The Acolyte - Star Wars series

 

I know this show took a lot of heat from Star Wars fans and from non-fans too. 

I liked it. Amandla Stenberg was great and a joy to watch through the 8 episodes. I liked that the show felt like a murder mystery who-done-it but with a Star Wars theme. I had fun trying to figure out who done it too.

I was blown away by Manny Jacinto. The last time I saw him was as Jason on The Good Place...this is VERY different from that role and he handled it perfectly. 

I like what to me felt like a different view of the Jedi, since I am not 100% invested in Star Wars overall, this view may hit a nerve with some fans. I figured it was just a story and they set it in a Star Wars theme. I will say that it did seem to run out of steam as it was going along. But at the same time I really wanted to know what was going to happen. 

We hadn't planned to watch it episodically, we thought we would wait and binge but then we started it before it was done and had to watch each Tuesday/Wednesday to see what happened. So to me, it can't be that bad. Would I watch it again? Probably not, unless I needed that information or memory jog for a second season or to tie to another show. 

I think if you watch it as a Star Wars murder mystery and don't worry about how it fits or doesn't into your story line of Star Wars, I think you might enjoy it. Again Manny Jacinto was crazy good, emphasis on crazy ;)

Was it perfect? No. Was it terrible? No. 

3 paws

Friday 80s Flashback for July 19, 2024

[Diamond Life] -- On July 16, 1984, the English band, Sade, released their debut album, Diamond Life. Sade assumed their moniker from the professional name of their lead vocalist, Sade Adu (Helen Folasade Adu).

I like to refer to Diamond Life as a jazz album masquerading as a pop record by way of R&B. And to make my case, I point out that this album peaked at #5 on the US Billboard 200, #5 on the US Top Jazz Albums, and #3 on the US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums charts. Diamond Life also reached at least the top 20 in charts around the world, and it won the 1985 Brit Award for Best British Album. The album's third single, or its second in the US, "Smooth Operator," was a worldwide smash hit and music video. "Smooth Operator" reached #5 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #1 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary charts. 

In my opinion, this is a record that largely holds up, even after 40 years. And that is largely due to Sade Adu's sultry contralto. 

Come for "Smooth Operator." Stay for "I Will Be Your Friend" and "Cherry Pie." 

Flashback: Diamond Life (July 16, 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!

Scavengers Reign

 

After seeing so many people write about this series and how incredible they thought it was, I added it to our list. 

I have to say I almost don’t know what to say. 

It is truly original. The art is incredible. The music is a character all its own. It’s deeply depressing. It’s incredibly triumphant. It’s confusing and anger inducing. It’s what I would think a drug induced dream might be like. My heart and my head hurt sometimes each on their own but more times at the same time while watching. 

I do want to know what people loved so much about it. It definitely isn’t anything I’d add to my list to watch on my own but I am also not sad that I did add it and watch it. It is truly an experience, one I would never have had if people didn’t post about their love for it. 

Please let me know your thoughts on this show if you watched it. 

3 paws 

Frasier - 2023 series reboot

We came for Toks Olagundoye and left with a reminder of old friends, incredible belly laughs and even a few tears. Toks is hilarious in her role as Olivia Finch and is an excellent match for Kelsey Grammer as Frasier Crane and Nicholas Lyndhurst as Alan Corwall. The comedic timing of the entire cast is truly amazing. I am glad Toks was in the show because I don't know if we would have watched and we would have missed out on some great comedy.

There are 10 episodes and there was only 1 we were not thrilled with (too much slapstick and cringe) and there is only one character that was a little out of place but by the end they found a way to make the character work. 

It was lovely to see the call backs to the original character of Frasier and the show Frasier. My favorite reference in the show is that the bar they frequent is called Mahoney's and that is to honor John Mahoney who portrayed Frasier's father in the original Frasier show and passed away a few years ago.

I am impressed with how they maintained so much of the original show and character even though we are quite a few years out from the original show. There are so many clever pieces to the show and probably some throwbacks that I might have missed. I do think it is best to watch if you have seen the original but it probably stands on it own too.

