Bookended by Cats

Friday, July 11, 2025

Friday 80s Flashback for July 11, 2025

[Heart Zooming] -- I'm here with another 1980s two-fer for your weekend. With both albums this week, we see artists well into their careers, but making a shift. And both of these albums feature outstanding female vocalists.

Heart – With a self-titled album released in 1985, somewhere between mid-June and July 6, Heart not only revitalized their career with their eighth studio album, but also glammed up their look. They embraced corsets, fluffy shirts, and a few other pirate/glam touches. Just look at their album cover. While I'm not sure who influenced Heart's wardrobe change, I do know they had outside influences for the music. Heart saw the band working with several well-known songwriters such as Jim Vallance, Holly Knight, Mark Mueller, and Bernie Taupin. Heart's first three singles from this album – "What About Love", "Never", and "These Dreams" – were all top 40 hits in the US, and they also charted globally. Also, the music video for "Never" featured the band in their very best pirate glam finery. Heart peaked at the #1 slot on the Billboard 200, and was in the top 100 or better in several other countries. Heart was now a pop band, playing powerful hooks supported by polished songwriting, and the Wilson sisters' wore their tight corsets all the way to the most popular album they ever released.

Who's Zoomin' Who? – On July 9, 1985, Aretha Franklin released, Who's Zoomin' Who?, her 30th studio album. This marked a shift away from the adult contemporary sounds of her prior records and toward 1980s themes such as dance-pop, synths, and the then contemporary R&B styles. She got rave reviews and the lead single, "Freeway of Love", was a commercial success which not only peaked at #1 on Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, but also earned Ms. Franklin a Grammy Award [see notes on TV80s.com]. This album also features "Sisters Are Doin' It for Themselves", a fantastic collab with Eurythmics. Who's Zoomin' Who? is considered Franklin's comeback album, and it even established her as a music video star. The album peaked at #13 on the US Billboard 200, #3 on the US Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums, and #49 on the UK Albums chart, as well as zooming into the top 40 of charts around the world.

What's on your turntable this weekend?

Flashback #1: Heart (July 6, 1985)

Flashback #2: Who's Zoomin' Who? (July 9, 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!

Friday, July 4, 2025

Friday 80s Flashback for July 4, 2025

[Damned Progaganda] -- I wasn't certain what to highlight for this fourth of July weekend. Well, not until after the middle of the week and its deflating news. Still, I was able to select two albums that, depending on the source, were both released on July 1, 1985, and are, therefore, 40 years old as of this weekend! We have one artist from the UK, and another from Germany. So, if you were looking for patriotic tunes this week, you'll have to click elsewhere. But, if you want another glimpse into my musical tastes, read on!

Phantasmagoria – 40 years ago this week, depending on the source, The Damned released this album in either June or July of 1985. I'm splitting the difference, and following at least two sites that point to July 1, 1985, as the release date for The Damned's sixth studio album, Phantasmagoria. This was the band's first release without original member Captain Sensible, and it also marked a shift from punk to a more gothic rock sound. Of the three singles, only "Grimly Fiendish" charted, peaking at #21 on the UK charts. And it joins "The Eighth Day" and "There'll Come A Day" as my fave tracks on the album.

A Secret Wish – German synthpop band Propaganda released their debut album, A Secret Wish, on July 1, 1985. Do you remember it? Probably not, as that is the way of some propaganda, heh. Anyway, Trevor Horn, David Sylvian, and other 80s music luminaries were involved in the creation of this record which reached the top 25 of multiple countries' charts. Two of the singles – "Duel" and "The Nine Lives of Dr. Mabuse" (often referenced simply as "Dr. Mabuse") – both peaked within the Top 30 of UK's charts. I'm a little surprised that "Duel" didn't do well on MTV in the US. I mean, that chessboard stage set and other visuals should have launched the video into steady rotation! As far as non-singles, I'm partial to "The Murder of Love".

What are you spinning this weekend?

Flashback #1: Phantasmagoria (July 1, 1985, or so)

Flashback #2: A Secret Wish (July 1, 1985)

See you in seven!

Friday, June 27, 2025

Friday 80s Flashback for June 27, 2025

[Misplaced Invading Immigrant Lizard] -- As I previously mentioned, there are a whole bunch of great, or fondly remembered, albums that came out in June 1985. And, as we are close to closing out the month of June, I've decided to offer a double twofer. Yes, I'm featuring a total of four albums on this Friday, and all of them turned 40 years old this month. Each record in this Flashback represents a different genre, so I might be betraying more of my brain's musical DNA with this post. I love all these records and have owned them in vinyl or CD.

