R.E.M. - Parallel

This is a fantastic collection of all of the videos that were made for Automatic For The People and Monster. These are some of the best R.E.M. videos ever, as far as I'm concerned.

"Drive" was filmed in black and white with about 300 extras (I've read that they were fan club members) that Michael Stipe body-surfs over like a giant mosh pit. At some point everyone, including Peter, Mike and Bill, is sprayed with a fire hose to add an extra element of chaos and rebellion to the image.

"Man On The Moon" is shot in black and white again, with Michael walking through deserts and highways dressed sort of cowboy style. He does his now famous Elvis move just before he hops a big rig driven by Bill Berry. He is let off at a country bar/diner where Peter takes his order for a big basket of french fries and Mike is playing some billiards while sporting fake steer skull tattoos on his forearms. The next thing you know, all the patrons in the place are lip-synching along.

"The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite" is as unusual as the song. It is basically a colorful performance video with Michael looking enticing and shabby at the same time, with baggy clothes and a bare (and shaved) chest. Another interesting thing is the blurry effect (probably created by smearing Vaseline on the camera lens) that we see on the shots where Michael is fidgeting with some flowers.

"Everybody Hurts" is a riveting visual and my favorite clip on the DVD. It shows the band driving down the highway dressed in black suits and looking like they've just come from a funeral. They come into a massive traffic jam and we see the first few lines of the song appear at the bottom of the screen like subtitles. Then we see other people stuck inside their cars and the subtitles change from lyrics to the distressed and melancholy inner thoughts of the commuters. At one point Michael climbs from the car and begins walking along the median. After a while, the commuters (along with the rest of the band) also emerge from their vehicles and begin walking away, leaving everything behind.

"Nightswimming" is a two part video. The first half is some teens talking about and preparing for some skinny dipping at night. Next we see a middle aged businessman (perhaps one of the skinny dippers twenty years on) check into a motel and strip down to take a dip in the pool, and it's at this point in the video that the song actually kicks in. After a couple of verses or so, the song is interrupted by underwater footage of the nightswimmers set only to the sounds of the water, and then the music resumes.

"Find The River" combines footage of the band performing the song in their rehearsal studio and footage of an elderly man and his dog walking along the beach and coming upon a burned-to-the-ground house where they sift through its remains, then return to the beach and fall asleep side by side. Filmed in black and white, the video creates a simultaneous sense of optimism and melancholy.

"What's The Frequency, Kenneth?" was the world's first look at a different R.E.M., one with a louder sound and a newly bald frontman. In this colorful video, we see the band performing in an abandoned warehouse with Michael dancing around and sporting his now legendary star t-shirt. Between the strobe lighting and Michael's erratic dance style, there is a lot to hold your attention.

"Bang And Blame" is a black and white video that combines footage of the individual band members performing against a completely white background and footage shot from the point of view of someone driving a winding dirt road and rummaging through someone's bedroom. At multiple points throughout the video, the screen is split three ways and the shots of the band members are spliced together for a very cool effect.

"Star 69" is just straight, very homemade looking black and white footage of the band performing the song at one of the final stops on the Monster tour. The camera is often positioned at a 90 degree angle to provide sideways shots of the band. The guys are really in top form here, turning their Monster tour rock star posturing up to 11.

"Strange Currencies" is another black and white clip alternating between shots of the band performing on a street on a rainy night and the band driving around searching for a beautiful girl whose picture sits on the dashboard (a visual nod to a lyric from "Nightswimming"), suggestive of the song's obsession theme.

"Crush With Eyeliner" is unique in that the band are barely in it at all. It's a group of Japanese teenagers doing sort of a karaoke performance of the song and just horsing around together on the subway and other places. The band are seen at the very end in blink-and-you'll-miss-it fashion, taking in the show at the karaoke club.

All of the clips are tied together with tiny snippets of the films that were projected behind the band on the Monster tour.

Type O Negative - After Dark

After Dark is a behind the scenes look at Type O Negative. It shows footage of their hobbies and what they do when they're on the road. I love the part where the guys throw food at the members of Pantera as they're playing their show and throughout the video as they zoom in on Josh's inability to do his business. It's a good video, uniquely put together. There was also some touching moments as we see Kenny playing with his daughter. He seems like he's a good father. We also see a performance of the band doing Black No. 1 with just a simple bass violin and a guitar and Sal playing drums and goofing off. The music videos are excellent. They're not as clichéd as videos we normally see. They stand out more. Also, we get to see Johnny show us his hobby of muscle cars. Peter stands out the most in the video as he describes his perspective on life and his dark sense of humor. Any Type O Negative fan should own this video. It's unique, unlike any other music documentary film and the extra video for "Everything Dies" is worth the price.

Sting - Brand New Day Tour

When Sting went solo in 1985, a lot was made of his using nearly 50 percent new songs for his first BRING ON THE NIGHT tour (as if a superstar act "should" keep the new stuff to a bare minimum). Fifteen years later he is even bolder: of the eighteen songs presented here, EIGHT of them are from his latest, acclaimed BRAND NEW DAY album, and I count only eight that date from the first two decades of his career (with only three associated with the Police)!

VERY FEW veteran artists have the confidence--and the talent--to remain in the present tense after all these years, defying the overwhelming trend for established performers to become mostly oldies acts (e.g., the Stones, Prince, Earth Wind & Fire, and countless others). This is not so much a criticism of the oldies trend, but rather an indication of how uniquely Sting has positioned himself.

Some might say Sting is mellowing, but I'm looking at this beautifully-shot, wonderfully-sounding DVD and thinking that, while his use of rock elements has diminished, the music has become more assertively eclectic, with jazz, country, funk, and world music elements seamlessly morphing into a unique, "Sting" sound. The style may sound less brash than some Police recordings, but the soulful substance is deeper. I think it's a pop-culture myth that being subtle means retreating from the cutting edge--Sting continues to make a case that the opposite may be true!

The group is outstanding in their ability to tweak the new material, and to revamp some of the older songs (the once-moody song MOON OVER BOURBON STREET has become a Satchmo-like New Orleans romp). Chris Botti is the most assertive horn player in Sting's group since Branford Marsalis, and the remaining musicians are well-chosen for their ability to play as a team and to forge a truly contemporary sound for their leader. Sting himself sounds as fresh and invigorated as if he just mastered how to play the music yesterday, whether it's the new material or his timeless classic MESSAGE IN A BOTTLE.

If you're looking for Sting to take you down memory lane at this stage of his career, be forewarned that he is one of the least nostalgic pop artists on the planet...his inspiration lies mostly with the newer material. On the other hand, the new material shows his continued growth as an artist, so if you're open to his current musical vision, this DVD is highly recommended. The music is great, and the presentation (visuals, sound) is first-rate.