Bookended by Cats

Friday, September 4, 2026

Friday 80s Flashback for September 4, 2026

[Labor Day Weekend Tunes (Redux)] -- I'm re-using my Flashback post from September 4, 2020, for September 4, 2026.

Now, I haven't had a full time job since I was laid off in February 2019*. And, thanks to a global pandemic, I know many others are likewise unemployed, at least for the foreseeable future. Still, many others are in the difficult position of having work but not necessarily a safe working environment. And we should be mindful of the issues that were already impacting Working America prior to the pandemic. So, as we enter our latest Labor Day holiday weekend, how about a few songs from our 1980s catalog that highlight work, labor, and unions? Read and hear more after the break!

Flashback #1: "We bring more than a paycheck to our loved ones and family."

Written by Y.M. Barnwell circa 1981, and beautifully recorded by Sweet Honey in the Rock in 1988, "More Than A Paycheck" resounds with meaning. On one hand, you can hear the message that a job is more than a paycheck. Much more importantly, the words vividly describe what else laborers often bring home to their families: "We bring asbestosis, silicosis, brown lung, black lung disease. And radiation hits the children before they've even been conceived." And, in still far too many cases, when workers speak up about the dangers and ill effects of their jobs, they are ignored or simply replaced.

Flashback #2: "Now the lessons of the past | Were all learned with workers' blood."

Billy Bragg is no stranger to political activism in music. And his 1986 album, Talking with the Taxman About Poetry, was no exception. Among the gems on this record is the non single track, "There Is Power in a Union," which shares, perhaps, a kindred spirit with Joe Hill's 1913 protest song of the same title.

Flashback #3: "Someday, mister, I'm gonna lead a better life than this."

Bruce Springsteen has made a career of crafting anthems for the working stiff. Some are much more popular than others. But "Working on the Highway" -- the fourth track on Side A of his seventh studio album, Born in the U.S.A. (1984) -- is an under-appreciated gem. It's a direct examination of how a dead-end job can adversely impact a person and their desperate choices.

Bonus Flashback: "It's a sacrifice working day to day | For little money, just tips for pay | But it's worth it all | To hear them say that they care."

Is there truly a better choice for a playlist about work and working than Donna Summer's chart-topping 1983 hit, "She Works Hard for the Money"? Peaking at #1 on the Billboard R&B singles chart, and #3 on both the Billboard Hot 100 and the Dance Club Play charts, "She Works Hard for the Money" was one of the most popular songs of 1983. But beyond the dance beats and Summer's excellent voice, this tune highlights the hard work and exhaustion that many a blue-collar woman still experiences to this day.

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!

Notes:

Image at the top of this post is Power house mechanic working on steam pump by Lewis Hine, 1920. (Wikipedia)
* I have completed graduate school since this material was posted in 2019, but I am still working only a collection of side jobs while I seek full-time employment in my new area, that of college chaplaincy.

Friday, August 28, 2026

Friday 80s Flashback for August 28, 2026

[40 Years on the Ceiling] -- The Bookended crew is back from our almost month long vacation, and I am cranking out one 80s Flashback before August fades into memory.

Many albums were released in August 1986. A few right even near the end of the month. But I've decided to feature Lionel Richie's third solo LP, Dancing on the Ceiling, released 40 years ago this month on August 5, 1986. Why this record? Well, my late mother's birthday is in August, and Lionel was one of her favorite artist of the 1980s. Please note that I have previously covered Richie's eponymous 1982 solo debut and his 1983 sophomore release. And both times I referred to Richie as one of Mom's faves, so I might as well keep that theme rolling.

Dancing on the Ceiling was another huge success for Richie. It ranked within the top 10 of charts around the globe; for example, it peaked at #2 in the UK, #1 on the US Billboard 200, and #3 on US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard). The album launched five singles – "Say You, Say Me", "Dancing on the Ceiling", "Love Will Conquer All", "Ballerina Girl" / "Deep River Woman", and "Se La".

