Countdown To Christmas With Classic Cartoon Holiday Specials - A Charlie Brown Christmas

December in the 80's was a magical time of year to be a kid. Not only did we get all the fantastic toys for Christmas, but every year, throughout the holiday season, the television would segue from regularly scheduled programing to air animated holiday specials. They'd come on just late enough that it could be a family event, but early enough that we'd get to enjoy it just before bedtime.

Each half hour block was special. Perfectly crafted with just the right number of advertisements to remind us of all the toys on store shelves, the treats to be had from local restaurants and grocery stores, and all other manners of consumption in between. But at the heart of it was that cartoon which would come out of hiding just once a year, fill your eyes with wonder, bringing smiles, laughter, action, adventure, drama, but at the root of it, a classic holiday message of peace, giving, love, and joy.

It's become my own personal tradition each year to pull a holiday special off the DVD shelf each day to enjoy. It's a ritual which not only has become my way of counting down the twenty-four days of December leading up to my favorite holiday, but my way of reminding myself that no matter what's happening in the world, my day-to-day grind of work, life, health, trials, and tribulations, that for a moment, all of that can be put a side, and I can simply become a kid again, even if it's just at heart.

While I wish I could share the actual special with all of you, be it by inviting you all to my home to join me in front of the fireplace with a bowl of popcorn, sadly, that's just not feasible. However, between sites such as Youtube, Arhcive.org, Dailymotion, and Vimeo, you can probably find them to watch. Of course, for those of you so bold, you could also pick them up on DVD yourself, something I would highly recommend. If not for yourself, for your children.

On their way to join their friends' ice skating on a frozen pond, Charlie Brown confesses to Linus Van Pelt that, despite all the things he likes about the Christmas season, he is still depressed. After Linus' reproach, and a put-down from Violet, he visits Lucy Van Pelt's psychiatric booth and tells her his problem. She suggests he direct the group's annual Christmas play to get involved, and he accepts. 

Charlie Brown becomes even more discouraged by his observations of Christmas' commercialization as he heads for the rehearsal: Lucy laments over not receiving real estate for Christmas; Snoopy decorates his doghouse for a neighborhood lights and display contest; and Charlie Brown's younger sister Sally asks him to write a greedy letter to Santa Claus. At the rehearsal, Charlie Brown finds a play fit for the 1960s with dancing, lively music, an uncooperative cast, and a "Christmas Queen" (Lucy). Unable to control the cast, Charlie Brown decides the play needs a more "proper mood", and recommends a Christmas tree. Lucy suggests a big, pink aluminum Christmas tree, then sends him and Linus to get one.

At the tree lot, Charlie Brown picks the only real tree there, a small sapling. Linus questions his choice, but Charlie Brown believes that once decorated, it will be perfect. Upon their return, Lucy, Violet, Patty, and Frieda scorn him and the tree and walk away laughing. Crestfallen, Charlie Brown asks if anyone knows what Christmas is all about. Linus says he does, walks to center stage, asks for a spotlight, drops his security blanket, recites the King James Version of the annunciation to the shepherds, picks up his blanket, returns, and says, "That's what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown."

Realizing that he does not have to let commercialism ruin his Christmas, Charlie Brown takes the tree home to decorate it and show the others that it will work in the play. The others realize they are too hard on Charlie Brown and quietly follow him after listening to Linus' speech. He stops at Snoopy's doghouse, which has won the lights and display contest, and hangs a large red ornament on his tree. The ornament's weight causes the tiny tree to bend to the ground. Believing that he killed the tree, a dejected Charlie Brown walks off.

The others arrive at Snoopy's doghouse and as they all start to see its potential, Linus gently uprights the drooping tree and wraps his blanket around its base to offer some support. After the others hand the tree a makeover using more decorations from the doghouse, even Lucy concedes to Charlie Brown's choice. The kids then start humming "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing". Hearing them, Charlie Brown returns to see that the sapling is a fully decorated Christmas tree. All the kids shout, "Merry Christmas, Charlie Brown!", and then sing "Hark" with Charlie Brown and Snoopy (original version only) joining in as snow begins to fall.

Now we're in my top three favorite Christmas specials of all time. If I could only choose a handful of them to watch, this one would be required. While I can't say it doesn't get better than this timeless classic because I have two others which rank higher, this one is definitely top tier, and holds a special place in my heart. The Peanuts gang always bring a heartwarming tale with them, and this one is no exception.

Wanting to get a little more holiday joy, I pulled out a couple more DVD's and enjoyed some random Christmas themed episodes. Today's picks were:

• The Christmas Racoons
• An All Dog Christmas Carol

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Comics Corner: The Amazing Spider-Man 259

   

Title: The Amazing Spider-Man
Issue Number: 259
Release Date: December 1984

Highlights

• First appearance of Philip Watson, Madeline Watson, Gayle Watson, Frank Brown, Timmy Byrnes, Tommy Byrnes, Mr. Hudson, and Mr. Santellio
• First appearance of Santellio's candy store
• Reference is made to The Amazing Spider-Man 251, 257, and Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars
• Peter and Mary Jane go out together to talk
• Mary Jane tells Peter about her parents, and sister
• Mary Jane's father drags his family from job to job, causing them to have to change schools frequently
• After their dad starts hitting her older sister, their mom takes them, and leaves, filing for divorce
• Mary Jane hops from living with one family member after another
• Hobgoblin extorts Mr. Hudson for 10% of his weekly take
• Mary Jane's mother moves them in with their uncle Frank Brown
• Gayle starts dating Timmy Byrnes, and the two decide to get married right out of high school, much to he mother's dismay
• Hobgoblin extorts Santellio for 10% of his weekly take
• Gayle and Timmy's marriage gets rocky fast
• Gayle and Timmy get pregnant with their second child, and Timmy leaves her
• Mary Jane's mom gets sick, and dies before the second child is born
• Gayle tells Mary Jane that once the second kid is born that the two of them will get their lives back in order, but Mary Jane runs away, telling her she has her own life and dreams, and she's going to go live them
• Reed Richards continues examining the symbiote, attempting to establish communication with it
• Mary Jane tells Peter that they both now know each other's deepest secrets
• Hobgoblin tells the Rose he wants his men to pay a visit to Harry and Liz Osborn
• Peter turns on the television at his apartment, and his fears are confirmed by the news, Hobgoblin is alive
• Spider-Man returns to his classic red and blue suit, and heads out into the night to find Hobgoblin

Low Points

• Mary Jane's secret past is kind of boring, but I suppose it's good to get some of her back story fleshed out

Oddities

• None

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

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Living Vicariously Through My Brother - Gifts And Purchases From Japan

With my brother running around abroad in Japan, he not only filled my text messages with photos, but questions of if I wanted him to pick up some things for me. Some were given as gifts. Others with the understanding that I was going to need to reimburse.

