Retro Spins: The Flirts - 10¢ a Dance

Hey, who remembers The Flirts? Hello? Anyone? No surprise.

Before he penned West End Girls for Pet Shop Boys, Bobby Orlando was the mastermind behind Hi-NRG, new wave group, The Flirts. Between 1982 and 1992, they released six albums, featuring Orlando himself with a rotating female lineup consisting of Andrea Del Conte, Rebecca Sullivan, Holly Kerr, Linda Jo Rizzo, Pamela Moore, Christy Angelica, Debby Gaynor, Tricia Wygal, Geri, and Jodie Rocco.

Orlando would often call in female session musicians to record the tracks, but then hire others to be the faces performing, often with backgrounds as dancers. Basically, talent in the studio, looks on the stage. You know, Milli Vanilli.

Though they didn't have many, there were some hits which came from the efforts. However, despite being a US group, most of their success would be found overseas in European countries. In fact, their final 1992 album, Take A Chance On Me, would only be released in Switzerland.

Their debut, 10¢ A Dance, was released in 1982, and music videos for Jukebox (Don't Put Another Dime), and Passion would become mainstays on the channel's during MTV's infant years. The two songs would also hit the Billboard Dance Charts, peaking at twenty-eight, and twenty-one, respectively. Additionally, the single, Calling All Boys would chart, and also peak at number twenty-one.

The album is fun, in that cheesy 80's new wave type of way. It almost has a B-52's vibe, wherein the music feels like it's intended to be a long party that everyone's invited to. During its thirty-minute runtime, the tempo never slows down.

The Flirts take a stab at the Dusty Springfield hit, I Only Want To Be With You. It's a serviceable cover, maybe not as good as the Samantha Fox rendition, but still okay.

Passion is a pretty decent track, but I find that I have to like Jukebox, (Don't Put Another Dime). It's the first song I ever heard from the group. Mind you, that wasn't until recently when I randomly came across it on Youtube. In fact, I wouldn't even own their entire 80's discography if not for that chance listening session and finding a seller on ebay who just so happened to have them all for around ten dollars each. Everything just clicked into place on this one.

Again, it's a fun album. It's not Michael Jackson's Thriller by any means, and there's probably nothing on here that I'll find myself saying, "let's hear that again." If nothing else, it's just cool to have found something obscure, that at the same time was enjoyable to hear. Will that hold up for four more albums? I don't know, but I'll find out.

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Comics Corner: Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man 127

   

Title: Peter Parker, The Spider-Man
Issue Number: 127
Release Date: June 1987

Highlights

• First appearance of Edward Fasolino, Harry Niceza, Teddy Vinchenzo, and the henchmen, Willy and Vinnie
• On a stormy night, Edward Fasolino runs from a creature who attacks him
• Spider-Man hears the scream, and investigates, finding the man bleeding, barely alive, and rambling about a lizard man
• Spidey fears the Lizard is back
• Spider-Man calls Doctor Curt Connors, and is relieved to speak to him, and get confirmation that he's not reverted back to the Lizard
• Dr. Connors hangs up, and says to himself that he must handle this himself, and not involve Spider-Man
• Harry Niceza, and Teddy Vinchenzo are at a local pizza joint reminding the owner he owes their boss money, and will be back for it tomorrow
• It won't matter, the Lizard confronts them both, and tells them that if they don't give him the information he wants he will hurt them
• They don't have the answers he seeks
• Peter sits at home watching the news, and hears a story about a lizard man victimizing people
• Determined to get answers, Spider-Man heads to Curt Connor's home
• At his home Spider-Man finds a note informing Connors to come to a certain spot at a certain time, and bring the formula
• Spider-Man also finds the Lizard, but the reptile says he doesn't want to fight, and then transforms back to Curt Connors
• Connors explains that after returning home from Battle World, and in tattered clothing, that his wife said she needed time to think, and taking their son, left
• He then explains that since returning he's realized and accepted that he and the Lizard are one and the same, and since then, has been able to control his transformation
• He also explains that the note was from the Owl, who wants his formula, and has taken his wife and kid as ransom
• Spider-Man says he'll help, but the Lizard tells him he must do it alone to prove to his wife that despite his ability to transform that Curt Connors is still there
• Despite this, Spider-Man still follows, and attempts to stop the Lizard
• Lizard gets to the rendezvous point, and demands answers of where his family is from the thugs Willy, and Vinnie, which he gets
• Lizard infiltrates the Owls penthouse suite, but is stopped by a blast of cold, which neutralizes his reptilian body
• Spider-Man also enters the fray, grabbing Curt's wife and kid, and attempting to get them to safety
• As he's held at the mercy of the Lizard, the Owl explains he needs the serum that Connor's created to fix his shattered spine
• Lizard wants to kill the Owl, but Connors fights his rage off, and turns back to his human form
• Despite saving them, his wife still leaves with their son, saying she still needs time

