The Weird World of '60s Music Videos

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[@SpookyLuvCookie]

Fun fact. When Arthur Brown wrote the song, Fire, he quickly imagined a headdress of fire for when he performed the song live. He got hold of some coals, and adapted his kitchen cullender by lining it with tin foil as a makeshift helmet with the coals inside. When next live in front of an audience he lit the coals and wore his new hat. He didn't even test it out. He assumed that that foil would stop the hot coals falling through the holes and burning his scalp. He was wrong.

[@lucasratti]

Jesuuus

[@verirrteskamel]

he's still touring btw (and he's still got it)

[@noviatoria2436]

What an iconic weirdo

[@jmcosmos]

And oddly enough, in the 1980s Brown moved to Austin, Texas (his wife's homedown), earned a master's degree in counseling, and worked as a therapist for some years, while not completely giving up on his dreams of rock stardom, before moving back to the UK in 1996. (I own a copy of a Christmas anthology album from the 1980s issued in Austin, on which he performs "Lord of the Dance.")

[@timedwards2903]

I'm happy to hear Mick Rock get some love in this video. He was a huge influence on me and my photography

[@DarylBaines]

A couple of great early "videos" that I think you left out: Neil Sadaka - Calendar Girls - very colourful and memorable Scopitone. The Beach Boys - Wouldn't it be Nice - some really imaginative imagery and structure.

[@lo_souza]

ABBA music videos for "Ring Ring" and "Waterloo" were recorded in 1974. After that, they released around 4 music videos per year. ✌️

[@ecurewitz]

357 likes as of now, and more on the way

[@tayloreh]

And that was so important for them to reach a North American and even European audience, as Waterloo won Eurovision.

[@sarahlamoureux1454]

Delighted you brought up the Moody Blues! Even before Days of Future Passed, they were making history.

[@bobbyggare8364]

I was so pleased. I love the moody blues!

[@Rowan_Maladeus]

One of my favorite stories about a music video involves the Grateful Dead. They formed officially in 1965. And despite touring relentlessly for 22 years, were never much of a commercial success. Until 1987, they were only truly popular in an underground community of people hanging onto the 60s long after they were over. And then they released their first ever music video: Touch of Grey. By the end of the year, they were selling out the biggest stadiums in the country. And they didn't really stop growing until Jerry Garcia died. The story of the final years of the Grateful Dead is marred with tragedy partially due to this sudden success. The documentary miniseries Long Strange Trip dedicates its final episode to this aspect of the story. It's an incredible watch.

[@justcallmecaligula]

if the monkees dont get brought up i just may die

[@benburke3015]

Saw this on nebula two weeks ago. He definitely brings up the Monkees, don't worry.

[@yeehawo7]

you lived !!

[@deementia6796]

Wonder if Mike Nesmith gets brought up again when MTV is in the spotlight for the next video, when he did Pop Clips and Elephant Parts.

[@beaubacookie]

can someone drop the timestamp where he mentions the monkees🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾

[@SquigSoup]

@@beaubacookie10:19

[@jeenkzk5919]

I believe you’re the first one to give in depth information about the scopitone in video form! I first saw them on FTDepots channel. He gave info in the description. I looked all over KZbin to see if anyone did videos about it only to find collectors who owned them. Usually shot on old digital cameras. I’ve been curious about them and why I had never seen or heard about them. Thank you!

[@MakeSomething]

The research involved in this series blows my mind. So well done!

[@InWalkedBud752]

I'm so glad you talked extensively about Scopitone. There was a show on Belgian TV a while back when I was a child that used to broadcast those Scopitone videos and it caved a permanent wrinkle in my brain as the very word "Scopitone" has been going through my mind ever since. I think my next radio show will be called just that

[@fromchomleystreet]

The role of MTV in the emergence of the music video is often wildly over-stated. Music Videos had already been a standard part of the promotion of a pop record for more than a decade before MTV started, in Europe at least, which is why when MTV started in 1981, it was immediately able to fill a 24 hour broadcast with a constant stream of elaborately produced music videos. There was, by then, a huge backlog of (largely British) years-old Music Videos for them to draw from. For example, the very first music video played on MTV, the Buggles’ “Video killed the Radio Star”, was already more than two years old at that point.

