QF1 1 - Peter Gabriel "Sledgehammer" v 7 - Queen "Bohemian Rhapsody"

[Crawliano]

QF1 1 - Peter Gabriel "Sledgehammer" v 7 - Queen "Bohemian Rhapsody"

Two seminal moments in music video history going head to head...

 

[Crawliano]

So what is there to be said about this that hasn't been said? Well, I'm going to be honest here and say in terms of "best video" in this tie Sledgehammer should win hands down, but in terms of most pivotal, Queen take it.

Let's look at things though, in terms of the promotional tool, Gabriel as well as Dire Straits took to the fledgling music video like a duck to water, when MTV launched these were the videos that made small time artists MASSIVE in America, this is the most played video EVER on MTV for a reason and for that reason alone and why it's so engrained in pop culture should be the reason why ladies and gentleman why this should win.

[video=youtube;N1tTN-b5KHg]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N1tTN-b5KHg[/video]

 

[davewebbsbrain]

So....Bohemian Rhapsody. What to say today?

Well:

The video was very innovative. It was the first where the visual images took precedence over the song. It was based on their album cover, with the 4 band members looking up into the shadows. It was shot in 3 hours for $3,500. Effects were achieved by using camera feedback and prism lenses. At the time, it looked high-tech. It was also the first music video in the sense that it was shot on video instead of film.

Mercury's parents were deeply involved in Zoroastrianism, and these Arabic words do have a meaning in that religion. His family grew up in Zanzibar, but was forced out by government upheaval in 1964 and they moved to England. Some of the lyrics could be about leaving his homeland behind. Mercury claimed the lyrics were nothing more than "Random rhyming nonsense" when asked about it by his friend Kenny Everett.

This got a whole new audience when it was used in the 1992 movie Wayne's World, starring Mike Myers and Dana Carvey. In the film, Wayne and his friends lip-synch to it in his car (the Mirth Mobile), spasmodically head-bobbing at the guitar solo. As a result of the movie, it was re-released as a single in the US and charted at #2.

In 1991, this was re-released in the UK shortly after Freddie Mercury's death. It again went to #1, with proceeds going to the Terrence Higgins Trust, which Mercury supported.

In 2002, this came in #1 in a poll by Guinness World Records as Britain's favorite single of all time. John Lennon's "Imagine" was #2, followed by The Beatles' "Hey Jude."



We don't need to see the video again as we all know it. I have to say I really liked the sledgehammer video, but the chicken was way too weird for me.

 

[MK Shrimper]

Surely DWB should be disqualified for not realising this is a competition about the video and not the song........:whistling:

 

[OldBlueLady]

I agree with everything that these opponents have said and I love Bohemian Rhapsody as a song, however, to me, Bohemian Rhapsody is just simply not a video in the true sense. It's a bit of live recording, mixed with a few clever camera effects whereas Sledgehammer was simply groundbreaking. I still remember the first time I saw it and being totally captivated by the imagination and dedication that went into producing it.

 

[davewebbsbrain]

So....Bohemian Rhapsody. What to say today?

Well:

The video was very innovative. It was the first where the visual images took precedence over the song. It was based on their album cover, with the 4 band members looking up into the shadows. It was shot in 3 hours for $3,500. Effects were achieved by using camera feedback and prism lenses. At the time, it looked high-tech. It was also the first music video in the sense that it was shot on video instead of film.

Mercury's parents were deeply involved in Zoroastrianism, and these Arabic words do have a meaning in that religion. His family grew up in Zanzibar, but was forced out by government upheaval in 1964 and they moved to England. Some of the lyrics could be about leaving his homeland behind. Mercury claimed the lyrics were nothing more than "Random rhyming nonsense" when asked about it by his friend Kenny Everett.

This got a whole new audience when it was used in the 1992 movie Wayne's World, starring Mike Myers and Dana Carvey. In the film, Wayne and his friends lip-synch to it in his car (the Mirth Mobile), spasmodically head-bobbing at the guitar solo. As a result of the movie, it was re-released as a single in the US and charted at #2.

In 1991, this was re-released in the UK shortly after Freddie Mercury's death. It again went to #1, with proceeds going to the Terrence Higgins Trust, which Mercury supported.

In 2002, this came in #1 in a poll by Guinness World Records as Britain's favorite single of all time. John Lennon's "Imagine" was #2, followed by The Beatles' "Hey Jude."



We don't need to see the video again as we all know it. I have to say I really liked the sledgehammer video, but the chicken was way too weird for me.

Surely DWB should be disqualified for not realising this is a competition about the video and not the song........:whistling:

I agree with everything that these opponents have said and I love Bohemian Rhapsody as a song, however, to me, Bohemian Rhapsody is just simply not a video in the true sense. It's a bit of live recording, mixed with a few clever camera effects whereas Sledgehammer was simply groundbreaking. I still remember the first time I saw it and being totally captivated by the imagination and dedication that went into producing it.

LOL...see my words in bold...it's all about the video

 

[MK Shrimper]

LOL...see my words in bold...it's all about the video

Apart from the majority of your blurb :hilarious:

 

[davewebbsbrain]

Apart from the majority of your blurb :hilarious:

That's just some extra info you wouldn't otherwise ever know.

 

[Uncle Leo]

That's just some extra info you wouldn't otherwise ever know.

I'm pretty sure MK will have seen Wayne's World :winking:

Really tough one here, but just edging towards Sledgehammer. Much like 'Money For Nothing', I clearly remember the 'wow' factor when I first saw this in the mid-80s.

 

[Crawliano]

Gabriel sneaks it.

 

[MK Shrimper]

I'm pretty sure MK will have seen Wayne's World :winking:

In MK land it's always party time and it's excellent.