GABRIEL FINISHES FIRST, LOU COMES UNGLUED

Since more and more videos seem to shy away from concepts and settle for lip-syncing, this month’s top two videos are all the more welcome. In them, Peter Gabriel’s and Lou Reed’s directors put them through some heavy changes with eye-catching results.

Ratings system: 80-100, don’t miss; 60-79, recommended; 40-59, watchable; 20-39, weak; 0-19, wretched.

OTHER RECENT VIDEOS:

Lou Reed’s “No Money Down.” Scar- yyyy . This one’s guaranteed to delight or upset the viewer--maybe both. A deadpan Lou Reed lip-syncs the first verse of this song from Old Shaded-Eye’s new LP, and then, gulp, his hands come up and start pulling his head apart! Turns out that it’s not Lou, but a wonderfully lifelike robot. Gruesomely reminiscent of all those horror movies with similar special effects, the clip might have been a bit more effective if they hadn’t covered the upper left corner with a shot of the cyborg continuing to sing in its undestroyed form. In any case, this isn’t a video you’re likely to forget soon. Sweet dreams. Director: Godley & Creme. Quiz time: This is the second Godley & Creme-directed video to feature no people, just robots. What was the other? (Answer below). 90