The Toy Box

Retro Spins: Hooters - Nervous Nights

I don't recall when Hooters hit my radar, but it was definitely long past their prime.

The group was formed by Rob Hyman and Eric Bazilian in 1980, and despite the obvious references to owls, or...well, you know...the name is actually taken from a nickname for the melodica. Due to their constant presence playing in clubs, and frequency of local airway play, they carved out a popular following along their surrounding towns within the East Coast.

Hooters independently released their first album, Amore (1983), selling it around the Philadelpha area. Despite costing the band $12,000.00, it would go on to sell 100,000 copies, which caught the attention of Columbia Records, who signed the band.

Their first Columbia release, Nervous Nights (1985), would also become their breakout, with the album reaching number twelve in the USA. With it came their two biggest hits, And We Dances, and All You Zombies. However, for me, the latter is far overshadowed by Day By Day.

As I played through the album, I was quite pleased with the offerings of each track. By the halfway point, I still hadn't heard anything that didn't make its way to my shuffle list.

Though this momentum dipped a bit, I honestly didn't hear anything that I didn't like, but not all were shuffle worthy. Still, it was, overall, a good listening experiencing, and piqued my interest in hearing their follow-up albums of the 80's. These include 1987's One Way Home, and 1989's Zig Zag, which was their last release for Columbia Records.

From there, the group took a bit of a hiatus, which lead to them working with Roger Waters of Pink Floyd. However, they wouldn't return to the studio until 1993's Out Of Body, released by MCA. While their popularity waned in the US, quite the opposite was happening abroad, where they were reaching new heights.

Despite this, the band would once again disappear, returning in 2007, and 2010, for two final albums to date. Though these were their final studio albums, a live album was released in 2017, and the band continues to tour.

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Disclaimer: They Toy Box does not endorse or contribute to piracy. Retro Spins posts are intended for educational and entertainment purposes only. None of the music discussed here is available for sale, downloading or distribution.

THIS WEEK ON THE CHARTS
February 19, 1983

Retro Spins: Peter Gabriel - Peter Gabriel

At this point, we probably all know the history of Peter Gabriel, front many of Genesis from 1967 to 1975. So, it would really be a disservice for me to retread all that ground. Instead, let's jump ahead to his solo career.

Gabriel released his first solo album in 1977, opting to name it, and the subsequent next four, Peter Gabriel. This makes it a bit difficult to track down these initial records when doing online searches.

1977's Peter Gabriel reached number seven in the UK. Upon its release, it received mixed reviews, most of which were favorable. It was followed up by 1978's Peter Gabriel, which peaked at number ten.

For his 1980 album, Gabriel called in Genesis member, Phil Collins to assist with drums on several tracks. The recordings are notable for Collins fans as the introduction to his gated drum sound. The album would go on to reach number one in the UK and France.

When I first started listening to this album, it really intrigued me because it sounded so different. Like nothing I had never heard before. It didn't feel like something from the 70's or the 80's. Instead, it felt in its own era and class.

Each track delivered blow after blow, and by song six, having added all of them to my shuffle list, it was very apparent that I was a Peter Gabriel fan. It pumped me up to hear more from him, which will be easy since I already own all of his albums from the 80's. Though he may become an artist I seek out his 70's work as well.

Everything about the record just felt different, but amazing at the same time. Every time I thought I wasn't going to get into a tune, something happened in it, and it just grabbed me. It wasn't until the tail end of it all that I finally stopped grabbing shuffle worthy songs, ultimately leaving out Not One Of Us, and Lead A Normal Life. Still, eight out of ten makes this one massive for me.

Peter Gabriel continued his success with his 1982 (again, self titled) album, and then 1986's So, which would become his next number one album. Though he would release four more albums, these were very sparsely spread between 1992 and 2011.

The singer also filled gaps in the 80's and New Millennium with soundtrack work. However, none of these albums produced the success that his studio albums garnered.

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THIS WEEK ON THE CHARTS
February 18, 1984

THIS WEEK ON THE CHARTS
February 18, 1989

Baltmore Comic Con 2024 Part 7: Walt Simonson, Louise Simonson, Art Adams, and Again, Al Milgrom

Well, here we are folks. The story of the show where things quickly got disappointing, and events trickled from bad to worse.

