The Toy Box

Retro Spins: Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers - Hard Promises

Thanks to the radio's incessant playing of Tom Petty's Free Falling, I have a very difficult time listening to his music. I'm just so burned out on it from just that one song repeatedly being hammered into my ears. It's because of this that I've had several of his albums, 70's through 90's, but to this day never played one of them. Well, it's time to grit my teeth, and check them off.

Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers were catapulted to mainstream success with their 1979 album, Damn The Torpedo's, the third in their studio discography. It was because of this that when it came time to release his 1981 follow-up, Hard Promises, MCA wanted to capitalize by moving his albums into the "superstar pricing" category, a higher price reserved for the biggest sellers as a way to squeeze more money out of the fans. Petty objected and did so vocally through the local press. The artist even considered not turning over the album for release, or renaming it Eight Ninety-Eight, the standard price of albums at the time. MCA eventually stepped down from the matter and released it for the regular price.

Led by single, The Waiting, which would peak at number nineteen on the Billboard Hot 100, the album itself would eventually go platinum, peaking at number two on the Billboard 200. Mirroring Stevie Nick's 1981 release, Bella Donna, Hard Promises too would contain a duet with the two, with Insider. However, this tune wouldn't prove to be better than the Nicks album's Stop Draggin' My Heart Around.

Two additional singles would follow. The first being A Woman in Love (It's Not Me), which would peak on the Hot 100 at seventy-nine. The second, Thing About You, would actually make its way to Billboards US Hot Country Songs charts, where it landed at number fourteen.

Playing through it, I didn't expect much. My Petty fatigue has long since run its course. I will say it was nice to hear his voice again, considering he passed away in 2017.

I do appreciate that as an artist he seemed to embrace multiple music styles. He can definitely rock, but at the same time cross genres to country, and new wave. Through and through, he's a solid song writer, and The Heartbreakers definitely know their instruments. I can find no fault in the overall presentation.

There were also a handful of standouts, but not necessarily long-term memorable ones. These included King Roads, Letting You Go, and A Thing About You. Insider is also a pretty solid track, and I suppose based on the lyrics actually serves as the album title track.

Overall, it was much better than I expected. I think my first impression, or lack of desire to hear it was driven by my own fatigue. But ultimately, I can appreciate it as a whole. I dare say I may also be looking forward a bit to jumping into his 1982 follow-up, Long After Dark. While I wish that was where I was heading next, I did completely skip over Sade, which in chronological order will have already been posted.

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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: The Spectacular Spider-Man 134

Title: The Spectacular Spider-Man
Issue Number: 134
Release Date: January 1988

Highlights

First issue to drop Peter Parker in the title, officially becoming just The Spectacular Spider-Man
First appearance of Doctor Bank, Doctor Kalish, Doctor Costello, and Doctor Lopez
Additional first appearance from Myron, the jewelry shop clerk, Katey Tong, and Scott Rosenberg
Stan Carter sits along in his room at the mental hospital, talking to his alter ego, Sin-Eater

Stan sees him constantly, and the villainous alter ego insists on prompting him to kill

A retelling of Sin-Eater's origin and recent events surrounding his killing spree is given by the doctors who are discussing if they should set him free or not

They let him go

At Peter's apartment, Mary Jane is taking skimpy photos of herself to present to Peter in order to convince him that he should change careers to photographing models

Peter sneaks in the room across the wall, and things get "marital"

Max Dillon, AKA Electro is also out of prison, and his first order of business is to rob a jewelry store, but in his civilian clothes so as to not attract unwanted attention
As Peter and Mary Jane walk down the street, he sees the headline on the Daily Bugle announcing Stan Carter being released, and Peter is none to happy about it
Peter says he's going to suit up, find Carter, and tell him that he'll be watching, so he better be on the straight and narrow
Spider-Man goes to see Carter, and finds out that when he last beat the man that he broke his jaw, clavicle, and inner ear, resulting in him permanently limping, stuttering, and partially deaf

