Friday 80s Flashback for August 21, 2020 (on a Saturday)

[Last Exit] -- I previously shared one track from today's Flashback artist, Last Exit. This weekend, however, I'm sharing over 30 minutes of material from them. Someone was kind enough to upload their appearance at the 1986 Deutsches Jazzfestival in Frankfurt. So, Last Exit was a ferocious and uncompromising free-jazz band formed in 1986. They remained active to about the mid-90s, disbanding after their guitarist's death. Upon joining forces, they were considered something of a supergroup due to the pedigree of the musicians involved: Bassist Bill Laswell (also known for his work with Material and as a producer), drummer Ronald Shannon Jackson (who didn't know the meaning of "false modesty"), guitarist Sonny Sharrock (no stranger to precise distortion), and saxophonist Peter Brötzmann (giving aggressive breath to reed instruments since the 1960s). These guys were chaotic and loud, louder than many rock bands at the time. They released several live records, but only one studio album, Iron Path (1988). Iron Path found the foursome displaying more restraint than on their live efforts, and it seemed to focus more on textures and experimentation. Still, even on Iron Path, Last Exit could improvise with a tension matched only by two large ships passing in complete darkness, far from the shore. What does that even mean? I'm not sure; I just remember the line from a review I read for the record back in '88. And I bought the CD because of that review (I think it was in Musician magazine, but I cannot find it online). The reviewer referred to their playing as being akin to the tension of a boat bracing an incoming storm. My late father, as I recall, could only comment that Brötzmann sounded like he was playing with a split reed. Anyway, read the liner notes for Iron Path and that might give you some idea of what to expect from this performance. I'm not saying it will prepare you, but at least you'll be informed.

Flashback: Live and loud experimental jazz

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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.

I'll see you in seven!

Friday 80s Flashback for August 7, 2020

[A Cult Jam] -- I found three separate release dates for Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam with Full Force, the 1985 debut album by, well, Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam. Wikipedia's list of 1985 releases cites 8/8/1985 as the release date, but the Wikipedia page for the album has the release date as 3/17/1985 in the intro paragraph and 9/17/1985 in the sidebar. Even more confusing, AllMusic.com has a release date of 12/17/1985. Whatever the actual release date was, the bottom line is that, before the end of the year, no one outside of Lisa Velez's family probably used her last name anymore. She was Lisa Lisa, the voice and face of the hit song, "I Wonder If I Take You Home." That hit and the other two singles await you after the jump. 

Friday 80s Flashback for July 31, 2020

[KooKoo] -- On July 31, 1981, Debby Harry released her solo album, KooKoo. This date info is from the blog Inside the Rock Era which posted the following note on their 7/30/2011 summation of This Date in Rock Music History: July 31 -- "some websites claim the album was released July 27, and others say it was released August 8, but according to the book 'Punk Diary:  The Ultimate Trainspotter's Guide to Underground Rock:  1970-1982' by George Gimarc, it was released July 31." KooKoo was the solo debut of Blondie's lead singer, and it featured some sweet cover art by Alien artist H.R. Giger. Giger even directed promo videos for two tracks, "Backfired" and "Now I Know You Know." Both videos are embedded in the Giger link. For this week, I'm sharing the entire playlist rather than selecting a few tracks. But for your reference, the album had two official singles, "Backfired" and "The Jam Was Moving" which peaked at #43 and #82 respectively on the US Billboard charts. No jump this week; go right to the tunes!

Friday 80s Flashback for July 24, 2020

[Comics and SDCC!] -- I was, of course, planning to be in San Diego for San Diego Comic-Con (SDCC) this week. And this would have been the 10th SDCC in a row that @dangrdafne and I attended! But then, the COVID-19 pandemic claimed the convention in its wake of cancelations. So, this venerable Nerdhalla, which celebrated its 50th anniversary last year, conducts its first-ever virtual convention in 2020. If you are unfamiliar with the event, here's some background: It was founded in 1970 as the Golden State Comic Book Convention. As it grew, this convention was later rebranded with the name we have come to know and recognize. SDCC bounced around to several locations in San Diego until it landed at the San Diego Convention Center where it has been held since 1991. SDCC is now widely recognized as a juggernaut of TV and film events. So much so that critics regularly complain it's "not about comics anymore!" However, there is still plenty of comic book related activity at SDCC, as Comic Spectrum pointed out in 2018 and in 2016.

