For people who remember the time when MTV was the only music station on television (hence the initials) and actually did play music videos, Rhino Flashback Studios put out a collection of DVDs. Titled Essential Music Videos, each disc contained six videos in a particular category during the 1980’s.

Yes, you read that right. Six.

Twenty-two minutes or so of videos.

That’s it.

So unless someone is looking for a particular video by a favorite artist that they can’t find elsewhere (re: on YouTube or another compilation with a heck of a lot more selection), I can’t see the reason why they would purchase this. It wasn’t even worth renting for the time it took out of my rental queue. I could have been watching… more.

The Bang Your Head title is exactly what it sounds like, head-banging hard rock selections. These six artists are not just hair bands, although some might fall into that category. The songs chosen to put on the DVDs doesn’t even represent the songs these bands were generally best known for. Case in point, the band Mr. Big’s biggest hit was To Be With You. Nope, that’s not here. Of course, that was an acoustic performance and hardly falls into the Bang Your Head theme. So perhaps the band was a poor choice for this DVD, especially considering Rhino was only putting six songs on it?


Addicted to that Rush (Mr. Big)

Long before Sex in the City, Mr. Big was a rock band. It was formed by the bass player for David Lee Roth in 1988. This song is a performance video by the band. It shows a hard rockin’, driven live performance of the song.

Radar Love (White Lion)

Instead of their hit Wait, this cover version of the Golden Earring classic appears on the DVD. The band was formed in New York City in the early 1980’s but didn’t really go anywhere until that song was a hit in 1988. For Radar Love, the band plays live in a small bar somewhere, while out on the road, there are a variety of pursuits taking place as a GT and motorcycles try to outrun the police. At one point one of the waitresses in the bar almost does a striptease during a guitar solo – sure to entice all those young boys out there.

Golden Earring did it better.

Gutter Ballet (Savatage)

This band was the precursor to the Trans Siberian Orchestra, which makes all those very different-sounding Christmas songs that hit the radio airwaves just after Thanksgiving. Formed in Florida in 1979, the band was known for their concept albums rather than hit singles. They were also a popular band on the MTV show Headbanger’s Ball. This video has street scenes in New York City that are intercut with an outdoor performance by the band. The tone is quite somber, as is the video, depicting signs of despair and hopelessness; in the poorer side of the city.

Over My Head (Kings X)

I had never seen this band out of Springfield, Missouri before this video. The impression I had was of a really strange-looking band; something of a cross between punk and metal. Their songs tend to be quite spiritual while at the same time bringing in the hard-driving sound. This is a performance video. The song is hard-driving but repetitive.

All the Fools Sailed Away (Dio)

Never was a Dio fan, but everyone knew who they were back in the 1980s. Formed by Ronnie James Dio after he left Black Sabbath, this band enjoyed quite a bit of success, even if they didn’t have a hit single. Here, the band performs on a beach with a bonfire. Waves crash behind them. Various characters appear throughout the video. People were taken off the beach onto a ship. A “goddess of the sea” beckons them. All in all, it seems to be a high concept, but never quite crosses the line into telling a story.

Apple Pie (White Trash)

A transitional band between the hair bands of the 1980s and the grunge bands of the 1990s, White Trash formed in New York City at the end of the 1980s. This is also a performance video. The band is beneath the Williamsburg Bridge with all the garbage and trash surrounding it. Interesting band, different than what I would expect from a metal band in how they move and sound. Definitely starting in the grunge era.



And that’s it. If there’s something there you really want and haven’t been able to find, run right out and buy this disc. I am sure there are plenty available. Otherwise, I can’t imagine what’s here that would make someone feel the need to have it in their DVD collection.