Retro Spins: Oingo Boingo - Only A Lad

 

My introduction to Oingo Boingo technically came in 1985 with the movie and title track, Weird Science. However, I neither knew, nor cared at the time who the band was. Fast forward to around 1998 when I was working at a local Toys R' Us that a guy there was playing the band's 1996 double live Farewell album. While he professed how much he loved the band, I still didn't pay much attention.

A little later on, I got a larger introduction via a long time buddy of mine, who introduced me to the 1985 album, Dead Man's Party. From there, I took notice. This lead me to borrowing my sister's 1991 cassette of Best O' Boingo, which I proceeded to play to death.

When I switched jobs, and found myself traveling throughout the day quite a bit, Oingo Boingo became my go to source for entertainment. It was during this time that I started accumulating their complete discography, making frequent trips to Tower Records to do so. At the time, I had no intentions of collecting every Oingo Boingo album. It was just something that happened over a period of several years, and multiple trips.

Oingo Boingo would ultimately overshadow Queen as my most played band of that time, something I never thought would be possible, but which has balanced out over the years. But, in that moment, I lived, breathed, and slept their unique sounds and different approach to the 80's (and 90's).

Though I've heard it many times, today, I'm going back to their 1981 debut, Only A Lad.

It's been several years since I'd played this one from start to finish, and I must say, I'm glad that I did today. I know there are quite a few songs from this album that I loved, but every time I hear it, it feels like the first. I seem to always forget how much I like several songs, and in turn, needed to add them to my shuffle list; where they should have already have been.

For me, it was like sitting back and simply having a wonderful visit with an old friend. The memories associated with hearing these songs for the first time may be long gone, but it's easy to pick up where we left off, as if no time had passed at all. I suppose in a way, it took me back to a time of my life that was so different. A period where I was just starting to branch off into a career, taking my first true steps into adulthood and independence. There were good times, bad times, but always the music.

An interesting factor for me with the band is that if I was being one hundred percent honest, which I will, I actually prefer the 1990's re-recorded versions of many of their songs from their Alive and Best O' Boingo released compilations. This is because these were the first iterations of several of these songs that I was introduced to. As a result, it's weird to hear the original versions. They feel like demos when compared to the refined re-recordings.

With that said, I have grown to appreciate the originals more in retrospect, but I will probably always favor the updated versions.

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Batman Apelsin Kolsyrad Läskedryck (AB Pripps Bryggerier)

 

Batman Apelsin Kolsyrad Läskedryck
AB Pripps Bryggerier
1989

Why is it that foreign countries always get the cool and unique movie tie in promotions? Sure, the USA got Batman cereal, but where was our Batman soda?

In 1989, Sweden brewer, AB Pripps Bryggerier licensed the rights to produce a limited run of orange (Apelsin) carbonated (kolsyrad) soft drinks (läskedryck) based on the upcoming Tim Burton Batman film. The flavor was equivalent to popular brands of the day, most notably, Pepsi's Sunkist. The reason for this specific comparison is because Pripps was also licensed to produce and distribute Pepsi products in the Baltic States, Russia and Ukraine. As such, they would have had access to the drink.

The soft drink came and went quickly, and for many collectors of 1989 Batman related merchandise is highly sought after. Particularly in areas where it was never available. Though rare, empty cans don't typically sell for much, often under $10.00. While I'd love to tell you what a full can could fetch, I honestly have never seen one.

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Retro Spins: The Vapors - New Clear Days

 

Would a band be able to release a song called, Turning Japanese, in today's hyper sensitive culture?

The Vapors released two albums in the 80's, with their first being 1980's New Clear Days, and 1981's Magnets. They would then seemingly disappear into thin air. While many would forget about them entirely, the band would come back in 2020 for an all new album entitled, Together, which many critics call a brilliant pop album.

Their 1980's hit, the above noted, Turning Japanese, would be the only hit for the band. This unfortunately earned them the tried and true "One Hit Wonder" label. It's this song which lead me to the album several decades later, and I was not surprised to find out that it had never initially been released on CD during its 1980's heydays.

Though a compilation of tracks from New Clear Days and Magnets was released on CD in 1995 as, The Vapors: Anthology, it wouldn't be until 2000 that both albums would get a true CD release from Captain Mod Records, a sub-label of Captain Oi! Each album contained all the original tracks, as well as several B-sides. However, both albums are currently out of print, and rather pricey.

Had I not received this album as a birthday gift in 2021, I honestly would not own this one just yet. The price always deterred me from picking it up. I knew I'd get around to it eventually, but it was certainly not a priority.

When I sat down to listen to it, I immediately got a sense of "The Police". Somehow, they just seemed to have that certain sound about them. This is probably because both groups have a foothold in the pre-punk era of the late seventies / early eighties. This helped to make it a bit catchy, and enjoyable.

I need to state that it is my intentions to listen to this one again before ultimately making a definitive decision. While I did hear songs that I thought were decent, Turning Japanese was really the only keeper for me during my first play through. As such, I think I need to give this one another chance.

It's because of this that I can't really give a thumbs up or down on New Clear Days just yet. This may turn out to be my first "re-review" post. What I will say is that I didn't hate it. I may even be intrigued enough to track down Magnets.

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Just Doodling - The Uncanny X-Men

I'm not personally a fan of X-Men comics, but I won't deny their cultural impact and legacy in comics.

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