Friday 80s Flashback for January 30, 2026

[Blog Post] -- 40 years ago this week, Public Image Ltd. (aka PiL) released their fifth studio album. This release was generically known as Album, Compact Disc, Cassette, or mp3 (all depending on the purchased format, hence the animated image for this post). This naming convention was also used for "Rise," first single from this album: the 7" single was called "Single", the 12" single was called "12-inch Single", and the music video had the title card "Video".* For the remainder of this post, we'll refer to the release as Album.

So, although Album was the fifth studio work released under the Public Image Ltd. name, it might be better considered a John Lydon solo album under direction of producer Bill Laswell: The recording personnel were pretty much a rotating list of session musicians who often worked with Laswell (who also supplied bass for first six tracks). Luminaries like Steve Vai (guitar), Ginger Baker (drums), Bernie Worrell (keyboards), Tony Williams (drums), Ryuichi Sakamoto (digital synths), Shankar (electric violin) and others all contributed. This eclectic selection of top studio musicians propelled "Rise" to be one of PiL's highest charting singles, peaking at #11 in the UK. The album itself reached #14 in the UK and #115 on the US Billboard 200, while also climbing into the top 100 of a few other countries. 

The first track I heard from Album was the raucous "F.F.F.", which also happens to be the very first track of the album itself. "F.F.F." stood for "Farewell my fair-weather friend." We all know one, we've all told one off. And back in 1986, no song was more definitive for me as I transitioned from high school to college. Today, maybe, the "anger is an energy" line from "Rise" better suits my mood. The other standout tracks on a record rife with crunchy guitar, driving rhythms, and lively production, in my opinion, are "Fishing", "Bags", and "Home".   

 

While I still rank Album among my fave albums from the 1980s, I fully understand that John Lydon (formerly Johnny Rotten) is a polarizing and difficult character. And, yes, I tend to think of him more as a character than a person. And that is because I honestly do not know how much of what Lydon says and does genuinely comes from his heart and how much of it is just for drama ... or simply because he can. Also, I agree with Paul Weller when he points out that ...Lydon became the antithesis of punk. So, maybe, if you decide you want this album, maybe just stream it or buy a used copy (and then purchase albums featuring the other musicians so you can support them). 

Flashback: Album (January 27, 1986)

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* Possibly of interest: Another punk band, Flipper, had previously gone the generic title and labeling route in 1982 with Album Generic Flipper. Later in 1986, Flipper put out a live album titled Public Flipper Limited Live 1980–1985, either in honor of, or in retaliation against, PiL. 

Anyway, 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!

Friday 80s Flashback for January 23, 2026

[Broken] -- Forty years ago this month, Soul Asylum, a Minneapolis based punk/alternative band, released their second full-length album, Made to Be Broken. This record was the first of three they released in 1986.

As far as I can tell, neither the album nor its three singles – "Never Really Been", "Tied to the Tracks", and "Made to Be Broken" – charted. At least not on Billboard. Not that charting is the be all and end all of determining a record or song's worth. Made to Be Broken is an absolute gem with "raging dual vocals," crunchy guitars, and pure energy. For examples of that rock n' roll energy, check out "Another World Another Day" and "Whoa". They would showcase that energy later in 1986 by touring with fellow Twin Cities rockers Hüsker Dü. The two bands would tie for Best Garage Band at the 1986 Minnesota Music Awards. 

Also of note is the fact that the title track has the line And where will you be in 1993?" Well, in 1993, Soul Asylum found themselves with a top ten song, "Runaway Train", and performing it on MTV Unplugged. 

But that event was yet to come. At this point, with Made to Be Broken, Soul Asylum was just another ragged rock band that had not yet made their mark. 

Oh, and the people of Minnesota will not be broken! Ice out now! 

Flashback: Made to Be Broken (January 18, 1986)

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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!

Friday 80s Flashback for January 16, 2026

[Manic Memories] -- 40 years ago this week, the Bangles released their second studio album, Different Light. As a follow-up to their commercially and critically successful 1984 debut, Different Light exchanged the band's initial 1960s style for a more Top 40 sound. And did so quite successfully. 

Different Light peaked at #2 on the Billboard 200 and #3 on the UK charts, as well as the top 40 of several charts around the globe. The album also featured five singles, all of which charted. The first three singles were Billboard Hot 100 hits and received the music video treatment: "Manic Monday" climbed to a peak position of #4, "If She Knew What She Wants" peaked at #29, and "Walk Like An Egyptian" raced up to the #1 slot. Of the other two singles, "Walking Down Your Street" peaked at #11 in the US while "Following" charted only in the UK and Ireland. 

