The Most Awesomely Terrible Music Videos

(From Songfacts.com)

Our good buddy CARL WISER alerted us to a discussion taking place on his SONGFACTS website about The Most Awesomely Terrible Music Videos.

One of the posters, who's around 16 and loves 70s music, just doesn't appreciate the artistry behind these early music videos.

He wrote about how painful LET'S GROOVE TONIGHT by EARTH, WIND AND FIRE from 1977 was for him to watch.



Now Carl and I, who as editors have worked on our share of analog equipment, were really impressed by this video.

I know it's hard to believe but this video was way ahead of its time.

You have to remember this was done in 1977 when videotape and portable video gear was brand new. Portable often meant a piece of heavy equipment had a handle on it.

Heck, all local and national television news broadcasts and TV shows back them were mostly still being shot on film.

60 MINUTES and 20/20 continued to shoot and edit on film until 1981!

Kids today need to appreciate the artisty of these early videos with their luma keys, soft boarder wipe effects, rainbow trails, lasers, DVE moves and DVE feedback.

Just look at the compositing in this video and remember this was done way before digital and pre-read and most likey using 2" videotape with multiple lays-offs.

Very impressive.

Carl Wiser, thanks for the post.

[Besides, Carl and I were asked to do stuff like this still in the mid-90s! So, considering this was 1977, it really was cutting edge!]