Friday 80s Flashback for December 31, 2021

[New Year, Old Songs] -- And so we have arrived at the final Friday of 2021. This weekend we'll launch into 2022 (and hope it's not "2020, too," right?). As I have spent many of my 2021 posts celebrating the 40th anniversary of songs and albums from 1981, why not go into 2022 by revisiting what topped the charts the week of January 2, 1982. As 1981 turned to 1982, New Year's Eve fell to Thursday, 12/31/1981, and the first two days of 1982 were a Friday and Saturday. Therefore, the Billboard Hot 100 for that week's most popular songs fell on Saturday, 1/2/1982. And the song topping the chart that week was merely in the middle of its 10-week run in the #1 spot! But what other songs were getting the most airplay as 1981 faded into memory? Well, in the spirit of counting down to a new year and all that, I've made a YouTube playlist with the top ten tracks of 1/2/1982 in reverse order:

10. “Trouble” – Lindsey Buckingham

9. “Don't Stop Believin'” – Journey

8. “Leather And Lace” – Stevie Nicks With Don Henley

7. “Why Do Fools Fall In Love” – Diana Ross

6. “Harden My Heart” – Quarterflash

5. “Young Turks” – Rod Stewart

4. “I Can't Go For That (No Can Do)” – Daryl Hall John Oates

3. “Let's Groove” – Earth, Wind & Fire

2 . “Waiting For A Girl Like You” – Foreigner

1 . “Physical” – Olivia Newton-John

Flashback: New Year 1982 Playlist for New Year 2022! 

---

If you want to see more of the Billboard Hot 100 from 40 years ago this week, here is the full list. 

Otherwise, 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!

Hawkeye - Disney Plus

 Dangrdafne review:

Loved it!

A little "stupid" at times bro but oh my did I laugh, cry and enjoy. This is a really good show overall! A great installment in the MCU and I love how it looks back, sideways and forward. It filled in a lot of information for me.

Hailee Steinfeld and Jeremy Renner play off each other so well. Their timing and chemistry are excellent and I love their history and how they come together for the story. The one trailer I saw showed some of the chemistry and comedy and the show was even more that I could have hoped for between them. Vera Farmiga deserves mention too, she is excellent as Eleanor Bishop, Kate's Mom, she is an unknown in the story and she plays it perfectly.

Could you enjoy this show without having seen the rest of the Marvel installments? Maybe? The interaction between Kate and Clint is hilarious and clever so that could be enjoyed but you would really miss out on all the little things that make the show special, I think. Knowing the backstories adds more meat to it all and knowing the characters already helps you understand a lot of what is happening and why. 

There were quite a few things I didn't catch because I didn't read the comic series this is based on and after having Brainwise tell me some of the info, it did add to my enjoyment and "understanding" of the series but I was also just fine without the detail. 

Some of my favorite extras were the LARPers (Live Action Role Playing) and the dog. LARPing can get a bad rap but the use of it in the series is perfect and adds so much to the story. The dog was adorable and a special piece of the story. I also appreciated the hearing issues that came into play in the story (no spoilers here).

The filming is great too. The scene in the car during the car chase is like nothing I have seen before. I was entranced and would love to see a "making of" episode for it.

This is a definite good watch for Christmas too as it is set in the days leading up to Christmas. The music is perfect and NYC is a beautiful place to be for Christmas.

4 paws

Friday 80s Flashback for December 24, 2021

[A Very Elfman Christmas] -- I previously wrote a Flashback about the 1989 release of the Scrooged original soundtrack. But today, Christmas Eve day, seems a great time to address Danny Elfman's original film score. The 1988 holiday movie, Scrooged was Elfman's first big-budget Hollywood score, and he really took to this chance to compose and perform music for a modern, comedic adaptation of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol. Elfman's music in the film is a full of holiday spirit, jovial and slightly otherworldly. Yet for the longest time, fans could enjoy the score only as part of the movie. A separate recording of this Original Motion Picture Score wasn't released until 2011 and 2019, each time being a limited run (although there were several variations released in 2019). Fortunately, those of us who missed out on the limited edition vinyl releases can turn to YouTube for our Christmas Elfman fix. And it's the perfect soundtrack for your holiday activities, whether those activities include wrapping presents, baking up a storm, or even just sitting quietly for a spell. 

Flashback: Scrooged (2011 OST for 1988 film)

---

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!

A Boy Called Christmas - Netflix

 Dangrdafne review 

I had seen that there was a new Holiday movie on Netflix but didn't run right off to see it. Then a friend of ours saw it and couldn't say enough good things about it, so I put it on the front burner. Last night we watched it.

