Teenage Ears
Fondness
Smooth Days Warm Nights
Classics
I know…I always claim this…but really…these are some of my favorites. And what absolutely wonderful videos. In love with the part inTemptation where the colors change and the girl dances in the room, because secretely, not so secretely I am guilty of doing so.
I can never get enough of New Order. Seeing them at Radio City Music Hall was a highlight of my time in New York.
From Tribeca Film
“Filmmaker Michael Shamberg, who directed a number of seminal music videos for New Order during their heyday, here revisits a classic New Order song with the help of singer Victoria Bergsman of Swedish band The Concretes. The story is elegantly simple: A woman goes record shopping, comes home, puts her new purchase on the turntable, and starts dancing to it. Titled The Temptation of Victoria, Shamberg’s video did not make it on to New Order’s official video retrospective DVD, making it a true rarity.”
The video was dedicated to Michael Powell — See link. Michael Powell — See link.
“The release of “True Faith” was accompanied by a surreal music video directed and choreographed by Philippe Decouflé and produced by Michael H. Shamberg.[4][5][6]
The opening sequence showing two men slapping each other, is a reference to Marina Abramović and Ulay‘s video performance Light/ Dark shot in 1977.[7] Costumed dancers then leap about, fight and slap each other in time to the music, while a person in dark green makeup emerges from an upside-down boxer’s speed bag and hand signs the lyrics (in LSF) . The video has often been voted amongst the best music videos of its year. Sky Television‘s channel The Amp, for instance, has it rated as the best video of 1987, and it won the British Video of the Year in 1988. The video was inspired by Bauhaus artist Oskar Schlemmer‘s Triadisches Ballett.[4]”
The overall tonality, themes and various elements from the video re-occurred in Decouflé’s scenography and choreography for the inauguration ceremonies of the 1992 Winter Olympics in Albertville.
Smalltown Boy
From Wikipedia:
Bronski Beat are a British synthpop trio which achieved success in the mid-1980s, particularly with the 1984 chart hit “Smalltown Boy“, from their debut album The Age of Consent, which was their only US Billboard Hot 100 single. All members of the group were openly gay and their songs reflected this, often containing political commentary on gay-related issues. The initial line-up, which recorded the majority of the band’s hits, consisted of Jimmy Somerville (vocals), Steve Bronski (born Steven William Forrest[4], keyboards, percussion) and Larry Steinbachek (keyboards, percussion). Somerville left Bronski Beat in 1985, and went on to have success as lead singer of The Communards…
Jimmy Sommerville stood 5’2 with a voice and passion of someone who was 6’5.
Wavy Synths
With it’s sharp wavy synths alongside the uncanny pop and disco feels, the latin rythyms, the new wave and hip hop breaks – freestyle is an American musical gem. Here’s a small list of favorites.
From Wikipedia:
“Latin freestyle,[4] or freestyle music, is a form of electronic dance music that emerged in the New York metropolitan area in the 1980s.[2] It experienced its greatest popularity from the late 1980s until the early 1990s. It continues to be produced today and enjoys some degree of popularity, especially in urban settings. A common theme of freestyle lyricism is heartbreak in the city.[6] The first freestyle hit is largely attributed to “Let the Music Play” by Shannon.”
Cant forget this one! Absolutely bonkers – this is a classic.
