Apollonia 6 (Buck Henry Ricky Nelson) 1985
Why did the Apollonia 6 video never see the light of day?
It is as good as anything from the 80s. It is certainly better than any Vanity 6 or Apollonia 6 video that was released. There seems to be some production value and money invested in development. In the wake of Purple Rain, it should have been out there to capitalize on the purple craze.
A four-track video was filmed based on the Apollonia 6 album, directed by Brian Thomson (Australian Production Designer of the original stage versions of Rocky Horror Show and Jesus Christ Superstar), scripted by Keith Williams (concept writer for music videos by Phil Collins, Ray Parker, Jr., and Donna Summer), with a cast comprising of Ricky Nelson, Edy Williams and Buck Henry.
Shot in a Los Angeles film studio in 1985, and produced by British video firm Limelight, the video never went beyond rough-cut. Footage from the project has appeared on mrjyn's 123video.nl video channel and his site, Dogmeat (where it was soon stolen and posted by parasitic blogger, Marck Campbell, to his equally parasitic site, Dangerous Minds!
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Reply #2 posted 02/18/10 6:19am
| | I've seen that long-form video you're talking about.It includes videos for the songs "Happy Birthday Mr Christian","Sex Shooter","Blue Limousine" and "Ooh She She Wa Wa".There's some between-song dialogue that links it all together,trying to make it into a mini-movie. It's a shame that it wasn't released in 1985.The Apollonia 6 album needed that type of promotion. |
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Reply #3 posted 02/18/10 6:32am
| | A four-track video was filmed based on the Apollonia 6 album, directed by Brian Thomson (Australian Production Designer of the original stage versions of Rocky Horror Show and Jesus Christ Superstar), scripted by Keith Williams (concept writer for music videos by Phil Collins, Ray Parker, Jr., and Donna Summer), with a cast comprising of Ricky Nelson, Edy Williams and Buck Henry. Shot in a Los Angeles film studio in 1985, and produced by British video firm Limelight, the video never went beyond rough-cut. Footage from the project has appeared on many social networking sites, such as YouTube. |
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Reply #4 posted 02/18/10 5:19pm
| | I have it. Short answer: becuase Prince didn't want it to. |
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Reply #5 posted 02/18/10 6:12pm
| | SoulAlive said: I've seen that long-form video you're talking about.It includes videos for the songs "Happy Birthday Mr Christian","Sex Shooter","Blue Limousine" and "Ooh She She Wa Wa".There's some between-song dialogue that links it all together,trying to make it into a mini-movie. It's a shame that it wasn't released in 1985.The Apollonia 6 album needed that type of promotion. Andy has spoken dammitt. |
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Reply #6 posted 02/18/10 7:37pm
| BlaqueKnight said: I have it. Short answer: becuase Prince didn't want it to. exactly. | |
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Reply #7 posted 02/19/10 4:32am
| | vainandy said: There wouldn't have been many outlets to play it back then. The only place that could have done it would have been MTV and a lot of people didn't have MTV back then.  Are you kidding? By 1985,practically everyone had MTV  But I doubt that MTV would have devoted an entire 20 or 30 minutes to Apollonia 6...lol...it's not as if they were a top-selling act."Sex Shooter" was only a minor hit and their second single "Blue Limousine" went nowhere.I think this project would have only appealed to die-hard Prince fans,who would have bought the VHS tape. As for shows like "Friday Night Videos", I'm sure they wouldn't have played a string of videos in a row from one artist, especially Apollonia 6. The only person I can see them doing it for would be maybe Michael Jackson. True. You've also got to remember, this was 1984 and 1985. It wouldn't make much sense to release it on VHS since very few people had VCRs back then because they were still too expensive.I never saw a lot of people getting VCRs until the late 1980s when the price went way down. Yep. |
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Reply #8 posted 02/19/10 7:03am
| | Zannaloaf said: BlaqueKnight said: I have it. Short answer: becuase Prince didn't want it to. exactly. |
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Reply #9 posted 02/19/10 7:06am
| | SoulAlive said: vainandy said: There wouldn't have been many outlets to play it back then. The only place that could have done it would have been MTV and a lot of people didn't have MTV back then. Are you kidding? By 1985,practically everyone had MTV But I doubt that MTV would have devoted an entire 20 or 30 minutes to Apollonia 6...lol...it's not as if they were a top-selling act."Sex Shooter" was only a minor hit and their second single "Blue Limousine" went nowhere.I think this project would have only appealed to die-hard Prince fans,who would have bought the VHS tape. True. You've also got to remember, this was 1984 and 1985. It wouldn't make much sense to release it on VHS since very few people had VCRs back then because they were still too expensive.I never saw a lot of people getting VCRs until the late 1980s when the price went way down. Yep.True enough - then I suppose the follow up question is why make it. Buck Henry is in it. There was some money and production involved. |
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Reply #10 posted 02/19/10 12:27pm
| Brofie said: Zannaloaf said: exactly. The truth isn't smart anymore? Or are you looking for long drawn out opinions? | |
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Reply #11 posted 02/19/10 1:07pm
| | BlaqueKnight said: I have it. Short answer: becuase Prince didn't want it to.  I definately love the long version, though. I have it on boot.   ACRYLIC I do nothing professionally. I only do things for fun. johnart: Acrylic's old bras is where tits of all sizes go to frolic after they die. Tit Heaven. |