Last year, to celebrate SDCC, I selected several 80s tunes inspired by, or about, comic books. There were several tracks that did not make that list, so I'm using them this year. What made the latest playlist? Read and hear more the jump.

Friday 80s Flashback for July 17, 2020

[Serendip Covers] -- Earlier this week, I discovered the four-piece ensemble known as Sons of Serendip. They were set to be featured guests in an upcoming webinar, and the email invite linked to the group's cover of "Bridge Over Troubled Water." I liked it. I looked for more of their music. And I might have become a little obsessed with them. Now, Sons of Serendip are not an 80s band -- this classical crossover ensemble has been active since about 2014. But while looking into their catalog, I quickly found that they had covered at least one 80s tune. Where there's one 80s cover, there could be more, right? Right! You can read more about how Kendall Ramseur (cellist), Cordaro Rodriguez (pianist), Mason Morton (harpist), and Micah Christian (lead vocalist) came together while in graduate school at Boston University by visiting their webpage. To find out which of their covers I've highlighted this week, you can read and hear more after the jump.

SDCC 2020 - Comic Con @ Home

So as you all know there is no in person SDCC this year. And while I will miss all my friends terribly and miss all the fun that is SDCC, but I am ready to enjoy Virtual SDCC or Comic Con @ Home.

I like the idea of not having to pick what to do or figure out what room I can get to for a panel... they are all in MY room. And if I really miss the run between the rooms, I can walk around my block between the video panels.

I like that I can even do more than one panel at a time if need be or I just want to. The very first day of panels, Wednesday, I had a conflict and I got my normal anger at first and then I realized, I can do both! I have a pretty packed schedule of panels for all the days now and it makes me so happy.

I loved seeing some names on the panel lists that I didn’t know were going to be there and I know I will get to see them. There were also some missing names but hopefully I will catch up with them in other areas.

I also got to add some panels I know I wouldn’t normally get to for various reasons.. hello Kevin Smith.

One very real part of Comic Con @ Home is that I still feel like I am going to miss out on things. I already feel like I am missing things. There is so much that can be done for this SDCC Virtual and so many places to find information that it still feels overwhelming, like I am really going to SDCC. I was hopeful for more quiet but apparently not.

Every day I turn on more Twitter feeds to get their tweets so I can follow along and try not to miss out. It is a lot of people :)

@CrazyForComicCon is tweeting SDCC lists for this year. One of the items is what will you miss? Besides the obvious of seeing my friends I only see during SDCC, I realized it would be missing out seeing the Legion of Superheroes table on the mezzanine. We visit them every year now and they are awesome! We always end up spending a hour or so talking to them and sometimes every day... as you have to pick up a pin every day. I will miss their smiling faces and catching up on our lives. It is a quiet respite and a perfect example of SDCC friendship. I hope they are all happy and healthy.

So I ask what will you miss most about SDCC this year?

And if you know of any special information I might be issuing out on, please let me know :)

Lastly, if someone could mail me the gluten free turkey burger with large fries and a Lavender Mint Lemonade from Burger Lounge, I will owe you big time!

Friday 80s Flashback for July 10, 2020

[Lemony Goodness] -- In 1988, The Mighty Lemon Drops released their second studio album, World Without End. This record yielded only one single, "Inside Out," which peaked at #74 on the UK Singles Chart. Still, that one jangly single was as catchy as anything else released that same year. And World Without End, as a whole, is a damn fine example of British post-punk ... with just a hint of late-'60s psychedelia for good measure. And while I can't be certain of this, I do have a feeling that the music video for "Inside Out" is the band's jab at being labeled part of the shoegazing genre. Check out my three selections from this record after the jump!