Bookended by Cats

Friday, July 31, 2026

Friday 80s Flashback for July 31, 2026

[Loud Pageant] -- I'm sliding in very close to the wire for the final Flashback of July 2026. But I have two albums that were both released 40 years ago these past two weeks.

Lightning Strikes – Japan's premiere heavy metal band, Loudness, initially released their sixth album only in Japan on March 24, 1986. But just four months later, on July 25, 1986, Lightning Strikes was released to the US market (the earlier release was known as Shadows of War). The sole single from this album was "Let It Go", and as far as I can tell, it did not chart in the states, though the album did peak at #64 on the Billboard 200. I remember "Let It Go", and a few other tracks, from the various metal shows I could pick up on the radio, and from a friend who was a Loudness fanatic. I'm showcasing this album because there's just something about summer that puts me in the mood for 1980s heavy metal. Can any of you out there relate?

Life's Rich Pageant – R.E.M. released their fourth studio album, Life's Rich Pageant, on July 28, 1986. I'm pretty sure I did not know about the album until September of that year, which is basically when I learned about R.E.M. and their first four albums. But other people, many in the record buying public, definitely took notice of this release in late July and early August. It peaked at #21 on the US Billboard 200 and #43 in the UK. It was also R.E.M.'s first gold record in the US. This album had two singles – "Fall on Me" and "Superman" – both of which charted well on the Billboard Hot 100 and the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks charts. Several other tracks got radio play and are also quite well known to fans. This album was jangly college rock at its best ... until R.E.M.'s next release.

Now, on to the music. 🎶

Flashback #1: Lightning Strikes (July 25, 1986)

Flashback #2: Life's Rich Pageant (July 28, 2026)

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, July 17, 2026

Friday 80s Flashback for July 17, 2026

[Pancreatic Release] -- This week's album has several release dates associated with it. The dates range from early in January 1986 through October 1986. AOTY was the first site to remind me of this record, so I am going with their release date of July 18, 1986. So, the bottom line is that this week's featured album has already turned 40 years old, or it will before this year is over. Oh, and there was also a re-release back in 2006, marking a 20th anniversary for the album as well.

Anyway...

I feel that my job with these Flashbacks is to not only stir up some nostalgia for well-remembered and loved records, but to also shed light on the records that have languished on the outskirts of fandom. And I take up that latter task by showcasing I Am John's Pancreas, the debut studio album from English post-punk band, A Witness. Released at some point in 1986, quite possibly on July 18, I Am John's Pancreas did not exactly rocket the band to international, or even local, renown. And this lack of commercial success came despite the interest, and studio prowess, of one John Peel (who I thought must be the "John" in this album title, but turns out to actually be a riff on Readers Digest).

Still, this debut album reached #18 on he NME charts. And it boasts the rather danceable and weird "Red Snake". I'm also rather fond of their tune, "Sharpened Sticks". I Am John's Pancreas is a discordant collection of aural oddities, and it still receives positive reviews in retrospect. Perhaps, if critics had gushed more back in 1986, we could legitimately call I Am John's Pancreas a classic. I mean, I'll still call it a classic, an obscure gem that deserved a wider audience, but you don't have to take my word for it. At least ... not until after you give it a spin.

Flashback: I Am John's Pancreas (July 18, 1986)

See you in seven!

Friday, July 10, 2026

Friday 80s Flashback for July 10, 2026

[Boom or Bust] -- In 1985, a pair of studio musicians named David Baerwald and David Ricketts recorded nine songs across four studios in California. They emerged as rock duo David & David with their debut, and only, studio album, Boomtown. released 40 years ago this week on July 7, 1986.

If you're going to release only one album, it should be as good as this one. Boomtown reached #39 on the Billboard 200 and received positive reviews, both in 1986 and retrospectively. AllMusic's Michael Ofjord calls it "a hard look at urban life in the 1980s". It's a collection of stories that are not always pleasant, but they are set to rhythms and hooks that make each one a compelling listen.

