The Power Of Music

Jukebox Heroes!!
They've got stars in their eyes!!


Yellow Submarine

The film-

The Beatles go on a quest to save a magical land from food wielding monsters.

So...it's kind of the precursor to Super Mario Bros (the games) in structure.

But, with Beatles music.

The history-

I actually haven't seen this in ages.

Like, since the early 80's when it was on Channel 56.

I miss channel 56....

Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Heart's Club Band

The film-

So....you've got various Beatles songs acted out, and intertwined....but....no Beatles.

You get BeeGees instead....huh.

All right....

Well, you get Steve Tyler, and Alice Cooper as villains, and Earth, Wind, and Fire pop up, who you'll remember from "blaxploitation".

So, that's  kinda neat...

It's an interesting film to watch, especially as a piece of history...buuut, I can't guarantee you'll be glad you undertook the endeavor....

The history-

I've posted the Steve Martin "Maxwell's silver hammer", number before.

Click the link for that...

Phantom of the Paradise

The film-

It's "Phantom Of The Opera", done up in a discotheque.

Paul Williams composes, sings, and stars as the villain.

(Not the Phantom, BTW)

It's kind of in the "Rocky Horror Picture Show", family of rock opera-ish cult films.

It's...another interesting one.

You'll love it, or hate it.

 The history-

Showtime I think....

Anyway, yeah, thanks to word of mouth, and Youtube, the cult for this one has grown, and it's been rescued from obscurity.

Check it out sometime.

KISS Meets The Phantom of the Park

The film-

The basis of the "KISS saves Christmas", special on "Family Guy".

Produced by...Hanna Barbera...it's um...yeah.

Well, at least they use their alleged powers and stuff....

The history-

Never seen it, only clips, looks craptacular.

Unavailable on DVD, out there in the bootleg-verse, I suppose.


Alice Cooper: The Nightmare

The film-

Lower budget than the KISS one, but a heckuva lot better.
Probably because Alice is the better artist.
More rock-opera-y, kinda of a low-rent goth-y "Tommy", with Vincent Price narrating between songs.
I like it.
Hm, came out the year I was born...neat.

The history-

Man, I said it in the 70's reviews, but I wish I'd've been old and aware enough back then to be into Alice, and Ozzy, and KISS, and flicks like "The Warriors", and all that cool shit.

Definitely wouldn't have been a Disco dipshit. Snnkkt, ptoo.

Anyway, like "Phantom of the Park", this doesn't have an official DVD release, so you gotta go fishing.
Only seen clips of this so far, am impressed.


Rock & Rule

The film-

In the distant future, after humans have nuked themselves, animals evolve into the new people.

Mok, an aging rock star, and record mogul, is searching for the perfect voice to be part of a ritual to summon a demon, and end the world...or...something.

He finds what he's looking for in Angel (Susan Roman speaking, Debbie Harry singing).

Hijnks ensue.

The history-

This.

STYX: Kilroy Was Here

The film-

Okay, it's a concept album, not a flick, but Styx acted out the rock opera that goes with it onstage for the tour that went with this.

Sadly, it was never made into a complete film, there is a short film out there that's the source of 3-4 of the music videos.
I think a movie of this would have been right up there with "Tommy".

Anyway, this is remembered by most as the source of "domo arigato Mister Roboto!".

And yeah, it's about rock defeating evil.
A lotta people think the bad guys represented "the religious right", but...fuck, the LEFT was in on that anti-rock shit back when this came out.
The right and left were totally in bed on that issue.

There IS no "left", in this fucking country, it's just different flavors of authoritarian bullshit.
The hippie generation sold its soul, fuck them.
And fuck their sniffle-voiced justifications for it.

Anyway...Dennis DeYoung thought it would be a frontal assault, but music was destroyed from within by MTV.
Oh, the irony.
The artists who were putting their art on that fucking thing were embracing a cobra.

The history-

Thank you very much, Mister Roboto.

