Bookended by Cats

Friday, April 4, 2025

Friday 80s Flashback for April 4, 2025

[Strawberry Switchblade] -- We are kicking off the first weekend of April 2025 with an all but forgotten relic of 1980s synth-pop. 40 years ago this week, the new wave duo Strawberry Switchblade released their eponymous debut album. It is also their only studio album. While it did peak at #25 in the UK, and it featured a top ten single in "Since Yesterday," this record plummeted rather quickly and remained in the basement for much of its shelf life.

In addition to Strawberry Switchblade's spotty commercial success, it also received mixed reviews. Some critics disdained it as too lightweight and overly sweet. Others praised the duo's talent and compared them favorably to, though not in the same league as, Cocteau Twins. Maybe it just got lost in the rush of other records released in the same year. I mean, there are catchy tunes to be found here, and I think this debut shows promise. Buried beneath the synth riffs and bubbly keyboard notes are hints of darkness, heavy longing, and sadness. So, I feel that it's too easy to just dismiss Strawberry Switchblade. Other bands with weaker debuts went on to release really great art. This duo just didn't get a similar chance to develop and evolve as musicians and lyricists.

The single is the standout, of course. But I also recommend "Who Knows What Love Is," "Let Her Go," "Another Day," and "Deep Water." (Maybe even in that order).

Flashback: Strawberry Switchblade (April 5, 1985)

And that's all till next week. Dedicated 80s-philes can find more flashbacks in the Prophet or Madman archives or via Bookended's 80s Flashback tag. As always, your comments are welcome on today's, or any other, flashback post. And if you like what I'm doing here, please share the link with your friends. If, however, you don't like the flashback, feel free to share it with your enemies.

See you in seven!

Saturday, March 29, 2025

Absolutely Martian

I don't know if it's my favorite (yet) of the Absolute universe, but the opening volley of Absolute Martian Manhunter definitely made a case for it.

Strong concept.

Excellent script.

Fantastic art.

Oh, and this issue absolutely (heh) makes a case for owning and reading the comic in paper rather than digital format. I won't spoil why I say that.

Absolute Martian Manhunter #1 is currently on the stands.

Creative team:

Deniz Camp (writer)
Javier Rodríguez (artist, colorist)
Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou (letterer)
Katie Kubert (editor)

Description of images used in this post:

Top of post: Absolute Martian Manhunter logo in gren.
Bottom of post: A page from Absolute Martian Manhunter #1. Agent Jones is experiencing strange, colorful smoke that no one else seems to notice.

Friday, March 28, 2025

Friday 80s Flashback for March 28, 2025

[Still Feeling the Heat] -- Forty years ago this week, The Power Station released their eponymous debut album. Well, technically, the release formats were also part of the release name: So, there was The Power Station 331⁄3 for the vinyl album and The Power Station CD for the compact disc. But we'll simply use The Power Station for the duration of this post.

This studio supergroup was one half Duran Duran (guitarist Andy Taylor and bassist John Taylor), one quarter Chic (drummer Tony Thompson), and one quarter ... well ... Robert Palmer (vocalist). Oh, and Bernard Edwards, who was also part of Chic with Tony Thompson, came on board as the recording producer. Initially, the project was a bit of a lark, something for the Taylors to do while Duran Duran went on a planned, extended hiatus. But it became something more once Robert Palmer joined the proceedings.

More bombastic than the standard, polished synth fare of Duran Duran, The Power Station was a commercial success, peaking at #12 on the UK Albums Chart and #6 on the US Billboard 200. This success was due in part to two monster hits, both of which soared into the top 40 globally: "Some Like It Hot" and a cover of T. Rex's "Get It On (Bang a Gong)." "Communication," a third single that was not nearly as successful, and "Go To Zero," a non-single track, are two of my personal faves from this record.

Unfortunately, we never got to see this quartet perform live (with the exception of an appearance as musical guests for the February 16, 1985, episode of Saturday Night Live). By the time someone got the idea of a Power Station tour, Robert Palmer was in the studio recording his eighth solo album, and therefore unavailable due to join the other three on the road. Instead, Michael Des Barres handled vocal duties for the 1985 Summer Tour. (Of course, I always remember Des Barres as MacGyver's enemy, Murdoc, rather than as a rock star, but he's got the chops.)

Flashback #1: "The Power Station (March 25, 1985)

See you in seven!

Friday, March 21, 2025

Friday 80s Flashback for March 21, 2025

[Waves of Sunshine] -- Katrina and the Waves released their third, and self-titled, studio album 40 years ago this weekend, on March 22, 1985. Interestingly, their very first album was titled Walking on Sunshine while their second was simply Katrina and the Waves 2. This seemingly reverse chronological naming scheme makes some sense once you realize the third album, the band's first with a major label, consisted entirely of re-mixed (or at least recycled) tracks from the first two LPs. Four of the tracks on this 1985 release were from their 1983 debut album, including this album's big hit, "Walking on Sunshine," while the rest were from their 1984 album.

And the gambit worked, probably with some help from marketing and MTV.

While the prior albums were largely ignored, Katrina and the Waves (1985) peaked in the top 30 of both the US and the UK. And it was successful in several other countries. The aforementioned "Walking on Sunshine" was a top 40 hit worldwide, peaking at #8 and #9 on the UK Singles and US Billboard Hot 100 charts respectively. The remaining tracks are serviceable 1980s fare, with "Do You Want Crying," "Machine Gun Smith," and "The Sun Won't Shine Without You" being the unreleased standouts, in my opinion. Oh, and a previously released single, "Going Down To Liverpool," is probably best known for the 1984 cover by The Bangles.

