Friday 80s Flashback for February 24, 2017

[Urban Dance Squad] -- For the end of February, we're going to revisit an album that came out in the final year of our favorite decade. Mental Floss for the Globe was the debut album by Urban Dance Squad, a rap rock band founded in Utrecht, Netherlands, in 1986. They recorded their debut in the middle of 1989 and released it eight months later in March of 1990. The album climbed to #54 on the Billboard 200 album chart, driven by their popular hit, "Deeper Shade of Soul," and a tour with Living Colour. I saw the Penn State show, which took place shortly after Desert Shield became Desert Storm. Urban Dance Squad was the opener, and I was fascinated with the lead singer's use of an old WWII field phone as a microphone. The three tracks for this week show a certain genius for melding rock, rap, soul, metal, etc. You can read and hear more about them after the break.

Friday 80s Flashback for February 17, 2017

[A Classic Case] -- I'm doing something a bit different for the Flashback this weekend. I'm featuring an album of music from the 70s ... that was re-recorded and released in the 80s ... with the backing of a symphony orchestra. I'll bet you're intrigued now, right? Well, the band in question is Jethro Tull. In 1984, the Tull lineup of Ian Anderson (flute, vocals), Martin Barre (electric guitar), Dave Pegg (bass), Peter-John Vettese (keyboards), and Dave Burgess (drums) teamed with the London Symphony Orchestra. And you can read and hear more about this project after the break.

Friday 80s Flashback for February 10, 2017

[Spike] -- After yet another brief hiatus, brought to you by my day job and multiple side gigs, I'm back to the blogging of 80s tunes. And what a post I have for you this weekend! Most people remember Elvis Costello's 12th studio album for the top 20 single, "Veronica," which he co-wrote with Paul McCartney. That is, if they recall the album at all. But Spike (1989) features a wealth of fabulous tracks ranging from sombre to spitfire, and it's a personal favorite. Spike was released 28 years ago this week (2/6/1989 in the UK and 2/7/1989 in the US), and it reached the #5 and #32 positions on the UK album chart and the Billboard 200 respectively. From its cover art featuring Costello's own head as the stuffed and mounted head of "The Beloved Entertainer," you knew you were in for something a bit different than his past efforts. Spike was also Costello's first album for his then new label, Warner Brothers. He started writing for it in 1987. And, as WB had provided him with a huge budget, Costello decided to use the blueprints he had in mind for five different albums. Maybe that's why this record weighs in with a whopping 15 total tracks. Now, I've already linked the album's highest charting single, so which of the remaining 14 tracks will I highlight? Well, to find that out, you can read and hear more after the jump.  

Friday 80s Flashback for January 20, 2017

 

[Politics Schmolotics] -- After the November 2010 midterm election, I was looking for inspiration. Inspiration to help me write a Flashback post, and to help me move on from the election results. Now, I had heard arguments that all the best protest songs had been written and recorded in the 60s and 70s. That might be true, but I can assure you the 80s did not lack for politically charged passion or activist rhetoric. So, with this in mind, I assembled a politically minded set of Flashbacks tunes. Of course, your gut reaction to the word "protest" might very well be to add "against" after it. That's understandable. We're usually treated to, and entreated to engage in, protests against something. But you can also protest for something. You can use protest as a form of support for a cause. And the 80s tunes I highlighted back in 2010 still resonate for me in both regards of "protest," particularly in the wake of a rather vitriolic presidential election. Maybe even more so after a week of confirmation hearings for the most unqualified cabinet nominees ever assembled (not that qualifications guarantee success, but come on). Anyway, I'm still hopeful. Sure, I'm scared, too. Change is scary. There are people who are happy about this change, and there are people who are energized to fight what they perceive this change represents. Either way, if you want some 80s tunes that might help you through this transition, then read and hear more after the jump.

Friday 80s Flashback for January 6, 2017

[First Flashback of the New Year] -- I've missed the last two weeks of 80s blogging. Travel and family obligations over the holiday season ganged up on me. And I'm sure there was some wasted time in there as well. But that's in the past, just like the whole of 2016 itself. We have a new year, brimming with possibility, and, perhaps, just a slight aroma of despair. So, I will do my best to move forward ... in my honoring of a past decade. Speaking of past decades, the calendar for 1989 is a dead ringer for that of 2017. That means you can expect me to mine 1989 for blogging content. Just like I did today. The Flashback for 1/6/2017 revisits the top three songs on the Billboard Hot 100 for 1/7/1989.  Do you remember what topped the charts 28 years ago this week? Well, read and hear more after the break to remind yourself! (But I think my accompanying image might have provided a clue or three). 

Friday 80s Flashback for December 23, 2016

Snowy Road Wallpaper from psxextreme.com

[The Friday Before Christmas] -- Yesterday was the Friday before Christmas, a huge traveling day. (I should know, I had to wait a short eternity at Philly International for my shuttle). Many people are traveling to see their families (in fact, many already have begun their journeys), and many others need to travel for work, even during this holiday. So, I thought I'd reprise some traveling music I originally posted on December 21, 2012. If you want to know what songs are in this holiday collection, just read and hear more after the break.

Friday 80s Flashback for December 16, 2016

[Living All Over] -- I'm doing just a quick post this weekend. But in keeping with my all-to-infrequent theme, I'm looking at this week in 80s music history. And I'm doing that by highlighting an album that was released this week in 1987: You're Living All Over Me by Dinosaur Jr.

Released on December 14, 1987, through SST Records, You're Living All Over Me was Dinosaur Jr.'s second studio album. Dinosaur Jr. was still known as simply Dinosaur when the album was first released, but a lawsuit forced the band to change their name. Shortly thereafter, SST recalled the album and re-released it with attribution to the newly minted Dinosaur Jr. What the album lacked in sales was more than made up for in terms of its legacy. It is considered a classic of the indie and alternative genres, and it also has a place in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die (revised and updated edition, 2010). This album isn't big on singles, so how about I just embed a video that has the album's full audio? Yes, let's do just that!

Tracklist:

Little Fury Things 00:00
Kracked 03:07
Sludgefeast 05:58
The Lung 11:15
Raisans 15:06
Tarpit 18:57
In a Jar 23:33
Lose 27:02
Poledo 30:13
Just Like Heaven 35:56

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That's all till next week. Dedicated 80s-philes can find more flashbacks in the Prophet or Madman archives or via Bookended's 80s Flashback tag. As always, your comments are welcome on today's, or any other, flashback post. And if you like what I'm doing here, please share the link with your friends. If, however, you don't like the flashback, feel free to share it with your enemies.

And if you are on Twitter, and feel so inclined, please +K my influence in Music on @klout.

I'll see you in seven!