Bookended by Cats: April 2026

Friday, April 17, 2026

Friday 80s Flashback for April 17, 2026

[Turbo Land] -- Forty years ago, in April 1986, two bands that could not be more different from each other released new albums into their respective catalogs. One was a dreamy, ethereal experience. The other was a harsher, yet glammed up, experiment with a then new instrument. I'm talking about Victorialand by Cocteau Twins and Turbo by Judas Priest.

Turbo – Judas Priest released the US version of their 10th studio album 40 years ago this week on April 14, 1986; it had already been released in the UK as of April 7, 1986. Much more glam than their previous releases, this record also found Judas Priest's guitarists experimenting with guitar synthesizers, specifically the Roland G-707 Guitar Synthesizer. That experimentation, which did result in a more pop-friendly sound served with some cheesy lyrics, did not seem to adversely impact commercial viability. Turbo sold well enough for Gold certification, and it reached #33 in the UK while also peaking at #17 on Billboard 200, their highest charting to date (an achievement they would not exceed until 2005). It might be one of the most, if not the most, divisive album in Priest's catalog. Back in 2008, vocalist Rob Halford said:

The only agenda we've ever had in Priest was to really give every album its own life and I think we've achieved that on everything from Rocka Rolla up to the new one, Nostradamus. That said, if ever there was a controversial record in terms of what people might have expected from us, it's Turbo. It was the fact that we moved into a different atmosphere, but that's where we were at that particular time. Some of the technological advances like the pedal boards that Glenn and KK used were giving us options for different sounds and experimentation. Personally I think there are still some great tracks on that album ... It's one of the recordings that divide opinion. [Kerrang!. No. 1211. p. 52.]

The singles – "Turbo Lover", "Locked In", and "Parental Guidance" – all have hints (to my ears) of guitar synth, more as supportive layers than the primary focus. The more, shall we say aggressive, experiment with the Roland instrument is definitely "Out in the Cold", a ballad with not only heavy guitar-synth bordering on keyboards, but also a multi-tracking of Halford's vocals to a point I don't recall in prior songs. And, I have to admit, I quite like it. However, the use of guitar-synth in some of the other songs (such as "Hot for Love" and "Wild Nights, Hot & Crazy Days") feel like last-minute add-ons; in my opinion, those riffs could be removed from the mix and the song would not miss it.

Victorialand – Released in the UK on April 14, 1986, Victorialand was the fourth studio LP from the Scottish band, Cocteau Twins. The album peaked at #10 in the UK, but didn't chart anywhere else as best I can determine. As I mentioned in this post's intro, Victorialand is dreamy and ethereal. With song titles like "Lazy Calm", "Fluffy Tufts", and "Little Spacey", how could it be otherwise? The lyrics are largely indecipherable. But with these lush, acoustic arrangements, the vocals feel more like an additional instrument rather than poetry or even storytelling. This outing is pretty much the duo of Elizabeth Fraser (vocals) and Robin Guthrie (instruments/production) as bassist Simon Raymonde was no longer in the fold.

Victorialand received mixed reviews, but most critics were at least somewhat kind. Retrospectively, the Spin Alternative Record Guide (1995) judged the album as Cocteau Twins' "simplest" and "most beautiful". And it is, indeed, a beautiful listen. And while it might not demand much of your attention, you will come away with a richly rewarding experience.

Now, on to the music. 🎶

Flashback: Turbo (April 14, 1986)

Flashback #2: Earth Run (April 1986)

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.

See you in seven!

Friday, April 10, 2026

Friday 80s Flashback for April 10, 2026

[The Other Side of Forty] -- In April of 1986, forty years ago this week, the Moody Blues released their 12th studio album, The Other Side of Life. Long time fans of the Moody Blues, those who had followed the band since the 1960s, might have been a bit disappointed, or even confused, by this release. The Other Side of Life found the band embracing synthesizers, sequencers, and drum machines over their usual more symphonic sound. But new fans flocked to the record. The Other Side of Life peaked at #9 on the US Billboard 200 albums chart and it went platinum, selling well over 1,000,000 units in the US alone. Of course, the Moody Blues later proved they still had those symphonic chops with a live performance at Red Rocks, Colorado (1992).