"Welcome to the Boomtown" is considered the lone hit, which broke into the top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100 and #8 of the US Album Rock Tracks chart. But the follow-up singles, "Swallowed by the Cracks" (#14 Billboard Mainstream Rock Hits) and "Ain't So Easy" (#51 Billboard Hot 100), were easily just as good. They just did not get the same kind of promotion, I guess.

Anyway, this 40-year-old record seems to be telling the same kinds of stories of financial hardship and bad choices that are still occurring to this day. Flashback and fast forward, eh?

Flashback: Boomtown (July 7, 1986)

See you in seven!

Friday, July 3, 2026

Friday 80s Flashback for July 3, 2026

[Falling Apart] -- Forty years ago this week, Peter Murphy released his solo debut album, Should the World Fail to Fall Apart.

Peter Murphy had been the lead vocalist of Bauhaus from 1978 through 1983. After Bauhaus disbanded, Murphy did a brief stint in 1984 with a band called Dalis Car. It was that stint that helped change his perspective on songwriting and making records. With Bauhaus, Murphy had typically written song lyrics after the other band members wrote the music. With Dalis Car, Murphy was more integral to the entire process, though that experience was not without issues and conflicts. Karn, Dalis Car's bassist and primary force, and Murphy had differing perspectives on music and its construction.

Fresh from that experience, Murphy entered the studio with studio musician L. Howard Hughes (Stephen Betts) and recorded Should the World Fall Apart, his debut as a solo artist. Murphy and Hughes co-wrote eight of the record's ten tracks. For the other two tracks, Murphy covered "The Light Pours Out of Me" (Magazine) and Pere Ubu's "Final Solution", that latter song being his first single from the album.

Initially, this album was greeted with mixed critical reviews (and that's putting it kindly). It wasn't much of a spark commercially either. Neither the album nor any of its three singles charted. However, it did spark a successful solo career for Murphy. And Should the World Fail to Fall Apart has fared better in retrospective reviews, with AllMusic giving it four out of five stars.

I like this album. And the high points on it for me are the title track and Murphy's two covers. Oh, and I think the album starts off well with "Canvas Beauty". Your mileage may vary and all that.

Flashback: "Should the World Fail to Fall Apart (July 1, 1986)

See you in seven!

Sunday, June 28, 2026

Super Friends

I grew up reading the SUPER FRIENDS treasury-sized comic (Limited Collectors' Edition C-41, pictured above). Although I re-read it several times in my youth, I didn't realize until much later that the book reprinted stories, and even activity pages, that had originally appeared in older issues. Those older stories were:

"Operation: Jail the Justice League!" (Justice League of America Vol. 1 #61, 1968), and
"The Case of the Disabled Justice League!" (Justice League of America Vol. 1 #36, 1965).

The rest of the issue had fill-in pieces that starred the Super Friends and served to provide a seamless narration across the book, making the older stories basically flashbacks told to the young Wendy and Marvin.

Limited Collectors' Edition C-41 - Table of Contents

Toth also provided an 11-page article about the animation business.

Toth's "TV Cartoons", starting on page 55 of Limited Collectors' Edition C-41

As of the end of 2024, I have acquired the original issues of Justice League of America for both of those stories.

Justice League of America Vol. 1 #61

Justice League of America Vol. 1 #36

I wonder ... Should I also collect the issues that originally featured stories that appeared in DC's two editions of Christmas With the Super-Heroes (those being Limited Collectors' Edition #34 and #43)?

Friday, June 26, 2026

Friday 80s Flashback for June 26, 2026

[Be Fast, Be Clean, Be Cheap – 15 Year Redux!] -- Fifteen years ago, back on Prophet or Madman, I spent three weeks in June sharing songs from a compilation I had recorded to cassette in the late 1980s. That compilation was titled "Be Fast, Be Clean, Be Cheap," so named for the sixth track on Side A. That name was also the title, or theme, for those three blog posts. Five years ago, on the ten year anniversary of the original posts, I wanted to compile all the tracks into one YouTube playlist, and bring back that title over here on Bookended. While saving the new YouTube playlist, I was surprised to find that, of the nine YouTube videos featured in those posts, only one was no longer available. No updates had to be made this time around.

