The Toy Box

Just Doodling - Bats, Man!

Take your pick...

Or...

On an unrelated side note, I'm not gonna lie, I'd totally watch this movie.

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Retro Spins: Twisted Sister - Under the Blade

It feels like a lifetime ago (2019) when I first spun a Twisted Sister album, their massive breakthrough, Stay Hungry. It was my second year of doing album reviews, and I hadn't quite hit my stride, nor landed on my formula for each post, but for what it's worth, I enjoyed the album.

At that point in time, I had three of the five 80's albums from the band, and if you would have asked me then if I would fill in the gaps, I would have said no. Of course, this was also back when I was really focused on my collection, adamantly working towards albums that had songs I actually knew, and actively wanted to own. Fluff was rare back then, unless I was hitting up a Timonium show to dig through piles and piles of dollar CD's.

Well, time has a way of changing a man. As the years rolled by, I found myself looking into their debut, Under The Blade, and their final album of the decade, Love Is For Suckers but would never pull the trigger. Both cost more than I really wanted to spend, and not knowing any of the tracks, it just didn't make sense. Yet for some reason, I kept coming back to their debut. I'd search for it. See the pricing and move on, and in late 2025, finally pulled the trigger, and picked up the two stragglers.

When Under The Blade was initially released, it was only on cassette and vinyl. CD, at this point in time, was just starting up, and the format was reserved for select few albums, typically back catalogs of already established legacy artists. As a result, when it did finally see a pressing in 1985, it was remixed by Atlantic Records prior to release, a decision which was initially criticized by Sister fans.

Atlantic's goal was to capitalize on the band's momentum from 1984's Stay Hungry, while fans eagerly awaited 1985's Come Out And Play. However, the problem they saw was that the original mix of the band's debut was far more aggressive, metal if you will, as compared to their popular hard rock pop sound which catapulted them to mainstream success. Because of this, the album was, as noted, remixed, making it sound more familiar to the current sound of the band. This version of the album would also feature a forgotten 1979 single from Sister, I'll Never Grow Up, Now!

The original cut would eventually get its day in digital. Eagle Records would restore the original mixes of the tracks and release them through online streaming sources. This was followed by Rhino Records producing a limited run of CD's, which are out of print at this point.

Personally, I own the 1985 re-issue, and I'm totally fine with this. I like the more poppy rock sound of Twisted Sister and really don't have any interest in hearing them as a hardcore metal group.

Because I don't know what the original mixes sound like, I have nothing to compare these remixed tracks to. However, as a whole, it was a pretty solid album. What You Don't Know (Sure Can Hurt You), Bad Boys (Of Rock 'N' Roll), and Under The Blade were the standout tracks that I took away from it.

It was actually kind of exciting to listen to and really ramped up my interest in hearing more from Dee Snyder and the boys. I'm already ramping up to play through 1983's You Can't Stop Rock 'N' Roll.

Tomorrow I'll also take a step back and hit a bit of history for the band. It'll be a nice segue into their sophomore album. Until then, that about wraps this one up.

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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.

Comics Corner: Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man Annual 6

Title: Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man Annual
Issue Number: 6
Release Date: July 1986

Highlights

Last appearance of Ace, Lorenzo Spencer, and Jean Hillman
First appearance of Chuck Hanes, Dianne, Wendy, Bob Haar, and Reaper member Tyrone
Death of Mrs. Spencer
Peter wakes from a dream, and thinks about his first encounter with Ace, specifically how the man was able to dodge everything Spider-Man threw at him, and his own jealousy that Ace was admired while Spider-Man always remained a pariah
Tyrone roughs up Ace's sister in the street, warning her that she better tell her brother not to testify against the Reapers, a story arc carried over from Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man Annual 5
Ace shows up, and Tyrone pulls a knife on him, but is beaten down pretty quickly
Ace reminds his sister that one of the people he's testifying against is his brother Lorenzo, which will split their family apart
Chuck Hanes of the Child Welfare Bureau waits for Ace outside, and when he arrives informs him he's there to take his sister

Ace declines, and rides off, while Hanes gives chase, but wrecks his car in the process

City Editor Kate Cushing has had enough of Peter, and lays in down plain and simple, "No more clichéd pictures of Spider-Man!"