Unable to bear hearing anymore, Spider-Man retreats from the situation

And also makes reference to Batman

As Dillon tries to rob another jewelry store, the clerk sets off a silent alarm, bringing the cops

Spider-Man see's the encounter as he swings nearby

As Spider-Man intervenes, Dillon finally figures out that his ability to stick to walls is by some form of static electricity, and using his powers, severs that connection, sending Spider-Man crashing down on top of a car

Rather than kill him immediately, Dillon decides he wants Spider-Man to know he's not only won, but can defeat him anytime he wishes

Low Points

The villains never take their opportunities when they have them

Oddities

None

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

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Retro Spins: Sade - Stronger Than Pride

My listening sessions through Sade's 80's discography have been a bit mind numbing, a little boring, and overall underwhelming. Granted, I never really expected anything mind blowing. I knew what I was getting into, and I knew what I wanted from it; essentially the three hits I knew, Sweetest Taboo, Smooth Operator, and Your Love Is King, and that's relatively what I got.

Initially, I bought her first two albums, 1984's Diamond Life, and 1985's Pride were intentionally bought for those aforementioned tunes. However, as things go, when I began preparing for this series of Retro Spins, I felt I'd go ahead and pick up her final entry for the decade, 1988's Stronger Than Pride. Just me checking boxes like I so often do (and regret).

Upon its release, Sade definitely kept their successful momentum going. Stronger Than Pride would become their third platinum record to date, and like its predecessors, fire up the Billboard 200 to the top ten, peaking at number seven. It was equally successful across the globe, peaking in the top ten on multiple charts, and smashing platinum sales in multiple territories.

I don't know, maybe it's just me. Sade just doesn't do it for me. As noted above, I find the music boring. There's just nothing here that leaves me saying, "Wow, that's amazing," nor, "I need to hear that again."

Okay, let me think of something positive to say. Instrumentation wise, the band has the smooth jazz sound locked down. They know what they're doing, and Sade knows how to use her vocals to compliment it. If I was into this style of music, I could definitely see the appeal.

The band went on to release 1992's Love Deluxe and would win a Grammy in 1994 for their song, No Ordinary Love, featured in the 1993 film Indecent Proposal. However, by 1994 the singer was looking for a quieter life. One where she could rest and raise her child. Sade Adu, seemingly disappeared overnight. Bassist Paul S. Denman, keyboardist Andrew Hale, and guitar and sax man, Stuart Matthewman, would go on to create Sweetback in 1996.

The four would reunite in 2000 for a performance at the MOBO Awards, and release the studio album, Lovers Rock. As fate would have it, the band essentially picked up right where they left off, producing another platinum record that smashed the charts across the globe. Ten years later, they'd do it again with 2010's Soldier Of Love.

When it's all said and done, while it's not for me, there's an audience out there for Sade, and they love what she does. Kudos to the band for their massive success across multiple decades. All the more respect for being able to take such a long hiatus and do it multiple times like it was just another day for them.

As for me, I'm headed back to Tom Petty, a statement which will make more sense to you tomorrow.

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Comics Corner: Web Of Spider-Man 36

Title: Web Of Spider-Man
Issue Number: 36
Release Date: March 1988

Highlights

First appearance of Phreak, AKA Steve Petty (who made his first appearance in the previous issue)
Also the first appearance of Tombstone, AKA Lonnie Lincoln
Additional first appearance of Kate
Death of Dr. Karl Mendoza
Spider-Man startles Mary Jane as she's returning home with groceries, springing up on her in an alley
Mary Jane tells him she thinks she's found them a new apartment on the upper West Side
Things get kinky as the two jump in the shower
From his brother's jeep, Jake and Ronda see flashes of light coming from the school basement, and go to investigate, looking for Steve, and hoping it's him
In the basement, Steve is fitting himself with an exo-skeleton, intent on heading to Peter Parker's apartment once he's fully powered it up
Jake and Ronda enter the basement, and flipping a light switch causes the exo-skeleton to over power, sending all the juice into Steve, who runs from the basement in burning agony
Roland Rayburn walks the streets with a woman named Kate, telling her he wants a peak at her company's upcoming quarterly report, and offering her a bump of cocaine to oblige

