Blue Murder - Valley Of The Kings

JUL 01 1989 · 12:00

Blue Murder - Valley Of The Kings (1989) Director: Mary Lambert Era: Late Hair Metal / Hard Rock Peak (1989) - The apex year of major-label hard rock excess, when Geffen-backed supergroups competed for MTV dominance weeks before Nevermind-era shifts would begin to erode the genre's commercial footing. High curatorial value as a documented case study in the collision of artistic ambition and MTV commercial gatekeeping. The video is notable for its reported $150,000 budget, its direction by a filmmaker at the peak of her music video influence (Mary Lambert, fresh off 'Like a Prayer'), and its role in inadvertently derailing Blue Murder's entire commercial trajectory. It stands as a vivid artifact of the late-1980s hard rock video aesthetic, theatrical, mythologically ambitious, technically accomplished, and of the fragility of major-label rock careers in the final months before grunge restructured the market. Context: 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 Egyptian-mythological staging, expensive practical effects, and epic runtime reflected an industry still spending lavishly on rock video spectacle, months before grunge would fundamentally redirect mainstream rock's visual vocabulary. The decision to lead with this video over the more radio-friendly 'Jelly Roll' was retrospectively called a strategic error, and MTV's subsequent refusal to air the 'Jelly Roll' clip effectively silenced the band's commercial momentum. Director notes: Confirmed as director of 'Valley of the Kings' by Wikipedia (Blue Murder album article), the Dailymotion official upload credits, and IMDb title page (tt17513132). The video was shot for a reported $150,000 and released as a promotional single from the Blue Murder debut album (Geffen Records, April 24, 1989). The video opens with shots of the Egyptian pyramids and features the band performing on a darkened set decorated with flames, intercut with footage referencing ancient Egyptian culture, consistent with the song's lyrical themes. Despite being named MTV's 'Hip Clip of the Week,' the video was ultimately deemed 'too long' and 'not commercial enough' for regular MTV rotation, which contributed to the single's commercial failure. Lambert also directed the band's second video, 'Jelly Roll,' shot over two days in North Los Angeles. The Valley of the Kings video was later featured on Headbangers Ball.