Since I have been collecting music videos, there are a number that took me years to find and get hold of, some I've found that I didn't know existed, some I've found that I never thought I would, and some I want that I'll probably never find. Such is life.
Here's one video that took me ages to find:
Yazz 'Good Thing Going':
Although it's not my favourite Yazz track, I had to find this one, as it was the only music video of hers that I didn't have (and had never seen). At one point I even resorted to contacting Yazz directly. Since uploading videos to youtube, I've been surprised to learn that many artists don't have copies of their videos. She wasn't one of them, though; but somehow I didn't manage to get my hands on this.
After several years of fruitlessly trawling eBay in the hope that a promo copy might show up, I resorted to what most people looking for something online do... I googled. I had googled this video before, but not for quite a while. Lo and behold, there was a (now defunct) company in Europe who specialised in distributing music videos to VJ's (that's video jockeys), and they had this video listed! (along with several others I'd been trying to find for ages). There was no mention on the website as to whether they shipped internationally, but I tried placing an order anyhow. They accepted my payment, but then I heard nothing. Almost expecting to hear back from them, "Sorry, we can't ship this to you," about a week or so later I received a parcel with the DVD's I'd ordered in them. Finally I could cross this one off my list!
Since having multiple youtube channels, it hasn't been easy to work out the total number of video views I receive across all of my channels. About 2 years ago, I created a spreadsheet document to tally the figures, and I did the same on the corresponding weekend last year.
I've just completed another annual tally, and, combined, my music video channels have received approximately 11.5 million views, which is up approximately 3.7 million (~47%) from this time last year... although in raw figures, I've only gained about 480,000 additional views in the last 12 month period over the previous one. Not that I'm bothered; if anything it probably reflects that I've generally uploaded more-obscure videos over the last year than previously... as well as an increase in the number of videos blocked worldwide, which are usually the more 'popular' ones (well, popular enough for the record company to notice).
Of the 861 videos I've uploaded to youtube, 78 of them (~9%) are blocked worldwide... leaving 783 videos that are available for viewing. However, of these, there were 2 or 3 that were only available in states of the former Yugoslavia, or Jersey (i.e. probably countries that the youtube filter overlooked), and one (by the Bangles, curiously), that is only available in Australia.
I'm still quite (pleasantly) surprised at the combined number of views my youtube channels receive, as originally, the loose 'concept' binding my channels together was that I tried to upload videos for lesser-known/less successful tracks/artists. It goes to show that there is a 'market' out there for these tracks/videos after all.
Earlier this year, I started to run out of ideas for videos to upload, but since I have been going through my DVD's (including many that are not yet catalogued), I've found a stack of (generally more-obscure) clips that are not on youtube, or that are on youtube, but I have in higher quality. I've also recently taken on board some suggestions for uploads from subscribers - that is, if I have the video in my collection, which is another good source of ideas.
Recently I've been backing up my music video collection to an external hard drive. Gradually working through my 1000+ DVD's, I've discovered several gems I'd completely forgotten about since first viewing them.
Among them was this video by German singer Inga Humpe, released under the name of just 'Inga' in the UK (perhaps because Humpe sounds like 'humpy' in English?), 'Riding Into Blue (Cowboy Song)', which of course won't embed, but I've hyperlinked.
Somehow, this single failed to chart in Inga's native Germany, and just dented the top 100 in the UK (#93). Written and produced by Trevor Horn, the track definitely deserved more exposure. As much as I can, I try to unearth these lost treasures on youtube.
I'd first encountered Inga's music in 2011 through obtaining a VHS tape with the video for 'Do I Have To?', a cover of a Pet Shop Boys b-side. Then, last year, I discovered this track, with her sister Annette, under the name Humpe & Humpe (in Germany), or Swimming With Sharks in the UK.
Not long after I became keenly interested in music, I was curious to know how well songs I liked performed on the charts. From early 1988, every weekend I listened to the Take 40 Australia radio show hosted by Barry Bissell. A few months later, I started writing down the top 40 list of songs. When Take 40 switched to using the ARIA (Australian Recording Industry Association) chart in January 1989, I soon cottoned on that Rage aired the same chart (and a top 50 at that) a week earlier; so I switched to using Rage for getting my chart fix, even if it meant having to get up at 5:30 on a Saturday morning. Coincidentally, this was around the same time I started recording music videos from TV.
A few months after that, a friend at school showed me an ARIA chart he'd picked up at a local independent record store. I noticed that it also had the top 50 albums chart printed on the reverse. I knew I had to get my own copy, so went with my friend to the store a couple of days later. By then, the printed chart was actually a few weeks old, but the store still had about 50 or more copies sitting there (which were free to take).
It took some years to realise, but the 'Breakers' section of the chart contained the 5 highest-charting songs outside of the top 50 that had (usually) not entered the top 50 yet, in order of their chart position. This information from 26th June 1988 (when ARIA stopped using the Australian Music Report chart and produced the chart in-house) until the end of December 1989 is particularly interesting for us Australian chart trainspotters, as the full top 100 from this period has not been publicly available to date.
It wasn't until 1992, however, that I started collecting the printed ARIA charts religiously, primarily for the albums chart, as I could get the top 60 (ten better than the printed ARIA chart) from Rage... well, until they stopped airing the top 60 in March 1994 (and a 3 month stint in 1991 where it reverted to the top 50).
Here's a scan from one of my chart books, where I'd cut and paste the albums chart (sans Breakers).
