The Toy Box

Comics Corner: The Amazing Spider-Man 321

Title: The Amazing Spider-Man
Issue Number: 321
Release Date: Early October 1989

Highlights

First appearance of The Protectors
Todd McFarlane hid one spider on the cover, can you find it?
The story opens with Paladin and Spider-Man deep in battle with the Life Foundation at one of their shipping yards

Paladin struggles to tip over a train car to block their path, which Spider-Man obliges with the simple flick of a finger

Paladin secures the needed files from the yard, and as the two go their separate ways
Reference is made to The Amazing Spider-Man 299
At the Life Foundation Headquarters, the menacing men decide to unleash a new defense method, and initiate The Protectors
Peter comes clean with Aunt May that he overheard her conversation with the doctor about her heart disease (from The Amazing Spider-Man 320)

She tells him that it's actually Nathan Lubensky who has the issue
She tells Peter that he will always have a home with her, but in wanting to make his final days peaceful, she's considering closing down her home to everyone else

That night, Mary Jane tells Peter she's auditioning for a soap opera, and reminds him they're helping the Osborn's move over the weekend

The Osborn's offer Peter and Mary Jane the opportunity to live on the top floor loft of their building
They accept

Silver Sable pilots a glider towards the discovered Life Foundation base in North Jersey, programming it crash in the river while her, Paladin, and Spider-Man jump out to safety
The Life Foundation are building a shopping mall underground, with the intentions of finding rich yuppies to pay to be there when society collapses
We learn The Protectors are mercenaries who were altered surgically to make them stronger, and subservient to the Life Foundation

As the battle ensues, Silver Sable crashes into the main control room, and injects Chakane with something that allows her to question him
She learns an assassin has been hired to kill the king of Symkaria during the King's Silver Jubilation
She tells Paladin and Spider-Man that she needs to be on her way there, but Paladin says he has another job
Spider-Man agrees to go for a thousand dollars

Did you find the hidden spider?

It's located in the smoke next to Silver Sable's left arm

Todd hid two Felix the Cat images in this issue, three if you count one that shows up twice in continuity

The first (and second) is on a portrait hung above Peter and Mary Jane's bed

The last is under Peter's left arm as he sits on the couch

Low Points

I guess we're not going to worry about the cliffhanger ending of The Spectacular Spider-Man 155 with Spidey aboard a helicopter wanting to find Joe Robertson and Tombstone who both fell out of it when Joe grabbed the villain during a prison escape

Oddities

None

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

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Retro Spins: Dokken - Back For The Attack

Before we start: A lot of changes have been occurring for me both personally and professionally as of late, which are taking up a good chunk of my time. This is necessitating I pull my focus away from things I'd rather be doing, such as this blog. While I hope to keep up with daily Retro Spins, the reality is that this may not be a feasible goal. If you see a sudden drop off in posts, it's not because I wanted to stop, but rather that other matters simply took over my time.

Following a tour with Scorpions to support their 1985 released Under Lock And Key, Dokken returned to the studio to record the single, Dream Warriors (1986) for the third installment in the A Nightmare On Elm Street franchise. It would help them to finally garner some attention in the UK. This would be followed by a six-month break before they began work on what would become their final 80's album, 1987's Back For The Attack. The aforementioned single would be among the tracks included on the album.

Back For The Attack would become their third and final platinum album, peaking at number thirteen on the Billboard 200. Further, it would be their first, and only album, to peak in Sweeden, Switzerland, and the UK, reaching nineteen, twenty-five, and ninety-six, respectively.

Let's just jump into this and get it done and over with. Yes, it's another mediocre Dokken album, with the exception of one standout track, Heaven Sent.

You know, I should have seen this coming. When I told a co-worker of mine, who's a massive metal fan, that I would be listening to Dokken, he gave me a funny look. He would state that he didn't know much about the band, and in hindsight, I can see why. They never really made all that big a wave to garner the attention of most heavy metal fans.

At the end of it all, I'll say that their music was okay, but as I've relatively said over and over since going through their 80's discography, nothing spectacular. The biggest takeaway from all of their albums continues to be the thunderous guitar solos of George Lynch. Even then, when it's all said and done, I doubt I'll be going back to any of their tunes.

Dokken signed on to be one of the headliners at the 1988 Monsters Of Rock festival. However, this would prove to be the final nail in the coffin for them. The band would be overshadowed each night by Metallica, who took the stage before them, leaving Don to proclaim that he felt like his band was The Monkees in comparison, outdated, outplayed.