Misplaced Childhood – Marillion, a (neo-)prog band operating out of the UK, released Misplaced Childhood as their third studio album on June 17, 1985. It was also their first concept album, kinda based on the lead singer's own childhood. Misplaced Childhood turned out to be Marillion's most commercially successful album, making the band one of the biggest prog-rock acts of the 1980s. "Kayleigh" was their most successful single, peaking at #2 in the UK and #74 on the US Billboard Hot 100 while also charting around the world. While "Lavender" did not chart in the US, it is the track that I most recall from this record (maybe because it's the one I learned for an audition back in college).

Big Lizard in My Backyard – Here is the punk rock entry for this Flashback. And, in case the title of this album, or the band's name, didn't tip you off, this also qualifies as comedy rock. Big Lizard (June 16, 1985) was the Dead Milkmen's debut album. No singles were released, but some tracks have achieved notoriety, or infamy, in their own way. "Bitchin' Camaro" is in this vein, and it is possibly the band's most well known track due to regular airplay on college radio. The actual song is just under a minute long, but the recording includes a nearly two-minute, rambling intro in which two characters are having a conversation about going to the shore, seeing a cover band, and the one character's new car. Philly's own WXPN was apparently an early champion of the Dead Milkmen, and they frequently played a demo version of "Bitchin' Camero."

Immigrant – In the mid 1980s, Gene Loves Jezebel was a post-punk band by way of the UK's goth scene. Their second studio album, Immigrant, didn't chart. I guess you could say it was sort of a holding pattern between their successful debut album (1983) and the top 40 success they would achieve in 1986. Still, they did have two singles here that performed moderately well: "Shame" reached #14 and "Cow" peaked at #8 on the UK Indies chart. "Worth Waiting For" is a standout track if only for the humorous spoken word break that occurs midway through the track. Also, don't snooze on the closer, "Coal Porter," which has a lovely arrangement and sentimental lyrics.

Invasion of Your Privacy – On June 13, 1985, US metal band Ratt released their sophomore album, Invasion of Your Privacy. It continued the commercial success of their debut and peaked at #7 on the Billboard 200, eventually going double platinum. And it's the 8th best metal album of 1985, according to Ultimate Classic Rock. The two singles – "Lay It Down" and "You're in Love" – charted in the Billboard Hot 100, with the former even squeaking into the top 40. A third single, "What You Give Is What You Get", was released to popular effect in Japan.

That's enough words. Let's get to the music. 🎶

Flashback #1: Misplaced Childhood (June 17, 1985)

Flashback #2: Big Lizard in My Backyard (June 16, 1985)

Flashback #3: Immigrant (June 22, 1985)

Flashback #4: Invasion of Your Privacy (June 13, 1985)

See you in seven!

Friday, June 20, 2025

Friday 80s Flashback for June 20, 2025

[Jazz in a Half Shell] -- In early 1984, The Police called it quits. Breaking up a popular rock band at the height of their commercial success, and shortly after a colossal tour, probably didn't seem all that logical. I'm guessing that trading rock'n'roll stardom for a jazzier sound was even less logical. However, forty years ago this week – June 17, 1985 – Police bassist and vocalist, Sting, did just that when he released his debut solo studio album, The Dream of the Blue Turtles. Perhaps those surprised fans did not realize, or recall, that all three members of The Police had jazz backgrounds. In fact, Stewart Copeland has explained that he first saw Sting when the latter was performing with a jazz fusion outfit in Newcastle.

But Sting didn't want to necessarily make a jazz record as his first big solo outing. No, his "intention was to use musicians who had the finesse of playing jazz, but to make music without that label" (UCR, June 2015). And so, he recruited a brilliant set of musicians -- Branford Marsalis (saxophone), Kenny Kirkland (keyboards), Omar Hakim (drums) and Darryl Jones (bass) -- to create an album that was not stifled by what he viewed as the restrictive format of pop or rock. If the multiple singles, handful of Grammy nominations (Album of the Year, Best Male Pop Vocal Performance, Best Jazz Instrumental Performance, and Best Engineered Recording), and being a top 10 album around the world (including peaking at #3 in the UK and #2 on the US Billboard 200) are any indication, Sting succeeded. So, let's revisit this record and celebrated its 40th anniversary.

Track order in the embedded playlist (* indicates a single):

Side one
1. "If You Love Somebody Set Them Free" *
2. "Love Is the Seventh Wave" *
3. "Russians" *
4. "Children's Crusade"
5. "Shadows in the Rain"

Side two
6. "We Work the Black Seam" *
7. "Consider Me Gone"
8. "The Dream of the Blue Turtles"
9. "Moon over Bourbon Street" *
10. "Fortress Around Your Heart" *

Flashback: The Dream of the Blue Turtles (June 1985)

See you in seven!