Click to enlarge
I changed the date on the albums chart (a day earlier) to match the Saturday that Rage aired the top 60. I began typing out the singles chart for my chart books later that year.
ARIA stopped producing the printed top 50 chart in October 1998 from memory, but by that point I'd largely lost interest in following the charts anyway... except the lower half of the top 100 (I've always generally preferred flops), which I was then receiving via an email list from a guy called Sarch. Although the printed charts featured 'for detailed chart information, send $100 to...' in small print near the bottom from 1990, I'd never been curious enough (or had the disposable pocket money at the time) to part with $100 for the 'detailed information'. Had I known that this was for an annual subscription to the full top 100 singles and albums charts (the ARIA report), I would have gladly parted with the dosh.
Cue forward to the mid 00's when I discovered that the local State Library held copies of the ARIA report (well, dating back to 1994 anyway). I made two separate trips to spend a whole afternoon photocopying their archives (well, only the top 100 singles & albums charts, plus the Chartifacts column) up until 1999. But there were so many singles I liked that missed the top 50/60, I had to know whether they at least scraped the top 100, so it was definitely worth it.
Four years, 3 months and 13 days later (1566 days to be precise), Yazz's 'The Only Way Is Up' today became the first youtube video of mine to reach 1,000,000 views. And of course, it won't embed here... With my previous (suspended) youtube accounts, 'The Only Way Is Up' was also the video with the highest view count, though I don't think it ever surpassed 400,000 views in the time those accounts were operating. It's quite fitting that a Yazz video should be the first to cross the million mark, as uploading her (non-'The Only Way Is Up') music videos (none of which were on youtube at the time) was the impetus for me to create a youtube account.
Jordy's 'Dur Dur D'etre Bebe' video is not far behind, and in just over half the time, with currently 805,559 views:
My video with the third-highest view count is Kim Appleby's 'Don't Worry', with 503,754 views in just over 4 years:
Then Sabrina's 'All of Me (Boy Oh Boy)' (UK version) in 4th place, with 467,684 views in 3 years.
Nina Hagen rounds out the top 5 in fifth position with 'Smack Jack', at 212,345 views in just over 2 and a half years.
Since I tend to prefer 1980s and 1990s music to more-modern stuff, most of the 'new' music I discover is older tracks that I missed the first time around, or songs that I completely forgot about and rediscover.
Here's a few old tracks that were 'new' to me this year, from the 205 videos I uploaded to youtube in 2013 (though some of those were blocked worldwide):
Movement 98 featuring Caroll Thompson 'Joy and Heartbreak':
A really nice song released in 1990. This sounded vaguely familiar when I discovered it on a VHS compilation I'd bought, though I have no recollection of hearing it before.
Junior Tucker 'Don't Test':
Also from 1990, and another track I found on a VHS compilation. Some questionable lyrics, but I love the sound effects and the bass line in this one; it sounds great cranked up in the car.
Another one from 1990. I just heard this for the first time the other day. Love the white lipstick in the video, and of course the song.
Kym Mazelle 'Was That All It Was?':
I could say 'was that all it was' about 2013, but this is yet another track from (very early) 1990. I remember reading about this one in UK pop magazine 'Number One' (which would arrive in Australia a couple of months after the publishing date), and seeing Kym review the new release singles around the same time, wearing the same fake fingernails as she wears in this video. Although I had seen Kym's name mentioned a few times in UK pop magazines, I hadn't actually heard any of her music until her duet with Jocelyn Brown, 'No More Tears (Enough Is Enough)' in 1994, so this one passed me by.
Gary Clail On-U Sound System 'The Emotional Hooligan':
Although Gary lacks in vocal 'chops' (at least, by conventional singing standards), I'd much rather listen to his music than many of the more 'accomplished' singers. I knew 'Human Nature', 'Who Pays the Piper' and 'These Things Are Worth Fighting For' previously, but this one was new to me. I bought the VHS this was on specifically for this video, as I liked the 3 Gary Clail tracks I knew of, and this one didn't disappoint. Love the shades, also.
Gwen Guthrie 'Can't Love You Tonight':
You gotta love a song that mentions 'herpes' in the chorus. This time from 1988, this was (and still is) only the 2nd Gwen Guthrie track I've heard. Perhaps one of the first songs about the AIDS epidemic, unfortunately this didn't achieve much commercial success. "The only nasty thing I like is a nasty groove" - this track definitely has one of those!
Swimming With Sharks 'Careless Love':
From 1988, with a rather unusual group name... Otherwise known as 'Humpe & Humpe' in their native Germany (I guess that name didn't sound so appealing in English), I was previously aware of Inga Humpe's (the non-blonde one) cover version of Pet Shop Boys' 'Do I Have To', and instantly recognised her when seeing this video for the first time. The synths during the intro sound quite similar to those used in Kate Bush's 'Running Up That Hill', but they also remind me of Stevie Nicks for some reason.
This track from 1993 sounds to my ears a little like a hybrid between Voice of the Beehive & Belinda Carlisle (though still sounding different from both of them). Yielding just 33 views in 2 and a bit months, and peaking at #83 in the UK, this one definitely deserves more exposure.
From 1992, an early 'rave pop'-type track (if that's a genre).
Zoe 'Lightning':
The less-successful follow-up to 'Sunshine On a Rainy Day', but just as good (even better IMO). Lightning definitely didn't strike twice for Zoe on the charts, though this wouldn't budge from the #37 position in the UK for 3 weeks in November 1991... which is actually pretty good for a low-peaking single like this in the UK at the time.
