Trans-X – “Living on Video” (Polydor, 1983)
The single by the Montreal-based duo was a worldwide hit but only reached as high as #61 in the US, though the song was remixed over a dozen times. Featuring many of the core characteristics of an early 1980s promo, this straight-ahead clip shows the core performers at work on synths with little movement. Activity is initially primarily constrained to the characters who appear on the banks of video monitors, creating the sense that they are more alive on video than in person.
Here, technology, style, and theme timestamp this video clearly back to the early 1980s. Trans-X lead singer and driving force Pascal Languirand gives a spirited effort, gesturing to the camera and going to town on his handheld keyboard. Meanwhile, Pascal’s partner, Laurie Ann Gill, demonstrates only a minimum range of motion (perhaps the idea of expending more than the most fleeting effort is an offense to the song’s spirit). Meanwhile, the other band members move about haphazardly and robotically.
Duran Duran – “The Reflex” (EMI, 1984)
A photogenic appeal, visionary appreciation of the importance of style and fashion, and pairing with a prolific video director Russell Mulcahy, who used high-end 35mm film at a time when video cameras were the norm, separated Duran Duran from the pack of New Wave artists, despite middling reviews. Duran Duran parlayed their appeal around a suite of ground-breaking videos centered around their second album, Rio, and controversy around the edgy video “Girls on Film”, to emerge as international superstars.
The video for “The Reflex” captures the band at their commercial peak in the midst of the arena tour. Filmed at Maple Leaf Gardens during the group’s Sing Blue Silver tour, it also seemed to represent a jump-the-shark moment for the band, revealing the Duran Duran to be a phenomenon but a hyped one, with legions of Duranies swooning while bandmates such as Nick Rhodes on keyboard display indifference. Charisma can only take you so far, and the video for “The Reflex” serves as a time capsule of hairstyles, fashion, and dance moves that show the band just before they hit a wall.
The video captures the excess of the time, such as the then-innovative use of giant split-screen videos in concert. But what’s with the fake waterfall and the fans being petrified by bondage shots before mass hysteria sets in? As with movies like Hackers, the quickest way to obsolescence is to refer to technology that was cutting edge for its time. While a harder-edged, funkier sound achieved through work with celebrated producer Nile Rodgers won the band some respect, Duran Duran’s popularity fell as its teen fans aged and moved on to other interests.
The frustration for a group on the way down is for people to wonder, “Where are they now?” when they never fully disbanded or went away. Duran Duran have recently capitalized on the wave of nostalgia to newfound popularity, but the video for “The Reflex” captured the beginning of the end of the ensemble’s reign as video stars.
Ministry – “Revenge” (Arista, 1983)
Another early video clip representative of the first wave of music videos, this example is dated not only because of its visual style but also because of what it represents to the creative force behind Ministry. “Revenge” was a track from Ministry’s first album, With Sympathy. Mainly due to pressure from their record label, Arista, Ministry created a synthpop album. The track sounds dated from the opening lines. This video is fascinating as a moment frozen in time that capture leader Al Jourgensen in an uncomfortable moment, perhaps reflecting a moment where he felt that he had lost all artistic control of the group to producers.
In this video, we see Al channeling the first hint of the rage, which he would later be able to tap into to significant effect. There’s little action of note; actors are guided through the set and do little more than stare ahead vacantly, seemingly intent on doing little more than being led to safety off the set to steer clear of the wrath of Al as he spins his tale down the “core-re-door”. After “Revenge”, Jourgensen would ultimately initiate the first in a series of purges and take the path towards redirecting Ministry towards the harsher industrial metal sound that would be the band’s hallmark.
The Cars – “Panorama” (Elektra, 1980)
The Cars shifted gears markedly on their third album, Panorama, toward a denser, more experimental sound. This change in direction would be brief, as the Cars’ following two albums would take them into decidedly commercial terrain. The video for “Panorama” — shot in low light and featuring a 1970s cop drama aesthetic primarily due to the use of film stock and exterior locations — used an emerging device. Unsure of whether to go high concept or stick to straight-ahead performance, many videos took a hybrid approach, having the musicians masquerade as actors. While this uncertainty gives the clip a dated look, “Panorama” (directed by Gerald Casale of Devo) looks like it was a hoot to make, allowing the band members to stretch their legs a bit in some frenetic activity reminiscent of the Beatles film A Hard Day’s Night.
Ric Ocasek and his bandmates engage in some cloak and dagger skulking down corridors, up staircases, and through a stark futuristic set that seems to match the dark textures of the song. The video culminates with the characters seemingly safe at home base, checking in from a bar, making an unspecified rooftop exchange, and gesturing and flailing away during a ubiquitous helicopter shot (an image that is a sign that a group has arrived and has the cash to blow on a video). The promo ends ingloriously with Ocasek being tossed out of the said helicopter, where he proceeds to float in the sky, superimposed over an aerial shot of Boston.
Asia – “Sole Survivor” (Geffen, 1982)
At their inception, Asia represented a supergroup that sought to blend progressive rock with New Wave. Asia incorporated in their original lineup members of Yes, Emerson Lake and Palmer, and King Crimson, including Geoffrey Downes, founder of the Buggles, who inspired the video revolution with “Video Killed the Radio Star”, the first clip aired by MTV. Asia were ambitious in their mash of synths and orchestral rock, working with video pioneers Godley and Creme to marry their music with groundbreaking promos to “Only Time Will Tell” and “Heat of the Moment”. Those offerings, which are spiritual descendants to “Video Killed”, use bright, overexposed lighting and banks of video monitors that — while cutting edge then — look dated now. But those clips at least looked fresh upon release. — which makes “Sole Survivor” all the more puzzling. This video looks old as dirt, and some talking mullets on stage look like Joe Dirt.
