A MATTER OF SOUND OVER SIGHT

In determining how much you like a music video, how big a part does the video element play?

During VideOlympics’ first 1986 session--even more contentious than usual--arguments over the merits of 10 current releases led to the conclusion that scores depended a lot on the voters’ feelings about the song .

For instance, the Long Ryders’ clip--merely consisting of lip-syncing shots that I found unimaginatively interspersed with old Western footage--didn’t receive harsh ratings despite lack of enthusiasm over the visuals. Why? In part because the band is liked by most of The Times pop-music writers on the panel, but mostly because, for them, the lively song overrides the visual considerations. The lesson: The better the sound, the higher the score.

Joining me this month: Robert Hilburn, Dennis Hunt, Richard Cromelin, Jon Matsumoto, Kristine McKenna and Chris Willman. Ratings system: 80-100, don’t miss; 60-79, recommended; 40-59, watchable; 20-39, weak; 0-19, wretched.

TUNE IN:

80 “BROTHERS IN ARMS.” Dire Straits. Director: Bill Mather. Straits fans assure me that this somber title song from the group’s popular album is anti-war, but it sounds to me as if the band is saluting soldiers’ sacrifices and identifying with the need to struggle with “arms” for what one believes in. If not, is the title ironic? The shot of the band holding automatic rifles particularly was disturbing. In any case, the song (with its echoes of Dylan’s unequivocal “With God on Our Side”) receives a moody, moving, mostly animated treatment from a first-time director. CW 95, DH 88, JM 83, KM 80, TA 73, RH 70, RC 70.

68 “SEX AS A WEAPON.” Pat Benatar. Director: Daniel Kleinman. How often do you see a rock star make public atonement for using a sexy image? That isn’t the emphasis of this video--which is more accusatory than confessional--but it is part of the statement. In this indictment of people who use sex to get their way in relationships (the focus of the song) and to sell product (the focus of the video) Benatar includes one of her old sexpot posters. Kleinman’s razzle-dazzle, multiple-image approach makes the clip entertaining as well as provoking. DH 85, CW 82, RH 75, RC 70, TA 65, JM 55, KM 35.

49 “RUSSIANS.” Sting. Director: Jean-Baptiste Mondino. This French director was the most creative newcomer to music video last year, making his biggest impression with Don Henley’s “The Boys of Summer.” However, his most recent clips, for Tom Waits’ “Downtown Train” and this song, find him working harder at establishing a trademark style than at conveying anything as intriguing as the hard-boiled melancholy of “Boys.” The black-and-white photography in “Russians” is lovely to look at and some of the images are striking, but the video’s attempt to say something about the cold war and the passing of time, though initially enticing, is finally too vague. DH 75, TA 65, CW 58, RH 55, JM 41, KM 30, RC 20.

49 “LOOKING FOR LEWIS & CLARK.” Long Ryders. Director: Sebastian Harris. An American band with a song about America--recapturing past values or some such thing, say the band’s fans. The video hops back and forth between shots of the energetic L.A. group and stock footage of such things as cowboys and Indians and the Statue of Liberty. Pretty dull, but affection for the song resulted in mild approval of the video. RC 75, RH 60, JM 50, CW 47, KM 45, DH 35, TA 30.

43 “HOW WILL I KNOW.” Whitney Houston. Director: Brian Grant. After a couple of cool-image videos, this popular R&B; newcomer opts for a splashy, colorful clip and a snappy, Chaka Khan-like performance to fit this bubbly hit. Except for one strong supporter, panelists were divided on whether this looked more like a Pepsi commercial or a production number from the old Dinah Shore show. DH 92, CW 47, RH 45, RC 40, JM 35, TA 25, KM 20.

42 “BEAT’S SO LONELY.” Charlie Sexton. Director: Jim Shea. This Austin teenager is chiefly noted for his guitar playing, but his debut album puts the emphasis on Springsteen-ish vocals and this initial video focuses on his Matt Dillon-like looks. Candid recording-studio scenes plus a few “Rumble Fish”-type outdoor settings are adeptly shot in black-and-white and punched up with on-the-beat editing. The main reservation was whether this hard-sell, teen-idol approach best serves Sexton’s reported talents. TA 75, DH 70, CW 49, RH 35, RC 25, JM 20, KM 20.

TUNE OUT:

36 “MAKES NO SENSE AT ALL”/”LOVE IS ALL AROUND.” Husker Du. Director: Jim Parrish. Another critics’ band--one that, like R.E.M., chooses to make videos that mock making videos, but without the same humor and magic. This one video includes both sides of the Minneapolis’ group’s single. The images for the first song are purposely scattered and sloppy; those for the second make a slight effort at satirizing the opening of “The Mary Tyler Moore Show,” from which this is the theme. The attitude throughout, however, is “Boy, aren’t videos stupid?” So why bother? JM 70, RC 50, KM 46, RH 30, CW 23, TA 20, DH 10.

25 “LEADER OF THE PACK.” Twisted Sister. Director: Rabia Dockray. Who needs the Washington Wives when you’ve got rock critics? During the showing of this clip by the heavy-metal band (whose singer, Dee Snider, testified at the congressional hearings on rock lyrics) there was a shout of “disgusting” and a panelist worried that this “death-oriented” video might harm youthful minds. While this cartoonish version of the old Shangri-Las hit wasn’t the funniest thing I’ve ever seen (though the end, where the girl miraculously escapes being killed time after time, is pretty good), this is preferable to the usual metal approach. Geeeez , people. Lighten up! TA 55, DH 50, CW 38, RH 15, RC 10, JM 8, KM 1.

18 “THE SUN ALWAYS SHINES ON TV.” A-Ha. Director: Steve Barron. This Norwegian band’s first video, for “Take On Me,” was a charming, award-winning mix of live action and animation. This second Barron-directed clip starts off with a short, curious sequence that looks like an ending from “Take On Me,” then abruptly slams into a lip-sync setting that places the group in a cathedral where the pews are full of mannequins. No animation this time; the chief effect is a slight, occasional tinting of the black-and-white cinematography. It seemed pleasant enough to me, but bored the panel. TA 60, DH 25, JM 15, RH 12, RC 5, CW 5, KM 3.

17 “SARA.” Starship. Director: Francis Delia. Another follow-up to a popular 1985 video (“We Built This City,” also directed by Delia--who seems to have abandoned his early outrageous style for slickness), this mixture of “heartland” movies, “The Wizard of Oz,” Spielberg and dumb pop is an expensive-looking mini-movie for a soppy ballad. The title character (played by Rebecca de Mornay) is so sleazy and klutzy you wonder what singer Mickey Thomas ever saw in her. DH 55, TA 20, CW 15, RH 10, JM 10, RC 5, KM 3.