tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-49924674507407194192024-03-15T20:03:04.535-04:00Bookended by CatsWe're a geek couple living in PA with our two boys -- Milo and Otis -- who are short, orange, and furry. Oh, and they're the cats we're bookended by! We love movies, TV, comics, books, and comic cons. And, from time to time, we'll share our thoughts on these nerdy things. Dangrdafnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04940599664505953044noreply@blogger.comBlogger559125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4992467450740719419.post-8564286768231752412024-03-15T13:30:00.006-04:002024-03-15T13:30:00.135-04:00Friday 80s Flashback for March 15, 2024<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7oXoQOn5heXR5GNBd6V914QOl2RdNaYhZI4MlkWdrrujGXv7Dq4INiamU11lXa5gmngM1uqp8cMrwJsbn9IaNEJii5mjTpqUhJsB0nKJrj1vjrCJkouso-6-b10W_ol16c8RInrRKKbMqJopbaNygjMNEFstcdIf5dP6Zaqt5t2VfgMBmqAEJsoBeBEzD/s1280/The%20Cars%20Heartbeat%20City%20Gatefold.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="638" data-original-width="1280" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7oXoQOn5heXR5GNBd6V914QOl2RdNaYhZI4MlkWdrrujGXv7Dq4INiamU11lXa5gmngM1uqp8cMrwJsbn9IaNEJii5mjTpqUhJsB0nKJrj1vjrCJkouso-6-b10W_ol16c8RInrRKKbMqJopbaNygjMNEFstcdIf5dP6Zaqt5t2VfgMBmqAEJsoBeBEzD/w400-h200/The%20Cars%20Heartbeat%20City%20Gatefold.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><i>[<b>Hello Again</b>] -- </i>The Cars released five albums, one album per year, from 1978 to 1982. Then, following their 1982 tour, the band took a break to pursue solo projects. But they reunited in the middle of 1983, moved to London, and spent six months in the studio with Jeff "Mutt" Lange. Those six months turned out to be time well spent; they resulted in The Cars's most successful album: <i>Heartbeat City</i>, released 40 years ago this week (on March 13, 1984). </div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>Heartbeat City</i> yielded five Top 40 singles, two of which peaked in the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100. The album itself peaked at #3 on the US Billboard 200 and #1 on the US Rock Albums (Billboard) charts. Not only that, its 1984 year-end chart performance placed it at #12 on the Billboard 200. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">The two top ten tracks were the energetic "<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3dOx510kyOs&ab_channel=RHINO">You Might Think</a>" and the ballad "<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xuZA6qiJVfU&ab_channel=RHINO">Drive</a>." The rather magical "<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E0Kv6vxZwL8&ab_channel=RHINO">Magic</a>" peaked at #12 on the Billboard Hot 100 and its music video, shot at the Hilton family house in Beverly Hills, features a number of outlandish characters and seemingly "magical" feats. One of those feats was Ric Ocasik walking on water (er, across the swimming pool). "<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KXpJ0bM5zbM&ab_channel=RHINO">Hello Again</a>," which peaked at #20, was notable for its music video exploring the topics of sex and violence ... and for cameos by the co-director, <a href="https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/the-cars-video-directed-by-andy-warhol/">Andy Warhol</a>. The moody yet quirky "<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YxGO23cI92U&ab_channel=RHINO">Why Can't I Have You</a>" was this album's lowest charting single, but that might have been due more to the strength of other songs released around the same time: Madonna, Chicago, Foreigner and others were kind of ruling the charts for the bulk of January 1985, so much so that it took a few weeks for "Why Can't I Have You" to <a href="https://www.billboard.com/charts/hot-100/1985-01-25/">finally break into the the top 100 at #79</a>.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Even the non-single tracks are great. For example, check out "It's Not the Night," "I Refuse," and "Stranger Eyes" (and probably in that order). Actually, it might be best if you just listen to the whole album and enjoy it for the pop masterpiece it is. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div></div><div style="margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Flashback</b>: <i>Heartbeat City </i>(March 13, 1984)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div></div><center><iframe frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://youtube.com/embed/qylytdfs6BA?list=OLAK5uy_l8zCHgq3Utr7f1dAf9jqop3lbCzugN2Dc&si=hX_P7L24MOYjmL_W" width="480"></iframe></center><div style="margin: 0px; text-align: center;"></div><hr style="text-align: center;" width="80%" /><div style="margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-family: times; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"></div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; margin: 0px;">And that's all till next week. Dedicated 80s-philes can find more flashbacks in <a href="http://prophetmadman.blogspot.com/search/label/80s%20flashback">the Prophet or Madman archives</a> or via Bookended's <a href="http://bookendedbycats.blogspot.com/search/label/80s%20Flashback">80s Flashback tag</a>. 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.</div><br />I'll see you in seven!</div></div>Brainwisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05365589218358614091noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4992467450740719419.post-3465036698337122502024-03-08T13:00:00.001-05:002024-03-08T13:10:55.896-05:00Friday 80s Flashback for March 8, 2024<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrBD69zW5OvZljVd5VqMMFexu9eDOOjpQFx8bU_NQotEdQ8l0vaGc-qz_GiV-eRTell01Urbb5gMxlUVO2ArzJwRgY8Q7kr-7Dw-6GeUtZLs_RG2mzdivp_hKv_z03SJUiA-mrGPaJDI22t25TNzy1aCvBmB5Y_AJcGKSIJ_b2pZj2Bsdw1HfmCmQI_fAJ/s980/HSAS%20-%20Through%20The%20Fire.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="980" data-original-width="980" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrBD69zW5OvZljVd5VqMMFexu9eDOOjpQFx8bU_NQotEdQ8l0vaGc-qz_GiV-eRTell01Urbb5gMxlUVO2ArzJwRgY8Q7kr-7Dw-6GeUtZLs_RG2mzdivp_hKv_z03SJUiA-mrGPaJDI22t25TNzy1aCvBmB5Y_AJcGKSIJ_b2pZj2Bsdw1HfmCmQI_fAJ/s320/HSAS%20-%20Through%20The%20Fire.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><i>[<b>Does the Fire Still Burn?</b>] -- </i>In November 1983, Sammy Hagar (in the midst of a solo career) and Neal Schon (of Journey and Santana fame) played a series of live dates with veteran bassist Kenny Aaronson and drummer Michael Shrieve (who had previously played in Santana with Schon). Two of the gigs were recorded for a one-time MTV broadcast, but there was no official videocassette or DVD release of the concerts.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">However, the concert audio was used for an album. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">During the mixing process, the studio reduced the crowd noise, and might have added guitar overdubs (depends on where you read about it), but largely left the concerts as recorded. And a few months later, in March 1984 – or maybe in May 1984 (again, depends on the source) – Geffen released the one and only album by "supergroup" HSAS (named for Hagar, Schon, Aaronson, and Shrieve): <i>Through the Fire</i>. That album turned 40 years old this week. Or, it will turn 40 at some point between now and the end of May 2024. But the point is, this one-off album by a one-off (er, one tour) band turns 40 in 2024. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I had a cassette copy of this album back in the day. I don't recall how I found out about it. Maybe I just happened to see it and recognized Hagar and Schon. Maybe it was hyped in CIRCUS or some other magazine at the time. But I'm pretty sure I was the only one in my entire hometown who bought a copy of <i>Through the Fire</i>. I might also be one of the few people who remembers, let alone enjoyed, this record. It received pretty lousy reviews, even retroactively. AllMusic rated it 2 1/2 stars. Robert Christgau gave it a D+ grade. Classic Rock & Culture, however, calls it "one of the best 'one and done' albums you’ll ever encounter." </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">There are some clunkers on the record. But it is largely a solid rock record, particularly for fans of hard rock guitar. And in my re-listen, I find that I still enjoy the record. Highlights include "<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RF5FRbFP9Vw&ab_channel=NealSchonFanpage">Top of the Rock</a>," "<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WgDbPntNm3E&ab_channel=TheManFromCabo">Missing You</a>," "<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FP8OXjdLUe8&ab_channel=NealSchonFanpage">He Will Understand</a>," and "<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ryuvdjsqFk&t=87s&ab_channel=TheManFromCabo">My Home Town</a>." Even their cover of Procol Harum's "<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lpw_Hx-ABrM&ab_channel=jpg77">Whiter Shade of Pale</a>" is worth a listen, and it's the only track that found a spot on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">The links above are live performances saved on YouTube. The embedded playlist below is all audio. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div></div><div style="margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Flashback</b>: <i>Through The Fire </i>(March 1984)</div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><center><iframe frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://youtube.com/embed/Ob_vRnGNSlc?list=PLUADA698pvD9Lk6s1Cgnqm-sjzowf8QLf&si=sDY3tBU9i9WrbNID" width="480"></iframe></center><div style="margin: 0px; text-align: center;"></div><hr style="text-align: center;" width="80%" /><div style="margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><br /><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-family: times; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"></div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; margin: 0px;">And that's all till next week. Dedicated 80s-philes can find more flashbacks in <a href="http://prophetmadman.blogspot.com/search/label/80s%20flashback">the Prophet or Madman archives</a> or via Bookended's <a href="http://bookendedbycats.blogspot.com/search/label/80s%20Flashback">80s Flashback tag</a>. 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.</div><br />I'll see you in seven!</div></div>Brainwisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05365589218358614091noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4992467450740719419.post-81073352262953090842024-03-01T14:00:00.003-05:002024-03-01T14:23:22.663-05:00Friday 80s Flashback for March 1, 2024<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiap_JndRjZ6XyvYp2m_tucUvo7TtU1uTQwpvRE7JPAuJ7boPpWbT-ITqa16w9qkcgqj1wXf4OZHl5kijJr2cunoYLKkjw8Av9RN5wubiR2LuUGBszT5aQZsE_S2a0VXag86abh6IWEiQzeJn8ZYz989Go7vHH6J4xwm0jfFwxdlsAac8VrOXWNNsqia2zW/s600/Dead%20Can%20Dance.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="598" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiap_JndRjZ6XyvYp2m_tucUvo7TtU1uTQwpvRE7JPAuJ7boPpWbT-ITqa16w9qkcgqj1wXf4OZHl5kijJr2cunoYLKkjw8Av9RN5wubiR2LuUGBszT5aQZsE_S2a0VXag86abh6IWEiQzeJn8ZYz989Go7vHH6J4xwm0jfFwxdlsAac8VrOXWNNsqia2zW/s320/Dead%20Can%20Dance.jpg" width="319" /></a></div><div style="margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><i>[<b>Can Dead Still Dance?</b>] -- </i>An important moment in the history of post-punk and goth rock occurred forty years ago this week: Dead Can Dance released their eponymous debut album (stylized as ΔΞΛΔ CΛΝ ΔΛΝCΞ). This record was not my first introduction to Dead Can Dance. No, that did not come until 1987 with the release of <i>Lonely Is an Eyesore</i>, a compilation from 4AD. Dead Can Dance made two contributions to that record, one of which was the demo version of "Frontier," a track that does appear on 1984's <i>Dead Can Dance</i>. So, I may not have been with them from the start, but I did my due diligence and backtracked my way to this week's featured Flashback. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">On their debut, Dead Can Dance really wear their influences on their collective sleeves. You can hear aspects of Joy Division, Cocteau Twins, and the Cure, among others, in these tracks. I don't know if this record is a mish mash of those influences, but don't think Dead Can Dance is straight up copying them. If anything, they are aiming for the same atmosphere, and getting pretty close. <i>Dead Can Dance</i>, the album, is the band's only truly goth rock release. And while their later, more developed sound does differ from this opening salvo, it was an organic development rather than a true departure, at least in my opinion. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">This record had no singles, and, as far as I can tell, it did not chart. Also, there are no music videos per se, so the embedded playlist below is just the audio from the original release's ten tracks. But I tracked down two visuals for you. First, there is a 1984 soundcheck of Dead Can Dance playing "<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ar03hH1IJoQ">The Trial</a>." And there was a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PLBQfKt18CA">video for "Frontier"</a> from the aforementioned <i>Lonely is an Eyesore</i> compilation. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">In their 2014 book, <i>Pop Pagans: Paganism and Popular Music</i>, Donna Weston and Andy Bennett quote Dead Can Dance's website regarding the reason for the band's name and this album:</div><div style="text-align: left;"><div></div><blockquote><div><i>To understand why we chose the name, think of the transformation of inanimacy to animacy. Think of the processes concerning life from death and death into life. So many people missed the inherent symbolic intention of the work, and assumed that we must be "morbid gothic types".</i></div><div></div></blockquote><div>Let's listen for "the inherent symbolic intention" of ΔΞΛΔ CΛΝ ΔΛΝCΞ, shall we?</div></div></div><div style="margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Flashback</b>: <i>Dead Can Dance </i>(February 27, 1984)</div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><center><iframe frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://youtube.com/embed/_A9M0Q4WEMQ?list=PLVcJC7_ws0_XshZ1Hw1BBO0gPhpEaMs_o&si=8nH-6J2ojK7MaxQi" width="480"></iframe></center><div style="margin: 0px; text-align: center;"></div><hr style="text-align: center;" width="80%" /><div style="margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-family: times; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"></div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; margin: 0px;">And that's all till next week. Dedicated 80s-philes can find more flashbacks in <a href="http://prophetmadman.blogspot.com/search/label/80s%20flashback">the Prophet or Madman archives</a> or via Bookended's <a href="http://bookendedbycats.blogspot.com/search/label/80s%20Flashback">80s Flashback tag</a>. 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.</div><br />I'll see you in seven!</div></div>Brainwisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05365589218358614091noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4992467450740719419.post-67912616169539189282024-02-23T12:30:00.000-05:002024-02-23T12:40:22.844-05:00Friday 80s Flashback for February 23, 2024<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3ngwZmJsApVT8F6g8vPAhxHJwNH6dYZpukh5gi0KajIDLEovdEHiwAehzM2XN5k-S7W6uzPY5orWqUz5dhTNC3hZWdUFXQ0BOU-Gp7X6GL-158e3sDgGPQo1-e2TXv1nM4kjUbYkfpzeugXr-Lmu_MMqjTf3HkHib-DGl2VsmoFwplLbaOCAv_WrCUvXK/s600/Thompson%20Twins%20Into%20the%20Gap.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="586" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3ngwZmJsApVT8F6g8vPAhxHJwNH6dYZpukh5gi0KajIDLEovdEHiwAehzM2XN5k-S7W6uzPY5orWqUz5dhTNC3hZWdUFXQ0BOU-Gp7X6GL-158e3sDgGPQo1-e2TXv1nM4kjUbYkfpzeugXr-Lmu_MMqjTf3HkHib-DGl2VsmoFwplLbaOCAv_WrCUvXK/s320/Thompson%20Twins%20Into%20the%20Gap.jpg" width="313" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><i>[<b>Holding that 40-Year-Old Gap</b>] -- </i>Here's another record that turned 40 years old this month: the fourth studio album by Thompson Twins, <i>Into the Gap</i>. Released on February 17, 1984, <i>Into the Gap </i>peaked at #1 in the UK and #10 on the US Billboard 200. It also peaked in the top 40, or higher, of several other countries. It is the band's most commercially successful album with their biggest selling single, "Hold Me Now." </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">"Hold Me Now" hit the UK charts in November 1983, but it was not released in the US until February 1984, with the release of the album. That delay did not seem to hurt the single's success. It peaked at #3 on the US Billboard Hot 100. It also hit the top 10 in three other Billboard charts as well as global charts. The next two singles, "Doctor! Doctor!" and "You Take Me Up," peaked at #11 and #44 on the US Billboard Hot 100 respectively. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Critics were mixed in their assessments of <i>Into the Gap</i>. My favorite slag might be the one in <i>Smash Hits</i> magazine that accused the band of representing "the usual triumph of naked ambition over talent." And the best backhanded compliment came, of course, from J. D. Considine in <i>Musician</i> who wrote that the band's gimmicks and synthesizer settings "make the album seem dazzling even when it isn't." </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Thing is, <i>Into the Gap </i>is kind of dazzling. And it's not just the singles, though they do the heavy lifting, particularly "Hold Me Now." Each track has its own personality, and listening to the album as a whole is a journey of shifting styles. But if you want to pick and choose, I would say other highlights on this album include "Sister of Mercy," "Day after Day," and the album's closer, "Who Can Stop the Rain."</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div></div><div style="margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Flashback</b>: <i>Into the Gap </i>(February 17, 1984)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div></div><center><iframe frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://youtube.com/embed/pZ0eaa0E0mo?list=OLAK5uy_ms1WWkH5XcRahDDXMmKodbprBUpCnNzqg&si=aAnL-Dsx4147GbyX" width="480"></iframe></center><div style="margin: 0px; text-align: center;"></div><hr style="text-align: center;" width="80%" /><div style="margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-family: times; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"></div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; margin: 0px;">And that's all till next week. Dedicated 80s-philes can find more flashbacks in <a href="http://prophetmadman.blogspot.com/search/label/80s%20flashback">the Prophet or Madman archives</a> or via Bookended's <a href="http://bookendedbycats.blogspot.com/search/label/80s%20Flashback">80s Flashback tag</a>. 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.</div><br />I'll see you in seven!</div></div>Brainwisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05365589218358614091noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4992467450740719419.post-69407032956470646262024-02-20T07:00:00.015-05:002024-02-20T07:00:00.135-05:00The Marvels - Disney +<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmV4XcFnJlgHWlYY6jFjnO1mX5Q3RSuEsCom-F0-7_4e8EYf01voZ8o6grnWMs1FPBCe0t_8-bXBOxv-UVKfZtAiJynAYldfXHQMSb-DjfeiOlLt3kZu8YtKVFFpYHH-kDWmKRu7PUPBBUVGPYkmqY5PTers4N1q8lK5gas_84oVPDi8FiJVHZfUApQkI/s353/IMG_3094.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="353" data-original-width="238" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmV4XcFnJlgHWlYY6jFjnO1mX5Q3RSuEsCom-F0-7_4e8EYf01voZ8o6grnWMs1FPBCe0t_8-bXBOxv-UVKfZtAiJynAYldfXHQMSb-DjfeiOlLt3kZu8YtKVFFpYHH-kDWmKRu7PUPBBUVGPYkmqY5PTers4N1q8lK5gas_84oVPDi8FiJVHZfUApQkI/s320/IMG_3094.jpeg" width="216" /></a></div><p></p><p>Three incredible actresses portraying three incredible characters. I absolutely loved all the scenes between the three leads. I hope they had as much fun together as it looked like in the film.</p><p>I loved how the movie fit into the timeline and it was good to see enough exposition to know what was going on for each character. </p><p>I definitely loved the fangirling Ms. Marvel did over Captain Marvel. It was so real and true to her character and also felt like she was us in the movie. What a joy Iman Vellani is in the movie and from her own series. </p><p>I was also thrilled to see Goose again I loved how integral the cat was to this story 😉 Quite the clever storyline and use of the adorable cat.</p><p>There was really only one major part of the movie I didn’t like and it definitely didn’t seem to fit but overall I enjoyed the story. I’d love to see more of The Marvels working together in future movies. The three women were just amazing together. </p><p>3 paws</p><p><br /></p>Dangrdafnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04940599664505953044noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4992467450740719419.post-7778946911856667812024-02-16T16:00:00.004-05:002024-02-16T16:17:50.011-05:00Friday 80s Flashback for February 16, 2024<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPD406jk-zyxYm6kiTuPOeBuUihhjKuLNQf8tWzpLLmJZyViEmWaLhvIuay2liMv_NXqj5lGJ_SZpghEYxPR64_3OgYxm_CF25UqEufu8S4B_t9Qgii4Vpu-orqYhzsh8cbLrtd7Xq74MePuwiq6NLDunEs0-oroNQ2vz_vUuIgOwW3rrkv1L6IaVBgtpt/s600/Rockwell%20-%20Somebody%201984.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="599" data-original-width="600" height="319" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPD406jk-zyxYm6kiTuPOeBuUihhjKuLNQf8tWzpLLmJZyViEmWaLhvIuay2liMv_NXqj5lGJ_SZpghEYxPR64_3OgYxm_CF25UqEufu8S4B_t9Qgii4Vpu-orqYhzsh8cbLrtd7Xq74MePuwiq6NLDunEs0-oroNQ2vz_vUuIgOwW3rrkv1L6IaVBgtpt/s320/Rockwell%20-%20Somebody%201984.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><i>[<b>Who's Watching?</b>] -- </i>I know we are midway through February, but I just had to reach back to the end of January for this week's Flashback. Rockwell's debut album, <i>Somebody's Watching Me</i>, turned 40 years old on January 30, 1984. The title track had been released about a month earlier, and thanks to its catchy hook, and those guest vocals by Michael Jackson and Jermaine Jackson, it rocketed up several charts. In the US alone, "Somebody's Watching Me" peaked at #2 on the US Billboard Hot 100, #1 on the US Hot Black Singles (Billboard), #2 on the US Cash Box Top 100, #3 on US Dance/Disco Top 80 (Billboard), and #31 on US Top Tracks (Billboard). The song also <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Somebody%27s_Watching_Me#Weekly_charts_2">reached</a> the top 40 on charts around the world, if not the top 20. The follow-up single, "Obscene Phone Caller," also reached the top 40 in the US. The third single, a rather forgettable cover of the Beatles' "Taxman," did not chart very well. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">The rest of the album fits somewhere between rock and pop, very much of the times. In fact, I'm surprised unreleased tracks like "Runaway" or "Foreign Country" never got tapped for TV or film. They might not have worked lyrically, but if you take away Rockwell's singing, the remaining instrumentals would be tailor made for cinema ... or maybe video games. There's some really good keyboard and studio work here!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div></div><div style="margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Flashback</b>: <i>Somebody's Watching Me </i>(January 30, 1984)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div></div><center><iframe frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://youtube.com/embed/7YvAYIJSSZY?list=PLyHJj3ZPvG0BVPbJrstzlEA9hxgjaqMoo&si=66pKrb4jJoHRVIsT" width="480"></iframe></center><div style="margin: 0px; text-align: center;"></div><hr style="text-align: center;" width="80%" /><div style="margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><div style="margin: 0px; text-align: start;"><div>And that's all till next week. Dedicated 80s-philes can find more flashbacks in <a href="http://prophetmadman.blogspot.com/search/label/80s%20flashback">the Prophet or Madman archives</a> or via Bookended's <a href="http://bookendedbycats.blogspot.com/search/label/80s%20Flashback">80s Flashback tag</a>. 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.</div></div></div><div style="margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><br />I'll see you in seven!</div></div>Brainwisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05365589218358614091noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4992467450740719419.post-14297639963635362282024-02-13T08:00:00.021-05:002024-02-13T08:00:00.156-05:00Locke and Key - Netflix<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWnQyzOPXLschnjwsaZl5aagS0PbJlVD3PcfZR4SBubrmavFIpPKiKngMskH-IQQ6HX6G7jeiUW5zwc16wD56MOUajdtr9FXjJ-jBBdZuPXUGmr0InFnNOgBGOMczNI6sqAwExTeeOxCWbXzWRlLOoJbh8fzvjd8EtY0lJw3gF9zHs23drhBnjgYfH_5Q/s320/IMG_3039.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="161" data-original-width="320" height="161" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWnQyzOPXLschnjwsaZl5aagS0PbJlVD3PcfZR4SBubrmavFIpPKiKngMskH-IQQ6HX6G7jeiUW5zwc16wD56MOUajdtr9FXjJ-jBBdZuPXUGmr0InFnNOgBGOMczNI6sqAwExTeeOxCWbXzWRlLOoJbh8fzvjd8EtY0lJw3gF9zHs23drhBnjgYfH_5Q/s1600/IMG_3039.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>I have had this on our list probably since the first season (2020). I only know the title and that it was a popular comic book series. We finally started it the other week and we flew threw the 3 seasons as fast as we could. What an incredibly unique story and show.