Fluid Battle of the Ad Bands 2006

Fluid Battle of the Ad Bands, IV, was held at The Supper Club in New York on September 27, 2006. To open the show Ugly Pictures and Man vs. Magnet presented a two-minute multimedia extravaganza in which animated LP covers did battle with one another. The clip begins with Foreigner’s “4” album counting down, 3, 2…

Billy Joel throws a projectile through the window into Yaz’s Upstairs at Eric’s album. Shaun Cassidy yells, “Dude, get me out of here!”. Billy Joel and Rick James exchange bullets. And so the violence starts. What follows is an exercise in photoshoppery, irreverence, sexual innuendo and violence that would make Quentin Tarantino proud. Heavy metal, progressive rock and grunge are mixed with The Beatles, Herman’s Hermits, Green Day and Cold Play. The clip finishes with an untouched “Master of Puppets”, Metallica’s album with graveyard crosses.

Click on the image below to play the video.

So why the battle of the bands? It’s all part of Advertising Week, during which advertising agencies throughout the United States are invited to enter into a talent quest raising funds for Children of Agape, a center for orphans in KwaZulu Natal, South Africa, and New York City Public Schools “Salute to Music” program, in partnership with New York City Department of Education. Sponsors include AAAA (American Association of Advertising Agencies), Newspaper Association of America (NAA), Gibson Guitars, Fluid NY, and Boards magazine.

Grey Worldwide’s band, The Subliminals, beat six other competitors: The Igniters (Brushfire), The Music Department (The Vidal Partnership), TBD (Kirshenbaum Bond), Macho Grande (Foote Cone & Belding), Crankdaddy (MRA Group ) and Space Shuttle Ants (Mullen).

Battle of the Band Credits

The Battle of the Ad Bands was written by Rohitash Rao, Stephen Gill and Abraham Spear, directed by Ugly Pictures (Abraham Spear and Rohitash Rao) and animated by Man vs Magnet (Matt Smithson), all three represented by Curious Pictures, with producer Maryann Feierstein
Concept Rohitash Rao, with additional photography by Taylor Jordan and Camilla Wycoco.

Post production, sound and music were produced at Fluid New York by editor Scott Philbrook, sound designer Fred Szymanski, composers Andrew Sherman and Judson Crane, Photoshop artists Matt Smithson and James Wormser.

The clip features the voices of Taylor Jordan, Abraham Spear, Andrew Sherman, Ian Jeffreys and Jillian Cimini.

Album Covers Used in the Fluid Battle of the Ad Bands Video

Anyone recognise the album covers I haven’t named?

Foreigner – 4 (1981)
Billy Joel – Glass Houses (1980)
Yaz – Upstairs at Eric’s (1980)
Shaun Cassidy – Under Wraps (1982)
Violent Femmes – Violent Femmes (1983)
Billy Joel – 52nd Street (1978)
Rick James – Street Songs (1981)
Eminem – Encore (2004)
Beastie Boys – Ill Communication (1994)
50 Cent – The Massacre (2005)
Roxy Music – Country Life (1974)
King Crimson – In the Court of the Crimson King (1969)
Scorpions – Blackout (1982)
Led Zeppelin – Houses of the Holy (1973)
The Rolling Stones – Sticky Fingers (1971)
Duran Duran – Rio (1982)
The Velvet Underground & Nico (1967)
Pink Floyd – Dark Side of the Moon (1973)
Rush – Fly By Night (1975)
Coldplay Rush of Blood to the Head (2002)
Boston – Boston (1976)
Led Zeppelin – Led Zeppelin 1 (1969)
ACDC For Those About To Rock (1981)
Def Leppard – Pyromania (1983)
Pink Floyd Wish You Were Here (1975)
The Replacements – Pleased to Meet Me (1987)
Jane’s Addiction – Nothing’s Shocking (1988)
Love and Rockets – Express (2001)
Depeche Mode Some Great Reward (1984)
Ozzy Ozbourne – Bark at the Moon (2000)
Weezer Blue Album (1994)
The B-52s – Wild Planet (1980)
Ozzy Ozbourne – Speak of the Devil (1982)
??? (Symbol on right)
Van Halen – II (1979)
??? (Dog on right)
Dio Holy Diver (2005)
Iron Maiden – Killers (1981)
Night Ranger Midnight Madness (1983)
Orchestral Manouvres in the Dark – Crush (1985)
Def Leppard High ‘n’ Dry (1981)
Nirvana Nevermind (1991)
Asia – Asia (1982)
David Lee Roth Crazy from the Heat (1985)
Black Flag – Slip It In (1990)
The Cars – Candy-O (1979)
Michael Jackson – Thriller (1982)
AC/DC – Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap (1981)
Van Halen – 5150 (1986)
The Beatles – Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967)
Journey – Escape (1981)
Green Day – American Idiot (2004)
The Beatles – Abbey Road (1969)
Herman’s Hermits On Tour (1965)
Madness – Keep Moving (1984)
Pink Floyd – The Wall (1979)
Phil Collins – No Jacket Required (1985)
Lou Reed Rock and Roll Diary 1967 – 1980 (1980)
Madonna Madonna (1983)
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers (1976)
Bob Seger – Stranger in Town (1978)
Lionel Ritchie – Lionel Ritchie (1982)
Devo – Oh No It’s Devo (1982)
Madness – Madness (1983)
Jimi Hendrix – Axis: Bold As Love (1967)
Quiet Riot – Metal Health (2001)
Metallica Master of Puppets (1986)