hear it. Our contempt however, where they happen to be concerned is the simple fact...they are NOT what is considered mainstream...when they very well should be!

But aren't because what is considered "mainstream" is the garbage...they do not do - can't and aren't - getting the recognition they rightfully deserve because the airwaves are entirely too heavily polluted in the "mainstream" with crap that's far too often defended as the whole of "mainstream" "modern" music by some youngsters...whenever we "elitists" happen to look down our noses upon it.

HatrinaHaterwitz said:

Gunsnhalen said:

I posted this in another thread. But here's a start


It's honestly your fault for not seeking out good music. You like good music? find it! i can some great artists that none of you haven't listened to that have

Great Lyrics
Great production
Great Intrumentals
Great Personalities

Like rock?
Portishead
TV On The Radio
The Flaming Lips
The National



Like Conscious Hip-Hop?
Fashawn
Kendrick Lamar
Brother Ali
Immortal Technique
Lupe Fiasco
Madvillany
Blu Exile
Danny Brown

Like r&b?
Van Hunt
Frank Ocean
The Weekend"
Sister Weekend


Like metal?
Opeth
Cult Of Luna
Kamelot
Shining
Mastodon

Like Synth-Pop or Dark Electronica?
Crystal Castles
LCD Soundsystem
Flying Lotus

Like Avant Garde?
Matana Roberts


Like Industrial Hip-Hop?
Death Grips
Shabazz Palaces

Just a few off the top of my head. If you want more genres let me know.

The videos you posted to start this conversation, were considered "mainstream" in their day. So I thought that's what this conversation was about.

I'm more than familiar with several artists and their music on the list you've just provided and "mainstream" in today's musical culture...they ain't!

They're in a group we "elitists" do recognize as good because we know good music when we hear it. Our contempt however, where they happen to be concerned is the simple fact...they are NOT what is considered mainstream...when they very well should be!

But aren't because what is considered "mainstream" is the garbage...they do not do - can't and aren't - getting the recognition they rightfully deserve because the airwaves are entirely too heavily polluted in the "mainstream" with crap that's far too often defended as the whole of "mainstream" "modern" music by some youngsters...whenever we "elitists" happen to look down our noses upon it.

You must not listen to ''other'' stations then

LOTS of these artists are played on radio. Just not on top 40 radio... y'all do know there's a rock, alt rock, hip-hop, industrial etc. Station? and those have a top 40 list of their own. These artists are a big deal on a lot of those radio stations. Each genre of music has bands who are hella known in their genre. And too me that is still seen as somewhat mainstream.

And some artists on my list like Kendrick Lamar, Frank Ocean, Miguel, Lupe Fiasco, even The Flaming Lips. They have had top 40 hits, had platinum selling albums, and crossed over to pop stations. They not have per say dozens of top 10 hits. But they have had a few huge hits on top 40 radio. And everyone knows who they are... i see that as pretty mainstream even stuff like Radiohead is mainstream.

They may not have dozens of top 40 hits. But, they have number 1 albums. Play at awards shows, and are known by most people.

I'm an '80s baby and all I can say about those Bonnie videos (as well as a big good portion of '80s videos) is "it was the times". That said, Bonnie's video always made me laugh:



I also think the video took its bits from Jim Steinman's weird ass ideas (look at Meat Loaf's videos and Celine Dion's for It's All Coming Back to Me; Total Eclipse's video was similar).

Gunsnhalen said:

HatrinaHaterwitz said:

The videos you posted to start this conversation, were considered "mainstream" in their day. So I thought that's what this conversation was about.

I'm more than familiar with several artists and their music on the list you've just provided and "mainstream" in today's musical culture...they ain't!

They're in a group we "elitists" do recognize as good because we know good music when we hear it. Our contempt however, where they happen to be concerned is the simple fact...they are NOT what is considered mainstream...when they very well should be!

But aren't because what is considered "mainstream" is the garbage...they do not do - can't and aren't - getting the recognition they rightfully deserve because the airwaves are entirely too heavily polluted in the "mainstream" with crap that's far too often defended as the whole of "mainstream" "modern" music by some youngsters...whenever we "elitists" happen to look down our noses upon it.

You must not listen to ''other'' stations then

LOTS of these artists are played on radio. Just not on top 40 radio... y'all do know there's a rock, alt rock, hip-hop, industrial etc. Station? and those have a top 40 list of their own. These artists are a big deal on a lot of those radio stations. Each genre of music has bands who are hella known in their genre. And too me that is still seen as somewhat mainstream.

And some artists on my list like Kendrick Lamar, Frank Ocean, Miguel, Lupe Fiasco, even The Flaming Lips. They have had top 40 hits, had platinum selling albums, and crossed over to pop stations. They not have per say dozens of top 10 hits. But they have had a few huge hits on top 40 radio. And everyone knows who they are... i see that as pretty mainstream even stuff like Radiohead is mainstream.

They may not have dozens of top 40 hits. But, they have number 1 albums. Play at awards shows, and are known by most people.

Uh, no. For the most part, I don't "listen to stations" at all. I've spent a great deal of money, time and effort ensuring that I can hear and see, whatever it is that I want to, whenever it is that I want to.

What I know about the current state of music is what I've witnessed based on what other people that I encounter are in to and I've made it a practice of encountering very diverse people.

Of course Kendrick Lamar, Frank Ocean, Miguel, Lupe Fiasco, even The Flaming Lips have had success but they are not mainstream. Mainstream to me, are the acts that can drop songs right now and before I am done typing this, mainstream media would be talking about it from coast to coast and people would be breaking their necks to have it. Not because it's good and worth listening to. Purely to be able to say they have it, which boosts the sales numbers, which determines the "hit" quotient.

Video was a new thing, sure there were laughable ones, bad fashion, concepts, dancing etc...BUT it was rare that there were themes being done over and over, I mean when 90% of rap videos by artists on labels and ONES NOT SIGNED area all about slapping a bill on a chicks ass, or a gun or a card game, or someone in "wannabe" scarface mode. To be honest for a generation that HAS IT ALL at your hands, technology and creativity advancements, U DO NOTHING with it.

Doesn't excuse that in the '80s they didn't have much thought on videos as they do now.