From a car, Tombstone tells his driver to follow Roland

Robbie Robertson exits a diner, and see's Tombstone in his car, immediately panicking that he's back
In a lab, Dr. Karl Mendoza is administering the serum to Captain Alveraz, which will give him the strength to be the new Tarantula

Because of the pain of it, Alveraz says he's going to kill Mendoza if he survives

Peter is awoken from a nightmare, his spider senses tingling, and when he walks through the apartment to investigate, sees all the mechanical items short circuiting
Steve, no calling himself Phreak, grabs Mary Jane, and when Peter tries to stop him, the television explodes, sending shards of glass through Peter's leg
Phreak decides to hurt Peter by hurting Mary Jane, and drags her from the apartment

Despite being wounded, Peter suits up, determined to not let anything happen to his wife

Ronda and Jake see a news bulletin about Steve

Jake tells Ronda he didn't mean to hurt him, and he drags her off to try to stop and help him

Spider-Man battles Phreak atop a building billboard, but realizes quickly he can't make contact with the maniac without getting burned
Ronda and Jake break through the police barricade, and run into the building

At the top of the building, Jake apologizes profusely to Steve, and Spider-Man takes advantage of the distraction, dealing a massive blow to him

Phreak slams into the electric billboard, drawing in all its power, which short circuits the exo-skeleton

Now garbed in the outfit of Tarantula, Mendoza keeps his promise, and kills Dr. Mendoza

Tarantula is then sent to America with two assigniments

The first, to deal with all the refugees
The second, to avenge the original Tarantula by killing Spider-Man

Low Points

It's a bit of a boring story arc, and I was hoping to get more on Tombstone than a couple panels

Oddities

Jake calls Steve his friend, and that ends all his anger instantly

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

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Retro Spins: Sade - Promise

When Sade released their second studio album in 1985, they were still riding the waves of their multi-platinum debut, Diamond Life (1984), which was still staying strong on the Billboard 200, and would be through 1986. As such, Promise immediately joined it, surpassing it to reach number one. It too would go multi-platinum, and peak on multiple charts across the globe.

Despite its chart success, critics were not kind upon its release. Anthony DeCurtis of Rolling Stone would say, "The careful elegance of the production and instrumental settings seems little more than a strategy to conceal the limitations of Sade's vocal range and skills as a song stylist." Meanwhile, Robert Christgau of The Village Voice would state, "Even when it's this sumptuous, there's a problem with aural wallpaper—once you start paying attention to it, it's not wallpaper anymore, it's pictures on the wall. And while as a wallpaper these pictures may be something, they can't compete with the ones you've hung up special." Admittedly, the latter seems like a word salad that's difficult to decipher. Perhaps it's best summed up by Spin Magazine's quote, "Sade is a torch singer without the torch. Her voice has no blood, no guts, and no soul." Basically, critics were saying that Sade stunk, even though the charts were not reflecting this.

While I won't say it stunk, it's definitely not for me. Promise is more or less the same that was delivered with their debut. For me, the hit, Sweetest Taboo, is why I bought it, but on the same hand don't really necessarily have much love for the tune.

If I'm being honest, I found the whole listening experience to be boring, but at the same time, I expected this. I can respect what the band was doing and acknowledge that they had massive hits in the 80's. Frankly, that's the reason why I own them. Sade is me checking a box in my 80's collection, and I have no problem in being honest in that aspect.

I didn't expect to like this album, and I didn't. Everything sounds like a lounge act straight out of Leisure Suit Larry. It's great ambience if you're running around as Larry Laffer, but dull and drawn out if you're just sitting there taking it all in. To put it bluntly, it's quite boring. So much so that I wanted to give up on listening to it and ultimately had to force myself through it.

I will finish out their 80's discography, which consists of one more album, 1988's Stronger Than Pride, but I'm certainly not looking forward to it. Sade isn't bad music. It's just not my kind of music.

