Favorite Videos
There's a ton of free videos on the net, but just like TV in general, 95% of it is crap. Here's a list I keep for myself of some of the best that I rarely grow tired of viewing.
Email me your favorites as well so I can check them out, and I'll be glad to add them if they're really good. For music videos, that means it not only has really great music, it also has to have a compelling image that goes along with it. Very few meet both standards. (So don't bother sending links to videos of bands playing live. BORING!)
Here's my humble list of videos I find that are worth watching not only once, but over and over again. There are also a few ads and video shorts that are not music videos, for your amusement.
Magnificent Music Videos
Learning To Fly (Pink Floyd)
This is one of those videos that, once you see it, will always imagin when you hear the song. It gets a little creepy when the guy prepares to jump of a cliff. (Kids, don't do this at home!)
Comfortably Numb (Pink Floyd)
This is from THE WALL movie, which is laced with music videos, but this is the best one of the bunch.
Big Sky (Kate Bush)
One of the must under rated muscians of the 1980s (she didn't tour much in the USA because she didn't like to fly) but she went on to influence Tori Amos who does a pretty good imitation of her style. This video is a very upbeat, get down and dance type video, with some fun images of Kate.
Wow (Kate Bush) Not a lot of great cinema here, mainly clips from Kate's concerts, but she's very diverse in costumes and dance moves, that it still carrys the video. The fact it's a great song helps a lot, too.
Feet Don't Fail Me Now (Utopia) One of my earliest music video memories, and it still holds up well today. Very amusing images but a pretty sad song. Poor Todd finds out his girl friend has another boy to replace him, and he still can't force himself to leave!
Utopia (Gold Frapp) This is a good expample of "trance music". You just want to zone out watching it over and over again. Very haunted song, although the meaning is rather vague.
Strick Machine (Gold Frapp) Not as good musically, but great eye candy. Pychodelic man!
Video Killed The Radio Star (The Buggles) The very first video that played on MTV, and very appropriate as well. A blunt reminder that TV has killed our imaginations, and ruined a lot of our best music as well!
Take On Me (A-Ha) This is a rather bubble gum tune, and it gets a little old after a while, but it sure left a strong impression on everyone who saw it for the first time in the 1980s.
Torn (Natalie Imbruglia) Natalie proves that the best CAN get better. This is originally a Sarah McLachlan song, and Sarah is no slouch! But Natalie's rendition is actually better. In fact, the entire album is filled with back to back great cuts.
Sledge Hammer (Peter Gabriel) A good song, but a fantastic stop motion video.
In Your Eyes (Peter Gabriel) Not as good a video as Sledge Hammer, but a better song. Very haunting.
Love My Way (Psychedelic Furs) I walked into a concert by the Furs in Altanta, and I was blown away. They were very underated and this song is a good example. The video is kinda a typical "band plays music and dances around on camera" thingy, but it works.
The Ghost In You (Psychedelic Furs) A rather bland scene, with the lead singer in front of the mirror, but nice camera moves and a very good song keep this video moving nicely.
World Leader Pretend (REM) A friend of mine made this and it casts the meaning of the song into a completely different direction. It's better than any video I've seen the band make of their own songs, and very thought provoking.
Eraser Head (Joy Division) I made this one myself, using footage from Eraserhead (David Lynch's dark masterpiece) and music from Joy Divison. The two go together very well.
And She Was (Talking Heads) A lot of eye candy with a pretty fun tune.
Once In A Lifetime (Talking Heads) I only saw this once back in the 1980s, and it really impressed me. Now I watch it over and over and it STILL impresses me.
Godzilla (Blue Oyster Cult)
A home made but good verion of the Blue Oyster Cult classic.
Mea Culpa (Brian Eno/ David Byrne from My Life in the Bush of Ghosts) This was a ground breaking concept album using radio clips from the airwaves and really cool eno/byrne music. It was a big influence on my musically.
Saltwater (Julian Lennon) A strong message for enviormentalism, but then it gets boggs down a little with "why can't me feed the children" tripe that has nothing to do with saving the planet. (In fact, feeding everyone increases the population which is the cause of all the loss of habitat, but that's only an issue if you follow the logic.) Instead, just watch and weep.
Stay (Oingo Boingo)
Private Life (Oingo Boingo)
Under Pressure (David Bowie & Queen)
Discipline (King Crimson)
They Might Be Giants James K. Polk music video. Some kid's home made video, but pretty darn good!
Sweet Surrender (Sarah McLachlan)
PIL Public Image. Johnny Rotten singing the title tract to his first non-Sex pistols Lp. I generally hate videos of people just singing, but this one works. Rotten's energy carries it through. I saw him perform this live in Atlanta at the Agora ballroom back in the 1980s. I had just left a Frank Zappa concert across the street at the Fox theater and they were letting people enter the Agora for free (I heard The Psychedelic Furs and The English Beat the same way on other occassions). I had never heard of Johnny Rotten, and very little about The Sex Pistols (I was living in Auburn, Alabama at the time-- the deep deep South), but the PIL concert was incredible and made me determined to find out more. The next day, I had a job interview but I also had to take my very first girlfriend to the airport. So I put on my three piece suit and took her to the gate. In the monorail to the gate, there were only six other people... They were Johnny Rotten, his band, and a few scanky Chicks that were hanging off of them. They were in ripped up and torn clothes, studded with safety pens, etc. Without thinking twice about it, I walked over to him in my three piece suit, extended my hand and said "I just wanted to say I enjoyed your concert last night. It was a real pleasure." He looked at me with those intense wide eyes he does so often, scanned my business suit, and said, "Right..." But he shook my hand so I know he was cool with it. My girlfriend was completely embarrassed, but it certainly made the outrageous airport parking fee more worth it.
