Friday 80s Flashback for November 13, 2026

[Trilodekaphobia] -- For some reason, I thought mashing "Trilogy" with "triskaidekaphobia" would be a clever nod to both this weekend's Flashback album and the fact that today is Friday the 13th. I just could not find an album released 40 years ago today. But Yngwie J. Malmsteen released his third solo album 40 years ago this month, and it features him using a flaming guitar to battle a three-headed dragon, so that's ... what was my point again? 

Right. Trilogy. Malmsteen's third solo studio album, released on November 4, 1986. 

This heavy metal album reached #44 on the US Billboard 200,  and it was a top 20 album in Sweden, Japan, and Finland. The lone single – "You Don't Remember, I'll Never Forget" – did not chart, but it did receive some ink in the August 29, 1986, issue of the The Friday Morning Quarterback Album Report, though it looks like the report was mainly giving advance notice to fans that Malmsteen was dabbling with synths Quote: "But wait a minute, hey Yngwie is that a synth we hear? With 'You Don't Remember' there are strong song elements that suggest this track will extend beyond the nighttime bruise bunch". I should also note that the report indicates this album was released in September, but most other sources, including Malmsteen's own website, list November 1986 for the release; make of that what you will. 

Some critics, like AllMusic's Steve Huey, were impressed with Malmsteen's compositional and lyrical work on Trilogy. But, really, all the songs here were pretty much showcases for Malsteen's pyrotechnic playing, which critics unanimously praised. The album art, however, was not widely praised. In fact, it eventually wound up on "The 50 most hilariously ugly rock and metal album covers ever" (May 2023).

Trilogy highlights for me are "Liar", "Queen in Love", and the instrumental "Trilogy Suite Op: 5".

Flashback: Trilogy (November 4, 1986)

---

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! 

Star Trek / Tron Legacy

STAR TREK: LEGACY – https://vimeo.com/217336882 

No, not *that* Star Trek: Legacy (the one Trek fans were calling for after Picard Season 3). This is 22 minutes of Star Trek The Motion Picture footage  + music from Daft Punk's score for Tron: Legacy. Uploaded to Vimeo by Patrick Collins on May 13, 2017.

Friday 80s Flashback for November 6, 2026

[Pleased to Medusa] -- 40 years ago this week, a Dutch darkwave band released their sophomore album, Medusa. The band, Clan of Xymox, got just about as much commercial success from this record as their previous one (read: very little). However, critics were receptive. For example, in the January 1987 issue of Melody Maker, Paul Mathur wrote: "[Medusa is] a bright flash of hope in these blackout days." So, the album did not chart, and there were no hit singles, but I still consider Medusa to be a classic of 1980s darkwave. And it deserves your attention. The songs are well composed, the production is top notch, and the tunes are wonderfully atmospheric. The lone single, "Louise", is a winner, but also check out "Michele", "Back Door", and "Agonized by Love".

Flashback: Medusa (November 1, 1986)

---

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!

Voting Is Your Super Power! (Digital Comic)

Clover Press is giving away a free digital copy of "Voting is Your Super Power!"

Link: https://www.dropbox.com/SuperPower

Download link will be available until November 4.

Clover Press describes the collection as follows: 

This collection of vintage voting PSA comics was complied by comic historian Craig Yoe and features Uncle Sam explaining the history behind voting, how to vote, and why it is important to the future of our country! These comics may be over fifty years old, but they are still relevant to every American today! 

The collection also includes an introduction by Julie Newmar. 

Friday 80s Flashback for October 30, 2026

[On a Lark - Redux] -- Between April 9 and April 30, 2021, I used my Flashback posts to feature music from 1986. That was year I turned 18. On the very last Flashback of that month, I featured a lovely album by XTC, and I'm bringing it back this weekend. Because, five years later, that album has turned 40 years old. 

On October 27, 1986, English rock band XTC released their ninth studio album, Skylarking. Skylarking is a much better record for April and May, what with a third of the tracks evoking feelings of spring through summer. And that is understandable because the album was recorded between April and June of 1986. Skylarking is one of XTC's better known records. However, prior to recording, label executives had threatened to drop XTC if their next album wasn't a bigger success. You see, their prior record, 1984's The Big Express, pretty much fell flat in ye old sales numbers. 

Apparently, the label figured XTC's commercial woes were due to sounding "too English." Their solution was bring in an American producer. Of the listed producers suggested to them, Todd Rundgren's name was the only one XTC recognized. On paper, a pairing of Rundgren and XTC probably looked like a smashing idea. However, the sessions were rife with tension, mainly due to clashes between Rundgren and Andy Partridge, XTC's leader as well as primary singer and songwriter. As of March 2016, there was still animosity between the two artists; see, for example, Todd Rundgren Reignites Feud With XTC Over 'Skylarking'.