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Reply #12 posted 02/20/10 11:22am
| | Some things are best left hidden, this was one of them. To us hardcore fans, it is a most have for our collections. To other folks, it wasn't worth viewing. “When I give food to the poor, they call me a saint. When I ask why the poor have no food, they call me a Communist.” Brazilian bishop Dom Hélder Câmara |
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Reply #13 posted 02/24/10 8:56am
| What is the point of going to all of that trouble of making it, if it is never going to be released. Such a waste of everyone's time. It's a fun long form video, maybe someone will release it on DVD but I won't hold my breath. | |
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Reply #14 posted 02/24/10 3:12pm
| | JellyBean said: Some things are best left hidden, this was one of them. To us hardcore fans, it is a most have for our collections. To other folks, it wasn't worth viewing. You could say that about most music videos. It would've still sold pretty well considering the Purple Rain connection, and had the album had a couple of more singles using the videos from the long form. Just to expound on what people have said: I think the generally accepted story is that Prince lost interest in Apollonia 6 even before the album was out. He removed many of the 'top drawer' tracks from the LP to keep for himself or his new female protege, Sheila E. Apollonia was only drafted into the group because she was needed for the movie after Vanity left. I'd say it is doubtful that Prince would've continued with the '6' girl group after his muse for the group left had they not been a part of the movie project which was his main focus at this time. Once they had fulfilled their purpose of being in the movie, and the album cherry-picked of it's (perceived) best material, there was little reason for them to exist. |
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Reply #15 posted 02/25/10 3:59am
| | lipstick said: What is the point of going to all of that trouble of making it, if it is never going to be released. Such a waste of everyone's time. It's a fun long form video, maybe someone will release it on DVD but I won't hold my breath. Prince has a long history of spending lots of money on expensive projects that never see the light of day.In early 1982,he began filming a concert film called "The Second Coming".Around 1987,he filmed a min-movie with some of his bandmembers,Jill Jones and others.In the early to mid-90s,he took it the extreme,filming dozens of music videos that have never been officially released ("I Hate U",for example). |
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Reply #16 posted 02/25/10 5:28am
| | SoulAlive said: lipstick said: What is the point of going to all of that trouble of making it, if it is never going to be released. Such a waste of everyone's time. It's a fun long form video, maybe someone will release it on DVD but I won't hold my breath. Prince has a long history of spending lots of money on expensive projects that never see the light of day.In early 1982,he began filming a concert film called "The Second Coming".Around 1987,he filmed a min-movie with some of his bandmembers,Jill Jones and others.In the early to mid-90s,he took it the extreme,filming dozens of music videos that have never been officially released ("I Hate U",for example).\ Those videos - like I Hate U - are well done and hardly anyone has ever seen them. 18 and Over is another good one that did not seem to get circulated. And try to find all those clips for the Chaos and Disorder album. I think this is the kind of rare content that should be on the web for paying members to see and/or download. |
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Reply #17 posted 02/25/10 5:52am
| | Brofie said: SoulAlive said: Prince has a long history of spending lots of money on expensive projects that never see the light of day.In early 1982,he began filming a concert film called "The Second Coming".Around 1987,he filmed a min-movie with some of his bandmembers,Jill Jones and others.In the early to mid-90s,he took it the extreme,filming dozens of music videos that have never been officially released ("I Hate U",for example). \ Those videos - like I Hate U - are well done and hardly anyone has ever seen them. 18 and Over is another good one that did not seem to get circulated. And try to find all those clips for the Chaos and Disorder album. I think this is the kind of rare content that should be on the web for paying members to see and/or download. |
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Reply #18 posted 03/02/10 1:59pm
| SoulAlive said: A four-track video was filmed based on the Apollonia 6 album, directed by Brian Thomson (Australian Production Designer of the original stage versions of Rocky Horror Show and Jesus Christ Superstar), scripted by Keith Williams (concept writer for music videos by Phil Collins, Ray Parker, Jr., and Donna Summer), with a cast comprising of Ricky Nelson, Edy Williams and Buck Henry. Shot in a Los Angeles film studio in 1985, and produced by British video firm Limelight, the video never went beyond rough-cut. Footage from the project has appeared on many social networking sites, such as YouTube.   WTF?My mama's favourite singer? | |
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Reply #19 posted 03/02/10 4:10pm
| | SoulAlive said: Brofie said: \ Those videos - like I Hate U - are well done and hardly anyone has ever seen them. 18 and Over is another good one that did not seem to get circulated. And try to find all those clips for the Chaos and Disorder album. I think this is the kind of rare content that should be on the web for paying members to see and/or download. |
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Reply #20 posted 03/09/10 4:48am