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Comics Corner: Web Of Spider-Man 35

Title: Web Of Spider-Man
Issue Number: 35
Release Date: February 1988

Highlights

First appearance of Steve Petty, Roland Rayburn, Jake Dorman, Ronda Kramer, and Dr. Karl Mendoza
First appearance and death of Miguel Sanchez
Also the first appearance of Luis Alvarez as the new Tarantula
Peter has taken a job as a substitute teach for his old high school, and it's his first day
Midtown High School is a dump now, with the neighborhood all run down
Jake is blaming Steve for his "F", and the smarter classmate isn't having it

As they almost come to blows, Peter breaks it up, but feels like this is history repeating itself when it was he and Flash constantly butting heads

Steve recognizes Peter, and says that he's his hero, being the only person to win an award for science in the school
Steve says Jack is just a dumb jock, and that all jocks are dumb

Peter tells him they should meet for lunch to talk about it

In Santa Maria, El Arana, AKA Luis Alvarez, heads to a church in his jeep, and upon arrival tells the priest he wants Miguel Sanchez

The priest denies his request, telling him that his church is a sanctuary

After beating the priest, Miguel comes out, only to be met by cold blooded murder from El Arana, who then orders his men to kill every at the church

At lunch, Steve takes Peter to the basement, and shows him all the computers which his dad donated
Steve tells Peter that people don't take electronic engineers seriously, and call them Phreaks

That will be important later, as it's the persona that Steve will soon take

Peter tells Steve he's a lonely kid, and needs to understand the importance of having people in his life, but when he suggests Steve open up to Jake, that's more than enough for him, and Steve storms off
In the cafeteria, Ronda calls Steve over, and tells Jake to apologize, but the kid gets his leg caught, dumping his food tray on the jock

Enraged, Jake pushes him, breaking Steve's glasses

Steve has coupled together the old parts to recreate the Living Brain robot, and it crashes through the school on a rampage
Reference is made to The Amazing Spider-Man 8
Steven directs the robot towards Jake and Ronda, destroying the jock's car
Spider-Man eventually lures the robot to an elevator shaft, and jumps out of the way just in time for its arm to smash an electric junction box
Spider-Man sees Steve as a darker mirror version of himself
El Arana is told that after he has been enhanced medically, that he will become the new Tarantula, and deal with the refugees who have fled to the USA
Peter goes looking for Steve, trying one last time to help him, but can't find the boy

Low Points

None

Oddities

None

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

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Retro Spins: Sade - Diamond Life

Sade was unique when she emerged in the 80's. While mainstream was focused on new wave, and the emerging hair bands, she instead focused on a smooth jazz, pop soul sound. She paved the way for artists like Tool, Pantera, and Korn, just to name a few.

The group started as Pride, with members Sade Adu, Stuart Matthewman, Paul Denman, and Paul Anthony Cooke in 1982. However, they soon changed the name to Sade and began writing material. While they would spend the year performing locally in London, by 1983 they made their way to the USA for their first appearance. It was here that they picked up Andrew Hale. In early 1984, Dave Early, would replace Cooke.

As Sade (the group), they were garnering far more attention than Pride, and by October of 1983 signed a deal with CBS Records. Prior to their July 1984 album debut, Your Love Is King, was released as a single, and became a top ten hit on the Billboard US Adult Contemporary charts. Additionally, it peaked on multiple chart lists, not only in the USA. Its follow-up, When Am I Going to Make A Living didn't fare as well, barely cracking the charts.

Regardless, when their debut, Diamond Life was released, it smashed the Billboard Hot 200, landing at number five. It would remain on the charts for two more years, dropping to twenty-four in 1985, and sixty-one in 1986. The single, Smooth Operator would not only be the first to receive a music video but also hit multiple charts. They would be nominated for Best Female Video, and Best New Artist, for the 1985 MTV Music Video Awards.