She instead tells him their running a story on the mysterious vigilante, Ace, and tells Peter to go find him and get photos

Ace shows up late to testify in court, but is pushed to his limit with the defense counsel insulting his family, and making accusations that he's only testifying to gain control of the Reapers for himself

Ace storms out of the courtroom, deciding the legal system isn't worth his time

A mistrial is granted, and Lorenzo goes free

Peter Parker is in the courtroom witnessing it all, and decides he now has a reason to fight Ace

As Spider-Man investigates Ace's apartment, the cops bust in with Chuck, they spot Spider-Man, and inform him that Ace is holding the child somewhere

Now Spider-Man thinks he's a child abductor

Spider-Man finds Ace in the streets below, and immediately springs into a fight

To no avail, Spider-Man can't land a blow

It's actually Ace who has the level head, and stops the fight, asking Spider-Man why he wants to fight him so badly

Seeing he's not getting through to Spider-Man, Ace simply stands there, and lets him land punches for a moment

Tyrone pulls a gun on Ace, but Spider-Man saves him
Aces tells the gang that he and his sister are leaving, ant that Lorenzo will be back and can have leadership of the gang - he no longer cares
As Lorenzo takes control of the Reapers again, in his own apartment, the son of Vince Difeo, the man killed by Lorenzo loads his father's gun, and says he'll get justice himself

Low Points

The story opens with Spider-Man having a dream that he's beating the stuffing out of Ace, while everyone he knows is cheering him on; Aunt May, Mary Jane, Robbie Robertson, and J. Jonah Jameson, to name a few
Spider-Man is intent on finding Ace because he wants to fight him for a reason he doesn't even understand

Oddities

Ace sees a couple armed robbers heading into a store, and tosses them out the window

As he's walking out the store, he has a handful of cash, and the owner tells a reporter for the Bugle that Ace provides protection, and he kicks him some cash

Except how much did he just cost the guy in a broken window?

After an odd scene of Mrs. Spencer dancing with Ace, she dies

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

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Retro Spins: Marillion - Seasons End

Nothing says band love like telling your lead singer to hit the road in lieu of firing management. But that's exactly what happened to lead singer Fish, when he gave his Marillion band mates the ultimatum of him or them. He'd depart in 1988, with new singer Steven Hogarth joining in 1989.

Hogarth was an interesting choice for a band who had built their career on top of a prog rock foundation. Mainly because the new singer came from a new wave background and showcased very different styles of vocals and stage presence from his predecessor.

Prior to his joining, and the departure of Fish, the group had begun recording some of the music for what would become their final album of the 80's, Seasons End. However, when Fish departed, he took with him the lyrics he'd crafted for the instrumentation. This meant Hogarth's first task would be to set to work on new lyrics to fit the already completed music.

On a side note, these Fish recorded tracks would eventually be released as bonus material for the remastered Clutching At Straws, and additionally, several of the lyrics made it into his own future solo projects.

Playing through it, right away the new vocals didn't work for me. Over the past four albums, my mind had finally accepted the sound of Marillion, and frankly, this wasn't it.

I didn't like this album. The minimal spark that was the band was gone for me, and there were no tracks I found to be even mildly entertaining. In fact, I ended up tuning out most of it in lieu of filling gaps in my collection of albums I was missing, which in hindsight kind of makes me more annoyed. This album made me spend money I didn't necessarily want or need to spend.

Fish and his prior band mates would eventually meat up a decade later and reconcile amongst each other. However, any form of reunion was dismissed.

The band continued on with Hogarth as their lead singer, releasing sixteen more albums since 1989's Seasons End, with their latest being 2022's An Hour Before It's Dark. Amazingly, there's been no lineup changes over the past two (plus) decades.

With that, I say goodbye to Marillion. It wasn't the best of listening sessions, but I suppose it also wasn't the worst. Am I a fan of the band at the end of the day? I am not.

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Comics Corner: Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man 119

Title: Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man
Issue Number: 119
Release Date: October 1986

Highlights

First appearance of NYPD officers Tony, Jim, Rocco, and Al
First appearance and death of Dr. Roman
Spider-Man is still suffering from a concussion, and his web swinging isn't going well as a result
When Spider-Man returns to the apartment, Mary Jane is there, and tells him she's throwing a party at his home so that he can't sneak out on her again
Sabretooth wakes up in a hospital bed, and as Dr. Roman begins telling him that he's sure a cure can be found for his savage condition, the villain grabs him, and kills him
Sabretooth removes the bandages from his face revealing a series of stitches from when he ripped Spider-Man's webbing off

He vows to get even on Spider-Man

Black Cat throws all her photographs of Spider-Man into the river, professing she no longer loves him
Sabretooth stalks the night, hunting for the scent of Spider-Man, eventually making his way to Peter's apartment building

Peter's spider scenes kick into high gear, and as he tries to excuse himself to the bathroom is stopped by Mary Jane who knows what he's trying to do

Meanwhile, Sabretooth rampages in the streets, attacking police officers, which Mary Jane and Peter see from his window

Sabretooth's cries for Spider-Man are met with a kick to the back by Black Cat, and then she claws his face open
After being bit in the leg by Sabretooth, Black Cat rages, and with unseen before strength and speed defeats the villain, by violently smashing his head into the ground multiple times, knocking him out
From the rooftop, Spider-Man witnesses it all, and in response, Black Cat simply winks at him
As he lays in bed, Peter can't stop thinking of Black Cat's actions, specifically, fighting for him, and to protect his secret identity
Meanwhile, in her own bed, a jealous Mary Jane doesn't know if she wants to shake Black Cat's hand or slap her
Black Cat returns to Foreigner, and the two discuss the first step of their plan to get Spider-Man to trust her again being complete

The two then kiss

Low Points

Peter is still babbling about handing up the Spider-Man mantle

Oddities

None

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

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Retro Spins: Marillion - Clutching At Straws

My journey thus far through Marillion's 80's discography is not going as expected. While I was hoping to find a hidden gem of prog rock delicacies, what I'm instead getting is bloated mediocrity. Admittedly, it's a bit disappointing.

I pick up today with 1987's Clutching At Straws. Released as the follow up to their massively successful Misplaced Childhood (1985), the band had an opportunity to capitalize, and soar into mainstream popularity. This, however, wouldn't occur.

While the album would become their second most successful of all time, in terms of the charts, this didn't translate to sales. Gone were the previous certifications of platinum in the UK and Germany, replaced with gold. Regardless, it has received quite a bit of critical praise, being noted among the greatest prog rock albums of all time.

If I didn't know any better, the voice of Fish could easily be mistaken for that of Phil Collins. This works in his favor because it keeps me a bit more invested in the music than I otherwise would have been.

What I've said before, and I suppose am going to continue to say, is that the instrumentation on the album is great. It's layered deep with texture, tempo changes, and slick riffs which keep your ears perked up. However, it once again fails to deliver anything hit worthy.

Once again, one track stood out, also a trend with their albums. This time it was the song, Warm Wet Circles. I would have actually picked a second this time, White Russian, but just as the song would take off, the tempo would drop considerably, derailing any momentum it had going for it. This same thing happened with the songs, Slainte Mhath, and The Last Straw: Happy Ending. It was with these that I realized that when I did hear songs that I liked from them, it was really only parts of it, versus the entire tune.

With eleven tracks, and a fifty-three-minute run time, it's also the longest Marillion album from their albums to date. Being their first album to be released on CD, I can't help but feel that this is simply a product of the CD era bloat. It's a trap a lot of bands fell into, wherein they felt they had to meet a runtime, versus focusing on solid structured tracks.

during this period, the band toured heavily. Not out of need or desire to promote the album, but rather because their management was taking 20% of all gross. As Fish would say, "He was making a fantastic amount of money while we were working our ***** off." To make matters worse, the singer would find a note proposing a US tour, which would leave them needing to borrow £14,000 from EMI just to support it.

Having enough, Fish would give the band an ultimatum. Either they would drop management and continue with him, or keep management, and go on without him. Surprisingly, the band voted to keep management. Fish was out. His last show occurred at Craigtoun Country Park on July 23, 1988.

Steve Hogarth, formerly of the Europeans, would be hired to replace Fish in 1989. In contrast, this was a massive change. Not only did Hogarth bring a new wave background to the band, but a completely different vocal style, and stage presence. At the time, he noted he didn't even own any previous Marillion albums. Together, they released the album, Seasons End, Marillion's last for the era, but far from their last to date.

