Bookended by Cats was named after Milo and Otis. They are the short, orange, and furry brothers who, upon entering our lives in 2003, often bookended us on our couch. And who are we? We're a geek couple living in PA. We love music, movies, TV, comics, books, and comic cons. And, from time to time, we'll share our thoughts on these nerdy things.
[RIP Matthew Seligman] -- Today, New Wave lost a seminal behind-the-scenes musician: Matthew Seligman. He had played bass with the Soft Boys, Thomas Dolby, David Bowie, and Thompson Twins. Seligman's declining health was chronicled by Dolby on Facebook, a decline initiated by a catastrophic hemorrhagic stroke according to ultimateclassicrock.com. Seligman played on only the second Thompson Twins record, 1982's Set, but he did perform with them a bit. So, let's revisit that album in his memory after the jump. (For a much longer playlist covering the breadth of Selman's career, visit this Spotify playlist).
[Opening Hymn] -- I missed posting a Friday 80s Flashback this weekend, but I thought I'd drop a treat in your audio basket on this Easter Sunday.
"Let My Love Open the Door" -- from Who guitarist Pete Townshend's first truly solo album, Empty Glass (1980) -- is not a hymn, but I submit that it is an Easter song.
First, there is the origin of the album title:
"And when I did my first solo album, I called it 'Empty Glass', 'cause of this idea that when you go to the tavern -- which is to God, you know -- and you ask for His love -- He's the bartender, you know -- and He gives you a drink, and what you have to give Him is an empty glass. You know there's no point giving Him your heart if it's full already; there's no point going to God if your heart's full of Doris." [source: Wikipedia]
Next, the love referenced in the single, "Let My Love Open the Door," is very likely God's love (or a god's love). I find confirmation of this notion in the liner notes of Townshend's Gold (Remaster) CD where he refers to this song as "Jesus sings."
So, here is the music video for the very Easter-y song, "Let My Love Open the Door."
Flashback: "There's only one thing gonna set you free, and that's my love."
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.
[Just on My Mind -- Redux] -- This is a re-post of my Friday 80s Flashback from April 5, 2013.
I don't really have a theme for this week. But a few songs have been playing in my head. Some are in reference to current events. Others are triggered by things that have happened over the past few weeks. Still others have weaseled themselves into my real life and online conversations just because they could. I've picked three of these songs to share with you this week. For a small sampling of tunes that have accompanied me this week, just read and hear more after the break.
