95/100 Video - "500 Up" – Sloan (1992)

Early Sloan songs from their debut album are often forgotten, sometimes lost with the success of albums that followed.

In "500 Up", the guys sound and look like they're having such a blast, showing us hints of what to come in the years ahead: alternating vocals, amazing harmonies, tight playing. 

A summer tune about baseball, boys and girls, the band shots are complimented by clips of a yellow chick dressed in a track suit riding a pink convertible.     

I love the breezy innocence of the video with its minimal budget, apparently filmed in the backstreets of New York City. At times the facades of several buildings (I swear I see Park Victoria Apartments in there) remind me of their and my old stomping grounds in Halifax.

96/100 Video - "New Year's Day" - U2 (1983)

While in junior high I tuned into ASN's Atlantic Canada's Choice on Saturday evenings lying down two feet away from the TV.

I recall watching the video for "New Year's Day" in a trance, captivated by this new group riding on horses and playing in an open field, in the middle of winter. 

This is the song that introduced Ireland's U2 to most of us in North America. 

The early U2 sound exuded fire and soul: the Edge's signature 'chugga-chugga' guitar and Bono's passionate vocals are alive and well here. 

Bono convinces us when delivering the chilling "I will be with you again" and "I will begin again" lyrics. 

I would find out later that the lyrics were about persecuted leader of the Polish Solidarity movement, Lech Walesa.

After all these years, "New Year's Day" remains an uplifting song, an anthem of freedom and renewal.

That piano riff that weaves in and out is pure magic.

The video was filmed in December 1982 in Sälen, Sweden, also known for its alpine ski resorts.

Happy New Year!

97/100 Video - "Jump" - Van Halen (1984)

While the video for Van Halen's classic hit song "Jump" is a straightforward rock performance, it looked ground-breaking at the time.

But it's the natural chemistry and random stage moves of the entire band that lift this video to the top of the class.

The ever colourful David Lee Roth and guitar legend Eddie Van Halen were born to be in front of the camera. 

We may remember Roth first and foremost as a showman, but he was a pretty good damn singer, too

. 

And then there's Eddie and his guitar. Pure magic. This clip also reminds us he was equally adept at playing the synthesizer. 

98/100 Video - "She" - Clan of Xymox (2020)

One of the original darkwave bands from the 80s, Dutch artist Clan of Xymox released "She" in 2020, a throwback to their goth roots. 

The synths are strong and hypnotic, and they work seamlessly with the lush guitars to create an ominous yet appealing melody. 

At first glance, this video appears gloomy. A girl dancing alone, post-apocalyptic, in what appears to be an old warehouse on the sketchy side of town. 

I find this clip unintentionally captures the zeitgeist of 2020. Like the girl in the video, we learned to dance with the darkness. Connected while apart. Dare I even suggest, we embraced it. And the good news in the end. She woke up from her dream with her tunes, and health, still intact.

This video also reminds me of the sheer fun we had in exploring abandoned buildings as kids. While underage and too young to sneak into the clubs of downtown Halifax, we broke into an abandoned convent instead. On the top floor we found some sort a sitting circle and what appeared to be a recent séance. Cool and creepy stuff.

For a sample of the band's earlier works, check out "A Day" from 1985.

99/100 Video - "Let’s Dance" – David Bowie (1983)

It would be sacrilegious to make a top 100 countdown without at least one Bowie tune.

"Let’s Dance" by David Bowie debuted in Canada in 1983. The clip was filmed in the Australian outback.

The first time I watched this video I recall asking the room, "who is this cool new artist playing guitar in the corner of some dive bar?"

"That's David Bowie", my dad said. "He was big in the 70s. A good musician but kind of a weirdo".

I shouldn't have been surprised with my father's response, given his preference for 'meat-and-potatoes' rock and roll i.e. Eagles, Gordon Lightfoot, Bob Seger.

But I quite liked this introduction to Bowie, along with the follow up singles and videos for "Modern Love" and "China Girl".

I would later learn that this musician not only had a prolific discography, but he would be cited as a major influence for dozens of new wave groups, many I went on to love. 

IMHO, Bowie's greatest legacy isn't the quality and quantity of music he created, but rather how he made it cool (and acceptable) to be different.