Category Archives: Music Review

Music Video of the Day: 2 Legit 2 Quit (1991, directed by Rupert Wainwright)

Posted on by Jedadiah Leland

Do you want to watch one of the most expensive music videos ever made?

Even more importantly, do you have 15 minutes to watch MC Hammer?

The idea behind this video is that MC Hammer is thinking about quitting the business but James Brown wants him to steal Michael Jackson’s glove.  Before we even get to Hammer, we sit through James Belushi as a newscaster and cameos from several 1991 celebrities.  Danny Glover, Henry Winkler, Freedom Williams, David Faustino, Barry Sobel, Ralph Tresvant, Mark and Donnie Wahlberg, Eazy-E, DJ Quik, 2nd II None, Tony Danza, Queen Latifah and Milli Vanilli all appear in this video, as do several athletes: José Canseco, Isiah Thomas, Kirby Puckett, Jerry Rice, Rickey Henderson, Deion Sanders, Andre Rison, Wayne Gretzky, Chris Mullin, Roger Clemens, Roger Craig, Ronnie Lott, Lynette Woodard, the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders, David Robinson, and former Atlanta Falcons coach Jerry Glanville.  Obviously, with David Faustino and Tony Danza standing behind him, there was no way MC Hammer could quit.

This video was named the fifth worst music video of all time by MAX Music.  That was only with hindsight, though.  A shortened version was a hit on MTV and, in 1991, the Atlanta Falcons dubbed themselves the 2 Legit 2 Quite Falcons.  (They went 10-6 that season.)

Director Rupert Wainwright also did the video for U Can’t Touch This.

Enjoy!

Music Video of the Day: Pop Goes The Weasel by 3rd Bass (1991, directed by Jesse Dylan)

Posted on by Jedadiah Leland

Vanilla Ice was very popular in 1990.

By 1991, everyone was sick of him.  How unpopular was Vanilla Ice?  He was so unpopular that 3rd Bass scored a moderate with Pop Goes The Weasel, a song attacking him for cultural appropriation.  Like Vanilla Ice, two of the rappers in 3rd Bass were Caucasian but they presented themselves as respecting rap’s traditions and history.  Vanilla Ice, on the other hand, couldn’t even be bothered to give credit to Queen for stealing their bass line.

This video found a lot of popularity on MTV.  Ironically, it was MTV that made Vanilla Ice a star to begin with by repeatedly playing the video for Ice Ice Baby.  In this video, Vanilla Ice was played by Henry Rollins.

Director Jesse Dylan has also done videos for Tom Waits, The Black Keyes, Eels, Skid Row, Lenny Kravitz and Lita Ford.  He also directed the Will Ferrell soccer epic, Kicking and Screaming.

Enjoy!

Song of the Day: Diamonds Are Forever, performed by Shirley Bassey

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

Today, on Sean Connery’s birthday, our song of the day is the theme for one of my favorite Bond films.  I know that some people claim that Diamonds are Forever is a lesser Bond film but personally, I think it’s just silly enough to be effective.  James Bond and Las Vegas are a match made in heaven.

Music Video of the Day: Come On Eileen by Dexys Midnight Runners (1982, directed by Julien Temple)

Posted on by Jedadiah Leland

One it comes to one-hit wonders, there really aren’t many that hold up as well as Come On Eileen. In a year dominated by Michael Jackson’s Thriller, Come On Eileen managed to take first place on the Billboard 100, displacing Billie Jean before then being displaced itself by Beat It.

The music video of Come On Eileen was filmed in the inner south London district of Elephant and Castle in the vicinity of the corner of Brook Drive and Hayles Street, then known as Austral Street and Holyoak Road.  Playing the role of Eileen was Máire Fahey, the sister of Bananarama’s Siobhan Fahey.  “Poor old Johnnie Ray” appears as himself, via footage of him arriving at Heathrow Airport in 1954.

Director Julien Temple is perhaps best known for his association with the Sex Pistols, having directed both The Great Rock and Roll Swindle and The Filth and the Fury.

Enjoy!