Smooth and silky, with a funky beat. That's the best way I can explain it. As a singer, Sade has a sultry voice which easily cuts through the jazz infused tracks, and while it's certainly a calming experience, I won't say that it was my favorite album. Not by a long shot.

Sade was one of those, "Yeah, I know them," purchases. I wasn't necessarily chomping at the bit to have Smooth Operator, Your Love Is King, or in the case of her second album, The sweetest Taboo. But at the same time, I couldn't fathom building an 80's collection without them. Essentially, this is how her albums came to be in my collection. Not as a fan of her music, but a fan of the era in which it dominated.

Personally, I will probably never listen to this one again. I will, however, continue on through her other two from the 80's.

With a multi-platinum debut under their belts, Sade were sailing off to a grand start. All of this was aided by the continued success of singles from the album, Why Can't We Live Together, and Hang On To Your Love.

In July of 1985, Sade would perform at Live Aid, the UK portion, where they performed Why Can't We Live Together, Your Love Is King, and Is It A Crime. In between this, February to August, they worked on the tracks that would become their sophomore album, Promise.

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Comics Corner: The Amazing Spider-Man 297

Title: The Amazing Spider-Man
Issue Number: 297
Release Date: February 1988

Highlights

First appearance of Al and Martin
First appearance and death of Eddie
Spider-Man has finished his new web shooters, and swings through the night sky, testing them out

The upgraded unit is now made of plastic, meaning it won't be set off by metal detectors, and also has a flashing red LED visible through his costume to warn him when the cartridge is running low

Further, the wrist capsule now rotates to put another cartridge in place, or he can simply open the compartment, and replace it with a cartridge from his belt

Lastly, he's also built a spider tracer launcher on the other side, allowing him to hit targets more accurately, and from greater distances

Aunt May and Aunt Anna stop by Peter's apartment to surprise him with dinner out on them, but Peter has just returned, still in his Spider-Man suit

He hides in the shower as Aunt May comes into the bathroom, making like he was bathing

Eddie, the pilot for Al's Air Rents, a helicopter rental shop, is all booked up, and this doesn't please Doc Ock

Doc Ock literally tears the man apart with his metal arms, killing him

Robbie overhears Peter telling Joy about his ongoing financial difficulties, and suggests to the young man that he should consider looking for a different line of work
Spider-Man attempts to break up a robbery of a wealthy penthouse owner named Henry

In the process, one of his priceless paintings, and a gargoyle statue are damaged, resulting in Henry claiming he's going to sue Spider-Man

Doc Ock breaks into a secure military lab, and steals a bacillus, and takes it to his hideout within the Trade Center Towers
Ock has gone mad - In his desire to kill Spider-Man, he's opted to kill everyone in Manhattan, convinced Spider-Man will be among them

He orders his men to activate the bacillus

Spider-Man crashes through the window, sending Ock into a frozen state of panic

Though Spider-Man takes one of his men captive, and orders him to tell the pilot to abort the operation, he's told that only Doc Ock knows the code words that would make him cease his mission

Despite physically being immobilized, Ock's arms go into full on defense mode

Reference is made to Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man 79
Spider-Man deduces that he needs to lose the fight to build Ock's confidence back up, and snap him out of his frozen state of fear
Allowing himself to take blows from Ock's arms, the villain snaps out of his comatose state, and celebrates his victory

Spider-Man tells him he wouldn't want to kill all the witnesses to his victory, and agreeing, Doc Ock calls off the mission

Dock Ock tells Spider-Man he has no intensions of killing him, but rather that the hero will have to live with his regret of defeat, just as he has had to
Despite having to take a beating, Peter is proud that he was able to save so many lives, and tells himself he's just become an adult

Low Points

Mary Jane is now in Colorado on a shoot, and with a brief couple panels where she calls home saying she'll be back by the weekend, is once again being written out of the story

Oddities

Either Doc Ock has changed his costume, or it's another Editor's Day Off moment

His suit, which was green and orange, and has been for decades, is suddenly blue and orange

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

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Retro Spins: Make A Difference Foundation - Stairway To Heaven / Highway To Hell

The Moscow Peace Festival which took place in August 1989, brought hair and metal bands together under one venue for a night of rock across the USSR. Cinderella, Gorky Park, Nuance, Brigade S, Scorpions, Skid Row, Mötley Crüe, Ozzy Osbourne, Bon Jovi, and special guest, Jason Bonham, would all take respective turns performing a selection of their hits, all broadcast live across fifty-nine nations. The event would go on to inspire the hit, Winds Of Change by Scorpions.

