Friday 80s Flashback for December 6, 2024

[Pulse] -- I knew nothing of the pioneering jazz drummer, Ronald Shannon Jackson, until his second go-round with Last Exit in 1988. But he had been on the scene from 1966 until his death in 2013, and he amassed 165 credits [Discogs]. I have not backtracked through all of his works. I'm primarily interested in RSJ with Last Exit, the Decoding Society, and his solo work. That latter category is where today's Flashback comes rom. 

Now, I'm not entirely certain when Ronald Shannon Jackson released Pulse, but I do know it was in 1984 and AOTY lists the release date as December 3, 1984. So, Pulse turns 40 years old this week!

AllMusic categorizes Pulse as a Jazz album in the styles of Fusion and Hard Bop. Discogs more broadly lists the album's styles as Free Jazz, Poetry, Free Improvisation, and Spoken Word. Discogs might be the more complete description as Pulse features Ronald Shannon Jackson recitation over drum solos, the kind of solos you might expect from an icon of jazz, funk, and the avant garde. As such, Pulse is a sparse album, specifically in terms of personnel. Ronald Shannon Jackson handled the drums, of course, as well as the aforementioned vocals. Two other performers contributed to two of the ten tracks: Onaje Allen Gumbs played piano on "Lullabye For Mother" and Michael S. Harper provided his voice to "Those Winter Sundays." Beyond that, only the producers – David Breskin and Ron Saint-Germain – are listed in the liner notes. 

This is not an easy listen, particularly if you are not accustomed to jazz drum solos. But it is a rewarding one, at least in my opinion. And if you need a break from all the holiday tunes, this album will certainly cleanse your aural palate. 

Flashback: Pulse (December 3, 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!

Super Finale

Tyler Hoechlin (L) as Superman and Elizabeth Tulloch (R) as Lois Lane;
they are standing in profile in front of a rubble-strewn street.
[From Superman & Lois]

Well, that happened. And by "that" I mean the series finale of Superman & Lois (2021-2024). By now, there have been numerous posts and reviews, many of which addressing this series' position as the final comic book inspired show on CW, musing on the quality of the show, sharing glimpses of the work behind the scenes, and probably spoiling key moments for folks who have not yet viewed the episode. 

I'm not doing any of that. 

Well, I'm probably offering a bit of a spoiler here. So, if you are among those who have not viewed the episode which aired two nights ago, stop reading. And definitely do not scroll down to the second image in this post. Go watch the show and then come back here.

Ready?

I love that the reveal of the Super Family – Superman flying with his costumed sons as well as Steel and his daughter (Starlight) – shows the creative team paid attention to the source material... the comics. First, Jordan and John are differentiated by one's emphasis on red and the other on blue. This echoes not only an imaginary tale from Superman in which Supes was split into Red and Blue counterparts (Superman Vol. 1 #162), but also when DC comics brought the split into modern canon by creating the electrified Superman Red and Superman Blue (circa 1998 in Superman Red/Superman Blue #1 and Superman Vol. 2 #132).

Now, Jordan and Jonathan are Superboys. But if you look closely, Jordan's outfit looks very much like the New 52 Superboy while Jonathan's looks very much like the 1990s Superboy who launched during the Reign of the Supermen storyline and got his own series. However, Jonathan wisely does not use the leather jacket or sunglasses (though the alt-universe Jonathan did sport the jacket). The other difference between comics and this TV series was that both of the comic book Superboys were clones, while Jordan and Jonathan in the series are the actual sons of Clark and Lois. 

So, here is an image capture of that in-flight scene from the finale along with a few comic covers to show what I think were some inspirations for the show's creative team:

Super Family in flight and the covers of four comic books that might have influenced the scene. 

Anyway, I loved the TV series and I'm sad it had to end to make room for the upcoming cinematic rebirth of Superman. 

Friday 80s Flashback for November 29, 2024

[The Way Zoolook Tonight] -- Forty years ago this month, French electronic musician Jean-Michel Jarre released his seventh studio album, Zoolook. Depending on the source, this record was released at some point between November 1 and November 16, though several sources do not even cite a specific day. Specific date aside, we are celebrating the 40th anniversary of its release. 