Of those tracks, you probably only remember "Dancing on the Ceiling" (which reached #7 in the UK, #2 on US Billboard Hot 100, and #3 on US Adult Contemporary) and "Say You, Say Me" (an incredible success that reached #8 in the UK, #1 on the US Billboard Hot 100, #1 on US Adult Contemporary, #1 on US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, and #1 on US Cash Box Top 100). Or, maybe I should speak for myself, because those are the only songs I recall. They were everywhere on the radio that summer!

The embedded YouTube playlist here is the 2003 Expanded Edition of Dancing on the Ceiling. So, it has 13 tracks instead of the eight tracks of the original LP release or the nine tracks of the original CD/cassette.

Flashback: Dancing on the Ceiling (August 5, 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!

Tuesday, August 25, 2026

A Special 1970s Flashback for August 25, 2026

[Still More Than a Feeling] -- We interrupt our 80s Flashback posts with a very special Flashback to 1976. Specifically, we are flashing back fifty years to August 25, 1976. On that date, Boston released their eponymous debut album.

Boston conquered charts around the globe. It peaked at #11 in the UK and #3 on the US Billboard 200, selling 18 million copies in the U.S., and 27 million worldwide. The singles – "More Than a Feeling", "Peace of Mind", and "Foreplay/Long Time" – were all hits that are still featured on classic rock stations. And the entire album became a staple of AOR radio. Boston even has a spot at #2 on Louder Sound's 2024 list of The 50 best AOR albums of all time.

That's pretty impressive when you consider Boston is essentially Tom Scholz's demo tape that had been turned down by a bunch of big labels in the US.

The true legend of Tom Scholz, an MIT graduate and (at the time) product design engineer for Polaroid, painstakingly recording the album in his basement rather than in the record label's professional studio has has become common knowledge. And so have his feuds with bandmates, such as with Boston co-founder Barry Goudreau, or with vocalist Brad Delp's family.

But I suppose artistic and legal conflicts are the standard fare when big talent collides with big egos (or at least the potential for big egos to develop).

Now, this album does have something of a connection to the 1980s. You see, I was too young to buy records of my own when Boston was released in 1976. However, five or so years later, I purchased my own vinyl copy of this album at a local drugstore in my hometown. And I still have that record in my collection to this day. So, my personal copy might not be 50 years old, it could be close to 45!

Flashback: Boston (August 26, 1976)

And that's all till next week. If you were looking for 80s tunes, you 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!

Tuesday, August 4, 2026

Vacation, all I ever wanted. Vacation, had to get away.

We may not be in the Vacation Motor Hotel, but we most certainly are on vacation. And we are also taking a break from blogging. That means there will be no 80s Flashbacks – and probably no comic book, film, or TV posts – for the month of August.

I promise we will return energized ... or maybe exhausted. Either way, the celebration of albums that were released 40 years ago in 1986, and our thoughts on other nerdy goodness, will continue once we reach the month of September.

Until our anticipated (or, perhaps, dreaded) return, you have our entire history to peruse:

80s Flashback tag for all posts about 1980s music. (You can also visit the Prophet or Madman archives).
TV tag for anything we've posted about television shows.
Movies tag for any movie reviews that we posted.
Comic Book tag will give you, as expected, comic book content.
And any of the more specific tags to your left.

____________________________

“Vacation Motel sign” by Brent Moore, CC BY-NC 2.0; brainwise modified the image by adding a rectangle and text that reads "Bloggers on Vacation" over the original banner on the hotel's sign.

Friday, July 31, 2026

Friday 80s Flashback for July 31, 2026

[Loud Pageant] -- I'm sliding in very close to the wire for the final Flashback of July 2026. But I have two albums that were both released 40 years ago these past two weeks.

Lightning Strikes – Japan's premiere heavy metal band, Loudness, initially released their sixth album only in Japan on March 24, 1986. But just four months later, on July 25, 1986, Lightning Strikes was released to the US market (the earlier release was known as Shadows of War). The sole single from this album was "Let It Go", and as far as I can tell, it did not chart in the states, though the album did peak at #64 on the Billboard 200. I remember "Let It Go", and a few other tracks, from the various metal shows I could pick up on the radio, and from a friend who was a Loudness fanatic. I'm showcasing this album because there's just something about summer that puts me in the mood for 1980s heavy metal. Can any of you out there relate?

