The Toy Box: January 2025

Comics Corner: Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man 42

Title: Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man
Issue Number: 42
Release Date: May 1980

Highlights

Debra Whitman takes an interest in Peter Parker
First appearance of Earl and Roy, a pair of night watchmen
Electro disguises himself as Human Torch, yup, that's him on the cover
Reference is made to The Amazing Spider-Man Annual 1, and Fantastic Four 178

Low Points

Issue has a cliff hanger that continues in Fantastic Four 218 - Readers shouldn't have to read titles they're not interested in just to get the whole story

Oddities

Editor's Day Off - Electro says, "I don't need to be reminded to my duties, Trapster."
Editor's Continued Day Off - Spider-Man's web shooter is colored flesh tone, as if it were part of his arm.

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

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Retro Spins: Cyndi Lauper - True Colors

She was so different from most of the female artists of the 80's. Unusual, if you will.

Cyndi Lauper's debut album, She's So Unusual, made her the first female artist to have four top five hits on the Billboard charts. Not bad for a singer who was told by a doctor in 1977 that she would never sing again, after damaging her vocal chords.

Lauper spent her early years singing in cover bands, but by 1978 met John Turi, and formed the band, Blue Angel. They released a single album in 1980 which was not very successful. However,even then, the offers were forthcoming for a solo recording contract. Offers, which she didn't take. Instead, she was more interested with the band getting a contract.

Unfortunately, Blue Angel broke up shortly thereafter, and a financially troubled Lauper took to working in retail stores and restaurants. Meanwhile, she continued to perform in clubs, eventually signing with Portrait Records, a subsidiary of Epic in 1981, mostly due to her new manager, David Wolff.

She's So Unusual was released on October 14, 1983, and was an instant smash, eventually peaking at number four on the charts.It went on to reach the top five in multiple countries, and to date, remains her most successful album of all time, selling an estimated sixteen million copies worldwide.

Between 1983 and 1984, Lauper embarked on the Fun Tour in support of her first album, and in 1985 contributed to both USA For Africa's We Are The World, and the soundtrack for The Goonies. All the while, fans eagerly awaited her second album.

True Colors was released on September 18, 1986. While ultimately not as successful, this didn't stop accolades from being given, and pennies from rolling in. That tends to happen with an estimated seven hundred million sales worldwide. Especially the latter.

The album kicks off with the Bangles backed Change Of Heart, and sets a somewhat more mature tone for the once quirky artist. She's all grown up, and she wants the world to know it. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, but it also catches you off guard a bit. This is when I realized that I was more so familiar with the image of Lauper, and her affiliation with Pee-Wee Herman, than her actual music.

While there's no denying that True Colors, the song, is a massive hit, what the album itself stumbles a bit under is the sheer weight of her debut. It just doesn't pack the punch. While this is typically how it goes, it also doesn't stop it from being a bit disappointing. The hype is there, and the audience wants so badly for the artist to bottle lightening twice.

It would only be fair for me to admit that I did end up grabbing five tracks in total, of the ten, for my shuffle list. But, these are essentially two hits, and three mediocre (at best) tunes. Whereas with She's So Unusual, which I also took five from, these were big chart toppers.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that I wanted, and expected more.

Waiting three years in between albums is typically not a good thing, and yet, this seemed to be a trend for Lauper in the 80's. She didn't release her third album until 1989. This gives people too much time to forget about you, and in such an iconic era as the 80's this may have contributed greatly to the continued plummeting sales since her debut. A Night To Remember was the last of her prime, selling one hundred twenty thousand albums, a considerable drop from 1986.

Things fared far worse as the 90's came into play. The once platinum selling artist was now only selling gold records for her 1993 and 1996 releases, and then, despite continuing to release albums, fell completely off the sales charts until 2010's Memphis Blue, which went silver. Since then, she has only released one additional record, 2016's detour.

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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.

THIS WEEK ON THE CHARTS
January 31, 1981

THIS WEEK ON THE CHARTS
January 31, 1987

Retro Spins: Brenda Russell - Get Here

If yesterday's album was a diamond in the rough, today's is a turd in the punch bowl.

Brenda Russell began her career as a teenager, singing in various local bands, and though she spent time contributing as a back up vocalist to the likes of Rufus, Neil Sedaka, and Elton John, she would eventually emerge as a solo artist, releasing her self titled debut in 1979. The album was mildly successful, cracking the top 100 charts.

Though she would Love Life in 1981, and Two Eyes in 1983, Russell wouldn't have her biggest selling single until 1988's Get Here, which featured Piano In The Dark. The song would ultimately reach number three on the billboard charts.

