Friday 80s Flashback for September 25, 2015

[30+ Years of Private Eyes] -- September 1981. Simon & Garfunkel performed a free reunion concert in New York City's Central Park. Iron Maiden fired vocalist Paul Di'Anno and hired Bruce Dickinson to replace him. The Rolling Stones opened a US tour in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. And the record industry released nearly 50 new albums. Now, some of those new records were EPs, compilations, and live recordings. However, I'm sure that list of releases is incomplete, so I maintain that we saw a boatload of new material to kick-off Fall 1981. As I looked over the collection of albums released 34 years ago this month, I find many that I have loved (and still enjoy). Only a few, however, stand out as having survived the passage of the last three decades, at least as far as I'm concerned. These are records whose songs jump immediately to the turntable in my brain, and play unabashedly at full volume. But, only one of those records was presumably released this very week in 1981: Private Eyes by Daryl Hall & John Oates. Maybe that record is still part of my music-appreciating DNA simply because the TV show Psych used it for a commercial several years ago. Or, it could be that the songs are still that darn good. More likely, I'm a sucker for nostalgia and blue-eyed soul. So, what tracks have I selected to highlight this week? I'll give you a hint: You won't find "Mano A Mano" when you read and hear more after the break.  

Friday 80s Flashback for September 11, 2015

This is a reworking of a post that originally appeared on September 9, 2011.

[I Love NY, on September 11 and Always -- Redux] -- On September 11, 1981, the top song in the U.S. was "Endless Love" by Diana Ross and Lionel Richie (#1 on the Billboard Hot 100 from August 9 to October 10). In baseball, the Detroit Tigers defeated the Cleveland Indians at Tiger Stadium. Movie goers were about to lift Arthur to the role of top-grossing movie for that weekend. Confirmation hearing for Supreme Court nominee Sandra Day O'Connor ended. On the world stage, the U.S. accused the USSR of using poison gas in Laos, Cambodia and Afghanistan. The Soviets began amphibious landing exercises on the Polish coast as part of naval training in Baltic Sea even while pressure for democracy was mounting within Poland. Egyptian President Anwar Sadat claimed Referendum results supported his crackdown efforts against opposition forces, and the Ayatollah Khomeini's personal representative was assassinated in Tabriz, Iran. And a private plane crashed into the Swing Auditorium, a legendary concert venue in San Bernardino, California, damaging it beyond repair.

30+ years later, we are once again remembering the aftermath of a trio of plane crashes that occurred on the East Coast, destroying an architectural icon in downtown New York and devastating our national psyche. I have previously written about 9-11 (The Real "Never Forget," They Crashed the Planes and Changed the Rules, and Visit to United Flight 93 Memorial for example). But I have yet to do so from the lens of 80s music. So, this week, the Friday 80s Flashback celebrates New York City. Wondering what songs we have for the Big Apple? Read and hear more after the break.

Friday 80s Flashback for September 4, 2015

Cover Image from slamanddive.blogspot.com

[Worlds Apart] -- Though I graduated over 20 years ago, Labor Day weekend makes me think of college. I am particularly mindful of bands I learned about within my first two years at Penn State. One such band was Cactus World News. Although they are best known for "The Bridge" -- their very first single (1985) which was produced by Bono (lead vocalist of U2) -- I tend to remember them for "Worlds Apart," the second single of their first full length effort, Urban Beaches (1986). Perhaps that is the more appropriate song as, with each passing year, I am vastly more worlds apart from the self of my college years. I would like to spend more time musing on this, but I'll do so offline. So, this week, I simply offer up three tunes from Cactus World News, but I do so without my customary editorializing. (I'm sure you're all suitably crushed).

Friday 80s Flashback for August 28, 2015

[Revenge of the 80s -- Redux] -- A few years ago, June of 2009 to be a bit more precise, I created an 80s playlist for a friend's birthday. She's about half my age, so she never got to experience the 80s. At least not directly. I titled the CD, "Revenge of the 80s." It was a 12 track extravaganza, and each song fit the scheme because it met one of the the following four requirements:

• an 80s song by an 80s artist, 
• an even older song covered by an 80s artist, 
• an 80s song covered by another 80s artist, or
• an 80s song covered by a later artist. 

Got that?

Now, I recently learned of the streaming service known as Mixcloud. After playing around with it a bit, I thought it might be a fun experiment to upload the entire Revenge of the 80s playlist to share it with other 80s fans. You can check it out after the break.

Friday 80s Flashback for August 14, 2015

Vixen: the 1988 album (L) and the animated DC Comics hero (R)

[Tale of Two Vixens] -- This week's Flashback post has its roots in a Matt Moore (@Guerrillascribe) tweet about belting out a tune by 80s girl-glam-metal, Vixen, because he was working on a podcast about the DC Comics character of the same name. Realizing Moore was speaking my dual languages of comics and 80s music, and always liking internet-induced synchronicity, I decided to feature Vixen's only 80s record in the Flashback while linking back to Moore's podcast. So, be certain to stop by the Comic Book Noob podcast (site | episode) and learn all about the Vixen who was supposed to be DC's first African female to star in her own series (and who will be on television this fall). Then, return here to read and hear more about the all-female glam-metal band that debuted in the late 80s!