[@flamencoprof]

Agreed. In New Zealand we had Radio with Pictures, a music video programme on NZ's TV2 channel from 1976. indeed it is said on Wikipedia that ""... Mike Nesmith (of The Monkees fame); in November 1976, [he] saw the show in a motel while on a solo NZ tour. Seeing the concept's potential, he returned to America and shared the idea with Robert Pittman. The result was, ultimately, MTV."

[@fromchomleystreet]

@@flamencoprof They were commonplace in Australia in the 70s too. The American acts shown on those shows always stood out because they weren’t really music videos as such, just footage of live performances, whereas the local and British ones were often quite elaborate and inventive little short films as we understand the music video today. The cliche of pin-pointing the birth of MTV as the birth of the Music Video phenomenon as a whole is, I’m afraid, just one more example of a myopically American-centric view of history that permeates The States.

[@flamencoprof]

@@fromchomleystreet "USA-centric" is a term not used enough here or elsewhere. I often want to refer to USA culture without using the broader term "American". Strangely, there is no common term for a "USAan" thing.

[@TheMerseySound1]

4:14 apart from some photoshoots, The Beatles had nothing to do with the Liverpool docks

[@TheFearleader420]

I'm so glad you decided to keep uploading to KZbin. Your voice is perfect for telling these stories and your writing is amazing.

[@SimonFrack]

I always wondered why music videos existed before MTV.

[@fromchomleystreet]

The only thing that was new about MTV is that it was the first music video clip show to run for 24 hours a day, but otherwise, it’s music video based format had been common in Europe and Australasia for years, which is why there was already a wealth of music videos for it to fill its schedule with from day one. It gets way too much credit.

[@SimonFrack]

@@fromchomleystreet Is it basically the difference between watching the news on a TV station at a set time (e.g. “the nine o’clock news”) and a 24hr news station?

[@Gen_X_Rosey]

Can't wait to see the next one. This one is really good. I'm in love with this series!

[@karabearcomics]

Pink Floyd is always who I think of when it comes to any videos on music that I watch. Of course they were mentioned, but I wanted to also say that they did keep going with some videos for songs without as much fanfare behind them. "Scarecrow" is just some fun fiddling about in a field with a scarecrow and "Corporal Clegg" seemed to be an excuse to mess around with a fancy dinner set. They kind of died down for a bit after Syd, but a noteworthy video before mega-stardom was for "One of These Days", with a fully animated video featuring rotoscoped ballet dancers. Overall, though, I know a lot of their videos after this point were designed to be projected behind them, such as the video for "Money", which still stands a bit on its own regardless. But, when it comes to fully animated music videos, they had a big one for "Welcome to the Machine", which truly feels like they were moving towards what they would do on The Wall. And I'm hoping the next video (which I should pop over to Nebula to watch, but laziness means I'll probably just catch it here) talks a bit about Pink Floyd's The Wall, but also The Who's Tommy, as both were landmark attempts at giving the music visuals. Personally, I think Pink Floyd did the better job, but they did theirs after The Who, so there was some ability to learn from Tommy's mistakes. There's something also to be said about Pink Floyd's concert Live at Pompeii, which while a concert film, was also stitched together between live and studio performances, with visual effects and interspersed footage of the ruins of Pompeii (including a bit of the band exploring them). It feels like they were creating something beyond a concert film, or at least leaning more on the "film" than the "concert" for a good amount (especially with the later addition of footage of them recording Dark Side of the Moon at Abbey Road, even if these segments had nothing to do with Pompeii). I still absolutely love the film, one of the best things Pink Floyd released in a visual medium. High praise, considering their other achievements...