It's this tune which led me to invest in the album, and with the exception of the title track, was really the only thing the record had going for it. At least for me.

The smooth jazz / easy listening vibe, just wasn't working for me. Especially on the heals of yesterday's album from Black. I actually listened to these two back to back, and after the first, I said out loud, "Well, where do we go from here?" I could say this in and of itself didn't poise Russell for a fair shake on my end, but that would be me just making excuses to not call it out for the poor album it was.

Overall, I just didn't care for it. I'm glad to have the two tracks from Get Here on my shuffle, but this is by no means a must own album for me.

There's honestly not much more to say about it.

Russell, herself, stayed fairly active throughout the 1990's, but hasn't released an album since 2004's Between The Sun And The Moon.

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THIS WEEK ON THE CHARTS
January 30, 1982

THIS WEEK ON THE CHARTS
January 30, 1988

Retro Spins: Black - Wonderful Life

A diamond in the rough! That's what we've found today!

Colin Vearncombe, or Black, as he was known on his albums, emerged in the UK as part of the punk scene. This is ironic, because his 1987 debut, Wonderful Life, is anything but that.

Since this is the album I personally grabbed for today's post, let's just dive right in. It starts with the title track, the tune I wanted for my collection, and sets the tone for a wonderful album, no pun intended. This jazzy pop album not only delivers blow after blow with great instrumentation, but this is all brought to a peak with Vearncombe's haunting vocals. They remind me of Chris Isaak in a way.

Song after song kept pounding me with fantastic music. I was grabbed hook, line, and sinker, and off on a wonderful forty-five minute journey.

Though the title track remains my favorite, there were heavy contenders that tried their best, and almost succeeded in dethroning it. I don't use this word often when it comes to albums, but Wonderful Life, in its entirety is perfect! Not one track is terrible among the ten of them. I actually ended up grabbing every single one for my shuffle list.

This also made me immediately track down Black's follow up album, 1988's Comedy. Which in and of itself was difficult to find. Let's just say when you do a search for Black Comedy CD, you get a lot of results.

Black has also released five additional albums between 1991 and 2015, plus an additional four under his birth name. If his second album is as good as his first, this may very well be something I look into. That unto itself is a bold statement of how much I liked Wonderful Life, because I don't make it a habit to step over the 1990 line.

Sadly, Vearncombe was killed in a 2016 car crash. But, his legacy lives on as people enjoy his great music, and others, like me, discover it.

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THIS WEEK ON THE CHARTS
January 29, 1983

Retro Spins: The Stranglers - La Folie

I enjoy discovering "new" music from the 80's. It's always a treat to hear something different that pleases the ears.

Part punk, part new wave, The Stranglers formed in 1974 by Jet Black, AKA, Brian Duffy. At the time, Duffy was a successful business man, but wanted to return to music from his early mild success in the fifties and sixties. The original line-up consisted of bass player/vocalist Jean-Jacques Burnel, guitarist/vocalist Hugh Cornwell and keyboardist/guitarist Hans Wärmling, who was replaced by keyboardist Dave Greenfield within a year.

At first, the group became a part of the London punk underground scene, releasing albums as of 1977 for United Artists. With albums staying consecutively in the top five through 1979, the band was given artistic freedom to control their fifth album, The Gospel According To The Meninblack. However, this would be for new label, Liberty.

Meninblack would be their lowest charting album to date, stumbling the band, who was at the time the most successful mainstream punk and new wave band in Britain. Their follow up, La Folie in 1981 was a conscious effort to deliver a more commercial sound.

This is where I tune into the group. I came across them while listening to an 80's compilation featuring various artists. I was on a mission to find new music, and this plan was panning out well. It was here that I found the song, Golden Brown. It was an interesting track. Somewhat jazzy, somewhat new wave. Blended perfectly into a unique hit.

Turns out that this song was also the saving grace for the album itself. Until it was released as a single, La Folie was poised to be the bands most unsuccessful record to date. Just the opposite happened when Golden Brown hit the scene. To date, it's their highest charting hit.

When I listened to La Folie, I expected to hear more of the sound I had been intrigued by with Golden Brown. However. this was not the case. As I made my way through it, I actually felt like I was listening to two different records. The punk tunes were falling flat for me, while the new wave ones were resonating. This back and fourth aspect made it difficult to really get invested.

It was okay, but at the end of it, I was somewhat disappointed. I really had high hopes and expectations, and they were not met. I'm not interested enough in what I heard to really care to seek out anything further from The Stranglers.