When I first got through the showroom doors of the convention, I made it a point to go vendor hopping. There were four issues I was after, and I knew they would be a high priority for others as well.

Walt Simonson took over writing and art duties of The Mighty Thor with issue 337. Though he would work on the book for four years, after two, he would turn over penciling duties to Sal Buscema. Walt would only occasionally penciling himself from that point on for the remainder of his run through issue 382.

Walt drawing a Thor picture for a fan who
waited in line hours for him

It was Walt's work which would shake up the character, flesh out background characters, villains, and ultimately shape The Mighty Thor into the iteration known today, and reflected in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Tucked in this run, there was a very unique storyline across issues 363 through 366, one which I have recommended to other comic readers many times, but personally never owned. It wasn't from lack of trying. Rather, it's so popular that people tend to flock to it.

In fact, there was a moment in line for the convention where my buddy, Dave Braun, got into a conversation with someone about what they were after at the show. Dave in turn said to me, "Is there anything you're looking for today?" To which I just said, "I am." With all eyes at this point of the nearby folks he was talking to on me, he asked, "What?" To which I got a bit snarky. I said, "Is this your first day at a convention? If I say it out loud, I suddenly have ten people saying that's a great book, and now I'm fighting people to find it." It was a jerk response, but true nonetheless. You just don't sabotage your own efforts in scenarios like this.

As I walked the floor from vendor to vendor, I was only able to find two of the four books. It was disappointing, but I resolved to take what I could get. I made my way to Walt and Louise Simonson's table, mind you, only fifteen minutes into the show, only to be told by the staff there, "The line is capped."

"Capped," I said with a clear annoyance in my tone. "This place just opened!" I asked, "When will the line re-open?" To which I was told, "I don't know. It may not for the day."

I was livid, but I wasn't going to let this tarnish my day. I thought to myself, I don't have any symbiote books with me, this isn't as bad as it seems. Off I went to get other signatures.

After my buddy was done with his line duties at Jim Starlin's table, I told him, "Your next mission is the Simonson's table." Off he went as I finished up with Mr. Starlin, only to call me shortly thereafter.

"The line is capped," he said. "They have a panel at 1:00 PM, and they're not taking any more people until 4:00 PM. I sighed and said, "Well, I didn't want to do that, but I guess we're stuck here until 4." He then abruptly cut me off and said, "Wait, I'm in line."

I raced across the convention hall to find out what was going on, and when I arrived, got the full rundown. But first, a little bit on Dave Braun.

Dave Braun is the guy everyone wants to be friends with. He's outgoing. Finds no fault in anyone, and can basically talk to strangers on the street like he's known then for years. Everyone should have a wingman like Dave.

As Dave stood there talking to the line police, AKA, convention staff, receiving the bad news, he got friendly like with the guy. It was at this point that two people apparently annoyed with the long wait, and announcement that Walt and Louise would be leaving at 1:00 for a panel, not returning until later, that they picked up their stuff and left. When Dave saw this, he said to the staff member, "Those two people just left. Can I get in line?" To which he was told, "Sure."

Dave Braun with Louise Simonson

With a place in line secured, I went off to grab a few more signatures, returning periodically to check progress. Around 12:30 PM, Walt stood up, and walked down the line, addressing everyone as he went. "I need to eat something, and then I have a panel, but I will be back around 2:00 PM," he said. If you will please be patient, I will ensure everyone here gets what they came for, and will stay until 7:00 PM if I need to.

After confirming we could all stay in line, Walt left, as did many people. Moving up a bit closer, I once again left Dave to his duties while I finished up with everyone else I intended on conducting business with, who I've posted about already. I also managed to track down the other two Thor books, completing the four issue story arc.

Walt returned around 2:30 PM, and signing commenced. It was at this point that I learned more bad news. In the past, the Simonson's were keen on their policy of only accepting donations for the Hero Initiative. However, when they were at Big Lick NOVA 2024, they, specifically Walt, started charging for drawings. This time around, they both also implemented a fee for signatures. The first signature was free, all others were $10.00 each. I guess they got a taste of the cash, and were hooked.

