Retro Spins: Leo Sayer - Cool Touch

Much like Jermaine Jackson, Leo Sayer's career seems to have the same problem. It's showing up to the party too late. By this, I mean his music seems to be a decade behind. While most artists of the 80's were adopting synthpop sounds, Sayer (and Jackson), seemed to be stuck in the 70's dance craze of disco and ballads. It's because of this that it's no surprise Sayer's 1990 released Cool Touch seems to have finally caught up to this style of music. It certainly makes it stand out as my kind of music. However, I can also see why it failed to really impact in the era of grunge. It probably didn't help that the album was only released in the United Kingdom, Australia and Germany.

Despite its release date, the sound of the album appeals very much to my 80's nostalgic sense of being. As far as I'm concerned, it fits right in there with anything released between 1986 and 1987. However, with that said, it doesn't get a free pass for that.

As I listened to it, I didn't hate what I was hearing. Unfortunately, I also wasn't being blown away. Of the ten tracks, only two stood out for me. What made this all the more worse was how superior they were to the rest of the album. Going Home and My Favourite easily could have been chart toppers in the 80's, but very overshadowed and ignored in the 90's.

The album intrigued me enough to want to see what else Sayer did past his prime years in the industry. However, this led to a disappointing dead end. While he did release a few more albums, the releases were limited to foreign countries, and not only that, but he appears to have reverted back to his 70's era music style. I suppose I'll be passing on those.

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Retro Spins: La Toya Jackson - Heart Don't Lie

Lat Toya's music career is the perfect example of nepotism in Hollywood. I'm not saying she couldn't have succeeded in the industry on her own merits. However, it's obvious that her name and connections to her family got her foot in the door with little to no effort. Regardless, once you're in the spotlight, you still have to stand on your own merit. She was the first of the three Jackson daughters to strike out for a music career, and though she ultimately wasn't the most successful of the trio, she managed to release several albums between 1980 and 2011.

Heart Don't Lie wasn't the singer's first album. Rather, it was her third and follow up to 1981's, My Special Love. The title track would lead the charge, staying in heavy rotation on MTV that year, and ultimately become her most memorable track.

Probably one of the most interesting aspects of the album are the many guest appearances. These include Musical Youth, Shalamar's Howard Hewett and Kool And The Gang. Of course, since it's a Jackson project, there's also songs which feature Marlon, Tito and Janet.

I can't tell if this was a middle finger or not to her family, but La Toya lays down a cover of Prince's Private Joy, and quite honestly, it's not bad. It may be more enjoyable than Prince's version, which is no small feat.

After hearing this album, I'd be lying if I said La Toya's album wasn't pretty good. There are a handful of tracks which stand out as better than the others, but overall, it's not bad. She definitely earns her own stripes, and while it wouldn't last long for her, I could see myself looking into other albums from her to see how they stand up in comparison.

I honestly don't have anything negative to say about Heart Don't Lie and recommend you check it out if you're in to 80's R&B or have a general interest in any other music from the Jackson family. It's a solid contender.

I fully expected to be ragging on this album left and right in this post. Call me solidly surprised and happy that this wasn't the case. Kudos La Toya. Your name may have gotten you a recording deal, but your music and talent stand on their own.

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G.I. Jigsaw's Spider-Man Peg People Wave 3!

 

During the early evening on April 10, 2024, I got an unexpected text from George of G.I. Jigsaw, saying since he couldn't make it to comic con with me that he had an all new batch of peg people. Having just gotten home myself, I eagerly told him that I was there. A short while later, and he was at my doorstep, handing me a plastic container.

As I moved the first piece of paper towel, I immediately spotted...er...The Spot, which grabbed with an audible, "Awesome, The Spot!"

However, this was just the tip of the iceberg. George had been busy. Tucked within were a whopping ten characters in total. As I pulled each one out, they were immediately recognizable, and I made sure to compliment George on a job well done for how each one was easily identifiable.

The Spot

Flash Thompson

Shocker

Rhino

Scorpion

I may have surprised George with the below figure. He asked me if I recognized it, to which I said, "Sure do! That's Molten Man!" While one could say it meant that I know too much about Spider-Man, I see it more so as a testament to George's skills to make each character, even the most obscure, recognizable.

Molten Man

Chameleon

Gwen Stacy

Black Cat

Kingpin

Of course, once out of the box, we both raced up the steps to set them up with waves one and two. Then, being Bloggers, we both naturally started snapping more photos.

