The Toy Box: May 2026

Retro Spins: Billy Squier - Hear & Now

Three years it would take Billy Squier to finish what would become his last album of the 80's, 1989's Hear & Now. Upon its release, it would be met with minimal fanfare. The artist had long since been on a steady decline, one I've talked about multiple times over the past couple of days.

Upon its release, the album would peak at number sixty-four, and mirror his previous release, "only" selling 300,000 copies. This low amount would also make it his second consecutive album to fail to reach any sales certifications.

With is would come the minor hit, Don't Say You Love Me. It would peak at fifty-eight on the Billboard Hot 100 and be his last charting single to date.

For me, Billy has been an artist that I've witnessed for myself the steady decline in quality and hits which have led him to this point. The disappointing aspect has been that as an artist he can deliver really solid rock tracks, but as time went by, they got fewer and further between. Mind you, I don't think this was a result of lack of trying, but rather a change in musical styles which perhaps couldn't keep up with the other contenders of the era.

Looking at 1984, when his popularity began to wane, it's easy to see how he could be lost among the biggest albums of the year, which included Michael Jackson's Thriller (yes, even though it was released in 1982), Bruce Springsteen's Born In The U.S.A., Huey Lewis And The News' Sports, Prince And The Revolutions' Purple Rain, and even the Footloose soundtrack. Fast forward to 1986, and he only continues to get lost among Janet Jackson's Control, Van Halen's 5150, Madonna's True Blue, Lionel Richie's Dancing On The Ceiling, Bon Jovi's Slippery When Wet, and the Top Gun soundtrack. Now sprinkle in the massive albums of 1985, a year where Billy was inactive, and you can easily see how people quickly moved on. He simply couldn't compete with the legends of those years.

The unfortunate side to all of the above is that in listening to Hear & Now, it's really not good. I would say it's tolerable. Mediocre at best. Forgettable through and through. Definitely a flat note to go out on for the decade.

Candidly, this album wasn't worth the time I allotted to listening to it. It makes me care less for Billy Squier than I initially did, and only serves to make me glad I'm done with his 80's discography.

Billy would release three more albums in the 90's, 1991's Creatures Of Habit, 1993's Tell The Truth, and 1998's Happy Blue. Since then, he has made appearances sporadically, and celebrated milestones in his career with anniversary and remastered additions of his previous work. However, he does tend to stay quieter than most 80's artists desperate for a resurgence from nostalgia driven audiences. I suppose with a net worth of forty to fifty million dollars, he doesn't exactly need to worry about working much.

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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.

Comics Corner: Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man 133

Title: Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man
Issue Number: 133
Release Date: December 1987

Highlights

Last issues titled Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man, all the remaining issues in the run are simply titled, The Spectacular Spider-Man
Last appearance of Frank Gibbs, Vicky Gibbs, Jacob Gibbs, Tanya Gibbs, and Mary
Peter Parker, still drugged up, and trapped in the Mad Dog Ward, sits in a wheelchair telling himself he is spider
Zero asks Peter when he's going to lead another revolt, and is told that the last one was a bad idea

Zero is then grabbed by two wardens, who tell him there's a mission downstairs for him

Mary tells Peter about the lobotomy, and Peter tells her they have to get everyone here off the drugs so that he can help Zero

Mary agrees to help

Frank comes home to his kids Tanya and Jacob, and gets angry at them for not being in bed

Tanya pulls a gun on him, and he finally tells them everything - His mob life, the reason their mother got put in the ward, and that he'll help them get her out, but that they'll be on the run the rest of their lives

Arranger tells Kingpin about the man in the ward claiming to be Spider-Man, and the still unnamed doctor's wish to poke at his brain

Kingpin tells Arranger that he was hired to make decisions, and he in turn tells the doctor to do whatever he wants with the man claiming to be Spider-Man as long as it doesn't compromise the ward

Mary has done her part, and the patients are all off their medications and sedatives

Peter too is feeling his strength return

A riot in the ward starts again, and this time Peter is ready for the fight, but Brainstorm is brought into it and ordered to stop everyone

Peter makes short order of him

Meanwhile, Frank has infiltrated the hospital, and puts a gun to the unnamed doctor, demanding his wife be released
Peter, Vicky, and Frank leave the hospital, taking the doctor with them, and stating their going to put the police onto the illegal operations of the hospital