This was followed by the compilation, Stairway To Heaven / Highway To Hell, released under the banner, Make A Difference Foundation, which featured studio performances of cover hits by most of the folks noted above. All album proceeds would be split between Make a Difference and the Soviet Union's All-Union Society for Sobriety.

Now I'll be the first to tell you that most covers never hold a candle to the original, but there are exceptions. What's surprising is that all of them on this compilation fall under the exception. They're amazing!

Each respective artist brings their all, in only the style they know how. With amps cranked up to eleven, and bellowing vocals that would scare a pack of wolves away. Part hair band, part metal, all loud.

It's awesome to hear some of my favorite artists from the 80's performing "new" material, like an old friend come to visit again. While each artist performs their own studio cover, it wraps up with a three-part live performance "jam" from the event with everyone involved performing Hound Dog, Long Tall Sally, Blue Suede Shoes, and Rock & Roll.

Though it was never released on DVD, you can also get a two-volume VHS set from 1989 of The Moscow Peace Festival, though volume one is far rarer than two for some reason. While I wish it was on DVD, this is still a great way to enjoy the show.

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Comics Corner: The Amazing Spider-Man 296

Title: The Amazing Spider-Man
Issue Number: 296
Release Date: January 1988

Highlights

First appearance of Dr. Barnum
Spider-Man has run out of web fluid, and broke as usual, he's hoofing it in the rain back home

He talks about redesigning his web shooters so that this doesn't happen again

Mary Jane is away in Aspen on a photo shoot
Dr. Barnum and Jefferson seek to treat Otto Octavius through sleep therapy

Rather than dream, Octavius falls into a nightmare, his subconscious battling Spider-Man

His mental state causes his metal arms, locked up elsewhere, and bound by adamantium to thrash

Peter designs his new web shooters, but doesn't have the money to build them

A call to the Bugle yields no work

Octavius's nightmares continue, and this time when he mentally links with his metal arms, they break free
Spider-Man swings through the city looking for news to photograph, and finds it in the arms of Doc Ock smashing its way down the street
Though he initially resists them, and even fears his arms when they find him, once the security guards shoot at them, Octavius accepts his fate as Doc Ock, and dawning them, breaks out of the hospital
Doc Ock returns to one of his many lairs, and finds that his ex-henchmen don't want to work for him anymore, but they change their mind when his arms rip their car in half
Reference is made to Web Of Spider-Man 5
Spider-Man works with the Bugle and Dr. Jefferson to lure Doc Ock out
Peter gets the money to fund his new web shooters
Doc Ock determines himself to destroying New York City to get ensure the destruction of Spider-Man

Low Points

None

Oddities

Peter can barely rub two nickels together, and his first priority when getting cash in hand is upgrading his web shooter, not putting it away from him and his wife

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

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Retro Spins: Book Of Love - Lullaby

It's ironic that I would say in my previous post about Book Of Love that tubular bells and chimes felt a bit overused, only to then fire up their sophomore album, Lullaby for the opening track, Tubular Bells.

Though their 1986 album featured multiple charting hits, it would be the group's commitment to serve as opening act for Depeche Mode's Black Celebration Tour, which kept them out of the studio. It wouldn't be until spring 1987 that they finally got the opportunity to start laying down demos for what would become 1988's Lullaby.

Preceding its release, Pretty Boys And Pretty Girls, was released as a single, and darted up the dance charts to number five. This was followed by the mildly successful album title track, which peaked at twenty-seven. The third single, Witchcraft wouldn't fare so well, failing to chart. As a whole, the album would also be their first to hit the Billboard Hot 200, peaking at one hundred fifty-six.