Look, I get it, free autographs are rare, and a great opportunity for fans. I don't behoove the Simonson's for charging. However, as I've said before, without this information in advance, people can't plan accordingly. Frankly, it's a trickle down effect for me. I didn't necessarily "need" the books I got signed to be autographed, and I probably wouldn't have made it such a high priority to buy the Thor books I was after had I known they were charging. I certainly wouldn't have spent the time either directly or indirectly waiting in line for them.

To bring all of this to a conclusion, obviously I did get book signed by Walt, and here are they are. For those of you who don't know much about the man, he's keen on drawing dinosaurs, and loves everything about them. If you look closely at his signature, it's designed to look like a brontosaurus. Neat!

I also got both Walt and Louise to sign Marvel Age 68. I guess we'll call this one my "one free" from them, as I really had no intensions of bringing this with me, other than the historic fact that they had been free (with donations). But, I suppose, maybe that made me part of the problem of why they started charging. Signatures for the sake of signatures and not out of genuine want.

To wrap up things with the Simonson's, specifically Walt, I had to loop back in Al Milgrom, and also stop at the table of Art Adams. I wanted to get the three issue story arc of Fantastic Four 347 - 349 signed. This was where the New Fantastic Four, featuring Spider-Man, Wolverine, (grey) Hulk, and Ghost Rider were formed.

I had a gold reprint of 348 with me which I got signed by Art Adams, and would have gotten signed by Al Milgrom and Walt Simonson. However, there was a little kid behind me in line at Mr. Adam's table with his own 348 who kept looking at the variant. After Art signed it, I tossed it at him and said, "Here, kid. Have a gold variant."

For those following or looking for pricing information, Art Adams remained consistent from the last time I saw him at $15.00 per autograph.

At the end of the day, the buddy system with Dave ended up working out, solidifying my ability to get everything signed that I was after. The above noted derailing, and series of events which could have made the show a disaster, if I let them, all seemed to finally fit into place. It turned out to be a great day through and through. Despite hiccups, I left with everything signed I came with. We'll call Baltimore Comic Con 2024 a great success.

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Retro Spins: Glenn Frey - The Allnighter

It's interesting how after his superstardom after Eagles, that Glenn Frey's biggest solo successes were contributions to soundtracks. The Heat Is On (Beverly Hills Cop), and You Belong To The City (Miami Vice), are probably his most recognizable hits of the 80's.

But, did you know he was also supposed to sing the theme from Beverly Hills Cop II. Shakedown? Frey didn't ultimately like the lyrics, and when he came down with laryngitis, that pretty much cemented the track going to Bob Seger. Too bad. It would have been another hit for him.

My personal favorite from the singer is his contribution to the 1989 Ghostbusters II soundtrack, Flip City. In fact, that whole album is a great play from start to finish.

Frey Started his solo career in 1982 with the album, No Fun Around. Critics found it to be a modest debut, and it ultimately reached gold status.

This was followed up with 1984's The Allnighter, which peaked slightly higher than its predecessor at number twenty-two. The track, Smugglers Blues, got the attention of the show runners of Miami Vice, and it lead to Frey being invited to star in an episode of the same name. Of course, it also led to the aforementioned You Belong To The City the following year.

However, as a whole, while his most successful solo album to date, The Allnighter is by no mean a major success. Though most critics panned it, it was complimented for its departure from the "Eagles sound", in lieu of a more blues rock style.

I'm by no means a Glenn Frey fan, and quite honestly, I don't really know why I picked the album up, other than it was there (in a used bin). I was not looking for it, nor did I particularly want to add it to my collection.

As I listened to it, it didn't impress at all. In fact, it was kind of boring. I ended up adding Smugglers Blues to my shuffle list, but really only in one of those "best of the worst" manners.

Overall, it wasn't enjoyable, and I couldn't wait for it to end so that I could move on to something else.

Glenn Frey ended up taking four years to return to the solo scene with his 1988 album, Soul Searchin'. Another four years later, he would release 1992's Strange Weather. From there, he wouldn't return to the world of solo work until 2012's After Hours.

Sadly, the singer struggled with arthritis, which led to him seeking surgery. However, prior to this happening, he was placed in a medically endued coma due to complications from pneumonia, and passed away in 2016. The biggest shame is that his illness was caused by the medications he was taking to treat his arthritis.