I did not know about this album in 1984. I didn't even know of Jean-Michel Jarre until the fall of 1986, two years after Zoolook's release. But the resident assistant for our floor in the dormitory was a huge Jarre fan, and he was happy to share his record collection with anyone who might likewise become a fan. 

And I did. 

Zoolook was one of the two albums that facilitated my introduction to Jarre's catalog. Of course, if I recall correctly, I often referred to this record as "Zoolookologie." You see, this album's two singles were "Zoolook" and "Zoolookologie." And I knew the album was named after a single; I just seemed to frequently mistake one for the other, namewise at least. Anyway, the focus of this record was creating music from "samples of singing and speech in 25 different languages," which Jarre recorded and edited in a digital sampling synthesizer. He used those sounds as notes and chords, along with some slick drum programming, in phonetic symphonies. 

That might make this the most vocal album ever recorded without a lead vocalist. 

Zoolook was not as popular, or successful, as Jarre's previous releases. It peaked at #47 in the UK album charts, and it reached the top 30 in several other European countries. It did not chart in the US. Both of the singles, "Zoolook" and "Zoolookologie," received the music video treatment. I still really like the video for "Zoolook," though it also kind of looks like someone doing a global product tour, showcasing a dozen toy robots. Actually, it looks more like what someone who has never done a product or toy tour imagining what one looks like. 

Flashback: Zoolook (November, 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 November 22, 2024

[Building the Perfect Night] -- I'm coming at you this week with another two-fer post. These two albums released 40 years ago this week, and each one is from a different genre: Pop and Fusion. 

Building The Perfect Beast – Released on November 19, 1984, this was the second solo album from Don Henley, co-lead vocalist of The Eagles. Judging from reviews, this is the album that marked Henley coming into his own as a recording artist. He tackles deeply personal reflections as well as issues in the public sphere in his lyrics. And he did it all while wrapping those lyrics in some catchy hooks and layered synths. The album had four hit singles – "The Boys of Summer," "All She Wants to Do Is Dance," "Not Enough Love in the World," and "Sunset Grill" – all of which were top 40 hits. Both "The Boys of Summer" and "All She Wants to Do Is Dance" were top ten hits, and they get most of the attention. But, for my money, "Not Enough Love in the World" is the best song on this album. I know it's about a personal relationship that's in a bad state, but I cannot help but feel it has a larger application. Note: I was unable to find a YouTube playlist that had all 11 tracks from this album, but the one I did find has seven of the eleven tracks, and it includes all four singles. 

Night – Thanks to my late father, I have a healthy appreciation for jazz, including a soft spot in my heart for 1980s-era fusion. And guitarist John Abercrombie's 1984 effort scratches my itch for guitar + synth 80s fusion. Released on November 20, 1984, Night was (as best as I can tell) Abercrombie's 11th album as a leader or co-leader. Most of his albums are billed as being by him and several other artists, or him with several other artists. And Night is no exception. This one is attributed to John Abercrombie with with Michael Brecker (saxophone), Jan Hammer (keyboards), and Jack DeJohnette (drums). There was no bassist, but Hammer handled the low end with his keyboards, layering sounds and channeling organ work. This disc has some fantastic guitar work from Abercrombie, and DeJohnette delivers the rhythmic goods as usual. And I cannot even begin to describ Brecker's tenor contributions. But AllMusic reviewer Daniel Gioffre probably has the best description of Night I have ever read, and I meld with it: "This record is the kind of album that one would like to hear while enjoying a late-night cigarette on the roof of a Manhattan apartment. Moody, atmospheric, and beautiful." 

YouTube playlists for both albums are embedded below. Did you like either of these records back in 1984?

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Flashback #1: Building the Perfect Beast (November 19, 1984)

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Flashback #2: Night (November 20, 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 November 15, 2024

[Treasure Invasion] -- You probably couldn't find two more different albums to kick off a Flashback weekend. But here I am with two stellar records that were both released 40 years ago this week! And similar to the offerings from two weeks ago, one is higher energy than the other. 