As noted above, the album kicks off with Tubular Bells, a fun instrumental, which segues into the hit, Pretty Boys And Pretty Girls. The two tracks really hit the mark for me and excite me for the things to come.

I can't help but feel like if Witchcraft had been released in 1984 / 1985 that it would have been a success. It's not a good song by any means, but what it does have is quirky vocals, which bounce from Susan to Jade to Lauren, all mixed together in a solid beat.

While I will say that the album is pretty okay overall, for the year it was released, it's a bit dated. I suppose part of my opinion driving that is that by this point in time I was listening to more hard rock / metal. Still, it's a decent listening session.

Book Of Love would release two more albums, 1991's Candy Carol, and 1993's Lovebubble. Carol would hit the Billboard 200 (174), and both it and Lovebubble would produce one successful dance chart hit. However, witnessing the changing landscape of music in real time, they would opt to disband in 1994. While part of this decision was to avoid continuing on until irrelevant, the members were admittedly burned out and facing family issues. In the end, they just felt that things had run their course, and it was time to bow out.

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Comics Corner: Web Of Spider-Man 34

Title: Web Of Spider-Man
Issue Number: 34
Release Date: January 1988

Highlights

First appearance of A'Sai, Gerbil, Truck, Lumpy, and Grunz
First appearance of Bally's Las Vegas
Uatu, the Watcher, is ambushed by the alien, AiSai, a feet never before achieved
Spider-Man joins the game when Gerbil is injured
Grunz bet A'Sai eight million credit-units that the latter couldn't accomplish what he just did, and now Grunz is flat broke

A'Sai explains that he was able to accomplish his task with a piece of Galactus's home world that he salvaged

Reference is made to Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars 11
A'Sai wants the weapons of the Watcher, and negotiates a wager

If Uatu wins, A'Sai will turn over his weapons
If A'Sai wins, Uatu turns over his weapons, and A'Sai will also kill him

The two see Spider-Man playing football on a monitor, and decide that the game he's playing will be their bet

A'Sai gets the red shirts, AKA, the big guys
Uatu gets Spider-Man and the kids

Though initially down fifty-six to nothing, Spider-Man is able to pep talk the kids into giving it all they've got, bringing the score to fifty-six to forty-five

Seeing them making a comeback, A'Sai blasts Truck with his weapon, giving him added strength and speed

Gerbil comes back into the game when Lumpy gets injured too

With time expired, and the ball in their possession, Gerbil scores the winning touchdown by barreling through Truck

A'Sai loses the bet, and though he attempts to turn the weapon on Uatu, finds it has vanished
Though Uatu promised he would not punish A'Sai for invading his home and taking him prisoner, the villain's attempt to use his weapon after the bet was won demands the Watcher punish him
Uatu banishes him to a prison inside of a Joker card at Bally's Grand Hotel Casino in Las Vegas

Low Points

Jim Shooter leaves, and you have Spider-Man playing football, and a bet between a Watcher and alien?

Oddities

Spider-Man sees some guys playing football with a group of kids, and says the ball is probably full of crack
Editor's Day Off: Truck says to his team, "I ain't gonna sit on the bench just 'cause the the shrimp got bunged."

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

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Christmas Catalogs - Sears Wish Book 1974

Hey! You want to spend the next two years looking at the fantastic Christmas catalogs produced by Sears, JCPenny, and Montgomery Ward? Cause I do! Yeah, I said two years, cause that's a lot of catalogs! Join me on most Monday's each month as I post up one of those fabulous books starting with 1970, and ending with 1989.

Look through every page, feeling every bit of nostalgia. Chuckle at the look and style of the wardrobes those zanny past decade people wore. Gawk at the toys you used to have, but long since parted ways with. Bring back all those memories of hours spent laying on the floor, combing every inch as your young mind pined over everything you wanted. Reminisce over the Christmas that followed as you unwrapped those lucky few that you got.

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