Bookended by Cats: August 2021

Friday, August 27, 2021

Friday 80s Flashback for August 27, 2021

[Sorry Ma!] -- This week, we celebrate the 40th anniversary of The Replacements' beautifully messy 1981 debut, Sorry Ma, Forgot to Take Out the Trash. If you are not familiar with The Replacements, here's the intro for a previous flashback that served as a brief retrospective of their 12+ year career (over on Prophet or Madman):

The Replacements formed in Minneapolis in the late 70s. According to drummer Chris Mars, the band's name reflected their sense of a secondary status: "Like maybe the main act doesn't show, and instead the crowd has to settle for an earful of us dirtbags" [Azerrad, Michael. Our Band Could Be Your Life. 2001. p. 199]. They were never commercially successful, but they did receive critical accolades and have been cited as a major influence for many bands.

The Replacements (or, simply, The 'Mats to their fans) are probably my favorite of what I call the "sloppy" American rock & roll bands. Their sound was informed by a combination of the arena blues-rock of their collective youth and the post-punk that was in vogue when they took up their own instruments. Now, they never achieved a high level of proficiency as musicians during their time together, but they did evolve from garden variety garage band to a genuinely tight if oft-times shabby outfit. Their songs touched upon the pains of growing up, hating your job, and relationship issues, and they did so in their own loud but tuneful manner.

And they released their debut 40 years ago this week. With only one track exceeding three minutes, they were able to pack a total of 18 tracks onto this record. The lone single was "I'm In Trouble," released on August 7, 1981. An outtake track, "If Only You Were Lonely," was the B-Side; it was included as one of the 13 bonus tracks on the 2008 reissue. "I Hate Music" is the only song on this record to receive the music video treatment, and then only recently as something of an advert for RHINO's 40th anniversary deluxe edition of Sorry Ma, Forgot to Take Out the Trash. The new video, even as part of an obvious (obnoxious?) cash grab, does nothing to diminish my love for "I Hate Music." My other fave tracks include "Shiftless When Idle," "Shutup," "Something to Dü," "I Bought a Headache," and "Careless." Feel free to mention your faves in the comments ... after you reacquaint yourself with this hardcore classic. This post's embedded YouTube playlist has all the tracks included on the 1981 release.

Flashback: Sorry Ma, Forgot to Take Out the Trash (1981)

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, August 20, 2021

Friday 80s Flashback for August 20, 2021

[Pretenders, Too] -- Back around the middle of July, I was looking for records released in the summer of 1981. I thought I had a great one for that week, but just as I was applying the basic details here, I noticed the record had been released in August, not July. So, I put it on the back-burner and waited a month. And now it's finally time to publish this post!

40 years ago this month, this very week in fact, The Pretenders released their sophomore effort, Pretenders II. Unlike most sophomore records, this album featured only a few previously unreleased tracks. That was due to a lack of new materialTwo of the songs had been released as singles in the UK, and/or placed on a US released EP -- appropriately titled Extended Play (March 1981). Those same songs were the first singles released off Pretenders II: "Message of Love" and "Talk of the Town." Singles from this album also included "I Go to Sleep," a song by Ray Davies of The Kinks (but not recorded by the Kinks). Pretenders II received a lukewarm reaction upon release, as it was not considered as groundbreaking as their 1979 debut, but appreciation for the album has grown over time. Perhaps this weekend is a good time to revisit it and update your own notions.

UPDATE 8/21/2021: I noticed the previous playlist video was missing two of the tracks from Pretenders II, so I made my own playlist based on available videos. Now you should be able to hear all 12 songs on this album!

Flashback: Pretenders II (1981)

I'll see you in seven!

Friday, August 13, 2021

Friday 80s Flashback for August 13, 2021

[On the Level] -- I know today is Friday the 13th. But it's your lucky day because: (1) No stabbing here, and (2) I'm bringing you some tunes from a possibly overlooked gem of the 1980s.

You probably remember Level 42 from their 1985 hit, "Something About You." And plenty of people probably thought Level 42 was a brand new band when that song hit the airwaves and MTV. However, Level 42 formed in 1979 and they released their eponymous debut album in August 1981 -- 40 years ago this month! While this record enjoyed some success in their native UK, it didn't garner much attention on this side of the Atlantic. Well, their third single, "Starchild," did hit #60 on the Club Play Singles chart, so they had that going for them. My guess is that, for many of you 80sphiles out there, this week's Flashback is a bit of audio-archeology, digging into the jazz-pop-funk roots that would fuel the band's later success in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

At least, I hope you enjoy this look into Level 42's earlier work.

Flashback: Level 42 (1981)

I'll see you in seven!

Friday, August 6, 2021

Friday 80s Flashback for 8/6/2021

[A Precious 40 Years] -- In July of 1981, Pat Benatar released her third studio album, Precious Time. That means we're celebrating that record's 40th anniversary! As I've written before, I love Pat Benatar. In my opinion, she is one of the all-time great rock and roll singers. No one will ever budge my position on that. But this third outing for her didn't get the same love as her prior releases. Sales dipped a bit, though the album was certified Double Platinum in the US. It even peaked at #1 on the US Billboard 200, her only record to do so. I don't specifically know why Precious Time underperformed, but 1981 was a pretty crowded field for music. Even so, I think Precious Time's singles are at least as strong as any she's released in her career. I mean, "Fire and Ice" and "Promises in the Dark" are absolute scorchers, and they were both top 40 hits on the US Billboard Hot 100 (and top 20 on the US Mainstream Rock chart). And her cover of the Beatles' "Helter Skelter" probably should have garnered more attention, too. Anyway, Benatar's voice is in fine form and her band, fueled by her husband Neil Giraldo's blistering guitar work, cooks along nicely. If you haven't listened to this album in a while, or ever, this weekend is a great time to give it a spin (or a click).

Flashback: Precious Time – Pat Benatar (1981)

"And so you put up your guard | And you try to be hard | But your heart says try again."

Track list:

Side one
1. "Promises in the Dark"
2. "Fire and Ice"
3. "Just Like Me" (Paul Revere & the Raiders cover)
4. "Precious Time"

Side two
5. "It's a Tuff Life"
6. "Take It Anyway You Want It"
7. "Evil Genius"
8. "Hard to Believe"
9. "Helter Skelter" (The Beatles cover)

I'll see you in seven!