Bookended by Cats was named after Milo and Otis. They are the short, orange, and furry brothers who, upon entering our lives in 2003, often bookended us on our couch. And who are we? We're a geek couple living in PA. We love music, movies, TV, comics, books, and comic cons. And, from time to time, we'll share our thoughts on these nerdy things.
[Still Crowing] -- John Cougar Mellencamp released his eighth studio album, Scarecrow, 40 years ago this month (or the end of last month, depending on the source). The album peaked at #2 on the US Billboard 200 and launched three top-ten hits. "R.O.C.K. in the U.S.A." peaked at #2 on the US Billboard Hot 100 while both "Lonely Ol' Night" and "Small Town" peaked at #6. "Rain on the Scarecrow," one of my fave tracks on this album, also got radio play and peaked just outside of the top 20.
AllMusic called Scarecrow "one of the definitive blue-collar rock albums of the mid-'80s." It certainly brought roots rock to the record-buying masses of 1985.
Flashback: Scarecrow (August 5, 1985)
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.
[Samplebox] -- You might recall Colourbox from my 2019 post about their appearance on the 1987 compilation album, Lonely Is An Eyesore. Well, 40 years ago this week, Colourbox released their one and only full-length studio LP. The record is eponymous, just like their 1983 mini-album and their 2012 boxed set. If you are looking specifically for the 1985 Colourbox, you might have more luck searching by its catalog number: CAD 508. And as far as I can tell, it was an import for the US; I have not seen a US label for it, and it certainly did not chart in the states.
Colourbox is an under-appreciated gem of the 1980s. It is a vibrant and creative debut that – while usually filed under the genres of electronica, dub, and/or synth-pop – actually includes elements of soul, reggae, pop, and even rock guitar. On top of the musicianship and state-of-the-art studio work, this record has a crazy collection of samples from movies like Westworld and TV shows like The Prisoner. Given changes in copyright law, I doubt a record like this could be made today, at least not with this same level of sampled dialog.
So, that variety I mentioned? Well, Colourbox starts with the lovely piano ballad, "Sleepwalker", and then rolls into a masterpiece of guitar, samples, and dance-rock titled "Just Give 'Em Whiskey". For some reason, neither of those tracks were singles. But Colourbox did release "Say You", "Punch", and "The Moon is Blue" as singles, with only that last one getting a music video. These singles did fairly well on the independent charts, but didn't make any kind of dent in the more official hit parade kind of charts. I bet if Colourbox had released their revamp of the Supremes' hit "You Keep Me Hanging On", which is also on this album, they would have rocketed up the charts and secured a more solid place in 80s music history.
What else can I say: Open this box and dance to all the colours.
Flashback: Colourbox (August 12, 1985)
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.
[A Cult Jam Four Decades] -- I found several release dates for Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam with Full Force, the 1985 debut album by, well, Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam. Wikipedia's list of 1985 releases cites 8/8/1985 as the release date. The Wikipedia page for the album itself has the release date as 3/17/1985 in the intro paragraph and 9/17/1985 in the sidebar. AllMusic cites the release date as 12/17/1985. Lisa Lisa's own FB page quotes TheSource on Instagram with a celebratory post about the release date being August 2, 1985. Whatever the actual release date was, we know two things for certain: (1) Before the end of 1985, no one outside of Lisa Velez's family probably used her last name anymore. And (2) this debut album hits the big Four Oh this year.
"I Wonder If I Take You Home" was the lead single and it hit charts in May of 1985, priming potential fans for the upcoming album release. Highlighting the tensions around one night stands, this tune peaked at #1 on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart, #6 on the R&B chart, and #34 on the Billboard Hot 100. The second single, "Can You Feel the Beat," also had a May release, and it was likewise a hit on the Billboard Dance chart, peaking at #6. It had various levels of success on other charts, hitting #69 on the Billboard Hot 100, for example. The ballad "All Cried Out" was the third and final single off this self-titled debut album. It hit #8 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and #3 on the US R&B singles chart. The 7" version is credited to Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam with Full Force featuring Paul Anthony (AllMusic & IMDb) & Bow Legged Lou (AllMusic & IMDb).
Despite the chart success, Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam with Full Force garnered only so-so reviews. Robert Christgau of The Village Voicegraded it a C+. On the other hand, writing retroactively for AllMusic, Ron Wynn said that Lisa Lisa's voice "had the perfect mix of uncertainty, irony, and edge" and he praised Full Force's production as being state-of-the-art for the time. Whatever the critics wrote then or later, there is no denying that Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam with Full Force is a classic slice of the 1980s. And, as The Source points out, this album definitely opened doors for future Latin artists in pop and R&B. Look, we're talking about it 40 years later! And I bet you remembered at least one of those singles!
Flashback: Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam with Full Force (circa August 1985)
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.