Life's Rich Pageant – R.E.M. released their fourth studio album, Life's Rich Pageant, on July 28, 1986. I'm pretty sure I did not know about the album until September of that year, which is basically when I learned about R.E.M. and their first four albums. But other people, many in the record buying public, definitely took notice of this release in late July and early August. It peaked at #21 on the US Billboard 200 and #43 in the UK. It was also R.E.M.'s first gold record in the US. This album had two singles – "Fall on Me" and "Superman" – both of which charted well on the Billboard Hot 100 and the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks charts. Several other tracks got radio play and are also quite well known to fans. This album was jangly college rock at its best ... until R.E.M.'s next release.

Now, on to the music. 🎶

Flashback #1: Lightning Strikes (July 25, 1986)

Flashback #2: Life's Rich Pageant (July 28, 2026)

See you in seven!

Friday, July 17, 2026

Friday 80s Flashback for July 17, 2026

[Pancreatic Release] -- This week's album has several release dates associated with it. The dates range from early in January 1986 through October 1986. AOTY was the first site to remind me of this record, so I am going with their release date of July 18, 1986. So, the bottom line is that this week's featured album has already turned 40 years old, or it will before this year is over. Oh, and there was also a re-release back in 2006, marking a 20th anniversary for the album as well.

Anyway...

I feel that my job with these Flashbacks is to not only stir up some nostalgia for well-remembered and loved records, but to also shed light on the records that have languished on the outskirts of fandom. And I take up that latter task by showcasing I Am John's Pancreas, the debut studio album from English post-punk band, A Witness. Released at some point in 1986, quite possibly on July 18, I Am John's Pancreas did not exactly rocket the band to international, or even local, renown. And this lack of commercial success came despite the interest, and studio prowess, of one John Peel (who I thought must be the "John" in this album title, but turns out to actually be a riff on Readers Digest).

Still, this debut album reached #18 on he NME charts. And it boasts the rather danceable and weird "Red Snake". I'm also rather fond of their tune, "Sharpened Sticks". I Am John's Pancreas is a discordant collection of aural oddities, and it still receives positive reviews in retrospect. Perhaps, if critics had gushed more back in 1986, we could legitimately call I Am John's Pancreas a classic. I mean, I'll still call it a classic, an obscure gem that deserved a wider audience, but you don't have to take my word for it. At least ... not until after you give it a spin.

Flashback: I Am John's Pancreas (July 18, 1986)

See you in seven!

Friday, July 10, 2026

Friday 80s Flashback for July 10, 2026

[Boom or Bust] -- In 1985, a pair of studio musicians named David Baerwald and David Ricketts recorded nine songs across four studios in California. They emerged as rock duo David & David with their debut, and only, studio album, Boomtown. released 40 years ago this week on July 7, 1986.

If you're going to release only one album, it should be as good as this one. Boomtown reached #39 on the Billboard 200 and received positive reviews, both in 1986 and retrospectively. AllMusic's Michael Ofjord calls it "a hard look at urban life in the 1980s". It's a collection of stories that are not always pleasant, but they are set to rhythms and hooks that make each one a compelling listen.

"Welcome to the Boomtown" is considered the lone hit, which broke into the top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100 and #8 of the US Album Rock Tracks chart. But the follow-up singles, "Swallowed by the Cracks" (#14 Billboard Mainstream Rock Hits) and "Ain't So Easy" (#51 Billboard Hot 100), were easily just as good. They just did not get the same kind of promotion, I guess.

Anyway, this 40-year-old record seems to be telling the same kinds of stories of financial hardship and bad choices that are still occurring to this day. Flashback and fast forward, eh?

Flashback: Boomtown (July 7, 1986)

See you in seven!