Tomorrow wraps up my journey through the band, and candidly, I'm kind of glad.

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Comics Corner: Marvel Fanfare 42

Title: Marvel Fanfare
Issue Number: 42
Release Date: February 1989

Highlights

First appearance of Simon, Doris Kannon and her children, Simon Johnson, and Mr. Holden
Spider-Man swings towards the Bugle, ecstatic to have taken photographs of the mayor emerging from the Hudson River after a helicopter crash
Peter returns extra money given to him in a bank error, see oddities below, and finds out the teller who made the mistake was fired
Spider-Man goes to Doris, and overhears her landlord saying she owes $1,600.00 for past due rent in thirty minutes, or she's out
Despite being behind on his own rent, and admitting the check he wrote his own landlord would bounce, Spider-Man withdraws everything he has from his account, and secretly puts it on her table near the door

Doris picks up the money as the landlord arrives, who takes it all

Doris calls her sister, and tells her about the money, and how she was fired when she turned down advances from her boss at the bank

Low Points

Spider-Man blackmails Mr. Holden with photographs of him with an escort and a letter telling him to hire Doris back or his wife will get the photos
There's a second story included, but it features Captain Marvel and Dracula - I didn't even bother reading it
A very boring and unnecessary issue - Easily zero Stans

Oddities

Editor's Day Off: Peter heads to the bank with his cashed check, emphasis on cash, and realizes the teller gave him an extra hundred dollar bill, he struggles morally with keeping it or returning it, and then says, he'll return the "check" tomorrow
Spider-Man misses the photograph he was attempting to get of Mr. Holden, and in response, web's it to the wall, and puts it on automatic to catch the needed photo as Holden exits the building - Except where putting it on automatic would start firing off photos, and he'd be out of film in no time

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

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Retro Spins: Marillion - Misplaced Childhood

With their underperforming sophomore album, Fugazi, Marillion needed something big to rebound back. This would come with their third album, 1985's Misplaced Childhood. Lead singer Fish would conceive the concept album while enduring a ten-hour acid trip.

Though considered more mainstream, the album is also their first full concept from start to finish, with each side containing two continuous pieces of music. The story has, "thematic elements of lost love, sudden success, acceptance, and lost childhood, along with an upbeat ending." - Some random guy on Wiki.

Misplaced Childhood would shoot up the UK charts, becoming their first and only number one album, staying there for forty-one weeks. It would also reach the top ten in multiple countries, such as Germany (3), Switzerland (6), and the Netherlands (6), to name a few. Even the US gave it more love than previous albums which hovered around the high one hundreds and low two hundreds, with Childhood peaking at forty-seven.

Lead single Kayleigh would be the bands only song to hit the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at seventy-four. It would fare much better in the UK, where it reached number two on the Singles Chart. It was followed by Lavender, which reached number five, and the less successful Heart Of Lothain, which peaked at twenty-nine.

The album would reach platinum certification in the UK and Germany, and be followed by gold certification in Switzerland, making it their most successful release to date, and their best of all time in their career. 1985 was a big year in pop rock music, so this was no small achievement.

Kayleigh is one serious banger of a track. This is the kind of Marillion I want in my life. Good instrumentation packed into a feasible four-minute run time, with catchy riffs and vocals.

This, however, is where the concept portion of the album becomes problematic. Because the tracks ebb and flow into each other without so much as a breath in between, there's no distinguishing the beginning or end of each song. As stand-alone tracks these either incoherently start or abruptly cut off. That's lame.

The trend with Marillion seems to be that I'm only coming away with one song after each listening session. That's not a good average, and far below what I expected. Personally, I also didn't see Misplaced Childhood as any better than their previous albums. It was just kind of more of the same.

At their peak, Marillion seemed poised to only get bigger and better. Unfortunately, this wouldn't be the case. Despite their 1987 released Clutching At Straws being their second highest album of all time, it would see a massive decline in sales. After extensive touring, it also brought the band to an ultimatum decision that would either make or break them. Which option did they choose? Well, you'll have to come back tomorrow to find out...Or Google it. I suppose Google is always an option.

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Comics Corner: The Amazing Spider-Man 282

Title: The Amazing Spider-Man
Issue Number: 282
Release Date: November 1986

Highlights

First appearance of Alfredo Morelli
Classic 25th Anniversary cover by Rick Leonardi
Guest appearance by X Factor
Captain Keating is personally leading the recapture of Flash Thompson
Reference is made to Web Of Spider-Man 15, The Amazing Spider-Man 275, 276, Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man 117, and X Factor 7
Mary Jane finds an unconscious Spider-Man on the floor in Peter's bathroom
Robbie Robertson says he's sure Flash was innocent, and shows Jonah how the side by side comparison photos of Hobgoblin and Flash unmasked are two different costumes

Flash is in the original Hobgoblin costume, while the villain is wearing the upgraded one with the red button on his chest

J. Jonah Jameson hires X Factor to capture Spider-Man
Peter hears about Flash's prison break, and despite still being dizzy, he heads out as Spider-Man to look for him
X Factor closes in on Spider-Man, and the fight immediately commences
During the fight, Jean gets knocked off a building, and Spider-Man grabs her with his web line just as he passes out again
X Factor return their retainer to J. Jonah Jameson, telling him that since Spider-Man is not a mutant, they can't help him
Jameson flips out, and tells Robbie to run a full scale smear campaign on X Factor, to which he refuses
Robbie hands Jameson the key to the executive bathroom, and tells him to either run his campaign, or return the key in the inter-office mail

Jameson returns the key

Low Points

None

Oddities

Mary Jane professes to herself that she has feelings for Peter, but spends all night out dancing with Alfredo?

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

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Retro Spins: Marillion - Fugazi

Fugazi. It's a unique title, that on the surface might be written off as gibberish. However, the word actual has its roots in the 70's, used primarily by the New York Italian community, who used it to describe something fake, or bogus.

Upon wrapping up their debut album tour, Marillion was put under considerable pressure by EMI to deliver a new studio album. The problem was that they were currently going through a rotation of drummers, who had all been fired. In walked Jonathan Mover, who after auditioning was on tour with the band within days. However, as the group sat down individually to develop material, lead singer Fish would suggest they create a concept album. It would be Mover who would push back, stating that the songs everyone had worked on wouldn't creatively fit into that format, and would need to be scrapped. Fish apparently didn't like this challenge from the new guy and fired him.

After filling in as a session drummer, Ian Mosley would be added to the band full time in October 1983. This addition would put the classic lineup of the group in place with Fish on vocals, Steve Rothery on guitars, Mark Kelly on keyboards, Pete Trewavas on bass, and Ian Mosley on drums. Together, they began crafting the tracks that would become 1984's Fugazi. However, this was anything buy smooth sailing.

Their production schedule would run so behind that they'd actually start the promotional tour for the album before it was even finished. The end result was called incoherent, not helped by the consistent rotation of musicians leading up to it, and the ten different studios in which it was recorded over four months.

Much like their debut, Script For A Jester's Tear, I hear a lot of solid musicianship, but in that, nothing that really resonated. While the previous album also suffered from tracks which were excessively long, eight plus minutes, the band seems to have reserved this for just two tracks. Unfortunately, the remainder typically huddle around the six-to-seven-minute mark, once again making them feel bloated.

I get it, they're a prog band, and that's king of their thing. But where I'm at as of now, I'm not necessarily seeing that this is going to pan out for me. I don't think I'm destined to be a Marillion fan. Such is the life when you blindly buy an entire era discography without knowing anything about what you're getting yourself into. Honestly, I don't really even want to listen to their next three albums. I mean, I will, but I'm not looking forward to it.

Fugazi proved less popular with fans as well, only reaching gold certification. In comparison with their platinum debut, this was considered an under performance. The album would, however, reach number five on the UK charts, and stay there for twenty weeks. It also produced two UK top thirty hits, Punch And Judy, and Assassing.

If Marillion was going to stay relevant in the hear today also gone today world of rock, they were going to need to come up with something bigger, and better. That they did with their 1985 released Misplaced Childhood. It would go on to be their biggest success with its more mainstream sound.

Okay, maybe I won't give up on the band just yet. Also, the title track of Fugazi, which is the final on the album, and was what was playing as I wrapped up this post, was pretty okay.