Spider-Man, Electro, Doc Ock, The Spot, Kraven
Black Cat, Mysterio, Vulture, (part of) Sandman

(part of) Black Cat, Mysterio, Vulture, Sandman
Shocker, Kingpin, Gwen Stacy, Mary Jane Watson,
J. Jonah Jameson, Aunt May, Flash Thompson, Scorpion

J, Jonah Jameson, Aunt May, Flash Thompson,
Scorpion, Rhino, Lizard, Green Goblin, Chameleon
Molten Man, Carnage

(part of) Scorpion, Rhino, Lizard, Green Goblin,
Chameleon, Molten Man, Carnage, Venom,
Symbiote Spider-Man

These little wooden things are so freaking awesome! This is the Spider-Man toy line I always wanted! Well fleshed out, with a promise of more on the horizon! I'm so pumped to have more on my shelf, and looking forward to what George makes next.

Here's a nice long shot, and then one zoomed in.

In total, there are twenty-five of them between the three waves he's done. That's impressive, considering after he completed wave one, I sent him a list of seventy-five more possible characters, which he's accepted the challenge on.

This is my favorite modern toy line!

Thanks, George!

For those of you wondering just how insane I was with the list I sent George, here, let me break it down for you, keeping in mind that he came up with wave one. While my initial list ended at wave 16, because I'm OCD, well...there's more I thought of while typing this out.

Wave 1

Spider-Man
Symbiote Spider-Man
Green Goblin
Mysterio
Sandman
Electro
Kraven the Hunter
Vulture
Doctor Octopus

Wave 2

Aunt May
Mary Jane Watson
J. Jonah Jameson
Lizard
Venom (which he said was part of wave 1, but didn't fit in the initial box)

Wave 3

Gwen Stacy
Black Cat
Shocker
Carnage (which he gave me with wave 2)
Chameleon

Wave 4

Flash Thompson (which he gave me with wave 3)
Scorpion (which he gave me with wave 3)
Molten Man (which he gave me with wave 3)
Rhino (which he gave me with wave 3)
Kingpin (which he gave me with wave 3)

Wave 5

Harry Osborn
Uncle Ben
Peter Parker
Prowler
Morbius

Wave 6

Scarlet Spider
Man-Wolf
Tinkerer
Jackal
Vermin

Wave 7

Tarantula
Meteor Man
Will-O' the Wisp
Hammerhead
Tombstone

Wave 8

The Spot (which he gave me with wave 3)
Hobgoblin
Beetle
Hydro Man
Madame Web

Wave 9

Paladin
Silver Sable
The Burgler
Spider-Ham
Jack O'Lantern

Wave 10

Cloak
Dagger
The Punisher
Frog Man
White Rabbit

Wave 11

Ned Leeds
Betty Brant
The Rose
Spider-Man 2099
Puma

Wave 12

The Fox
Robbie Robertson
Jean DeWolfe
Captain Stacy
Boomerang

Waver 13

Calypso
Carrion
Rocket Racer
Speed Demon
Bag-Man

Wave 14

Big Man
Crime Master
Fancy Dan
The Ox
Montana

Wave 15

Cardiac
Silvermane
Norman Osborn
Spider Armor
Eddie Brock

Wave 16

Kane
Demogoblin
Doppelganger
Glory Grant
Mrs. Muggins

Wave 17

Humbug
Solo
Styx
Stone
Arcade

Wave 18

Lightmaster
Living Brain
Looter
Professor Mendel Stromm
Randy Robertson

Wave 19

Kangaroo
Man Mountain Marko
Big Wheel
Anna Watson
Answer

Wave 20

Foreigner
Sin-Eater
Black Abbott
Incandescent Man
Mephisto

Wave 21

Miles Morales
Spider-Gwen
Spider Punk
Spider-Man Noir
Zombie Spider-Man

Wave 22

Swarm
Taskmaster
Human Torch
Ice Man
Firestar

Wave 23

Daredevil
Iron Man
Thor
Doctor Strange
Incredible Hulk (Green)

Wave 24

Captain America
Reed Richards
Sue Storm
Thing
Black Widow

Boy...Waves twenty-two and on sure do open up a can of worms for supporting characters. Let's see how far George will go before he thinks I'm crazy, asking too much, gets bored, or all of the above. But, wouldn't those all be awesome?!?!?

