Friday 80s Flashback for August 28, 2026

[40 Years on the Ceiling] -- The Bookended crew is back from our almost month long vacation, and I am cranking out one 80s Flashback before August fades into memory. 

Many albums were released in August 1986. A few right even near the end of the month. But I've decided to feature Lionel Richie's third solo LP, Dancing on the Ceiling, released 40 years ago this month on August 5, 1986. Why this record? Well, my late mother's birthday is in August, and Lionel was one of her favorite artist of the 1980s. Please note that I have previously covered Richie's eponymous 1982 solo debut and his 1983 sophomore release. And both times I referred to Richie as one of Mom's faves, so I might as well keep that theme rolling. 

Dancing on the Ceiling was another huge success for Richie. It ranked within the top 10 of charts around the globe; for example, it peaked at #2 in the UK, #1 on the US Billboard 200, and #3 on US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard). The album launched five singles – "Say You, Say Me", "Dancing on the Ceiling", "Love Will Conquer All", "Ballerina Girl" / "Deep River Woman", and "Se La". 

Of those tracks, you probably only remember "Dancing on the Ceiling" (which reached #7 in the UK, #2 on US Billboard Hot 100, and #3 on US Adult Contemporary) and "Say You, Say Me" (an incredible success that reached #8 in the UK, #1 on the US Billboard Hot 100, #1 on US Adult Contemporary, #1 on US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, and #1 on US Cash Box Top 100). Or, maybe I should speak for myself, because those are the only songs I recall. They were everywhere on the radio that summer!

The embedded YouTube playlist here is the 2003 Expanded Edition of Dancing on the Ceiling. So, it has 13 tracks instead of the eight tracks of the original LP release or the nine tracks of the original CD/cassette. 

Flashback: Dancing on the Ceiling (August 5, 1986)

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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.

See you in seven!

A Special 1970s Flashback for August 25, 2026

[Still More Than a Feeling] -- We interrupt our 80s Flashback posts with a very special Flashback to 1976. Specifically, we are flashing back fifty years to August 25, 1976. On that date, Boston released their eponymous debut album.

Boston conquered charts around the globe. It peaked at #11 in the UK and #3 on the US Billboard 200, selling 18 million copies in the U.S., and 27 million worldwide. The singles – "More Than a Feeling", "Peace of Mind", and "Foreplay/Long Time" – were all hits that are still featured on classic rock stations. And the entire album became a staple of AOR radio. Boston even has a spot at #2 on Louder Sound's 2024 list of The 50 best AOR albums of all time. 

That's pretty impressive when you consider Boston is essentially Tom Scholz's demo tape that had been turned down by a bunch of big labels in the US.

The true legend of Tom Scholz, an MIT graduate and (at the time) product design engineer for Polaroid, painstakingly recording the album in his basement rather than in the record label's professional studio has has become common knowledge. And so have his feuds with bandmates, such as with Boston co-founder Barry Goudreau, or with vocalist Brad Delp's family. 

But I suppose artistic and legal conflicts are the standard fare when big talent collides with big egos (or at least the potential for big egos to develop). 

Now, this album does have something of a connection to the 1980s. You see, I was too young to buy records of my own when Boston was released in 1976. However, five or so years later, I purchased my own vinyl copy of this album at a local drugstore in my hometown. And I still have that record in my collection to this day. So, my personal copy might not be 50 years old, it could be close to 45!

Flashback: Boston (August 26, 1976)

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And that's all till next week. If you were looking for 80s tunes, you 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! 

Vacation, all I ever wanted. Vacation, had to get away.

We may not be in the Vacation Motor Hotel, but we most certainly are on vacation. And we are also taking a break from blogging. That means there will be no 80s Flashbacks – and probably no comic book, film, or TV posts – for the month of August. 

I promise we will return energized ... or maybe exhausted. Either way, the celebration of albums that were released 40 years ago in 1986, and our thoughts on other nerdy goodness, will continue once we reach the month of September. 

Until our anticipated (or, perhaps, dreaded) return, you have our entire history to peruse:

• 80s Flashback tag for all posts about 1980s music. (You can also visit the Prophet or Madman archives). 
  
  
• TV tag for anything we've posted about television shows. 
  
  
• Movies tag for any movie reviews that we posted. 
  
  
• Comic Book tag will give you, as expected, comic book content. 
  
  
• And any of the more specific tags to your left. 

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“Vacation Motel sign” by Brent Moore, CC BY-NC 2.0; brainwise modified the image by adding a rectangle and text that reads "Bloggers on Vacation" over the original banner on the hotel's sign.