While some critics complained of the slicker production, others said this record showed the band finding a better balance. In hindsight, I think the latter were correct. And I even agree with Slant Magazine's Sal Cinquemani in saying that this record "sounds surprisingly fresh in hindsight" [Slant, September 2003]. 

Flashback: Different Light (January 13, 1986)

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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!

Friday 80s Flashback for January 9, 2026

[Instrumentally Baker] -- 40 years ago this week, on January 6, 1986, drummer Ginger Baker (August 19, 1939 – October 6, 2019) released his fifth solo album, Horses and Trees. Largely known as a blues and rock drummer, Baker's style was a melding of jazz and African rhythms, one that served him well as a pioneer in jazz fusion and world music [Adam Budofski (2010)].

But in the first half of the 1980s, Baker was largely absent from the music scene, spending his time on an Italian olive farm. Producer/bassist Bill Laswell somehow talked Baker into doing session work for PIL's 1985 release (named invariably for the specific format: Album, Cassette, CD), and that work led directly to Baker recording his 1986 solo album with Laswell [LA Times (1988)]. 

I'm not sure how Baker went from the alt rock of PIL to this collection of instrumental and danceable tracks found on Horses and Trees, but I'm thankful for whomever or whatever inspired Baker and Laswell. 

Horses and Trees features not only a who's who of percussionists and musicians from the world music scene (Aïyb Dieng, Foday Musa Suso, Daniel Ponce, Naná Vasconcelos, L. Shankar, and Nicky Skopelitis), but also turntablist Grand Mixer DXT (then known as Grandmixer D.ST). Laswell may have been the primary songwriter on this album, but it was the confluence of all these musicians that resulted an amazing blending of jazz, funk, electronica, reggae, hip-hop, etc. 

This week in 2026 has been heavy. So I really needed something like Horses and Trees to anchor a session of movement and meditation. Even if only for 30-odd minutes. 

Flashback: "Horses and Trees (January 6, 1986)

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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!

Friday 80s Flashback for January 2, 2026

[Never Say Die!] -- I was not certain how to approach this first Flashback of the new year. On the one hand, the obvious route to continue celebrating albums that turned 40 years old, and in 2026 that would mean albums released in 1986. And that does appeal to me given my affinity for that year. Then, on the other hand, is the question of whether I want to continue this effort of blogging music from the 1980s. Fortunately, for all two or three of you out there reading these posts, I've decided to at least kick off this year with at least one post. 

So, what album do I feature to kick off a new year of Flashbacks? More critically, what even was released close to the beginning of the year 40 years ago this week? Well, to the best of my reckoning, I have found an album released on January 1, 1986: Thrill of a Lifetime, the sophomore album from drummer Carmine Appice's metal band King Kobra. Appice founded King Kobra after a 1983-1984 stint as Ozzy Osbourne's drummer (he was, in fact, fired from the band by Sharon Osbourne). 

For fans of heavy metal, or hair metal, Thrill of a Lifetime is of note primarily for "Iron Eagle (Never Say Die)". That song later appeared on the soundtrack for the 1986 film, Iron Eagle. Beyond that, neither Thrill of a Lifetime nor any of its tracks seems to have charted. That must have been disappointing for Appice and crew, especially given that their debut album was fairly well received (but likewise did not reach any Billboard rankings). 

Still, "Iron Eagle (Never Say Die)" looms large in my music memory. Yes, it is kind of ridiculous, but even today I find it an infectious, fist pumping anthem. And, maybe, cranking it up is a great way to hype yourself to make your way in 2026. Even the lyrics speak to beating the odds and coming out on top:

Don't try and bring my soul to the ground

My spirit remembers old mountain magic sounds

Against all odds I'll come out on top

'Cause I never learned the meaning of what meant stop

Other notable tracks from this album include "Second Time Around" (which, I think, sounds like a TV show's theme song, "Feel the Heat", and ... maybe... "Party Animal." Like I said, Thrill Of A Lifetime is a 1980s hair metal album. It's not important or earth-shattering, but it does the job when you need to rock out. 

Flashback: Thrill Of A Lifetime (January 1, 1986)

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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!