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Retro Spins: Alice Cooper - Hey Stoopid

My personal introduction to Alice Cooper didn't happen until 1989 with his album, Trash. To me, it may as well have been his first. I'd never heard of the guy. It was a pretty decent album. Decent enough that when his follow up, Hey Stoopid, was released in 1991 I picked it up on cassette.

Mind you, this was back in the day when there was no Youtube. I wasn't able to go to a streaming site and listen to a few tracks to determine if I wanted the album. Nope. If it wasn't on the radio, you essentially bought in good faith that an artist you liked would continue to deliver the goods.

Thankfully, this paid off. Hey Stoopid remains my all time favorite album from Cooper. Now I know some of you are thinking right now that I'm crazy. Alice Cooper has had classic hits from the 70's that remain a staple in his concert tours. Nobody even remembers Hey Stoopid.

Alright, I won't deny that. I won't disagree with it either. It's not exactly rated one of the best albums of all time. For me though, it is.

The excitement slowly builds as the chanting of, "Hey, hey, hey, hey," repeats with the drum, and  then takes off as it launches into the title track of the album. If you listen carefully, you'll hear the distinct voice of rocker Ozzy Osbourne singing back up. From there, the album delivers a variety of great tracks, good tracks and just okay ones.

Throughout the record, Alice delivers a variety of hard rock and ballads all with full emotion and energy. No matter what you're looking for, you'll find it on Hey Stoopid.

The great tracks, for me, are Hey Stoopid, Snakebite, Might As Well Be On Mars (my absolute favorite on the album) and Wind-Up Toy. The good tracks, again, for me, are Loves A Loaded Gun, Burning Our Bed, Dangerous Tonight, Feed My Frankenstein, Hurricane Years and Die For You. Meanwhile, the just okay ones are Little By Little and Dirty Dreams.

Look, I could sit here and just keep reiterating how great this album is, or you could do yourself a favor and go check it out for yourself.

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Retro Spins: Weird Al Yankovic - In 3-D

In 3-D, or In 3D, without the hyphen, was the first album from Weird Al Yankovic which I was introduced to in the 80's. It was of course made highly popular by its inclusion of Eat It, the parody of Michael Jackson's Beat It. As a kid, I giggled with glee as I listened to the funny sounds, unique music style and humorous lyrics.

As an adult, this is no different. As Eat It launched the album for today's Retro Spins, I found myself giggling to the hand "fart" sounds which played in time with the drum beat.

Though it's not my favorite, In 3-D certainly has some of the strongest tracks from Al's library of hits. Though I didn't know it at the time, I can appreciate his original songs done in the style of Bob Marley (Buy Me A Condo) and B-52's (Mr. Popeil). Though I don't know for certain, I think this was his way of parodying bands who wouldn't give him the rights to certain songs he wanted to directly spoof.

However, as I've said time and time again when talking about the artist, my favorite material from him has always been when he wrote and recorded his own original music. Two of my favorite tracks from him are featured on this particular album, That Boy Could Dance and Nature Trail To Hell. When he's not bound to mimicking someone else, Weird Al shows and shines his talents to their fullest.

In fact, I'd be lying if I said I didn't think his parody tracks were the weakest material on the album. Naturally, you can't go wrong with Eat It. However, King Of Suede, The Brady Bunch, I Lost On Jeopardy and Theme From Rocky XIII (Rye Or The Kaiser) really fall flat.

Another aspect that Al does great are his polkas, and Polkas On 45 is no exception to this. Though it's nothing short of a medley of hits from other artists, I enjoy the comedic style in which they're mishmash-ed together.

Overall, it's always been a satisfying album to listen to. In 3-D was a staple in my library as a kid (on vinyl) and remains so as an adult (on CD).

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G.I. Jigsaw's Spider-Man Peg People Wave 2!

 

George of G.I. Jigsaw delivered an awesome surprise on February 8, 2024. He stopped by with his all new wave two of Spider-Man Peg People.

For those of you who recall, he dropped wave one on me for Christmas last year. What I didn't update on was that he came back a little while ago and gave me a Venom figure to go with that wave.

His wave two features a slew of great Peter Parker backup characters, as well as a couple more iconic villains. Can you identify them all? Don't scroll down lower if you want to take a moment and guess.

Carnage, Aunt May, J. Jonah Jameson, Mary Jane Watson, and Lizard!

They incorporated lovely into the shelf, with plenty of room for more (hint hint). George actually told me when he first game me the first set that I could hit him up for future "figures". I in turn responded with a list of seventy-five.