4 paws

Friday 80s Flashback for July 5, 2024

[Nickels in the Arcade] -- I'm showcasing two albums this week, Zen Arcade by Hüsker Dü and Double Nickels on the Dime by Minutemen. Both are double albums, which is kind of unusual for the punk genre. But that means you're getting a heap of musical content: a total run time of 2 hours, 31 minutes, and 10 seconds. And, no, sharing two albums isn't simply a case of me not being able to choose one over the other. The fact is that these two releases are forever paired in my mind. There are several reasons for that. 

First, both bands were power trios in the American punk and hardcore scene. 

Second, both records were released on July 3, 1984, 40 years ago this week.

Third, both records were released by the independent label, SST Records. In fact, they were sequential releases (Zen Arcade is SST 027 while Double Nickels on the Dime is SST 028). 

And, finally, both records appear on lists of great, or even greatest, rock albums, particularly from the 1980s (for example: Zen Arcade is #33 on Rolling Stone's Best Albums of the 1980s and Double Nickels is #413 on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time).

So, if punk is your thing, and you like clever lyrics on a variety of topics, give these classics a proverbial spin. Particularly if you're a fan of blistering guitar and rapid-fire rhythms! 

Flashback #1: Zen Arcade (July 3, 1984)

Zen Arcade, Hüsker Dü's second studio album, is rooted in hardcore punk. But it also showcases Hüsker Dü as a band that is growing and expanding. It's a concept album that tells the story of a young runaway who finds that the outside world is much worse than his unfulfilling home life (Our Band Could Be Your Life: Scenes from the American Indie Underground, 1981-1991 by Michael Azerrad, p.181). There were no singles, or music videos, from this album. But standouts among the 23 tracks include: "Dreams Recovering," "Indecision Time," "Newest Industry," "Broken Home, Broken Heart," "Turn on the News," "Somewhere," and "I’m Never Talking to You Again." 

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Flashback #2: Double Nickels on the Dime (July 3, 1984)

Minutemen had originally recorded a single album's worth of material for their third studio release. But upon hearing Zen Arcade from their labelmates Hüsker Dü, recorded a month earlier, they decided to write more material. In the liner notes for Double Nickels, "Take that Hüskers!" is meant to give the Hüskers credit for the idea to make a double album (Double Nickels on the Dime 33⅓ by Michael T. Fournier, p.9-10). Not that Minutemen actually had a unifying concept for the double album, expect maybe (loosely) their cars. Similar to Zen Arcade, Double Nickels on the Dime boasts neither singles nor music videos (unless you count their super-brief cover of Van Halen's "Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love"). And with their much shorter songs, this collection clocks in with 45 individual tracks (though only the original vinyl release has the full set of songs). It wasn't commercially successful, but it has had a lasting legacy: It was included in the book, 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die, and (as I mentioned earlier) it appears on multiple "best of" lists. Not bad for a band with only five years of total activity. 

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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! 

Obi-Wan Kenobi - mini series

There is one main reason I wanted to post about this fantastic show.

Vivien Lyra Blair!!

She portrays 10 year old Princess Leia Organa and I would almost swear she is Carrie Fisher reincarnated! I 100% believe she will grow up to be Carrie Fisher's Leia. In fact, as we watched the last episode I kept crying because it made me miss Carrie Fisher so much.

Vivien is a key piece of this series and she holds her own so perfectly alongside such incredible actors: Ewan McGregor, Moses Ingram, Hayden Christensen, Jimmy Smits, Joel Edgerton and so many more.

I guarantee I missed a ton of great inside pieces in this show that linked to the movies, etc but it stood on its own to me even without knowing all the ins and outs. I did ask Brainwise a few questions to keep me on the right page though.

If you are a Star Wars fan, this is a must see. If you just a casual Star Wars fan, I still say this is a must see. It is well put together and it fills in some gaps and provides us the most perfect 10 year old Leia.

4 paws

Friday 80s Flashback for June 28, 2024

[A 40-Year (Purple) Reign] -- Perhaps some music fans, and maybe even some critics, would point to this week's album as the moment Prince had climbed to the top of the mountainous music scene. They would, however, be mistaken. He had already showed his chops and seized his mainstream crown with Controversy (1981) and 1999 (1982). But in 1984, 40 years ago this very week, Prince began to shift the cultural landscape with Purple Rain, his sixth studio album.  

Released on June 25, 1984, Purple Rain was a blend of funk, swirling synth beds, and shredding rock. In other words, this was the true debut of what was fast becoming Prince's signature sound. This record also served as the soundtrack for the movie of the same name, a movie that would hit theaters a month later. In the eyes and ears of many fans, the movie and the album are forever bound together in a marriage of audio and video. 

The album topped both the US Billboard 200 (where it spent 24 weeks) and the US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums charts. And it reached the top 20 or better in charts around the world. Two of the singles, "When Doves Cry" and "Let's Go Crazy," topped the US Billboard Hot 100. The third single, the title cut, "Purple Rain," peaked at the #2 spot. Purple Rain was critically and commercially a runaway success, and it is regarded as one of the best albums of all time (not just the 1980s). 

Because I linked the individual music videos for the singles in the previous paragraph, I'm embedding a single video featuring the "2015 Paisley Park Remaster" of the 1984 album in its entirety below. 

What is your favorite track on this album from The Purple One? 

Flashback: Purple Rain (June 25, 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!

Happy 35th Anniversary to Tim Burton's BATMAN!

Happy 35th anniversary to Tim Burton's BATMAN, which hit theaters on June 23, 1989. 🦇🃏🎥

Starring Jack Nicholson as The Joker and Michael Keaton as Batman/Bruce Wayne, this 1989 movie went on to earn $411.6 million at the box office and a solid place in cinematic and comic book history.  I had a small hand in those box office proceeds; I saw BATMAN in the theater multiple times that summer (no small feat as the theater was a 45 minute drive out of town)!

Oh, and remember the protests when Keaton's casting was announced? Now, Keaton is as solid and cherished a part of the Batman mythos as the late Kevin Conroy (BTAS, etc.). 

Reports on Keaton casting: batman-on-film.com

BATMAN teaser trailer: YouTube 

Film vs novel: batman-news.com

Friday 80s Flashback for June 21, 2024

[Hey! Yeh Dum! Dum! Tra La La!] -- The 1980s saw synthpop and electronic music rapidly benefitting from advances in audio technology. Interestingly, the new devices that became available to record production engineers often afforded those same engineers the opportunity to transition from supporting the artists to becoming artists themselves. Yes, many studio wizards started out as session musicians, but the fact remains that it is only a small pool of studio regulars who have had chart success with their own bands. 

Take, for example, the Fairlight CMI, a workstation that hit the market in 1979, and its various versions were workhorses up into the 1990s. 

Trevor Horn (The Buggles, Yes) was among the first to purchase the Fairlight sampler, and his production team started using it in 1983 to sample drum riffs as well as other parts of previously recorded songs (or bits that had been discarded when recording other songs) and even non-musical sounds. Upon hearing the resultant track, Horn got his arranger involved and a long-term side project was born: The Art of Noise. Now, The Art of Noise did not pioneer the use of samples in rock music. But up to this point, the most anyone had done was use samples as a gimmick or to adorn a song. No one had yet crafted an entire song – let alone an album – from samples. 

That remained the case until 1984. 

On June 19, 1984, forty years ago this week, The Art of Noise released their debut album, Who's Afraid of the Art of Noise? It had a top ten hit in the UK with "Close (To the Edit)." The other two singles – "Moments in Love" and "Beat Box" – also charted in the UK, but not nearly as well as "Close (To the Edit)." The title for "Close (To the Edit)" was lifted from the title track of Close to the Edge, a 1972 album by Yes. "Close (To the Edit)" even samples "Leave It" from the 1983 Yes album, 90125. Also featured in the song are samples from a car, a spoken-word vocal performance, and Camilla Pilkington-Smyth shouting, "Hey!" The staccato beats, strange vocals, and quick cuts of the song were mirrored in the shooting style of the original music video. This video features a little girl, dressed in punk rock attire, leading three men around a junk yard as they destroy several musical instruments. I must admit that while I love this song, I initially found the video somewhat disturbing back in 1984. I wonder if I'm the only one who had that reaction.

Who's Afraid of the Art of Noise? peaked at #27 on the UK Albums chart, and it reached #85 and #22 on the US Billboard 200 and US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums charts respectively. I guess record buyers weren't too afraid of The Art of Noise.

Flashback: Who's Afraid of the Art of Noise? (June 19, 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 June 14, 2024

[A Pagan Place] -- This week's Flashback was released either at the end of May, or the beginning of June, 1984. Most sources point to June, particularly June 1. Therefore, this record is 40 years old by now, and we're revisiting it today!  

While working on something of a solo album under the name of The Waterboys in 1983, Mike Scott actually did assemble a band. The core of that band continued to work with Scott, and they released their second studio album, A Pagan Place, in 1984. According to Record Collector magazine, the album received "unanimous critical acclaim." That critical acclaim did not move records, so the singles didn't exactly chart, and the album itself peaked at the bottom of the UK charts. 

However, the record did reach fans of college rock. And the album received the remaster treatment in 2002. The music is sincere. The band's talent is more than obvious. Maybe they just didn't get the PR necessary to jump from college radio to chart success. If you're a fan of bands like The Cure, Echo & The Bunnymen, and Simple Minds, you might like The Waterboys, too. 

Give this album a try. For such an obscure gem, it really doesn't sound dated. The album has aged surprisingly well (in my opinion).  

Flashback: A Pagan Place (June 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 June 7, 2024

[Still Glamorous] -- Prior to the 1980s, Shelia E. had been recording with her father, legendary percussionist Pete Escovedo, and performing with The George Duke Band. But then she started her collaboration with Prince in 1983, and that led to her first pop-funk solo album being released 40 years ago this week. Now, anyone who did not know about Shelia's career prior to meeting Prince might be excused for thinking she was just another "sexploitive Prince disciple who was entertaining but had limited ability" (AllMusic's Alex Henderson). So, while Shelia E. may not have exhibited remarkable vocal prowess, she was a seasoned musician and performer, and her ability as a drummer/percussionist do come across live. 

The Glamorous Life (June 4, 1984) peaked at #28 on the US Billboard 200 and #7 on the US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums. And "The Glamorous Life" landed in the top 10 of both the US Billboard Hot 100 and the US Hot Black Singles charts while also seizing the top spot on the US Dance Club Songs chart. Additionally, this title track snagged two Grammy Award nominations and three MTV Award nominations (the latter nominations were, of course, for the music video). 

Flashback: The Glamorous Life (June 4, 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 May 31, 2024

[What's Love Got To Do With A Private Dancer?] -- Forty years ago this week, Tina Turner (November 26, 1939 – May 24, 2023) released her fifth solo studio album. Private Dancer (May 29, 1984) lifted Turner into the heights of a bonafide superstar. In the US alone, Private Dancer reached #3 on the Billboard 200 and #1 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums charts while also reaching the top 10 in several charts around the world. And with its multi-platinum certifications, this album is still Turner's best-selling album in North America to date. 

This record also boasted Turner's biggest-selling single of her career: "What's Love Got to Do with It." In addition to topping the US Billboard Hot 100, and holding the #1 spot for three weeks, "What's Love Got to Do with It" also peaked at #8 on the US Adult Contemporary, #21 on the US Hot Dance Club Songs, and #2 on the US Hot Black Singles charts. It also climbed several charts around the world. And, as if that wasn't enough, this single also won three Grammy Awards in 1985: Best Female Pop Vocal Performance, Record of the Year, and Song of the Year. 

But this album was far from a one-hit wonder. The other gems on this album include the title track, "Private Dancer," "Better Be Good to Me" (another Grammy winner!) and several cover tracks – such as Al Green's "Let's Stay Together," David Bowie's "1984," and the Beatles' "Help!" And if you want to hear the divine Ms. Turner really cut loose marrying her 1960s roots with the 1980s mood, look no further than "Steel Claw" (which really should have appeared on a soundtrack or something). And if you don't agree with me on that, maybe after you view Turner's live performance of "Steel Claw" you'll at least agree she was a helluva performer.  

Flashback: Private Dancer (May 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! 

Dead Boy Detectives - Netflix

I’m going to start with the paw rating for this one

4 paws and a tail for one cat and

4 paws and a tail for another cat

One for each dead boy detective

This show is spectacular. 

I was sad when we found out that the actors from Doom Patrol were not cast in this Netflix show but, no offense to those actors at all, but … this crew is phenomenal. I am 100% in love with all of them. They are a wonderful family of misfits and I want to be adopted by them so much!

I absolutely adore the relationship between Charles and Edwin and then how Crystal and Niko fit in along with Jenny. Simply superb relationships and the most intense love between people. 

The show is quite violent and even gory at times but it can’t distract me from the incredible personal stories and the incredible relationships between the main group of characters. 

Here’s hoping for a season two. 

Friday 80s Flashback for May 17 and May 24, 2024

[Flashback Times Two] -- There was no Friday 80s Flashback last week. Rather than focus on the multiple factors that  led to me missing a post, let's focus on the fact that, this week, you get a twofer. That's right, two Flashbacks in one post! And just in time for Memorial Day Weekend! 

Both of this week's records were released 40 years ago last week. So, let's take them in release order.

Chicago – the band, not the city – completed their transformation from rock (or jazz-rock) powerhouse into soft/pop rock hit machine with their fourteenth studio album, 17. Released on May 14, 1984, 17 released four singles, all of which were top 20 hits and three of which ("Stay the Night," "You're the Inspiration," and "Hard Habit to Break") had music videos in heavy rotation on MTV. Seriously, how many times did you hear "Hard Habit to Break" in the mid-1980s? (And how many times did I use it for an audition song? Um, that's a story for ... maybe never). 

Well, thanks to that hit and the other singles, 17 remains one of Chicago's most commercially successful albums. It's also the most David Foster of Chicago albums, with its decided lean into power ballads and the adult contemporary market. It peaked at #2 on the Billboard 200 and it reached the top 40 in many countries. It certainly logged many hours on my turntable – and I still own my vinyl copy. On the other hand, 17 ended up being the last album with Peter Cetera, Chicago's founding bassist/vocalist, who went on to focus on his solo career. 

My favorite non-single track from this album was "Remember the Feeling." What was yours?

Flashback #1: 17 (May 14, 1984)

Next up in our two-fer weekend is Couldn't Stand the Weather, the sophomore album by blues rockers Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble. Released on May 15, 1984, Couldn't Stand the Weather peaked at #31 on the Billboard 200 album chart. MTV put the music video for "Couldn't Stand the Weather" into regular rotation, which helped drive album sales. Reviews were mainly positive, but there was criticism for the lack of original songs – Vaughn wrote only half of the original release's eight tracks. 

Anyway, while "Couldn't Stand the Weather" and Vaughn's cover of Jimi Hendrix's "Voodoo Child (Slight Return)" got most of the attention, or press, I recall being more interested in "Cold Shot," the song written by W.C. Clark and Mike Kindred. At least, I remember that one a whole lot more. 

Flashback #2: Couldn’t Stand the Weather (May 15, 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 May 10, 2024

[Still Twisted] -- Once again, my inner (glam) metalhead comes to the fore. This week, it's for Stay Hungry, Twisted Sister's third studio album which was released 40 years ago today. Even if you know nothing else of Twisted Sister, you probably know "We're Not Gonna Take It" and "I Wanna Rock," the first two singles off this album, both of which became the band's signature tunes. These two tracks remain staples of 1980s hair metal. "We're Not Gonna Take It" peaked at #21 and #7 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and US Mainstream Rock charts respectively, while "I Wanna Rock" languished near the bottom of both charts (#68 on US Billboard Hot 100 and #35 on US Mainstream Rock). Those songs, and their music videos, helped propel Stay Hungry to Platinum sales, and a spot at #15 on the US Billboard 200, making it Twisted Sister's most commercially successful album. 

At the time, "We're Not Gonna Take It" was considered controversial and it was targeted by the PMRC in their crusade against violent and sexual lyrical content. The PMRC's efforts in the 1980s led to Twisted Sister's vocalist,, to appear at a PMRC senate hearing. And, yes, that was the same hearing at which Frank Zappa appeared. Both Zappa and Snider spoke out against censoring rock lyrics, and made the PMRC look like absolute fools.

The notorious reputation of "We're Not Gonna Take It" has diminished over time, leading Dee Snider to claim that it "...has become almost a folk song, but the message has gotten lost" (via rock107.com). And when right wingers really didn't get the message, Dee had to spell it out for them.

Still, at this point in 1984, Twisted Sister had finally achieved fame and acclaim, and their album was blasting from radios and cassette players for most of the year. 

Flashback: Stay Hungry (May 10, 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 May 3, 2024

[Goodbye Dad - Redux] -- I am taking another break from revisiting albums that turn 40 in 2024. This week is the 11th anniversary of my father's death. And, just as it did 11 years ago, May 3 falls on a Friday. So, I will pull the same three tracks I shared on that day, as well as two additional songs. They are the songs I picked to work through, and continue to work through, that sense of loss. If you care to join me, read and hear more below.

Flashback #1: "My body bruised, she's got me with | Nothing to win and | Nothing left to lose."

First up, we have U2's "With or Without You" from their 1987 album, The Joshua Tree. It is one of the band's most recognizable songs. It can be interpreted either as a love song or about spiritual need. Or, perhaps, surrendering to love or spiritual faith. Therefore, just as I did back in 2013, I dedicate it to both my mother and my father.

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Flashback #2: "You don't have to put up a fight."

OK. It's another U2 song, and it's not even from the 80s. However, "Sometimes You Can't Make it on Your Own" (from their 2004 album, How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb) is simply perfect for today. So many people traveled with me, and supported me, on the journey during which I lost my father. I could not make it on my own, and I did not have to. 

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Flashback #3: "If you're lost, you can look, and you will find me."

Sure, Cyndi Lauper made "Time After Time" famous, but I think Tuck & Patti recorded the greatest version of this song. You can find it on Tears of Joy, the acoustic duo's 1988 debut album. 

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Flashback #4: Instrumental

"Last Train Home" is an instrumental by guitarist and composer Pat Metheny. It was first recorded by the Pat Metheny Group on their 1987 album, Still Life (Talking). My father is responsible for me being a fan of Pat Metheny. And because this track really has the sound and feel of a moving train, and my late father loved trains, I can imagine it is part of the soundtrack that played him on to his next home after his terrestrial life. 

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Flashback #5: "It's hard living life on this memory-go-round."

Sure, you might laugh that I'm ending this Flashback with a song by Night Ranger, but is there any better line about losing a loved one than "memory-go-round"? Well, there might be, but I can't think of it right now. "Goodbye" can be found on 7 Wishes (1985).

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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 April 26, 2024

 

[38 Years Ago This Week and Five Years Ago Today] -- I'm graduating from graduate school this weekend. Yup, 56-year-old me is getting a Masters degree. Five years ago, in April 2019, I was accepted into the Interreligious Chaplaincy program at United Theological Seminary of the Twin Cities. Five years ago today, April 26, 2019, was a Friday, just like April 26, 2024. So, to save time while I'm packing and preparing for graduation weekend, I'm repurposing that prior 80s Flashback post, which looked at songs and events from April 26, 1986. On or around that day, Marshall Holman won the Firestone World Bowling Tournament of Champions, France performed a nuclear test, the Chernobyl nuclear power station in USSR exploded, and these five songs topped the Billboard Hot 100. 

Time for a flashback countdown, from #5 to #1!

Flashback #5: "So tell me why can't this be love?"

"Why Can't This Be Love" was the first single off Van Halen's seventh studio album, 5150 (1986). It was also the first single with the band's new lead singer, Sammy Hagar, and it would peak at #3 on the Billboard Hot 100. It also helped drive 5150 to a #1 position on the US Billboard 200, Van Halen's first album to reach that position. But as of today, April 26, "Why Can't This Be Love" was sitting at the #5 slot.

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Flashback #4: "These are the days | When you wish your bed was already made."

The Bangles released "Manic Monday" as the first single off their second studio album, Different Light (1986). It hit the charts on January 27, 1986, and climbed to its peak position of #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 on April 19, 1986. It kept the #2 slot for April 26, 1986, before beginning its drop. 

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Flashback #3: "If when why what how much have you got."

British synth duo Pet Shop Boys originally released a version of "West End Girls" in April of 1984. But their first single with major label BMI, "Opportunities (Let's Make Lots of Money)" in 1985, didn't get much attention. So the duo decided to re-record "West End Girls" and release it as a new single. The new version hit charts in October 1985, and it climbed to its peak position of #3 on April 26, 1986. 

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Flashback #2: "You know you're gonna have to face it, you're addicted to love."