Upon his return, we met up in Baltimore, a nice little halfway point for both of us, where I handed him a check, and he in turn handed me three bags. Two were from Tower Records, and one from Nintendo Kyoto.

The first item was a pair of Monchhichi dolls, which he purchased for me and my sister as a gift. We had these as kids, and today I of course have the full cartoon series on DVD. He thought it would be a fun little surprise for us.

Next up was a used, but presumably complete, original Super Mario Bros for the Nintendo Famicon. Despite being used, it's sealed in shrink wrap to protect the contents inside. He actually picked up two, one of which he kept and opened. I think I'll leave mine sealed up.

He also gifted me an exclusive Nintendo Kyoto glass, which features a selection of Nintendo characters on it. I don't think I'll be drinking out of this. Instead, I'll add it to my Nintendo collection.

Lastly, he gave me a copy of Nintendo Magazine, which was available for free to customers at Ojamakan Fukakusa.

He also grabbed me a copy of the program / catalog from the Star Wars Galaxy In Shibuya event.

Then came the CD's. When my brother initially told me he was going to Japan, he asked if there was anything I would want him to hunt for. I told him that if he came across a Tower Records, that I'd love for him to find me a list of CD's which were exclusive to the country. I didn't expect he'd find and go to three different Tower Records, especially considering he was using his precious limited time abroad to do so.

Unfortunately, he didn't find many of the items on my list. In fact, he only found one. However, he did find a whole slew of other items that I asked him to pick up.

The biggest thing on the list was Queen. I put on my list, "Anything from Queen as long as it's exclusive to Japan." Well, he found a lot.

Unfortunately, the majority of these are bootlegs created by King Street and Coda Publishing. Admittedly, I was a bit surprised to see that Tower Record would allow these to be sold in their shops. Equally, I was disappointed in the sound quality on some of them. Frankly, there seems to be more quality put into the packaging and CD imprinting (artwork wise), than the actual content of the discs.

Fortunately, not everything was a bootleg, such as these two Prince CD's. I didn't necessarily need yet another copy of Purple Rain, and really only asked him to grab this as an afterthought we he returned to take (a lot of) photos of the first Tower Records location. The other Prince album, His Majesty's Pop Life, was the only CD on my list he actually found.

Also not bootlegs were these pressings of Europe's first and second albums. Granted, these were available in the USA, but definitely not as cheap. Though I definitely enjoyed hearing them, in hindsight, I maybe should have opted for US releases, and paid the upcharge to do so. However, the catch 22 to that is that I probably wouldn't have ever gotten them.

Next up was an official re-issue of Bon Jovi's Slippery When Wet. This not only features the original intended cover for the album, but a handful of live bonus tracks. The second item is unfortunately a bootleg of their live show from 1990. The sound quality is pretty poor on it.

I was surprised, but all over it when he found this We Bop: Nippon Budokan CD from Cyndi Lauper. It's apparently just been "released", in quotations because it's yet another bootleg. It not only showcases Cyndi at her best in 1986, but the sound quality if phenomenal. The second Cyndi item is a legit release, but nothing more than a greatest hits, which is also available in the USA. In hindsight, I would have skipped on the latter had I know this prior to committing to him grabbing it. Frankly, I didn't even open it.

I so badly wanted him to find the original (and legit) Live From The Jungle CD from Guns 'N Roses, but sadly, he never came across one. He did, however, find two massive boxsets, and individual live album, all bootlegs, and their hard to find legit EP, and even harder to find legit single. Yes, please to all!

Two other CD's which I didn't necessarily need, but asked him to pick them up with the above note Purple Rain were Michael Jackson's Thriller and Bad. Much like Prince, I don't necessarily need more copies of these albums in my life, but opted for them because they're uniqueness.

He was also able to find on Jermaine Jackson studio album, which I asked him to grab. I don't know why, but Jermaine gets no love from Motown. The majority of his albums aren't available on CD. This one appears to be legit, released in Europe in 2022.

Last up was a couple of free gifts from Tower Records for purchasing Queen and Guns 'N Roses items. They appear to be cellophane folders, but they're pretty thin, and fragile.

Did I spend more than I should have? Yes. Do I have buyer's remorse? Well, considering the majority of these turned out to be bootlegs, kind of. I'll put it this way. If I had a bit more time to think about the purchases I was making, rather than frantic texts in the early hours of the morning, I probably would have passed on a lot of.....Ah, who am I kidding....I would have still gotten them all.

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Retro Spins: Sinéad O'Connor - The Lion And The Cobra

Wrapping up The The yesterday served as the perfect segue into today's Retro Spin, featuring Sinéad O'Connor. While she didn't ping on most people's radars until 1990 with her cover of Prince's Nothing Compares 2 U, she actually first hit the scene in 1987 with her debut, The Lion And The Cobra.

In the early 80's, she got her first chance to record with In Tua Nua, when drummer Paul Byrne heard her singing a rendition of Barbra Streisand's Evergreen. While the band loved her voice, at the age of fifteen, they felt she was too young to join up with them.

After placing an ad in Hot Press, she met Colm Farrelly and formed the group Ton Ton Macoute with him. While the band relocated to Waterford so that she could attend school, she would soon drop out to focus fully on music.

Ensign Records took notice of her, and would sign her, putting her to work on the soundtrack for the film, Captive. She'd work with The Edge of U2 to write the song Heroine. It was during this time that she would join up with manager, Fachtna Ó Ceallaigh, an outspoken individual who made no attempt to edit himself when talking about the industry and other musicians. O'Connor would unfortunately pick up this bad habit from him.

Chrysalis acquired Ensign Records in 1984, and in doing so, opted to keep her and record a debut album, the above noted 1987 release. It would be a critical smash in the UK, receiving rave reviews. She performed for the first time in the USA on Late Night with David Letterman, singing Mandinka, which not only garnered her attention abroad, but led to a Grammy nomination for Best Female Rock Performance.

Feeling the original cover would be too aggressive for US audiences, Chrysalis would opt to change it before release. This softer approach presented a more vulnerable artist, one which would appeal more than the original which featured her shouting.

