Music Video of the Day: Doctorin’ The Tardis by The Timelords (1988, directed by ????)


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Adk1ujjmguo

Today’s music video is for the song that Melody Maker called “”pure, unadulterated agony!”

Recorded in 1988, Doctorin’ The Tardis was produced by Bill Drummond and Jimmy Cauty, who would later be better known as The KLF.  The song is a mash-up of the Doctor Who theme music, Gary Glitter’s Rock and Roll (Part Two), Sweet’s Blockbuster, Steve Walsh’s Let Get Together, and the famous Dalek war cry.  The song was Drummond and Cauty’s attempt to write a number one hit single, as opposed to the more esoteric and socially conscious work for which they were better known.

As Drummond explained it,  “We went into the studio on a Monday, thinking we were going to make a house track, a regular underground dance house track using the Doctor Who theme tune… [but] we [then] realised it was in triplet time and you can’t have house tracks in triplet time. The only beat that would work with it was the Glitter beat. By Tuesday evening we realised we had a number one and we just went totally for the lowest common denominator.”  Drummond also later said that Doctorin’ The Tardis was, “the most nauseating record of all time.”

While the critics may have agreed with Drummond, the music-buying public loved the song and Doctorin’ The Tardis spent a week as number one on the UK pop charts.  Drummond and Cauty responded by writing a book called The Manual (How To Have A Number One The Easy Way), which was advertised as being a guide to how to have a number one hit record without having any musical talent whatsoever.  Among The Manual‘s advise: Be on the dole and, if you’re already a musician, stop playing your instrument and sell it.  The Manual also warned that all of its advice will be obsolete within twelve months.

The video, which cost £8,000 to make, was filmed in Wiltshire and features Cauty’s 1968 Ford Galaxie police car being pursued by some poorly constructed Daleks.

Exterminate!

This is what a real Dalek looks like, son.

 

Music Video of the Day: Fox On The Run by Sweet (1975, dir. ???)


Q: Didn’t you just feature a Sweet video yesterday?
A: No, Lisa did yesterday’s post.

Q: You know what I mean! The day before last-the last time you posted.
A: That’s true.

Q: Wait a second…did you and Lisa collude to do a Warren Fu video because you plan on doing…
A: I’ll stop you right there. Of course I will get to that video. How could I avoid it?

Q: So why are you doing this video? Because it was in the trailer for Guardians Of The Galaxy, Vol. 2? You want to point out that Marvel can also play the pick-a-song-that-ties-in-with-our-rival’s-movie game?
A: No, but since you mention it, that is a good tie-in.

Q: Then why are you doing this video? They all stand as stiff as Arthur Kane of New York Dolls. But at least that was something he was known for doing onstage.
A: Yes. That’s one of the reasons I am doing it. I want people to appreciate the difference between this, and the video for The Ballroom Blitz–made two years prior.

Q: Then what’s the other reason? Stop jerking me around.
A: The answer to that is easy.

Q: That’s not an answer.
A: Yes, it is. I just found out they’re gonna stick some tubes down my throat at the beginning of August. I’m so sorry it’s too cryptic for you.

Q: At least include those “Song Of The Month” things Andy Scott did about their songs. You forgot that when you did The Ballroom Blitz.
A: Good point. I did forget those. So, here they are for Fox On The Run and The Ballroom Blitz.

Q: Okay, I’m satisfied. Just say your stupid catchphrase, and end this conversation with yourself.
A: Enjoy!

Music Video of the Day: The Ballroom Blitz by Sweet (1973, dir. ???)


I am a few years behind when it comes to recent films. I’m still working through 2015 at the moment. As a result, I only watched Suicide Squad (2016) recently. I don’t like to watch short films made with footage edited from a feature film–trailers. Therefore, when I watched the movie, I was expecting this song to be in it since I had at least heard of a connection between the two. No such luck. Instead I got what felt like random musical choices with the exception of Paranoid by Black Sabbath since it was on the same album as Iron Man. That’s something that I doubt many people picked up on or cared if they did.

Anyhow, I was guessing at the date for this video because while it did get a European release in 1973, it didn’t get a release in the US till 1975–according to Wikipedia. Then I found the video again, also on Sweet’s official channel, but as it was played on the German show Disco on October, 27th 1973. That’s why I went with 1973 for the video.

It’s a stage performance video. It is one of the better ones I’ve seen. I think they did a good job editing it to match the fast-pace of the song. That’s all I can say about the video itself.

As for the song, it was inspired by an incident in January of 1973 in Kilmarnock, Scotland at Grand Hall where the band had to flee the stage under a barrage of bottles being thrown at them by the audience.

As for where you know it from, it’s probably either the Suicide Squad trailer, Dancing With The Stars, or Wayne’s World (1992). Wayne’s World is what introduced me to this song. It wasn’t until around 2007 that I found out they did other songs too. I’ll get to some of those another day.

Enjoy!