Journey (the arcade game)

The game-

Eh, it's okay...

The guts of it fleshed out more might have made for a good film, but...it's roughly the same theme as "SGT. Peppers..".
The guys go questing for their magic instruments, and then put on a show.

Of course, it has MIDI versions of Journey songs.
"Separate ways", "lights", "stone in love", and "don't stop believin'", off the top of my head.

Yep...I like those beepy computer versions better than the "Glee", assrapes.
Have I mentioned I loathe "Glee", with the fire of a thousand suns?

I wonder if the Journey guys still have one of these machines kicking around.

The history-

I have foggy memories of one at Laverdiere's drug store....
Played it on emulation forever ago on an old computer.
Curiosity is satisfied.


Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure

The film-

Well, their rocking isn't magic or nothin...overtly, but apparently, it brings about world peace.

*Looks around*...yeah, might wanna get on that, fellas.

Despite that gaping hole, I still dig this.

The history-

Rental, own it.


Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey

The film/history-

See here.

Also, when Wyld Stallions finally learns to play at the end, it's really KISS.


GWAR: Phallus In Wonderland

The film-

Haven't seen it, sounds like a hoot from the description though.

The boomers lost their rebellious balls, but at least we've got guys like this fucking trying.

The history-

I smiled big hearing Kurt Loder have to say this title with barely contained contempt in his voice.


Green Jellö: Cereal Killer

The film-

If such a thing as a parody of GWAR were possible, these guys would be it.
The source of "three little pigs".

The history-

Got the soundtrack to this on tape.
Lotta happy times.

Tenacious D in The Pick Of Destiny

The film-

Well, you got cameos by Meatloaf, and Dio, and they have a battle of the bands vs. David Grohl as Satan, so, yeah, there ya go.

If that ain't the power of rockin' savin' the day WTF do ya want?

The history-

Rental.


Daft Punk: Interstella 5555

The film-

Goes back to Alice Cooper's "The nightmare", of playing out the whole album as a concept.
Here, it's Daft Punk's "discovery".

Daft Punk and anime fans will enjoy.

The history-

Was played on MTV cut up into individual videos, then released to DVD.

All right, rerun time...


Heavy Metal

The film/history-

Well, duh!
See here.
Makes a great double-feature with "Rock & Rule".


Michael Jackson: Moonwalker

The film/history-

See here.


The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai:
Across The Eighth Dimension

The film/history-

Well, he's got a band...
See here.


Howard The Duck

The film/history-

Well...Howard can play...
See here.


Honorable mentions...

Ones that didn't have films...but protected the freedom music represents with music itself.
Literally, as a superpower.


The Dazzler (Marvel Comics)

A mutant with the power to convert sound into light.
Could create her own light show to go with her singing.
Could also rollerskate.
Marvel came incredibly close to making a movie of her in the 70's.
In fact, she was created with a movie in mind.
"Xanadu", kinda beat 'em to the punch.


Jazz (The Transformers)

Dazzler's powers, more or less, plus a kick-ass earsplitting bass sound system.
One might call it...disco-mbobulation.
Voiced by Scatman Crothers.
Miss ya, Scatman.


JEM

Jem was truly outrageous, truly, truly, TRULY outrageous.

80's Dazzler essentially, illusion powers were technologically hologram based rather than a mutant thing.

If her holography had been applied to personal computing, it would have launched us forward 30 years.
Her commitment to music was that dedicated, and well...narrowly focused.


Col. Bluegrass (Silverhawks)

Had a guitar that fired a laser stream with notes floating through it.
The song, and intensity of the playing seemed to make a difference.
The limits of this weapon are unknown.


Dante (Devil May Cry 3)

Yeah, it may be fun to vicariously watch, and wish for a guitar weapon, but in DMC3, you can finally PLAY that fucker!!
Weedla, weedla, WOW, muthafuckas!

Best....weapon...EVER.

And that's the power of fuckin' rock n' roll, baby!

Up next, Chicks, Man!