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Retro Spins: Nick Kamen - Nick Kamen

Nick Kamen was first and foremost, a model in the UK, where he was featured on the cover of the 1984 magazine, The Face. However, by 1986, he was burning up the Europe charts with his single, Each Time You Break My Heart, written and produced by Madonna.

The track would go on to be the lead single from his 1987 self titled debut, which is what I'm firing up today. It definitely has a Billy Ocean, Rick Astley type vibe to it, making it sound a bit familiar to the ears.

A surprising tune was his cover of Benny Mardones' Into The Night. While it was "interesting", it was definitely inferior in every way to the original. Whereas the song was very important to Mardones personally, and he delivered it with every bit of passion and soul in his voice, Kamen is just singing it like it's just another song in a Rolodex of expendable tracks.

Kamen also delivers a cover of the 1966 Four Tops hit, Loving You Is Sweeter Than Ever, which again he does little justice to. You can't just take that "Motown Sound", and let anyone sing it. Especially not in synthpop format. It does no justice to the original at all.

Overall the album was decent. Kamen definitely shines the most on Each Time You Break My Heart, which feels like the most refined song of the bunch. Then again, would one expect any less from Madonna? Especially by 1987.

He definitely shines better when singing his "own" tracks, versus tackling covers, which quite frankly, are outside of his wheelhouse. Though, ultimately, I suspect this album will wind up being forgettable for me beyond the Madonna track.

Though he would go on to release albums consecutively between 1988 and 1992, and then make a minor resurgence in 2020 with his sixth and final album, Kamen never really made it big past Europe. Sadly, he passed away in 2021 after a long battle with bone marrow cancer.

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THIS WEEK ON THE CHARTS
February 16, 1980

THIS WEEK ON THE CHARTS
February 16, 1985

Retro Spins: Pseudo Echo - Love An Adventure

Formed in 1982, the Australian band, Pseudo Echo, are best known for their cover of Funky Town. Overall, they never really made a major impact on the world of 80's music.

Members, Pierre Gigliotti, Anthony Johan Argiro, Tony Lugton, and Brian Canham, secured a contract with EMI Australia, after being discovered by Countdown host, Molly Meldrum, who convinced the band to perform on his show. Through the label, they released their debut, 1984's Autumnal Park. It spawned two Australian top twenty hits, and poised the band to be a formidable entry in the era, with the album peaking at number eleven.

Autumnal Park was released in the USA under the name, Pseudo Echo, but didn't garner much attention. Fun fact though. Their track, His Eyes, would go on to be featured in Friday The 13th Part V: A New Beginning.

Their 1985 follow-up, Love An Adventure, featured a change in personnel. Argiro, and Lugton left the band to join other groups, being replaced by brothers James and Vince Leigh. Their second studio venture also proved positive, once again charting in Australia, and peaking at number fourteen. Among the tracks were three chart topping singles, which included Funky Town.

Firing the album up, I was treated to a plethora of synth-pop goodness. It captured the sound of the era perfectly, and with it came an overall enjoyable listening experience. What I will say, is that while every track wasn't a contender for top ten, I didn't hear anything I necessarily found to be "bad".

Standout tracks for me were, Beat For You, Try, Listening, Love An Adventure, and of course, Funky Town. The latter is actually a pretty good cover of the original Lipps, Inc. version, giving it a little more rock than the former disco iteration provided.

It's also interesting to note that there are two variations of this particular album. Apparently, it was re-recorded in 1987, and re-released with alternate vocal tracks. Though I wasn't able to find any information as to why this happened, I suspect that the original Australian release was from 1985, and the 1987 version is the one which was released in the USA.

I think what I liked most about Love An Adventure, the album, is that it sparked that desire in me to delve more into the group. I'm definitely interested in picking up their debut album, as well as their 1988 follow-up, Race.

Unfortunately, following that album, the band broke up. However, in 2000, Gigliotti and Canham reunited, and reformed the group. Since then, Pseudo Echo has released a few more albums. None of these appears to have charted in any country, leaving them essentially locked in the 80's as their heydays.