Alternate USA cover

Admittedly, I don't know much about O'Connor, with exception of her hit single from the 90's, and controversy which would follow shortly thereafter. I never really saw her as an artist I would have any interest in.

Which is why I'm glad I picked up her debut when I saw it for a couple bucks at a local used CD shop. Granted, I was only doing so because it met my short criteria for albums I don't know anything about:

• It was an artist I knew of
• It was released in the 80's
• It was cheap

As it first started up, had I not known who was singing, I would have easily mistaken this for an album by Siouxsie and the Banshees. Sinéad has an incredibly powerful voice that can go to the complete opposite spectrum of sweet and quite with ease. In general, the album was a pretty hard rocking experience. I'm not going to lie; it gave me a newfound respect for her.

I dug this album from start to finish. However, if you put me on the spot and told me I had to pick standout tracks, I'd probably pull Mandinka, and I Want Your (Hands On Me). The latter more so over the other.

O'Connor would go on to have breakthrough success in 1990 with her 2X platinum certified album, I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got, led by the aforementioned Prince cover. She released her third album, Am I Not Your Girl?, in September 1992. While poised for super stardom success, she would foolishly throw all of this in the trash with her October appearance on Saturday Night Live, when she pulled out a photograph of Pope John Paul II, ripping it up, while proclaiming, "Fight the real enemy."

Severe backlash followed, along with immediate repercussions. She was banned from Saturday Night Live, criticized by various institutions and celebrities, booed by the public while performing at future events, and record label Chrysalis distanced themselves, ultimately not resigning with her after the release of her 1994 album, Universal Mother.

Despite all of this, O'Conner remained unapologetic for her actions, a silent protest that one kind of has to respect. I mean, if you're going to say and do something, have the guts to stand behind it. Sinéad unrelentingly did just that.

She stepped away from the public eye to raise her child, not returning until 2000 with Faith And Courage. Though she would label hop extensively over the next several years, she consistently released new albums every few years through 2014. Though she remained active, and announced a new album in 2021, as well as a tour in 2022, things were cut short by the death of her son. O'Conner herself would pass away just a little over a year later.

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THIS WEEK ON THE CHARTS
December 22, 1984

 

Countdown To Christmas With Classic Cartoon Holiday Specials - A Flintstone Family Christmas

 

December in the 80's was a magical time of year to be a kid. Not only did we get all the fantastic toys for Christmas, but every year, throughout the holiday season, the television would segue from regularly scheduled programing to air animated holiday specials. They'd come on just late enough that it could be a family event, but early enough that we'd get to enjoy it just before bedtime.

Each half hour block was special. Perfectly crafted with just the right number of advertisements to remind us of all the toys on store shelves, the treats to be had from local restaurants and grocery stores, and all other manners of consumption in between. But at the heart of it was that cartoon which would come out of hiding just once a year, fill your eyes with wonder, bringing smiles, laughter, action, adventure, drama, but at the root of it, a classic holiday message of peace, giving, love, and joy.

It's become my own personal tradition each year to pull a holiday special off the DVD shelf each day to enjoy. It's a ritual which not only has become my way of counting down the twenty-four days of December leading up to my favorite holiday, but my way of reminding myself that no matter what's happening in the world, my day-to-day grind of work, life, health, trials, and tribulations, that for a moment, all of that can be put a side, and I can simply become a kid again, even if it's just at heart.

While I wish I could share the actual special with all of you, be it by inviting you all to my home to join me in front of the fireplace with a bowl of popcorn, sadly, that's just not feasible. However, between sites such as Youtube, Arhcive.org, Dailymotion, and Vimeo, you can probably find them to watch. Of course, for those of you so bold, you could also pick them up on DVD yourself, something I would highly recommend. If not for yourself, for your children.

The Flintstones get into the Christmas spirit by hanging up decorations while awaiting the arrival of their daughter Pebbles, her husband Bamm-Bamm and their twin children, Roxy and Chip. While waiting for their arrival flight from Hollyrock, Fred and Barney leave to get a turkeysaurus for dinner. However, on the way back home they are mugged by a fake Santa, who takes Fred's watch & wallet and orders Barney to give him the bird. Barney's tossing the turkeysaurus causes the Santa (two children) to "break" in half. Seizing the opportunity, the two run away from the muggers.

At the police station, the family identifies one mugger, who turns out to be an abandoned child named Stoney. A social worker tells them of Stoney's history of stealing from various orphanages and foster homes. Feeling sympathy for Stoney, Wilma decides to take him in as a ward, despite Fred's initial reluctance. They try to show Stoney their trust and attempt to teach him that stealing is wrong.  However, things get slightly bleaker when Pebbles and her family get stuck in an airport due to a blizzard. The Rubbles and the Flintstones go Christmas tree shopping, but cannot afford a large one. Stoney attempts to help raise cash for the tree by running a scammed shell game. When a man loses, he chases Stoney and tells Fred of the boy's scam. Fred asks if this is true, Stoney replies 'no'. Fred reiterates this claim, only to get hit in the head with a tree by the man.

Fred is sent to the hospital, where Mr. Slate informs him that he cannot attend the Christmas parade as Santa (Fred's favourite Christmas tradition) due to his injuries. To make it up to Fred, Stoney poses as Slate's driver and locks him up in the Flintstone's bathroom, so Fred can participate. Instead, Fred saves his boss and ends up in jail, where he eventually bonds with Stoney, telling him that cutting corners to get what you want is not the solution. After the two are bailed, the social worker attempts to take Stoney to a juvenile facility, but Fred escapes with Stoney in his parade sleigh.

Pebbles, Bamm-Bamm and the grandchildren manage to arrive on Christmas Eve. Fred says that the new addition to the family gets to put the star on the Christmas tree, meaning that Stoney is now an officially adopted Flintstone. The now extended Flintstone & Rubble family proceed to enjoy the holiday.

The Flintstones added a kid! Granted, a bit late in their storied cartoon careers. It's not the best the band from Bedrock have offered up for Christmas, but it still hits all the necessary holiday special notes. 

