Featured TV on DVD Review: Music Video Exposed: The Collection

July 20, 2011

Music Video Exposed: The Collection - Buy from Amazon

Music Video Exposed: The Collection is a three-disc collection from the VH1 series that aired last year. It only ran for six episodes, and only three of them are in this collection, which makes for a very strange TV on DVD release. There's got to be more to it than that, right?

The Show

Each episode follows the same format with a pioneering music video director being interviewed with some of the artists they are most associated with, inter-cut with numerous clips from the videos they made. The first episode deals with David Mallet, who made videos for Def Leppard, AC/DC, The Boomtown Rats, David Bowie, Queen, Billy Idol, Scorpions, Joan Jett, Rush, etc. Not every act he made videos with are featured here, but more than enough are that it feels comprehensive. The first DVD also comes with extended interviews with Joan Jett, Queen, Def Leppard, Sir Bob Geldof, and AC/DC. The extended interviews are twice as long as the main program. Finally, there are 11 music videos from 7 bands.

  1. AC/DC: "You Shook Me All Night Long"
  2. AC/DC: "Thunderstruck"
  3. Billy Idol: "White Wedding"
  4. Boomtown Rats: "I Don't Like Mondays"
  5. David Bowie: "Ashes to Ashes"
  6. David Bowie: "Let's Dance"
  7. David Bowie and Mick Jagger: "Dancing in the Street"
  8. Def Leppard: "Photograph"
  9. Joan Jett: "Crimson and Clover"
  10. Queen: "Radio Ga Ga"
  11. Queen: "I Want to Break Free"
Disc two features the work of Russel Mulcahy, who made several iconic music videos, including "Video Killed the Radio Star" by The Buggles, which was the very first music video aired on MTV. He also worked with Queen, Fleetwood Mac, Duran Duran, Rod Stewart, Culture Club, Kim Carnes, and more. There are also two hours of extended interviews with many of the same stars: Bonnie Tyler, Duran Duran, Kim Carnes, Mick Fleetwood, etc. Finally, there are 11 music videos from 9 bands.
  1. The Buggles: "Video Killed the Radio Star"
  2. Bonnie Tyler: "Total Eclipse of the Heart"
  3. Culture Club: "War Song"
  4. Duran Duran: "Rio"
  5. Duran Duran: "Wild Boys"
  6. Fleetwood Mac: "Gypsy"
  7. Kim Carnes: "Bette Davis Eyes"
  8. Queen: "A Kind of Magic"
  9. Spandau Ballet: "True"
  10. Spandau Ballet: "Chant No 1"
  11. Ultravox: "Vienna"
The final disc features Wayne Isham, who directed videos for such acts as Metallica, Megadeath, Judas Priest, Queensryche, Mötley Crüe, Skid Row, Ozzy Osbourne ... and Whitney Houston? That's quite a change in mood. Also an interesting note, in this program, Wayne Isham mentions both previous directors either by name or by work. ("Ashes to Ashes" is the music video that made him want to direct, while he mentions Russel Mulcahy as someone Howard Jones would have been expected to work with instead of him.) There are more than two hours of additional interview footage with Wayne Isham and half-a-dozen acts. Finally, there's another 11 music videos from 10 acts.

  1. Def Leppard: "Pour Some Sugar On Me" (Live Version)
  2. Dokken: "Alone Again"
  3. Howard Jones: "You Know I Love You"
  4. Judas Priest: "Painkiller"
  5. Judas Priest: "Turbo Lover"
  6. Megadeath: "Sweating Bullets"
  7. Metallica: "Enter Sandman"
  8. Pantera: "5 Minutes Alone"
  9. Queensryche: "Jet City Woman"
  10. Skid Row: "18 and Life"
  11. Whitney Houston: "So Emotional"

The Extras

Technically, everything outside of the three 24-minute episodes is considered an extra. This means there are far more extras than actual main program.

The Verdict

Music Video Exposed: The Collection is worth picking up even if you don't care about the directors featured. Even if you never listen to a single one of the interviews. It's worth picking up for the collection of music videos. You can also buy the three episodes individually, if you are only a fan of on or two of the directors. Personally, I can't wait for the other three episodes to be released.


- Submitted by:

Filed under: Video Review