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THIS WEEK ON THE CHARTS
February 15, 1986

Retro Spins: Nirvana - Bleach

Boy, nothing screams, "Happy Valentines Day", like Nirvana! Yeah...Obviously that's a pile of sarcasm.

I am not a Nirvana fan. Not by any stretch of the imagination. I personally attribute them to one of the major causes of the decline of music in the 90's, and was a little distraught when I found out that they didn't stay confined to that era.

No, what I, and possibly others, didn't know was that Nirvana actually got their start in the 1980's, releasing their first album, Bleach, in 1989.

Ugh...Let's get this done and over with.

Kurt Cobain, and Krist Novoselic, met in high school, and while Cobain was always seemingly interested in starting a band, the latter feigned interest. Even after being given a demo of his work by Cobain, Novoselic wouldn't listen to it for three years.

The duo would go through a series of drummers between their inception and 1988, with Chad Channing, having the position for their debut album. However, when Bleach was first released, it didn't sell well. Probably because it's noisy, hot garbage, which is contradictory to everything that was the 80's.

And that's pretty much my summary of the whole thing. Bleach is loud, annoying, and with the exception of, About A Girl, doesn't contain anything noteworthy.

Now, before you say, "Oh, you're just a hater," let me make it clear that Nirvana's follow up, and breakthrough album, Nevermind (1991), is a solid album. As much as I despise the 90's as a whole, I do acknowledge that there are good albums from this era. They just aren't my preference.

Bleach feels unrefined, and with thirteen tracks, too long for this derailed mess to go on. There is no sense of focus. Rather, just an opportunity for Cobain to scream into a microphone for forty-three minutes.

Did I enjoy the album? Obviously not. I also knew going into it that I wouldn't. However, I did sit through the entire thing, giving it a fair opportunity to change my mind.

I picked Bleach up because I simply wanted to own a unique 1980's album, and it definitely is unique in comparison to the music of the era. It's a shelf piece, and not an album I suspect I will ever return to.

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THIS WEEK ON THE CHARTS
February 14, 1981

THIS WEEK ON THE CHARTS
January 14, 1987

Retro Spins: Saga - Worlds Apart

Prog rock group Saga formed in 1977, originally in the iteration of the band, Pocket, which was developed from several members of the group Fludd. Michael Sadler (singer, keyboard, bass guitar), Ian Crichton (guitars), Peter Rochon (keyboards), Jim Crichton (bass guitar), and Steve Negus (drumbs),AKA Saga, released their self titled debut in 1978, finding mild success in Germany and Canada.

Rochon would leave the band in 1979 to become a full-time executive for a music equipment company, and his departure made space for Gregg Chadd, who took over duties of keyboards. With their new member in place, they returned to the studio to complete their second album, 1979's Images At Twilight. The album would also produce their first chart topper, It's Time, which peaked at number eighty-nine on the Canadian charts.

The bands success continued internationally with their 1980 released, Silent Knight. However, this resulted in yet another change of keyboard players, when Jim Gilmour replaced Chadd. There doesn't appear to be any information floating around the inter-web as to why he left.

With the now "classic line-up in place, Saga set about to record their breakout album, Worlds Apart, which was released in 1981. One of the biggest changes for the album were Sadler's vocals. Producer, Rupert Hine, told the singer to stop sounding like a choir boy, a style notable on previous albums.

It's here where we pump the brakes for today's Retro Spin.

I personally bought this album when I came across the track, Wind Him Up. It was a song of epic proportions, both in instrumentation and vocals. If you haven't heard this tune, I definitely recommend, at minimum, that you check it out.

As a whole, the album definitely screams of rock opera, and it's pretty enjoyable. The problem is that this also makes it difficult to pull certain tracks from it for a shuffle list. It would be like taking Rush's epic, 2112, and picking it apart in sections. Yes, you would still get good songs, but the tale would no longer unfold coherently.

Though my personal favorites from the album are, Wind Him Up, and Amnesia, it's actually On The Loose, which is the groups biggest chart topper, reaching number twenty-six on the Billboard charts. The singles success was greatly attributed to the music video, which was played in steady rotation during MTV's infancy.

Worlds Apart would also complete the "Chapters" story, which was spread across the group's prior albums. Initially, the arc was considered to be eight parts, but would ultimately grow to sixteen as the years would pass.