This promo, a depiction of Asia on stage, may reflect why the band never moved beyond the massive success of their debut album, which won the group the dreaded Grammy nomination for Best New Artist and had them touring stadiums. However, this video exposes the group as the sum of its parts, more dinosaur rocker than a pioneer. In the brave new world of the 1980s, Asia appeared to be, from the looks of “Sole Survivor”, a second cousin to Spinal Tap. This blast from the past—filmed on old stock, featuring bad lighting and 1980s hair and fashion — is as good as it gets when it comes to time capsules.
Thompson Twins – “Lies” (Arista, 1983)
“Lies” seemed doomed to obsolescence when it was released, though one would have to think this was mainly by design. Using the most rudimentary image compositing tools—which lend a cable access feel to it — with its disembodied giant heads of Alannah Currie and Joe Leeway (but not Tom Bailey, the lead singer), its Charlie Chan and Fu Manchu characters, and the giant rabbit, this video is an almost immediate guilty pleasure. The surreal quality and creation of illusion create a nightmarish, hallucinatory feel that borrows from Magritte. Props to the band for going low-end; if you’re going to slum it, go to extremes. Interestingly, the group never reprised this video style. While the Thompson Twins were an underground sensation, with dance club hits like “In the Name of Love” and “Love on Your Side”, the videos on their next album, Into the Gap, all had a much more highly accomplished look.
Animotion – “Obsession” (Island/Def Jam, 1985)
Animotion’s “Obsession” video is dated on a number of fronts, the most notable being the campy spirit that Bill Wadhams and Astrid Plane channel in depicting a doomed Roman power couple, who seem less Anthony and Cleopatra and more Tony and Tina at their wedding reception. To their credit, Wadhams and Plane seem to be reveling in the campiness of the moment at every turn, recognizing that they are creating a body of work that, in four minutes and two seconds of glorious goodness, would channel the materialism that came to personify the 1980s. The frequent costume changes, incessant Eurobeat, and boundless energy that seems to have rolled over from Studio B’s “Safety Dance” video shoot give this promo an unmistakable time stamp.
Huey Lewis and the News – “Heart and Soul” (Chrysalis, 1983)
Start with the cheesy opening riffs, which evoke a Club Med song. Scratch that. this may easily be one of the cheesiest videos in music video history. But the song was an immediate hit in the US, charting in the top 10, and was the first offering from the juggernaut that was Huey Lewis and the News’ Sports album. Like a slow-moving storm front that hovers over a community, Sports churned out one hit after another, aided by the News’ good-natured everyman appeal, constant touring, and ubiquitous presence on MTV. For all the cheesy fun of “Heart and Soul”, it has aged pretty badly because it’s one extended crowd shot, serving as a catalog of 1980s style. Nevertheless, the group shots with extras on the dance are priceless, particularly the climactic scene where they circle each other like prey while the crowd claps along.
Styx – “Too Much Time on My Hands” (A&M, 1981)
Perhaps the one video that could top Huey Lewis in cheese (featuring a prominent crowd scene showcasing the styles of the day) is this tale of existentialist angst by the deep-thinking Styx. When people think of the 1980s and Styx, the immediate cultural touchstone is “Mr. Roboto,” a certifiable jump-the-shark moment for the band and potentially for 1980s concept videos as well. Yet, while the earnest creation that was the Kilroy Was Here album may not have succeeded as a grand rock opera, Dennis DeYoung gets props for his vision (a statement on technology) and the futurist look, sort of Blade Runner meets The Rocketeer.
Escaping the 1980s through a concept video set in a different time, setting, or galaxy was the best way to avoid being inexorably linked to the decade. “Too Much Time”, on the other hand, will linger on as a 1980s time capsule piece due to its riffing on contemporary 1980s culture. Start with the band’s period attire, and then move on to Tommy Shaw’s ennui on not having any real friends (“I’ve got dozens of friends, and the fun never ends, that is, as long as I’m buying”). We’ve got mullets galore, perms, girls with feathered hair, and Joe Dirt in the baby blue jumpsuit on vocals. Kudos to Styx for keeping it light.
The Buggles – “Video Killed the Radio Star” (Island, 1981)
Why yes, the final selection on our list is the video that launched a revolution. The network that first aired this clip after midnight on 1 August 1981 to announce its entry into the world — ostensibly to revolutionize the music industry — has long stopped showing videos in heavy rotation… or regular rotation, for that matter. As has MTV2, the network purportedly set up to sate the demands of users seeking music promos. Music videos have disappeared entirely, in fact, from regular commercial mainstream TV but are instead ubiquitous on the Internet. Music is more ingrained in our lives today through placements in ads, film, and TV soundtracks, meaning video representations are simultaneously nowhere and everywhere.
Aside from taking stock of the residual impact of this revolutionary clip, directed by Russell Mulcahy, it’s time to take a fresh look at the video itself. At the time, the Buggles’ futuristic clip was regarded as cutting edge then, and for some time afterward. Look at the video now: old video stock, the ubiquitous video terminals, futuristic space people who look like the time travelers from an old episode of Flash Gordon… To see a fresh take on this revolution, consider the Limousines’ underground hit and accompanying promo, “Internet Killed the Video Star”, and query whether, one day, the dawning of social media will appear as quaint as the first dial-up modems. In the meantime, enjoy this double feature of the Buggles and Pat Benatar from the first ten minutes of MTV on the air.
This article was originally published on 29 November 2011.