Customer Reviews

Black Tie White Noise [VHS]

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This video has: David performing You've Been Around, Nite Flights, Miracle Goodnight and Black Tie/White Noise in a LA studio. An interview briefly discussing many topics such as- Musicians involved in this album, His wedding ceremony, why he proclaimed he's bi- back in the early 70's, racial integration and his approach to music. The video clips of Miracle Goodnight, Jump They Say and Black Tie White Noise. David arguably looks the best in this video than anything out there- sort of the video to show someone with a "mainstream" mentality if you are trying to interest them in liking the "greatest artist ever"

This video is a lot like the album it was meant to promote: it isn't bad but it's hardly worth the trouble. There's a small number of bona fide promo videos with decent production values which can also be found on the recently released video collection and they are worth owning in that form. Then there's...the rest. Again, it's not so much that it's bad as it's just totally uncalled for. There's a lengthy interview which is good if you're a hardcore fan, boring if you aren't (I am, by the way). There's also some "candid studio outtakes" (note quotes) that are so put on that we are actually led to believe that Reeves Gabriels is a dreadlocked black man (he isn't). Not that it matters or anything, it's just hard not to question exactly how scripted these candid moments are.

But the real bulk of the video consists of these strange, on the fly music videos for a lot of the tracks from the album. It's clear that someone put some effort into them but it's also clear that the same said effort was put into the video for Dancing In the Street - and we all know how that went. Watching these clips, I'm reminded of what I think we all imagined the videos might have looked like for those songs that we all used to lip synch to as children. It worked then...not so much now.

I don't want to try to talk anyone out of buying this if they are a collector or a die hard fan. Chances are there's more than enough material to drool and/or laugh over. However, if you enjoy "that Mr. David Bowie character" for his work with the Muppets, Trent Reznor, or Brian Eno, this is likely not the video for you. At least not yet.