Tuesday, June 17, 2025

The Meta in Metamorpho

There's a one-two punch of meta goodness in Metamorpho: The Element Man:

Simon Stagg's "Metamorpho file" is the Metamorpho entry (page 14) from Who's Who: The Definitive Directory of the DC Universe Volume XV.
Stagg's dialog makes a jab at the "genius" of using verbal prompts to make something in AI.

It's all on page 7 of Metamorpho: The Element Man #4:

Friday, June 13, 2025

Friday 80s Flashback for June 13, 2025

[Fabled Underground] -- There are a whole bunch of great albums that came out in June 1985. Well, maybe some of them are not so much great as fondly remembered, at least by me. So, as you might expect, I'm pulling another twofer this week, and the next few weeks will likely feature multiple releases as well. And while I did find a record that was released on June 13, 1985, I decided to focus on two releases from earlier in the week. One jazz and the other college rock. And what stellar records they are!

Black Codes – 40 years ago this week (June 9, 1985), Wynton Marsalis released Black Codes (From the Underground). This was Marsalis' fourth studio album as a band leader, and it might be his best recording from this period of his catalog. Black Codes won two Grammy Awards: Best Instrumental Jazz Performance and Individual or Group and Best Jazz Instrumental Performance, Soloist. Wynton Marsalis wrote all but one of the tracks, with many of them influenced by his engagement in injustice and American race relations. And the record is something of a family affair with Wynton's brother, Branford, pulling double duty by contributing both tenor and soprano saxophone. Whatever verb you like to use for classic jazz applies to Wynton's band on this outing: they cook, they swing, and they grab you by your lapels and shake you thoroughly before letting you down somewhat gently. "Black Codes marks the time in young Wynton’s career when he moved from being a Blakey/Hancock prodigy and started to stake out his own ground" (Jazzwise, 100 Albums That Shook the World).

Fables of the Reconstruction – Also 40 years ago this week (June 10, 1985), Athens, GA, darlings R.E.M. dropped their third studio album, Fables of the Reconstruction. Packaging, particularly as far as the LP is concerned, is unclear as to whether the album is actually titled Fables of the Reconstruction or Reconstruction of the Fables. Perhaps, side A is Fables of the Reconstruction and side two, which is labeled "another side," is Reconstruction of the Fables (per the display on each side). Anyway, both contemporary and retrospective reviews of Fables are largely favorable. And while there is an impression that the band members dislike the record, that does not necessarily appear to be the case. There were three singles – "Can't Get There from Here", "Driver 8", and "Wendell Gee" – to varying, but not stunning, chart success. Fables peaked at #28 on the Billboard 200, and #35 on the UK Albums Chart, the band's first time breaking the top 40 in the UK.

Which album will you be spinning on this NO KINGS weekend?

Flashback #1: Black Codes (From the Underground) (June 9, 1985)

Flashback #2: Fables of the Reconstruction (June 10, 1985)

See you in seven!

Friday, June 6, 2025

Friday 80s Flashback for June 6, 2025

[Summer Shop] -- This week's Flashback album is Our Favorite Shop. According to Wikipedia, it was released June 8, 1985. However, there are other sources citing either May 9 or May 13 of 1985 as the release date. Also of note, the US version of this record was released under the title, Internationalists, with a different track listing. Whatever the date, album title, or song order, this album hits the 40 year mark as of this weekend, so it's fair game for my theme.

Our Favorite Shop was the second album by the English sophisti-pop band called The Style Council. This band was a joint project from Mick Talbot (keyboards) and Paul Weller (vocals), the latter of whom had been the lead vocalist, principal songwriter and guitarist of the Jam. Both Talbot and Weller were interested in exploring artier, jazzier directions, and The Style Council was their vehicle for that exploration. Our Favorite Shop was their most commercially successful album with three of its singles peaking in UK's top 40 charts. It also reached the #1 position on UK's album charts, but only squeaked into the US Billboard 200 at #123.

"Walls Come Tumbling Down!", "Come to Milton Keynes", and "The Lodgers" were all top 40 singles in the UK, with "Walls Come Tumbling Down!" actually peaking at #6. None of them charted in the US, but they did have some success in other countries, notably Ireland and New Zealand. One of my favorite songs on this album is "Homebreakers", probably because of memories associated with singing along to it with friends in North Halls at PSU. "All Gone Away", "A Stones Throw Away", and "The Stand Up Comic's Instructions" are also non-single standouts in my opinion.

Flashback: Our Favorite Shop (June 1985)

See you in seven!