[@abyss9316]

1:14 sounds like tiktok... Seriously there is always been a demand for that sort of content whether it was 60 years ago or today

[@AugustRx]

These had no choreography whatsoever

[@lucasratti]

That's not the point though, it's thz general idea more then the choreography

[@nevinphil]

Love your videos! I didn't know the history behind the Bohemian Rhapsody one. Imagine, it was put together in just a few hours, only to have the shelf of eternity.

[@SethLooks]

In the MTV episode I really hope you give Devo there due. They had a library of videos already shot and in the can and they used by MTV in the early days for content and cast aside when there was something else. Devo are the pioneers who got scalped.

[@SheilaTheGrate]

I was thinking about the video for House of the Rising Sun by the Animals. The whole thing is trippy and makes you feel like you are drunk in that house in New Orleans.

[@ingridfong-daley5899]

So the Kinks did that bit with the "coffin-about-town" before Monty Python? Cool! Beck used the same bit in "Loser" too--i will never not laugh when I see it being used.

[@damiens4601]

I love those videos, could you make one ( or even a series) about Crime of the Century ?

[@samfeldstein4498]

Thanks for making this video. I had previously thought it was I Want To Hold Your Hand that was the first song the Beatles performed on The Ed Sullivan Show. Also I had no idea The Moody Blues had a video that depicted similar-type visuals before Bohemian Rhapsody.

[@caseysmith544]

Early Saturday Day Night Live had a few music videos as well from acts like early Devo, the B52's when they had first album, and pre 1980's Ramones. This was just before the original MTV era. The Ramones even have a movie that the songs from said movie were cut up to be individual music videos once the original MTV era launched.

[@DrAnxiety17]

KZbin algorithms has lately been sabotaging great and informative KZbin content in favor of something more light and fun.

[@thebrewmaster66kyle9]

Love your videos man! Much love and support! God bless!

[@bobbyggare8364]

Moody blues mentioned. My day was made

[@vibetech89]

This is the exact time when Everything was changed forever.

[@valmarsiglia]

06:08 - Uh, nobody looked like that in 1963. 😅

[@RebeccaGunn]

TOTP quickly became an institution of the UK industry - for absolute decades it was *the show* to go on - getting on there was some level of "making it" from 1960's - 2000's. But it was in a tiny studio space and the BBC as an institution didn't always understand the show or the times they were in. Shows would generally reflect tastes of the nation, but being a state broadcaster. There were always rules to follow. Even when ITV or C4 tried rival shows - TOTP would win out. It somehow stayed revevant till Digital TV became accessible w/ Music video channels around 2003 and people just didn't wanna do the show anymore.

[@dhpbear2]

19:35 - Your ring-light is reflecting off your glasses. Please consider moving it to the side!

[@Britkid72-g4p]

U should’ve talked about screaming lord such with his music video for his song Jack the Ripper from 1963

[@penelopealizarin234]

Mike Nesmith of the Monkees was also a pioneer of early music videos with Pop Clips

[@omnicleanireland8221]

@Polyphonic dude your intelligent analysis of the history is amazeballs! Moose.

[@tayloreh]

I think the Elvis films must have been a big influence on this campy approach and the rationalization of making promotional videos, as those films he starred in were largely advertisements of his recordings while he went away to war.

[@Mageofheart96]

I hope we get to see some they might be giants footage in the mtv episode, many of their early videos were very style experimental

[@zylbher1]

If the beatles had Made videos of strawberry fields forever and Penny Lane before in 1967 , why bohemian rhapsody in 1975 is regarded as the first music video ? I don't understand that .

[@AugustRx]

The first one that had an actual effect on commercial sales. It normalized music videos instead of making them a rare throwaway gimmick

[@lt.reubenrozeyt5716]

The Beatles Queen and early Pink Floyd mentioned!!!!