Can you imagine having all of those in one giant set? I know I can! I look forward to whatever else George wants to make to add to the "line". These are freakin' awesome! This could become the Spider-Man toy line I always wanted, but never got from any toy company.

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Retro Spins: Tony! Toni! Toné! - The Revival

Feels Good was the only song I knew from this CD, and for me, that alone was worth the dollar I paid for it. This low price point turned out to be a very good thing because the rest of the album didn't do it for me at all.

By track four, I found myself saying, "Ugh, this is only track four?" By track seven, I started skipping songs. By track ten, I gave up.

Tony! Toni! Toné!'s The Revival was not for me. However, considering I got the full album for less than the price of a single, I'm not going to hate on it. On the other hand, I'm not going to focus on it anymore beyond this either.

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Retro Spins: Prince - Sign 'O' The Times

It's often times considered to be his greatest work, and while I'm not necessarily inclined to agree, Prince's 1987 released, Sign 'O' The Times, is certainly solid. This album would eventually evolve from numerous concepts by the singer, going through several changes in the process.

The roots of the project can be traced back to relatively early in the 80's, 1983 to be exact, with the singer / songwriter working heavily with his band, The Revolution. It was the first time the members had been asked to collaborate so extensively on any of the material, but it wouldn't be the last over the next few years. Though a lot of music was written and recorded, the project, titled Dream Factory, would eventually be shelved.


Though he would go on to release Purple Rain (1984), which would be followed by Around The World In A Day (1985) and Parade (1986), there was a moment herein where the concept for Dream Factory would continue evolving. Unfortunately, tensions began to grow among members, specifically Wendy and Lisa, who voiced their opinions of non-musician members of The Revolution.

Things got to the point where the girls had to be convinced to remain in the band and also be part of the 1986 Parade tour. However, by the end of the excursion, Prince had apparently had enough and dissolved the group, firing most of the members in the process.

It was also in 1986 that Prince would begin working on a  pseudonymous album under the guise of Camille, a concept born from recording the track, Housequake. This work featured Prince assuming the role of this female character, altering the pitch of his vocals to sound different. Despite these efforts, it was clear to many immediately who the artist was behind the tracks. This solo project would also inevitably be abandoned, but not forgotten.

Many of these efforts from Dream Factory and Camille would come full circle when Prince commenced work on what would become his 1987 release. The album was original conceived as Crystal Ball, a six sided, three LP, covering a spectrum of musical styles. Seven songs would eventually be trimmed from the twenty-two track record, with The Look, a duet with Sheena Easton being added, to finalize the now sixteen track double sided album. It was also re-titled Sign 'O' The Times.

A little fun fact is that the seven songs omitted were eventually made available on various Prince studio or compilation albums, as well as, via the short lived Mp3 downloadable NPG Music Club subscription. Essentially, if you legitimately have all of these official releases, you could in fact put together your own copies of Dream Factory and Camille, such as I have. However, it is worth noting that with how Prince's music evolved over time, that these versions may not be the originals which would have ultimately ended up on their respective albums. Still, it's fun to listen to what could have been.

Dream Factory, on the other hand, is another story. There are several tracks from this album which were never officially released. Hopefully, and this may have happened already by the time this post goes live (written in June 2020), Prince's estate may release a legit version. Perhaps of all three of the above mentioned records. I'd buy them!

Anyway, I could sit here and really dig deep into my opinion of the album. However, it can really be wrapped up neatly with the very first paragraph I wrote. Obviously, I enjoy the album. It's not my favorite, I don't think it's his best, but it's solid and enjoyable. There are a lot of great songs on it. Some better than others. Some complete corkers, but overall very good.

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Just Doodling: Super Smash Bros.

 

This one was a request from a co-worker.

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Retro Spins: Warrant - Cherry Pie

Oh wow. I forgot how much I liked this album. I haven't heard Warrant's Cherry Pie since the days of my brother blaring it over his stereo speakers. However, unlike the majority of his music, I actually really liked when this one got played.

It all starts out with the album's iconic hit, Cherry Pie, which debuted at number ninety-seven in September of 1990. The song peaked at number ten before dropping back down. From there, it leads into my favorite track, Uncle Tom's Cabin. This track, while it charted, only managed to do so at number ninety-three and was gone the following week.

I Saw Red, is the perfect example of how to do a ballad correctly. Not only is it a great song, but it also went to number ten on the charts. Though there are other great tracks to be found, Blind Faith is the only other song from the album to chart. Much like Uncle Tom's Cabin, it debuted and disappeared in one week at number ninety-nine.

