BEST/WORST Rock Videos, according to KNOBROCK No 8!!
Posted on Jan 10, 2011 / Posted by Ann Allen /
With all the political unrest, slowly but surely taking over the world, it’s nice to be a part of something juvenile, immature completely non-political. One might argue that critiquing music videos is also stupid, pointless and an utter waste of time, but us knobrockers technically live our lives under those banners, so our world – at the very least – is in perfect order.
So, we’re back to discuss number eight in our top ten best/worst videos, which was technically never published on the old site, so this is new to the twenty-eight readers around the globe, who bother to return to knobrock’s base-camp.
And on that note, I’ll turn you over to Bradford ‘basass’ Richardson, to sum up the lastest in creative genius and crimes against celluloid art.
WORST VIDEO No. 8: TALKING IN YOUR SLEEP – The Romantics
Clip courtesy of ‘ozzbyfr’ on youtube
Disclaimer: I’m not ashamed to admit it, I’m in love, with the ‘80’s. What a delightfully pretentious, unapologetically self-indulgent, utterly ridiculous decade. ~ Badass
Hint – Four street-tough rockers from Detroit, who, as rumor has it, sold their souls to British record producer, Pete Solley in 1980.
Hint 2 – Not since, A FLOCK OF SEAGULLS, has any other band inspired such intense, and lasting, Hair-Envy. Picture in your mind: Edward Cullen, TWILIGHT.
You guessed it, THE ROMANTICS - Talking In Your Sleep, from their 1983 album, IN HEAT.
By the summer of ‘84, Talking In Your Sleep, had climbed to #3 on Billboard’s Hot 100 List; spent eleven days at #1 on the Hot Dance Club Party Chart, and was airing every 15 minutes on MTV. (okay, maybe every 30 minutes).
You’re probably humming this catchy tune right now, “I hear, the secrets that you keep, ba-dum, ba-dum, when you’re talkin’ in your sleep…” It’s about a young guy who’s in love with a romantically stunted girl who’s only capable of admitting her love for him while she’s unconscious.
Been there. Done that.
The video opens with a ‘real genius’ inspired, dream-like sequence of a Kelly LeBrock body-double slipping into something less comfortable for bed. Schwing!!
One can only speculate at the deeper-meaning of the remaining 3 minutes of this video wherein our four big-haired heroes, dressed in squeaky-tight black vinyl, stroll through a warehouse lined with lingerie-clad female mannequins who may, or may not, be real.
And that’s it. That’s all that happens.
ANN SAYS: I’ve got three issues with this video. Firstly, what’s with the hair, fellas? You all look like our mums, circa 1979. Secondly, did you run out of ideas, when it came to wrapping up the video? And lastly, did you run out of ideas, when it came to winding up the freakin’ song, too?
It’s not an epic fail, but it’s a fail in my book.
LILY SAYS: I don’t hate this video, in fact I feel nothing for it. But what I will say is, I suspect the singer, guitarist and bass player all went to the same hair dresser and asked for the Fuzzy Pumper blow-wave and set.
BEST VIDEO No 8: STEVE VAI – I Would Love To
Video courtesy of stavrospipis on you tube.
Here we are at the #8 Best Video; – Steve Vai’s – I WOULD LOVE TO – From his Grammy Nominated, Double-Platinum, 1990 Instrumental Rock album, PASSION AND WARFARE. (Ref. Billboard.com)
With a wink, his trademark dimpled-grin, and an envy-inspiring Speedo, Vai punches the Pop-Music Machine right in the face with his Catch-22 message, ‘the music is all that matters’. Ironically, there can be no message in music people never hear. So, by 1990, MTV was a necessary evil for Vai, and every musician, who wanted to reach an international audience.
I WOULD LOVE TO, (which really should be titled, EVERYTHING BUT A TOOL, LIKE BON JOVI), is an intentionally comical kaleidoscope of symbology, and every 80’s MTV cliche.
Personally trained by Joe Satriani, Steve Vai, continues to be one of the most versatile and respected Rock guitarists of our time. And, if you didn’t already know, he innovated the IBANEZ JEM series of guitars:www.ibanez.com/ElectricGuitars/Series-jem
ANN SAYS: Gosh, where do I begin? There’s so much I love about this clip. The palette, the girls’ rapport with each other, Stevie Vai swinging those hips like nobody’s business, but most of all, he just rocks my socks off. I love any guitarist who play their axe so effortlessly, it could be a limb of theirs. (And no, I don’t mean that as a polite way of talking about his wang.)
Yep, he’s a great guitarist, but from where I’m sitting, his guitar-chops are almost secondary to how hot he is in this clip.
LILY SAYS: Isn’t Pia a lucky lady… and oh what I would give to be able to play guitar like little Stevie Vai. Great song, great video.
Number seven, coming to a blog near you. Why not subscribe and receive notification when the knobrockers next gather round youtube.com, in search of the next visual triumph and catastrophe.
- All of us
Tags: best/worst videos, ibanez, knobrock, romantics, steve vai, you tube
