Blue Murder - Valley Of The Kings

What this video is

Released in 1989 at the commercial apex of Geffen Records' hard rock roster, 'Valley of the Kings' represents the late-era confidence — and overreach — of glam-inflected hard rock. Blue Murder was a genuine supergroup (John Sykes ex-Whitesnake, Tony Franklin ex-The Firm, Carmine Appice ex-Vanilla Fudge/Rod Stewart), produced by Bob Rock, yet found itself squeezed out of MTV's tightening format. The video's…

Why it matters

A canonical example of late-1980s hard rock music video maximalism — high-budget, mythologically themed, performance-driven, and fatally misaligned with MTV's commercial format. Directed by Mary Lambert at the height of her music video career, the clip illustrates the collision between artistic…

The director

Born October 13, 1951, in Helena, Arkansas. BFA graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design. Lambert rose to prominence directing landmark 1980s music videos for Madonna ('Like a Virgin,' 'Material Girl,' 'Like a Prayer'), Janet Jackson ('Nasty,'…