</p><p>I adored Jackson Robert Scott as Bode, he was perfection and we already came in to the show with a love for Connor Jessup (Tyler) from seeing him in Falling Skies and even getting to meet him at SDCC during a signing. But the definite showstopper was Emilia Jones as Kinsey. Holy Moly did that girl have a lot to do and she was spectacular. I LOVED how the 3 siblings stuck together and the love between them was easily felt. </p><p>Darby Stanchfield as the mom Nina was incredible. She had quite the roller coaster of story line and she played it beautifully and realistically. </p><p>We were also pleased to see Aaron Ashmore as Duncan. The Ashmore brothers are two of our favorite actors and I would say we have always loved the shows we have seen them in throughout the years. This was no exception and it may even be one of our most favorite roles yet.</p><p>Petrice Jones as Scot was a joy. His voice and accent were just wonderful and he was an excellent anchor for many parts of the story. Coby Bird as Rufus was also just a lovely character and portrayed so well by Coby. </p><p>As I scroll through IMDB to get the correct actor names, I realize I could write something great about each actor/character. This was a well rounded show for acting and story telling. I had a friend say they just couldn't get into the 2nd season but I can't see how. We LOVED the second season. We just rolled through it all in one day.</p><p>I definitely don't see any loss of interest or story by having not read the source material... and neither has Brainwise (shocking that we have a second show that Brainwise didn't know). Of course that almost makes it more fun to watch because he has to guess too as we go along.</p><p>I will state that season 3 is not 100% the same as the first two seasons and now after reading the differences between the show and the comics, we know why. It doesn't mean it is bad by any means, it is just different and there is a reason. I don't like to give anything away if possible, so I will not say any more :)</p><p>I just love how unique this show is and how great the actors portray their characters. I would actually watch this whole series again and as you know this is usually my meter on how good something is. <br /></p><p>4 paws<br /></p>Dangrdafnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04940599664505953044noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4992467450740719419.post-92139922806583533722024-02-09T17:00:00.009-05:002024-02-09T17:55:54.380-05:00Friday 80s Flashback for February 9, 2024<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4AJT35wzy5Y4djuxRYpknAXHlow4gLSsCoNN9hMFCH6VOWjtQZgPMnq05SapbjNzJvu-RyusULskF4-LLjjc9RFHKtzxV5kDpxmnDCLRvUvFObuKXNIRxnHLADBsmglbYccKhec7X7QrSz-4xiVWHHPtN5_R3tIxwUflJah951ddzd1QhZbTI5AbXpWQa/s600/Ammonia%20Avenue.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="599" data-original-width="600" height="319" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4AJT35wzy5Y4djuxRYpknAXHlow4gLSsCoNN9hMFCH6VOWjtQZgPMnq05SapbjNzJvu-RyusULskF4-LLjjc9RFHKtzxV5kDpxmnDCLRvUvFObuKXNIRxnHLADBsmglbYccKhec7X7QrSz-4xiVWHHPtN5_R3tIxwUflJah951ddzd1QhZbTI5AbXpWQa/s320/Ammonia%20Avenue.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><i>[<b>Industrialized Emotions</b>] -- </i>On February 7, 1984, The Alan Parsons Project released their seventh studio album. <i>Ammonia Avenue</i> is forty years old this week, but its themes are probably still just as timely, even if the album itself shows some of its age. Per Mike DeGagne of AllMusic, this album is all about "how the lines of communication between people are diminishing, and how we as a society grow more spiritually isolated and antisocial." These ideas are strongly borne out in the lyrics of "Prime Time," "Don't Answer Me," and "You Don't Believe," all of which were released as singles. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Notably, for an album dedicated to the depersonalization of technology and industry, there isn't actually much synthesized music. In fact, for a progressive pop album, there are surprisingly moving guitar riffs and saxophone lines, at least I think so. Of course, the studio itself is the primary instrument for this particular artist, and so the recording might, at times, seem far too clean to be emotional, even on vinyl. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>Ammonia Avenue</i> is often regarded as a failure, particular when compared to some earlier recordings by The Alan Parsons Project. <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20030211020117/http://www.rollingstone.com/reviews/cd/review.asp?aid=18070&cf=2746"><i>Rolling Stone</i> trashed it</a>. Still, the album peaked at #15 on the Billboard 200, as well as within the top 20, and even the top 10, of other countries. "Don't Answer Me" reached #15 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and within the top 20 of several other US charts. "Prime Time" reached #34 and "You Don't Believe" fell short of the top 40, peaking at #54. Wikipedia indicates "Since the Last Goodbye" was a minor hit. It is a nice ballad, so some stations might have put it into rotation, but I have not found chart info for it. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Are you an Alan Parsons fan, and do you have an opinion on this record? </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div></div><div style="margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Flashback</b>: <i>Ammonia Avenue </i>(February 7, 1984)</div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><center><iframe frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://youtube.com/embed/Sy7lX-ZbDIU?list=OLAK5uy_lImvUDY72P-552ijjzudlNk7sMbFho7ww&si=jMzjceKT3sDRn1xh" width="480"></iframe></center><div style="margin: 0px; text-align: center;"></div><hr style="text-align: center;" width="80%" /><div style="margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><div style="margin: 0px; text-align: start;"><div>And that's all till next week. Dedicated 80s-philes can find more flashbacks in <a href="http://prophetmadman.blogspot.com/search/label/80s%20flashback">the Prophet or Madman archives</a> or via Bookended's <a href="http://bookendedbycats.blogspot.com/search/label/80s%20Flashback">80s Flashback tag</a>. 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.</div></div></div><div style="margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><br />I'll see you in seven!</div></div>Brainwisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05365589218358614091noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4992467450740719419.post-41472706783737399862024-02-06T07:00:00.014-05:002024-02-06T07:00:00.246-05:00Old Guard - Netflix<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBfkMHiePi8Esbev6ycZ8qc2ynlJPx-Z57-Qu2dl4ws_2i00t_AqBviZWdr0Y8EoacTqRi3VaCVhb4KFth8OjmDpQ8ikiUdil4DJjjKdDN7SjIva3evzcmsslrWNUI9U-ZeV_Cngp6XL9AUeptWF5dMvA5VgmiwxDRW-A92PCdsWRmSXJCEWKthKZ9EwI/s326/IMG_3012.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="326" data-original-width="220" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBfkMHiePi8Esbev6ycZ8qc2ynlJPx-Z57-Qu2dl4ws_2i00t_AqBviZWdr0Y8EoacTqRi3VaCVhb4KFth8OjmDpQ8ikiUdil4DJjjKdDN7SjIva3evzcmsslrWNUI9U-ZeV_Cngp6XL9AUeptWF5dMvA5VgmiwxDRW-A92PCdsWRmSXJCEWKthKZ9EwI/s320/IMG_3012.png" width="216" /></a></div><p></p><p>I had no idea what this movie was about, of course it’s been about 3 years since this was released. I didn’t even remember it was based on a comic book until Brainwise started saying how different scenes looked like the book. </p><p>The number one thing I will say about this movie is that it is ULTRA violent. I mean ULTRA violent. There was quite a lot that I didn’t watch because it was just too much. </p><p>Charlize Theron looked incredible and was superb in this role. The story was very interesting and we found out that a second movie may be coming. I look forward to the story but maybe not the violence. </p><p>Again it was good to see a female main character and a bad a$$ one at that. Kiki Layne was awesome and also very bad a$$ too. I also adored the scene between two of the male characters expressing their love for each other while in quite a bind with the bad guys. </p><p>Such a very different story and incredibly interesting.<br /></p><p>3 paws</p>Dangrdafnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04940599664505953044noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4992467450740719419.post-37916248822221373272024-02-02T13:30:00.002-05:002024-02-02T13:59:44.421-05:00Friday 80s Flashback for February 2, 2024<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMb6_WUe43-5K5X2-vfAzFM2AyJRVUS4qS4cylZMkcj8HZ9qrCfxv-qsq8HhUAaAcFX2Stl-C-Z-FQnL4pECUjfWqeiClYOVMfLQHcKdaRjZTuDDpaq2nJwHvGvT3HALvX2H0EGLYDei97t-a7bpMfQcowqFP3jK_ffmp1Gx9J48zxquCPRDVWwUOHOAWn/s599/Shannon%20-%20Let%20The%20Music%20Play.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="590" data-original-width="599" height="315" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMb6_WUe43-5K5X2-vfAzFM2AyJRVUS4qS4cylZMkcj8HZ9qrCfxv-qsq8HhUAaAcFX2Stl-C-Z-FQnL4pECUjfWqeiClYOVMfLQHcKdaRjZTuDDpaq2nJwHvGvT3HALvX2H0EGLYDei97t-a7bpMfQcowqFP3jK_ffmp1Gx9J48zxquCPRDVWwUOHOAWn/s320/Shannon%20-%20Let%20The%20Music%20Play.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><i>[<b>Love is Still Saying: Let the Music Play</b>] -- </i>Forty years ago this week – on February 1, 1994 – American dance and freestyle singer Shannon released her debut studio album: <i>Let The Music Play</i>. The album peaked at #32 on the Billboard 200, while the title track peaked at #8 on the Billboard Hot 100 as well as #1 on the Billboard dance chart. Not only that, "Let The Music Play" snagged Shannon her first Grammy Award nomination, which was for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance (she lost to Chaka Khan's "I Feel for You" during the 27th Annual Grammy Awards, on February 26, 1985). </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Perhaps you recall "Let The Music Play" from Shannon's <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EN_YJGMvmVQ">appearance</a> on the TV show, <i>Solid Gold</i> (<a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1306803/?ref_=ttfc_fc_cl_i317">Season 4, Episode 23</a>, Feb 25, 1984). Or you might remember the Breakdance Sensation '84 <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yNaSm1314Po">promo video</a>. You might not know that she <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jc62miUgLdg">didn't see royalties from that tune for decades</a> (I know I wasn't aware)! </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div>There were four singles in total released from this album. The next two singles after "Let The Music Play" – "Give Me Tonight" and "My Heart's Divided" – also enjoyed some chart success. "Give Me Tonight" charted on both the Billboard Hot 100 and dance charts, while "My Heart's Divided" charted only on the Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play, but it peaked at #3. The only clunker on this record, in my opinion, is the sixth track, "It's You." But the album bounces back fiercely with "One Man," which could have been a soundtrack or TV theme contender, and then closes out strong with a remix of "Let The Music Play."</div><div><br /></div><div>Let me know if you remember this record. And if you agree with my assessments. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1nPSpsJ2Dy4CiBM6DAWzbnNbbap04fR3KOBK-w9r2rv6QHVOStR2MwfzvVzLfK89ihT1R5Mr4EiZa-RtTyuvreRT5uQy1CJgNm3cOrc2rSweIU2ca1HybNya_UsABJqvVW-mo8o5nTZyPfLA4WYfwFZEGmmuTyIFeyR42wd8jghU6IxbvSlyksMLd1mZi/s599/Shannon%20-%20Let%20The%20Music%20Play%20-%20Back.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="596" data-original-width="599" height="318" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1nPSpsJ2Dy4CiBM6DAWzbnNbbap04fR3KOBK-w9r2rv6QHVOStR2MwfzvVzLfK89ihT1R5Mr4EiZa-RtTyuvreRT5uQy1CJgNm3cOrc2rSweIU2ca1HybNya_UsABJqvVW-mo8o5nTZyPfLA4WYfwFZEGmmuTyIFeyR42wd8jghU6IxbvSlyksMLd1mZi/s320/Shannon%20-%20Let%20The%20Music%20Play%20-%20Back.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div></div><div style="margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Flashback</b>: <i>Let The Music Play </i>(February 1, 1984)</div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><center><iframe frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://youtube.com/embed/_-0sUuGufmw?list=PLWFXGcscwJ3kc-XjTfpYb4bhu82QApyto&si=-BCCtynXS_RCcUJq" width="480"></iframe></center><div style="margin: 0px; text-align: center;"></div><hr style="text-align: center;" width="80%" /><div style="margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-family: times; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"></div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; margin: 0px;">And that's all till next week. Dedicated 80s-philes can find more flashbacks in <a href="http://prophetmadman.blogspot.com/search/label/80s%20flashback">the Prophet or Madman archives</a> or via Bookended's <a href="http://bookendedbycats.blogspot.com/search/label/80s%20Flashback">80s Flashback tag</a>. 