Planetary Invasion – Released on November 11, 1984, this was R&B group Midnight Star's fifth studio album. This album did well on the R&B albums chart, peaking at #7. That success was likely driven by their single, "Operator," which not only topped the US Hot Black Singles chart, but also peaked at #18 on the US Billboard Hot 100. That marked the song as Midnight Starr's first, and thus far only, top-20 pop chart hit.  

Treasure – Scottish band Cocteau Twins released their third studio album on November 12, 1984. Treasure did not get a US release, and therefore did not chart in the states, but it did garner critical acclaim on both sides of the Atlantic, so it did come to the attention of the US record-buying public. Steve Sutherland, writing in Melody Maker, said the album "sounds like nothing you’ve ever heard and everything you’ve ever wished for," and that the band were "the voice of God."

YouTube playlists for both albums are embedded below. Let us know your fave tracks! 

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Flashback #1: Planetary Invasion.

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Flashback #2: Treasure.

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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 November 8, 2024

[Audible Life Form] -- Two years before a certain alien life form landed in a suburban garage, Alison Moyet released her solo debut album, Alf (November 5, 1984). This was the first album she released after ending her two-album partnership with Vince Clarke (they were called either Yaz or Yazoo depending on which side of the Atlantic one was on). Released 40 years ago this week, Alf peaked at #1 on the UK Albums chart and #45 on the US Billboard 200. It also enjoyed top 20 success in several other countries. This album featured four singles: "Love Resurrection", "All Cried Out", "Invisible" and "For You Only"(though that last one might have been released only in Germany).

"Love Resurrection" was the first single, and it was a top 10 hit in the UK. It also peaked at #82 on the US Billboard Hot 100 in August of that year. Of the other singles, only "Invisible" charted in the US, peaking at #31 on the US Billboard Hot 100. There are two versions of the music video for "Love Resurrection": the UK version shows Moyet singing in some desert encampment; the US version has her performing in a club of some sort. According to Wikipedia, the US version was made to show "a softer side to Moyet following the breakup of Yazoo." I have no idea if that is true, and there is no longer a source link to confirm the story. But if there is one thing I know about this song for absolute certain (at least according to me): When Moyet sang "We all need a love resurrection," it's possible that she sang the greatest truth of her entire career in less than four minutes. 

Flashback: Alf (November 5, 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 November 1, 2024

[Pleasure Felt] -- I know we have just entered November, but I want to highlight two more releases from October 1984. One is for all of you who need something a bit gentle today, and the other is for everyone else who wants to be a bit raucous. 

The Strange Idols Pattern and Other Short Stories – Released on October 26, 1984, this was the third album from the UK based band, Felt. It is a wonderful example of jangle pop, and I wish the lone single, "Sunlight Bathed the Golden Glow," got more attention. It kind of fell into a void when released in the summer of 1984, and didn't chart at all. This album also has three short, but in my opinion lovely, instrumentals: "Sempiternal Darkness," "Imprint," and "Crucifix Heaven." If you need a gentle and sort of uplifting listen this weekend, give The Strange Idols Pattern and Other Short Stories a spin. 

Welcome to the Pleasuredome – Released on October 29, 1984, Pleasuredome was Frankie Goes to Hollywood's debut album. The English synth-poppers originally issued Pleasuredome as a vinyl double album with some ... controversial ... sleeve art, which you can peruse over here. The record was commercially, but not always critically, successful. The band hit big with two singles – "Relax" and "Two Tribes" – but reviews were mixed at best. Still, it's one of the more fun releases from the 1980s, and "Two Tribes" has, perhaps, even more relevance today.  

YouTube playlists for both albums are embedded below. Let us know your fave tracks! 

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Flashback #1: The Strange Idols Pattern and Other Short Stories (October 26, 1984)

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Flashback #2: Welcome to the Pleasuredome (October 29, 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!