Low Points

• None

Oddities

• None

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

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Retro Spins: Indigo Girls - Indigo Girls

 

Looking to capitalize on the popularity of 10,000 Maniacs, Tracy Chapman, and Suzanne Vega, Epic Records found, and signed, Amy Ray and Emily Saliers, AKA Indigo Girls in 1988. While the duo had released music prior to this under their own self-publishing label, their venture with Epic would prove to be far more successful. Their self-titled "debut" would quickly garner attention, going 2x platinum. Striking while the iron was hot, Epic would remix, edit, and re-release the girl's previous album, Strange Fire. But now we're going backwards to previously covered territory.

Based on its success, the girls were nominated for Best New Artist at the Grammy Awards, ironically losing to Milli Vanilli. While that award slipped away, until faux Vanilli gave up the award, they did win one for Best Contemporary Folk Recording.

It's pretty much more of the same from what I talked about yesterday. Minimal instrumentation. While Strange Fire stayed confined to acoustic guitars and harmonicas, this album does build on that a bit, and very sparsely, with drums, and bass. Still, it's not enough to make me a fan of the folk country style of music.

I will give Kid Fears an honorable mention for it being a duo with R.E.M. alum, Michael Stipe. As I heard his voice come through, it was immediately recognizable, making the track something that piqued my interest, but also not something I necessarily need to ever hear again.

Overall, I'm not walking away from this a fan of Indigo Girls, and frankly, I didn't expect to. As I noted yesterday, I only ended up with their two 80's albums because they were constantly crammed into the dollar bins of the various used CD shops I went to. I'd never heard anything off them leading up to yesterday and today, nor did I necessarily want or need them. Just more 80's fodder for the ever expanding shelfs of music from that decade.

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Comics Corner: Web Of Spider-Man 30

   

Title: Web Of Spider-Man
Issue Number: 30
Release Date: September 1987

Highlights

• Final appearance of Dina
• The events of this story continue from the last issue, which occur concurrently with The Amazing Spider-Man 289
• Reference is made to Spider-Man Versus Wolverine, The Amazing Spider-Man 238, 276, and 289
• Richard Fisk has been missing for days
• Alfredo tries to calm Dina down
• Richard Fisk heads to church, and makes a confession
• In it, we get the origin of the Rose and Hobgoblin
• Ned Leeds initially approaches Richard Fisk, questioning him about his father
• When turned down, he takes to following Richard and Alfredo around the globe
• It's true that Richard and Alfredo want to bring the Kingpin down, and soon decide that their best bet is to work with Ned
• Ned reveals to them that he's Hobgoblin, and provides Fisk with the identity of the Rose
• The two feel like even though they're waging a gang war that they're still the good guys in it
• While things start off well, Ned soon becomes obsessed with Green Goblin's old journals, which puts him in conflict with Spider-Man
• The identity of Hobgoblin soon takes over his mind, and he begins missing meetings with the Rose, and following his own agenda, and Spider-Man
• In all of this, Ned and his wife drifted apart, but he didn't see it, which is why he was so enraged with Flash Thompson, and framed him
• All of this drew a line between the Rose and Hobgoblin, and the two began plotting to kill each other
• Richard goes to his father, and tells him he'll work for him
• The story summarizes, and wraps up all the events of the long Hobgoblin saga, while providing a cliffhanger ending to the future of the Rose
• It's very satisfying to see how all the pieces fell into place

Low Points

• One could easily skip the last forty issues from the various titles, and essentially get the same story from this issue, granted with far less details, but certainly a whole lot less filler

Oddities

• None

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

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Retro Spins: Indigo Girls - Strange Fire

You can only walk past the same ninety-nine cent CD so many times before you finally, out of desperation to pick something up, grab it. That's how I ultimately ended up with not only the 1987 debut of Indigo Girls, but their second, and self-titled (1989) final album of the decade. I don't know any songs from the girl duo, nor did I honestly suspect I was going to like any when it was all said and done, but here we are.

