Friday 80s Flashback for April 26, 2024

 

[38 Years Ago This Week and Five Years Ago Today] -- I'm graduating from graduate school this weekend. Yup, 56-year-old me is getting a Masters degree. Five years ago, in April 2019, I was accepted into the Interreligious Chaplaincy program at United Theological Seminary of the Twin Cities. Five years ago today, April 26, 2019, was a Friday, just like April 26, 2024. So, to save time while I'm packing and preparing for graduation weekend, I'm repurposing that prior 80s Flashback post, which looked at songs and events from April 26, 1986. On or around that day, Marshall Holman won the Firestone World Bowling Tournament of Champions, France performed a nuclear test, the Chernobyl nuclear power station in USSR exploded, and these five songs topped the Billboard Hot 100. 

Time for a flashback countdown, from #5 to #1!

Flashback #5: "So tell me why can't this be love?"

"Why Can't This Be Love" was the first single off Van Halen's seventh studio album, 5150 (1986). It was also the first single with the band's new lead singer, Sammy Hagar, and it would peak at #3 on the Billboard Hot 100. It also helped drive 5150 to a #1 position on the US Billboard 200, Van Halen's first album to reach that position. But as of today, April 26, "Why Can't This Be Love" was sitting at the #5 slot.

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Flashback #4: "These are the days | When you wish your bed was already made."

The Bangles released "Manic Monday" as the first single off their second studio album, Different Light (1986). It hit the charts on January 27, 1986, and climbed to its peak position of #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 on April 19, 1986. It kept the #2 slot for April 26, 1986, before beginning its drop. 

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Flashback #3: "If when why what how much have you got."

British synth duo Pet Shop Boys originally released a version of "West End Girls" in April of 1984. But their first single with major label BMI, "Opportunities (Let's Make Lots of Money)" in 1985, didn't get much attention. So the duo decided to re-record "West End Girls" and release it as a new single. The new version hit charts in October 1985, and it climbed to its peak position of #3 on April 26, 1986. 

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Flashback #2: "You know you're gonna have to face it, you're addicted to love."

The week of April 26, 1986, what would become Robert Palmer's signature song hit its peak position as #2 on the Billboard Hot 100. "Addicted to Love" was Palmer's second single off his eighth solo studio album, Riptide (1985). While not exactly critically acclaimed back in the day, Riptide is now considered a perfect packaging of 80s commercial sensibilities with Palmer's persuasive R&B stylings. And "Addicted to Love" with its distinctive music video was part of the driving force behind the record buying public's love of that packaging.

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Flashback #1: "I just want your extra time and your ... Kiss."

We lost him three years ago this week, but Prince's music lives on. "Kiss" was the lead single from Prince and The Revolution's eighth studio album, Parade (1986). "Kiss" hit the charts in February 1986, and climbed to the top position on 4/19/1986 where it remained for this week in 1986. All told, "Kiss" was on the Billboard Hot 100 for a total of 10 weeks. More than enough time for it to have a lasting impression in pop music history. Age of Chance and The Art of Noise have covered it (the latter with Tom Jones).  And "Kiss" appears on both Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time and NME's 150 Greatest Singles of All Time.

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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 April 19, 2024

[Reckoned 40 Years Ago] -- Forty years ago this month, R.E.M. released their second studio album, Reckoning, on I.R.S. Records. In the UK, the record came out on April 9, 1984; the US release date was the following week, on April 17. Now, even though I did not discover R.E.M. until the first semester of my freshman year at Penn State, at which time I devoured their first four studio albums. The band was a huge part of my college experience as well as my first several post-college years. So, yes, as I've previously confessed, I'm probably one of the reasons R.E.M. is considered a vanguard of "college radio."

Only two singles were released: "So. Central Rain (I'm Sorry)" and "(Don't Go Back To) Rockville." I guess parentheses can be counted among the band's favored punctuation marks, along with periods and ellipses. "So. Central Rain" peaked at #85 on the US Billboard Hot 100, but "(Don't Go Back To) Rockville" failed to chart in either the US or the UK. The album reached #1 on several college charts wile peaking at #27 and #91 on the US Billboard 200 and the UK Album Charts respectively. 