As for those years, though members continued to come and go, Saga have consistently released albums through 2021, with no signs of stopping any time soon. However, their biggest success continues to come from their Germany audience, the only country where their albums continue to chart consistently.

I don't know if I'll personally continue my journey through their music. I suppose if I saw an 80's album from them in the wild for relatively cheap, I would probably pick it up, but I won't necessarily be actively looking for any.

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THIS WEEK ON THE CHARTS
February 13, 1982

THIS WEEK ON THE CHARTS
February 13, 1988

Retro Spins: Dino - 24/7

Dean Esposito, or Dino, as he would later be known as, probably has some of the most humble history that I've seen in a long time. He began pursuing his musical interests when his parents moved to Las Vegas, Nevada. It was here that he enrolled in college, earning a bachelor's degree in communications and broadcasting.

From there, he worked at several radio stations as a DJ, moving up from local college radio to Nevada's Power 9, and eventually, KCEP, Las Vegas where he was promoted to Program Director. During this time, he also worked at local clubs in the evenings, serving as DJ.

It was around this time that he also became the lead singer for the group Esquire, but he would ultimately decide to go solo, and release his first single, Summergirls, through the independent label, L.D. Records. This would lead to a contract with 4th & B'way/Island/PolyGram Records, who would release his debut album, 24/7 in 1989.

While the album was mildly successful, his biggest upswing came from the opportunity to open for New Kids On The Block in the summer of '89. This helped push his debut album to the number thirty-nine spot, certifying it gold in the process.

I used to have a pal named Ray Hunt in Bend, Oregon, and I believe it was him who introduced me to the single, Summergirls. What's interesting about the track, is while I heard it once all the way back then, I hadn't heard it since. As such, it was interesting that it stayed so ingrained in my mind as I was continuing to cross albums off my want list in 2022.

As I listened to 24/7, there was a definite dance vibe to it, and while it was catchy and toe tapping fun, it didn't really resonate with me in a big way. Not enough so to start grabbing tunes for my shuffle list, anyway.

I was surprised to find the tune, I Like It, on the album because this was one I had forgotten about over the years. Quite honestly, I thought it was a 90's song.

At the price of $1.50, I walked away with two track, I Like It, and Summergirls, and as far as I'm concerned, those two songs provide the buy in value that I got out of it. It's quite honestly one of the reasons I continue to support physical media. Not only is it far cheaper than digital, but you get to own it.

As for Dino, he went on to release two additional albums, but by 1993 stepped out of the limelight. While not much is known about where he is these days, shortly after ending his solo career, he worked behind the scenes as a writer and producer for Tonya Mitchell, Paul Taylor, Jordan Knight, Walter Beasley, Sheena Easton, and Joanna Pacitti.

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THIS WEEK ON THE CHARTS
February 12, 1983

Retro Spins: Bananarama - Deep Sea Skiving

Bananarama had so many hits in the 80's that they actually hold the Guinness Book of World Records title for highest number of chart entries by an all-female group. The trio of friends Sara Dallin, Siobhan Fahey and Keren Woodward, formed Bananarama in 1980. However, this was anything but immediately successful. In fact, Dallin and Woodward were taking up residency in a local YWCA, on the verge of being homeless when Sex Pistols drummer, Paul Cook, allowed them to take residency in the band's formal rehearsal room.

The girls would often provide backing vocals for punk band such as The Monochrome Set, The Professionals, Subway Sect, Iggy Pop, Department S, The Nipple Erectors, and The Jam. It was during this time that they recorded their first demo track, Aie a Mwana. The song turned into a minor underground hit, and would ultimately lead to them signing with London Records.

They released their first album, Deep Sea Skiving in March of 1983, and with it began the success. The album reached number seven on the charts, and spawned four hit singles, Really Saying Something, Shy Boy, Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye, and Cheers then. This led to the group heading to the USA, where they made appearances on American Band Stand, and Solid Gold, eventually finding success with their 1984 hit, Cruel Summer.

However, before we get to that point in history, we have to pause and actually set out to accomplish today's Retro Spin, their debut album, Deep Sea Skiving.