Amy Ray and Emily Saliers met as young-ins back in Georgia, while attending Laurel Ridge Elementary School. Being in different grades, it wouldn't be until high school that they got better acquainted, and formed the band, B-Girls, before changing the name to Sailers And Ray. Upon graduating, again, a year apart, the two went to different colleges, but soon found themselves homesick. Returning home, they would both attend Emory University.

By 1985, they began performing again, adopting the name, Indigo Girls. At first, they self-published, which included their single, Crazy Game, with the B-side, Everybody's Waiting (for Someone to Come Home). This was followed by a six-track extended play in 1987. This was followed by Strange Fire, their first full studio album.

Around this time, female led folk acts were garnering attention on airwaves, typically college radio stations, but quickly transitioning to mainstream. Acts such as 10,000 Maniacs, Tracy Chapman, and Suzanne Vega, and prompted Epic Records to not only take a chance on the genre but found them actively seeking out new talent. Thus, the Indigo Girls were signed. Upon the release of their self-titled album in 1988, which became quite successful by 1989, Epic re-released their '87 album, but not before re-arranging the order, removing two tracks, and adding a cover of the Youngblood hit, Get Together. Overall, the album would not perform as well as their '89 record, but still reached a gold sales certification, while peaking at 159 on the Billboard 200.

With the opening strum of the acoustic guitar, I was already in the mindset that this album wasn't going to be for me. I'm not what one would call a connoisseur of folk, nor country music.

As a whole, the album stays well rooted in that aspect, using minimal instruments to craft each song. Don't expect to hear drums, bass guitars, or synthesizers. Rather, the girls keep it simple, acoustic guitars, and occasionally harmonicas. It's comparable to the earliest Bob Dylan stuff, pre-Highway 61 Revisited. Great if you like that kind of music, rather boring and bland if you don't. Obviously, I fall into the latter.

While I let it play, by track five I pretty much reached my limit, and ended up skipping past tracks to see if anything intrigued my ears. As expected, it did not.

Though tomorrow I'll jump into their 1989 self-titled release, I don't suspect it's going to be any type of opus for me. I'll give it a chance, but...well, we'll see. That's all I can say.

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Comics Corner: Web Of Spider-Man 29

   

Title: Web Of Spider-Man
Issue Number: 29
Release Date: August 1987

Highlights

• The story opens at Ned Leed's funeral, and we're told it takes place during the events of The Amazing Spider-Man 289
• Death of Mr. Varley, and Mr. Johnston
• Reference is made to Spider-Man Versus Wolverine, and The Amazing Spider-Man 284 - 288
• After everyone leaves the funeral, Richard Fisk approaches the casket, and leaves a rose on it
• He's interrupted by Joy Mercado and Lance Bannon
• As Joy grills him with questions, Bannon snaps photographs
• Richard tells his girlfriend Dina about Ned being Hobgoblin, and their combined plan to take over the city
• In his office, Roderick Kinglsey and Lt. Keating argue over the death of Hobgoblin
• Kinglsey says he'll do 15 to 20 years for his involvement with the villain, but that if he goes down, he's taking Keating with him
• Though he may not have broken any laws, Keating is reminded that he turned a blinds eye to Hobgoblin's activities in exchange for tips on the mob
• Mr. Varley and Mr. Johnston burst in, stating that Foreigner has no more use for them, and they attempt to kill both men
• Spider-Man returns home, needing someone to talk to, and self volunteering Black Cat, but she's stepped out for the night, leaving a note that he shouldn't wait up
• The events from The Amazing Spider-Man 289, where Hobgoblin comes to Rose's home, kills Varley, and Johnston, but then learns Kingpin has a file on him, once again unfold
• However, after them, the Rose states he's going to burn his mask, and be done with the alter ego
• Alfredo infiltrates an old Hobgoblin stronghold, checking for anything that could lead to Richard Fisk
• Wolverine finds a moping Peter Parker sitting on the docks, and attempts to talk to him
• He's approached by a thug who pulls a knife, and demands his wallet
• Wolverine responds in kind by showing the thug his blades
• The thug calls in reinforcements
• Hobgoblin finds Alfredo at the stronghold, and the two battle
• They take their fight to the streets as Alfredo speeds away in his car, and Hobgoblin gives chase
• Their fight takes them past Spider-Man and Wolverine, enjoying round two with the thugs from earlier
• The Arranger see's Spider-Man, and deliver's the message that Kingpin wishes to see him
• Alfredo crashes into the river, but is saved by Spider-Man
• Hobgoblin retreats
• Thinking his friend is dead, Richard Fisk questions what he's become
• Wolverine tells Spider-Man he can't keep carrying the burden of people's deaths, that he has too much to live for