For giggles, I'll list the tracks on Katrina and the Waves and indicate which ones originally appeared on either Katrina and the Waves 2 (1984) or Walking on Sunshine (1983):

Red Wine And Whisky *
Do You Want Crying *
Que Te Quiero ‡
Machine Gun Smith ‡
Cry For Me *
Walking On Sunshine ‡
Going Down To Liverpool ‡
Mexico *
The Sun Won't Shine *
Game Of Love *

* from Katrina and the Waves 2, 1984

‡ from Walking on Sunshine, 1983

Flashback: Katrina and the Waves (March 22, 1985)

See you in seven!

Friday, March 14, 2025

Friday 80s Flashback for March 14, 2025

[Still Dreaming of Action] -- Forty years ago this week, Howard Jones dropped his second studio album, Dream Into Action (March 11, 1985). It peaked at #2 on the UK Albums chart, reached the top ten of the Billboard 200, and did well in several other countries. In addition to climbing album charts, this album had four singles. And two of them – "Things Can Only Get Better" and "Life in One Day" – did very well commercially. The former hit #5 and #6 on the Billboard Hot 100 and UK singles charts respectively, while the latter peaked at #14 in the UK and #19 in the US.

And before you as, yes, "No One Is to Blame" was originally part of this 1985 album, and it's my favorite track here. However, Jones didn't release it as a single until 1986, and it was a re-recorded version that later appeared on on his 1986 EP, Action Replay. So, now I'm left wondering whether I was primed to love the track when it reached the single charts, or I loved it from my first listen through of Dream Into Action. There are greater mysteries, to be sure, but might be pondering that question over the weekend.

Flashback: Dream Into Action (March 11, 1985)

See you in seven!

Friday, March 7, 2025

Friday 80s Flashback for March 7, 2025

[All the Fegging Time] -- I have no idea what Fegmania might be or mean outside of Robyn Hitchcock's discography, nor am I really all that curious about it. So, in this post, I'll be focused on Hitchcock's fourth studio album, Fegmania!, which was also his first with his backing band, The Egyptians. But you might have expected that from an 80s Flashback, right?

Released in March 1985 – quite possibly on March 1 per several sources – Fegmania! either has turned, or will turn, 40 years old as of this month. It is considered one of Hitchcock's best releases, and I'm inclined to agree. Not that you have to take my word for it. AllMusic retroactively gives Fegmania! 4 ½ out of five stars, saying the songs are "twitchy and off-kilter, with melodies that usually went in willfully unpredictable directions" and that the record was Hitchcock's "most consistent work to date." The Chicago Tribune rated it a solid 4 out of 4 stars, calling it "Hard pop with a twist." While Spin said the album had "unpredictably brilliant songs, synapse-bending lyrics, and vigorously inventive guitar" (Spin issue 3, p. 32, July 1985).

Despite garnering such critical acclaim, Fegmania! doesn't seem to have charted all that well; as far as I can tell, it didn't launch any singles either. That's weird to me. Even now, I feel that this album, with its post-punk pop and smattering of psychedelia, was perfect for the mid-1980s. I'm particularly fond of "Goodnight I Say," "The Man with the Lightbulb Head," "Egyptian Cream," and "Glass."

Flashback: "Fegmania! (March 7, 1985)

See you in seven!

Friday, February 28, 2025

Friday 80s Flashback for February 28, 2025

[This is Not the Big Chair] -- Well, it is the big chair. But it's not just the Big Chair this week. For the final week of February 2025, we have two albums that are celebrating the 40th anniversary of their respective release dates. One was released 40 years ago this week while the other hit that milestone last week. And, as with my prior twofers, these albums are quite different from each other.

The Falcon and the Snowman – First up is Pat Metheny Group's soundtrack album for the 1985 film The Falcon and the Snowman. This album was released on February 22, 1985, and as with much of Pat Metheny's catalog in the 1980s, it is jazz fusion with a bit of an atmospheric bent. This record also features some interesting collabs. Metheny and company worked with two classical outfits for much of the album. The National Philharmonic Orchestra appears on "Flight of the Falcon", "Extent of the Lie", "The Level of Deception", and "Capture" while the Ambrosian Choir appears on the opening and closing tracks, "Psalm 121" and "Epilogue (Psalm 121)." Ambrosian's contributions not only bookend the soundtrack, but also lent a very different vibe for Metheny. However, Ambrosian's contribution to the vibe was not nearly as different as this one other collaborator that impacts just one song on the album: David Bowie on "This is Not America." Bowie wrote lyrics and recorded vocals for a different version of the song to play over the film's credits. Bowie's participation was director John Schlesinger's suggestion, as Metheny himself reveals in his tribute to David Bowie on his site. In that post, Metheny tells the story of how Bowie worked on the song, and he shares his awe at Bowie's studio work. The embedded YouTube playlist below does not include the music video for the Metheny/Bowie collab, so I'll link that here for you.

Songs from the Big Chair – Next, we have the second studio LP from Tears for Fears. Released forty years ago this week, on February 25, 1985, this record was even more successful than their very successful 1983 debut. Between the US, UK, and international markets, six of Big Chair's eight tracks were released as singles. The album peaked at #2 in the UK and at #1 in the U.S., ultimately going multi-platinum. That success was driven by two huge singles, "Shout" and "Everybody Wants to Rule the World," both of which topped the US Billboard Hot 100. Oh, and a third single, "Head Over Heels," my personal favorite, also performed rather well internationally. Overall, Songs from the Big Chair garnered glowing reviews, was named one of the 1980s' best albums (by Slate and Pitchfork), and rocketed up charts around the world. The album even earned a nod in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.

So, did you have either, or both, of these records back in 1985?

Flashback #1: The Falcon and the Snowman (February 22, 1985)

Flashback #2: Songs from the Big Chair (February 25, 1985)

See you in seven!