Though they have continued to release albums through 2021, and had notable singles, for me, I'm content with jumping off The Stranglers train. I suppose if the opportunity was presented, and relatively cheap, I might pick up additional albums released by them in the 80'. However, this would definitely be an impulse buy. It would have to be really cheap though.

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THIS WEEK ON THE CHARTS
January 28, 1984

THIS WEEK ON THE CHARTS
January 28, 1989

Baltmore Comic Con 2024 Part 4: Klaus Janson

A trend I found myself in during Baltimore Comic Con 2024 was bouncing from one side of the show to the other repeatedly. This was a result of long lines, and trying to maximize every minute at the show. With my buddy, Dave Braun, standing in one line or another, this gave me the ability to do just that.

Getting things signed by Klaus Janson, or rather, more things signed by him, as I have done so many times now, weren't a high priority. My main focus from him was symbiote story arc stuff, which I covered in full between Baltimore Comic Con 2023, and Awesome Con 2024. But twist my arm, and I can come up with something, and do so, I did.

Klaus Janson after signing my issue of Daredevil 184

Of all the Bloggers I know, Big Tone of 2 Minute Toy Break (shout out) would probably appreciate this first batch more than anyone.

Though published way before that, this batch of Daredevil books hit my radar back when I was in high school. It was actually my Junior or Senior year English teacher who sold the first two to me. Issues 181 - 184 feature the death of Elektra, which at the time was a big deal in comics. Of course, she would later be ressurrected, and the prices on these books would tank as a result. Still, these are still classic stories from Frank Miller, inked by Janson.

Also signed by Jim Shooter at
Big Lick NOVA 2023

Next up is more Miller / Janson goodness with the classic mini-series, The Dark Knight Returns. Truthfully, I don't like this story as much as the rest of the comic community appears to. I just don't find it to be that deep or interesting. Of course, I'm also not a Batman fan. My knowledge of the character is limited to the iconic legend regurgitated ad nausea, as well as the 90's animated series. To me, this is just another story, and the impact of the drastic shift in history for the Dark Knight is lost on me as a result.

This last issue was an after though. I mean, again, the whole lot of these books were brought on by an "if I have to" attitude. I didn't necessarily "need" any of these signed.

Also signed by Jim Shooter at
Big Lick NOVA 2023

Don't get me wrong. I'm happy to have these books signed. I hope one day I run into Frank Miller at a convention to also sign the majority of these. However, in general, I have this OCD tendency to say, "I have to get something signed if the person is there." This in turn is really inflating my budget, which in truth could have been a very small fraction of what I ended up spending throughout the day. My primary focus is on the symbiote story arc of Spider-Man, and far too often I branch off of this, spending money I frankly don't need to spend. I'm not saying I'm sorry I did it. I just also realize I could have a lot more money than I do if I wasn't so impulsive.

Mr. Janson's price has remained consistent at $10.00 per signature these last few shows I've seen him at.

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Retro Spins: Spanga - Dedicated To The Moon

Get you some Spanga, and have a taste of Italy!

Ivana Spanga began her career in the early 80's, writing and providing vocals as part of the the Italo disco group, Fun Fun. The group released two albums, 1984's Have Fun!, and 1987's, Double Fun, but never really made an impact. Spanga would not be part of the second album, opting instead to pursue a solo career, which led to her debut, Dedicated To The Moon.

In terms of her solo career, it's the most commercially successful album in her discography of nineteen albums, comprising of studio and compilation releases. It spawned the mildly successful, "Call Me," and would ultimately sell 500,000 copies. If you haven't heard of her, that would be understandable. Her success has mainly been contained to Europe and the UK.

Dedicated To The Moon is not an album readily available in the USA, and it's because of this, I was actually surprised to find someone as close as Canada who had a CD version for sale. I was further surprised to see that the seller only wanted ten bucks for it. While this is the average price for it if you buy it, those copies typically come from the likes of Norway, Switzerland, Germany, and Belgium. Basically, I expected an up-charge for the "convenience", as is often the case.

I'd be lying if I said Spanga was up there with the level of what I have been hearing as of late in recent Retro Spins. Sadly, it's just not. It definitely has a decent synthpop sound, and it's on par with the year it's from. However, in terms of grabbing my overall attention, it does not. With ten songs, and a running time of forty-six minutes, I really expected more than two songs for my shuffle. For the record, those were, Call Me, and Easy Lady.

I'm equally surprised that Spanga has gone on to release so many albums, as noted above, through 2019. That's pretty impressive. However, much like her debut, you're not going to find these floating around the USA. In fact, as of 1995, they haven't even been in English. It's clear that despite her lack of impact on my home turf that she is nothing short of a superstar in her own home, Italy.

