Jimmy Buffett - Tales From Margaritavision [VHS]
This compilation of music videos produced for Jimmy Buffett since the early '70s will tickle his formidable Parrothead nation while providing pop historians with a time capsule tracing the evolution of pop video clips since their pre-MTV days. Buffett himself introduces each clip, providing personal and career anecdotes as he unspools the videos in chronological order. In the process, we watch his maturation from freewheeling Florida hippie to laid-back Everyman. As presented here, you can hear how Buffett nudged his music from an identifiable branch of '70s singer-songwriter chic toward his singular amalgam of pop, country, and rock, with liberal garnishes of calypso and reggae.For a self-professed reluctant video subject, Buffett has managed to capture a substantial cross-section of his music visually, starting with early songs like "Pencil Thin Moustache" and "Come Monday." The early clips afford glimpses of his Key West stomping grounds before that sun-baked Bohemia was transformed into a tourist trap decorated with Hemingway, tropical drinks, and, of course, Buffett himself.Videophiles may smile at some of the clunky production values or dated period details, but Buffett's sybaritic faithful will flock to this virtual road map of their idol's particular theme park for boomer fantasies of escape.  We can hear the blenders warming up already.--Sam Sutherland