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Comics Corner: The Amazing Spider-Man 281

Title: The Amazing Spider-Man
Issue Number: 281
Release Date: October 1986

Highlights

The story picks up immediately from the previous issue's events, with the Sinister Syndicate bearing down on Silver Sable and Spider-Man
As Beetle prepares to open fire, he's hit from behind by Sylvester Mann, the Sandman
Sandman intervenes, giving Spider-Man a chance to get Silver Sable to safety

Sandman admits that he didn't really care about helping Spider-Man, but rather hates Hydro-Man so much that he just wanted to ruin whatever plan he and his fellow villains had

Spider-Man insists he needs to go back and help Sandman, but Silver Sable tells him he's on her dime, and that Sandman knew what risk he was getting into intervening

The conversation is cut short by Beetle and Boomerang attacking them again

Robbie Robertson sits staring at a side by side picture of Hobgoblin and Flash Thompson unmasked in the suit, convinced that Thompson isn't the villain, before announcing he's got it
Getting Sable to safety, Spider-Man goes back to help Sandman, but Sable eventually follows
Jack O'Lantern breaks into the prison to free Flash Thompson, believing he really is Hobgoblin, but is baffled when Thompson tries to fight him instead of embrace the help being sprung from jail
An informant calls The Rose, and tells him about the prison break

The Rose in turn tells Hobgoblin, setting him off, but also convincing him to kill Flash

Hobgoblin and Jack O'Lantern square off
Flash Thompson escapes Jack O'Lantern's hideout
The battle between Hobgoblin and Jack O'Lantern ends in a stalemate
Wandering the streets, Flash surmises he's on his own, unable to call anyone for help

Low Points

Silver Sable rescinds her off to pay Spider-Man saying he formally quit when he went back to help Sandman, and instead offers Sandman the job

Oddities

None

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

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Retro Spins: Marillion - Script For A Jester's Tear

While preparing a post "recently", I came across the band name Marillion. Specifically, by way of Producer, Chris Kimsey. Unfortunately, I can't remember what post that was, but I do recall it being one of the Psychedelic Furs Spins. This took me down a rabbit hole, somewhat looking into this unknown band, initially mistaking them for drag queen pop star Marilyn.

For those of you who also read my Christmas 2025 posts, you may also recall me getting their entire 80's discography. I admit, this is a habit which has gotten me in trouble before. By that, I mean accumulating albums that after hearing them, I regret making the purchase. Hopefully, that won't happen as I go through their corresponding albums.

Though their first studio album wouldn't come until 1983, Marillion started taking shape in 1977 when Mick Pointer joined the band Electric Gypsy. He would depart shortly thereafter with member, Doug Irvine, and form Silmarillion, named after J.R.R. Tolkien's book. They were joined by Neil Cockle, and Martin Jenner, but this would change by 1979 with the two new editions departing.

The lineup, consisting of Mick Pointer, Steve Rothery, Doug Irvine, and Brian Jelliman, would play their first live show in 1980. It was also around this time that, per Pointer, the name was shortened to Marillion. However, other sources say this occurred in 1981 and was done so to avoid potential copyright claim from Tolkien's estate.

Following an addition at Leyland Farm, Fish (Derek William Dick) and William 'Diz' Minnitt would replace Irvine. This lineup would play their first show in the spring of 1981. By the end of the year, Mark Kelly had replaced Jelliman, with Pete Trewavas replacing Minnitt.

Marillion got the attention of Friday Rock Show, and after playing a session, were signed to EMI Records. This resulted in their first single, Market Square Heroes, which featured what some call, "the 17-minute epic B-side, Grendel." This was followed by their 1983 debut, Script For A Jester's Tear.

With its dark progressive rock sound, the album would become a massive success, peaking at number seven on the UK album charts, and reach platinum status. It would peak even higher in Germany, reaching number five. Though it would crack the top fifty in Sweden, it wouldn't fair as well in other countries. Regardless, Tear did spawn successful singles in the UK; He Knows You Know (peaking at 35), and Garden Party (peaking at 16).

He Knows You Know would also receive mild airplay in the USA, peaking at number twenty-one on the mainstream rock charts. The album would also reach one hundred seventy-five on the Billboard 200.