Internal fighting ballooned, with bandmates bickering over egos, control, and finances. Though they would professionally complete their tour on July 30, 1988, by March of 1989, they formally broke up. As people went on to other projects, Don planned to record and release the next Dokken album, Up From The Ashes. That is until all the other band members sued him. A judge would rule that neither side could use the name "Dokken" without each other, forcing Don to release the album as Don Dokken.

Don began work on his second solo album in 1994. However, somehow be convinced to work with George Lynch, Jeff Pilson, and Mick Brown to release a new Dokken album. This came with a deal from Columbia Records who released 1995's Dysfunction. Unfortunately, tensions between Don and George immediately resurfaced, and after a botched live event where Lynch walked out prior to it, forcing rehearsal footage to be broadcast instead, Columbia dropped them.

Dokken would manage to stay together, and even obtain a new label, CMC International. However, for their 1997 released Shadowlife, Lynch would take complete control of the project, change their musical style, and even change the band's logo. It's considered the bands worst album among fans, and Don would go on to state that he felt George was actively trying to destroy the band with the album. Lynch would ultimately be fired for this, replaced by Reb Beach for 1999's Erase The Slate.

Reb would be unable to commit to the band long term and be replaced by John Norum for 2002's Long Way Home. However, by this point, Pilson had also departed, sick of the ongoing internal tensions of the band, and simply tired of playing the same music over and over. He would be replaced by Barry Sparks.

Norum wouldn't last long either. Suffering a hand injury which impeded his playing, he'd be replaced on tour by Alex De Rosso. Unfortuantely, Rosso would lose his Visa and be forced to return to Italy. Jon Levin would then step in for 2004's Hell To Pay. The lineup of Don, Levin, Sparks and Brown would also release 2008's Lightning Strikes Again.

Sparks would leave in 2009 to focus on other projects, with Sean McNabb taking up base for 2012's Broken Bones. What's interesting to note is that while Mick Brown is credited on this album, he actually didn't play on it. Rather, drumming was handled by Jimmy DeGrasso. Though Brown would continue to tour with the band, he retired in 2019.

Prior to this, the lineup of Don, Lynch, Pilson, and Brown partook in a series of reunion shows throughout 2016. However, none, other than Don, would appear on Dokken's forthcoming, and last studio album to date, Heaven Comes Down (2023). While Levin returned for guitars, Chris McCarvill would be added on bass, and BJ Zampa on drums. This is the lineup which remains on tour to date.

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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.

And now, 31 Days Of Halloween!

Comics Corner: The Spectacular Spider-Man 155

Title: The Spectacular Spider-Man
Issue Number: 155
Release Date: October 1989

Highlights

First appearance of Otto
Spider-Man is infiltrating Lewisburg Federal Prison, on a mission to see Robbie Robertson after receiving a call from his son, Randy
It turns out to be a trap

Tombstone has orchestrated the entire thing, and when he attacks the web spinner, Robbie injects Spidey with something that knocks him out

Aunt May and Mary Jane head to the Parish House for a night of Bingo

Bingo isn't in session, instead it's a meeting for Senior Citizens For Service

Harry Osborn offers Flash Thompson the job of construction manager for his factory rebuild

As the two talk, Black Cat sneaks in the background, back in her original costume

Tombstone has a plan to escape prison, using Spider-Man to do so, but first, he roughs him up

One of the prison guards, Otto, is also in on the plan

Spidey asks Robbie why he's helping Tombstone, and learns that the man is, and has always been, afraid of him
Helicopters storm the prison, and the prison break commences

Otto tells the officers to hold their fire because the prisoners have Spider-Man hostage

Spidey recovers from the injection, and busts out of his chains, fighting back, but his web shooters are damaged

Tombstone makes a b-line for the chopper, pulling Robbie in tow

As Tombstone tries to knock Spidey off the chopper, Robbie musters his courage, grabs him from behind, and they both fall out from a decent height

Spider-Man demands the pilot circle back in a cliffhanger ending

Low Points

None

Oddities

What does Flash Thompson know about construction management?