Low Points

• Peter is once again moping around talking about quitting being Spider-Man - I thought we'd all moved past that
• It's a lot of retreading on The Amazing Spider-Man issue 289

Oddities

• Editor's Day Off: As Hobgoblin chases Alfredo, he says, "Let there be and end to this game!"

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

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Retro Spins - Huey Lewis And The News - Small World

By 1988, Huey Lewis And The News was in a steady decline of sales and popularity. Despite their previous album, Fore! (1986), reaching number one on the Billboard 200, sales wise, if far under performed in comparison to 1983's Sports. This drop continued with 1988's Small World, which stalled out at number eleven on the Billboard 200, and would "only" go platinum in the USA, and gold in Canada. As a whole, it was considered, "noticeably weaker" by critics and label Chrysalis.

Single, Perfect World would also fail to impress much, stalling out at forty-eight on the Billboard Hot 100. As it would turn out, the only noteworthy highlight would appear to be the instrumental track at the end of the album, which was written solely to be used for highlight reels for the San Francisco 49ers, which the NFL team did indeed incorporate into their games.

Small World (Part 1), and Perfect World are pretty okay tracks, and as a whole, you can definitely hear that the band's writing styles have matured over the years.

However, as a whole, it's not a very noteworthy album. It's pretty mediocre at best. Candidly, there's not much more I can say beyond that. I mean, there's simply no hits here, and it was a pretty poor way to end the decade.

Overall, pretty boring. Specifically pointing out the song Slammin', it's a relatively unnecessary song, and frankly doesn't showcase any catchy riffs or hooks often associated with instrumental tunes.

The band's contract with Chrysalis came up for renewal after Small World, and the boys opted to depart, instead singing with EMI USA. However, they wouldn't release anything new until 1991's Hard At Play. It would be their last album to receive any form of sales certification, but not their last to chart on the Billboard 200.

Though they continued to tour, things were brought to an abrupt halt in 2018, when Lewis reported he had been diagnosed with Ménière's disease. Things worsened to the point where he essentially went deaf by 2025. The band would release one final album, 2020's Weather, before officially retiring. Through the aid of cochlear implant, Lewis has recently stated that he can once again hear talking, but doubts he'll ever be able to hear music, and thus perform ever again. That's kind of a downer.

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Comics Corner: The Amazing Spider-Man 289

   