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.</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; margin: 0px;"><br /></div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; margin: 0px;">I'll see you in seven!<span style="text-align: center;"> </span></div></div></div>Brainwisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05365589218358614091noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4992467450740719419.post-68371113886376084382024-01-30T07:00:00.014-05:002024-01-30T07:00:00.341-05:00Paper Girls - Amazon Prime<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNBpP0UX5KtpKUwcCHxigVuag8vlapx59Axd5ovGlHfs8IU1ZUlsxojo3_RrRZ4T9vMJxnQPiYxqOHfKQIibqs8fOgntDLMMA6BsQpZuztOs4eGmoPXTfKo32fkJOx4dsFRaYlJMYMDgczrehiUcG0iMqr2HNtD-mDAiKhn9wnqGU745C-d0ap2JUdG-I/s421/IMG_3011.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="237" data-original-width="421" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNBpP0UX5KtpKUwcCHxigVuag8vlapx59Axd5ovGlHfs8IU1ZUlsxojo3_RrRZ4T9vMJxnQPiYxqOHfKQIibqs8fOgntDLMMA6BsQpZuztOs4eGmoPXTfKo32fkJOx4dsFRaYlJMYMDgczrehiUcG0iMqr2HNtD-mDAiKhn9wnqGU745C-d0ap2JUdG-I/s320/IMG_3011.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p>I know this is based on an excellent comic book but I have not read it nor do I know anything about it. But the main characters are girls and I know it is a popular story so I added it to our watch list last year. </p><p>I am so glad I did. What an excellent series!! The girls were fantastic and the story was extra wild but really good. I didn’t have any issue trying to follow along with the story and while I may have missed some tie ins from the comic book series I don’t think it was anything critical. </p><p>It’s good that I felt satisfaction with the ending since it will not have a second season. Not that I wouldn’t watch more if they had gone on but I felt closure with the story as told. </p><p>The casting was incredible. I easily believed the versions we were shown and I wonder how the actors felt looking at versions of themselves. </p><p>The music in this series was awesome too! Lots of "oldies but goodies" :) <br /></p><p>4 paws</p>Dangrdafnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04940599664505953044noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4992467450740719419.post-44058388093356309062024-01-26T20:00:00.001-05:002024-01-26T20:49:29.823-05:00Friday 80s Flashback for January 26, 2024<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGaPXJSsFSckR5kOmKQbR0tCEQ_hZ1fgQ9rFwbaT_W2W66iJYQa6tQ4rE-3Y7NoD-rkXDLNo2D1195GFFP0LAwndV4GZCZUtgiI4m2aQPnQ58NScBw1bdMiswLakhSFSy9HbkfRP-A9ka2mjNz29sH9LoYU8VH-tvqE8yteirOMWx35W87Xbb4NvrSVpXP/s750/Bon%20Jovi%201984%20Debut.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="750" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGaPXJSsFSckR5kOmKQbR0tCEQ_hZ1fgQ9rFwbaT_W2W66iJYQa6tQ4rE-3Y7NoD-rkXDLNo2D1195GFFP0LAwndV4GZCZUtgiI4m2aQPnQ58NScBw1bdMiswLakhSFSy9HbkfRP-A9ka2mjNz29sH9LoYU8VH-tvqE8yteirOMWx35W87Xbb4NvrSVpXP/s320/Bon%20Jovi%201984%20Debut.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>[<b>Runaway</b>] -- </i><i>Bon Jovi</i> was released 40 years ago this week, on January 21, 1984. This was the debut album by the band Bon Jovi led by vocalist Jon Bon Jovi. Confused between album, band, or person? Let me explain a bit more.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Between 1980 and 1984, Jon Bon Jovi (born John Bongiovi) worked at Power Station, a recording studio in Manhattan. The studio had been co-founded by Bon Jovi's cousin, Tony Bongiovi, who probably provided the younger man's entry to the facility. Most stories I heard, as I recall, note that Jon Bon Jovi was mainly a janitor, or held some kind of all-around errands runner position, for the studio. But he had after-hours access, and he recorded several of his own demos there. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">A <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dL6uYNIH1gk">demo for "Runaway"</a> got included on a local radio station's compilation album. After that song got more airplay in the NYC area, Jon Bon Jovi was able to snag a record deal. The label wanted a band name for the contract, and the label's own artists and repertoire department came up with ... Bon Jovi. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Jon Bon Jovi put together the fledgling band lineup with the help of keyboardist David Bryan (who was David Rashbaum at that time). It was Bryan who brought in bassis Alec John Such and drummer Tico Torres. Bon Jovi's (the band, not the person) first lead guitarist was Dave Sabo, but he was replaced by Richie Sambora. This band played on all but one track of the debut album -- yep, "Runaway." The eponymous debut album used a 1982 recording of "Runaway" done with Power Station's studio musicians, The All Star Review.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">"Runaway" was a top 40 hit in the US. The follow-up single, "She Don't Know," peaked at #48 on the Billboard Hot 100. It is also the only song in Bon Jovi's catalog that was not written by a member of the band. Mark Avsec (of Donnie Iris & The Cruisers penned it. <i>Bon Jovi</i>, the album, peaked at #43 on the US Billboard 200. But a solid debut with some commercial success is only part of the popularity formula. The band also had to earn respect on the road. And that wasn't easy with this first record: I recall letters submitted to publications like <i>CIRCUS Magazine</i> that all but asked Bon Jovi to "please run away" -- apparently, some rock fans did not want Bon Jovi opening for their favorite acts.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Still, despite some vocal critics, <i>Bon Jovi</i> was a serviceable and energetic debut. Sure, it wears its lyrical and musical tropes on its sleeve. And just about every song here is about heartache or chasing after someone who caused heartache. But that's part of the charm of early 1980s rock music! So, if you're only familiar with "Runaway," here are a few very subjective notes for you. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">The albums three low points are "Love Lies," "Burning for Love," and "Come Back." I don't recall disliking them in 1984, and they're not truly terrible, but I'm pretty sure I didn't wear out the cassette over them -- except to fast forward to the next song. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">And here are my high points on the record, ranked with the highest first: </div><div style="text-align: left;"><ol style="text-align: left;"><li>"Runaway" (of course)</li><li>"Get Ready" (almost, but not quite, an anthem with its jump-up-and-down chorus exhorting the crowd, repeatedly, to "come on, come on, get ready"</li><li>"Shot Through The Heart" (but surprisingly not about giving love a bad name)</li><li>"Roulette" (a great, driving song)</li><li>"Breakout" (seemed tailor made for an 80s movie) </li><li>"She Don't Know" (a standard song of "she don't even know my name" teen angst, but it's done well)</li></ol></div></div><div style="margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Flashback</b>: <i>Bon Jovi </i>(January 21, 1984)</div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><center><iframe frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://youtube.com/embed/kb2DgAF3egQ?list=OLAK5uy_nmX57NfowQZlOzswyYJ4aHo02j4sDtLu0&si=RAoossgdX95TzJGD" width="480"></iframe></center><div style="margin: 0px; text-align: center;"></div><hr style="text-align: center;" width="80%" /><div style="margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><div style="margin: 0px; text-align: start;"><div>And that's all till next week. Dedicated 80s-philes can find more flashbacks in <a href="http://prophetmadman.blogspot.com/search/label/80s%20flashback">the Prophet or Madman archives</a> or via Bookended's <a href="http://bookendedbycats.blogspot.com/search/label/80s%20Flashback">80s Flashback tag</a>. 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.</div></div></div><div style="margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><br />I'll see you in seven!</div></div>Brainwisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05365589218358614091noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4992467450740719419.post-35898126402467222532024-01-23T07:00:00.041-05:002024-01-23T12:27:37.907-05:00Arcane - Netflix series<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPMXc_BhK7MTT_81qSPadpnXIOPUTNYxgX3KiUc4BWdqmnxyhgclUeuGeNKISEpZ7tUyfO1yWXNSRw5AgctbrALN8B5_mmGqP43H_EdDhsyVGxHcXdHJ9RK0XWdVGDV578E1M9KE_ACiLX2goKuHfIaKbeJ7GdoU512hMYaeDLyVeANGBNR9RvtjvfugU/s485/IMG_3005.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="206" data-original-width="485" height="136" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPMXc_BhK7MTT_81qSPadpnXIOPUTNYxgX3KiUc4BWdqmnxyhgclUeuGeNKISEpZ7tUyfO1yWXNSRw5AgctbrALN8B5_mmGqP43H_EdDhsyVGxHcXdHJ9RK0XWdVGDV578E1M9KE_ACiLX2goKuHfIaKbeJ7GdoU512hMYaeDLyVeANGBNR9RvtjvfugU/s320/IMG_3005.png" width="320" /></a></div><br />We came to see Toks Olagundoye as Mel and we were treated to one of the most incredible shows all around. Seriously, I have nothing negative to say … except I want more. And luckily, while we watched season one, we found out season two is coming this year. <p></p><p>I have zero knowledge about the League of Legends game this is based on but I had no issue following along and easily being in the story. In fact, I was so into the story that when we had to stop watching the first night I couldn’t stop thinking about what happened and what was to come. I was impatiently waiting to get back to the series. </p><p>One of the main things I loved about the series was the music. Both the score and the soundtrack were other characters in the episodes and were integral to the storytelling. </p><p>The animation is like nothing I’ve seen before but then I don’t play any video games. But then I also don’t know if the animation in this series is the same as the game either. </p><p>I think the voice actors for the characters were perfectly matched and I adored Toks as Mel. Her character was so layered and grew during the season, it was a joy to watch and listen. </p><p>4 paws and a tail</p>Dangrdafnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04940599664505953044noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4992467450740719419.post-29919036616010594992024-01-19T13:00:00.001-05:002024-01-19T13:00:52.608-05:00Friday 80s Flashback for January 19, 2024<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu0H7ofwv08hNfkiGrUSyyzUckkjvtJlO1RO6RvB-zi1TFpPPQu6vBAdTFXw3r82im8B2VO1fA2jbugyVGsd-3n1LOpJHY9AUskmujbvsJLV3BQKr9KKfbY_-Zfxnz3ny9SOgE7jz1dve-dConmJcKASzCezr0rQlJFx8G1choFWtoVWANvrO55zsnO0l0/s2560/CAMEO%20-%20Shes%20Strange%20-%20Vinyl.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2539" data-original-width="2560" height="317" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu0H7ofwv08hNfkiGrUSyyzUckkjvtJlO1RO6RvB-zi1TFpPPQu6vBAdTFXw3r82im8B2VO1fA2jbugyVGsd-3n1LOpJHY9AUskmujbvsJLV3BQKr9KKfbY_-Zfxnz3ny9SOgE7jz1dve-dConmJcKASzCezr0rQlJFx8G1choFWtoVWANvrO55zsnO0l0/s320/CAMEO%20-%20Shes%20Strange%20-%20Vinyl.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><i>[<b>Strange Funk</b>] -- </i>40 years ago this week, Cameo released their 10th album, <i>She's Strange</i>. This one topped the Billboard R&B Albums chart (#1), and it peaked at #27 on the Billboard Pop Albums chart, on its way to a Gold certification for netting over 500,000 sales. How did this veteran funk band generate so much success with this record? By retaining their core funk ethos while not being afraid to experiment. Per AllMusic critic Alex Henderson, young audiences in particular were ignoring horn-powered funk in favor of hip-hop and music that employed modern technology. That is, they wanted electro-, but not necessarily eclectic, funk. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Now, Cameo did not completely abandon those funky horns, but they did embrace new tech and rap, using the changing marketplace to fuel their creativity. The end result is a funk record that is laced with rock, slings raps, and even delivers cooldown segues over some lite jazz. Cameo leader Larry Blackmon's fearlessness in the face of change certainly contributed to his band's durability. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Top moments for me: "Talkin' Out The Side Of Your Neck," "Tribute to Bob Marley," and "Leve Toi." But don't sleep on the title track and first single. There's a reason it peaked within the top 50 of the UK Singles and US Billboard Hot 100 charts, as well as reaching the #1 slot at the top of Billboard's US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, where it dominated for four weeks. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div></div><div style="margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Flashback</b>: <i>She's Strange </i>(January 16, 1984)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><br /></i></div></div><center><iframe frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://youtube.com/embed/srlb9uAfnHY?list=OLAK5uy_kDyyLP4ZXhXNnvZdjHzI2piSZ8qe41qcc&si=X-PmVYrOmU3bsrJw" width="480"></iframe></center><div style="margin: 0px; text-align: center;"></div><hr style="text-align: center;" width="80%" /><div style="margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><div style="margin: 0px; text-align: start;"><div>And that's all till next week. Dedicated 80s-philes can find more flashbacks in <a href="http://prophetmadman.blogspot.com/search/label/80s%20flashback">the Prophet or Madman archives</a> or via Bookended's <a href="http://bookendedbycats.blogspot.com/search/label/80s%20Flashback">80s Flashback tag</a>. 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.</div></div></div><div style="margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><br />I'll see you in seven!</div></div>Brainwisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05365589218358614091noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4992467450740719419.post-16949755842723667692024-01-12T18:53:00.001-05:002024-01-12T18:53:27.641-05:00Friday 80s Flashback for January 12, 2024<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinqJMYM6CHNW4D7trmb9BvJeq8xeIsT0tbgtPar5Y_GCs_EL50Du7BwVcFib5smwh9oEbdmpPLL0smGqMHAvbzrRfG1DHfVow1p7HSBwhth9WKLNwbkTgYZZ2JeDRzMBMlEDCuVhJi6JjbTmURIx1RFIlLZfDcoUqVy1Zk1cCCXcqrZda7Qa-m7VCHWNsV/s979/Van%20Halen%201984%20Cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="953" data-original-width="979" height="312" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinqJMYM6CHNW4D7trmb9BvJeq8xeIsT0tbgtPar5Y_GCs_EL50Du7BwVcFib5smwh9oEbdmpPLL0smGqMHAvbzrRfG1DHfVow1p7HSBwhth9WKLNwbkTgYZZ2JeDRzMBMlEDCuVhJi6JjbTmURIx1RFIlLZfDcoUqVy1Zk1cCCXcqrZda7Qa-m7VCHWNsV/s320/Van%20Halen%201984%20Cover.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><i>[<b>Might As Well Jump</b>] -- </i>Van Halen stormed onto charts, radio, and record stores with their 1978 self-titled debut album. By the end of 1983, about a year and a half after they released their fifth studio album, <i>Diver Down</i>, Van Halen was one of the biggest rock bands in the world. Their brand of hard rock – dubbed "high velocity folk music" by vocalist David Lee Roth – was easily recognized. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">And that changed on January 9, 1984, with the release of Van Halen's sixth studio LP, <i>1984</i>.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Well, I guess the change actually came in December 1983. That's when the album's first single, "<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwYN7mTi6HM">Jump</a>," was released. Sure, the song became the band's most successful single, as well as their first to reach the #1 spot on the US Billboard Hot 100. But more important was what that single heralded, which was a change Van Halen's sound, and specifically a change in how guitarist extraordinaire, Eddie Van Halen, would compose and record music. Yes, guitar hero Eddie was playing keyboards and synths. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Now, "Panama" and "Hot For Teacher," the third and fourth singles respectively, were pretty much in the vein of classic Van Halen. But the second single, "I'll Wait," was a synth-laden love song. And the album's title track was a short instrumental that prominently featured synthesizers. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><div><br /></div><div><i>1984</i> peaked at #2 on the Billboard 200, but just couldn't muscle itself out from behind Michael Jackson's <i>Thriller</i>. And although <i>1984</i> was successful, even muscling itself into the hearts, and wallets, of the most diehard Van Halen fans, it marked the end of an era. </div><div><br /></div><div>There had been mounting tensions in the band before <i>1984</i>, particularly between Eddie and Dave. For years, both singer David Lee Roth and Warner Bros. producer Ted Templeman had routinely discouraged Eddie from dabbling too much into keyboards when it came to the band and their sound. <i>1984</i>, in both process and sound, was apparently not a direction Roth wanted to continue down, and he quit the band. LoudWire compiled some of the potential reasons for the split [<a href="https://loudwire.com/why-did-david-lee-roth-leave-van-halen/">September 2003</a>]. American Songwriter points directly at "Jump" as being the starting point for the drama that ended in a rift [<a href="https://americansongwriter.com/the-1984-rift-between-david-lee-roth-and-van-halen/">June 2023</a>]. But so much of these "Why did the band break up?" stories are looking backwards and trying to pull threads together, and even when dealing directly with the people involved, memories are not perfect. </div><div><br /></div><div>But you know what is perfect, at least in my opinion? <i>1984</i>. It came out around the middle of my high school years, and I was swept up in this force of nature masquerading as an album. I wore out both the cassette and an LP. The pop sheen of the more radio-friendly hits rests in a comfortably shaky balance with the glam metal elements. Van Halen wold make more records, with other vocalists and with Dave. And some of those later records rival <i>1984</i>'s success. But they cannot rival <i>1984</i>, or even approach, its status as a milestone. </div><div> </div></div></div><div style="margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Flashback</b>: <i>1984 </i>(January 9, 1984)</div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><center><iframe frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://youtube.com/embed/UM68ZL42hp0?list=OLAK5uy_k-Wp747MeVPu1IxzedbjSKI4X1Jiteh7w&si=x08sbIfw_zyo4DNs" width="480"></iframe></center><div style="margin: 0px; text-align: center;"></div><hr style="text-align: center;" width="80%" /><div style="margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><br /><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-family: times; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"></div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; margin: 0px;">And that's all till next week. Dedicated 80s-philes can find more flashbacks in <a href="http://prophetmadman.blogspot.com/search/label/80s%20flashback">the Prophet or Madman archives</a> or via Bookended's <a href="http://bookendedbycats.blogspot.com/search/label/80s%20Flashback">80s Flashback tag</a>. 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.</div><br />I'll see you in seven!</div></div>Brainwisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05365589218358614091noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4992467450740719419.post-29373361415514160872024-01-10T21:47:00.003-05:002024-01-10T21:47:53.413-05:00Christmas Movies 2023 Part 2<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaQBzl3QXHz3d843X2T9NsgK2HSNyw0gWBgB90IS7s0s8szwHSDD5SlK4FCbBTQw_g1bVG5Nv9O6grvMp8vf313oCKyq35CRzZuz68JsmQUsp4W32YHH8lYqfoii2c2vSb73kk8r-8PbYUiDnRmQR7NFaHzAg1AT0ha1-EvcpZD_ENJpcC875YHv0bkEE/s382/IMG_2926.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="382" data-original-width="258" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaQBzl3QXHz3d843X2T9NsgK2HSNyw0gWBgB90IS7s0s8szwHSDD5SlK4FCbBTQw_g1bVG5Nv9O6grvMp8vf313oCKyq35CRzZuz68JsmQUsp4W32YHH8lYqfoii2c2vSb73kk8r-8PbYUiDnRmQR7NFaHzAg1AT0ha1-EvcpZD_ENJpcC875YHv0bkEE/s320/IMG_2926.jpeg" width="216" /></a></div><br />The Hogfather<p></p><p>When Death and his granddaughter are the most normal part of the show, you know your in for something waaay off the beaten path.</p><p>Brainwise was very excited to watch this three episode miniseries on Amazon Prime. I had zero idea what to expect and even now that it’s finished I’m not sure I still know what I watched. But it was good. Not sure how I know this but I believe it to be true. The less you know, the better it will be for your viewing :)</p><p>3 paws</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhts56GYpCcHZnFmGZrWkbnJw2yhc_ssPoZ1D1ARLfN1UeQLx6RCn20mQnTQPuqLgeeqKfkUMuTzqSCv1LqED3HnO4f66u-aT_RbXgeeHFR3_UBA3_Xzt83nDyq8EN1i2DhEShapwJPn9oiDuj7QpuzuFcQXUwNpb2q0cM3jzzQteP_OShj_Nd5sQuGeKE/s378/IMG_2925.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="378" data-original-width="255" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhts56GYpCcHZnFmGZrWkbnJw2yhc_ssPoZ1D1ARLfN1UeQLx6RCn20mQnTQPuqLgeeqKfkUMuTzqSCv1LqED3HnO4f66u-aT_RbXgeeHFR3_UBA3_Xzt83nDyq8EN1i2DhEShapwJPn9oiDuj7QpuzuFcQXUwNpb2q0cM3jzzQteP_OShj_Nd5sQuGeKE/s320/IMG_2925.jpeg" width="216" /></a></div><p>Candy Cane Lane</p><p>What an incredibly fun romp of a movie. Eddie Murphy and Traci Ellen Ross were perfection together. This was a great family show and I laughed so much. Very clever and different. Definitely would watch this again. </p><p>3 paws </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw751ROUL-9orTaYKQLubiSovnBPhMTthZ1Jv4HllT5SFO6hyphenhyphenXQlTAaUg47_HA-1gg8hER80roX02pbxezmuGMxu2zKwfYXNOp-3q4B503wqDKmXDeeXyJ8Sae9e6y_BCzO22XCfcTCIWQ1HGUX9iPqDsE37my8hfeNiKzbebqMSAZEe4ECBWqaBEBgro/s382/IMG_2946.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="382" data-original-width="261" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw751ROUL-9orTaYKQLubiSovnBPhMTthZ1Jv4HllT5SFO6hyphenhyphenXQlTAaUg47_HA-1gg8hER80roX02pbxezmuGMxu2zKwfYXNOp-3q4B503wqDKmXDeeXyJ8Sae9e6y_BCzO22XCfcTCIWQ1HGUX9iPqDsE37my8hfeNiKzbebqMSAZEe4ECBWqaBEBgro/s320/IMG_2946.png" width="219" /></a></div><div><br /></div>Best Christmas Ever<br /><p>While there is definitely some questionable humor in this movie, I ended up crying in the end. It was a lovely story about friendship and belief in magic. Brandy was lovely in her role and I’m glad they included her singing. I liked the story and it came with some twists and turns too. </p><p>2 paws</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Dangrdafnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04940599664505953044noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4992467450740719419.post-20589022779705096212024-01-05T10:00:00.004-05:002024-01-05T11:10:30.654-05:00Friday 80s Flashback for January 5, 2024<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoRhbVNknvzDingrT836keyt00ncPG-zBIlF_UctasrBT8xhBZc00ErvKtIOpTIl8nMcEPCvQdgX4tanMPVAB52HOEs9vlEqC4qbojWpxS5ogoRALdfDRm2czj3gefLvypthvoT78NLwJ0kV78xyW5e_kVlgFOp3Gl31D9EUEpUGy68g-Q8M7yEED1emHc/s1080/Michael%20Hedges%20and%20Aerial%20Boundaries.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoRhbVNknvzDingrT836keyt00ncPG-zBIlF_UctasrBT8xhBZc00ErvKtIOpTIl8nMcEPCvQdgX4tanMPVAB52HOEs9vlEqC4qbojWpxS5ogoRALdfDRm2czj3gefLvypthvoT78NLwJ0kV78xyW5e_kVlgFOp3Gl31D9EUEpUGy68g-Q8M7yEED1emHc/s320/Michael%20Hedges%20and%20Aerial%20Boundaries.png" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><i>[<b>Bounded Four Decades</b>] --</i> I spent much of 2023 revisiting albums that turned 40 that year. No surprise that I wanted to continue that work in 2024. And this week in 1984 saw a bunch of releases, most of which were even dated January 1. So, I had many options for the first Flashback of 2024. I'd like to tell you I made this week's choice due to a desire to ease into this new year. But, really, it was a memory. A memory of this artist and how I found this album. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I don't recall how I first saw live footage of Michael Hedges performing. My best guess is PBS, via a <a href="https://archive.org/details/windham-hill-live-at-wolf-trap-1986-pbs">Windham Hill concert taped at the Filene Center at Wolf Trap in Vienna, VA</a>. Dad was a Windham Hill fan, and he knew I liked Shadowfax, one of the featured performers. Anyway, during that July 1986 performance that I viewed on TV, Hedges monologued to introduce his song, "<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jN3439l4HR0">Because It's There</a>," briefly told a story about guitar shopping in Texas, and saying that he purchased a "longhorn model" (see 0:20 through 0:59 of the previously linked video). He was referring to a <a href="https://michaelhedges.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/mh_northampton-harpguitar_rpmiller.jpg">harp guitar</a>, the "longhorn" of which was a second, curved neck with additional strings (the "harp" part of the guitar). </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">That performance, and his covers of Dylan's "All Along the Watchtower" and Sheila E.'s "A Love Bizarre," made me a fan. And it led me to track down what he had recorded at Windham Hill. Spoiler: He had not yet put his covers on an album. But, still, this brings me to this week's Flashback. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>Aerial Boundaries</i> was Michael Hedges' second album for Windham Hill, but my first in my reverse chronological order. I somehow skipped 1985's <i>Watching My Life Go By</i> until much later. And, oh, what an experience this record is. Hedges's use of alternate tunings and his two-handed percussive technique wrought more music out of a guitar than I had ever thought a single person could achieve. Though he isn't completely alone: Mike Manring adds fretless bass on "After the Gold Rush" and "Menage a Trois," with Mindy Rosenfeld (whom Hedges had married in August of 1981) joining in with flute on that latter track. Writing for AllMusic, Daniel Gioffre <a href="https://www.allmusic.com/album/aerial-boundaries-mw0000190301">referred to <i>Aerial Boundaries</i></a> as "one of the finest acoustic guitar albums ever made." The reviewer at Windhaming, a site that was dedicated to the first 100 Windham Hill albums, wrote: "This is one of those few albums that served to define a genre by showing all that it is capable of, while simultaneously & immediately appealing to both casual listeners & those most in the know" [<a href="https://michaelhedges.com/aerial-boundaries/">quoted text via michaelhedges.com</a>]. It's an album that, I think, certainly helped define and popularize ambient acoustic music in the mid to late 1980s. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">My favorite tracks: "Aerial Boundaries," "After the Gold Rush," "Spare Change," and "The Magic Farmer."</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div></div><div style="margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Flashback</b>: <i>Aerial Boundaries</i> (January 1, 1984)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><br /></i></div></div><center><iframe frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://youtube.com/embed/Y2OXjl_xqQ8?list=PLDA7CCE512D7005BE&si=7GzF6OBKNkmttMYX" width="480"></iframe></center><div style="margin: 0px; text-align: center;"></div><hr style="text-align: center;" width="80%" /><div style="margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><br /><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-family: times; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"></div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; margin: 0px;">And that's all till next week. Dedicated 80s-philes can find more flashbacks in <a href="http://prophetmadman.blogspot.com/search/label/80s%20flashback">the Prophet or Madman archives</a> or via Bookended's <a href="http://bookendedbycats.blogspot.com/search/label/80s%20Flashback">80s Flashback tag</a>. 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.</div><br />I'll see you in seven!</div></div>Brainwisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05365589218358614091noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4992467450740719419.post-73895434922293800572023-12-29T15:00:00.001-05:002023-12-29T15:36:02.167-05:00Friday 80s Flashback for December 29, 2023<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPnN34JpW_UIc-qoUyQoyslXXvRMrYRkRTAIfkCNLe5td0BcUEA_yxeuAiH1UZtBGYRoQS7_gGKye-H-fVMGDRvePtAJb_Luoxf2DPHxgHv9S9eiXMc6f6yrh5fRlCmnUwLTLfDwq3rT9IQfqhqJo3yLPGJLlO3R4BL-gJikpt5Xh8BMBGBEemND4hCfGb/s599/Slade%20Kamikaze.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="586" data-original-width="599" height="313" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPnN34JpW_UIc-qoUyQoyslXXvRMrYRkRTAIfkCNLe5td0BcUEA_yxeuAiH1UZtBGYRoQS7_gGKye-H-fVMGDRvePtAJb_Luoxf2DPHxgHv9S9eiXMc6f6yrh5fRlCmnUwLTLfDwq3rT9IQfqhqJo3yLPGJLlO3R4BL-gJikpt5Xh8BMBGBEemND4hCfGb/s320/Slade%20Kamikaze.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>[<b>A Forty Year Syndrome</b>] -- </i>We've come to the final Flashback post of 2023. Over the past year, we've revisited albums that were released in 1983 and therefore turned 40 years old this year. I've tried my best to coordinate each week with a release date from 40 years ago. Sometimes that wasn't feasible, but in those cases I made due with a record that would have been forty by that particular date. There were plenty of albums released in 1983, but not all of them were ... memorable. Or, maybe it's that I didn't find certain records particularly memorable or noteworthy, and I get to make the selections, right? </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">So, this week, to close out 2023, I'm bringing you an album that was released early in December 1983: Slade's eleventh studio album, <i>The Amazing Kamikaze Syndrome</i>. Neither this album nor any of its singles charted in the US. But the album was successful across Europe, peaking in the top 20 of Austria, Finland, Germany, Norway, Sweden, and Switzerland. It also peaked at #49 and #2 in the UK Albums and UK Heavy Metal Albums charts respectively.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">But, hold up, weren't "Run Runaway" and "My Oh MY" top 40 hits in the US? Well, yes. But not from <i>The Amazing Kamikaze Syndrome. </i>You see, in their infinite wisdom, the record label released an additional version of <i>The Amazing Kamikaze Syndrome</i>, repackaged for the USA and Canadian markets. That March 1984 album was titled <i><a href="https://www.discogs.com/master/233035-Slade-Keep-Your-Hands-Off-My-Power-Supply">Keep Your Hands Off My Power Supply</a></i>, and it switched out "Cocky Rock Boys (Rule O.K.)" and "Razzle Dazzle Man" from the 1983 release for "Keep Your Hands Off My Power Supply" and "Can't Tame a Hurricane" (a song I quite like, by the way). And it was that 1984 album that successfully launched those singles onto the charts, enabling Slade to finally have their breakthrough in the states (outside of <a href="https://ig.ft.com/life-of-a-song/cum-on-feel-the-noize.html">Quiet Riot</a> <a href="https://2loud2oldmusic.com/2017/10/11/the-original-vs-the-cover-cum-on-feel-the-noize/">covering their songs</a>, that is). </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Anyway, whenever it was released, "<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AlwA5GLBmJM">My Oh My</a>" is a great tune to close out the year:</div><div style="text-align: left;"><div><i></i></div></div><blockquote><div style="text-align: left;"><div><div><i>We all need someone to talk to my oh my</i></div><div><i>We all need someone to talk to my oh my</i></div><div><i>Ya need a shoulder to cry on, call me I'll be standing by</i></div><div><i>We all need someone to talk to my oh my</i></div><div><br /></div><div>...<span style="text-align: center;"> </span></div></div></div></blockquote><blockquote><div style="text-align: left;"><div><div><i>So let's all swing together my oh my</i></div><div><i>We can all swing together my oh my</i></div><div><i>You've got troubles on your own, no need to face them all alone</i></div><div><i>We can all swing together my oh my</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i>So let's all pull together my oh my.</i></div><div><br /></div></div></div></blockquote></div><div style="margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Flashback</b>: <i>The Amazing Kamikaze Syndrome </i>(December 3, 1983)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div></div><center><iframe frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://youtube.com/embed/2aN9nN-6Oy4?list=PLSq0GUdFlNxmafTUaRoROllV-omKcMM80&si=0yuadcIR6o9XlyPg" width="480"></iframe></center><div style="margin: 0px; text-align: center;"></div><hr style="text-align: center;" width="80%" /><div style="margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><br /><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-family: times; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"></div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; margin: 0px;">And that's all till next week. Dedicated 80s-philes can find more flashbacks in <a href="http://prophetmadman.blogspot.com/search/label/80s%20flashback">the Prophet or Madman archives</a> or via Bookended's <a href="http://bookendedbycats.blogspot.com/search/label/80s%20Flashback">80s Flashback tag</a>. 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.</div><br />I'll see you in seven!</div></div>Brainwisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05365589218358614091noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4992467450740719419.post-15850073718671395762023-12-22T19:00:00.001-05:002023-12-22T19:41:08.852-05:00Friday 80s Flashback for December 22, 2023<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipIZK7Xb_Bp8_a9aHOF5i6EN7fD3zj7hVqgO-PYacjy0G_CfDZQCgz72QBdjsIVPrJ7NxNMXzpgg-RMvHzXdq-eREOMc7a7BKj32rgRfh1Xyxb20N6K3xTHly-cBqa5aKWXwtBAF1ydJZrc6OvARJ2gEtrxeZciQdXlynX8ztu6ldprELIOEz3FVG9Sqk4/s226/The%20Three%20O'Clock%20Sixteen%20Tambourines.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="226" data-original-width="223" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipIZK7Xb_Bp8_a9aHOF5i6EN7fD3zj7hVqgO-PYacjy0G_CfDZQCgz72QBdjsIVPrJ7NxNMXzpgg-RMvHzXdq-eREOMc7a7BKj32rgRfh1Xyxb20N6K3xTHly-cBqa5aKWXwtBAF1ydJZrc6OvARJ2gEtrxeZciQdXlynX8ztu6ldprELIOEz3FVG9Sqk4/w316-h320/The%20Three%20O'Clock%20Sixteen%20Tambourines.jpeg" width="316" /></a></div><div style="margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><i>[<b>Salvation O'Clock</b>] -- </i>The Three O'Clock was previously the band called The Salvation Army. And they had released a self-titled album in 1982, but as you might have guessed, they had some legal woes with that name. So, they changed their name to the "<a href="https://www.allmusic.com/artist/the-salvation-army-mn0000830850#biography">meaningless but suitably psychedelic the Three O'Clock</a>." That makes <i>Sixteen Tambourines</i> the quartet's second studio album even though it is the first album released under this particular band name. Wikipedia cites the release date as October 1983, but AOTY has it as December 1983. Either way, it's another album that turned 40 years old this year. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Along with the band's name change came a change in personnel. Only Louis Gutierrez (guitar) and Michael Quercio (vocals and bass) were part of the previous ensemble. They brought in a new drummer (Danny Benair) and added a keyboardist (Mike Mariano). The result? That depends on whom you ask. The album received mixed reviews, either being hailed or dismissed. Me? I'm a fan. I can't quite get enough of 1960s-era paisley in the 1980s. Your mileage, however, might vary. I mean, it's not like the album launched any hit singles or even charted. But I find it to be an enjoyable and bouncy listen. I particularly enjoy "Stupid Einstein," "And So We Run," "Fall to the Ground," and "In My Own Time." </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Give <i>Sixteen Tambourines</i> a whirl and let me know what you think. </div></div><div style="margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Flashback</b>: <i>Sixteen Tambourines </i>(sometime between October and December 1983)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><br /></i></div></div><center><iframe frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://youtube.com/embed/yZK3PGtb-To?list=OLAK5uy_lfTqTrZCYE3HcCb_ZVSEiMzng9XEVv2bo&si=KoiP0Vrvyr13LgWV" width="480"></iframe></center><div style="margin: 0px; text-align: center;"></div><hr style="text-align: center;" width="80%" /><div style="margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><br /><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-family: times; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"></div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; margin: 0px;">And that's all till next week. Dedicated 80s-philes can find more flashbacks in <a href="http://prophetmadman.blogspot.com/search/label/80s%20flashback">the Prophet or Madman archives</a> or via Bookended's <a href="http://bookendedbycats.blogspot.com/search/label/80s%20Flashback">80s Flashback tag</a>. 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.</div><br />I'll see you in seven!</div></div>Brainwisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05365589218358614091noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4992467450740719419.post-24993325963942869162023-12-19T07:00:00.001-05:002023-12-19T07:00:00.147-05:00Christmas Movies 2023 Part 1<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;">Dashing Through The Snow - Disney +</span></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghyphenhyphenBrLCJMxA65ArHO44Mc59oti9jtcU2c4acsUnwdggmqQhvFAXbSKYUPKtsgdFqS0-l4sc3IiaOo1FwkRrj5A_hD06U5JSd0COF-psdldqltnwXoOIA9bGw94AK4Qxma9wBMtprH5GgDZpWvKCeFN9lCTMgpYcvFhGTLmF0uVd8rUVDCS-awamGdqqkc/s378/IMG_2833.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="378" data-original-width="255" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghyphenhyphenBrLCJMxA65ArHO44Mc59oti9jtcU2c4acsUnwdggmqQhvFAXbSKYUPKtsgdFqS0-l4sc3IiaOo1FwkRrj5A_hD06U5JSd0COF-psdldqltnwXoOIA9bGw94AK4Qxma9wBMtprH5GgDZpWvKCeFN9lCTMgpYcvFhGTLmF0uVd8rUVDCS-awamGdqqkc/s320/IMG_2833.jpeg" width="216" /></a></div><p>Ludacris in a Christmas movie?? Yes, please. He is a joy in this role. I absolutely loved everything about what he brought to this role. He was a great Dad, wonderful social worker, and hilarious all around.