From the rooftops, Zero watches with a smile

Peter in disguise leads Ben Urich to the hospital, promising a story, but upon their arrival, are invited to a planned press conference where the Arranger is explaining that when Mr. Fisk, as the major stock holder of the hospital, found out about the illegal operation there that he had the doctor arrested
Peter see's Mary leaving, though she doesn't recognize him in disguise, she tells him that the story they're shilling is a lie, and that she just quit
In their car, Frank, Vicky, Jacob, and Tanya head West - Though they're happy to be reunited, they're officially on the run from Kingpin

Low Points

It's really not that interesting of a story arc

Oddities

None

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

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Retro Spins: Billy Squier - Enough Is Enough

Billy Squier peaked in 1981, with the Reinhold Mack produced, Don't Say No. He'd then have two more consecutive platinum albums with 1982's Emotions In Motion, and 1984's Signs Of Life. However, a steady decline was in motion, with sales and chart success declining between the two latter releases. Some would blame the over-the-top dancing showcased in his music video, Rock Me Tonight. Others would simply state it was his shift in musical styles from guitar heavy tracks to synthesizer driven ones. Whatever the cause, 1986's Enough Is Enough would only serve to see further sales and chart popularity declines.

As I dug through the catalog of albums from Billy when putting together my own personal want list together, I came the song, Love Is The Hero. Playing it, something immediately jumped out at me. That was Freddie Mercury singing! Well, yes, please!

Though Freddie isn't physically included in the video, his vocal track remains present, and overall, the song just rocks. It's not only a hidden gem for Squier, but one for the Queen legend. It's almost a shame that Billy's star had fallen so drastically by the 90's because it would have been awesome to see him perform this song at Mercury's tribute concert.

Speaking of concerts, Squier himself didn't set out on tour to promote Enough Is Enough. It raises an interesting question. Did the album fail because of his own continued decline from 1984? Or did it fail because he didn't support it with a tour? Regardless of the answer, the album would only peak at number sixty-one on the Billboard 200 and become his first since his debut to not sell enough units to gain any sales certifications. Love Is The Hero would also not perform as well as I would have expected, peaking at number eighty on the Billboard Hot 100.

Things start out pretty okay with Shot O' Love, a solid rock track. What I noticed in it was that it seemed to take guitar heavy Billy from his earlier years, and blend it with his new synthesizer driven music. It's a good combination, and like I said, delivers a solid rock track.

This is followed by Love Is The Hero, the clear standout for the album. Mercury would also co-pen the track, Lady With A Tenor Sax. While Billy does a decent job on it, I must admit the original demo version from Freddie is far superior. I'll drop that version down at the bottom of this post if you want to check it out.

Unfortunately, I quickly found myself derailed by Freddie, which led me down a rabbit hole to the soundtrack for the film Zabou, which in turn led me to a random search of the Karate Kid limited edition scores on CD. So, that detour was...expensive. Further, it also took my attention from this album, and before I knew it, we were on track seven of ten.

I kind of blame Billy for all of this. If Enough Is Enough would have been worth listening to from start to finish, I would have never been sidetracked. The tune, Til It's Over did manage to refocus me on the album, but being the second to last song was a little too late. What I particularly noticed was that sections of the instrumentation sounded reminiscent of Stairway To Heaven. It's all the more disappointing that the album closes on a high note with Wink Of An Eye, a punchy rock track. Disappointing because the potential was clearly still there. Billy can deliver good music; it just seems to happen fewer and farther between as time goes on.

Time would continue to pass, as it would take Billy three years to finally produce what would become his final album of the decade, 1989's Hear & Now. It would also bring with it his last Billboard Hot 100 charting track and continue his downward slide in popularity and sales. My Billy Squier Bingo card gets filled up tomorrow, as I check that one off.

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Comics Corner: The Amazing Spider-Man 295

Title: The Amazing Spider-Man
Issue Number: 295
Release Date: December 1987

Highlights

First appearance of Sally Salins, Mary, Leslie, Butch, and David Stack, AKA Captain Zero
The story picks up with a wounded Spider-Man being taken on a gurney through the mental hospital, drugged up to unconsciousness

Though he's wearing his leggings and boots, his torso piece and mask are not on him, nor are his webs hooters

The orderlies tell new employee, Mary of the mental ward that he's headed for the Mad Dog Ward

Peter comes too, and tries to fight the guards, but is quickly injected

As he slips back to unconsciousness, he pleads with Mary to help him, and tells her he's Spider-Man

Several days later, Peter sits in a wheelchair, clinging to his memories, but losing them fast to the consistent rounds of drugs pumped through him

He's befriended a patient named Zero

Peter tells the other patients they should revolt and fight, but he doesn't know why
Mary takes Peter to see Vicky in her room
Frank arrives home, and tries to appease his kids Tanya and Jacob with pizza, but they reject him, telling him he's not a part of their family anymore after putting their mother in the mental ward