I may have expected more, but I suppose I still got a relatively rare album for a good price. If nothing else, it serves as that in my collection. At the end of the day, I'll take that.

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Retro Spins: Kon Kan - Move To Move

Inspired by Pet Shop Boys, Canadian group, Kon Kan, wasn't quite able to reach the notoriety as their muse.

The benefit of being a DJ in a club is that you can sometimes slip in your own tunes. Especially if said tunes are well received. This was the case for Barry Harris, founder of Kon Kan. While playing his recently recorded track, "I Beg Your Pardon (I Never Promised You A Rose Garden)", he got the attention of Atlantic Records employee, Marc Nathan. The track was a synthpop remake of the 1967 song from Joe South, originally recorded as Rose Garden, and later made popular by Lynn Anderson (1970), which is sampled in the 1989 version.

Nathan bought several copies of the single from a record shop around the corner from where Harris was DJ'ing, and took them back to the United States where he sent out a handful to various radio stations. Kon Kan were signed to a record deal with Atlantic, and the track ultimately went on to become a top five hit in several countries.

Kon Kan were initially marketed as a duo, featuring Barry Harris, and singer, Kevin Wynne. Though truth be told, there are ten individuals credited with their debut album, Move To Move. Interesting enough, Harris's name is not among them.

Playing the album, I was hooked on the opening track, Arts In D Minor / Harry Houdini. The first three minutes of the almost seven minute song are nothing but delicious synthpop instrumental goodness, and quite frankly, I wish it would have stayed that way. It wasn't that the singing detracted from it. Rather, at that point, it simply wasn't needed. The song could have easily stood on its own without vocals.

This set a high bar, and I was happy to find that this was going to continuously be met. Track after track delivered on great tunes. The sampling, the mixing, and the occasional rapping all melded together with Wynne's vocals, making for a pretty solid listening experience. So solid, I grabbed seven of the nine tracks for my shuffle.

From there, Kon Kan entered the 90's, and I personally check out. For those of you unfamiliar with my listening tastes, that is typically an invisible line I don't cross. It's purely a mental thing. Apparently Wynne had no interest in the new decade either. He left the group after touring in 1989. Though Harris was technically a solo act at this point, he kept the group's name, and released two additional albums, 1990's Syntonic, and 1993's Vida!... The two reunited in 2014. However, to date, there have been no new albums released.

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THIS WEEK ON THE CHARTS
January 26, 1980

THIS WEEK ON THE CHARTS
January 26, 1985

Retro Spins: Shriekback - Go Bang!

Shriekback? Never heard of them. That was my stance about a month ago when I came across the group.

Formed in 1981 by former XTC member, Barry Andrews, and Dave Allen, and later adding Carl Marsh, Shriekback would find minor success on dance charts. However, they never really had a breakthrough album which saw them skyrocket into mainstream success. They released albums between 1982 and 1988, and then broke up.

It would be their 1988 album, Go Bang!, which would turn my attention to them. Specifically for their cover of the 1975 KC And The Sunshine Band hit, Get Down Tonight. Was it a perfect or superior cover? No. Are they ever? It was, however, familiar, and overall, a cheap album to obtain, pretty much the driving force that made it appealing at the time.

Even then, the album really only made it into my collection as fast as it did because of a bulk purchase from a seller who had it amongst the other items I was looking for. This turned out to be a very surprisingly good purchase.

I really didn't expect to be as hooked as I was with Go Bang! Nothing about it on the surface seemed like it was going to have so much goodness packed inside, but that is exactly what I found. I actually ended up grabbing seven of the nine tracks for my shuffle list.

It's hard to really pinpoint what was appealing about it because from song to song, things seemed to change. Overall, I would definitely label this an "alternative" genre, but there's also songs which feature a very familiar soda shop vibe. This comes in waves from the backing harmonies of Sarah and Wendy Partridge, who compliment the monotone vocals of Andrews perfectly.

I'm intrigued to go back to their 1986 release, Big Night Music, but I don't know that I'll go any further. The reason being that albums released prior to that don't feature Andrews as the lead singer. Rather, those duties belonged to Carl Marsh. Could those albums still be good? Sure. But, I want to stay in familiar territory if I branch out. At least at first.

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THIS WEEK ON THE CHARTS
January 25, 1986

Retro Spins: Emerson, Lake & Powell - Emerson, Lake & Powell

For decades I had a song stuck in my head from the 80's. Mind you, not the lyrics. Just the synthesizer riff. It ate me up inside every time I thought about it. I could hear it in my head, but despite years of searching, I never found out what it was.