But, back to 1986 and The Other Side of Life.

"Your Wildest Dreams" was a massive hit for the band peaking at #9 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #1 on the Adult Contemporary chart. And the title track, "The Other Side of Life", reached #11 on the Mainstream Rock chart after being released as a single in August 1986. "The Other Side of Life" was decidedly more plodding and introspective than "Your Wildest Dreams", so you might not recall that one. But I bet you can hear the chorus of "Your Wildest Dreams" playing in your head now that you've read the title just a few times. Well, it's the very first track of this 40-year-old album, so if you join me in revisiting The Other Side of Life, you might purge that earworm by the time you finish the other songs. Among the rest of those songs, the non-single tracks I like are "Talkin', Talkin'" and "I Just Don't Care". How about you?

Flashback: The Other Side of Life (April 9, 1986)

See you in seven!

Friday, April 3, 2026

Friday 80s Flashback for April 3, 2026

[Digital Earth] -- Earlier this week, NASA’s Artemis II mission took to the skies for "the first crewed lunar flyby in more than 50 years" [nasa.gov]. And 40 years ago this week, Jean-Michel Jarre and Lee Ritenour each released albums that were filled with synths and digital instrumentation, but one aimed for the cosmos while the other was a bit more rooted (though no less futuristic in aim). Jarre's album, his eighth, was a floaty and spacey entry in his catalog. Ritenour's album, his fifteenth, is a solid but more earthborn piece of smooth jazz-fusion, noted for featuring a SynthAxe, an audio controller, first available in 1985, that had two sets of strings, one of which fretted like a standard guitar.

Rendez-Vous – First up, we have the second of two records that facilitated my introduction to Jean-Michel Jarre's catalog. The first was his 1984 release, Zoolook, which I previously featured on this very blog. Just like with Zoolook, I did not know about Rendez-Vous upon its April 1, 1986, release. I learned of Jarre's music through a resident assistant at PSU. He was a huge Jarre fan, and he was happy to share his record collection with anyone who might likewise take a shining to this pioneer of electronic and ambient music. The compositions are multi-layered, and run the gamut from happy, to sad, and then grief-stricken.

The grief comes from the fact that astronaut Ron McNair was supposed to play his saxophone for the album's final track, "Dernier Rendez-Vous (Ron's Piece)" (or "Last Rendez-Vous"), while he was aboard the Space Shuttle Challenger. This would have been the first piece of music recorded in space [connollyco.com]. However, on January 28, 1986, McNair and the entire Challenger crew were lost in the Space Shuttle Challenger Disaster. Jarre ultimately recorded the track with French jazz reedist Pierre Gossez and dedicated it to McNair and his crewmates.

Rendez-Vous reached #9 in the UK charts and #52 on the US Billboard 200. It also earned a Grammy nomination for Best New Age Album in 1987. Should have won, too.

Earth Run – Lee Ritenour's fifteenth studio album, Earth Run, came out quite possibly on the same day as Jean-Michel Jarre's Rendez-Vous, but most citations for its release date indicate only the month and year: April 1986. According to AllMusic, Ritenour dedicated this album to the First Earth Run, in which runners carried the torch of peace around the globe for 86 days. But the album is best known for Ritenour's use of a SynthAxe, and for featuring it so prominently on the album cover. The SynthAxe looks like a cross between a guitar and a video game console. It makes no sound on its own; it is solely used as a MIDI controller for various synthesizers.

Music critic Richard S. Ginell wrote that Ritenour's use of the SynthAxe lent a "peculiarly fuzzy, futuristic sound" to the album. Of course, Ritenour also played acoustic guitar, electric guitars, and electric classical guitar throughout the recording sessions. Earth Run is an overall smooth and accessible production, a pleasant background listening experience that presents little to no challenge for your attention, but can perhaps reward you with a lightened mood. I suppose that is why this album peaked at #10 on the Billboard Jazz Albums chart. Earth Run was nominated for, but did not win, a Grammy Award for Best Jazz Fusion Performance, Vocal or Instrumental. And the album's title track got nominated for Best Instrumental Composition.

Now, on to the music. 🎶

Flashback: Rendez-Vous (April 1, 1986)

Flashback #2: Earth Run (April 1986)

See you in seven!