Friday 80s Flashback for January 11, 2019

[A Logical Animal] -- AllMusic.com refers to Animal Logic as an "experimental pop unit." That's as good a description as any for the trio that came together in 1987 and released their first eponymous album in 1989. Initiated as a potential collaboration between ex-Police drummer Stewart Copeland and jazz fusion bassist Stanley Clarke, there was no actual band until the duo found singer/songwriter Deborah Holland. Animal Logic is the kind of band that was only possible in the 80s, or at least more possible. And this band should have thrived exploring that space that permeates between jazz and rock all while making heady music videos. But instead they're just one more band that didn't live up to their promise. Perhaps Animal Logic's output was a little too artsy, or maybe they came along too late in the decade. Whatever it was, they have been consigned to the great dustheap of forgotten CDs. As you might expect after that intro, the band's debut didn't exactly light the charts ablaze. So I'm just picking three songs I like from the album, and you can read and hear move about my selections after the jump.  

Friday 80s Flashback for January 4, 2019

[New Year, New Possibilities] -- Yes, I realize we are now several days past New Year's Day. But 2019 still has some of that new year smell, right. Right? Of course, I'm right! Now, there really is no (formal) canon of great New Year's songs. However, I subscribe to the notion that New Year's songs, unlike songs about Easter or Christmas, are not about a particular event but are, instead, about an attitude. They are about letting go of errors and reaching out for renewal. They are about boldly striving forth and taking advantage of the proverbial potential that a fresh new year offers. And so, with that in mind, and with the hope that I can help a few people find motivation for their goals, I offer up three 80s songs to power you into 2019. To find out what these motivational selections are, you just have to read and hear more after the break.

Oh Nerdy Christmas Tree

We decided to open our Batman and Friends ornament container this year and decorate our tree in all the nerdy goodness we have. What nerdy goodness do you have that you like to use to decorate?

Here are some highlights:

Friday 80s Flashback for December 28, 2018

[Closing Out 1988] -- It's time for another Flashback, but what to do in this space between the aftermath of holidays and the beginning of a new year? Well, as this topic is about looking back, I figure we could look back to the end of another year, perhaps 30 years ago. Here are a few things that occurred this week in 1988:

• Bulgaria stopped jamming Radio Free Europe after more than 3 decades
• USSR performed nuclear tests at Eastern Kazakh/Semipalitinsk USSR
• John Tarrant, the first Australian born Zen teacher, received Dharma Transmission

And if you would like to know what was topping the Billboard Hot 100 the week of December 25 - 31, 1988, you can read and hear more after the break. (Note: None of the bands pictured on the SMASH HITS magazine cover above appear in this week's Flashback.) 

Friday 80s Flashback for 12/21/2018

[Scrooged] -- There was a time when the phrase, "Bill Murray is starring in a comedic take on Charles Dickens' immortal classic, A Christmas Carol," might have prompted disbelief. Hel, it might even have given some folks cause for concern. But Scrooged (1988) wasn't a complete train wreck. It wasn't exactly a runaway hit, either. Even though I do count myself among the fans of Scrooged, I'm a little surprised to be typing my next sentence: Scrooged became 30 years old as of November this year! Was it ahead of its time? Has it aged well? These are questions I'll leave to others. I'm more interested in the soundtrack. Of course, Danny Elfman composed and recorded the film's score. But I'm talking about the pop radio soundtrack, tunes that tried to enter our annual vernacular of Holiday music. Now, not every track on the Scrooged Original Soundtrack (1989) was Christmassy. But if you want to revisit the few that were, well, read and hear more after the break.

Man-Eaters #3

Man-Eaters issue #3. Characters are tracking a big, dangerous feline. Like a panther or some such. So, when one of the characters takes out her radio and says, "Bring in the dogs," I wasn't expecting ... this.

Friday 80s Flashback for December 7, 2018

[Madness] -- I don't know about you, but I find myself using "mad" or "madness" as a descriptor often these days. And I don't mean a pleasant kind of off-kilter oddness as exemplified by the Mad Hatter in Alice in Wonderland. No, I mean, "Aaaaaah! The world is off its godsdamned rocker and we're spiraling downward to oblivion!" In times like this (have we ever been in times like this before?), I like to turn to some of the odder tunes from my staple of 80s artists. Well, odd but yet upbeat. So, this week we'll feature three songs from across Madness' career. I've chosen two you might not have heard (or at least not remember hearing), and one song that I'm fairly sure you will recall. I have not, however, included what is likely their best known song. Post your guess as to what that song might be in the comments, which you can access with this week's playlist ... after the jump.