Wanting to get a little more holiday joy, I pulled out a couple more DVD's and enjoyed some random Christmas themed episodes. Today's picks were:

• Frosty Returns, the CBS sequel to the Rankin / Bass classic, Frosty the Snowman
• Santa, Baby!, the 2001, and final Rankin / Bass classic

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Comics Corner: Marvel Team-Up 146

   

Title: Marvel Team-Up
Issue Number: 146
Release Date: October 1984

Highlights

• First appearance of Tony, Black Abbott, the Black Apostles, the Butcher-Dogs, Deke, Tom, and Jesse
• Jack Monroe helps Peter fight off the Butcher-Dogs, and then invites him to join him at the movies to see Rio Bravo
• Tony, a kid who wants to join Deke and the Butcher-Dogs steels the package of artwork with Jack was supposed to deliver - Artwork drawn by Steve Rogers, AKA Captain America
• Peter and Jack split up to chase Tony, and when they do, Peter changes to Spider-Man, and Jack to Nomad - Neither know each other's secret
• Spider-Man accidentally lasso's Nomad while aiming for the fleeing kid
• Taskmaster is meeting with various thugs, offering to train them to work for Black Abbott
• Reference is made to Marvel Team-Up 103, and 140
• Even after Taskmaster and Black Abbott overwhelm and defeat Spider-Man, and Nomad, one of the thugs decides he wants out
• Black Abbott first tries to use his psychic poweres to bring the thug back in line, but when he resists, Abbott turns him into a smoldering pile of ash with his burning touch
• Nomad throws Taskmaster's shield at Black Abbott, just as he's about to touch Spider-Man with his burning touch - The reflected powers turn Abbot's hand and arm to ash
• Tony gets stuck in a burning building, set ablaze during the fighting - Rather than help him, Deke runs off, leaving Nomad to rescue the kid himself
• Tony decides he no longer wants to be a gang member, and asks Nomad to return the drawings he stole

Low Points

• Deciphering the Spider-Man timeline
• This issue must occur at some point during the events of The Amazing Spider-Man 258 - They must because at the end of that issue, Peter no longer has the symbiote suit
• There are two possible timeframes:
• After Mary Jane Watson runs from Peter's apartment, and the Black Cat arrives, the story cuts to Thomas Fireheart, AKA Puma, returning to his office headquarters in Hartsdale, New Mexico
• The day after the symbiote once again envelopes a sleeping Peter Parker, and takes him out into the night, but prior to Peter going to the Fantastic Four's headquarters
• Peter references both Mary Jane knowing about his secret identity, and being exhausted, making this latter option the more feasible
• This would also puts the events of Marvel Team-Up 146 occurring after Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man Annual 4
• Because the events of Marvel Team-Up 146 are sandwiched in between the pages of The Amazing Spider-Man 258, nothing of any real importance occurs in this story

Oddities

• Though we won't find out for several more issues that the symbiote is highly sensitive to noise, it's odd that it doesn't react now when Taskmaster hits Spider-Man with a sonic arrow, so loud that even Spider-Man says it's splitting his head

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

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Retro Spins: The The - Mind Bomb

By 1988, Matt Johnson decided to reform a full band for The The. For this, he recruited several ex-members of previously established bands, Johnny Marr (previously of The Smiths), James Eller (previously of Nick Lowe), and David Palmer (previously ABC). Together, they entered the studio to record 1989's Mind Bomb.

The album would produce The The's highest charting single, The Beat(en) Generation, which peaked at number eighteen in the UK. Additionally, Kingdom Of Rain, would feature the vocals of Sinéad O'Connor, who was still riding the waves of her highly successful 1987 debut, The Lion And The Cobra. She would soon have her international breakthrough with 1990's; I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got. You'll of course remember that for featuring her cover of Prince's Nothing Compares 2 U.

Beyond that, there's not much to say, so let's dive in.

Everything kicks off with the unique sounds of Arabic chanting, which is met by a piano which then continues to build layers with additional instrumentation. Eventually, the voice of Matt Johnson cuts through, speaking, not singing, and mixed with reverberation and echo to distort things. It's unique, and an interesting opener, serving its purpose to excite you to hear more.

From there, things go into a unique "cover" of Sweet's Ballroom Blitz, set to the tone of blasphemy. This is honestly the tone that the previous album, Infected, took, and really turned me off. I'm all for artistic freedom, and I think Johnson is an incredibly talented musician. However, I'm not going to endorse blatant blasphemy of Christ. That's territory I'm just not going into.

Admittedly, I tuned a lot of the album out at this point, checking in mentally only periodically as the music grabbed my attention. Herein lies the most unfortunate aspect. The instrumentation on the album is superb. With different lyrics, it really could have been something special.

At the end of the day, I have to pass on this one. I just can't endorse or get behind the lyrics.

As a band, The The would follow up with the equally successful Dusk in 1993. However, after its release, Johnson would disband the group and return to going about things as a solo act. He'd bring in other musicians to help with 1995's Hanky Panky, and 2000's Naked, but then shift his attention to soundtracks between 2010 and 2020. The The wouldn't release another studio album until 2024's Ensoulment, also their / Johnson's latest to date. 

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THIS WEEK ON THE CHARTS
December 21, 1985

Countdown To Christmas With Classic Cartoon Holiday Specials - 'Tis The Season To Be Smurfy

 

December in the 80's was a magical time of year to be a kid. Not only did we get all the fantastic toys for Christmas, but every year, throughout the holiday season, the television would segue from regularly scheduled programing to air animated holiday specials. They'd come on just late enough that it could be a family event, but early enough that we'd get to enjoy it just before bedtime.

Each half hour block was special. Perfectly crafted with just the right number of advertisements to remind us of all the toys on store shelves, the treats to be had from local restaurants and grocery stores, and all other manners of consumption in between. But at the heart of it was that cartoon which would come out of hiding just once a year, fill your eyes with wonder, bringing smiles, laughter, action, adventure, drama, but at the root of it, a classic holiday message of peace, giving, love, and joy.

It's become my own personal tradition each year to pull a holiday special off the DVD shelf each day to enjoy. It's a ritual which not only has become my way of counting down the twenty-four days of December leading up to my favorite holiday, but my way of reminding myself that no matter what's happening in the world, my day-to-day grind of work, life, health, trials, and tribulations, that for a moment, all of that can be put a side, and I can simply become a kid again, even if it's just at heart.

While I wish I could share the actual special with all of you, be it by inviting you all to my home to join me in front of the fireplace with a bowl of popcorn, sadly, that's just not feasible. However, between sites such as Youtube, Arhcive.org, Dailymotion, and Vimeo, you can probably find them to watch. Of course, for those of you so bold, you could also pick them up on DVD yourself, something I would highly recommend. If not for yourself, for your children.