The results more or less speak for themselves. In addition to being regarded as the band's finest and most popular work, Skylarking peaked at #90 in the UK and #70 on the US Billboard 200. And it has been included on at least two top 100 lists: "100 greatest albums of the 1980s" by both Rolling Stone (1989) and Pitchfork (2002). 

With a total of 15 solid tracks to select from, I find it quite difficult to select just a  few faves. Still, I usually cite "Dear God" (about a struggling agnostic who writes a letter to God), "The Man Who Sailed Around His Soul," and "Earn Enough For Us" (which has previously appeared in a Flashback post) as my favorites on this record. Of my selections, only "Dear God" was released as a single, but it was also the b-side for the album's first single ("Grass"). That's kind of interesting given that this song was left off the original pressing, and that it caused a bit of controversy when it hit airwaves. And that was not the only controversy for this album: Apparently Andy Partridge originally had something else in mind for the album's cover art. 

The entire album's playlist, including "Dear God," is embedded for your listening pleasure this weekend.   

Flashback:  Skylarking (October 27, 1986)

---

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.

I'll see you in seven!

Friday 80s Flashback for October 23, 2026

[Don't Get Me Blah] -- Another two albums offered up this week. Each one turned 40 years old this month, and they were released by music veterans: The Pretenders with Get Close and Iggy Pop with Blah Blah Blah. 

Get Close – Released on October 20, 1986, or November 4 in the US, Get Close was The Pretenders' fourth studio album. This record marked a period of transition for the band. The album itself peaked at #6 in the UK and #25 on the US Billboard 200. While not as successful as the band's previous album, 1984's Learning to Crawl, it did boast their highest-charting singles on the Mainstream Rock chart: Both "Don't Get Me Wrong" and "My Baby" were #1 hits there. "Don't Get Me Wrong" was also a top ten hit on the US Billboard Hot 100. Oh, and don't miss "Hymn To Her".  

Blah Blah Blah – 40 years ago, Iggy Pop released his seventh solo studio album. AllMusic refers to Blah Blah Blah as "the most calculatedly commercial album of Iggy's career." I think that's a knock on the slick production rather than the songs and performance. But, yeah, this album was Iggy's most commercially successful album, reaching #75 on Billboard's Top 200 Albums chart and reaching Gold status. Iggy also had a successful tour supporting this record. Prior to working on this album, Iggy had been on a four year hiatus from recording and performing. For his new record, he tapped David Bowie as the primary collaborator. "Cry For Love" was the first song I heard from this album, and it remains my favorite. Most people probably know "Real Wild Child"; it was #27 on Billboard's Mainstream Rock chart and a top ten hit in the UK. Maybe the most fun track on here is the title track, "Blah Blah Blah", with lyrics just as applicable now as they were in 1986. 

Now, on to the music. 🎶

---

Flashback #1: Get Close (October 20, 1986)

---

Flashback #2: Blah Blah Blah (October 23, 1986)

---

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 October 16, 2026

[Heavenly Crawl] -- This week, we have two debut albums that were released 40 years ago, both on October 17, 1986. They also kind of represent bookends for the whole 1980s aesthetic: dance-pop on one side and dark drone on the other.

Desert – I don't have much information about the band called I Can Crawl. Their Bandcamp page indicates they were "Formed from school friends circa 1981" in the UK. And they maintain a Facebook presence, notably touting the anniversary re-release of this debut record. But beyond that, there's precious little actual information. The album did not chart, and it had no singles released, at least not as far as I can tell. And that's all a shame, because this is an excellent example of mid-80s post-punk with its shimmering guitars, driving baselines, and a lead singer who is very much in the Peter Murphy school of frontmen. Marvelously mopey. Solidly nocturnal. Check out "And It Rains" and "Instead of Walls". 

Better Than Heaven – This was the debut studio album from American singer Stacey Q. It peaked at #59 on the U.S. Billboard 200 and #46 on the U.S. Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums charts. There were three singles from this album, the first of which – "Two of Hearts" – became a top ten single. That tune soared up to #3 on US Billboard Hot 100, #1 on US 12-inch Singles Sales (Billboard), #4 on US Dance/Disco Club Play (Billboard)[32], and #7 on the US Top 100 Singles (Cash Box) charts, to name only a few places where the song did well.  

Now, on to the music. 🎶

---

Flashback #1: Desert (October 17, 1986)

---

Flashback #2: Better Than Heaven (October 17, 1986)

---

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!