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.

Friday, December 30, 2022

Friday 80s Flashback for December 30, 2022


[Beatitude] -- And so we've reached the final 80s Flashback of 2022. I've revisited only a sampling of the albums that turned 40 this year, and I'm doing one more to close out this month. This week's record was actually released 40 years ago this very day. 

After six years as the lead singer and principal songwriter of The Cars, during which that band released four records, Ric Ocasek released his solo debut: Beatitude. In this case, the title was not a reference to the Sermon on the Mount. Rather, the title was supposed to be pronounced "beat-itude," being a combination of the words "beat" and "attitude." 

Beatitude peaked at #28 on the Billboard 200. The three singles – "Something to Grab For," "Jimmy Jimmy," and "Connect Up to Me" – all met with varying successes, climbing into the top 50 of various Billboard charts. The most successful was "Something to Grab For" which peaked at #47 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and #5 on the Mainstream Rock charts. 


Flashback: Beatitude (December 30, 1982)




That's all till next week when we'll probably start looking at records released in 1983. 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!

Tuesday, December 27, 2022

Spirited

 Dangrdafne review: 


When I first saw a teaser for this, I thought it looked interesting. But I admit, I was not sure I was going to like the humor. Then I saw some friends who raved about it and again their humor is not the same as mine for liking things. So I was pretty sure I wouldn't watch it but here it was Christmas Day and I thought we should check it out.

OH MY GOODNESS!!!!! I am soooooo glad I didn't listen to myself. This movie was incredible! 

It is another take on A Christmas Carol but "modern" and filled with incredible music and dancing. Simply put, this will be added to our annual list of movies to watch. My feet are still tapping 24 hours later. This movie really sticks with you but in the best ways.

While there were still some cringing moments of humor, it just wasn't enough to warrant me to not like the movie and to not highly recommend it. 

The cast was absolutely incredible: Octavia Spencer was splendid, Ryan Reynolds was perfect and Will Ferrell was fantastic. All supporting cast were wonderful and the singers and dancers were spectacular. There were so many references to other movies and the songs and script was so clever and well written. 
I actually want to watch it again already just to see all that I might have missed the first time and to listen to all the music again ;)

4 paws



Friday, December 23, 2022

Friday 80s Flashback for December 23, 2022


[You're Getting Reggae for Christmas] -- Per my recent research, 1982 saw more than a few releases of Christmas material. Everything from singles (such as David Bowie & Bing Crosby's release of "Peace on Earth - Little Drummer Boy"), to EPs (such as Christmas in B'Dilli Bay by Kid Creole & The Coconuts), to full LPs in jazz, country, and other genres. Last weekend, I featured George Winston's December. But this weekend, with much of the US experiencing a winter storm, I'm opting for a warmer release. 

Forty years ago, The Joe Gibbs Family Of Artists released Reggae Christmas on, appropriately enough, the Joe Gibbs Music label. For the LP release, side A is a nearly 12-minute medley of 14 songs, with some of the songs represented by only a few bars. Side B has five complete Christmas classics. Although Joe Gibbs (October 14, 1942 – February 22, 2008) was largely a producer, specifically one of Jamaica's top record producers in the 1970's, the primary artist on this record is listed as Joe Gibbs & The Professionals. The record also features performances by Cornell Campbell, Culture, Dennis Brown, Enos McLeod, George Nooks, Jacob Miller, Joe Gibbs, June Lodge, Marcia Aitken, Sly & Robbie, The Mighty Diamonds, and Trinity (4) -- all of whom, I'm assuming, were staples of Joe Gibbs' arsenal (the so-called "Family of Artists"). 

Here's the breakdown of the tracks on Reggae Christmas:

A Reggae Christmas Medley (11:28)
   a  Joy To The World
   b Deck The Halls
   c Christmas Is Coming
   d O Come Let Us Adore Him
   e O Come All Ye Faithful
   f Jingle Bells
   g Hark The Herald Angels Sing
   h Santa Claus is Coming To Town
   i I'm Dreaming Of A Black Christmas
   j Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer
   k Christmas Breeze
   l The First Noel
   m Joy To The World
   n We Wish You A Merry Christmas

B1 On The Twelve Day Of Ismas (6:15)
B2 We Three Kings (3:54)
B3 Deck The Halls (2:11)
B4 Winter Wonderland (3:28)
B5 Oh Little Town Of Bethlehem (3:36)



FlashbackReggae Christmas (1982)




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, December 16, 2022

Friday 80s Flashback for December 16, 2022


[December] -- I wanted to continue this year's unofficial theme of albums that turned 40 in 2022. And I can! 