The week of April 26, 1986, what would become Robert Palmer's signature song hit its peak position as #2 on the Billboard Hot 100. "Addicted to Love" was Palmer's second single off his eighth solo studio album, Riptide (1985). While not exactly critically acclaimed back in the day, Riptide is now considered a perfect packaging of 80s commercial sensibilities with Palmer's persuasive R&B stylings. And "Addicted to Love" with its distinctive music video was part of the driving force behind the record buying public's love of that packaging.

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Flashback #1: "I just want your extra time and your ... Kiss."

We lost him three years ago this week, but Prince's music lives on. "Kiss" was the lead single from Prince and The Revolution's eighth studio album, Parade (1986). "Kiss" hit the charts in February 1986, and climbed to the top position on 4/19/1986 where it remained for this week in 1986. All told, "Kiss" was on the Billboard Hot 100 for a total of 10 weeks. More than enough time for it to have a lasting impression in pop music history. Age of Chance and The Art of Noise have covered it (the latter with Tom Jones).  And "Kiss" appears on both Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time and NME's 150 Greatest Singles of All Time.

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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!

Friday 80s Flashback for April 19, 2024

[Reckoned 40 Years Ago] -- Forty years ago this month, R.E.M. released their second studio album, Reckoning, on I.R.S. Records. In the UK, the record came out on April 9, 1984; the US release date was the following week, on April 17. Now, even though I did not discover R.E.M. until the first semester of my freshman year at Penn State, at which time I devoured their first four studio albums. The band was a huge part of my college experience as well as my first several post-college years. So, yes, as I've previously confessed, I'm probably one of the reasons R.E.M. is considered a vanguard of "college radio."

Only two singles were released: "So. Central Rain (I'm Sorry)" and "(Don't Go Back To) Rockville." I guess parentheses can be counted among the band's favored punctuation marks, along with periods and ellipses. "So. Central Rain" peaked at #85 on the US Billboard Hot 100, but "(Don't Go Back To) Rockville" failed to chart in either the US or the UK. The album reached #1 on several college charts wile peaking at #27 and #91 on the US Billboard 200 and the UK Album Charts respectively. 

I love both singles, and "So. Central Rain (I'm Sorry)" was part of R.E.M.'s US television debut a year earlier, but they are only two out of the album's ten tracks. So, let's highlight a few of the other tracks. First up, and coming right after "So. Central Rain" on side one of LP, is "Pretty Persuasion." This one has a nice jangle and drive to it, both of which are carried by harmonized vocals. Next is the album's intro track, "Harborcoat," which probably doesn't make too many other fave lists. For me, it is similar to "Pretty Persuasion" in that it has a good driving beat with some cooking guitar by Peter Buck, but "Harborcoat" veers away because it is, lyrically, inscrutable to me (while I believe I do understand "Pretty Persuasion"). I just go along for the ride. Finally, I have to single out one of the album's more introspective songs, "Time After Time (Annelise)." This one captures me because of the haunting, droning guitar and the equally haunting, or is that hypnotic, supporting vocals. 

What are your favorite tracks or memories from this album?

Flashback: Reckoning (April 9, 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 April 12, 2024

[Grace Under Pressure] -- Forty years ago today, Rush released their 10th studio album, Grace Under Pressure. Like many bands who came to popularity in the 1970s, Rush began augmenting their three-piece sound with synths in the early 1980s. Unlike they synths that adorn some recordings in the early half of the decade, their presence on Grace Under Pressure doesn't feel forced or overly gimmicky. 

Fans liked it, too. I mean, sure, there were complaints. But the album reached reached #4 in Rush's native Canada, #5 in the UK, and #10 on the U.S. Billboard 200. And it earned a spot on Guitar World magazine's list of "50 Iconic Albums That Defined 1984." The singles – "Distant Early Warning," "The Body Electric," and "Red Sector A" – all reached the top 40 in the US, with "Distant Early Warning" actually reaching the #3 position. "Afterimage" was one of my favorite tracks, and it was released as a single in Japan (though I seem to recall it did get some radio play in the US as well). My next favorite track has to be "The Enemy Within," which is the first part of the band's "Fear Series" of songs (the other parts appeared on later albums).