I love both singles, and "So. Central Rain (I'm Sorry)" was part of R.E.M.'s US television debut a year earlier, but they are only two out of the album's ten tracks. So, let's highlight a few of the other tracks. First up, and coming right after "So. Central Rain" on side one of LP, is "Pretty Persuasion." This one has a nice jangle and drive to it, both of which are carried by harmonized vocals. Next is the album's intro track, "Harborcoat," which probably doesn't make too many other fave lists. For me, it is similar to "Pretty Persuasion" in that it has a good driving beat with some cooking guitar by Peter Buck, but "Harborcoat" veers away because it is, lyrically, inscrutable to me (while I believe I do understand "Pretty Persuasion"). I just go along for the ride. Finally, I have to single out one of the album's more introspective songs, "Time After Time (Annelise)." This one captures me because of the haunting, droning guitar and the equally haunting, or is that hypnotic, supporting vocals. 

What are your favorite tracks or memories from this album?

Flashback: Reckoning (April 9, 1984)

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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.

I'll see you in seven!

Friday 80s Flashback for April 12, 2024

[Grace Under Pressure] -- Forty years ago today, Rush released their 10th studio album, Grace Under Pressure. Like many bands who came to popularity in the 1970s, Rush began augmenting their three-piece sound with synths in the early 1980s. Unlike they synths that adorn some recordings in the early half of the decade, their presence on Grace Under Pressure doesn't feel forced or overly gimmicky. 

Fans liked it, too. I mean, sure, there were complaints. But the album reached reached #4 in Rush's native Canada, #5 in the UK, and #10 on the U.S. Billboard 200. And it earned a spot on Guitar World magazine's list of "50 Iconic Albums That Defined 1984." The singles – "Distant Early Warning," "The Body Electric," and "Red Sector A" – all reached the top 40 in the US, with "Distant Early Warning" actually reaching the #3 position. "Afterimage" was one of my favorite tracks, and it was released as a single in Japan (though I seem to recall it did get some radio play in the US as well). My next favorite track has to be "The Enemy Within," which is the first part of the band's "Fear Series" of songs (the other parts appeared on later albums).

Considering four decades have passed since this record was first released, many of its themes still feel rather contemporary. Musically, that's fine. But more than a few songs here were informed by cold war paranoia, so that's not exactly a positive statement on the world, is it?

Flashback: Grace Under Pressure (April 12, 1984)

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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.

I'll see you in seven!

Friday 80s Flashback for April 5, 2024

[Still Lamenting] -- A bunch of albums were released early in April 1984, so why did I choose Lament, the seventh studio album from Ultravox, for this week's Flashback post? Well, in addition to me finding many of this album's tracks still relevant today, there's also the sad fact that Ultravox bassist Chris Cross recently died at the age of 71. Cross, who co-wrote the hit "Vienna," passed away on March 25, but the announcement didn't come out until earlier this week. So, this post serves as both a Flashback and a tribute. 

Lament was released 40 years ago this week, on April 6, 1984. The album peaked at #8 in the UK, #25 in Germany, and #115 in the US. This album's peak positions in other countries generally ranges between that of the UK and the US. The three singles – "One Small Day" (which they performed at the 1985 Live Aid concert), "Dancing with Tears in My Eyes," and the title track "Lament" – were all relative hits in the UK, but failed to chart in the US. I tend to think the US missed out. 

"Dancing with Tears in My Eyes" feels rather similar to the band's 1982 single, "We Came to Dance." And both songs echo something of a sorrowful attitude within the energy of dancing. But, this week, the lyrics hit a bit differently considering all those lost to violence or even indifference: "Dancing with tears in my eyes | Weeping for the memory of a life gone by." 

"Lament" is perhaps the most sobering track on this album. Midge Ure hauntingly sings: 

And just as my eyes start seeing

After all the pain

The twist in my life starts healing

Just to twist again

In stillness, in sorrow

Returns that softly sighing lament

"One Small Day" is still a favorite of mine. It is much more guitar-driven that any song Ultravox had released up to that point. If Ultravox had recorded this with their standard synth treatment, I doubt it would have quite the same punch. Even today, four decades after its original release, this song can revive me from my doldrums. Its message: All you need is that one day, one day where you can "feel the strength of love at hand," and you can "live a life the way it's meant to be." And, sometimes, that day may be closer than you think. 

Flashback: Lament (April 6, 1984)

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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.

I'll see you in seven! 