Cherry Pie is one of the last great hair band albums, before the grunge scene dominated everything, changing the music world forever in the process. It's pretty solid from start to finish with thrashing riffs and catchy tunes.

By track six, I had added all of them to my shuffle mixes for later re-listening. By the end, I had added ten of the twelve. The only songs which didn't make the cut were Train, Train and Ode To Tipper Gore.

However, that last track isn't exactly a song. It's just fifty-five seconds of live obscenities aimed at Tipper Gore for her PMRC campaign. The history surrounding that campaign is an unfortunate one, but it's worth checking out if you don't know much about it.

As for the album, that about wraps it up. I really can't say anymore than I have, but clearly, I liked it a lot. It made me go digging into the history of the band's discography a bit and I found they had a debut album from 1989, Dirty Rotten Filthy Stinking Rich, which I picked up for a few bucks. By the time you read this post, I'll probably have listed to it and written a Retro Spin on it.

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Comics Corner: Marvel Team-Up 85

  

Title: Marvel Team-Up
Issue Number: 85
Release Date: September 1979

Highlights

• Reference is made to Special Marvel Edition 15
• Viper is thrown from the Shield carries - Is she dead? No
  

Low Points

• Story arc was too long and drawn out with no pay off
• Political story hidden in a four issue story arc
  

Oddities

• None

Rating (based on a 1 through 5 Stans grading system)

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Comics Corner: Marvel Team-Up 84

  

Title: Marvel Team-Up
Issue Number: 84
Release Date: August 1979

Highlights

• First appearance of Ishiro Tagara
• Reference is made to Captain America 182, Marvel Team-Up 57, 74, and Iron Fist 13
  
• Spider-Man and Black Widow, who still thinks she's Nancy Rushman, kiss
  

Low Points

• Black Widow story arc is definitely dragging on at this point
  

Oddities

• Spider-Man gets knocked across a room, and conveniently goes through an open porthole on a Shield carrier - A tiny port hole?
  

Rating (based on a 1 through 5 Stans grading system)

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Retro Spins: Madonna - Like A Virgin

Before I start this, let's just get the obvious out of the way. We all know this album is going to be solid. It catapulted Madonna into super stardom and remains one of her most highly successful albums of all time. So let's not all act surprised by me stating the obvious that Like A Virgin is fantastic.

I mean, if you're here asking, "Who's Madonna," I have to ask, "What rock have you been living under?"

This is not the first time I've listened to this album, and in truth, it probably won't be the last - If I have many more years ahead of me that is. Because I probably can't share much with anyone reading this post that they don't already know. So instead I'll discuss my version of preference.

Unlike other albums, which I look to have the original USA version of, when listening to Like A Virgin, I favor the 1985 UK re-released CD. The reason being, this versions includes a bonus track, Madonna's 1986 smash hit, Get Into The Grove.

This song was originally written and recorded for the purposes of being used in the film, Desperately Seeking Susan, also starring Madonna. However, it was never included on the film's soundtrack, nor on the singer's 1986 follow up album, True Blue. Though a CD singles did get released in foreign countries, for USA fans with no connections to the UK or Germany, a vinyl single was your only option.

To further amplify the scarcity of a digital version of the song, it wasn't included on the 2001 remaster of the USA released album and when it got included on the singer's 1986 compilation album, You Can Dance, it was in an eight (plus) minute remixed format. You could finally get the song on a CD in the USA on The Immaculate Collection, released in 1990, and I suppose, for what it's worth, that's an acceptable album to have. That is, if you're in to greatest hits.

For me, and long story short, I suggest you just stick with the 1986 UK re-released version. You not only get the song, but also the entire Like A Virgin album.

Well, it appears that this post turned into a long winded breakdown of one song, and one that wasn't even on the original album at that. Oh well. For what it's worth, Like A Virgin is a fantastic album. It has its hits, big ones, but also its misses. Songs like Over And Over, Love Don't Live Here Anymore, Shoo-Bee-Doo, Pretender and Stay don't really do it for me, but they're so outweighed by Material Girl, Angel, Like A Virgin and Dress You Up, that you really don't tend to care. At least I didn't.

If you collect any form of physical media music, this is an album that should definitely be in your collection - Just get the UK re-released 1986 version. You know, if I haven't beaten that point in hard enough yet. 

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