Title: The Amazing Spider-Man
Issue Number: 189
Release Date: June 1987

Highlights

• Death of Mr. Varley, and Mr. Johnston
• Mac goes to Foreigner, and asks him to kills "someone" for him, to which he agrees
• After a brief phone call, and a quick call back, Mac is informed that Hobgoblin is dead, and the fee is one million dollars
• At JFK airport, the body of Ned Leeds is brought home, and there to see it are Robbie Robertson, Peter Parker, J. Jonah Jameson, Betty Leeds, and Marla Jameson
• Peter remembers the events as told in Spider-Man Versus Wolverine
• As Peter blames himself for Ned's death, J. Jonah Jameson also claims responsibility
• Despite his supposed death, Hobgoblin glides across the sky over JFK Airport
• Peter opts not to give chase
• While playing a literal game of chess together, Kingpin tells Foreigner he's not pleased that he had Hobgoblin killed without first consulting him
• Kingpin has his assistant, Mrs. Tate put word on the street that he wishes to see Spider-Man about information on Hobgoblin, including his identity
• At the funeral, Betty appears to be losing her mind, stating she's listening to hear if Ned is still breathing, and then asks the men carrying his casket to open it
• Peter pulls her away
• Betty tells Peter to head home, and that she'll be fine because her mother is coming to stay with her for a while, but as he walks down the street, he recalls that her mother passed away already
• Tired of running, Flash Thompson approaches a cop car, and attempts to turn himself in, but between thinking he's a vagrant, and hearing about an officer down over their radio, they dismiss him, and take off
• The Rose walks through his apartment, finding his staff murdered, as he announces he may be next, Hobgoblin emerges from the shadows
• Spider-Man arrives at Kingpin's building, and is given the file on Hobgoblin, no strings, no questions
• As Kingpin leaves, he confronts his man, Geppi, and tells him he knows that he is a double agent for The Rose, and bugged his office
• Kingpin gives him a choice; admit it and live, deny it and die
• After the man admits it, Kingpin kills him anyway
• In a flashback just before his death, Ned Leeds is revealed to be Hobgoblin

This event would be retconned in the
1997 mini-series, Hobgoblin Lives

• As Spider-Man begins to shout in disbelief, Kingpin returns to the room to tell him that Jack O'Lantern, AKA, Jason Philip Macendale, hire Foreigner to kill Hobgoblin, and that Foreigner then gave him the Hobgoblin costume and equipment as a "lark"
• As Spider-Man departs, Hobgoblin arrives, and demands the file from Kingpin, who informs him that he then needs to get it from Spider-Man
• Hobgoblin decides that Kingpin is of no further use then
• Kingpin's men surround him, and Hobgoblin retreats quickly, which amuses Kingpin, who see's Macendale as a coward who always runs away
• Spider-Man is relieved that he isn't responsible for the death of Ned, but still enraged by the culprits who did it
• As he makes his way to Foreigner's office, Flash sees him from below, and chases after him, intent on turning himself in
• The office appears to have been rented by someone else, and there's no trace of Foreigner, but Hobgoblin appears, and a massive battle between the two takes place
• Hobgoblin hits Spider-Man with a pumpkin bomb, lighting him on fire, leaving the wall crawler scrambling to rip the torso portion of his suit off as he falls off a roof
• Taking advantage of the situation, Hobgoblin chucks another bomb, but it's caught by Flash, who throws it back at him
• Flash actually dies, but Spider-Man resusetates him with CPR
• Though laid up in a hospital bed from the blast, all charges against Flash are dropped
• Kingpin and Foreigner have another game of chess, and when leaving, Kingpin hands him a piece of paper and tells him not to read it until he's down the elevator
• Foreigner reads it in the hallway, prior to getting on the elevator, which explodes
• Though he doesn't die, Kingpin has sent the message clearly
• Felicia has apparently sewn three new black suits for Spider-Man while he was in Berlin
• She's still living with him from her apartment being fire bombed

Low Points

• None

Oddities

• Editor's Day Off: Betty sits in her apartment after the funeral talking to Peter, and tells him, "My mom's on her way over and she'll be staying on while."

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

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Christmas Catalogs - JCPenny 1973

Hey! You want to spend the next two years looking at the fantastic Christmas catalogs produced by Sears, JCPenny, and Montgomery Ward? Cause I do! Yeah, I said two years, cause that's a lot of catalogs! Join me on most Monday's each month as I post up one of those fabulous books starting with 1970, and ending with 1989.

Look through every page, feeling every bit of nostalgia. Chuckle at the look and style of the wardrobes those zanny past decade people wore. Gawk at the toys you used to have, but long since parted ways with. Bring back all those memories of hours spent laying on the floor, combing every inch as your young mind pined over everything you wanted. Reminisce over the Christmas that followed as you unwrapped those lucky few that you got.

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