The Smurfs are once again busy getting into the holiday spirit by stringing up decorations and putting ornaments on their tree while singing a Christmas variant of their theme song. Wild and Chitter peek out from behind a barrel and watch the Smurflings pass by him, eager to hang up some decorations. He is confused at first, but then decides to join in the fun. Brainy has Wild string up some tinsel along the Smurf houses, but he ends up using it to swing around until he lands out of control into a snow-Smurf that Baby and Painter were working on. Nat asks Wild if he's in the village to help them decorate while he rings a Christmas bell. Wild takes it and wears it on his head as a hat. Brainy tells Nat that Wild wouldn't know a bell from a bonnet as he takes it away from him. He then climbs up through the tree to meet Smurfette as she asks him the same question that Nat asked, but he suddenly slips back down and knocks down some ball ornaments, which makes Vanity get all upset.

Papa Smurf comes along to tell his little Smurfs that they shouldn't expect Wild to already know what Christmas is all about because this is his first Christmas. Smurfette then takes him by the hand to show him what Christmas is about: singing, dancing, and lots of presents, some of which Jokey is in the process of wrapping. He takes a bit of Jokey's Christmas ribbon and wraps Brainy up in it. Greedy shows up with a tray of smurfberry candy canes and he eats one while the rest get knocked off the tray by Clumsy and fall onto the branches of the Christmas tree. Papa Smurf then adds that there's a special spirit of giving and sharing that comes around Christmastime, and it's not just for Smurfs. He takes one of the wrapped gifts which he says is for Enchanter Homnibus and tells the other Smurfs that when he returns, they can all expect gifts with each other. Brainy asks why they couldn't open their presents now, and Papa Smurf answers that Grandpa Smurf and Sassette haven't yet returned, and that he is giving his gift to her a little early.

At that moment, those two Smurfs are witnessing a Christmas celebration going on in a human village with minstrels playing, jugglers juggling, and marketers selling gifts and food. Sassette is amazed by all the toys the humans get to play with, and asks Grandpa Smurf if she could get a closer look; he allows her to do so as long as she is careful not to let herself be seen. As they cross the street, Sassette suddenly notices a thief stealing money from a rich customer. The victim notices that his money is gone while the thief makes a run for it, but then Grandpa throws the apple at him, knocking the money bag out of his hand. The victim spots him as he disappears into the crowd without it.

Meanwhile, a puppetmaker, Gustav, is frustrated that nobody is buying his toys and so packs up his gear and starts moving his wagon down the street. Just then, a boy named Hans stops him, who is interested in his puppets. Pleased with this news, Gustav offers one of the toys to him as a gift. But then Hans' father calls him, scolding him for consorting with poor people and throwing away the toy that was given to him, saying that he will buy him finer toys than that. Gustav watches sadly, as do Sassette and Grandpa Smurf, as the carriage that Hans and his father ride off in crushes his toy underneath its wheels.

Sassette and Grandpa Smurf follow Gustav as he makes his way home to meet with the doctor who is watching over his wife Elise. He gives him grave news, telling him that her spirit is very weak. He says it is possible that the Christmas holiday will brighten her mood, but the rest of his words trail off, indicating that this holiday may be her last. After the doctor leaves, Gustav shows her the puppet he made for her. She smiles as it reminds her of a Christmas long ago, with children laughing and people singing. But her smile fades when she realizes the condition she is in, and though Gustav tries to encourage her with tales of "Christmas elves" making wishes comes true, she says it will take more than that to make it a merry Christmas. As he leaves her to rest, wishing he could brighten her spirits somehow, Sassette asks Grandpa Smurf if there's something they can do to help them. He believes that they can, and they quickly depart before Gustav notices them.

Sassette and Grandpa Smurf return to the village to get help from the other Smurfs, but they are too busy with their own Christmas preparations to bother with other things. Fortunately, Wild comes along to offer whatever help he can, bringing along a sled pulled by Chitter so the two Smurfs can deliver their sacks of presents to the humans. Papa Smurf arrives a little later on to find out that they have gone off to the human village to help a sick elderly couple. Brainy wonders why they would spend Christmas doing that, and Papa Smurf reminds them that Christmas is truly all about helping those who are less fortunate. The Smurfs in the village realize how selfish and preoccupied they became with preparing for their own Christmas and soon turn to making preparations for the elderly couple's Christmas. Riding a sled pulled by Puppy, the Smurfs catch up to Grandpa, Sassette, and Wild just as they are getting slowed down by a heavy blizzard.

That night, Elise calls Gustav to bed as he puts out the fire in his hearth, hoping that tomorrow morning she will be stronger. After the lights dim in their house as well as in all others, the thief seen earlier comes out of hiding to play his trade once again on the rich folks going home with their gold. The Smurfs arrive at the human village that they must pass through in order to get to the elderly couple's house. Papa Smurf has Puppy take them through an alley so that they won't be seen. At the same time, however, Hans' father decides to take it as a shortcut home, carrying gifts for his son. The thief watches him as he passes by, then sneaks up to him and grabs his bag of gold. Hans' father, noticing that his bag is gone, calls out, "Stop, thief", which is heard by the Smurfs as they are also passing through. They knock him and his pile of gifts over, one of which knocks Brainy and Hefty off the sled. Hefty spots the thief and gives chase after him while Brainy finds himself contending with a vicious rat. Hefty then comes to his rescue by tying its tail to a hook and calling for his friend to jump down, getting out of the alley as the rat is kept from chasing after them.

Smurfs in front of a Christmas tree The Smurfs arrive at the elderly couple's house only to find out that they have gone to bed, so Papa Smurf says they will leave them a Christmas present for morning. Soon the Smurfs are setting up their Christmas tree and decorations inside the couple's house, with Painter painting pictures and Wild and Smurfette stringing up tinsel and wreaths on the rafters. Papa Smurf is so pleased with their efforts that he tells them they should hurry home before the couple awakes. However, Clumsy causes a little accident that makes some noise, waking up Gustav to see "elves" running around inside his house. Elise doesn't believe him until he brings her out of the bedroom to see for herself. She is so amazed that these "elves" have gone through so much trouble even with hanging a star on their Christmas tree that they can't believe it. Sassette says that he must believe, and so the Smurfs sing a song about Christmas being a time for sharing and caring. Elise feels her spirit getting stronger and says to Gustav that maybe Christmas wishes do come true.

