Retro Video of the Day - Sweet Dreams / Pop Muzik

In keeping with the MTV theme from the posting the other day here's two examples of videos that kind of show how quick some artists realized what a powerful media videos could be in giving their music a whole new dimension and got pretty serious about producing a quality video to go along with the song.

Eurythmics came on the scene with "Sweet Dreams" in the early 80s and as if Annie Lennox's incredible voice wasn't enough, you also got the cool visual imagery to accent the song and really solidify the mood and feeling it produced whenever you heard it afterwards. The images of the video made you think how it all connected to the song and it stayed with you. (Having said that - what's with the cow in the video?)

By contrast, Pop Music by "M" (pronouned "Ehmm" - yeah, I'm kidding) was so hokey that it almost seems like a parody produced in someone's basement. Everything from the cheap set to the seizure like dance routines make this video so bad it's actually good. This song was a hit but I hope the dude didn't spend all the money in one place - he sure as heck didn't spend it on the video!

Comments

Flintstones - How much more retro can you get ?

The stone age family from Bedrock celebrated their 50th anniversary today and what's really amazing about that is how well the cartoons created in the 60s hold up today. Unlike real life sit-coms from that era, the Flintstones seem to transcend time and generate new generations of fans with every passing year. It first aired in 1960 and ran for six seasons. Many thought it was a rip off or homage to The Honeymooners which was the biggest television show at the time but the creators dismissed any similarities as merely coincidental........uh huh. When it was eventually cancelled, a movie was made to parody or style the big film character of the day, James Bond. The movie "The Man Called Flintstone" is a classic and is far better than the real life movie version of the Flintstones that came out in 1994 starring John Goodman and Rosie O'Donnell. Having said that, the real life movie versions did have two redeeming qualities - Haley Berry and loin clothes............. nu...

Retro Music Producer of the Day - Arthur Baker

One of the driving forces in early hip hop and Electrofunk was DJ / producer Arther Baker. Starting as a club DJ in the early 70s, he began experimenting with the new electronic sounds of the day and began producing remixes on analog tape. Long before digital took over, to create a quality mix required skill and patience since most of what you were doing was pretty much live. You needed mad skillz back in the day not like these days were software downloaded for free can create a remix on a whim. Though you may not have heard of him, you certainly have heard his work since his collaborations include artists like Afrika Bambaataa and the Soul Sonic Force, Pet Shop Boys, Cyndi Lauper, Hall and Oats, Bruce Springsteen, David Bowie, ABC, Nenah Cherry and New Order to name a few. He was actually responsible for taking an obscure, instrumental piece from a 1984 New Order album "Lies, Power and Corruption" and churning it into the now classic Blue Monday. His style was easil...

Before They Were Famous Part 1

Before they were stars, many actors and musicians were just average Joe's trying to make a buck while waiting to make it big. I'm sure they hoped that many of their early efforts would fade away on crappy VCR tapes never to be seen again and eventually forgotten. Of course, that was before the internet. Thanks to modern technology, these examples of fine acting and suave career decisions will haunt them forever. Here's two good examples for you: John Travolta for SafeGuard Soap Jason Alexander from Seinfeld for the McDLT

Retroguy Is Back Baby - Bigger, Better, Groovier

Hey there Retrofans ! Sorry for the temporary hiatus but fear not, we're back with more of the posts you love so please ease up on the love/hate mail. I hear you, I miss you too, it's not you - it's me. I'm glad we settled that. Feel free to drop me line if you have any suggestions or questions at realretroguy@gmail.com Peace, Love, Retro !

R.I.P. Sir Roger Moore (1927-2017)

It's a sad day for Bond fans with the news of the passing of Sir Roger Moore at age 89 after a short battle with cancer. The charismatic actor wore the 007 mantle for seven films playing the super suave British secret agent, James Bond from 1973 to 1985, replacing Sean Connery and went on to be the longest serving Bond to date. Roger had early success on television portraying Simon Templar in the "The Saint" and that role groomed him well for taking over the 007 franchise. He did have quite the television resume before taking on films including roles in "Ivanhoe", "The Alaskans" and "Maverick" and with Tony Curtis in "The Persuaders". His big break came in 1973's "Live and Left Die" that launched Moore's Bond. Roger brought a smoother more gentlemanly vibe to the role compared to Sean's rough and tumble Bond. The mix worked well and it brought a new standard to how Bond would be played in future films....

Retroguy's Wonderland

Search This Blog