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

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Retro Spins: Dokken - Under Lock And Key

Before we start: A lot of changes have been occurring for me both personally and professionally as of late, which are taking up a good chunk of my time. This is necessitating I pull my focus away from things I'd rather be doing, such as this blog. While I hope to keep up with daily Retro Spins, the reality is that this may not be a feasible goal. If you see a sudden drop off in posts, it's not because I wanted to stop, but rather that other matters simply took over my time.

Since the inception of Dokken, the relationship between Don Dokken and George Lynch had been a volatile one, with both fighting for control, while clashing over egos. It's what drove them to push their music further and further, leading to their massive success.

The recording sessions for what would become Under Lock And Key were no different, with the two continuing their feud. To help ease the tensions, the band made a decision to credit all album tracks to Dokken, versus individuals.

Under Lock And Key would become their second platinum record, scoring better on the Billboard 200 by reaching number thirty-two. It has since gone on to be noted on Rolling Stone's 50 Greatest Hair Metal Albums of All Time (number twenty-one), and Metal Rules Top 50 Glam Metal Albums (number eleven).

As for me, it's the first Dokken album I actually bought. At the time, it was because of a song I came across while perusing the internet for "new" 80's songs. However, when I first fired up the album, I couldn't for the life of me remember what that song was. Playing through it, I think it may have been In My Dreams, which would be terrible because it's not a good song.

My biggest problem so far with the band has been that everything is simply just mediocre. Sure, I managed to pull out one noteworthy track, Don't Lie To Me, but even as I type this, I couldn't honestly tell you how it went. There's just no amazing material that makes anything memorable. It's okay music, it's just not great.

I have one more Dokken album to go, 1987's Back For The Attack. Candidly, I'm not expecting anything from it. But I'll find out tomorrow if the juice was worth the squeeze.

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And now, 31 Days Of Halloween!

Retro Spins: Dokken - Tooth And Nail

Before we start: A lot of changes have been occurring for me both personally and professionally as of late, which are taking up a good chunk of my time. This is necessitating I pull my focus away from things I'd rather be doing, such as this blog. While I hope to keep up with daily Retro Spins, the reality is that this may not be a feasible goal. If you see a sudden drop off in posts, it's not because I wanted to stop, but rather that other matters simply took over my time.

With a lackluster debut album, and ongoing rotations of band members since its inception, Dokken was not in a solid position in the industry. Original bassist, Juan Croucier, who had quit and come back, once again departed. Further guitarist, George Lynch quit and rejoined multiple times. Fortunately, his final rejoining would be his last, and he'd stick with the band from that point on.

If that weren't problem enough, Elektra Records, who initially agreed to distribute the band in the USA was on the cusp of dropping them based on lackluster sales of their first album. It was only through their management group, Q Prime, that the label would be convinced to finance a second record.

The guys worked diligently to write upwards of twenty-five songs for consideration on the album, which would be whittled down and selected with the help of Elektra's chosen producer, Tom Werman. Unfortunately, Werman didn't work well with sound engineer, Geoff Workman, leading to constant arguments. The toxicity of recording session was only impacted further by George Lync and Don Dokken's egos clashing with each other, fueled by cocaine and alcohol abuse.

Though Werman tried to control the two by setting them on separate recording schedules, things came to a violent end between him and Lynch when the guitarist physically rejected the producer's suggestions for how some of his work should be laid down. Over it all, Werman quit on the spot, and left on family vacation with his wife and kids.

Leading up to the initial recording sessions, and Werman being selected, Don had proposed Michael Wagener as the album's producer. However, the band rejected this request. When it was brought up again as a suggestion when Werman departed, they once again denied this, leaving the singer to go directly to the label and beg them to intervene. Werman would be brought in to work with Don, with Roy Thomas Baker also being hired to keep the rest of the band in check.

Things would ultimately pay off. Tooth And Nail would pay off as the band's breakthrough album, going platinum in the USA, and peaking at number forty-nine on the Billboard 200.

Playing through it, my sentiments echo that of their debut, wherein the music is good, led mostly by Lynch's amazing solos on each track, and followed closely by the unique harmonizing of the vocals. It's a solid playthrough, and time well spent.

The standout tracks would be the awesome instrumental intro, Without Warning, and the power ballad, Alone Again. The latter is something I find odd to be admitting since I'm not typically a fan of ballads. As for the remainder of the album, it's good, but I'm not going to say it's the greatest thing I've ever heard, and everyone should check this one out. However, if you're a fan of hard rock / 80's metal, then sure, this one could be for you.

