Comics Corner: Marvel Team-Up 121

   

Title: Marvel Team-Up
Issue Number: 121
Release Date: September 1982

Highlights

• First appearance of Frog-Man, AKA Eugene Patilio
• Reference is made to The Amazing Spider-Man 222
• Two vagrants identify Frog-Man as, "That Kermit guy from TV"
• Two cops are in a car when Frog-Man appears on the scene, the one cop calls the other by his name Francis, and then radios in that they're, "car 54" - Nice!
• The other officer's name is Belker, and that will come up in a future issue

Low Points

• None

Oddities

• None

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

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Retro Spins: Roxette - Pearls Of Passion

I told myself, "Self, one day I really need to get around to tracking down the debut studio album from Roxette, and finally hearing it. What usually deterred me from this was that when I put in the effort to do so, it was always so expensive for how scarce it is on CD (and vinyl and cassette too) from only being released initially in Scandinavia and Canada.

With the average seller on ebay having it listed for $200.00, that was always a hard pass every time I looked. I was finally able to come across one on Discogs from a US seller who wasn't looking to rake anyone over the coals, finally getting this into my collection for a very mere fraction of the usual asking price.

The duo consisted of friends Marie Fredriksson and Per Gessle, who were both already established acts in Sweden before forming the group. Initially, they worked together in the band, Gyllene Tider, with Frederikkson being offered a solo career by tproducer, Lars-Göran "Lasse" Lindbom after initially auditioning for the group. However, she would decline, stating she didn't feel she had the confidence for such a task.

Frederiksson would eventually take the opportunity, and released her first solo album, Het vind in 1984. This was followed by 1986's Den sjunde vågen, released just before she began working on the debut album for Roxette.

Gessel on the other hand began releasing solo work in 1983 with his self titled debut, Per Gessle. This was followed by 1985's Scener, which featured Frederiksson on backing vocals. It was during this time that the two were prompted to consider working together to record a song in English by CEO of EMI, Rolf Nygren. Though Frederiksson was initially warned against participating, Gessel began working on translating Svarta glas, translated as Black Glasses into English. When completed, it would become their first single, Neverending Love.

When it was released in the summer of 1986, Neverending Love sold 50,000 copies, prompting the duo to quickly get to work on an official debut album. Though it took some time upon its release, Pearls Of Passion eventually sold 280,000 copies in Sweden. Its initial single, and follow up, Soul Deep were released outside of Sweden, but failed to garner any attention.

Well, America, you don't know what you were missing. Firing up Pearls Of Passion, I was immediately greeted by two old friends, and the opener, Soul Deep. From there, they continued to deliver with Secrets That You Keep, I Call Your Name, Neverending Love, Call Of The Wild, Joy Of A Toy, From One Heart To Another, Like Lovers Do, and So Far Away. Pretty much the entire album was good stuff.

I will say that their debut is a bit more synth pop oriented than their follow-up, and albums since. Despite this, it stands on its own legs. It doesn't rely on the coattails of Roxette's later success to be worth hearing. Frankly, it made me want to dig in a bit to their solo efforts to see if they're any good.

This one is definitely a hidden gem that is worth checking out. Expensive, for sure, but worth checking out. If nothing else, catch it on Youtube.

A second attempt, so to speak, at their debut album occurred in 1987 with the limited country released remix album, Dance Passion. However, this too failed to attract many listeners. Pressing forward, Roxette departed for Rock runt riket (Rock Around The Kingdom) with additional acts, Eva Dahlgren and Ratata. The three would then collaborate on the single, I Want You.

Frederiksson would then head back to the studio for a third solo effort, 1987's ... Efter stormen. It would become her biggest solo effort, reaching number one, and being certified platinum. That same year she would also win awards at 1987 Rockbjörnen Awards for Best Swedish Album, and Best Swedish Female.

Despite her solo success, Roxette would release the single, It Must Have Been Love (Christmas For the Broken Hearted). While it was successful in Sweden, reaching number five, international divisions of EMI opted to not release the track outside of the country.

An international breakthrough was on the horizon with the forthcoming Look Sharp (1988), and from there, Roxette took the world by storm. They would go on to release studio albums through 2016's Good Karma, continuously releasing platinum accredited albums through 2011's Charm School. Throughout these decades, both Frederiksson (through 2013) and Gessel (latest as of 2024) continued to focus on equally successful solo careers. Tragically, Frederiksson passed away in 2019 after a seventeen year battle with cancer.