Morrissey
Terrific TV intros
The Addams Family (Another Vic Mizzy Classic theme.)
Batman TV intro
Get Smart intro.
Green Acres (not up yet, classic Vic Mizzy music theme.)
Hogan's Heroes (And also, the extended b/w pilot with a different cast member, plus a shameless Jello ad)
Land of The Lost kids tv intro
The Invaders TV show intro
Lost In Space Season 1 Intro
Lost In Space Season 3 Intro
Lidsville Kids Tv Intro -(a guilty pleasure, but does a great job of giving the background of the story)
The Outer Limits - Endlessly imitated, a wonderful concept and a great series all around. Closing credit sequence.
Outer Limits 1990
Outer Limits promo (WHTM)
The Night Stalker (A wonderful horror series, and the inspiration to The X-Files.)
Secret Agent Man/ Danger man (not on yet-- but you can hear the song from the 007 film)
Six Million Dollar Man intro
Space Ghost (cartoon) intro
Star Trek Voyager Intro
The Time Tunnel (not on yet)
TheTripods (great BBC series)
Dr. Who intro
X-files Special Intro (not uploaded yet)
Fantastic Flick Trailers
Koyaanisqatsi (Phillip Glass)
Koyaanisqatsi movie trailer
Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow ad. This didn't do well at the theater, but it was a terrific film. The trailer is good too.
Sky Captain 2nd version trailer (the version without a voice over and some different scenes.)
Dark City - A great film. This is the first 7 minutes. Even though I missed the first minute when I walked into the theatre, I was STILL blown away.
Good Dune trailer (20th anniversary release) I wasn't a Toto fan, but they did great with this project. Too bad director David Lynch was forced to cut his 9 hour finished film into 2 hours. There were so many voice overs and too much info cramed into it, it confused everyone. It should have been released as a 3 part saga, much as Lord of the Rings was. Sci-fi channel did a good mini-series as well, but Lynch's looked better (especially if it hadn't been ruined in the editing process).
Chrome (great sci-fi ad for an as of yet unmade movie by Pendragon) No dialog, just a great blend of clips with super music.
The Mystery Men - Great Super Hero parody with Peewee Herman, among others. The film is even better than the trailer. Really hilarious.
Movie Trailer Spoofs/ Parodies
BrokeBack To the Future (M.J. Fox gay parody).
Spock's Cyrpt (Start Trek Action figure show's off his hot house)
Jamie Kennedy "big head" bopping music video
Shining (A "romantic Comedy" parody on The Shining. Amazing what some editing and different music can do.)
Other Oddities (Weird but Wonderful)
Afterworld - An ongoing series made for Youtube that seems pretty darn good, and addictive. You'll probably subscribe after seeing a few short three minute episodes.
A Spook Show Intro (Hypnotic-- and pretty corny!
Spook Show with Harry Wise! - We hope to bring this one to town soon!
A Spook Show promo- from the great (lame performer but great marketer) Kara-Kum! See another one that describes his -- ah hum-- "act."
Older Spook Show ads (no narration, probably early 1940s)
Day of the Subgenius rant (Church of the Subgenius video by the Mechanical Brothers)
Girl ages three years in one minute (This is a montage of my girlfriend aging 3 years with one minute with cool music. Okay, it's not really my girlfriend, but everyone I show it to THINKS it is, because they look so much alike.)
Kros-Mos vs. T-Elos (Animated fight to music of BLOW ME AWAY.)
Outstanding Ads & Commercial Parodies
Banned Bill Clinton Voodoo Doll ad
Very funny politically incorrect ad. Only the hardcore Clinton fanatics will have any problem with it. The rest of us wished the doll really worked.
Priceless Visa parody (another "Banned" parody. (black humor at its naughtiest))
Devo commercial (A very funny Honda Ad) One of the funniest promos I've ever seen, and one rare instance when selling out works out well!
Haunted House zombie 3 year old girl ad
VW "Boy in Bubble" ad (ELO "Mr. Blue Sky" music used for ad for VW Beatle.
Thirsty Baby ad.
Time Lapse/flashback scene from Silent Running
The Good, The Bad and The Ugly trio gunbattle
Tailer from The Good, The Bad & The Ugly
Genesis
Joe Walsh
Gentle Giant
BOW WOW WOW
The Shining trailer parody
(bad) War of the Worlds promo.
Others to eventually view and see if they are any good:
Heaven 17
ELO
BeBop Delux
The Clash
Gang of Four
Stereo Lab
David Bowie
Cocteaux Twins
Boom town Rats
Alan Parsons Project
INTRO to The Prisoner series: Tv's first mini-series still remains the best. Intended to run just 13 episodes, it was expanded a few more but still resisted the urge to draw it out (and ruin it) for maximum $ returns. It does require some thinking because the meaning is sometimes subtle, but the basic story of a secret agent kidnapped and placed in a village of other agents is very captivating.
rev. 1.11.07