Video Music Awards: Hip-Pop; Video Music Awards: Rock

MTV's relentless self-promotional machine rolls on in this pair of Dolby Digital surround-backed performance compilations from the channel's annual Video Music Awards show (described here as “the only award show that matters”--easy for them to say, since they invented it), ranging from 1990 to 2002. Image is paramount to this operation, especially if there's a little titillation involved; thus we have on the Hip-Pop disc the sex kitten antics of Britney Spears and Shakira, the spectacle of a bare-chested Nelly wearing his jeans not only below his boxers but barely above his knees, and the sheer absurdity of MC Hammer's costumed cast of thousands crowding the stage for “U Can't Touch This.” But there's also some good music here (Nelly's electrifying “Country Grammar,” the Brian Setzer Orchestra's swinging “Jump, Jive An' Wail,” Bone Thugs-N-Harmony's entertainingly over-the-top “Crossroads”), as well as short features on “turntablism” and pop songwriting.In Rock, a variety of rock 'n' rollers take center stage, and while some may argue that the likes of Jewel (who plays solo) and Pink don't exactly qualify as rock artists, there are plenty of genuine rockers here. And even if they wear their influences on their sleeves, people like Lenny Kravitz (with the neo-Hendrixisms of “Are You Gonna Go My Way”), Silverchair (the Nirvana sound-alike “Tomorrow”), and INXS (with the late Michael Hutchence channeling Jim Morrison) put on a good show--as does the predictably outrageous Marilyn Manson (who's preceded onstage by a marching band); the loud, bratty, and fun Blink 182 (appearing with a chorus line of dwarfs); and the always-reliable U2 (“Please,” from 1997). While there's nothing amazing in this compilation (which also features about 10 minutes' worth of comedic monologues), it's nonetheless entertaining. Considering the popularity of the performers, both titles are strong optional purchases. Aud: P. (S. Graham)