Outside, Hefty and Brainy catch up to the thief. They sneak in and watch him count up the money he has stolen. Brainy asks Hefty what they are going to do now, and he says he will think of something. Then they hear Grandpa Smurf singing the song from the elderly couple's house, which Brainy nearly blurts out before Hefty muffles him, but the thief is soon distracted by voices and attempts to find out who's there. Brainy and Hefty try to make a run for it, but they bump into a barrel and cause more rattling which startles the thief even more. Then suddenly Hefty's shadow appears on the wall, which makes the thief think he's being visited by an evil spirit. Hefty plays along with this idea, saying that he's not evil but the thief is. Brainy joins him as his shadow is also cast on the wall to further shame the thief for his evil acts upon people during Christmas. As the Smurfs' song to the elderly couple plays again, the thief begins to have second thoughts about what he's done with the stolen gold.

Meanwhile, Hans' father brings guards with him to track down the thief and find that his money bag is now at Gustav's doorstep. Inside the house, he gives Sassette one of his puppets as a gift to thank the Smurfs for the Christmas they have given him and Elise. But a door knock later, that Christmas almost comes to ruin as Hans' father sees the well-decorated house that he assumes came from the stolen gold and has Gustav arrested. Elise tries to come to his defense by saying that it was elves that decorated their house, but neither Hans' father nor the guards believe her. Papa Smurf, now hiding along with the other Smurfs, says they will have to show themselves in order to prove Gustav's innocence. Instead, the thief shows up and confesses that he was the one who stole the gold as he returns it to its rightful owner. As the guards apprehend him, the Smurfs leave the house in preparation for returning home to the Smurf Village. While Hans' mother keeps Elise company, wondering how she managed to decorate her house so well, his father decides that he will not press charges against the thief since he got his gold back.

Smurfs riding a sled Upon their return to the village, Papa Smurf and Grandpa Smurf notice that Wild is having fun playing with Sassette's new toy puppet, with Papa Smurf saying that this will be one Christmas Wild will never forget. Brainy decides it is time to share his gifts to his fellow Smurfs, which happen to be a few dozen leftover copies of his Yuletide Quotations -- something that the other Smurfs respond to by pelting him with snowballs.

I don't know about this one. The fact that the crook gets away with no punishment for his crime, just because he gave the gold back is a commendable act of kindness, but does it really teach the children a moral lesson?

Wanting to get a little more holiday joy, I pulled out a couple more DVD's and enjoyed some random Christmas themed episodes. Today's picks were:

• Bah-Humduck! A Looney Tunes Christmas
• A Johnny Bravo Christmas
• The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus, the 1985 Rankin / Bass classic

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Comics Corner: Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man Annual 4

  

Title: Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man Annual
Issue Number: 4
Release Date: November 1984

Highlights

• First appearance of Johnny Jerome, Albert Reilly, and Claire Reilly
• First appearance of the locations Danceland, and 310 Bedstone Avenue
• Reference is made to The Amazing Spider-Man 258
• As the robbers of a bank exit into the streets, Spider-Man swoops overhead, but he ignores them completely
• The narration tells us he's asleep (see low points)
• In the rain drenched streets below, May Parker walks through the city, remembering her past
• The story serves as a historic glance into the life and times of one May Reilly, soon to be the wife of Ben Parker, and guardian of a young Peter Parker
• Nathan Lubensky calls Peter at home, and tells him he needs to come see his Aunt - The two still haven't spoken since Peter told her he dropped out of school
• Aunt May is getting mysterious letters daily, and a car picks her up each night to take her out alone
• The letters are love letters from Johnny Jerome, a figure from May's past
• Nathan asks Peter to follow his Aunt, and find out where she's going, and what she's doing
• As Peter and Nathan rest, May slips out again, and into a cab - Hearing her exit, Peter springs into action, following as Spider-Man
• Aunt May wander's Coney Island in a daydream, reliving her past
• Aunt May returns to her old home, 310 Bedstone Avenue, but is followed in by some thugs
• While May meets with an older Johnny, Spider-Man quietly deals with the thugs
• In a flashback, Ben Parker informs May the jewelry which Johnny was trying to woo her with was not only stolen from a shop, but that he was shot by Johnny
• We learn that Johnny was only paroled because he doesn't have much time left to live
• May tells him that he doesn't love her, he only loves the memory of her, and says that she will help him find a place to live out the rest of his days, but nothing more than that
• May returns home to a waiting Nathan, and tells him that it's time for her to explain everything
• A backup story has Spider-Man and Black Cat trying to enjoy a normal night in, when the wine carafe Spidey gave her as a gift is stolen
• Black Cat send Spider-Man for a bottle of wine, while she sets out on a mystery to find the stolen glassware
• Black Cat finds the carafe at a restaurant, but it's taken from her at gunpoint by a mysterious man, who gives it to his hostages when she gives chase, and who give it to the police
• The carafe is turned over to Captain DeWolfe, and as she examines it, the mysterious man shows up at her office claiming to be CIA agent Tamarind
• Black Cat busts through the window of DeWolfe's office and chases after the man, only to find out that it's her friend, Tamara Blake in disguise, just playing a game with Cat

Low Points

• Deciphering the Spider-Man timeline
• This issue must occur at some point during the events of The Amazing Spider-Man 258 - They must because at the end of that issue, Peter no longer has the symbiote suit
• This issue makes reference to a sleeping Peter Parker within his Spider-Man symbiote costume, thus why he doesn't engage with the bank robbers
• In The Amazing Spider-Man 258, the symbiote once again envelopes a sleeping Peter Parker, and takes him out into the night, but prior to Peter going to the Fantastic Four's headquarters
• The events of Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man Annual 4 feasibly occur during that time
• The backup story is silly and unnecessary

Oddities

• Editor's Day Off: A major goof in the lettering occurs, with words completely missing when Spider-Man says, " But at least neither Aunt May else was hurt!" I think it's supposed to say, "But at least neither Aunt May or anyone else was hurt!"
• Editor's Continued Day Off: A young Johnny tells May, "But now there's no time left now." The last "now" is redundent

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

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Retro Spins: The The - Infected

It had been three years since The's debut, Soul Mining. Still as a solo act, but working under the name, The The, Matt Johnson would return to the studio to record and release 1986's Infected. It would produce four singles in the UK, Heartland, Infected, Slow Train To Dawn, and Sweet Bird Of Truth.

Being without a band limited Johnson when it came to his ability to tour. As such, when Infected was released, Johnson, and his manager Stevo, were able to convince CBS Records to front £350,000 to produce a music video for each song. With the money, Johnson would have everything edited together as Infected - The Movie, which he then had shown at movie theaters worldwide. Additionally, it was featured on British television, and MTV in the USA. It would eventually be released on VHS, but to date has not been upgraded to DVD.