Oh, and I also realized that I never got around to blogging Side B of that cassette. Five years on, and I still haven't. Maybe I'll get around to that in another five or so years.

Anyway, if you want to read what I had to say about the individual tracks, go check out Part 1 for tracks 1 - 3, Part 2 for tracks 4 - 6, and Part 3 for tracks 7 - 9. If you just want to check out what made it onto the first side of that old cassette, the embedded playlist awaits!

Flashback: Be Fast, Be Clean, Be Cheap (Compilation)

Here are the tracks for Side A of Be Fast, Be Clean, Be Cheap:

Flesh for Lulu – "I Go Crazy"
The Cure – "Why Can't I Be You" (Extended Mix)
Age of Chance – "Kiss"
Gary Moore – "Over the Hills and Far Away"
Midnight Oil – "Power and the Passion"
Age of Chance – "Be Fast, Be Clean Be Cheap"
Until December – "No Gift Refused"
Fine Young Cannibals – "Ever Fallen in Love (With Someone You Shouldn't've)"
Faith No More – "We Care A Lot"

By the way, I still have that cassette.

Once again, I remind you that the rule of three applies when doing Flashbacks. As I've made my three offerings, 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, June 19, 2026

Friday 80s Flashback for June 19, 2026

[Queen Jamboree] -- Forty years ago, in June 1986, two bands released new albums into their respective catalogs. Although both are critically lauded, one has become an undisputed classic while the other tends to languish as an under appreciated gem. I'm talking about The Queen Is Dead by The Smiths and Jamboree by Guadalcanal Diary.

The Queen Is Dead – After their sophomore album, Meat Is Murder (1985), The Smiths went into retreat to write songs for their next release. And so, forty years ago this week, The Smiths released their third studio LP, The Queen Is Dead, with songs written mostly by guitarist Johnny Marr and vocalist Morrissey at Marr's home. Morrissey and Marr also co-produced the album under the auspices of Stephen Street's engineering. In a retrospective review, Gavin Edwards wrote, "Whereas previously Morrissey had sourly lectured his listeners that meat was murder, on The Queen Is Dead he made one of the funniest rock albums ever" [Rolling Stone 920, April 17, 2003]. The Queen Is Dead peaked at #2 on the UK Albums Chart, where it spent over five months, and it climbed to #70 on the US Billboard Top Pop Albums chart.

In case you're not sure, this album is the one I referenced as an undisputed classic in the opening paragraph. For more about the album, go track-by-track with the band in NME's 2016 post, "The Full Story Behind The Smith's The Queen Is Dead". Their quips about the singles – "The Boy with the Thorn in His Side", "Bigmouth Strikes Again", and "There Is a Light That Never Goes Out" (all of which were top 40 hits in the UK) – are brief but worth it.

Jamboree – Guadalcanal Diary released their sophomore album, Jamboree, 40 years ago this week. Or, maybe, at some point between May and the end of June. So, it has turned, or will turn, 40 years old as of June 2026. The album debuted to decent reviews, with the Chicago Tribune saying it was "low on flash and affectation" and "a thoughtfully crafted, guitar-based effort" [Wikipedia, Chicago Tribune]. Good reviews, however, did not translate to sales. Neither the album nor its two singles – "Lonely Street" and "Spirit Train / Cattle Prod" – charted.

I'm not sure if Guadalcanal Diary's oft-cited similarity to early R.E.M. hurt them, but they should have had at least as much success as their jangle pop contemporaries, even if just on college radio. And I agree with David Cleary of AllMusic who ended his review of Jamboree by writing, "This is an excellent, if sometimes bewildering album very much worth hearing".

My favorite song is the opening track, "Pray For Rain." Go check it out and I'll bet you'll be lured into the rest of this all but forgotten gem.

Now, on to the music. 🎶

Flashback #1: The Queen is Dead (June 16, 1986)

Flashback #2: Jamboree (June 15, 1986)

See you in seven!