</p><p>Madison Skye Validum, as the daughter Charlotte, was splendid and radiant. She just oozed happy and I would love to spend a day with her just to feel her joyous personality. She is an excellent actress too and brought everything needed to make her role believable and enjoyable.</p><p>Lil Red Howery was the incredible Nick, whose wardrobe was incredible. He was perfection in this role and think he got completely lost in the role as I had a hard time deciphering/rectifying who he was under the gorgeous robe.</p><p>I highly recommend this joyful movie that helps us all believe just little more in the goodness of this world and the magic we can find if we just look.</p><p>3 paws</p><p><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;">Family Switch - Netflix</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgreggNOO7qGOVDiapB8qcg0FSYSQB2Uem7bEIFAwsXdRO8PkybbifwjM_a1ybo39vepIOCsqQheTkeNwxQsV0KYEtbd4oUu8GbHLTCkqFo8dynEalRX0dDx1VMyhpxcKIWU4FkUNZZC6i8_vhGr9RNGRrEaKBCUjjbIL-3NrwZViFhrOTpyJp977nLH1I/s378/IMG_2834.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="378" data-original-width="255" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgreggNOO7qGOVDiapB8qcg0FSYSQB2Uem7bEIFAwsXdRO8PkybbifwjM_a1ybo39vepIOCsqQheTkeNwxQsV0KYEtbd4oUu8GbHLTCkqFo8dynEalRX0dDx1VMyhpxcKIWU4FkUNZZC6i8_vhGr9RNGRrEaKBCUjjbIL-3NrwZViFhrOTpyJp977nLH1I/s320/IMG_2834.jpeg" width="216" /></a></div><p>Jennifer Gardner and Ed Helms were hilarious and perfect in this movie. Emma Myers and Brady Noon were wonderful as their children in this movie. Except for one too over the top scene (and many might say there is more than just one), I thoroughly enjoyed this movie.</p><p>Light and heavy all at once. A clever switcheroo that seriously looked so much fun to film. I can't imagine how much laughing there must have been on the set.</p><p>And even though you can figure the story out, it doesn't detract from the fun and the laughter that will be found during the movie. There is also an excellent rendition of Santa Claus is Coming to Town!!</p><p>3 paws <br /></p><p><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;">Merry Little Batman - Amazon Prime</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix-deiR1N6YXyyRK4Oi-D5hUuLthIPn9PEDfV6scTVYl4c4dfBFAC8ErZXQWYM51lmMGUBuhcdhhlstMmDr-_3vrp8Mbl4ahNqdeMjdNcQugQpJg737allDjevkWlXMbWmtDKQPNeeJNBmOTOkn82ZhvDRgZm8khL-S9fLlHmBTC43bPfGKd3RbkSL618/s349/IMG_2835.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="349" data-original-width="286" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix-deiR1N6YXyyRK4Oi-D5hUuLthIPn9PEDfV6scTVYl4c4dfBFAC8ErZXQWYM51lmMGUBuhcdhhlstMmDr-_3vrp8Mbl4ahNqdeMjdNcQugQpJg737allDjevkWlXMbWmtDKQPNeeJNBmOTOkn82ZhvDRgZm8khL-S9fLlHmBTC43bPfGKd3RbkSL618/s320/IMG_2835.jpeg" width="262" /></a></div><p>Cute, funny, clever, fun and perfect for any DC or Batman fan.</p><p>I especially loved the change in animation for part of the story. It was perfect for conveying what was happening and definitely made me watch even more intently. </p><p>There are a few scenes that could have been shorter but overall it was a fun and very different Christmas show. </p><p>2 paws</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Dangrdafnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04940599664505953044noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4992467450740719419.post-52000201735093198872023-12-15T10:00:00.001-05:002023-12-15T10:00:00.149-05:00Friday 80s Flashback for December 15, 2023<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZrjKvznh9MmRpN03jSL8-82cV2rjSWtqE6PEksz8Iun9w0g7sAy_M28DEzcnGQ_49e4xKohTPkBVrtxmq7WZiLIdpY-D0tjMQQOlxHWXm_eOHyOhofmGSxlxTVswz8ms0PM78NJ0SBJgGn9PAZ3AlS6kR48PQbZh_saXgf8dPjHiEdgXJkgVYr4FklOky/s599/Accept%20-%20Balls%20to%20the%20Wall.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="592" data-original-width="599" height="316" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZrjKvznh9MmRpN03jSL8-82cV2rjSWtqE6PEksz8Iun9w0g7sAy_M28DEzcnGQ_49e4xKohTPkBVrtxmq7WZiLIdpY-D0tjMQQOlxHWXm_eOHyOhofmGSxlxTVswz8ms0PM78NJ0SBJgGn9PAZ3AlS6kR48PQbZh_saXgf8dPjHiEdgXJkgVYr4FklOky/s320/Accept%20-%20Balls%20to%20the%20Wall.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><i>[<b>Not Christmas Balls</b>] -- </i>Is December a good time to release an album? Bigger artists with major labels might use the 4th quarter to take advantage of a retail spike that occurs during the holidays, especially if they have a song about the New Year, Christmas, etc. Of course the market is super saturated at the end of the year, more now than it ever was in the 1980s. So, a recording artist probably needs something with a holiday or end-of-the-year vibe to do well.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">At least, that is the conventional music marketing wisdom. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Enter German heavy metal band Accept. Into the bluster of the holiday season, they released their fifth studio album, <i>Balls to the Wall</i>. And, no, we're not talking about Christmas balls. The European release was 40 years ago last week – on December 5, 1983 – while the US release was delayed a month until January 1984. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>Balls to the Wall</i> was Accept's biggest commercial success, continuing to drive down the road that their previous release, <i>Restless and Wild</i>, had opened. One of this album's achievements was being Accept's first album to chart in the US; it peaked at #74 on the Billboard 200. Another achievement as that of being notorious and the band's most sexually charged album [<a href="https://www.allmusic.com/album/balls-to-the-wall-mw0000200991">per the AllMusic review</a>]. And then there was the <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120208060614/http://www.martinpopoff.com/html/yeold_archives/accept.html">gay metal</a> "controversy," which likely fueled some popularity or at least generated additional PR for the record. I mean, look at the cover image and listen to "London Leatherboys." </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Guitarist Wolf Hoffmann downplayed the supposed controversy, later calling out Americans as overly uptight about sex and sexuality. But the best comment came from Accept's drummer, Stefan Kauffman: </div><div style="text-align: left;"><i></i></div><blockquote><div style="text-align: left;"><i>"It's a phenomenon that should be taken into consideration. Because it exists on a wide scale and should be demystified. In fact, this is a phenomenon of society that needs to be taken as such. For a long time gay people have been considered as sick or insane. And yet, it's time to respect these people, open our minds which are often closed." </i>[1983, p. 9. <a href="http://france.metal.museum.free.fr/revues/enfer_magazine/07/page_09.htm">Archives of Enfer Magazine</a> (in French)]</div><div style="text-align: left;"></div></blockquote><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Whether Accept was ... more accepting ... than others on the metal scene, or simply trying to be controversial for the sake of being controversial, their album is considered a classic of the heavy metal genre. And it is about as far as you can get from holiday songs and carols, if you need a break from that kind of thing. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">In addition to the single, check out "Fight It Back," "Head Over Heels," and, one of my faves, "Losing More Than You've Ever Had."</div></div><div style="margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Flashback</b>: <i>Balls to the Wall </i>(December 5, 1983)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><br /></i></div></div><center><iframe frameborder="0" height="270" src="https://youtube.com/embed/XkuhP0WM3Rg?si=Ynlf2Mn8CGmTFxFM" width="480"></iframe></center><div style="margin: 0px; text-align: center;"></div><hr style="text-align: center;" width="80%" /><div style="margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><br /><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-family: times; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"></div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; margin: 0px;">And that's all till next week. Dedicated 80s-philes can find more flashbacks in <a href="http://prophetmadman.blogspot.com/search/label/80s%20flashback">the Prophet or Madman archives</a> or via Bookended's <a href="http://bookendedbycats.blogspot.com/search/label/80s%20Flashback">80s Flashback tag</a>. 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.</div><br />I'll see you in seven!</div></div>Brainwisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05365589218358614091noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4992467450740719419.post-74978047250617135032023-12-12T20:34:00.000-05:002023-12-12T20:34:01.188-05:00America’s Tallest Singing Christmas Tree<p> Yes, the title is true and it is spectacular.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFB9g-qpuiV0S20xs7i0V6V2fhZwOxV2vLRwUDp_rjBVhjt6mknKVJNxlZi_ZlnkVhAbYZEGoCP_N_T9BiZC-MoT1WOpQhogAVFJZEHnEdjWnpY7L2n78jMjgHruVWdASHOXCJtC0JDfEPIx-0cItXt3AeA3eCyYrh5nOa0sZiwd5FOHBqlx_wEz4zBK8/s4032/IMG_2589.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFB9g-qpuiV0S20xs7i0V6V2fhZwOxV2vLRwUDp_rjBVhjt6mknKVJNxlZi_ZlnkVhAbYZEGoCP_N_T9BiZC-MoT1WOpQhogAVFJZEHnEdjWnpY7L2n78jMjgHruVWdASHOXCJtC0JDfEPIx-0cItXt3AeA3eCyYrh5nOa0sZiwd5FOHBqlx_wEz4zBK8/s320/IMG_2589.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwhNGtn46s5CS3ZXLfBuTQtQyKBvT3J373zw6tbiHuWeQY_0011lFLM0jlBJg5wIxZtLk3S5_pyuGcWIihRh6yLY0TtwjRr1gff85OWd_kKniaLhpdPNv1q__in6F937JxqtXoldHfg48oVfIS31IJGASmzkTz9wJPU1ohMQs7WO9zCkxLIv326oWKtMM/s3883/IMG_2596.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3883" data-original-width="2912" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwhNGtn46s5CS3ZXLfBuTQtQyKBvT3J373zw6tbiHuWeQY_0011lFLM0jlBJg5wIxZtLk3S5_pyuGcWIihRh6yLY0TtwjRr1gff85OWd_kKniaLhpdPNv1q__in6F937JxqtXoldHfg48oVfIS31IJGASmzkTz9wJPU1ohMQs7WO9zCkxLIv326oWKtMM/s320/IMG_2596.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div><p>And these are all high school students from Mona Shores High School in Michigan. </p><p>I first heard about it a few years ago on TV and put in the list of things I wanted to do. Then two years ago a comic con friend of ours posted about it and I had to know how she knew about. Crazily enough they live in the area and her husband works at the school. I told her that we wanted to visit to see the tree. </p><p>Fast forward to earlier this year and we find out both her children would be part of the orchestra for the Tree. Right then and there we started making plans to visit and see the show. </p><p>We arrived Thursday in Grand Rapids Michigan and then drove to Muskegon Michigan to check in across the street from the theater. </p><p>Saturday we went to the 3pm show and had seats in the lower balcony. There are no words to describe how incredible the show is. They played and sang so many of my favorite songs and the ones I didn’t know are now favorites too. The kids put everything in to the show and we loved it so much we bought tickets to the 7pm show too. The seats this time were not together and we had a person in the last row of each section so now I want to see it from the orchestra seats I might have to go back for the 40th anniversary!! </p><p>They live streamed the 7pm show and we are told it might replay at Christmas. I hope so because I would love to see it again. </p><p>If you ever find yourself in Muskegon Michigan the first weekend of December I highly recommend this show. </p><p>4 paws and a tail with a jingle bell collar </p>Dangrdafnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04940599664505953044noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4992467450740719419.post-32279499369202492002023-12-08T10:30:00.000-05:002023-12-08T10:46:44.685-05:00Friday 80s Flashback for December 8, 2023<div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQFvuAlrZFhX0hLwnDqVJdaOqb-hx0_NAsgb1EL0A8JnzeTFN-VEC5gTa4lVk9cdRBCbICawPpRuhV0U1aJqHiBUq1Bge4hqKxkv2deeYc1XgDV29y5Uev-2naQ2-HnrM6DevGhYSJLN35uzZu8wGOu7DTde9AWkVGxEFhaXQPRh3avOTGX2U0QHLTECgn/s600/Japanese%20Whispers.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="588" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQFvuAlrZFhX0hLwnDqVJdaOqb-hx0_NAsgb1EL0A8JnzeTFN-VEC5gTa4lVk9cdRBCbICawPpRuhV0U1aJqHiBUq1Bge4hqKxkv2deeYc1XgDV29y5Uev-2naQ2-HnrM6DevGhYSJLN35uzZu8wGOu7DTde9AWkVGxEFhaXQPRh3avOTGX2U0QHLTECgn/s320/Japanese%20Whispers.jpg" width="314" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;"><i>[<b>Demented Pop Cure</b>] -- </i>Forty years ago this week, The Cure released <i>Japanese Whispers</i>. It was their second compilation album, but their sixth album overall. <i>Japanese Whispers</i> consisted of three previously-released, standalone singles and the B-sides to those singles. All three singles – "Let's Go to Bed," "The Walk," and "The Love Cats" – were a 180° turn away from the darkness and gloom of The Cure's 1982 release, <i>Pronography</i> (misspelling intended). That was a gutsy move given that, despite the initial poor reviews, <i>Pronography</i> had been a commercial success; it was their most popular album up to that point. However, <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/features/the-cure-pornography-album-robert-smith-glastonbury-festival-pyramid-stage-a8977831.html">recording <i>Pronography</i> had been a terrible experience</a>, all but bringing the band to a total collapse. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Only Robert Smith and Lol Tolhurst, The Cure's the two founding members, were involved in writing and recording <i>Japanese Whispers</i>. So, the switch to a brighter and more pop-friendly sound might have been a calculated move, and a necessary one for The Cure's collective health and longevity. It's not completely bright and poppy. I think both "Just One Kiss" and "La Ment" sound decidedly at a midpoint between the gloom of <i>Pronography</i> and the brightness of <i>Japanese Whispers</i>. And either one of them could have been a single, too.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">In my mind, <i>Japanese Whispers</i> comes across as the love-child of synthpop and gothic rock. I mean that in the best possible way, if such a way is possible. This album feels like Smith and Tolhurst were experimenting with how to write pop songs, feeling their way from what The Cure had been to what it could become. So, of course, the results are kind of demented, but they work. And the tonal and lyrical shifts here set the band's direction for the next several albums. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Flashback</b>: <i>Japanese Whispers </i>(December 6, 1983)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><br /></i></div></div><center><iframe frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://youtube.com/embed/TQUYbLJriNk?list=OLAK5uy_mmvlao_y3N0z0QKDLWohga1TGplvxjOis&si=mqM0zk37jJYTX9GG" width="480"></iframe></center><div style="margin: 0px;"></div><hr width="80%" /><div style="margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-family: times; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"></div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; margin: 0px;">And that's all till next week. Dedicated 80s-philes can find more flashbacks in <a href="http://prophetmadman.blogspot.com/search/label/80s%20flashback">the Prophet or Madman archives</a> or via Bookended's <a href="http://bookendedbycats.blogspot.com/search/label/80s%20Flashback">80s Flashback tag</a>. 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.</div><br />I'll see you in seven!</div></div></div><div><br /></div>Brainwisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05365589218358614091noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4992467450740719419.post-12529366659473263802023-12-01T16:15:00.001-05:002023-12-01T16:30:04.582-05:00Friday 80s Flashback for December 1, 2023<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYz3bqUyhnowrO92RHbbBwwbTwDUXHA5VIs2__euE0_RaZh72u6idNYpV2ksiKTv69N6WrQTUkR39MuV5iZ17Z1AKiaihe8WkddRbDDFzpXu3kJtu9-BVjRm6U_vHEw0MXJFYizu5RmqFz7aqUXIv_ybfg35xHwoRKKdWFQ5kRSTqmxTM62yZG0UVOglvd/s599/Eurythmics%20Touch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="547" data-original-width="599" height="292" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYz3bqUyhnowrO92RHbbBwwbTwDUXHA5VIs2__euE0_RaZh72u6idNYpV2ksiKTv69N6WrQTUkR39MuV5iZ17Z1AKiaihe8WkddRbDDFzpXu3kJtu9-BVjRm6U_vHEw0MXJFYizu5RmqFz7aqUXIv_ybfg35xHwoRKKdWFQ5kRSTqmxTM62yZG0UVOglvd/s320/Eurythmics%20Touch.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><i>[<b>A 40-Year-Old Touch</b>] -- </i>It's the first of December, but November is hanging on a little bit longer. At least for this week's Flashback. Eurythmics released their third studio album, <i>Touch</i>, on November 26, 1983. That is per the listing at AOTY; Wikipedia has a release date of November 14, 1983. Either way, this record is 40 years old by now, and it's fair game for a Flashback!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">By this point in their career, Eurythmics were an international success. And <i>Touch</i> just continued their critical and commercial success. All three singles – "Who's That Girl?," "Right by Your Side," and "Here Comes the Rain Again" – all reached the top 10 of the UK Singles Chart. In the US, "Who's That Girl?" and "Right by Your Side" peaked within the top 30 of the Billboard Hot 100, while "Here Comes the Rain Again" peaked at #4. "Here Comes the Rain Again" was probably helped by its cool and atmospheric music video which featured Lennox exploring a cliff and an abandoned cottage. All the singles are great, but I'm partial to "<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2l2E_tHb8Vo">No Fear, No Hate, No Pain (No Broken Hearts)</a>."</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>Touch</i> has aged far more gracefully than other records of that decade. And it is still appreciated; it was twice listed in <i>Rolling Stone</i>'s "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time," first in 2003, and again in <a href="https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/500-greatest-albums-of-all-time-156826/eurythmics-touch-47932/">2012</a>. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div></div><div style="margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Flashback</b>: <i>Touch </i>(Nov 26, 1983)</div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><center><iframe frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://youtube.com/embed/pohZ0dqaP64?list=OLAK5uy_kvxDW_xtezI07aCQCJwLIwZsTPTk1j3tE&si=Py2GktSLkDstdkI5" width="480"></iframe></center><div style="margin: 0px; text-align: center;"></div><hr style="text-align: center;" width="80%" /><div style="margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-family: times; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"></div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; margin: 0px;">And that's all till next week. Dedicated 80s-philes can find more flashbacks in <a href="http://prophetmadman.blogspot.com/search/label/80s%20flashback">the Prophet or Madman archives</a> or via Bookended's <a href="http://bookendedbycats.blogspot.com/search/label/80s%20Flashback">80s Flashback tag</a>. 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.</div><br />I'll see you in seven!</div></div>Brainwisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05365589218358614091noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4992467450740719419.post-35383860411196192402023-11-24T20:00:00.002-05:002024-02-21T07:48:16.521-05:00Friday 80s Flashback for November 24, 2023<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSwVD6XciPmTv9o1rYYMkZC-oXmtx8bvH74mRQupsIaiQ7_i41IrM7HpcIt6fOFK9vBFa-BP0TFYRcNZhs8Qd3xtNsDyVtLwnWqz_7cycKdiWhHbQgnSfl4s9UNUuZyjqvuoYQzkPNeCoUJV6Qitmwn19I6HfNJusiqiDI-qNW4kGxpSQA-sgHiRi88Lna/s1920/7%20and%20the%20Blood%20Red%20Sky.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1920" data-original-width="1920" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSwVD6XciPmTv9o1rYYMkZC-oXmtx8bvH74mRQupsIaiQ7_i41IrM7HpcIt6fOFK9vBFa-BP0TFYRcNZhs8Qd3xtNsDyVtLwnWqz_7cycKdiWhHbQgnSfl4s9UNUuZyjqvuoYQzkPNeCoUJV6Qitmwn19I6HfNJusiqiDI-qNW4kGxpSQA-sgHiRi88Lna/s320/7%20and%20the%20Blood%20Red%20Sky.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><i>[<b>Seven and the Blood Red Sky</b>] -- </i>For the second time this month, I find myself unable, or simply unwilling, to select a single album to highlight. So, you and I will briefly revisit two seminal releases that turn 40 years old this week. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">First up, <i>Seven and the Ragged Tiger</i>. Duran Duran's third studio album, <i>Seven and the Ragged Tiger</i> hit charts in the UK and the US on November 21, 1983. According to vocalist Simon LeBon (<a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20190224002141/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/duran-duran-middle-class-heroes-64193/">quoted in <i>Rolling Stone</i>, February 2, 1984</a>), the title refers to seven people chasing after success: "The Seven is for us – the five band members and the two managers. The Ragged Tiger is success. Seven people running after success. It’s ambition." </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">And while initial reviews were negative, this album was definitely a commercial success. <i>Seven and the Ragged Tiger</i> was Duran Duran's first album to reach the #1 position on UK charts, and it also peaked at #8 in the US. It went platinum in in the UK, US (twice), and Canada (three times!). The three singles rank among the band's most popular songs: "Union of the Snake," "New Moon on Monday," and "The Reflex." The first two singles were top ten hits in both the UK and the US. But the third single, as remixed by Chic’s Nile Rodgers, peaked at #1 in the UK, US, Belgium, Eurochart, and the Netherlands. It was Duran Duran's first #1 single and a global hit. All three of those singles shine, especially "New Moon on Monday," but the unreleased tracks also deliver. In particular, I would lift up "(I'm Looking For) Cracks in the Pavement" and "Crimes as Passion" as hidden gems. See the YouTube playlist below, under <a href="#flashback1">Flashback #1</a>. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">This week's second recording, U2's <i>Under a Blood Red Sky</i>, also had a UK release date of November 21, 1983. In the US, it was released on November 22, 1983. This was a live album compiling songs from three concerts, all during the band's <a href="https://www.u2.com/tour/index/tour/id/42">War Tour</a> in 1983. Only one single was released: The performance of <i>Boy</i>'s <span style="white-space: normal;"><span style="text-align: center;">"I Will Follow" recorded in </span><span style="text-align: center;">Germany. <i>Under a Blood Red Sky</i> peaked at #2 on the </span></span>UK Albums chart and at #28 on the US Billboard Top LPs & Tapes chart. It also peaked within, or near, the top 40 of album charts around the world. <i>Rolling Stone</i> (<a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20231101040812/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-album-reviews/under-a-blood-red-sky-101204/">January 19, 1984</a>) would cite this album as providing "...ample evidence why people have been calling U2 the best live band of 1983." Check out their performance of "<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EM4vblG6BVQ">Sunday Bloody Sunday</a>" filmed in June 1983 at Red Rocks in Denver, CO. That is just one of the 13 songs recorded for the concert film, <i><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0275013/">U2 Live at Red Rocks: Under a Blood Red Sky</a></i>. The album's eight tracks are in the embedded YouTube video below, under <a href="#flashback2">Flashback #2</a>. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div></div><div style="margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><b><a id="flashback1">Flashback #1</a></b>: <i>Seven and the Ragged Tiger </i>(November 21, 1983)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div></div><center><iframe frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://youtube.com/embed/3EzSehpr2HM?list=OLAK5uy_mQWNasy8x8CCAoiPqbojKDVa3SdNP0HPE&si=bqE_f2FK4Mi0k5GO" width="480"></iframe></center><div style="margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><div style="margin: 0px; text-align: start;"><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><a id="flashback2">Flashback #2</a></b>: <i>Under a Blood Red Sky </i>(November, 1983)</div></div><div style="margin: 0px; text-align: start;"><div><br /></div></div><center><iframe frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://youtube.com/embed/q9pEARgUGQ8?list=PLzEMkaHCB3WLSncklBrLXy4LxIXkX2F9o&si=qjELkTBp2tvS52BS" width="480"></iframe></center></div><div style="margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><div style="margin: 0px; text-align: start;"></div><hr style="text-align: start;" width="80%" /></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><br /><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-family: times; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"></div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; margin: 0px;">And that's all till next week. Dedicated 80s-philes can find more flashbacks in <a href="http://prophetmadman.blogspot.com/search/label/80s%20flashback">the Prophet or Madman archives</a> or via Bookended's <a href="http://bookendedbycats.blogspot.com/search/label/80s%20Flashback">80s Flashback tag</a>. 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.</div><br />I'll see you in seven!</div></div>Brainwisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05365589218358614091noreply@blogger.com0