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But it is true, is it not, that songs with videos are better than songs by themselves
On what evidence? That's a statement that really needs something to back it up.
I do think there are definite instances where a video can greatly enhance the enjoyment of a song, the most obvious examples being the Gorillaz singles. At first, before having seen the vids, I was very much unmoved by the songs. They need Hewlett's visuals. Hearing, say, 19-2000 now, the experience is shaped by my memory of the video. The song only really works when it's got the daft, brilliant cartoon behind it. I think it's entirely likely that the album as a whole would be a lot more satisfying if it had been similar in execution to the Super Furry's Rings Around The World DVD.
That said, Gorillaz are an extreme case, their whole raison d'etre being the idea that they're a group made up of cartoon characters. The visuals are an integral part of the premise.
There's a fundamental difference between visual and audio entertainment that needs to be considered. You can listen to a record or the radio and still give part of your concentration over to something else without compromising either activity (much as I'm currently typing this out while also listening to a CD). Watching a music video, your eyes have to stay on the screen. You're far more limited in what other activities you can carry out at the same time. It's probably for this reason that a song with a video can sometimes seem more dynamic than one without.
As a side-issue, this all crosses over neatly with something I've just started getting more interested in - videogame music. I've currently got some of the best game soundtracks on order. This is music that - within the context of the games - works fantastically, helping to provide the impetus to the visual action. We're talking mainly about games where the sound is easily of equal importance in the creation of mood and a believable universe as the visuals - Jet Set Radio, for example, where the pop/hip-hop tracks are a fundamental part of the world the game's set in. There are also games which are entirely centred around the idea of player participation with the soundtrack - Bemani titles like Samba de Amigo, Space Channel 5, Bust a Move, Dance Dance Revolution, etc.
The point here is that, while the music works brilliantly while you're playing the game and are subject to the accompanying visuals and active involvement, I've got no idea how well it works purely as audio entertainment, once the rest of the experience is stripped away. Which, er, kind of makes that entire last paragraph redundant. Once I get a hold of the soundtracks I'll comment a bit more on that particular issue. I'm sure most people read the word 'videogames' and skipped the rest, anyway.
I can't see it making a massive amount of difference to the enjoyment of the music for its own sake, however - videogame soundtracks aren't that far removed from film soundtracks. Listening to Once Upon a Time in the West, for example, it's nearly impossible for me to separate the music from what I know of the film, what's happening in it while that particular track is playing. The impact of videos on singles is very similar - listen to ...Baby One More Time and try not to remember the video. Point is, it doesn't distract from that song in any way whatsoever when you hear it without having the video playing in front of you, nor, I'd imagine, would the song sound any less 'artistic' (bleurgh) to someone who'd never seen the video - the exact same applies to the Once Upon a Time... album. It's a different thing from Gorillaz.
Which is why you can't really go making as broad a generalisation as you have in your first post, Tom. Some singles are damned forever to be remembered fondly only because of the video that went with them. Some exist without any visual promotion at all. Most sit nicely in the middle of that distinction.
By the way, can we impose a forum-wide ban on the use of nebulous terms like "of significantly greater art," "artistic value," and the old classic, "artistic integrity,"? |
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