I first heard the song in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania at the age of eight or nine. I was sitting on the floor of my grandparent's house watching MTV, and it came on. From there, I heard it a few more times, but for some reason the name of the group and song never made its way into my head. Just that synthesizer hook.

As I began my task of putting together a CD collection, that song would occasionally haunt my brain, which would lead to unfruitful Google searches, and further disappointment. Had I imagined this song? Was I not remembering it correctly? Why couldn't I find it?

Enter mid-January 2022.

That synthesizer part would come into mind again on January 15, 2022, and I would once again try to find it through Google searches. I typed in a combination of searches, ultimately leading me to "80's songs with synthesizer intro." While I didn't find anything familiar, or better stated, what I knew wasn't the song in a very long Reddit thread, I did find something which intrigued me.

Someone in the thread recommended a Google feature on your cell phone where one could hum a part of the tune, and Google would conduct a search. With nothing to lose, I did just that. I hummed the synthesizer part as my mind remembered it from my youth, and hit the search button. It returned three possibilities, all of which were no more than a 17% possible match.

Feeling I had gone on another useless search, I clicked each track. The first was a definite no. The second, oh, that beautiful second. The synthesizer started up, and immediately my mind exploded with joy. Touch And Go by Emerson, Lake & Powell. This was the song that I heard all those decades ago as a boy. It was exactly as I had hummed it.

I immediately set to task of looking for what album it was on, then going to my usual online haunts to find it. I didn't care how much this album was going to cost me. I was checking it off of my list! Sixteen dollars (ten plus shipping) later, and it was going to be mine.

Then the usual happened.

The seller sent it via media mail, and the tracking never updated past the status that a tracking number had been generated. January 15 rolled into January 22, which rolled into February. I reached out to the guy I bought it from, and he was cool about it. He refunded me on February 1. Disappointed, but in the process of packing for a February 15 move date, I could no longer make getting this a priority. It would have to be something I worried about later.

A Christmas miracle occurred when the very next day I opened my mailbox to an all too familiar CD looking package. Having a couple items on order, I didn't really think about it. Instead, I just opened it to see what had arrived. There inside was Emerson, Lake & Powell's self titled release. It had finally arrived.

Now, before you think me a jerk, I did reach out to the seller, get his PayPal address, and make him whole for the sale. Fair is fair.

The group is a variant iteration of the highly successful progressive rock supergroup, Emerson, Lake & Palmer. To go into their history would take me just as long in this post as it's taken to get to this point, so I won't. Instead, I'll focus on this 1986 iteration who seem to have only released this one and only album.

While Emerson and Lake would have liked to record with Palmer, releasing an album around this time, the latter was unavailable due to contractual obligations with Asia. Rather than wait, they instead enlisted Cozy Powell. Though a coincidence that the group was able to retain their initials, ELP, the band would joke about asking other highly established drummers, replacing the first initial of their last name with a "P" as part of the gag. I.E. Phil Pollins, instead of Phil Collins.

The album didn't chart well, and in listening to it, I can understand why. It's not that good. It tries to be larger than it needs to be, adopting an almost rock opera feeling. Whereas, by 1986, a more straight forward, and perhaps even commercial approach would have garnered a better reception. The nine minute opening track, The Score, is a perfect example of this over the top approach.

With that said, it wasn't a total flop. Obviously, I grabbed Touch And Go for my shuffle, but I also enjoyed Love Blind. Considering the amount of time it took me to even find this album, to walk away with a bonus track is a win in my book.

Like I said above, Emerson, Lake & Powell only released one album together. Sadly, all three musicians have since passed away. Wow, what a downer to end a post on.

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THIS WEEK ON THE CHARTS
January 24, 1981

THIS WEEK ON THE CHARTS
January 24, 1987

Retro Spins: Tesla - The Great Radio Controversy

I don't know why, but in my mind, I thought Tesla was an established 70's group that just so happened to make it into the 80's. Boy, was I wrong.

Tesla began as City Kidd in 1981, and didn't actually adopt their now known band name until recording began on their first studio album, 1986's Mechanical Resonance. In their early days, Tesla toured with David Lee Roth, Alice Cooper, Def Leppard, and Poison, which would lead to them being labeled a glam metal. It was perhaps this opportunity, coupled with the music of course, which led to their debut album reaching number thirty-two on the charts, and garnering them a platinum certification.

The group followed this up with their final entry into the 80's, 1988's The Great Radio Controversy. The album had five successful singles, and only served to cement the band as a top selling act. It's with this album that they also hit my radar. However, not until 2022.

While conducting my usual searches, I came across the tune, Love Song, and threw it on the back burner as a potential song to track the album it was on down. It wasn't something that was a high priority, and only made it into my collection relatively quickly as a bulk sale of two other albums, one of which I've already written a post about. Double's Blue, for those of you wondering.

Playing through this album, I got excited very quickly. This thing was on the edge of your seat rock! This is the metal of the 80's that is right up my alley. Track after track hit me with catch guitar hooks, and resonated on every level. I was so into it, that before even writing this current sentence I was on ebay grabbing a copy of their prior album. Give me more Tesla, I say!

I took so many tracks from The Great Radio Controversy, that I may as well have just added all of them to my shuffle list. To say I enjoyed this album would be an absolute understatement.

This may very well be one of the few bands that I look into what they released in the 90's. Which also brings me back full circle to my first paragraph, and why I thought they were a 70's group. This was because of their 1990 live album, Five Man Acoustical Jam. This disc contains an acoustic version of Five Man Electrical Band's Signs. Telsa's version ate up the airways, only serving to paint a picture in my mind of a group that was seasoned over the decades.

Mistakes of their origins aside, Tesla has gone on to release eight studio albums to date between 1986 and 2019. However, this wouldn't be without turmoil. The original lineup of Jeff Keith, Frank Hannon, Tommy Skeoch, Brian Wheat, and Troy Luccketta would ultimately break up in 1996, but reunite in 2000, releasing Into The Now in 2004.

In 2006, Tesla embarked on world tour, but without Skeoch, who stated he left the band to spend more time with his family. The guitarist had struggled with substance abuse in the past, and this appeared to also contribute to his decision to leave. He was replaced by Scott Johnson, who was then replaced by Dave Rude. Rude would officially join the band, and be the guitarist on their studio albums released between 2008 and 2019.

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THIS WEEK ON THE CHARTS
January 23, 1982

THIS WEEK ON THE CHARTS
January 23, 1988

Retro Spins: David Lee Roth - Skyscrapper

Today's Retro Spin is not driven by the music itself. Rather the album cover, which makes me bust out laughing every time I look at it.

The "photo" of David Lee Roth on his 1988 released Skyscraper is laughably bad! Photo editing in the 80's for the win! Look how giant his head is compared to the body! The skin tones don't even match, with the brightness of his face compared to the arms. My favorite, and the icing on the cake, is that painted on cap. Beautiful! I'm still giggling just typing this!

Okay, okay. Focus. Breath. I have to listen to the actual music.

I'm pretty sure none of you need a history on the singer. You know, how he was the front man for Van Halen for their 1978 to 1984 albums. He then quit the group over musical differences with Eddie Van Halen, and was replaced by Sammy Hagar. However, he would return to the group for a final album in 2012.

But, in between there is a sweet spot where Roth went solo, and made as equally a successful career of it. His first release was the 1985 EP, Crazy From The Heat, which in combination with the music video, showcased the very comedic side of the singer with his hit cover of, Just A Gigolo.

Roth's first studio release, Eat 'Em And Smile, has an interesting history unto itself, wherein it was recorded both in English, and then in Spanish, Sonrisa Salvaje. This latter release was at the recommendation of bassist Billy Sheehan, who read that half the population of Mexico was between the age of eighteen and twenty-seven, a prime buying age range for albums.

This was followed up in 1988 with Skyscraper, which would be the singer's final entry into the 80's. Although critically and financially successful, inner turmoil would lead to guitarist Steve Vai and Sheehan exiting as Roth's band. Sheehan would go on to work with Greg Howe in 1988, but find greater success with the group, Mr. Big. Vai continued his solo work, releasing Passion And Warfare, an amazing album, if I do say so myself. However, he also continued to contribute to various other projects.

As I played through Skyscraper, I definitely felt an energy that Van Halen used to have, post 1984, and this was a good thing. The sound was big, the guitars thrashing, and Roth was on point with his vocals. I found myself liking everything I was hearing, and began taking the mindset that this may very well be a perfect album from front to back.

The stand out track on the record is definitely, Just Like Paradise, the tune I bought the album to get. However, there are also a ton of other tracks that resonated with me. Were they as memorable as Paradise? No. But, this didn't stop me from pulling track after track for my shuffle list.

Goofy covers aside, Skyscraper was pretty darn good. If it weren't his last 80's album, I may have been intrigued enough to see what he released after it. Fortunately, I can still go backwards and grab a copy of Eat 'Em And Smile, which I may very well do.