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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
September 2, 1989

 

Comics Corner: Marvel Team-Up 120

   

Title: Marvel Team-Up
Issue Number: 120
Release Date: August 1982

Highlights

• First appearance of Jerry Fortunav, and Betty Fortunav
• Aunt May and Nathan Lubensky celebrating that they'll soon be leaving the Restwell Nursing Home, and officially open their own communal home for the elderly - out of Aunt May's old house which she's bought back
• Reference is made to Spider-Woman 33
• Despite its goofiness, it has an old timey story charm to it

Low Points

• None

Oddities

• The villains name is Turner D. Century
• Editor's Day Off: While talking with Dominc Fortune, Turner D. Century, says, "I realized that direct violence was not necessarily the wisest way to make the the world a better place!"

• Turner D. Century has invented the time horn, which is attached to his flying bicycle, and with it, he'll fly through the city honking it, which will kill everyone under the age of sixty-five - Can't make this one up, folks...

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

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Just Doodling - Spider-Man 2099

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Retro Spins: New Edition - Heart Break

Remaining members Ricky Bell, Michael Bivins and Ronnie DeVoe, felt uncertainty in the future of New Edition. Especially when rumors of their lead singer, Ralph Tresvant, considering a solo career looming above them. In anticipation in the likelihood that this would happen, Johnny Gill was voted into the group by Bell, Bivins, and DeVoe. However, in the long run, Tresvant would opt to stay, at least for now.

Now in their twenties, or on the cusp of turning over from their teens, the boys were wanting their music to go in a different direction. One which echoed their new maturity, and adulthood. The end result was 1988's Heart Break, a smoother, stronger, and more adult resonance, which would also become the groups biggest album up to that point.

Heart Break spawned multiple hit singles, which included, You're Not My Kind of Girl, Can You Stand the Rain, Crucial, N.E. Heartbreak, and my personal favorite from them, If It Isn't Love. The success of Heart Break set in motion a support tour, which saw prior member, Bobby Brown serving as an opening act for them. Brown would soon come into his own though with his 7X platinum release, Don't Be Cruel.

Playing through Heart Break, the bubblegum feel is gone, and in its place are tracks that definitely feel more mature. I can certainly see the appeal among the funk, adult contemporary, and R&B crowd.

As for me, If It Isn't Love, remains the only track that appeals, and I'm fine with that. When I started off on my journey with New Edition, I already knew they weren't going to be my new all time favorite.

Even their hits, Candy Girl, Mr. Telephone Man, Cool It Now, while good, never really resonated with me. They ultimately ended up in my collection because of their impact on the 80's. I mean, they're good, they're just not songs I'm going to go to frequently.

If I had to pull one aspect from the album that I hated, and I do, it would be the numerous skits between tracks. These are flat out annoying, and really derail the flow of everything. What's worse is that these sections are built into each track, meaning you can't simply skip them with the push of a button.

More so intriguing to me then the music is the history of the members, seeing how they came to be who they were, and then realizing this in their futures. As we all know, Bobby Brown had a massively successful solo career...well, that one time in 1988 with Don't Be Cruel, but then...well...the crack.

Ralph Tresvant found success with his first self titled solo album in 1990. He released a second album in 1994, and a third in 2006.

Ricky Bell, Michael Bivens, and Ronnie DeVoe would go on to create the group Bel Biv DeVoe, garnering a 4X platinum record with 1990's Poison. Their 1993 released Hootie Mack, was less successful, but still accredited gold. However, their third release, 2001's BBD failed, while their 2017 released Three Stripes returned them to the top ten.

Johnny Gill remained the most active. Having had a solo career prior to New Edition, he easily transitioned back to this. Between his collaborations with others, including New Edition, as well as his solo work, he's released some form of music from 1983 to 2019.

Additionally, the final track on Heart Break, Boys To Men, would inspire a new generation of musicians who would go on to create the group, Boys II Men. Their 1991 debut, Cooleyhighharmony, would usher in a new era of boy bands.

As for New Edition, they too returned to the spotlight in 1996 with their reunion album, Home Again. It would be the only to feature not only the five original members, but also keep Gill in the fold. It would also become their biggest and most popular album to date. This was followed up in 2004 with One Love. However, Brown had once again departed, and was not part of the album.

All six members reunited again in 2011 for their 30th anniversary tour, and have sporadically continued to perform together, either as a whole, or in part. Their most recent outing was a Las Vegas residency. However, this seems to have concluded as of February 15, 2025.

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THIS WEEK ON THE CHARTS
September 1, 1984