Friday 80s Flashback for December 20, 2024

[Still Hot Those House Flowers] -- December and the winter holidays put me in mind of jazz and classic rock, because those were the genres my late father most played on his stereo system while I was growing up. I mean, sure, he played some holiday fare, too. But if he was tooling around the house, he needed some old rock music. And if he was cooking or baking, then jazz was the soundtrack of choice.  

This week's Flashback album would have qualified for that soundtrack. 

Forty years ago this week, on December 18, 1984, Winton Marsalis released Hot House Flowers, his third studio album as a leader. And while Hot House Flowers garnered some mixed reviews (you can read this one from WaPo, if you can get past the paywall), it was a commercially successful album. Not only did this record peak at #90 on the Billboard 200 and #53 on the Billboard R&B Albums chart, it also reached the #1 spot on the Top Jazz Albums chart. Oh, and Hot House Flowers picked up another accolade the following year, in 1985: it snagged the Grammy Award for Best Jazz Instrumental Performance, Soloist. 

What I find interesting about this album is that Marsalis opted for the jazz plus strings formula rather than augmenting the jazz arrangements with synths – and this was the 1980s! So, Marsalis has a who's who in jazz (including is brother, Branford Marsalis) riffing over understated string arrangements by Robert Freedman. And while some critics at the time weren't too keen on it, like that WaPo critic, I find the strings to be softly supporting, and I think it works. Maybe it's because I don't always hear the strings. Maybe it's that Winton Marsalis understood how to work with the various standards he was covering. But I think the approach also works on the title track, the only one he wrote on the whole album. 

Anyway, if you like jazz and need a nice instrumental background while you're wrapping presents, give this one a spin. 

Flashback: Hot House Flowers (December 18, 1984)

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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!

Superman ... and Metamorpho!

So, the teaser trailer for SUPERMAN (2025) came out today. For the most part, I'm trying to remain cautiously optimistic about the upcoming film. But two scenes in the trailer do ratchet up my potential excitement for the film, and both of them tease the first live-action appearance of ... Metamorpho the Element Man!

Writer Bob Haney and artist Ramona Fradon co-created Metamorpho in 1965. He has been a solo hero as well as a member of several teams, including the Justice League. 

Image description: Two screen grabs from the SUPERMAN teaser trailer and a comic book scan. Top left is a screen grab showing the Stagg Industries logo above Superman (Metamorpho worked for Simon Stagg in the comics). Bottom left is a screen grab showing a closeup of Metamorpho. Image to the right is a scan of The Brave & The Bold Vol. 1 #58, the second appearance of Metamorpho. 

Friday 80s Flashback for December 13, 2024

[Hallelujah 40] -- Forty years ago this week, Leonard Cohen released his seventh studio album, Various Positions. This was also his first studio album since 1979's Recent Songs. The new album was well-received, with compliments on its "lucid and beautiful production" (Rolling Stone) and recognition as "a stunning return to form" (AllMusic). Various Positions did not chart in the US, but it fared very well in Spain, Portugal, and Scandinavia, and even garnered moderate success in the UK (peaking at #52 on the charts).

The two singles were "Dance Me to the End of Love" and "Hallelujah." Yeah, that "Hallelujah." While it didn't get much attention in 1984, covers of the tune pretty much blew up in 1991 (John Cale) and 1994 (Jeff Buckley). And now it's pretty much a standard.

Even if you're not a fan of Cohen's vocal stylings, and I am, you have to give him credit as an important songwriter of great skill. 

Flashback: Various Positions (December 11, 1984)

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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! 

Operation: Jail the Justice League!

The above image is a two-page spread of the Justice Leaguers triumphing over a bunch of crooks. It is from a story titled "Operation: Jail the Justice League!" 

I first read that story in the treasury-sized DC Limited Collectors's Edition presents SUPER FRIENDS # C- 41 (1976). In that book, the story is told as a flashback to Wendy and Marvin of the Super Friends TV series:

But it originally appeared in Justice League of America Vol 1 #61 (March 1968). As a kid in the mid-1970s, I did not know older stories were reprinted. I probably didn't even care. So, why am I writing about "Operation: Jail the Justice League!" today? Well, I now own a copy of that 1968 comic. Picked up issues #61 and #65 for my collection this week! 

Happy collecting! 

Friday 80s Flashback for December 6, 2024

[Pulse] -- I knew nothing of the pioneering jazz drummer, Ronald Shannon Jackson, until his second go-round with Last Exit in 1988. But he had been on the scene from 1966 until his death in 2013, and he amassed 165 credits [Discogs]. I have not backtracked through all of his works. I'm primarily interested in RSJ with Last Exit, the Decoding Society, and his solo work. That latter category is where today's Flashback comes rom. 

Now, I'm not entirely certain when Ronald Shannon Jackson released Pulse, but I do know it was in 1984 and AOTY lists the release date as December 3, 1984. So, Pulse turns 40 years old this week!

AllMusic categorizes Pulse as a Jazz album in the styles of Fusion and Hard Bop. Discogs more broadly lists the album's styles as Free Jazz, Poetry, Free Improvisation, and Spoken Word. Discogs might be the more complete description as Pulse features Ronald Shannon Jackson recitation over drum solos, the kind of solos you might expect from an icon of jazz, funk, and the avant garde. As such, Pulse is a sparse album, specifically in terms of personnel. Ronald Shannon Jackson handled the drums, of course, as well as the aforementioned vocals. Two other performers contributed to two of the ten tracks: Onaje Allen Gumbs played piano on "Lullabye For Mother" and Michael S. Harper provided his voice to "Those Winter Sundays." Beyond that, only the producers – David Breskin and Ron Saint-Germain – are listed in the liner notes. 

This is not an easy listen, particularly if you are not accustomed to jazz drum solos. But it is a rewarding one, at least in my opinion. And if you need a break from all the holiday tunes, this album will certainly cleanse your aural palate. 

Flashback: Pulse (December 3, 1984)

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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!

Super Finale

Tyler Hoechlin (L) as Superman and Elizabeth Tulloch (R) as Lois Lane;
they are standing in profile in front of a rubble-strewn street.
[From Superman & Lois]

Well, that happened. And by "that" I mean the series finale of Superman & Lois (2021-2024). By now, there have been numerous posts and reviews, many of which addressing this series' position as the final comic book inspired show on CW, musing on the quality of the show, sharing glimpses of the work behind the scenes, and probably spoiling key moments for folks who have not yet viewed the episode. 

I'm not doing any of that. 

Well, I'm probably offering a bit of a spoiler here. So, if you are among those who have not viewed the episode which aired two nights ago, stop reading. And definitely do not scroll down to the second image in this post. Go watch the show and then come back here.

Ready?

I love that the reveal of the Super Family – Superman flying with his costumed sons as well as Steel and his daughter (Starlight) – shows the creative team paid attention to the source material... the comics. First, Jordan and John are differentiated by one's emphasis on red and the other on blue. This echoes not only an imaginary tale from Superman in which Supes was split into Red and Blue counterparts (Superman Vol. 1 #162), but also when DC comics brought the split into modern canon by creating the electrified Superman Red and Superman Blue (circa 1998 in Superman Red/Superman Blue #1 and Superman Vol. 2 #132).

Second, because Jordan and Jonathan are Superboys – Superboy Red and Superboy Blue, if you will – their uniforms reflect two different iterations of the Superboy character in the comics. Just look closely at their respective uniforms. Jordan's outfit looks very much like the New 52 Superboy while Jonathan's very much aligns with that of the 1990s Superboy who launched during the Reign of the Supermen storyline and then got his own series. Also, please note my reason for saying that Jonathan's uniform aligns with the 1990 design: It is because he, wisely, does not use the leather jacket or sunglasses (though the alt-universe Jonathan did sport the jacket). The other difference between comics and this TV series was that both of the comic book Superboys were clones, while Jordan and Jonathan in the series are the actual sons of Clark and Lois. 

So, here is an image capture of that in-flight scene from the finale along with a few comic covers to show what I think were some inspirations for the show's creative team:

Super Family in flight and the covers of four comic books that might have influenced the scene. 

Anyway, I loved the TV series and I'm sad it had to end to make room for the upcoming cinematic rebirth of Superman. 

Friday 80s Flashback for November 29, 2024

[The Way Zoolook Tonight] -- Forty years ago this month, French electronic musician Jean-Michel Jarre released his seventh studio album, Zoolook. Depending on the source, this record was released at some point between November 1 and November 16, though several sources do not even cite a specific day. Specific date aside, we are celebrating the 40th anniversary of its release. 

I did not know about this album in 1984. I didn't even know of Jean-Michel Jarre until the fall of 1986, two years after Zoolook's release. But the resident assistant for our floor in the dormitory was a huge Jarre fan, and he was happy to share his record collection with anyone who might likewise become a fan. 

And I did. 

Zoolook was one of the two albums that facilitated my introduction to Jarre's catalog. Of course, if I recall correctly, I often referred to this record as "Zoolookologie." You see, this album's two singles were "Zoolook" and "Zoolookologie." And I knew the album was named after a single; I just seemed to frequently mistake one for the other, namewise at least. Anyway, the focus of this record was creating music from "samples of singing and speech in 25 different languages," which Jarre recorded and edited in a digital sampling synthesizer. He used those sounds as notes and chords, along with some slick drum programming, in phonetic symphonies. 

That might make this the most vocal album ever recorded without a lead vocalist. 

Zoolook was not as popular, or successful, as Jarre's previous releases. It peaked at #47 in the UK album charts, and it reached the top 30 in several other European countries. It did not chart in the US. Both of the singles, "Zoolook" and "Zoolookologie," received the music video treatment. I still really like the video for "Zoolook," though it also kind of looks like someone doing a global product tour, showcasing a dozen toy robots. Actually, it looks more like what someone who has never done a product or toy tour imagining what one looks like. 

Flashback: Zoolook (November, 1984)

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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 80s Flashback for November 22, 2024

[Building the Perfect Night] -- I'm coming at you this week with another two-fer post. These two albums released 40 years ago this week, and each one is from a different genre: Pop and Fusion. 

Building The Perfect Beast – Released on November 19, 1984, this was the second solo album from Don Henley, co-lead vocalist of The Eagles. Judging from reviews, this is the album that marked Henley coming into his own as a recording artist. He tackles deeply personal reflections as well as issues in the public sphere in his lyrics. And he did it all while wrapping those lyrics in some catchy hooks and layered synths. The album had four hit singles – "The Boys of Summer," "All She Wants to Do Is Dance," "Not Enough Love in the World," and "Sunset Grill" – all of which were top 40 hits. Both "The Boys of Summer" and "All She Wants to Do Is Dance" were top ten hits, and they get most of the attention. But, for my money, "Not Enough Love in the World" is the best song on this album. I know it's about a personal relationship that's in a bad state, but I cannot help but feel it has a larger application. Note: I was unable to find a YouTube playlist that had all 11 tracks from this album, but the one I did find has seven of the eleven tracks, and it includes all four singles. 

Night – Thanks to my late father, I have a healthy appreciation for jazz, including a soft spot in my heart for 1980s-era fusion. And guitarist John Abercrombie's 1984 effort scratches my itch for guitar + synth 80s fusion. Released on November 20, 1984, Night was (as best as I can tell) Abercrombie's 11th album as a leader or co-leader. Most of his albums are billed as being by him and several other artists, or him with several other artists. And Night is no exception. This one is attributed to John Abercrombie with with Michael Brecker (saxophone), Jan Hammer (keyboards), and Jack DeJohnette (drums). There was no bassist, but Hammer handled the low end with his keyboards, layering sounds and channeling organ work. This disc has some fantastic guitar work from Abercrombie, and DeJohnette delivers the rhythmic goods as usual. And I cannot even begin to describ Brecker's tenor contributions. But AllMusic reviewer Daniel Gioffre probably has the best description of Night I have ever read, and I meld with it: "This record is the kind of album that one would like to hear while enjoying a late-night cigarette on the roof of a Manhattan apartment. Moody, atmospheric, and beautiful." 

YouTube playlists for both albums are embedded below. Did you like either of these records back in 1984?

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Flashback #1: Building the Perfect Beast (November 19, 1984)

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Flashback #2: Night (November 20, 1984)

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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 80s Flashback for November 15, 2024

[Treasure Invasion] -- You probably couldn't find two more different albums to kick off a Flashback weekend. But here I am with two stellar records that were both released 40 years ago this week! And similar to the offerings from two weeks ago, one is higher energy than the other. 

Planetary Invasion – Released on November 11, 1984, this was R&B group Midnight Star's fifth studio album. This album did well on the R&B albums chart, peaking at #7. That success was likely driven by their single, "Operator," which not only topped the US Hot Black Singles chart, but also peaked at #18 on the US Billboard Hot 100. That marked the song as Midnight Starr's first, and thus far only, top-20 pop chart hit.  

Treasure – Scottish band Cocteau Twins released their third studio album on November 12, 1984. Treasure did not get a US release, and therefore did not chart in the states, but it did garner critical acclaim on both sides of the Atlantic, so it did come to the attention of the US record-buying public. Steve Sutherland, writing in Melody Maker, said the album "sounds like nothing you’ve ever heard and everything you’ve ever wished for," and that the band were "the voice of God."

YouTube playlists for both albums are embedded below. Let us know your fave tracks! 

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Flashback #1: Planetary Invasion.

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Flashback #2: Treasure.

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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 80s Flashback for November 8, 2024

[Audible Life Form] -- Two years before a certain alien life form landed in a suburban garage, Alison Moyet released her solo debut album, Alf (November 5, 1984). This was the first album she released after ending her two-album partnership with Vince Clarke (they were called either Yaz or Yazoo depending on which side of the Atlantic one was on). Released 40 years ago this week, Alf peaked at #1 on the UK Albums chart and #45 on the US Billboard 200. It also enjoyed top 20 success in several other countries. This album featured four singles: "Love Resurrection", "All Cried Out", "Invisible" and "For You Only"(though that last one might have been released only in Germany).

"Love Resurrection" was the first single, and it was a top 10 hit in the UK. It also peaked at #82 on the US Billboard Hot 100 in August of that year. Of the other singles, only "Invisible" charted in the US, peaking at #31 on the US Billboard Hot 100. There are two versions of the music video for "Love Resurrection": the UK version shows Moyet singing in some desert encampment; the US version has her performing in a club of some sort. According to Wikipedia, the US version was made to show "a softer side to Moyet following the breakup of Yazoo." I have no idea if that is true, and there is no longer a source link to confirm the story. But if there is one thing I know about this song for absolute certain (at least according to me): When Moyet sang "We all need a love resurrection," it's possible that she sang the greatest truth of her entire career in less than four minutes. 

Flashback: Alf (November 5, 1984)

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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 80s Flashback for November 1, 2024

[Pleasure Felt] -- I know we have just entered November, but I want to highlight two more releases from October 1984. One is for all of you who need something a bit gentle today, and the other is for everyone else who wants to be a bit raucous. 

The Strange Idols Pattern and Other Short Stories – Released on October 26, 1984, this was the third album from the UK based band, Felt. It is a wonderful example of jangle pop, and I wish the lone single, "Sunlight Bathed the Golden Glow," got more attention. It kind of fell into a void when released in the summer of 1984, and didn't chart at all. This album also has three short, but in my opinion lovely, instrumentals: "Sempiternal Darkness," "Imprint," and "Crucifix Heaven." If you need a gentle and sort of uplifting listen this weekend, give The Strange Idols Pattern and Other Short Stories a spin. 

Welcome to the Pleasuredome – Released on October 29, 1984, Pleasuredome was Frankie Goes to Hollywood's debut album. The English synth-poppers originally issued Pleasuredome as a vinyl double album with some ... controversial ... sleeve art, which you can peruse over here. The record was commercially, but not always critically, successful. The band hit big with two singles – "Relax" and "Two Tribes" – but reviews were mixed at best. Still, it's one of the more fun releases from the 1980s, and "Two Tribes" has, perhaps, even more relevance today.  

YouTube playlists for both albums are embedded below. Let us know your fave tracks! 

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Flashback #1: The Strange Idols Pattern and Other Short Stories (October 26, 1984)

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Flashback #2: Welcome to the Pleasuredome (October 29, 1984)

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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!

The Man Who Didn't Know Halloween

Over on my Facebook page, I have been sharing, more or less annually, a holiday post on the night before Halloween – the eve of All Hallows Eve, if you will. I made the first such post on October 24, 2016. Why that date? Well, it was the day after the death of the one and only Jack T. Chick (April 13, 1924 – October 23, 2016). He was the guy who created all those nifty "Chick tracts." 

You do remember those illustrated religious tracts, those little evangelizing booklets, don't you? I sure do!

I love how misinformed and over-the-top they were. But, as a comic book fan, I will admit that Chick's drawing style was very accessible, and it definitely lent itself to storytelling – even if that storytelling was uneven and laughable. Perhaps it was the former aspect, the accessible one, that compelled so many Protestant churches to display Chick tracts in their narthices. At least, I certainly recall seeing them in churches during the 1980s. 

On one hand, Chick might very well have been "the most widely read theologians in human history" – according to Daniel Raeburn, who said that of Chick in his 1998 booklet, The Imp number two (The Holy War of Jack T Chick). On the other hand, Chick was strongly anti-Catholic, hyper-critical of other faiths, and allegedly running an active hate group (i.e. Chick Publications is categorized under "General Hate" by the SPLC). 

Funny that Chick passed in October 2016; I wonder if ol' Jack would have been pleased that he passed so close to his beloved – er, bedeviled – Halloween. He certainly had a thing for the holiday ... and anything he could associate with it.

If you have never read a Chick tract, or if you just want to be reminded of them, jump on over to Paste's "8 Halloween-Themed Chick Tracts to 'Chick Out' This Halloweekend!" (dated October 28, 2016). "Boo!" is #4 on Paste's list. The cover of "Boo!" is this post's lead-in image, and Pages 16-18 of that tract are featured below. And you can read "Boo!" in its entirety at the Chick Publications site, which is *still* very much up and running! 

Plastastic!

 As a Plastic Man fan, I just cannot get over how PLASTASTIC this is!

Image: Screenshot of a post I saw on the bird app. The post showcases a comic shop's new ramp, which is painted to look like Plastic Man, a shapeshifting character from DC Comics, has formed himself into a ramp. 

Friday 80s Flashback for October 25, 2024

[Still Waking Me Up] -- Say it with me: "Jitterbug!" 

Yes, the opening word from "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go" had been on the airwaves since May of 1984. But Wham's second studio album, Make It Big, did not hit record stores until October 23, 1984 -- 40 years ago this week! 

And the album made good on its title. Make It Big was a huge commercial success. It peaked at #1 in both the US and the UK, and in several other countries. The album also spawned four hit singles: "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go," "Careless Whisper," "Freedom," and "Everything She Wants." All four singles peaked within the top five in the UK as well as in the US. Wham embarked on a huge tour to support the album, traveling around the world between December 1984 and April 1985. 

Flashback: Make It Big (October 23, 1984)

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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 80s Flashback for October 18, 2024

[A Merciful Release] -- I have featured The Durutti Column in a previous Flashback, back on December 17, 2021. That was for their 1981 release, LC. And that album, their second full-length studio release, was a bit more post-punk with some aspirations to dream pop. Their fourth outing, Without Mercy, is our Flashback for this weekend. And while it may still have some elements of the dream pop featured on their prior two releases, Without Mercy is (as Wikipedia describes it) an album-length, two-part instrumental piece. 

Recorded over the course of five days, and featuring classical musicians, Without Mercy has a previously recorded but unreleased track titled "Little Mercy" as its foundation and, we are told, it follows the narrative of John Keats' poem "La Belle Dame sans Merci." The entire album is anchored by a repeating and mournful piano riff, and "Without Mercy 1" really feels like a modern classical piece. "Without Mercy 2" features more guitar, as well as electronic percussion, but it still moves along ambitiously like a post-punk chamber orchestra piece. 

It's just the thing, I find, for reading and relaxing. Even when the second track picks up its pace, and gets kind of busy, it is still far more reflective than rocking. As far as I can tell, there was no US release, but the album was a moderate commercial success in the UK, peaking at #8 on the UK Independent Albums Chart. And it garnered fairly positive reviews. Vini Reilly, the band's leader and primary songwriter, dislikes the record, calling it "Without Merit" in later interviews. I disagree. Perhaps you will as well.

Most releases of this album featured each of the two long-form movements divided into 12 stanzas. The A side was "Without Mercy 1," and its 12 stanzas were distributed among six individual tracks. Side B, naturally, was "Without Mercy 2," and its 12 stanzas were similarly distributed among individual tracks, but this time it was five tracks. For other countries – such as Japan, Spain, and France – each side of the album was one long, continuous track. And that is the playlist I offer you this week. 

Flashback: Without Mercy (October 1, 1984)

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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 80s Flashback for October 11, 2024

[Another Four From October 1984] -- Well, guess what? There were so many great, or at least memorable, albums released the first week of October 1984, I decided to feature four more records from that week. And they all seem to have been released on October 1, 1984! Hopefully, at least one is to your liking. This week we have: 

• Joan Jett: Glorious Results of a Misspent Youth 
• Chaka Khan: I Feel for You
• The Ramones: Too Tough to Die
• Philip Bailey: Chinese Wall
  
  

Glorious Results of a Misspent Youth – For Joan Jett's third outing with the Blackhearts, and her fourth studio album overall, she pretty much stuck to what she knew, or maybe liked, best. A quarter of the tracks are covers, including "Cherry Bomb," a song she previously recorded with The Runaways. And while this album didn't really have any hit singles, it still managed to peak at #67 on the Billboard 200. I kind of dig "Hold Me," "Long Time," and "Someday."

I Feel for You – This was Chaka Khan's fifth solo album, and she showed she had no trouble keeping up with the times. She embraces high tech production as well as the electro-funk that Prince had popularized. In fact, she takes Prince's 1979 track, "I Feel for You," and updates it for the 1980s, making it a #1 hit. This is a fun album that peaked at #14 on the Billboard 200, her highest charting since 1978. 

Too Tough to Die – The eighth studio album from The Ramones may not have been a commercial hit – it was the band's lowest peaking record, never getting past #171 on the Billboard 200 – it was generally well-received. Retrospectively, an AOTY user calls Too Tough to Die the band's "last great album," and AllMusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine agreed, calling it "the best the Ramones had made since the end of the '70s. It was also the last great record they would ever make." At the time, Kurt Loder praised it as "a return to fighting trim." My preferred tracks are "I'm Not Afraid of Life" and "Chasing the Night."

Chinese Wall – Maybe all you know about Philip Bailey is that he was in Earth, Wind and Fire and that he had a huge hit with Phil Collins. And those are true facts. But Bailey has a catalog totaling 11 solo albums. Of these records, Chinese Wall, Bailey's third solo album, was his best performing record. It peaked at #29 on UK Albums, #22 on the US Billboard 200, and #10 on US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums, as well as within the top 40 of several charts around the world. Oh, and the mega hit "Easy Lover" is ... easily ... one of my favorite tracks from 1984. 

YouTube playlists for all four albums are embedded below. Let us know your fave tracks! 

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Flashback #1: Glorious Results of a Misspent Youth (October 1, 1984)

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Flashback #2: I Feel for You (October 1, 1984)

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Flashback #3: Too Tough to Die (October 1, 1984)

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Flashback #4: Chinese Wall (October 1, 1984)

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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 80s Flashback for October 4, 2024

[Four from Forty Years Ago] -- I'm sorry, but when I looked at the slate of albums released 40 years ago this week, I couldn't settle on just one of them. And it's not like offering multiple albums has become a trend here: This will be only the fourth time I've done it this year ... since July 4. Anyway, I think you'll fully understand, and maybe even agree, that I had to feature all four of these albums for this weekend. 

Please note that I cannot list this week's Flashback albums in chronological order because three of them were released on the very same day. So, here is the order in which I have chosen to present them:

• This Mortal Coil: It'll End In Tears (October 1, 1984)
• Midnight Oil: Red Sails in the Sunset (October 1, 1984)
• U2: The Unforgettable Fire (October 1, 1984)
• The Replacements: Let It Be (October 2, 1984)
  
  

It'll End In Tears – First up, we have It'll End In Tears, the very first album released by This Mortal Coil, which was less a band than a music collective under the direction of 4AD, a British record label. The album features several 4AD artists – including Cocteau Twins, Colourbox, and Dead Can Dance – recording under the auspices of This Mortal Coil. It'll End In Tears did not chart in the US, though it did reach #1 on the UK Independent Albums Chart – and that success probably helped fuel the album's popularity in the states as an import. Pitchfork includes It'll End In Tears on its April 2018 list of "The 30 Best Dream Pop Albums." It also appears on two best of Goth lists: Frank Deserto's 2017 list of essential Goth albums and Spectrum Culture's 2013 13 Best Goth Albums of All Time. 

Red Sails in the Sunset – Midnight Oil released their fifth studio album, Red Sails in the Sunset, on October 1, 1984. It was the band's first #1 album in their native Australia, and it charted within the US Billboard 200. The album cover was a chilling "what if?" scenario, as in "What would Sydney Harbour look like after a nuclear strike?" Following on their previous efforts, the lyrical content of Red Sails focused on politics, consumer culture, expanding military, the auspices of nuclear war, and environmental threats. Two singles were released in the US -- "When the Generals Talk" and "Best of Both Worlds" -- but neither of them charted. Musically, there was enough polish (from increased studio wizardry) and the experimental rhythms and textures should have lured in new listeners, particularly from the college radio set. So, what kept the singles grounded? Perhaps it was lead singer Peter Garrett's judgmental tone. However, it was more likely Garrett's lurching and towering presence in the band's music videos. I recall thinking he was pretty cool, but I also recall my friend, Daniels, and I being on the receiving end of our classmates' scorn for liking "that Frankenstein dancing guy."  Anyway, Midnight Oil was about three years from breaking huge with Diesel and Dust. And when that album hit, fans finally started digging into Midnight Oil's back catalog to discover this gem. For a blow-by-blow appreciation of Red Sails in the Sunset, check out A Look Back At Midnight Oil's Landmark LP 'Red Sails In The Sunset', posted on the 30th anniversary of the album's release.  

The Unforgettable Fire – Dropping on October 1, 1984, The Unforgettable Fire was U2's fourth studio album. Despite not being a fount of hit singles, The Unforgettable Fire was a commercial juggernaut and it received mostly favorable reviews. Looking back over 40 years, The Observer calls this album "U2’s grand artistic leap forward". While Albumism's Andy Healy called it U2's "most ambitious and daring outing." The Unforgettable Fire peaked at #1 and #12 on the UK Albums Chart and the US Billboard 200 respectively, as well as reaching the top 10 in several other countries. And it has been certified Gold or Platinum in seven different countries, including going 3x Platinum in the US. Of the singles, "Pride (In the Name of Love)" was the band's biggest hit at the time, and "Bad" became  live favorite. 

Let It Be – On October 2, 1984, The Replacements released their third studio album, Let It Be. The album cover features the band sitting on the roof of Bob and Tommy Stinson's mother's house. The record itself was produced by Steve Fjelstad, Peter Jesperson, and Paul Westerberg (The Replacements' lead singer and songwriter) for Twin/Tone Records. But it wasn't like there was an actual producer lurking over the boys, making them sweat each note. The album title, Let It Be, was ripped from the Beatles' record, of course. But it was just their way of saying nothing is sacred; The Beatles "were just a damn fine rock & roll band" (Paul Westerberg, quoted by Rolling Stone). Sacred or not, Let It Be is ranked among the greatest rock albums of the 80s, and Rolling Stone even includes it on their list of the 500 greatest albums of all time. No doubt, this is more by accident than by some design on the Mats' part. 

YouTube playlists for all four albums are embedded below. Let us know your fave tracks from any of these records. 

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Flashback #1: It'll End In Tears (October 1, 1984)

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Flashback #2: Red Sails in the Sunset (October 1, 1984)

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Flashback #3: The Unforgettable Fire (October 1, 1984)

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Flashback #4: Let It Be (October 2, 1984)

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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 80s Flashback for September 27, 2024

[Some Young Reward] -- When I saw that these two albums were both released 40 years ago this week, I wondered how I was going to pick one over the other. Instead, I decided this week deserved a two-fer. 

First up, released on September 24, 1984, is Depeche Mode's fourth studio album, Some Great Reward.  And, later in that same week, on September 27, 1984, Alphaville released their studio debut album, Forever Young. Let's revisit them in order of release.

Some Great Reward garnered commercial success and critical praise upon release. Oh, there were some negative reviews, too, such as NME critic David Quantick's "Modeahead? Uh-Uh…" (reprinted here along with other bits of press for the record). While reaching #5 and #1 on the UK Albums (OCC) and UK Independent Albums charts, Some Great Reward also peaked at #51 on the US Billboard 200. While that might not seem like much of an accomplishment in the US market, keep in mind that this album marked Depeche Mode's first real chart success in the US: the single "People Are People" peaked at #13 on the Billboard Hot 100.  "People Are People" was also a Top 20 hit in Canada, and it enjoyed worldwide chart success as well. Of course, that single's success might have been helped by also appearing as the title track of Depeche Mode's July 1984 compilation album. The second single, "Master and Servant," and the double A-side, "Blasphemous Rumours" / "Somebody", also charted well. 

Please note: "Blasphemous Rumours" / "Somebody" might be my favorite one-two punch of the 1980s -- as nihilistic an interpretation of divine justice as you can find, and it was (commercially) married with a gut-punchingly sincere ballad. 

Forever Young was the 1984 debut from German synth band Alphaville. And for four singers without musical training, and using the cheapest synths and drum machines available, they released a serviceable, and kind of danceable, disc. This album is known for the singles "Big in Japan", with a music video that looks like someone filmed a collaboration between a theater student and an art school graduate, and "Forever Young". The other two singles – "Jet Set" and "Sounds Like a Melody" – are not as well known, but they performed pretty well in Europe. I'm still surprised "To Germany with Love" and "Fallen Angel" weren't singles; they were definitely among the more upbeat songs, and "To Germany" had a great, faux slap-bass riff. Sigh. Although Forever Young languished in the basement of the Billboard 200 (stalling at #180), and didn't chart at all in the UK, it did very well across Europe. And that success was enough to get their singles into clubs and earn the band a follow-up album.  

YouTube playlists for both albums are embedded below. Let us know your fave tracks from both, or either, record. 

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Depeche Mode: "Some Great Reward (September 24, 1984)

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Alphaville: Forever Young (September 27, 1984)

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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 80s Flashback for September 20, 2024

[Fighting Tooth and Nail] -- Dokken was nearly relegated to the one-release discard bin after the band's debut failed to meet record company expectations. But in the struggle between band management and label execs, Dokken earned a second chance, and the result is a classic of early 1980s metal: Tooth and Nail.  Released 40 years ago this month, Dokken's second studio album peaked at #49 on the Billboard 200 and also reached platinum sales. It was a springboard for three relatively successful singles. 

"Into the Fire" was the first single, and it peaked at #21 on the Mainstream Rock (US) chart. Next up was "Just Got Lucky," one of my favorite Dokken tracks, which made it as high as #27 on that same Mainstream Rock (US) chart. Their third single, which would become one of their signature power ballads, was "Alone Again" and it reached commercial success on two charts: #20 on Mainstream Rock (US) and #64 on the Billboard Hot 100. 

Dokken is often categorized as hair metal (or pop or glam metal). Vocalist and namesake Don Dokken decries such a label, insisting he and the band were "more on the metal side than the pop side" of that musical equation, and he is reluctant to be compared with Mötley Crüe or Poison (lasvegassun.com; August 2004). But noone is going to mistake Dokken for, say, Metallica or Accept. So, while guitarist George Lynch lends the band some muscle and aggression (such as with the title track, "Tooth and Nail"), their songs still have pop hallmarks, particularly vocally (reference the aforementioned "Just Got Lucky" and "Alone Again"). And this album, taken as a whole, definitely makes the case for Dokken to be considered more generally on the melodic side of heavy metal. 

Flashback: Tooth and Nail (September 14, 1984)

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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!