Roth released three more albums between 1994 and 2003, but these never saw the sales or success that his work from the 80's garnered.

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THIS WEEK ON THE CHARTS
January 22, 1983

Retro Spins: Commodores - In The Pocket

The Motown Sound. Can you dig it?

Commodores was a melding of two student groups back in 1968. The band featured Lionel Richie, Thomas McClary, and William King from the Mystics, and Andre Callahan, Michael Gilbert, and Milan Williams from the Jays. They would go on to sign with Motown in 1972, joining the ranks of The Miracles, Diana Ross And The Supremes, Marvin Gaye, Glady's Knight And The Pips, Martha And The Vandellas, The Four Tops, and a little group you may have heard of, The Jackson 5 - Just to name a few.

The six-man group released nine consecutive albums between 1974 and 1981, finding success with single after single under the Motown label. However, while their songs would reach the top fifty consistently, it wouldn't be until their 1978 album Natural High, that they would finally achieve a number one hit with, Three Times A Lady. To date, it remains their biggest chart topper.

1981 is where I'm inserting myself into the fold, firing up, In The Pocket. I personally came to this album for two tracks, Lady (You Bring Me Up), and and Oh No. Two classic tracks, that I must say, are 80's shuffle requirements.

In The Pocket definitely captures the Motown Sound. Those of you hip to the term know what I'm talking about. Those of you who don't know, need to. It was a unique style, and critical to the success of several artists of the time. It bridged gaps, broke race barriers, and overall, it just made you feel good inside.

The album brings together an infusion of ballads, funk, and a whole lot of groove. While I wouldn't call it my favorite album released under the Motown label, it's definitely got some good tunes to be heard. For me, it's ironic that two of my favorites are the slower paced tracks noted above because I'm not personally a ballad kind of guy. But, Commodores do them right, and because of that, it's hard not to enjoy them.

A downside to this particular CD is the price point. Motown CD's, in general, seem to be somewhat scarce. Especially of those for albums during the prime of its existence. This is most likely a result of low production quantities of original pressings. I don't think I've ever seen an album from the 1961 through 1986(ish) period that is under twenty dollars. It's because of this that I really have to be selective of the ones I buy. Sure, I'd love to own a whole lot of the label's discography from 1961 through 1989, and while possible, it's just not feasible due to the price and availability. I suppose there is a plus side to this though. It makes the select few albums I do own all the more important to me to have.

In The Pocket was no exception to this. By the end of my play session, I was thoroughly happy. The tunes are wonderful, and while the hits are the hits, the whole album was great to hear. I grabbed six of the eight for my shuffle list.

Sadly, Lionel Richie opted to leave the group in 1982 to pursue a solo career. It would be an understatement to say that this worked well for him. However, despite his exit, Commodores would continue forward, releasing albums from 1983 through 1994. This venture would also include my favorite song from them, Nightshift, from the 1985 album of the same name.

Commodores would briefly reunite in 1983 for Motown 25, an opus of an event for the record label. Even if you don't check out this album, you are missing out if you don't check out this once in a lifetime event show.

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THIS WEEK ON THE CHARTS
January 21, 1984

THIS WEEK ON THE CHARTS
January 21, 1989

Baltmore Comic Con 2024 Part 3: Keith Williams, Alex Saviuk, and Bob Wiacek

Baltimore Comic Con 2024 remained in full swing, and standing in line after line was the name of the game. Moving on from last week's post, I made my way to the tables of Alex Saviuk, Keith Williams, and Bob Wiacek.

I've run into Mr. Williams at multiple shows, and each time I bring a bevy of random books for him to sign. Last time, I focused on a signature on a symbiote story, his only contribution to the arc. The time before that, was a couple more random books.

This time around, I picked some books that held a bit more sentimental value to me. I honed in on the first Web of Spider-Man books, in fact the first Spider-Man books, I had as a kid. The ones that officially introduced me to the character. As I was regaling this tale to him and his wife, my buddy called to tell me the artist he was in line for had just shown up.

Oops...I missed a signature from
Al Milgrom on this...oh, well...

To accomplish the signing of these books, I also needed to get a couple signatures from Alex Saviuk, who was a few tables down.

These three books either came with the Sears catalog ordered Offical Marvel Comics Collector's Kit, a Christmas gift I received, or very early in my comic book "collecting" childhood. Regardless of their origin, these stand out very vividly as my first exposure to Spider-Man in comic form.

There were two things that bothered me for the longest time from last year's Baltimore Comic Con. The first was forgetting to get my cover for the AudioGraphic version of Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars signed by Bob Wiacek. The second, was forgetting to pay him for the three books he did sign.