Playing through the album, I found myself in the same boat as previously with Soul Mining. Wherein each track feels like it needs to be played back-to-back to get the full impact of the album. However, unlike the previous release, I didn't pull any songs out from among them that stuck out. I wanted to, and even considered Angels Of Deception, and Sweet Bird Of Truth, but when I really focused on the lyrics of these songs couldn't get onboard with their themes.

Overall, my listening session was pleasant, and I still think there's something to The The that many people missed out on in the 80's. Really, there's not much more for me to say than that.

Johnson would recruit a full band in 1988, picking from several ex-members of previously established acts, and release 1989's Mind Bomb. That would wrap up The The for the 80's for them, and I suppose also my journey with them. Check back tomorrow for that one. Until then, I suppose this one is short and sweet. 

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THIS WEEK ON THE CHARTS
December 20, 1980

 

THIS WEEK ON THE CHARTS
December 20, 1986

Countdown To Christmas With Classic Cartoon Holiday Specials - Yogi's All-Star Comedy Christmas Caper

 

December in the 80's was a magical time of year to be a kid. Not only did we get all the fantastic toys for Christmas, but every year, throughout the holiday season, the television would segue from regularly scheduled programing to air animated holiday specials. They'd come on just late enough that it could be a family event, but early enough that we'd get to enjoy it just before bedtime.

Each half hour block was special. Perfectly crafted with just the right number of advertisements to remind us of all the toys on store shelves, the treats to be had from local restaurants and grocery stores, and all other manners of consumption in between. But at the heart of it was that cartoon which would come out of hiding just once a year, fill your eyes with wonder, bringing smiles, laughter, action, adventure, drama, but at the root of it, a classic holiday message of peace, giving, love, and joy.

It's become my own personal tradition each year to pull a holiday special off the DVD shelf each day to enjoy. It's a ritual which not only has become my way of counting down the twenty-four days of December leading up to my favorite holiday, but my way of reminding myself that no matter what's happening in the world, my day-to-day grind of work, life, health, trials, and tribulations, that for a moment, all of that can be put a side, and I can simply become a kid again, even if it's just at heart.

While I wish I could share the actual special with all of you, be it by inviting you all to my home to join me in front of the fireplace with a bowl of popcorn, sadly, that's just not feasible. However, between sites such as Youtube, Arhcive.org, Dailymotion, and Vimeo, you can probably find them to watch. Of course, for those of you so bold, you could also pick them up on DVD yourself, something I would highly recommend. If not for yourself, for your children.

Huckleberry Hound brings his friends Hokey Wolf, Snagglepuss, Quick Draw McGraw, Augie Doggie and Doggie Daddy, and Snooper and Blabber with him to visit Jellystone Park for Christmas and they discover Yogi Bear and Boo-Boo have escaped from Jellystone and hidden out in a department store, where Yogi is posing as a Santa Claus. Along the way, he helps a little girl named Judy Jones rediscover her faith in Christmas when her father, a billionaire named J. Wellington Jones, is too busy for her. Yogi says that many parents have to work hard to support their kids, and since her father is not home, Yogi and Boo-Boo propose escorting Judy through the city to bring her to her dad.

Ranger Smith and the others look for Yogi when they learn he and Boo-Boo are in the city. After getting a picnic basket from a man named Murray, Yogi reunites with his friends who help to look for Judy's father. Auggie Doggie and Doggie Daddy agree to watch over Judy while they are away.

In his search, Snagglepuss encounters Fred Flintstone and Barney Rubble as Street Santa Claus who are collecting money for a Bedrock charity. They tell him to ask a passing lady his question for donations. When the old lady screams in fear of Snagglepuss, Fred and Barney attack him, claiming it to be an entertainment purpose. Snooper and Blabber go to the police.

Quick Draw has no luck as Mr. Jinks states that nobody named Mr. Jones lives in his building. Pixie and Dixie leave a present for Mr. Jinks which contains a bulldog.

Magilla Gorilla, Wally Gator, and Yakky Doodle haven't seen Mr. Jones either. As Yogi hasn't had any luck locating her dad's office, they remain in the park to try to figure out a plan there.

At Judy's home, J. Wellington Jones is troubled when his daughter isn't there, so he calls the police to help find her. Also working with the police is Ranger Smith, who is looking for Yogi and Boo-Boo. The police are at the department store where Judy was last seen and interrogate all the men who work as Santas. When they realize Judy went off with a Santa who wasn't a department store employee, they assume she was kidnapped. This accusation concerns Ranger Smith (despite having past problems with Yogi's antics, he can't believe Yogi would commit such a grave act).

Snooper and Blabber were speaking to Police Chief Blake at the time when word comes that Judy was seen in the park by a patrol car, and the Chief heads out to personally see the arrest of Judy's kidnapper. 

At the park, Yogi and his friends celebrate Christmas when the police arrive with Mr. Jones and Ranger Smith. As he is being loaded into the paddy wagon, Yogi tells Mr. Jones that he needs to spend more time with Judy before she becomes an adult, but Mr. Jones denies it because he's busy all the time and is never home only to then realize that Yogi is right.

Guilty over his failure of being a good father to Judy, Mr. Jones tells the police to release Yogi by telling Police Chief Blake that it was really his fault that Judy ran off with Yogi, taking full responsibility for the whole debacle that's happened today. Ranger Smith takes care of sorting out anything else the police would charge Yogi with.

The special then ends with everyone singing Christmas carols around a campfire in the park.

The Hanna-Barbera cast and crew return for a second day in a row with Yogi Bear's All-Star Comedy Christmas Caper. With them, they bring the spirit of Christmas, and a fun mystery, wrapping them all together in one holiday special sized box.

