Friday 80s Flashback for January 28, 2022

[40 Years out of Mesopotamia] -- In September of 1981, the B-52s entered NYC's Blank Tape Studios to work on their third studio album. Their manager, Gary Kurfirst, also worked with Talking Heads, so David Byrne was tapped to produce the record. The band had to scramble a bit in the writing department because they had already used their store of previously written songs on their first two records. On top of that, Byrne was shuffling between sessions for the B-52s' songs and his work on the soundtrack for Twyla Tharp’s dance project, The Catherine Wheel (1981). Multitasking and multi-tracking don't go together all that well, and the collaboration between Byrne and the B-52s broke down, concluding the sessions. Fortunately, the collaboration did yield enough material for an EP. Even better, Byrne had successfully introduced the B52s to several new musical elements for their exploration (check out the layered synths on this record). After some more polishing, the B52s released Mesopotamia on 1/27/1982 – forty years ago this week! Soon after, they launched their “Meso-American” tour to support it. 

Now, I just summarized some basic points about the record's production and release. It was apparently a more difficult affair, and you can read up on it in Diffuser's 35th anniversary retrospective, if you want to. Or, you could skip right to the embedded YouTube playlist and virtually spin a vinyl copy of this release. And let me know your favorite tracks. I'm kind of partial to "Throw That Beat In The Garbage Can" and "Loveland." 

Flashback: Mesopotamia

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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!

Eternals

 Dangrdafne review 

I didn’t hate it. I didn’t love it. In the end I was grateful for the famous actors in the movie as that helped keep me interested as I enjoyed watching them portray their characters. 

I liked the overall themes of the movie and found it interesting in how it fits into the MCU. 

 

I am enjoying seeing the reactions of my various friends online as they watch this movie. It definitely is not getting much love at all. I am not surprised. My first reaction was to the length of the movie before it even started :) And then during it too. There is so much extra that they could have left on the cutting room floor and the movie would have flowed much better. I even liked one friend's suggestion that this should have been a series instead of a movie and I 100% agree. Just too much in all ways. 

 

Gemma Chan is excellent as Sersi as is Laren Ridloff as Makkari. Ma Dong-seok had my heart though as Gilgamesh as did Harish Patel as Karun. I was too distracted by Ikaris looking like The Winter Soldier and then looking also like Dane in the movie :) Angelina Jolie and Salma Hayek definitely can now cross "superheros" of their to do lists and they were very good in their roles.

If you are an MCU completist, as I am, you should watch Eternals. If you are just looking for something to watch tonight, I would pick something else :)

 

2 paws

Friday 80s Flashback for January 21, 2022

[RIP Meat Loaf] -- I had something else in the works for this third Friday of January 2022, but when I saw the WaPo alert about Meat Loaf's passing, I knew I had to switch things up and mark this loss. 

I don't recall what store I saw it in, but I do remember that Bat Out Of Hell (1977) was the first record my parents absolutely refused to purchase for me, or let me purchase with my own money. I think their decision was based solely on the album cover, which is still awesome. I'm sure most tributes and stories about Meat Loaf will focus on that album, Bat Out of Hell II: Back into Hell (1993), and his film appearances. But in keeping with my current theme of records that recently turned 40 years old, I'm going to revisit Meat Loaf's sophomore recording, Dead Ringer (1981). 

Dead Ringer was released in September 1981, so it turns 41 this fall, but we can still consider it as a 40-year-old record this week. Meat Loaf recorded Dead Ringer after playing the role of Travis Redfish in the movie Roadie, and after recovering his voice which he had lost due to a combination of touring and exhaustion (and drugs?) in the wake of touring to support his debut album. Meat Loaf collaborator, Jim Steinman, wrote the entire album, which reached #1 in the UK, and the cover was designed by the late, great comic book artist, Bernie Wrightson. This record had four singles: "I'm Gonna Love Her for Both of Us" (#84, Billboard Hot 100), "More Than You Deserve" (a reworking of a song from the 1973 musical of the same name), "Read 'Em and Weep," and "Dead Ringer for Love" (which featured Cher). Dead Ringer is not one of Meat Loaf's better albums, but I do love it for that recording with Cher. And I wish they had performed the song live together at some point in their careers!

RIP Meat Loaf (9/27/1947 – 1/20/2022).

Flashback: Dead Ringer (1981)

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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!

Black Widow - Disney Plus

 Dangrdafne review:

I'll start with that this is my favorite MCU character. I love Black Widow and I love Scarlett Johansson's portrayal of her. And now I love her even more after this movie.

What a great back current story for the character. It was funny, heartwarming, sad, thrilling, violent and a great way to give Black Widow her time in the spotlight to tell her story. We know a lot of her story already but this definitely fills in the details and makes her a more rounded character.

I LOVED Florence Pugh in this movie. She is spectacular and her interactions with Natasha are perfect. I definitely suggest watching this movie BEFORE watching Hawkeye if you can. It isn't critical BUT it will offer some perspective to Hawkeye when you watch it. I do wish a little bit in retrospect that we stopped Hawkeye when we started and switched over to this move :)

I absolutely LOVE stories about families that are not blood families and this movie fits that bill 110% and it makes me love the movie even more.

It is ultra violent at times but that is to be expected for the Black Widow character and story. I don't mind it but sometimes the scenes got a little long and I would have preferred a little more conversation or story if I had to find one thing to pick out.

