Stay Together", tlies to turn Tina into Cher.

Tina and her dancers usually

influenced every one of them to varying degrees. And so, by extension, .

you too.

By Fronk Lovece

T'NA

TURNER

Directed by Brian Grant, David Mallet, Mark Robinson. 17 min. Sony cassetfe. Beta Hi-Fi, VHS Hi-Fi. $76.95. Pioneer videodisc. $10.95.
verybody talks about music critics, but nobody does anything about them. That's-what makes The Strange Case of Tina Turner so gratifying-after years of perching ourselves on precarious limbs and proclaiming her one of the all-time

do dress glitter-glam at some point in her concerts, but Mallet lays on the Vegas a bit thick here, even for him. The normally more-restrained Brian Grant lays it on even thicker in his clip for "Private Dancer", where beautifully crafted images cohabitate with yer basic rock video cliches. Does Tina Turner really need sadfaced dancers pirouetting in hazy slow motion? And in any case, if you really think "Private Dancer" is about dancing, it's time for a new needle on your turntable. lf you wore it out listening to Tina, though, that's OK. You'll probably also wear out the heads of your VCR by the time you begin to grow tired

With Heartland Reggae finally on video, that definitive reggae concertfilm joins the classic reggae-outlaw flick, Ihe Harder They Come, for a double-barrel dose of what the music is and why it's so important to rock'n'roll. Not that anyone in either film sits down and says, "This is this," but by the end of either movie, you'll have figured it out for yourself.
The Harder They Come, starring seminal reggae star Jimmy Cliff, is the better choice to start with. The music grabs you immediately, and the harsh, gritty camerawork makes this tale of a singer-turned-killer disturbingly realistic. The camerawork doesn't get any slicker, unfortunately, in Heartland Reggae, bul here, the sheer force of the music crushes out a painful and joyful cry from the heart of almost unbelievable poverty. lt reveals those "Come Back to Jamaica" TV commercials for the horrid obscenities they are (obscenities sadly sheathed by the fact that tourism is one of the island's few industries). Heartland is further distinguished by the reason behind the April 22, 1978, "One Love Peace Concert" documented. Reggae superstar Bob Marley, using his tremendous social and political powers to the worthiest

of her tape.

HEARTLAND REGGAE

lteEo)
Directed by Jim Lewis. With Bob Mailey & the Wailers, the l-Threes, Peter Tosh, Jacob Miller & the lnner Circle, Judy Mowatt & the Light of Live, Dennis Brown, U-Roy, Junior Tucker, Althea & Donna, Lloyd Parkes & We the People. Continenfal casseffe. Beta Hi-Fi and vHS HiFi simulated stereo. 90 min. $29.95.

greats of rock'n'roll, it's nice to see people listening to Tina for a while and to us for a change. This four-song cassette is actually Turner's third; her pre-comeback concert videos, Queen of Rock'n' Roll and Nlce 'n' Rough, were reviewed here in my October, '83 column. Turner's remained true to herself and to her music through the many years. As these clips amply demonstrate, her lighthearted sexiness, her muscular voice and her R&B roots have survived intact. She's sure as hell not Diana Ross. What she is, besides a highly expressive vocalist, is one of the most potent visual presences since rock began to roll. Not surprisingly, she's the saving grace of these otherwise run-of-the-mill clips. ln director Mark Robinson's "What's Love Got to Do with lt", for instance, all Turner has to do is walk along the street to make this piece worth repeated viewings. ln the studio-staged "Better be Good to Me", directed by Brian Grant, she's inflammable even when paired with some silly-ass wimp frpm The Fixx. (So he helped write the song-l mean, really, Brian, was
he necessary?) More ambitiously, on the other hand, David Mallet in his clip for. Turner's cover of Al Green's "Let's
60 FACES

(te72)

THE HARDER THEY COME

Directed by Perry Henzell. With Jimmy Cliff . Thorn EMI cassette. Beta Hi-Fi, VHS Hi-Fi. $69.95. RCA CED-lormat disc. No suggesled

of ends, helped arrange for Jamaica's socialist Prime Minister, Michael Manley, and capitalist opposition leader, Edward Seaga, to publicly meet and shake hands. The effect was, tragically, short-liveda postscript on the video edition informs us the two men (whose positions reversed) never met again publicly until Marley's funeral

retail.93 min.
ver hear of the Police? OK, how about the Clash? Eric Clapton? The Rolling.;.never mind. You get

! l-

the idea. Reggae, that unmistakably lilting music from Jamaica, has

in May,

1981.

Despite this, it is Marley's sPirit and not his ghost that makes Hearfland Reggae both a musical delight and an indispensable documentarY for anyone who hopes to understand current rock'n'roll. Much the same

holds true tor The Harder TheY Come, which spawned a must'have soundtrack album that-nearly 13 years after the fact-is still widely available.

PLAYBOY'S GIRI.S OF ROC,( A ROU.

Directed by David Winters. CBS/Fox
VHS Hi-Fi VCR courtesy GE

We don't ask to see Cyndi Lauper nude. We shouldnlt demand that centerfolds sing. But let's call it something else next time, shall we? The women of rock'n'roll deserve better.

JUDAS PRIEST I.'YE

Directed by Mick Anger. Media cassette. Beta Hi-Fi, VHS Hi-Fi. 83

nin. $29.95.

I udas Priest is the dark side of tl Franxie Goes to Hollywood.

When lead vocalist Rob Halford struts on stage with his Christopher Street cruiser cap and his Ramrod leathers, you get the unmistakable impression that the violence in Judas Priest's songs isn't directed

and the album each song comes from. On one hand, this and a bundle ' of extended solos help keep up strong, rolling pace. On the other hand, this and a lack of any conceptual or documentary break in the concert means that even the staunchest Priest fans have to weather one long, mind-numbing stretch. You could turn off the VCR and come back later, but, ideally, a video concert should be pleasurable and not a marathon.

cassefte. Beta Hi-Fi, VHS Hi'Fi. 54 min. $39.98.

at women.
Halford doesn't need to apologize,

that a country that refuses to en' dorse the Equal Rights Amendment, cornparable wages or even non-sexist behavior in general would mask softcore porn under the guise of rock'n'roll. I'm being too strong, you say? Then ask yourself: Why does this tape exist when it doesn't bear any relationship to rock'n'roll traditions of rebellion, individual freedom
or even music you can dance to? Except for the only-middling
Rainey Haynes, the

I I

t seems perversely right, somehow,

of course, and his self-confidence on

stage is clear; this is what lets him get away with a vocal delivery as stiained as it is impassioned. He's also much more inleresting visually than the rest of the group, who seem to prefer Early Elizabethan Minstrel Show & Torture Chamber as an image. The director being, unfortunately, Mick Anger and not homoerotic genius Kenneth Anger, very little advantage is taken of these visual and thematic possibilities. The technical quality is excellent, but the videotaped shoot is still pedestrian, and overloaded with low-angle shots from just in front of the stage. Anger gives us very little feeling of being amongst the band, and too much feeling of being jostled in the crowd. Halford says little in-between the 17 songs, usually just giving the title

10-and I desPair

using the word-"performers" here have almost uniformly mid-rangeY voices, little interpretive ability and no charismatic spark. They're all ridiculously gorgeous, though, with about half of them displaying their wares bare. Which is the whole point. But as far as talent goes (and I never thought l'd say this), none of these women are any Pat Benatar. Hell, they're not even Wendy O. Williams. Rock'n'roll certainly doesn't lack for sexy women. l'd be surPrised if there were anybody who'd buY or rent this tape who wouldn't watch a simi lar (though probably-m aYbeless explicit) version with Lita Ford, Tina Turner, Vanity, Martha Davis and Kate Bush, to name just a few of the sexier better-knowns. And of course, if you really wanted to staY true to the title, you'd have to include some of the many less glamorous females of rock who've contributed so much. lf you want naked women, renl Rockin' with Seka. lf You want

sHonr-7Ar(Es
The Jeff Stein/Charlex clip for the Cars' "You Might Think" keeps winning award after award. The latest comes from the 1st lnternational Music Video Festival of Saint-Tropaz (France). ln the Clips category, "You Might Think" took the Gold, with the clips for the McCartney/ Jackson "Say Say Say" and for Jackson's "Thriller" going Silver and Bronze, respectively. ln the Long-Form category, the Cars led

the "girls-of rock'n'roll", don't rent this tape.

the pack wilh Heartbeat City, followed by The Compleat Beatles (hmmm. . .which came out two or three years ago) and Styx' Caught in the Act. "You Might Think" also grabbed ihe Best Script, Best Direction, Best Special Effects, Best Editing and Best U.S. Video awards. "Say Say Say" took Best Set Design, Best Casting, Best Photography and Best Costume Design. When these people like something, it appears, they really _F.L. /ike something.

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