MovieChat Forums > Headbangers Ball (1987) Discussion > Please help me restore my collection

Please help me restore my collection

posted 19 years ago by joe2002
9 replies | jump to latest

This is a true story, meant to make you laugh as much as to plead for any help anyone can give me!

I was in high school from 1987 to 1990 and Headbanger's Ball may very well be my favorite television show of all time. I had 4 6-hour VCR tapes full of videos from those four years - I would tape the show Saturday night, then replay it during the following week copying over any videos I liked. I had literally dozens perhaps hundreds of those types of videos that were shown only once on Headbanger's Ball and never shown again - off the top of my head, Gang Green Born to Rock, Love/Hate, Wild - Hurricane, Slammin' Watusis, Kreator, Onslaught - I could go on but you get the idea.

In 1990 I went through a religious phase where I didn't listen to secular music (and by the way, for you metal fans, there are some darned good groups in the Christian arena - Angelica, Whitecross, Vengeance Rising, Bloodgood etc. but I won't belabor that point).

3 years later I came out of that phase, and back home I went looking for those tapes - I'm telling you, they weren't just VCR tapes - they were a time machine that teleported you back to a period of time when glam was cool and bands like Megadeth, Metallica, Motorhead, Overkill, and Iron Maiden were crankin out the hard rockin jams, and even groups like Warrant, Cinderella, Danger Danger, TNT, Ozzy, Guns 'n' Roses, Whitesnake et al were more mainstream but could still provide you with some cool rock.

I found the tapes and popped them into the VCR only to find out that my dad had overtaped EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM WITH PORNO FROM HIS SATELLITE!!!!!!!!!!!!

This is a true story - every word!

I wanted to KILL HIM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Can you imagine so meticulously preserving a time period only to see it wiped out in the blink of an eye?????????

Anyway, I hope I at least made you laugh. Now let me get onto my serious plea for help: I want to restore my collection. I'm sure there are dozens of videos that were on those tapes that I've completely forgotten about - I want to somehow track down as many videos as I can from those four years (1987-1990) and try to restore the glory I once had.

ANYTHING anyone can tell me/give me to point me in the right direction, even if they involve money, will be GREATLY appreciated, even if it's just piecemail.

The mother lode would be if I could somehow find a website or a book that had the playlists for Headbanger's Ball every week for those four years so that I could at least go through and circle the ones I remember liking and try to track them down.

Okay my fingers hurt from typing. Seriously, any help anyone can give me will be APPRECIATED!

Rock on!

[–] Blue_Dawn 19 years ago

Very entertaining story. I doubt you'll be able to find such a website, but YouTube has some of the Ball's videos like "Alison Hell" by Annihilator. If you have VH1 Classic, they have a show called "Metal Mania" on Saturday nights that consists of videos from that era. The current Headbangers Ball has a few of the old videos mixed in with a bunch of this new crap they call metal.

Did your dad know you found his porno? Gross. :) When you came out of the phase, did you abandon Christianity or just start liking metal again? Stryper rocks.

Stay metal.

[–] 19 years ago

[deleted]

[–] joe2002 19 years ago

Thanks for the info dude - I should probably start Tivoing VH1 Classic. Do you happen to remember "The Pepsi Power Hour" on Much Music from Canada? They had some heavy stuff on there too!

I agree Stryper rocks - can Michael Sweet sing or what??? There are a lot of Christian bands that any secualr metal fan should give a listen to - Vengeance Rising, Whitecross, Darrell Mansfield, Angelica, Holy Soldier, Bloodgood, Legend, Neon Cross, Mastedon - that's just what I can think of off the top of my head! I never stopped liking metal I just stopped listening to the secular stuff. When I came out of that "phase" I just started listening to everything again - I don't judge music based on whether or not it's Christian - some of those guys make awesome music.

Yeah finding dad's porno collection was a bit gross, but I believe that you have to be able to laugh at life. If I took the loss of my collection too seriously I'd probably be too suicidal :).

[–] wilmarmail 18 years ago

Wow! although a couple of details differ, my story is similar.

Here's the two differences:
1.my dad did not live with me nor owned a VCR or cable after 88 so...
2.my taped phase was late 89-early 92 and yes, I've got some of those tapes... about a dozen and a half of them

[–] Aracmia 18 years ago

I have a similar tale minus the porn collection, I went through a phase of not listening to metal and stupidly taped over some of them, there is quite a lot of bands videos I have lost, although have since found some of them on various sites. There is a particular episode of Headbangers Ball that had a band on it and I loved the song played but can't remember the bands name, they were hair metal and I am assuming American, the only lyrics I can remember is "I'm talking about the young and the restless." Should anyone have any idea what band that is I would be greatly appreciative.

[–] mikehull99 18 years ago

Great story, except for the porn thing...

I have pulled out some VHS tapes that I was OCD'ing and taping before I went overseas because in the military they don't have any good shows for overseas locations, and absolutely no commercials. These tapes haven't seen the light of day in over 15 years, and a handful of them have Headbanger's Ball and Liquid TV in succession, mostly from 91 and 92. I also taped MST-3000 episodes, along with every Beavis and Butthead episode that showed on television, with all the commentary on videos. These episodes also include MTV Video Award appearances, X-mas special, and the news conference with Kurt Loder that they were not leaving MTV. Don't know if there is a market for this stuff, but I wish I had kept some of the early stuff, like Herman's Head, The Maxx, The Head, Get a Life, and others in that genre. Guess it's good I didn't throw anything away when I was young and impressionable...

[–] sanja_86 17 years ago

so is anyone willing to trade/sell some of it?

[–] atomgirl6 17 years ago

"I found the tapes and popped them into the VCR only to find out that my dad had overtaped EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM WITH PORNO FROM HIS SATELLITE!!!!!!!!!!!!

This is a true story - every word!

I wanted to KILL HIM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Can you imagine so meticulously preserving a time period only to see it wiped out in the blink of an eye?????????"

WOW. That sucks! I have like 10 VHS tapes of nothing but headbangers ball and metal videos and if anything like that ever happened to them I would cry! Seriously, I would.

[–] HelpMeRhonda (1158) 5 years ago

Hilarious lol