Last week Louder published in its magazine the top 10 worst videos made by Heavy Metal bands in the 80s
With the appearance of Mtv, in 1981, few were those who believed that this monster would and would have a big influence on the way to create a video clip and or even who would be the lunatic who would spend all his time watching videos on TV.
Although Mtv was born in 1977, only in 1981 after the separation between Viacom CBS Media Networks and Viacom CBS, it has become colossal in the television industry. The target audience would be teenagers and young adults, where they would show video clips, while not far from the beginning, they would open doors to reality shows, comedies and dramas, presented at the time by famous people who would be known as the “video jockeys”, name borrowed and altered from the famous “disc jockeys” or still known today as DJ's, much as the work of both is quite different, but that will be news for other day.
In 1997 "Sol Música" appeared, produced by the Spanish company “Chello Multicanal”.
It's broadcasts began that year. Initially, with simultaneous distribution to Portugal and Spain, it would undergo a transformation. “Sol Música Portugal” and “Sol Música España”.
One of the characteristics of “Sol Música Portugal” and “Sol Música España”, they did not lack presenters. Here, in contrast to Mtv, “Sol Música”, in Portugal and Spain were more geared towards other musical genres, side lined a little by the competition. Thus existing on its grid the Sol Rock, Sol Indie, Sol Techno and Sol Latino. Albeit each “Sol Música” from both countries of the Iberian Peninsula had preference in promoting the music of each brother country. Perhaps it went unnoticed by the common public, there was a time when each channel featured 55% of the music of other country.
Although “Sol Música Portugal” had a large component linked to Portuguese music, like Lúcia Moniz, Da Weasel, GNR, Ramp, Moonspell or even Madre de Deus, it did not have the desired effect by the group that owns the channel, I raise the closing of the “Sol Música Portugal”, after a study over the last few months due to several reasons that justified it, the not being produced enough content and the limited support for Portuguese music and the interest of young Portuguese people in international bands. Whilst his Spanish counterpart had broadened his horizons, his Lusitano brother would be permanently closed in 2005. “A Sol Música España” or “Sol Música” obtains a grid very similar to Mtv.
Cause Effect in Video Clips
But why we talked about Mtv and Sol Música?
Previously, video clips were worked with a very equal format and always in the same way, even in the way they dressed, the format had to comply with that standard and from there it could not escape, and they were usually recorded from television programs that would later be repeated, depending on the demand of the public resulting from national or regional sales of a disc.
With the appearance of Mtv, and later on Sol Música, this standard format drops, giving rise to new ideas and whetting viewers' appetites. Soon the Record Producers realized the cause-effect between the video and the record sale, thus promoting the Video so that it could later make profits with the sale. But what could change, or what could be done in this field. How to attract the audience to buy with a video? Playing it several times a day?
The solution was very simple, artistic videos, with a solid component in which to attract people's attention, we are not talking about the way Sabina or Samantha Fox was promoted, this way of seeing and thinking opened the field for companies that were specialize in this type of format. But you would never think that you could also create concepts of life and dress. Young people quickly wanted to imitate their idols, and eventually made opening doors to other industries that were uncontemplated. From Pop, Rap, Hip Hop and even Heavy Metal, fashion has also profited from this industry with several internationally renowned companies wanting to invest their share, as well as those starting their careers that saw an opportunity to grow here.
ANTHRAX 1988 1988 FASHION Actual FASHION
KISS 1980 FASHION 2020
The great Record Producers elaborated and elaborate videos, with a spectacular artistic capacity. In this field and in a very personal way Heavy Metal wins in all categories, although as we already know, not belonging to a popular industry, they end up losing many merits. We can compare that Heavy Metal is to the Music Awards industry as Steven Spielberg is to Hollywood.
But of course there were and are videos that were better off not having been made. In this context, Louder created a Top 10 of the most stupid and ridiculous Heavy Metal videos in the 80s:
Virgin Steele – Perfect Mansions (Mountains Of The Sun) (1988)
(Photo research on Google all credits for the Author)
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