Podunkian Music Club

The Buggles--Video Killed The Radio Star





It has the distinction of being the very first video shown on the then incubating pop culture device known as MTV.

A format for music promotion that would revolutionize the music industry forever and create yet another layer of creativity when it came to putting lyrics to paper and music to tape.

MTV in its early days provided non stop music videos, all be it of a rather small rotation, the art form had yet to be the all encompassing thing that it is today.

And there at the very start of music revolution was a rather unconventional new wave band from England, formed in 1977 and suddenly thrust into the pop culture spotlight when their Video Killed the Radio Star from their Age of Plastic album became the clarion call of the new music revolution in 1979.

The album didn't actually come into existence until after the song became the monster hit of the late seventies, the band adding enough songs to their repertoire while touring in support of the single. It was one of those rare cases where a single spurred on an album, such was the slap together success of the band at the time.

The Buggles recording archives actually consist of two albums, though the overwhelming nature of their MTV hit seemed to render them to a cult status of one hit wonders. It was an interesting ride for the British trio of Trevor Horn, Bruce Woolley and Geoff Downes, who seemed more comfortable in the studio than as an on stage act.

The subsequent album and singles never seemed to generate the same excitement or airplay that the original song did, and by 1981 the band had gone on to other projects, mainly merging with the Art Rock colossus Yes.

Now known mainly as a trivia question, the rumblings of a reunion occasionally pop up, but little of substance ever seemed to come of them.

Of course when you carry the baggage that Video killed the radio star does, following up on one of pop's iconic slogans is probably a hard road to follow.

Artist--The Buggles
Recording--Age of Plastic