I'm still all in on Dokken, eager to continue my trip through their 80's discography, with the next stop being 1985's Under Lock And Key, the first album I actually picked up from them. What's funny is I can't actually remember what song off of it led me to even buy it. Oh well, maybe it will hit me when I play through it.

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And now, 31 Days Of Halloween!

Retro Spins: Dokken - Breaking The Chains

Before we start: A lot of changes have been occurring for me both personally and professionally as of late, which are taking up a good chunk of my time. This is necessitating I pull my focus away from things I'd rather be doing, such as this blog. While I hope to keep up with daily Retro Spins, the reality is that this may not be a feasible goal. If you see a sudden drop off in posts, it's not because I wanted to stop, but rather that other matters simply took over my time.

I was going through a spurt of tracking down metal and glam bands, and in doing so, one immediately came to mind. Dokken. What did I know about the group beyond their name? Absolutely nothing. Which was ironic, because I already owned their 1985 released Under Lock And Key, but hadn't yet played through it.

Their remaining 80's discography was readily available, fairly cheap, and based on that became an immediate priority. Within a few clicks of the mouse button, I had purchased them all on ebay, and simply needed to wait for their arrival.

Fast or slow, it wouldn't matter how quickly they came because ultimately, they'd sit on the shelf until I finally got around to them. This is something that often happens in my world of CD collecting. I need it now, even though I know it's going to be a while before I get to it.

Don Dokken formed the band Airborn in 1976 with Bobby Blotzer, and Juan Croucier, only for them to quit shortly thereafter. It was around this time that Don would also find out that another group named Airborne had just signed a recording deal, meaning he not only needed a new band, but new name.

Not to worry. He'd simply adopt his own last name for this new group, bringing in Greg Pecka and Steven R. Barry to be part of this first iteration. This would change though, and while there's not much to fill in the gap, by 1979, Dokken, featuring Don, Greg Leon, and Gary Holland, Gary Link were touring Germany. This lineup too would fall apart.

Seeking a recording deal, a new iteration of Dokken, now featuring Don, George Lynch, Mick Brown, and returning original member, Juan Croucier, headed to Germany to find a label. The secured this through Carrere Records, after recording a series of demos with Accept manager, Gaby Hauke.

Their 1981 debut would initially be released under Don Dokken, with the original title, Breaking The Chains. However, this would be updated to the band name for subsequent releases. Also featured on the album were bassist Peter Baltes, and drummer Bobby Blotzer, who filled in on multiple tracks.

Side Note: As noted in my previous Retro Spin about the Scorpion's Blackout album, Don also filled in on the demo tracks when their lead singer, Klaus Meine underwent vocal surgery.

All was going well for Dokken on German shores. Meanwhile, back in the USA, manager, Cliff Bernstein secured a contract with Elektra Records for a stateside release of their debut, which would be remixed for American audiences. While this would lead to a US tour, the end of it would leave them relatively broke, with an album that was considered unsuccessful, almost causing them to be dropped from the label.

Let's pause here a moment, and actually have our own listen.

While I didn't know what to expect from the album, one thing was for sure was that I didn't anticipate at all to be treated to harmonies, and solid rock. In retrospect, it was reminiscent to bands such as Def Leppard, and Van Halen, as well as what would come from Bon Jovi shortly thereafter.

As a whole, the album is very easy to listen to, and while it features the title track Billboard Mainstream Rock single, candidly, I wouldn't necessarily call any of the songs on here a hit. They're good. It's all enjoyable. It's also just not very memorable.

Still, I'm in a positive position with Dokken, and I'm down for hearing more from them, which is a good thing considering I have three more albums to go. If nothing else, it was certainly better than expected. Admittedly, I envisioned hearing loud instrumentation, followed by screeching vocals, and I'm happy to say that is not at all what I got.

Following the above noted tour, the band would focus their efforts on a music video for the song, Breaking The Chains, but leading up to the shoot, Croucier would once again leave, being replaced by Jeff Pilson.

With the lineup now consisting of Don, Lynch, Brown, and Pilson, the band returned to the studio to record the tracks for what would become their breakout success, 1984's Tooth And Nail. Further, this lineup would stay in place through 1997's Shadowlife, with a caveat that occurred in 1988. But now I'm getting way ahead of the game. First, I pick up tomorrow with their second album.

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And now, 31 Days Of Halloween!