4 paws

Friday 80s Flashback for January 14, 2022

[40-Year-Old Waitresses] -- 40 years ago this week, a seminal moment in early 1980s New Wave transpired: The Waitresses released their debut album, Wasn't Tomorrow Wonderful? (1/11/1982)! The album peaked at #41 on the Billboard Hot 200, and it featured the previously released single, "I Know What Boys Like," which reached its peak of #62 on the Billboard Hot 100 in May of 1982. The Waitresses were driven by guitarist Chris Butler and singer Patty Donahue, both of whom pretty much fueled the band's sound and identity. Sadly, we lost Donahue to lung cancer at the all-too-young age of 40 in 1996. While the Waitresses are primarily known for this album's single, and their Christmas hit, Wasn't Tomorrow Wonderful? has many wonderful pop gems, and the band should be remembered for them. Chief among the tracks, in my opinion, are "No Guilt," "It's My Car," and "Go On." Leaning hard into both attitude and legitimate chops, The Waitresses serve up a highly entertaining and listenable album here. 

Flashback: Wasn't Tomorrow Wonderful? (1982)

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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!

Loki - Disney Plus

 Dangrdafne review 

Wow, this took a lot of brain power to watch but it was really good and worth it. To me it’s the furthest from the MCU world and more closely tied to the comics but I don’t think it hindered me watching it but it could if you have no history of the Loki character in your world. 

Tom Hiddleston is a perfect Loki to me and he brings everything to this show. I was not pleased with Owen Wilson being cast when I first heard about the series but he turned out to be really good and I liked his portrayal of Mobius and his interaction with the other characters in the show. 

There were a lot of good laughs in the show but overall it was more deep and thoughtful show than I expected. I definitely would love to talk about this more but really there would be too many spoilers and amazingly enough I made it all the way through without any spoilers but then of course since I don't know a lot of the Loki lore, I saw things I didn't know were spoilers :)

My favorite thing about Tom Hiddleston's portrayal of Loki is the humanity he brings to a character that I gather Loki does not have much of in the comics. There is something so endearing about Tom's portrayal that I have a hard time NOT liking Loki and I think in the comics world I would not like Loki. I am glad I do and I am glad he was given his own series to cover his story. 

I am starting to think and maybe I always knew but the MCU characters seem to each be parts of the human psyche and you need each one to become a fully realized human. I will have to think on this more and see where it leads me. In the mean time check out Loki and enjoy the trip.

4 paws

Friday 80s Flashback for January 7, 2022

[Adventurous Buggles] -- In this new year, I want to continue highlighting albums turning 40, so now I focus my efforts on works that were released in 1982. This week's featured album, however, was actually released in November 1981. But four of its five singles were released in 1982, with the second single hitting the charts on 1/7/1982. So, I'm declaring that Adventures in Modern Recording – The Buggles' second, and final, studio album – counts as being 40 years old this month. According to Wikipedia, Adventures in Modern Recording is largely a solo record by singer/bassist Trevor Horn. Seems that Geoff Downes, The Buggles keyboardist on the first album, left the duo to start the English quartet, Asia ... and he did so right at the beginning of recording this sophomore effort. So, what we lack in terms of a solid Buggles effort, we gain in terms of a blueprint for later electronic, and even more progressive, recordings by Trevor Horn. 

Of course, living up to the expectations set by the duo's 1980 debut, and its chart-topping debut single (remember "Video Killed the Radio Star"?), would have been a tremendously difficult task. And, to no one's surprise, I suppose, the Buggles (er, Horn) didn't hit that mark. I mean, do you remember this album? I do vaguely recall "I Am A Camera," but I'm not certain I caught it on the radio back in late 1981 or even early 1982. And the title track, which was the single released on 1/7/1982, is terribly fun, but it's hardly a hit record. Still, there are some pop gems on here, "Beatnik," "On TV," and "Inner City" among them. They probably deserved better than being buried here. But at least we are unearthing them this week, right?

Flashback #1: Adventures in Modern Recording – The Buggles 

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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!

Firefly Holiday Special (Comic One Shot)

Firefly Holiday Special (One Shot) -- I picked this comic up before Christmas, but I didn't read it until today (1/3/2022). Not sure whether that was my means of extending the holiday season, or just a bit of forgetfulness on my part. More likely it's due to me having quite the backlog of reading. Whatever the case, this one shot was a rather nice treat on a Monday morning. Now, I'm not up on all that has happened in the extended narratives of the Serenity crew in comics, but I knew (or recalled) enough Firefly lore that I could appreciate this Dickensian twist on some of my favorite characters. 

Plus, I love that opening splash page showing the ship decked out in holiday lights. 

Brainwise rates this comic ... Four paws and a tail! 

Details:

Publisher: Boom Studios

Release Date: 12/15/2021

Creative Team:

• Script: Jeff Jensen (HBO's "Watchmen," "Better Angels: A Kate Warne Adventure").
• Pencils: Vincenzo Federici ("Go-Go Power Rangers"), Jordi Pérez ("Firefly"), and Fabiana Mascolo ("Firefly: Brand New 'Verse"). 
• Colors: Francesco Segala, Gloria Martinelli, and Lucia Di Giammarino.
• Letters: Jim Campbell. 

Sample Pages: