Red Hot + Blue: A Tribute to Cole Porter
***1/2 out of *****

Red Hot + Blue is a two disc set containing a DVD and CD of a 1990 AIDS benefit TV special. This was a music video TV special which brought together an impressive array of musicians, directors, and actors (which was not an easy task, according to the liner notes) to interpret Cole Porter songs. The project, organised by the Red Hot Foundation, raised money for AIDS charities, also the case for this DVD/CD set.

I’m a Cole Porter fan, and was interested to see these interpretations. Of course, with such a wide array of artists it’s unlikely anyone will find all of the songs great. But the standard is very high, and some of the interpretations are inspired, like the offerings from Tom Waits, David Byrne, and Salif Keita. Some songs sound like relics of the late ‘80s musical era: Aztec Camera, Neneh Cherry, and the Jungle Brothers. But as a collection, they are an enjoyable slice of the music scene of the time.

I personally found the least interesting songs to be those with more traditional arrangements: Lisa Stansfield, Annie Lennox, Jody Watley. My musical prefences tend towards things like Deborah Harry and Iggy Pop’s “Well, Did You Evah!” which captured the frivolous spirit of the song, even if they didn’t really sing the chorus with much effort (I’m partial to anything that name drops Pia Zadora and has a cameo by Rodan). And it’s always fun to find interesting bands you haven’t heard of, like Les Negresses Vertes who do “I Love Paris” (though it doesn’t beat Screamin’ Jay Hawkins’ version).

Another nice thing to find is a cover that improves on a song you weren’t partial to. David Byrne’s upbeat, African drum and country fiddle-infused version of “Don’t Fence Me In” gave me a new fondness for the song. I find the slower, crooneir versions of this too mawkish. I’m all down with the message, but if not being fenced in involves wandering round the countryside in a state of lethargy, then forget it. David Byrne’s version bought out the energy and vitality the song needed.

Some of the music videos are by well known film directors like Alex Cox, Jim Jarmusch, Wim Wenders, and Jonathan Demme. Quite a lot of them show their age. Those that don't made me realise that if you want to make your video hard to date, film it in black and white. One of these black and white videos is for Tom Waits’ contribution, directed by Jarmusch. It’s notable because of some of the weirdest (in a good way) dancing I’ve seen in a long time.  k.d. lang’s video for “So In Love” is the most touching, it’s like a short film about a lost love, and is quite similar to the ending of Brokeback Mountain.

Maybe some of the videos seem so dated because the transfer isn't that great. The end credits cut off about half way through, as well. The DVD does have a really fancy menu, as if that matters.

There are two songs on the CD that don’t have videos on the DVD. “Love For Sale” by the Fine Young Cannibals and “Who Wants the Be a Millionaire?” by the Thompson Twins. The FYC song sounds quite odd, a guitar plays over the top of the vocals, and the singer (whose voice is rather unusual) sounds like he’s straining to be heard over the music. It doesn’t really work for me. The Thompson Twins song is the most amusingly eighties-sounding on the CD.

But as a Cole Porter fan, even interpretations that don’t really work are interesting to hear. For general fans of music from the late ‘80s era this is a nice selection of artists with some little-seen videos. Cole Porter’s music is timeless, some of the songs on Red Hot + Blue are as well.

It's also an interesting historical document of this era of AIDS activism. Between the music videos are AIDS awareness and safe sex messages, messages that can seem like flashbacks to a long-resolved crisis. But, I'm sure I don't need to tell you that complacency towards AIDS is not warranted. Malian singer Salif Keita’s video for “Begin the Beguine” ends with a burning map of Africa and then the words “The World Health Organisation conservatively estimates that as of 1989 5 million adults in Africa were infected with the HIV virus”. According to UNAIDS, as of 2005 the number of adults and children living with HIV in Africa was around 25.8 million. This DVD set may be a look back at the past, unfortunately we can’t say the same for the AIDS epidemic.

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