Considering four decades have passed since this record was first released, many of its themes still feel rather contemporary. Musically, that's fine. But more than a few songs here were informed by cold war paranoia, so that's not exactly a positive statement on the world, is it?

Flashback: Grace Under Pressure (April 12, 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 April 5, 2024

[Still Lamenting] -- A bunch of albums were released early in April 1984, so why did I choose Lament, the seventh studio album from Ultravox, for this week's Flashback post? Well, in addition to me finding many of this album's tracks still relevant today, there's also the sad fact that Ultravox bassist Chris Cross recently died at the age of 71. Cross, who co-wrote the hit "Vienna," passed away on March 25, but the announcement didn't come out until earlier this week. So, this post serves as both a Flashback and a tribute. 

Lament was released 40 years ago this week, on April 6, 1984. The album peaked at #8 in the UK, #25 in Germany, and #115 in the US. This album's peak positions in other countries generally ranges between that of the UK and the US. The three singles – "One Small Day" (which they performed at the 1985 Live Aid concert), "Dancing with Tears in My Eyes," and the title track "Lament" – were all relative hits in the UK, but failed to chart in the US. I tend to think the US missed out. 

"Dancing with Tears in My Eyes" feels rather similar to the band's 1982 single, "We Came to Dance." And both songs echo something of a sorrowful attitude within the energy of dancing. But, this week, the lyrics hit a bit differently considering all those lost to violence or even indifference: "Dancing with tears in my eyes | Weeping for the memory of a life gone by." 

"Lament" is perhaps the most sobering track on this album. Midge Ure hauntingly sings: 

And just as my eyes start seeing

After all the pain

The twist in my life starts healing

Just to twist again

In stillness, in sorrow

Returns that softly sighing lament

"One Small Day" is still a favorite of mine. It is much more guitar-driven that any song Ultravox had released up to that point. If Ultravox had recorded this with their standard synth treatment, I doubt it would have quite the same punch. Even today, four decades after its original release, this song can revive me from my doldrums. Its message: All you need is that one day, one day where you can "feel the strength of love at hand," and you can "live a life the way it's meant to be." And, sometimes, that day may be closer than you think. 

Flashback: Lament (April 6, 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! 

Green Lantern: War Journal

Wow. The latest John Stewart GL series, Green Lantern: War Journal, just continues to impress. It has horror, cosmic threats, political intrigue, and heartbreaking family illness. Phillip Kennedy Johnson (script) is really dialed into John Stewart as a character, while Montos (pencils), Adriano Lucas (colors), and Dave Sharpe (lettering) are delivering epic visuals. 

The first arc just ended, but the storyline carries over into the start of a new arc with issue #7. Jump in!

Image: part of a splash page from Green Lantern: War Journal #7. This shows John Stewart in seriously uncharted cosmic territory. 

Friday 80s Flashback for March 29, 2024

[(The) Icicle Works] -- Turning 40 years old last weekend, it's the eponymous debut album by UK new wave band, The Icicle Works. It was released on March 23, 1984, and it charted at #24 and #40 on the UK and US album charts respectively. The UK, US, and Canadian releases each had different artwork and track listings. Here are the covers for the UK, US, and Canada (note that the US release nixes the definite article, titling the album simply Icicle Works):

The best known single from this album is probably "Birds Fly (Whisper to a Scream)," which had the reversed title, "Whisper to a Scream (Birds Fly)," in several markets, including the US. Also in the US, this song was the album's lead-off track rather than the penultimate track of the album's B-side. Despite being well-known, and it did reach #2 on the UK independent charts, it peaked at a lowly #89 on the UK singles chart, while a reworked version barely made it inside the top 40 of the US Billboard Hot 100. "Love Is A Wonderful Colour" is actually The Icicle Works' biggest hit to date, peaking at #15 on the UK Singles Chart in late 1983 (a pre-release for the album). 

A sampling of the lyrics on this Good Friday:

Love is a beacon, on the horizon,

Watch when you touch down,

Reality finds you fumbling for reasons,

when the chance comes 'round

The Icicle Works never really flirted with US charts again after this album, but the UK embraced the rest of their 1980s records. The band broke up in 1991, but reunited in 2006 and still performs together, though they have not released any new material since 1990. 

Flashback: The Icicle Works (March 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!