PALEOLITHIC DVD by Severed Heads 'Paleolithic DVD' album

PALEOLITHIC DVD by Severed Heads is a collection of older videos. Todd e Jones reviews.

“Paleolithic” DVD – SEVERED HEADS

8 out of 10.

Review by Todd E. Jones
toddejones@yahoo.com

The Australian electronic group Severed Heads has always used video as an integral part of their music. Stephen Jones and Tom Ellard were the pioneers in mixing video with their live performances as well as video synthesizers. Earlier this year, Tom Ellard (who is the sole member of Severed Heads these days), released “Robot Peepshow” which was a DVD collection of updated videos from his most recent releases and live performances. Such releases include “Op” and “Op 1.1” along with “Haul Ass” and “Gigapus”. These videos were crisp, clean, weird, and animated. The true fans wanted the older videos too. There is a huge back catalogue of LPs and videos that we haven’t seen in years. Albums like “Rotund For Success”, “Bad Mood Guy”, and “Here Comes The Big Bigot” had incredible videos for songs like “Petrol”, “All Saints Day”, “Hot With Fleas”, and “Greater Reward”. Tom Ellard and Stephen Jones teamed up again to go through tons of tape and make a DVD compilation. “Paleolithic” is that collection of old Severed Heads videos from 1983 to 1994. While many of these videos do look dated (especially compared to their new stuff), “Paleolithic” is a must for any true fans of Severed Heads.

While music videos today are filled with dancers and movie-like plots, huge budgets, and action sequences, some of us may forget that the 80’s videos were very basic but extremely creative. Psychedelic and filled with a quirky humor, Severed Heads used these videos as background visuals for their live shows. Some may think they cannot stand-alone while true fans know they can. At first viewing, most of the videos on “Paleolithic” appear like a messy concoction of over-lapping images. Soon, the hypnotic music and images begin to complement each other.

The best videos on “Paleolithic” are the ones that are less messy. The first video is a Metro TV live performance of “Petrol (live)”. The images are dark and discolored on purpose and the viewer cannot see the expressions on Tom Ellard’s face but this all adds to the synthetic 80’s quality of the track. The only problem is that the falsetto melody in the 2nd half of the studio version of the song is not on this version. The regular video version of “Petrol” is also entertaining. The camera follows van through Sydney. The cars and tunnels give us a glimpse of what Sydney was like in the 80’s. The final video in the collection “Dead Eyes Opened” is one of the best. The hypnotic beat is accentuated by the flashing images and the dancing woman (Donna Burnage). “Twister” (from the “Cuisine” LP) is one of the cleaner videos with sharper animation. Unfortunately, it is not the same version as the one on “Cuisine”. On this remix version of “Twister”, Tom Ellard whispers his vocals and the falsetto crescendo at the end is gone. Still, “Twister” is an amazing video. “We Have Come To Bless The House” (which is an edited version of a much longer song called “Kato Gets The Girl”) is another example of a hypnotic video. The diamond shape and the different colors can either cause seizures or acid flashbacks.

Some of the videos are interesting because they are the original, older versions of videos that were on “Robot Peepshow” (released last year). “All Saints Day” is a beautiful collage of dancing buildings. The new version is a computerized ballet where the architects dance in the buildings they made. This older version of “All Saints Day” does not have the same precise and sharp computerized animation. Instead, it has patterns, and moving images of the buildings. The dancing Chrysler building was always my personal favorite. While the video has been improved on, this original version is still interesting and should be appreciated. “Greater Reward” is wonderful with the bats doing the moonwalk. Inside the bats, we see moving pistons. Welcome to the mind of Tom Ellard. “Dollarex” is another video that is shown here in the early stages. On “Robot Peepshow”, the “Dollarex” video is mind-blowing. Here, the video (which was also made with Jason Gee) works but compared the more recent version, it is not as powerful. Alone, the “Dollarex” video is a powerful and satirical look on how society consumes with the help of the media. Both versions of the video are excellent. This original version gives fans a glimpse on how Ellard and the crew have evolved. “Hot With Fleas” is a great video because we a close up of Tom Ellard singing. Fans of Severed Heads know that this does not happen all the time.

Even though wonderful Severed Heads songs back the videos, the viewer may feel they are bombarded by images. “Canine” and “Jetlag” all have this feel. The teeth, skulls, and dogs in “Canine” may drive the viewer mad. The video includes mud wrestling with a piano and an elephant made out of recycled garbage. “Big Car Retread” is an interesting video but the original “Big Car” video (a personal favorite) is absent from this DVD. Instead, we get an instrumental version. The Asian lettering and blue people are especially a nice touch.

“Paleolithic” DVD is for die-hard fans Severed Heads and fans of technology. The booklet included has linear notes for each video written by both Tom Ellard and Stephen Jones. These notes are not only filled with writings about the technology and the equipment but notes on the actual creative process as well as images chosen. It is also interesting to see how the two artists write about the same video. One major problem with the DVD is that the videos do look and feel dated (hence, the title). The new videos from “Robot Peepshow” will still look fresh many years from now. The growth and evolution of Severed Heads is absolutely incredible. Still, the videos on “Paleolithic” should be appreciated. Another major difference between the new videos on “Robot Peepshow” and the old videos on “Paleolithic” is that Tom Ellard is in the older videos. “Hot With Fleas”, “Petrol” and others show Tom singing and fans consider this a treat. Back then, not only were those videos extremely psychedelic but meaningful, bizarre, and innovative. No other group was doing anything like it. Severed Heads have been innovators in both video and electronic music. Not only is it amazing that they are still around but it is wonderful that they are still pushing the boundaries. Even though these videos are very old, their power and energy is undeniable. We should all learn from the past and “Paleolithic” DVD” is a wonderful lesson.

8 out of 10.

Review by Todd E. Jones
toddejones@yahoo.com

Official Severed Heads website
www.sevcom.com

REAL VIDEO streaming:

“Petrol (Live)”
http://www.sevcom.com/video/petrol.ram

“Big Car (Retread)”
http://www.sevcom.com/video/retread.ram

“Canine”
http://www.sevcom.com/video/canine.ram

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PALEOLITHIC DVD by Severed Heads - Paleolithic DVD