Green Lantern: War Journal

Wow. The latest John Stewart GL series, Green Lantern: War Journal, just continues to impress. It has horror, cosmic threats, political intrigue, and heartbreaking family illness. Phillip Kennedy Johnson (script) is really dialed into John Stewart as a character, while Montos (pencils), Adriano Lucas (colors), and Dave Sharpe (lettering) are delivering epic visuals. 

The first arc just ended, but the storyline carries over into the start of a new arc with issue #7. Jump in!

Image: part of a splash page from Green Lantern: War Journal #7. This shows John Stewart in seriously uncharted cosmic territory. 

Friday 80s Flashback for March 29, 2024

[(The) Icicle Works] -- Turning 40 years old last weekend, it's the eponymous debut album by UK new wave band, The Icicle Works. It was released on March 23, 1984, and it charted at #24 and #40 on the UK and US album charts respectively. The UK, US, and Canadian releases each had different artwork and track listings. Here are the covers for the UK, US, and Canada (note that the US release nixes the definite article, titling the album simply Icicle Works):

The best known single from this album is probably "Birds Fly (Whisper to a Scream)," which had the reversed title, "Whisper to a Scream (Birds Fly)," in several markets, including the US. Also in the US, this song was the album's lead-off track rather than the penultimate track of the album's B-side. Despite being well-known, and it did reach #2 on the UK independent charts, it peaked at a lowly #89 on the UK singles chart, while a reworked version barely made it inside the top 40 of the US Billboard Hot 100. "Love Is A Wonderful Colour" is actually The Icicle Works' biggest hit to date, peaking at #15 on the UK Singles Chart in late 1983 (a pre-release for the album). 

A sampling of the lyrics on this Good Friday:

Love is a beacon, on the horizon,

Watch when you touch down,

Reality finds you fumbling for reasons,

when the chance comes 'round

The Icicle Works never really flirted with US charts again after this album, but the UK embraced the rest of their 1980s records. The band broke up in 1991, but reunited in 2006 and still performs together, though they have not released any new material since 1990. 

Flashback: The Icicle Works (March 23, 1984)

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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.

I'll see you in seven!

Friday 80s Flashback for March 22, 2024

[Good Talk] -- The Go-Go's were the first all-female band to top the Billboard album charts by writing their own songs and playing their own instruments. Yes, folks, there were several "girl groups" with writing and playing chops before The Go-Gos, but none of them cranked out hits quite like these ladies. And 40 years ago this week, they released their third studio album, Talk Show (1984), which peaked at #18 on the Billboard 200 albums chart. Although the album was critically well-received, it was a commercial disappointment. Maybe it was the slight change in style, or it could have been the clutter of half-realized songs (as AllMusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine claims). Whatever caused its lack of sales, Talk Show still has its gems.

Well, "Head Over Heels," the first single from this studio album, definitely qualifies as a pop gem. This track peaked at #11 on the US Billboard Hot 100, the best showing of the three singles. But it wasn't enough to help this album keep pace with their prior two efforts, even with its boost from MTV where the music video peaked at #3. I have a special fondness for this music video because I love the 60s aesthetic they're pulling with the band performing on that multi-color set. (And, aside from the instruments, no audio equipment is shown! No amps, cords, mics, etc.)

The second single, "Turn to You," had a solid hook. And the band performed it on that bastion of 80s popular music, the Solid Gold TV show. However, the song barely cracked the top 40, peaking at a mere #32 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. But don't let that lackluster charting performance fool you: This is a great song! (Also, I'm all but certain that I saw that episode of Solid Gold; did you?)

There was a third single, and it was titled "Yes or No." But I don't recall ever hearing it let alone thinking much of it. So, if I had to select a third gem from Talk Show, I would go with "I'm the Only One." It's the lead off track for Side B of the album, and it honestly should have been a single! In my opinion, it's at least on par with "Head Over Heels." It's a fully realized song with hook, attitude, and tremendous energy. You can check out a direct recording (which is also in the embedded playlist below), or view this live footage from Greek Theatre (August, 1984), but I'm kind of obsessed with this rehearsal footage from a 1984 cable TV special.

Sadly, Talk Show marked the last time the original Go-Go's lineup would record an album together ... until 2001. 

So, cue up the embedded playlist below, and let me know your fave tracks!

Flashback: Talk Show (March 19, 1984)

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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.

I'll see you in seven!