[@darrylenglander2992]

any velvet underground and nico or just beatles and david bowie. the velvet underground was supposed to be in a movie with the yardbirds according to a triav box on all music guide

[@alfiemckeough3762]

8:30 not only that, but a lot of TOTP episodes were hosted by the infamous Jimmy Savile, a TV personality who was ousted as a disgusting p3d0phile after his death. This meant that a significant amount of episodes couldn’t be aired ever again. So a large portion of those episodes have been shelved indefinitely.

[@fromchomleystreet]

Haven’t they just cut his bits out?

[@alfiemckeough3762]

@@fromchomleystreet maybe idk, at least when they rerun old episodes on BBC4 they can’t use ones he hosted .

[@krachbumbang]

Great episode - thanks

[@tylerhackner9731]

What a great era

[@williamblakejr]

Great video! Thanks! At the end of the video, it seems like you're not looking straight into the camera. I think it will look better if you do.

[@dannytoeman]

I don’t think the only problem with Top of the Pops was that the charts were released on Tuesday.

[@ALurkingGrue]

Yay! Glad the Monkees got a shout out in this.

[@Gary-zq3pz]

Just imagine Rob Zombie slipping thru a time warp back to '65....

[@J.R.Psych74]

The weird world of sixties videos with seventies videos in it. Nicely done 😂

[@dorothywasrighttho5129]

It is mentionned on Notes on Camp and I always wondered what it looked like ... Also those machines were used to show porns. Fascinating.

[@TheMerseySound1]

2:18 The Hollies - Little Lover

[@AliceFlynn]

another banger by polyphonic

[@LightPink]

Turning on the tv to watch music is so weird

[@joshuagibson2520]

Kick ass presentation.

[@carloseduardodutra991]

very good! tnks.

[@joermnyc]

Surprised but also not surprised at the lack of mention of all the films Elvis did... most were terrible... except King Creole because it wasn't just a thin plot with elaborate music performances holding it together.

[@fromchomleystreet]

It’s not really terribly relevant. They were cinema released films with songs in them, not discrete promotional clips designed for screening on TV, in isolation, as an advertisement for a record. They’re purely in the established tradition of film musicals, which in turn are in the tradition of the broadway musical. You could say there was a link between the film musical as a genre and the music video, but it’s not like the Elvis films in particular were doing something particularly innovative in that regard.

[@joermnyc]

@@fromchomleystreet we he did mention the films the Beatles made.

[@PontiacS]

Your "Facts" about Ed Sullivan are Incorrect. That Old story about seeing "Beatlemania" at Heathrow Airport has been Thoroughly Debunked.

[@callanfox9870]

Why the heck does every time this video appear in my recommended the thumbnail is changed

[@derianimp]

I love The Beatles and The Monkees!!!

[@fredo1070]

Blondie was the first band to release a video album.

[@lt.reubenrozeyt5716]

Were can I find it?

[@fredo1070]

@@lt.reubenrozeyt5716 It's all on KZbin Blondie - Eat To The Beat VHS

[@beauwilliamson3628]

I feel like you could count 'Help' and 'A Hard Days Night' as such. The Monkey's 'Head', and Gainbourg's 'Histoire de Melody Nelson' in 71. Except you couldn't buy them in stores in video form (as far as I know Maybe as super 8?).

[@martingiovannella]

Where is the clip at 11:24 from?

[@CantTellYou]

If you look up “1967 Los Angeles Hippie Festival” (the “Easter Sunday Love-In”) I’m pretty certain that’s the festival where that footage is from.

[@pssurvivor]

if video killed the radio star then music streaming killed the music video

[@benburke3015]

No views and 4 likes. Never change, KZbin.

[@lilleaton]

Give it time! Humanity will live on at least a few tens of thousands of tears more. The views will follow.

[@ecurewitz]

357;so far after about an hour

[@allynfornow]

🔥

[@MurenRandom]

❤

[@seamlessline]

Tawp of the Pawps

[@dragitoutofme]

Do I hear Joel????

[@AugustRx]

i thought Beyonce invented music videos. Thank you beyonce

[@farfelllee]

she didn't lol

[@slystone4892]

Do you have another channel?