While Marillion was praised for giving progressive rock a second chance, others would accuse them of being Genesis knockoffs. Playing through their debut, I can understand this assessment. This very much so sounds like the Peter Gabriel era of the far more popular band.

The instrumentation is really good, but for me, I don't hear hits. With songs typically over the eight-minute mark, this is also understandable. These are not radio friendly tracks.

Overall, it was a relatively bland first impression, but I'm still hopeful things will get better as I progress through their albums. If nothing else, I know now what I'm in for, so my ears should be prepared for drawn out rock operas.

After wrapping up their support tour for Script For A Jester's Tear in 1983, the band unceremoniously fired drummer Mick Pointer. That's pretty messed up, considering he was literally the first founding member of the band. Fish would state the decision was made because his timing was awful, and he failed to develop at the same pace as the remaining members of the band.

Apparently, nobody was good enough for them because over the next six months, three drummers would come and go. These included original Camel drummer Andy Ward, followed by John 'Martyr' Marter, and Jonathan Mover. It wouldn't be until Ian Mosley arrived that they'd bring him into the fold long term, putting in place the classic lineup of Fish on vocals, Steve Rothery on guitars, Mark Kelly on keyboards, Pete Trewavas on bass, and Mosley on drums.

That's a pretty good stopping point for today. I'll pick up tomorrow with more Marillion, as I jump into 1984's Fugazi.

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Comics Corner: The Amazing Spider-Man 280

Title: The Amazing Spider-Man
Issue Number: 280
Release Date: September 1986

Highlights

First appearance of the new villainous team-up, the Sinister Syndicate

Hydro-Man
Speed-Demon
Beetle
Boomerang
Rhino

The story opens up to immediate action, with Silver Sable and Spider-Man already battling it out with the Syndicate
Reference is made to Web Of Spider-Man 16 - 18, The Amazing Spider-Man 275, and 278
The story rewinds a bit to Spider-Man swinging around the city looking for Silver Sables after seeing her add for his help - From The Amazing Spider-Man 279
Sha Shan meets Flash Thompson in prison, and when he asks if he can count on her to testify on his behalf, she simply responds that she couldn't count on him
Sha Shan is still angry about Flash cheating on her with Betty Leeds, and rightfully so

This is not helped when as she's leaving the jail, Betty is walking in

Spider-Man initially turns down Sable for the job, but then when he hears Flash needs money for his defense, he reconsiders
Jack O'Lantern called Silver Sable, and told her where he'd be, and when, but it was clearly an ambush, and that's when the Sinister Syndicate attacked
As part of her tactic, Silver Sable takes off running, drawing Beetle and Boomerang with her, leaving Spider-Man to face the other three villains
Rhino has a new suit, and during the fight explains he only joined the team to earn money to get "illegal operations" to turn him back to human
Betty Leeds comes home to find Ned moving out
Jack O' Lantern goes to see Kingpin to offer his paid services, but is dismissed immediately
Mary Jane knocks on Roderick Kinglsey's door to tell him the models are ready for their dress rehearsal

After sending her off quickly, the man returns to his conversation with another man in the shadows who is holding a very familiar looking pumpkin bomb

Jack O'Lantern hits up The Rose for work, telling him he could one up the Hobgoblin any day

The Rose informs him he'll let him know if he ever needs his services, but more menacingly, considers pitting the two against each other for his own benefit

Silver Sable manages to land a double kick on Beetle, but in the processes sprains both her ankles on his hard body armor
Spider-Man and Silver Sable attempt to hide under a wooden roller coaster, but the villains literally knock it down
Off in the distance, Sylvester Mann (Sandman) sees the plume of destruction, and decides to investigate
The shadowy figure from Kingsley's office learns of Jack O'Lanterns ploy to usurp Hobgoblin, and leaving the building runs into Mary Jane, who immediately recognizes him (not as the Hobgoblin, but his true identity) - The suspense!
Cliffhanger ending with the Sinister Syndicate bearing down on Spider-Man and Silver Sable
It's about time we got back to Spider-Man stories that featured iconic villains

Low Points

Spider-Man thinks to himself that he's only come to see Silver Sable out of curiosity, but that she doesn't know he's decided to give up being Spider-Man

He has?

Oddities

None

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

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