| | jn2 said: SoulAlive said: A four-track video was filmed based on the Apollonia 6 album, directed by Brian Thomson (Australian Production Designer of the original stage versions of Rocky Horror Show and Jesus Christ Superstar), scripted by Keith Williams (concept writer for music videos by Phil Collins, Ray Parker, Jr., and Donna Summer), with a cast comprising of Ricky Nelson, Edy Williams and Buck Henry. Shot in a Los Angeles film studio in 1985, and produced by British video firm Limelight, the video never went beyond rough-cut. Footage from the project has appeared on many social networking sites, such as YouTube. WTF?My mama's favourite singer? Shockingly,he passed away in December 1985. |
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Reply #21 posted 03/09/10 9:27pm
| From my thread on the videos: So I didn't know there are unreleased videos (from a Mini Movie of sorts) for "Ohh She She Waa Waa", "Blue Limousine", and the original video for "Sex Shooter". The first is Susan in a neon lit soda shop (a la Cyndi Lauper's "She Bop") serving up drinks and burgers while talking about ....well, whatever she's talking a bout. "Blue" has Brenda around cars and a gas station singing the song, while in the background there are huge signs with the time on them - "7:31 and there's still no sign of my baby's blue limousine..." "Sex Shooter" is in a pseudo-grocery store with Apples ringing up her peach. haha Interesting stuff in that I've not seen it before, or knew it existed. Looks to be some silly short form video that was never released. I love that "Blue Limousine" sounds like "Toy Box" and "17 Days". It's like one big mega mix. | |
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Reply #22 posted 03/10/10 4:42am
| | NouveauDance said: Just to expound on what people have said: I think the generally accepted story is that Prince lost interest in Apollonia 6 even before the album was out. He removed many of the 'top drawer' tracks from the LP to keep for himself or his new female protege, Sheila E.Apollonia was only drafted into the group because she was needed for the movie after Vanity left. I'd say it is doubtful that Prince would've continued with the '6' girl group after his muse for the group left had they not been a part of the movie project which was his main focus at this time.Once they had fulfilled their purpose of being in the movie, and the album cherry-picked of it's (perceived) best material, there was little reason for them to exist. That pretty much sums it up It's a shame though,that "Blue Limousine" wasn't given the attention/promotion that it deserved.It was released as a single in late 1984 with virtually no promotion or anything.It's a strong,catchy,infectious pop song that might have saved the album from disappearing so quickly.What a missed opportunity. |
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Reply #23 posted 03/13/10 7:52am
| Would love to see the complete 20 min mini movie. can't seem to find Happy Birthday Mr. Christian on youtube anymore. | |
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Reply #24 posted 03/13/10 8:24am
| | SoulAlive said: NouveauDance said: Just to expound on what people have said: I think the generally accepted story is that Prince lost interest in Apollonia 6 even before the album was out. He removed many of the 'top drawer' tracks from the LP to keep for himself or his new female protege, Sheila E.Apollonia was only drafted into the group because she was needed for the movie after Vanity left. I'd say it is doubtful that Prince would've continued with the '6' girl group after his muse for the group left had they not been a part of the movie project which was his main focus at this time.Once they had fulfilled their purpose of being in the movie, and the album cherry-picked of it's (perceived) best material, there was little reason for them to exist. That pretty much sums it up It's a shame though,that "Blue Limousine" wasn't given the attention/promotion that it deserved.It was released as a single in late 1984 with virtually no promotion or anything.It's a strong,catchy,infectious pop song that might have saved the album from disappearing so quickly.What a missed opportunity.True. 2 show u how little they promoted them, I did not even know they had an album out until 1987 when I was riding in a friend's car and he was playing the tape. My initial reaction was, "where the hell did u get that from"? People 2 WEAK 2 follow their own dreams will always find a way 2 discourage yours. |
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Reply #25 posted 03/15/10 1:46am
| | Graycap23 said: SoulAlive said: That pretty much sums it up It's a shame though,that "Blue Limousine" wasn't given the attention/promotion that it deserved.It was released as a single in late 1984 with virtually no promotion or anything.It's a strong,catchy,infectious pop song that might have saved the album from disappearing so quickly.What a missed opportunity.True. 2 show u how little they promoted them, I did not even know they had an album out until 1987 when I was riding in a friend's car and he was playing the tape. My initial reaction was, "where the hell did u get that from"? |
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Reply #26 posted 03/15/10 4:22am
| | JellyBean said: Some things are best left hidden, this was one of them. To us hardcore fans, it is a most have for our collections. To other folks, it wasn't worth viewing. They should re-master the Apollonia 6 CD and add a bonus DVD featuring this rare footage.It would only have limited appeal,but that's okay.Hardcore Prince fans would buy it. |
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Reply #27 posted 03/15/10 5:50am
| | SoulAlive said: Graycap23 said: True. 2 show u how little they promoted them, I did not even know they had an album out until 1987 when I was riding in a friend's car and he was playing the tape. My initial reaction was, "where the hell did u get that from"? I stopped listening 2 the radio in 1982. But I'm talking about the album. I did not even know A6 had an album at that time. People 2 WEAK 2 follow their own dreams will always find a way 2 discourage yours. |