Upon rectifying the first at this year's convention, I fessed up to the oversight from last year. I handed Mr. Wiacek $100.00, and said, this is for today's signature, the oversight from last time, and what we'll call interest. He was taken aback by my honesty, and said that if he could physically see to draw, he would gift me a Man Thing drawing for it. He said that if he ever got his vision back that he would still do that.

The moral of the story, I was glad to get it off my guilty conscience, and make Mr. Wiacek whole because it was the right thing to do. I do pray his vision returns one day, not for the potential gift he offered that would come from it. Just because I wish him the best.

For those of you tracking pricing, Keith Williams remains at his very generous $5.00 per signature, while Alex Saviuk remained at his pricing of $10.00. I believe Bob Wiacek was $20.00 per signature, but I honestly didn't pay attention since I had my mission to make him whole to complete.

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Retro Spins: Steve Winwood - Talking Back To The Night

The Spencer Davis Group, Eric Clapton And The Power House, Traffic, Blind Faith, Ginger Baker's Air Force, and even a session musician, Steve Winwood has worn a lot of hats in the music industry.

He joined The Spencer Davis Group at age fourteen, joining his brother, who played bass, and began performing live venues. This would lead to Island Records taking notice, and signing them in 1964. As a group, they released three albums between 1965 and 1966. Though it was Winwood that they, the label, saw the most drive and ambition, he would leave the group in 1967.

Before doing so, he joined Eric Clapton to form The Power House, and recorded a handful of tracks. Three of these songs would ultimately be included in the 1966 compilation album, What's Shakin'. On a side note, this record is rather unique, in that the word, "compilation" isn't used in the sense of a greatest hits. Rather, it's a various artists recording, featuring Eric Clapton And The Power House, The Lovin' Spoonful, Al Kooper, Tom Rush, and The Paul Butterfield Blues Band. A lot of these songs would eventually end up on the greatest hits albums of the respective artists.

Throughout the late sixties and seventies, Winwood would work in several groups, releasing numerous albums. His most notable being that of Traffic, which he formed with Jim Capaldi, Chris Wood and Dave Mason in 1967. Traffic began as a psychedelic rock group, but would ultimately refine and hone their sound, infusing it with jazz. They released several albums between 1967 and 1974 before disbanding, but would reunite in 1994 for their latest, and final album to date.

Inter cut with the success of traffic was his work with Blind Faith on their one and only self titled 1969 album, the 1970 self titled debut of Ginger Baker's Air Force, 1973's Aiye-Keta by Third World, and two albums with Go in 1976. However, all this work had taken its toll. Weary from touring, Winwood stepped out of the mainstream of music, and opted instead to work as a session musician. This wouldn't last long though, as pressure from Island Records would push him towards a solo career.

Winwood released his first album self titled album in 1977. It was not received well, garnered no hits, and in 1981 would even be called, "Vaguely interesting, by Robert Christgau in the book, Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies.

There wouldn't be a second album released until 1980's Arc Of A Diver, and 1982's Talking Back To The Night. While both albums would have hit singles, Winwood would once again step out of the limelight, returning to session work.

What led me to his 1982 album was the tune, Valerie. I was surprised to discover that the song was released so early in the 80's because I equated with his latter albums from the back half of that era. It turns out, I was rightly doing so. I was disappointed when the song started as the opening track to the album to find that it was not the version which I remembered from my youth. This led to a little digging, where I found that the one ingrained in my memory was actually a 1987 remix included on the singer's greatest hits album, Chronicles.

Feeling let down, I let the album play out, but honestly didn't find it all that enjoyable. The second track, Big Girls Walk Away, was the only other standout among a lackluster presentation of smooth rock. Admittedly, I'm not a big fan of the genre, which could have contributed greatly to my overall disinterest.

At the end of the day, I'd rather just have the 1987 remixed version, which ultimately led me to just buying the greatest hits album noted above. This in and of itself goes against my grain, as I am not a fan of owning compilations because I don't want studios telling me what songs to like. However, this also led to another journey I've decided to embark on. I'm going to start looking into greatest hits albums from the 80's to see if there are songs I have been missing out on because they were new material released only on these particular albums. In the minimal looking I have done so far, it appears this is the case for a lot of stuff.

As for Winwood, despite returning to session work, he would come out guns blazing in 1986 with his biggest selling album to date, Back In The High Life. He would follow this up with the equally successful, Roll With It in 1988. Then the 90's would hit, and things would go down hill from there in a post grunge world. The artist would only release four albums between 1990 and 2008.

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