Wanting to get a little more holiday joy, I pulled out a couple more DVD's and enjoyed some random Christmas themed episodes. Today's picks were:

• A Jolly Molly Christmas from TaleSpin
• The Christmas Aliens from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2003)
• Have Yourself A Morlock Little Christmas from X-Men the Animated Series
• The Leprechaun's Christmas Gold, the 1981 Rankin / Bass classic

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Comics Corner: The Amazing Spider-Man 258

   

Title: The Amazing Spider-Man
Issue Number: 258
Release Date: November 1984

Highlights

• First appearance of the Bombastic Bag-Man, AKA Spider-Man in a Fantastic Four uniform with a paper bag with eye holes cut out over his head
• Reference is made to Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man 96, 96, The Amazing Spider-Man 251, 256, 257, and Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars
• The issue picks up on the heels of the last, with Mary Jane Watson informing Peter Parker she knows he's Spider-Man
• Mary Jane admits she cares about Peter, and that his secret identity, or rather, the risks he takes as his secret identity, is why she left New York - Because she couldn't take it anymore
• Black Cat appears at Peter's apartment, confirming what Mary Jane believe - He really is Spider-Man
• Peter yells at Black Cat for continuously coming putting his secret identity at risk
• Peter shoots webbing from his civilian disguised clothing, and it startles him, reminding him he knows so little about his alien costume
• Mary Jane packs her bags, and realizes she's running out on Peter again, just like she ran out on Gayle and the boys - Foreshadowing a bit of depth to Mary Jane's life?
• Peter falls asleep, and again his costume takes control, ushering him out into the night as an unconscious Spider-Man
• Reed Richards conducts tests on Spider-Man's new suit, and discovers it's a symbiote that's attached itself to the web slinger both mentally and physically
• When Reed suggests Spider-Man remove the suit, it refuses to obey his command, instead getting tighter, trying to graft itself to the hero
• Reed blasts Spider-Man with a sonic emitter, which sends the symbiote retreating from Spider-Man, as Human Torch traps it in a ring of fire, while Reed then encapsulates it
• Human Torch gives Spider-Man a Fantastic Four uniform with a paper bag, the latter to protect his secret identity
• Reed hands Spider-Man his camera, which slipped out of the symbiote, and Human Torch questions in his mind why Spidey would have a camera
• Reed says he wants to conduct further tests on the symbiote, and Spider-Man tells him he can have it
• Bombastic Bag-Man springs into action to stop some thugs, and a group of reporters quickly approach to ask who he is, and how he pulled off stopping the criminals
• Unknown to Spider-Man, Human Torch has applied a "kick me" sign to Spider-Man's back
• Mysteriously, it starts snowing, and we're told to check out Thor 349 to find out why
• As Peter looks at his old web shooters, Mary Jane comes to his apartment - She informs him that it's time he knew about her secrets
• Locked in a capsule prison within the Baxter Building, the symbiote pounds on the glass, seeking both freedom and revenge

Low Points

• The Spider-Man timeline gets a little wonky again, with the events of Marvel Team-Up 146, and Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man Annual 4 having to take place during the events of this issue
• Another timeline to put together...sigh

Oddities

• Puma states he's going to study Spider-Man for when they next meet in battle - But the hit was called off, why is he intent on fighting again?

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

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Retro Spins: The The - Soul Mining

If you skip over "The" when filing an artists by their name, then where do you put "The The"?

I was digging around the bin of new arrivals at my local used CD shop when I came across the albums, Soul Mining (1983), and Infected (1986) from The The. I'd never heard of them, but the covers took me back to a moment in time where sometimes the artwork was the only thing you had to go on when deciding to pick up a record, cassette, or CD. The prices weren't Earth shattering, so I opted to snag them.

Rumaging a little further, I came across Mind Bomb (1989). While this particular cover didn't impress as much, it did lead me to Google, where I looked up the discography. It was then that I realized that I was holding in my hands their entire 80's run of albums. That solidified it for me, so I picked them all up.

It then took me a couple years to get to this point, where I'm actually going to listen to them. I'm still going into it blind. I have no clue what's on any of these albums. Nor have I heard anything about The The up to this day.

Matt Johnson came onto the music scene in 1978, recording his first demo, which he sold cassettes of around underground gigs. By 1979, he got the opportunity to record his first album for Soho. However, this was shelved, and to date remains unreleased.

During this time, he also formed the band, though I use that word lightly.  Technically, it was just Johnson, and Keith Laws. When performing, they'd use backing tracks to fill in the instruments that they weren't playing. It would also be Laws who would suggest The The as the name. Peter Ashworth, and Tom Johnston both joined in 1980. However, they would quickly decide this wasn't for them, and quit, leaving Matt and Keith as a duo again.

In 1981, Johnson was signed to a solo recording deal for 4AD Records. He'd release his self-titled debut, Burning Blue Soul that same year. While he would perform most of the instruments himself, as well as vocals, several producers would contribute to the project. Ironically, Laws was not involved with the project. However, years later, Johnson would request it to be reissued as a The The album.

Towards the end of the year, Colin Lloyd-Tucker and Simon Fisher Turner joined The The, and performed a series of live shows, which also included Laws The band would then finally get their chance to record a debut album in 1982. However, upon its completion, it was shelved, though a few cassettes were apparently copied by Johnson, and given to his friends.

It appears that at some point in 1982, The The became a solo act, with just Johnson. Though he would continue to collaborate with multiple musicians from that point on. It's a bit of a messy period to decipher.

Finally, major labels took notice, and a major bidding war would take place for The The's 1983 debut, which CBS Records would win. However, after just two songs were recorded, the album was aborted. Johnson would return to London, where he'd finish writing and recording what would become Soul Mining by himself.

Upon its release, it was met with modest fanfare, and would feature the minor hit, This Is The Day, which peaked at number seventy-one in the UK. However, it wouldn't be until 2019 that it would finally be certified gold.

Listening to it, Soul Mining feels like one of those albums that must be played back-to-back to really appreciate. Well, let me take a step backwards. Depending on what version of the album you buy, it's one of those albums that must be played back-to-back.

The album was initially intended to include only seven tracks. However, Australia and New Zealand releases got two additional tracks, one at the end of each side of the record. Meanwhile, the USA and Canada releases include ten tracks, two of which are special remixes of songs also included on the album in their original format. Then there is the CD release from 1987, which includes the bonus track, Perfect.

Playing through the CD version, which includes the aforementioned bonus track, I dug the whole thing from start to finish. However, there were some standout songs tucked in there, which included, Uncertain Smile, Giant, and even the bonus tune, Perfect.

This was definitely an unexpected listening session that turned into something great. I'm totally pumped to dive into the next album and even went ahead and picked up Johnson's 1981 debut. The The is good stuff. A really well-hidden gem from the 80's that totally caught me off guard.

Though it will come tomorrow, I'm diving right into 1986's Infected as I type this. So, I'll catch up with all of you then. 

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THIS WEEK ON THE CHARTS
December 19, 1981

 

THIS WEEK ON THE CHARTS
December 19, 1987