Backtracking through the history of music, it’s hard to think of a decade as overtly identifiable in sound and style as the ‘80s. Any film made in that delightfully deranged decade immediately declares itself an ‘80s flick with the soundtrack only. From The Breakfast Club to Top Gun, from AC/DC to Queen, and from “Crimson and Clover” to “Take My Breath Away,” the ‘80s was a decade to be reckoned with. This collection, built from the hit VH1 show Music Video Exposed, brings the best together under one banner, through the eyes of three of the era’s most prolific and influential directors. The result is a psychedelic dance party not to be missed.
The collection totes a hefty 503 minutes of content, including four hours of music videos alone. There are three discs, one for each of the featured directors: Russell Mulcahy, David Mallet, and Wayne Isham. Upon popping in whichever disc grabs your fancy, the main menu directs you in three directions. Each director has a 20-25 minute episode of the show dedicated to them, then an assortment of interviews that range across associates and the artists they worked with, and finally the videos themselves. Undoubtedly, the latter is where most people will dedicate the bulk of their attention.
Top of the order is David Mallet, a wry Brit whose included videos champion the harder edge of AC/DC, along with Queen and David Bowie. Interviews include the bands themselves, along with Def Leppard, the Boomtown Rats, and assorted others. Mallet himself is a child of the movies, citing Easy Rider and Brief Encounter as the moments that he saw a marriage between music and pictures. Unavoidably, the artists and Mallet wax nostalgic, but the stories transcend your usual chore and bore of making-of documentaries. One section in particular about Bowie’s “Ashes to Ashes” captures the collaborative spirit of one of the great artists. And Joan Jett’s “Crimson and Clover” promises to get your blood pumping, even decades later.
Russell Mulcahy and Wayne Isham receive similar treatment, their voices and influences reaching out from their incredible bodies of work. Mulcahy’s “organized chaos” included The Buggles, Bonnie Tyler, Culture Club, Duran Duran, and Fleetwood Mac among others on one breathtaking roster. Echoing Mallet, Mulcahy talks about how revolutionary music videos were in the ‘80s, but also how no one knew what the videos should be. It was an era before video had become another extension of corporate control, so the music video director had carte blanche to do whatever they damn well pleased. The result was some of the most inventive work ever done in music videos, signaling a new chapter in how people listened to and watched music. Ironically, one of Mulcahy’s best is undoubtedly “Video Killed the Radio Star.” Nothing will ever truly touch, however, Kim Carnes’ ineffable “Bette Davis Eyes,” though Rod’s “Young Turks” rivals the best for sheer magnitude.
Wayne Isham stands apart as the only Yank in the group, fittingly settling on Def Leppard, Judas Priest, Megedeath, and Metallica among others as his bread and butter. Long-haired and unshaven behind oversized sunglasses, he’s an artist and bad boy bundled into one. Interestingly, he cites “Ashes to Ashes” as the moment he found his calling. It’s amazing to see how these directors all influenced each other, and how they were children of the old school films, still respectful of black and white movies and early cinema. They were true students of the craft, who understood every rule before they broke them all.
VH1 was born in the mid-‘80s and these videos were its flowing blood and beating heart from the earliest days. This definitive collection rocks, rolls, and rumbles through a decade of some of the most memorable and enjoyable music ever cut. Today’s videos can reach for the ‘80s, but only the best will reach a level comparable to this revolutionary era of change and unadulterated art, that thrived before the bookkeepers arrived and stifled content and creation.
DVD Bonus Features
Everything is part of the bigger package. For a cheap $13.49, this is a must own.
"Music Video Exposed: The Collection" is on sale June 28, 2011 and is not rated. Biopic. Directed by David Mallet, Russell Mulcahy, Wayne Isham.
