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VMA:
Rock Music Artists: Lenny Kravitz, Blink 182, The Vines, Marilyn Manson, Pink,
Silverchair, Stone Temple Pilots, Jewel, INXS, U2
VMA:
Hip-Pop Music Artists: Brittany Spears, Jamiroquai, Shakira, Brian Seltzer
Orchestra, Nelly, Naughty By Nature, Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, MC Hammer, Kinky
VMA:
Rock Feature Length: 51 minutes
VMA:
Hip-Pop Feature Length: 50 minutes
VMA:
Rock Extras: Chris Rock ’97 Monologue, Dennis Miller ’95 Monologue, Dana
Carvey ’92 Monologue
VMA
Hip-Pop Extras: Learn To Scratch With Rob Swift Of The X-ecutioners, Making It
As A Hit Songwriter With Sturken & Rogers, Res Music Video “They Say
Vision”
Languages:
English Stereo Sound
Subtitles:
N/A
Packaging:
Amaray Keep Cases
Chapter
Stops: 10/9
Sound:
Stereo Sound
Years
Of Television Broadcast: 1990/1992/1993/1995/1996/1997/1998/2000/2002/DVD
Release: 2003
Home
Video Distributor: Paramount Home Entertainment
MPAA
Rating: Not Rated
Reviewer:
Mark A. Rivera
It
is hard to believe it but the MTV Video Music Awards will be celebrating their
twentieth broadcast this August. MTV sure has changed in the last twenty years.
It has gone from a network that showcased the hottest talent both new and old to
a network that hardly shows any music videos at all. Seriously there is more
reality TV on MTV than there is music and I don’t think the existence of MTV 2
qualifies as a valid substitute since it requires pay television subscribers to
either have pseudo digital cable or a satellite dish. I like to watch a music
video just as much as anyone else, but I don’t think I should have to pay
extra to do so. MTV has become a complete and total mechanism for indoctrinating
young people into triviality with endless melodramatic soap opera like reality
shows that have only one sole connection to music and that is whatever the song
being played in the background of the action. I think MTV did a wonderful thing
by bringing new music to the masses when it actually used to show music videos
on a regular basis instead of maybe an hour or so a day, but now MTV has lost
touched with itself and should change it’s name to RTV for Reality TV despite
the fact that I consider the whole phenomenon of reality television to be the
biggest oxymoron since the term “Politically Correct” was first uttered.
Sadly
what should have been the silver lining to the cloud of crap that MTV has become
is a bit of a disappointment. I can think of so many more interesting
performances that are not included on either of these DVDs like Madonna’s
standout performance singing “Like A Virgin” or even “Vogue” or how
about Janet Jackson’s performances, which featured a then largely unknown
Jennifer Lopez as one of her backup stage dancers. The Beastie Boys and RUN DMC
or what about Guns N Roses or Nirvana? There are just so many performers not
included that I can only think one of two things. Either it is if these two
discs sell well they will release additional volumes in the future or maybe they
couldn’t get the clearance to include the above mentioned music artists’
performances from previous VMAs. As it is both volumes only go back to 1990 so
already one knows that a lot of those 80s bands we all grew up watching on MTV
are not included save for INXS.
What
is interesting is how quickly some of these performances become time capsules
onto themselves. The sight of Brittany Spears singing “I’m A Slave 4 U”
with the snake is not nearly as jaunting as it was just two years ago. In fact
what is perhaps the funniest thing on both volumes is to see how many artists
appear to be actually singing and how many appear to be lip-synching. Saying
what are the best performances on each disc is largely dictated my one’s own
musical tastes and since that is extremely subjective, I have to note to anyone
listening that just because I like or disliked a particular performance does not
mean you will too.
For
me the best performance of the two discs is Lenny Kravitz singing “Are You
Gonna Go My Way.” It is so full of energy that even now it still feels real as
if it were happening live in person right before one’s eyes on a stage as
opposed to a TV screen. Other performances I enjoyed from the “VMA: Rock”
DVD included Blink 182 performing “All The Small Things” and “The Vines”
performing “Get Free.” They could not have picked a more boring performance
by U2 then the band’s 1997 recital of “Please.” I never particularly
thought of Pink as being a rock artist, but then again I don’t think much of
Pink either. The INXS performance of “Suicide Blond” is pretty corny and
probably the most dated of the performances on the “VMA: Rock” DVD.
On
the “VMA: Hip-Pop” DVD one can enjoy Shakira shaking her behind faster than
a bee’s wings performing “Objection Tango” however the most dated and
unintentionally funny performance belongs to MC Hammer with “U Can’t Touch
This.” The site of Arsenio Hall with the blue jacket with the tails, matching
hat and monocle can almost make someone else feel embarrassed for him now. The
complete play list for each DVD is as follows:
Video
Music Awards: Rock:
Lenny
Kravitz: Are You Gonna Go My Way
Blink
182: All The Small Things
The
Vines: Get Free
Marilyn
Manson: Beautiful People
Pink:
Just Like A Pill
Silverchair:
Tomorrow
Stone
Temple Pilots: Pretty Penny
Jewel:
Angel Standing By
INXS:
Suicide Blond
U2:
Please
Video
Music Awards: Hip-Pop:
Brittany
Spears: I’m A Slave 4 U
Jamiroquai:
Virtual Insanity
Shakira:
Objection Tango
Brian
Seltzer Orchestra: Jump, Jive An’ Wail
Nelly:
Country Grammar
Naughty
By Nature: Hip Hop Hooray
Bone
Thugs-N-Harmony: Tha Crossroads
MC
Hammer: U Can’t Touch This
Kinky:
Mas
The
best extra feature on the “VMA: Rock” DVD is the Chris Rock Monologue from
1997 while the best extra feature on the “VMA: Hip-Pop” DVD is the “Learn
To Scratch With Rob Swift Of The X-ecutioners” featurette. Both discs include
a feature that allows the viewer to choose exactly how they want to playback the
performances and skip the ones they dislike.
Both discs feature good video aspect ratios of (1.33:1) with average
sounding English Stereo Soundtracks.
Both
“Video Music Awards: Rock: MTV’s DVD-Video Collection” and “Video Music
Awards: Hip-Pop: MTV’s DVD-Video Collection” will debut sold separately on
Tuesday, August 5, 2003 from Paramount Home Entertainment.
©
Copyright 2003 By Mark A. Rivera
All Rights Reserved.
Buy Both Of These DVDs By Clicking On The Respective
Text Links Below!