[Drew68]

Kick back, watch some old videos and remember when MTV was cool.

[Rainbow Rising]

Looking forward to watching this later!

[T.B. Yoits]

"Video Killed The Radio Star"

I heard you on the wireless back in '52
Lying awake intently tuning in on you
If I was young it didn't stop you coming through
Oh-a-oh

They took the credit for your second symphony
Rewritten by machine on new technology
And now I understand the problems you can see

Oh-a-oh
I met your children
Oh-a-oh
What did you tell them?

Video killed the radio star
Video killed the radio star
Pictures came and broke your heart
Oh-a-a-a oh

And now we meet in an abandoned studio
We hear the playback and it seems so long ago
And you remember the jingles used to go:

Oh-a-oh
You were the first one
Oh-a-oh
You were the last one

Video killed the radio star
Video killed the radio star
In my mind and in my car
We can't rewind, we've gone too far
Oh-a-a-a oh
Oh-a-a-a oh

Video killed the radio star
Video killed the radio star
In my mind and in my car
We can't rewind, we've gone too far
Pictures came and broke your heart
Put the blame on VTR...

You are the radio star
You are the radio star
Video killed the radio star
Video killed the radio star
Video killed the radio star
Video killed the radio star
You are the radio star
Video killed the radio star
Video killed the radio star
You are the radio star
Video killed the radio star
Video killed the radio star
You are the radio star
Video killed the radio star
Video killed the radio star
You are the radio star

Oh-a-oh, oh-a-oh...

[Vermont Lt]

I started working in CATV marketing in 1982. MTV used to give us the best swag. I had several of those satin jackets. We thought so little of that stuff, it was disposable. It would be worth a couple bucks today.

[crusty old prospector]

We didn’t have cable so we would have to go over to a friend’s house to watch.

[Dilbert San Diego]

I never understand, how the cable channels such as MTV, got away from the programming they were set up to show.

MTV was music television. VH1, Video Hits 1, was another music video channel. Ditto CMT, Country Music Television.

And there are many others which have gotten away from the reason for their creation. A&E, Arts and Entertainment channel, never has highbrown arts and entertainment programming. The History Channel seems to have reality shows nowadays. The Learning Channel, TLC, seems to have mostly reality and very little dedicated to education or learning.

The world of cable TV seems to be a jumbled mess, in terms of what programming is found on which channels.

[ifinnegan]

First five videos:

“Video Killed the Radio Star” by The Buggles. — Sucked!
“You Better Run” by Pat Benatar. — SuperSucked!
“She Won’t Dance With Me” by Rod Stewart. — super duper Sucked!
“You Better You Bet” by The Who. — Sucked!
“Little Suzi’s on the Up” by Ph.D — No one saw it to even know it sucked.

MTV vile crap. From second one.

[Demiurge2]

Anyone remember the filler videos they ran on early MTV — old stock footage with generic rock in the background?

[Fungi]

The Buggles had two albums: The Age of Plastic and Adventures in Modern Recording. Both are classics, not a bad song to be found.
Trevor Horn is a genius.

[Tom Tetroxide]

Mike Nesmith, of The Monkees who passed away back on 10DEC2021, invented the concept of MTV and sold the idea

https://www.texasmonthly.com/being-texan/mtv-architect-michael-nesmith/

[crusty old prospector]

I just skipped and bounced around through the whole thing. I have never heard about half of the songs and about a third of the groups. I guess that was all the videos that had back then.

[SamAdams76]

In the early days of MTV, there were not that many videos out there. So just about any band sending in a somewhat professional looking video had an excellent chance of getting it played. It was a small window however. Within months, EVERYBODY in the music business was cranking out videos.

I prefer the YouTube approach. Just punch in the song you want to hear and not only will you get the official video to the song but you might get a list of live versions and alternate videos (produced by fans) as well.

Ironically, these videos were initially considered to be an expense - to get an artist promoted so that you would buy their records. Now the business model is reversed. It's the videos that are making the artists much of their money.

Thanks to the VEVO deal, some of those vintage videos from the 1980s are generating more income today than the actual records did back then!

[Viking2002]

Split Enz? Man, what a nostalgia trip. Actual bands making actual music.

[DJ MacWoW]

Next FReepathon Starts January 1st
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[gidewey52]

Back in the ‘80s my wife and I were in graduate school at the University of Illinois ( Champaign-Urbana campus). MTV debuted/blasted off on the local cable system on a Friday at 6:00pm with a video of a live performance of Roll With the Changes (if memory serves me correct) by REO Speedwagon (they were from CU). Nice touch by MTV to do that for the kick-off.

[Paal Gulli]

MTV was killed by proto-Wokeness.

[BudgieRamone]

Since you posted, Im going to ask. In MTVs early days there was a video that they played. It was instrumental and the pictures changed to the drumbeat. I remember the pics were ink drawings of early American and Revolutionary war era images and the background cycled through red white and blue, any idea? Id sure like to see it again.

[Kazan]

Brings back some pleasant memories.