In 1982, pianist George Winston spent the fall recording his fourth solo piano album: December. Released at the end of 1982, December is a Christmas album as well as a tribute to the winter season. This mix of traditional carols, Pachelbel's Canon, and some original compositions became Winston's highest-selling album. AllMusic's William Ruhlmann refers to December as "the mother of all solo instrumental albums." 

This album usually serves as gentle background music, particularly at this time of year. But there is also much substance in these recorded arrangements; so, when you have some time, sit down and actively listen to each track. I think my favorite on this album is the concluding track, "Peace," but I also very much enjoy Winston's version of "Carol of the Bells." Let me know your fave!

The 20th anniversary edition has two extra tracks, but for this week, I went with an embedded YouTube playlist that has the same 12-track playlist as the original 1982 release. 


FlashbackDecember




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, December 9, 2022

Friday 80s Flashback for December 9, 2022


[Still Pink] -- The Prisoners released their debut album – A Taste of Pink! – 40 years ago this week, on December 9, 1982. What? You never heard of The Prisoners? 

They started in 1980 as a three-piece outfit – guitar (Graham Day), bass (Allan Crockford), and drums (Johnny Symons) – in Rochester, Kent, England. In early 1982, they became a quartet when Jamie Taylor joined them on organ. Well, Taylor initially used a (then) modern Casio keyboard, set to an organ sound and played loudly through a valve amplifier. Later, the band employed a Vox Continental organ as something of a lead instrument. That organ and guitar combination gave The Prisoners a retro vibe as they channeled 1960s psych and 1970s punk into their garage band ethos. 

The Prisoners had a decent local following, but never found commercial success. And they called it quits as a band after their fourth album in 1986. They are still active, individually, in the music scene, performing and producing. But a full-on reunion seems unlikely. 

Their debut, A Taste of Pink!, was the very definition of an overlooked gem -- an uncut, brash, and unruly gem, but one not without certain charms. Unfortunately for The Prisoners, Pink! did not chart and it had no singles to speak of. The embedded YouTube video in this post replicates the order of the 12 tracks on the original 1982 release (even specifying which side those tracks were on). It also includes two bonus tunes. I find "Better in Black," "Come To The Mushroom," "Till The Morning Light," and "Don't Call My Name" to be the standouts on the original release. Regarding the two bonus tracks, my fave is "Melanie." Let me know what you think!  

 
FlashbackA Taste of Pink! (December 1982)




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, December 2, 2022

Friday 80s Flashback for December 2, 2022


[40 Years of THRILLER] -- November 30, 1982 – forty years ago this week – Michael Jackson (8/29/1958 - 6/25/2009) released his sixth studio album, Thriller. It was Jackson's first #1 album, and it spent a whopping 37 non-consecutive weeks in that top slot. Thriller was not only Jackson's most successful record, but also remains the best-selling album of all time worldwide and the second-best-selling album overall in the United States -- as of this writing, The Eagles' Their Greatest Hits (1971-1975) edged Thriller out of the top US spot in 2018

Seven of the nine tracks on Thriller were released as singles. Only one, the duet with Paul McCartney, "The Girl Is Mine," was released in 1982. The rest were released across 1983, culminating with the title track being released on November 5, 1983. And all seven singles reached the top ten. Two of the singles, "Beat It" and "Billie Jean," peaked at the #1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100. Thriller even set a record, at the time, for the most top ten singles from an album

Thriller also set a benchmark for music videos. Remember that epic 14-minute short film that premiered in December 1983. It became a mainstay in MTV rotation and kind of became synonymous with Halloween. Speaking of music videos, MJ's vids are credited for boosting music videos as a serious art form. 

All of this success gave Jackson serious musical and cultural clout. With Thriller setting multiple industry standards, this was the beginning of MJ's reign as the King of Pop

There's plenty of celebrating and bloviating about this record on its 40th anniversary. Billboard spent time to rank the songs from best to worst. An immersive event was scheduled. And there's a website dedicated to Thriller's 40th anniversary, particularly the special anniversary edition release. 

What's your fave track from this album?

FlashbackThriller (November 30, 1982)




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!