Friday 80s Flashback for August 7, 2015

[When "The Doctor" was Punk] -- So, a month ago today, we took off for SDCC 2015. (Please note: Dangrdafne and I are still working on several blog posts about that week for Bookended By Cats -- stay tuned!). Among the big attractions for SDCCers were Doctor Who and the Nerdist Podcast. In fact, Peter Capaldi, the actor portraying the 12th incarnation of The Doctor, made an appearance on a live recording of the Nerdist Podcast. During that show, Capaldi made reference to the fact that he and actor/comedian/former talkshow host, Craig Ferguson, were in a punk band together! And this band, the Dreamboys, recorded an EP back in 1980! Capaldi sang and played guitar while Ferguson played drums. Temple Clark and Roderick Murray rounded out the foursome. Just look at Capaldi rocking out (and rocking the sweater vest):

Friday 80s Flashback for July 31, 2015

[Rapping to the Beat] -- Once upon a time, rap music sold thousands of records, but barely cracked the upper echelons of pop culture. That statement may seem odd to read in a year in which hip-hop's wealthiest artists have incomes that are measured in HUNDREDS of millions of dollars (e.g., Dr. Dre is #2 on Forbes list of Hip-Hop's Wealthiest Artists Of 2015 at a paltry net worth of $700M). But well before Yo! MTV Raps, In Living Color, and Empire, rap music made its mainstream network television debut on ... 20/20. Yes, in July of 1981 -- 34 years ago this month! -- ABC's 20/20 became the United States' first network TV news program to air a special report on rap music.

Would you buy rap records from these guys?

Sure, it seems kind of quaint now. And, yes, children of the Internet, "portable" music players in those days really were the size of briefcases. But this investigative report is actually quite fascinating and informative, particularly considering the history they delve into (Cab Calloway, radio DJs, and Blondie, for example). And the clips of the Sugarhill Gang, Funky 4 + 1, and Kurtis Blow -- and the the footage of street scenes -- are worthy additions to any time capsule. So, we have only two Flashbacks this week: Parts 1 and 2 of the Hip-Hop special report.

Flashback #1: 20/20 Report Hip-Hop Special - Part 1

Flashback #2: 20/20 Report Hip-Hop Special - Part 2

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That's all for this week. Dedicated 80s-philes can find more flashbacks in the archives. 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!

Friday 80s Flashback for 7/24/2015

[Bucks Fizz] -- In late 1980, the songwriting team of Nicola Martin and Andy Hill crafted a tune for the Eurovision Song Contest. In January of 1981, Martin and Hill put together a band to perform their new song. Following the two male, two female formula pioneered by ABBA, Martin and Hill lined up as Jay Aston, Cheryl Baker, Bobby G, and Mike Nolan as Bucks Fizz -- the performing vehicle for their potential hit. And it seemed to work. "Making Your Mind Up" ended up winning the contest and even reached #1 in the UK singles chart (and it charted in a few other European countries). Bucks Fizz did not, however, have much chart success in North America. And they had their detractors. Daniela Soave, in a review for the Record Mirror, wrote: "I think Bucks Fizz are bunch of gutless wonders who can perhaps sing in tune but don't know the meaning of singing with emotion." Still, over the course of five studio albums (1981 through 1986), Bucks Fizz racked up 20 top 40 hits. Their self-titled debut album was released in July 1981, and it was responsible for three of those hits. And today, the Friday 80s Flashback looks to that debut LP for our weekend playlist. Check out some tracks after the break!

Friday 80s Flashback for July 17, 2015

Still from an Entertainment Tonight Segment on 1982's Summer Movies

[1982 Summer Flicks] -- The summer of 1982 was a great time for science fiction films, quite possibly the greatest. In that year, we saw the release of The Road Warrior (May 21, 1982), Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (June 4, 1982), ET: The Extra-Terrestrial (June 11, 1982), Blade Runner (June 25, 1982), John Carpenter's The Thing (June 25, 1982), and Tron (July 9, 1982). And regarding 1982 as a great year for sci-fi isn't just a view we have with the benefit of hindsight. Even Entertainment Tonight, which was a decent program in its pre-Internet heyday, recognized the significance of that Summer in this Movie Sneak Preview segment. So, for this week's Flashback playlist, we'll look back at one piece each from three of those movies. Which movies and tracks did I select? Read and hear more after the break!

Friday 80s Flashback for July 10, 2015

[Batman 1989] -- I'm at the San Diego International Comic-Con this week. This afternoon, I saw the 3rd Annual Musical Anatomy of a Superhero panel, and it got me to thinking about superhero movie scores from the past. So, I thought we could flash back to one of the most iconic pieces of film music from the 80s: the Batman: Original Motion Picture Score by Danny Elfman! Prior to scoring films, Elfman was known for his work with that great band of the 70s and 80s, Oingo Boingo (responsible for such hits as "Dead Man's Party" and "Weird Science"). However, after scoring his first film (for his brother) in 1982, Elfman has gone on to develop scores for many TV and film projects. And he has been nominated for many awards, winning (for example) a Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Composition Written for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media (for Tim Burton's Batman) and an Emmy Award for his Desperate Housewives theme. Elfman's work on the 1989 Batman score is recognized on a rather wide scale because it was later used as the basis for the theme music in Batman: The Animated Series (1992) as well as the soundtrack for several Lego Batman video games.

No trio of Flashbacks this week. Instead I'm using an embedded YouTube playlist with all 21 tracks:

1. "The Batman Theme"
2. "Roof Fight"
3. "First Confrontation"
4. "Kitchen, Surgery, Face-off"
5. "Flowers"
6. "Clown Attack"
7. "Batman to the Rescue"
8. "Roasted Dude"
9. "Photos/Beautiful Dreamer"
10. "Descent into Mystery"
11. "The Bat Cave"
12. "The Joker's Poem"
13. "Childhood Remembered"
14. "Love Theme"
15. "Charge of the Batmobile"
16. "Attack of the Batwing"
17. "Up the Cathedral"
18. "Waltz to the Death"
19. "The Final Confrontation"
20. "Finale"
21. "Batman Theme (Reprise)"

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Well, that's all till next week. Dedicated 80s-philes can find more flashbacks in the archives. 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!