Frank rages as he struggles with no option to bring her home

Either he gets her out and faces the Kingpin, or leaves her there, and loses his children

In the lab, an unnamed doctor works on the mind of patient MD2020, code name Brainstorm, controlling his mind through a dream state, grooming him into an assassin for the Kingpin

The doctor also references patient MD336, saying he knows that it is Spider-Man, and can't wait to be given the approval to work on him

Seeing someone demonstrate a new "suit" for the patients at the ward which allows for feeding tubes, IV's, and injections, while also serving as a straight jacket, Peter snaps, and grabs the guy, forcing the suit on him

When a male nurse tries to stop him, he easily tosses the man, while other female nurses look on in amazement that he has this kind of strength with such high doses of sedatives in him

Peter starts a revolt with the other patients who start to destroy the place

Nurses swarm the room, poking everyone with needles, sedating them

As the unnamed doctor talks with a nurse, she tells him that despite the aggressive Mad Dog training, he resists being violent

The doctor decides it's time for Zero to have a labotomy

Low Points

None

Oddities

Peter doesn't remember who he is, but apparently still knows he's there for Vicky, and what her kids names are

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

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Retro Spins: Billy Squier - Signs Of Life

After his relationship with Reinhold Mack soured, thanks to Billy's inability to control his temperamental nature, he turned to Robert John "Mutt" Lange to produce his next album. However, Mutt would already be committed to producing The Cars Heartbeat City. Upon its completion, the producer would find himself burned out, and suffering a breakdown. Squier would then turn to Jim Steinman to fulfill the role.

On a side note, this would have a trickle down to Def Leppard. The band had also asked Lange to produce their forthcoming Hysteria album. They too turned to Steinman and would work with him on early tracks for the album in 1984, but this would be derailed by the accident which took drummer Rick Allen's arm by the end of that year. Allen wouldn't return until August of 1986, making his first appearance at 1986's Monsters of Rock festival. At that point, Leppard would return to the studio with Mutt to finish the album.

But let's get back to Squier.

The artist had long felt Steinman's work with Meat Loaf for 1977's Bat Out Of Hell had resulted in, "the most passionate and exciting rock record of our time." However, with him in the producer's chair, a change in musical style would also occur. Rather than be heavily guitar driven like his previous work, synthesizers would now take the lead.

The end result would be another platinum album for Billy, though sales were noticeably still in decline. Further, his chart success was too. While his past two albums had both peaked at number five on the Billboard 200, Signs Of Life would "only" reach number eleven. However, it was in Australia and Canada where the album would impress even less, showing a massive drop in chart success.

Some, including Billy would blame his music video for Rock Me Tonight, and its director Kenny Ortega for the rapid shift. The music video would feature Squier in a pink tank top dancing from room to room like nobody was watching. While MTV host Martha Quinn would later comment that she recalled the video being well received at the time, there was definitely a correlation between its release, and the artist suddenly not selling out shows. Though others would argue that it was perhaps the shift in musical styles which led the decline, and not the actual video. Take a look. You be the judge.

Regardless of what it was, Squier would dismiss both of his managers, and insult the director, stating he had misled and deceived him. Ortega simply dismisses the accusations, probably the best response. No sense in arguing with a fool.

The real shame in it all is that Rock Me Tonight is a really solid track, and the reason I bought Signs Of Life. Is it a goofy video? Oh, totally, but don't let that taint the song.

Yes, the album certainly sounds much different than its predecessors. The synthesizer work definitely takes the foreground, but this isn't necessarily a terrible thing. Tracks, All Night Long, (Another) 1984, and Can't Get Next toy You are pretty decent. Not his best work by any means, but not his worst.

What I will say is that I don't necessarily hear that flourish typical of Jim Steinman music. Had I not known he was the producer of the album, I don't think I would have picked up on it.

Overall, Signs Of Life is okay, and I can understand Squier's declining popularity at the time. I've been listening to it over the past four albums now. The songs are getting less and less appealing. He's just not capturing the energy of his debut, The Tale Of The Tape, and the hits of Don't Say No. What has been consistent is his unique vocals, which always shine through, regardless of whether the track is good or bad.

Billy would perform a series of shows in 1985, and contribute the song, Shake Down, for St. Elmo's Fire. Understandably, there was no music video for the song.

By 1986 he was back in the studio, working with producer Peter Collins on what would become Enough Is Enough. Despite featuring a duet with Freddie Mercury, the album would continue the decline of Squier's overall popularity, chart placement, and album sales. The peak was over.

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