Truth be told, I picked up this album because I was more so interested in owning it for being their debut, and not necessarily because I wanted the record. In fact, beyond the hits, and what I've listened to in prior Retro Spins, I don't honestly know all that much from the girls.

What I've noticed as of late 2021, is that my ears have matured a bit while listening to discs. By this, I mean that I find myself more so enjoying an eclectic range of 80's music tunes. It's difficult to explain why, but let me try. You know how people say, The Motown Sound? Well, it's kind of like that. 80's albums have that sound to me, and my ears immediately pick it up, and flock to it. It's to the point that I think I may need to go back and listen to everything I so harshly criticized during my earlier posts to see if there are gems I missed.

It's this sound where this particular album took hold of me. It's new to me, but it's familiar, and as such, it's easy to enjoy. I honestly didn't hear anything I hated. In fact, I had to limit myself before I ended up grabbing the entire thing for my shuffle list. It's no surprise Deep Sea Skiving paved the way for Bananarama. It's seriously that good.

Of course, from there, the whole world was already hip to this fact, and Bananarama continued to release hit after hit with their self titled 1984 album, 1986's True Confessions, and 1987's Wow! Unfortunately, success doesn't always equate to happiness, and that's where member, Siobhan Fahey, found herself. Unhappy with her friends, fighting, and finally deciding to leave it behind.

Fahey was replaced by Jacquie O'Sullivan for the group's follow up album, Pop Life (1991). However, this would be short lived. Life would take hard hits at O'Sullivan, who left the band after a series of bad circumstances, and depression which resulted from them.

The two remaining members of Bananarama pressed forward, releasing albums through 2019, and would reunite with Fahey for a brief stint of sell out tours between 2017 and 2018. It appears that the group remains as popular now as they were in the 80's.

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THIS WEEK ON THE CHARTS
February 11, 1984

THIS WEEK ON THE CHARTS
February 11, 1989

Baltmore Comic Con 2024 Part 6: Jim Starlin, and More Al Milgrom

When I last met Jim Starlin, Baltimore Comic Con 2023, I was a bit taken aback by his $20.00 price tag per book. Mainly, this was because it put me in a predicament I hate to be in where I have to pick and choose. If you recall, in yesterday's post, and a hundred times before that, I stated how convenient it would be if artists posted their rates on the convention's website. This would allow people to better plan, and come prepared.

Knowing what I paid last time, I repacked all the books (and more) that I skipped in 2023, and came prepared with the cash to pay Mr. Starlin's (high) fee. Fortunately, but still unfortunately, he was still charging this same rate.

Jim Starlin holding up a hardbound book Dave Braun
wanted from his table, which I picked up for him and
had autographed - Gotta treat your line hold right!

I started things off with the highly underrated Marvel Age. This "comic" was the original fanzine, and one of the few sources for upcoming Marvel news before issues hit stands. It featured articles about the impact of the events, characters, or the creative teams behind them, while also providing a schedule of upcoming books.

I focused on issue 13, which featured some form of information about the current era of symbiote suit Spider-Man, as well as those which were focused around the Infinity Sage, AKA The Infinity Gauntlet, The Infinity War, and The Infinity Crusade. I mad no mention about The Thanos Quest in that statement, as I checked off those two books, and related Marvel Age issue last year with Jim. However, chronologically, that title would fall before all the others noted below, which are also listed in event order.

Also signed by Jim Shooter at
Big Lick NOVA 2023, as well as
Jim Salicrup at Awesome Con 2024

Also signed by Renee Witterstatter
at Big Lick NOVA 2023

Next batch up was my full run of The Infinity War.

This was, of course, followed by the final installment, The Infinity Crusade. For this, I also got Al Milgrom to sign, who served as inker on the entire run.

It was great to finally cross this off my list, especially since I had to pass on them all last time. However, the wait did give me an opportunity to also get the related Marvel Age issues signed, so that turned out to be beneficial.

This was the line I sent my buddy, Dave Braun, to wait in upon entering the convention. He must have been standing there for a good hour before Mr. Starlin showed up. Once I took his place, he was off to his next mission, which set the stage for what could have been the biggest disappointment of the day. I'll tell that story, which links back to my comments from the very first part of this series, next time.

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