[Four Turned Forty] -- I missed posting a Flashback last week. I also missed two Fridays in July. So, I figured I'd finish August 2024 by highlighting four albums that turned 40 this month.
Mirror Moves – First up, we have the fourth studio album by the Psychedelic Furs, Mirror Moves. This record built upon the success of 1982's Forever Now, and its hit single "Love My Way." This time, they had three singles – "Heaven," "The Ghost in You" (one of my fave Furs tracks) and "Here Come Cowboys" – that either charted well or received heavy rotation on MTV or both. Mirror Moves peaked at #43 on the Billboard 200, and ended up as the band's second album to go gold in the US.
Flashback #1: Psychedelic Furs, Mirror Moves (August 21, 1984)
Warrior – Our second flashback this week is the debut, not to mention the only, studio album by Scandal. The album, featuring Patty Smyth, is Warrior. It peaked at #17 on the Billboard 200, and that was probably due solely to the hit single, and almost title track, "The Warrior." Unless you're an 80sphile like me, the rest of the album probably won't interest you very much. Yes, Scandal are in that category of one-hit wonders (or two hits if you count "Goodbye to You," which first appeared on the band's self-titled 1982 EP, and was later included on the expanded and remastered edition of Warrior in 2014.
Flashback #2: Scandal, Warrior (August 21, 1984)
Let's Get Professional – Our third flashback might have slipped by your radar. Although it was released in 1984, I did not catch it until 1987, or maybe 1988. And now I forever associate part of my college years with this album. I'm talking about Let's Get Professional by The 012, released August 19, 1984. Why do I associate this record with college? Well, aside from the fact that I discovered the record during my years at Penn State, there's something about its ethos of good musicians trying to be bad musicians that reeks of the adaptation and experimentation of college students. It's punk. It's avant-garde. It's me, sitting in an empty classroom late at night, and questioning why I'm studying physics.
Flashback #3: The 012, Let's Get Professional (August 19, 1984)
Time Exposure – And last, but not least, our fourth flashback this week is another change of pace. On August 28, 1984, jazz fusion bassist Stanley Clarke released his thirteenth studio album: Time Exposure. It was one of the top jazz albums for that year, and Richard S. Ginell of AllMusic wrote (in a retro-review) that the "sheer speed and power of Clarke's electric and piccolo bass work is astonishing throughout the album." He also picks "Time Exposure" as the prize of the album as well as "one of the best funk numbers of Clarke's career."
Flashback #4: Stanley Clarke, Time Exposure (August 28, 1984)
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!
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