Video reviews

[hsu@uicsrd.CSRD.UIUC.EDU (William Tsun-Yuk Hsu)]

Two video thingies I saw recently that won't be on MTV (except maybe
as a "classic of '85" twenty years later; you really think MTV would
play Cream if it was broadcasting back in '69?) I saw them on my little
black and white TV with the tiny 3" speaker, so maybe the sound is
better than my impressions.

Both of these tapes are from Atavistic Video (ATV) in Columbus Ohio.
(I'll find that address for you yet, Hof...)

SONIC YOUTH	Untitled (about 60 mins.)

This is rather dark and grainy and badly focused at times. Very choppy
set --- the band hardly said anything between songs. It was fun to
watch what they did with their guitars tho. Steve Shelley (I think) was
the drummer, and they did Death Valley '69, Ghost Bitch, World Looks
Red, the Christgau song and some other song from the same EP, I Love
Her All the Time, maybe a few other things, and ended with Expressway
to your Skull. The band played hard, but the quality of the film is
so bad that you can hardly see what they're doing at times. For rabid 
SY fans (like me) only.

BIG BLACK	Untitled, but filmed around 10/85

This is definitely worth checking out. Same lineup as their show in
Urbana/Champaign (Albini, Santiago Durango, Dave Riley.) Albini does
not wear that stupid hat he wore here, tho. Since this was done before
Atomizer, it's interesting to hear the earlier versions of the "hits"
from Atomizer. They did Passing (Plastic??) Complexion, the song on
side one with the long metallic guitar intro, Fists of Love, Kerosene,
Rema Rema, a few old things and ended with Jordan MN. Albini tries to sing 
much more here (on the album it's more chanting and ranting.) Kerosene
was a little shorter than on the album. Every joke Albini told comes
out loud and clear, even the abuse he got when he announced Jordan MN.
Good stuff; YOU MUST HAVE THIS IF YOU'RE INTO ALTERNATIVE MUSIC VIDEOS.

Bill