Christmastime by the Swingle Singers

The Swingle Singers released a Christmas album way back in 1968. It was titled Christmastime in the US (pictured above), Noëls Sans Passeport in France, and Christmas with the Swingle Singers in both the UK and the Netherlands. The other two releases had different album art than the US release:

Cover art for French release

 

UK and Netherlands cover art

This album marked the first time the UK-based a cappella vocal group tackled something other than classical pieces, but they still applied their trademark approach of singing notes and tones in counterpoint rather than lyrics. So, this collection of carols and hymns are sung with dee-dum's and la-la's rather than actual verses. And it's actually quite a pleasant listen. 

This album was reissued in 1980 with the title Christmas Album and new artwork: 

Christmas Album (1980)

I'm not sure when in 1980 that re-issue hit shelves, but it was likely for that year's holiday season. Therefore, I'm guessing we can confidently say this particular version of the album is now 45 years old. So, even though I already posted the final Friday 80s Flashback of 2025 last Friday, consider this something of an honorable mention, or a bonus, album to close out 2025. 

The embedded YouTube video has all then songs of the 1968 release, and features photos from the 1968 US release.

Side A track listing:

1. Medley: "Jingle Bells" (Pierpont) / "Il Est Ne Le Divin Enfant" / "Es Ist Ein Ros' Entsprungen" – 3:47
2. Medley: "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" / "The First Nowell" / "Go Tell It On the Mountain" – 3:13
3. "Stille Nacht, Heilige Nacht" ("Silent Night") (Gruber, Mohr) – 2:35
4. Medley: "Deck The Halls With Boughs Of Holly" / "What Child Is This?" – 3:12
5. Medley: "O Jul Med Din Glede" / "Komt, Verwondert U Hier Mensen" / "Away in a Manger" – 3:53

Side B track listing:

1. Medley: "Les Anges dans nos Campagnes" / "Oh Tannenbaum" / "Bel Astre Que J'Adore" – 3:15
2. Medley: "El Noi de la Mare" / "Hanej, Nynej, Jezisku" ("Rocking Carol") / "Canzone Dei Zampognari" – 2:46
3. Medley: "We Three Kings Of Orient Are" (Hopkins) / "The Holly And The Ivy" – 3:11
4. "White Christmas", (Irving Berlin) – 2:12
5. Medley: "Stchedrivka" ("Carol of the Bells") / "Dag Visen" / "O Sanctissima" – 3:09

Friday 80s Flashback for December 26, 2025

[Still Shipping] -- And now we've come to the final flashback of 2025. There are so many albums that debuted 40 years ago that I've barely scratched the full catalog. But don't worry: It's not like I'm going to try to cover everything I missed in this one post. No, in honor of the current holiday season, and my love of progressive pop, I'm celebrating the 40th anniversary of Jon Anderson's fourth solo album, 3 Ships.

I have not been able to definitively nail down the release date for this solo outing by the lead singer of Yes. Wikipedia cites the release date as November 18, 1985. Sites like AOTY and AllMusic use December 1985, while several others more enigmatically and simply say the album was released in 1985. And, as it was intended as a Christmas release, I feel pretty save in declaring that the album has reached the status of being 40 years old by now. 

The album title is a nod to the English Christmas carol, "I Saw Three Ships". As such, "3 Ships" is one of five traditional carols included on the album, but it is the only one to receive the official MTV Christmas Video treatment. The other songs are all Jon Anderson originals except for "Easier Said Than Done", which was written by Vangelis. The Vangelis tune and "How It Hits You" were the lone singles, with only the former charting, and even then only in the UK and the Netherlands. 

Aside from the Holiday Card Pack, Jon Anderson Special Edition of the album, this was kind of a "Christmas album incognito" with only the red and green stripe on the back cover giving any hint of Christmas trappings [Dave Connelly, AllMusic]. In fact, if not for my prog rock and holiday music loving father, and my own interest in the band Yes, this album would have completely missed my radar back in the mid-1980s. And it seems many a critic and music fan did take a pass on it.

3 Ships received largely negative reviews in 1985, including a one-star rating in Sounds magazine. Retroactively, AllMusic directed fans "to let Three Ships sail by." Biggest complaints seem to be that the arrangements, particularly the synths, overwhelm Anderson's voice. As a fan of Anderson, and as someone willing to give a person a pass for attempting to stretch a bit, I find the album quite charming. And it still gets a place in my large collection of holiday-themed records. Maybe you'll set sail with it as will. 

Oh, and please note that what appear to be time links in the embedded YouTube video are simply the track durations given the hyperlink treatment, so you cannot use them to jump from track to track. Unfortunately, I could not find a playlist that included all 13 tracks from the album. But at least this video does include all 13 tracks as well as some liner note info. Enjoy!

Flashback: 3 Ships (December 1985)

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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!