What a glorious movie. The story telling is wonderful, the cinematography entrancing and the cast is impeccable. Maggie Smith, Jim Broadbent, Stephen Merchant, Toby Jones, Sally Hawkins and the glorious actor, portraying the Boy, Henry Lawfull. Even all the supporting cast is incredible. The are all perfect for their roles and honestly, for me, the movie is 4 paws just for having Maggie Smith in it. Luckily the whole movie supports the paw rating outside of Maggie Smith too.

The story overall is the history of Christmas and it is told in such a clever way. It is also about loss and we did indeed cry as the story hits home and doesn't let go. There were so many other stories this reminded me of and they are all other stories I love so it was very comforting and warm to watch.

I highly recommend adding this movie to your holiday watch list. When it ended Brainwise had already added it to the annual viewings, a list that includes: White Christmas, The Man Who Came to Dinner, Elf, Christmas Carol with Alastair Sim and a few other classics. So this is quite the company for this new movie to be added to and it is well deserved in our household.

Go and lose yourself in this world, enjoy a "history" lesson and in the end, a kindness lesson too. 

 Happy Holidays to you and yours.

4 paws

Friday 80s Flashback for December 17, 2021

[Durutti for the Holidays] -- For this week's Flashback, I was looking for a record released in the first half of December 1981. And I thought I had found one in The Durutti Column's sophomore release, LC, the title of which stands for "Lotta Continua" (Italian for "the struggle continues"). But after some more digging, I learned that this record was listed incorrectly, and it was actually released in November 1981. However, because the release date still marks the record as forty years old as of ... well, the last thirty days or so, I decided to keep it for this week's post. 

The Durutti Column is an English post-punk band. They have been active since 1978 with their last release being the 2018 compilation, M24J (Anthology). The Durutti Column initially built a reputation separate from their more dance-rock labelmates on Factory Records in that their early sound featured minimal electronics and wafting, almost fluid, guitar melodies. Also, their records have what I call intermittent, and kind of inscrutable, vocals. That means this week's offering, LC, is a gentle alternative to the standard holiday fare you might feel has been bombarding your ears of late.

Please note that the YouTube playlist I've embedded is from the 1996 reissue; it has six additional tracks (#11 - #16) that did not appear on the 1981 release. And one of those additions is "One Christmas for Your Thoughts," The Durutti Column's contribution to the 1981 compilation, Chantons Noël - Ghosts Of Christmas Past. Therefore, although I wasn't really trying for one, I'm going to say that the mere inclusion of that tune qualifies this Flashback as a holiday music post (albeit kind of an undercover one). 

Flashback: The Durutti Column – LC

Tracklist:

1.  Sketch For Dawn I
2.  Portrait For Frazer
3.  Jacqueline
4.  Messidor
5.  Sketch For Dawn II
6.  Never Known
7.  The Act Committed
8.  Detail For Paul
9.  The Missing Boy
10.  The Sweet Cheat Gone
11.  For Mimi
12.  Belgian Friends
13.  Self Portrait
14.  One Christmas For Your Thoughts
15.  Danny
16.  Enigma

---

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 December 12, 2021

 

[Holiday-ish Music] -- In December 2010, in my Prophet or Madman days, I did four straight weeks of music about "Winter Holidays." I have since re-shared the Week 2 post -- dated 12/10/2010 -- on two other occasions (during the second week of December in 2011 and 2014). So, as long as I am currently trying to wrap up assignments before this Fall term ends (have I mentioned I'm in grad school these days?), and because I did not find a December 1981 album for this week, why not re-run that prior Seasons Greetings kind of playlist again? I mean, if you think about it, reruns are kind of what I do with these posts. 

To rediscover those stocking stuffers I first shared eleven years ago this week, read and hear more after the break.

Friday 80s Flashback for December 3, 2021

 

[An Experimental Homosapien] -- Intro. Released 12/1/1981, Pete Shelley's second solo album, Homosapien, found the musician departing from the punk stylings of his previous band, The Buzzcocks, in favor of programmed synths and drum machines. But it wasn't solely synthpop; Shelley also used his guitar to good effect on these songs. Or at least most of them -- check out "Just One Of Those Affairs," for example.

And just look at that album cover. Who among us didn't want a desk/table setup like that 40 years ago? So gloriously future-modern for the early 1980s! (Also, I had that red phone; used it during the latter half of my college tenure through my first several post-college years). 

Flashback: Homosapien (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!