The Toy Box: 1980

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Retro Spins: Rod Stewart - Foolish Behaviour

As a youngin' in the 80's, Rod Stewart may have already been around for a decade, but he didn't hit my radar until the age of MTV. Specifically, with his tune, Infatuation from his 1984 album, Camouflage, a record I have already done a Retro Spin on. From there, he became more and more prevalent on 80's airwaves with hits like Love Touch, and Forever Young. Before all of that, I had no clue who he was, and you could easily have fooled me by telling me the aforementioned album was his debut.

Not being his first rodeo, it's no surprise that the album went platinum in multiple countries, while also peaking in the top ten to twenty across the world. From it came two Billboard Hot 100 hits, Passion (peaking at number five), and Somebody Special (seventy-one).

Stewart was also an early entry on MTV, with the video for She Won't Dance With Me being the third to broadcast on the channel's debut on August 1, 1981. Though the track included the "F" word, this was gotten around by the station by using a foghorn which sounded over the word, and a heron imposed over his mouth. These aspects were not included in the original video.

My first impression as things started up was how dated it felt. It captures a rock sound reminiscent of 1977 - 1979. Queen immediately came to mind in comparison. Still, this wasn't necessarily a bad thing. Rather, just unexpected.

Personally, I picked up this album for the hit, Passion, but I was expectant that something else would be found. It had to be. This was Rod Stewart. He's no slouch of the music industry.

The first tune that intrigued was the title track, Foolish Behaviour. At first, its lyrics caught me off guard:

Can I introduce myself?
I'm a man of panache and wealth
Sound in mind, body, soul and health
Why I wanna kill my wife?
I have this urge to take her life

Well...yeah, okay. I mean, you do you, I guess. Odd lyrics aside, it was actually a pretty catchy tune.

The second was, Oh God, I Wish I Was Home Tonight. Granted, this one was just okay, kind of sort of the better of the worse. But with that said, there's actually not anything bad on the album. At least not anything that I found myself wanting to skip but also wouldn't go out of my way to listen to again. Still, I'd say that overall, I was pleased.

Stewart would go on to release five additional studio albums throughout the 80's, and with exception of the above noted Camouflage, that's what I'm off to play through over the next few days. Join me, won't you?

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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.

And now, 31 Days Of Halloween!

I want to say that I first saw Critters with my sister way back in the day, but I don't honestly recall at this point. In fact, the only thing I really remember from it was how they combined into a ball and rolled all over the place eating everything as they went. Was that even the first film? Or was that the second?

Retro Spins: Scorpions - Animal Magnetism

Today I'm looping back to Scorpions. They're a band I touched on initially back in 2023 with my Retro Spin of 1984's Love At First Sting. I, like many before me was introduced to the band with their monster hit, Rock You Like A Hurricane, which would be their biggest Billboard Hot 100 hit to date as of May 1984. It wouldn't be until 1991 that it was usurped by Wind Of Change, which went to number four.

My first album from the band was actually 1990's Crazy World, which featured the latter mentioned hit. In fact, if memory serves me right, I got it from Columbia House or BMG as part of the twelve CD's for a penny "deal".

By the time I started rebuilding my CD collection into the 80's tome it is today, there were two albums from the band which I wanted to add to my collection. Those were 1982's Blackout, and 1984's Love At First Sting. Beyond that, I had no interest. But as normally happens as I came across 1988's Savage Amusements at a used CD shop and picked it up. Despite having three of the four releases from the 80's, I actually didn't actively track down today's Retro Spin, 1980's Animal Magnetism until recently. And that's the story of how I got my 80's discography of Scorpions.

Before I dive in, can we just talk about the elephant in the room? Seriously, what's the deal with that album cover? Scorpions is a band who I've felt often conceive and select questionable covers, to the point that there are some I will never add to my collection.

Animal Magnetism certainly sounds like a Scorpions album. You know how some bands have a sound you can immediately pick up on? Yeah, that's what's going on here.

With that said, while it's decent, it's by no means amazing. Make It Real was really the only standout track for me, and candidly, at this point I don't even remember how it went. Part of this may be my own personal issue of current exhaustion, and overall lack of effort mentality as a result. Whatever it was, the album turned out to be mediocre at best.

Beyond that, I don't have much more to say about this one.

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And now, 31 Days Of Halloween!

Back in the days of Blockbuster, and my first job working in a grocery store, I got into buying VHS tapes. This was thanks in part to a buddy of mine who was a major film buff. He was the kind of guy that every week he went to the theater to see what was new, rented a handful of tapes on the way home, and followed this up by hitting the video store to take buy a pile of tapes for his massive collection. He'd also be the first person I knew to get a DVD player, which was a big thing back then.

As for me and that Blockbuster, the manager at the store next door to my job was someone I went to high school with. This allowed me an opportunity to get a lot of tapes through him. Mind you, he didn't give them to me, but instead, allowed me to order copies, and most importantly, kept them behind the counter as I showed up weekly to pick up what I could afford until I finally got them all. It was through him that I obtained the complete run of A Nightmare On Elm Street films.

Freddy quickly became one of my favorite horror icons, with his movies constantly being put on in rotation. I personally stopped with Freddy Vs. Jason and never saw any of the ones that came after it, nor the television series. While the first will always be a classic, I think I favor the characters from part three, and the story arc built between that one and part four.

Retro Spins: Talking Heads - Remain In Light

Today, I'm circling back to Talking Heads. When I first touched on them in 2023 with 1983's Speak In Toungues, I only owned three of their five 80's albums. Though I would eventually rectify that, with my ever growing back catalog of albums to play through, I only briefly came back around to them for their final released Naked (1988). On the latter, I also did a dive through of their history. As such I don't have much to say at this point, and instead, will just dive right in.

Remain In The Light hooked me relatively quickly. I don't know what I was expecting, but was I got was almost tribal art rock.

David Byrne brings his quirky lyrics and vocal styles, while also working in conjunction with Jerry Harrison to layer in just enough guitar rock to aid each song while not turning it into a full rock and roll song.

Tina Weymouth delivers an amazing bass riff over every track and adds complimenting vocals that work in harmony with Byrnes, while also playing to her own kooky strengths.

Chris Frantz sets the pace of each tune with a drumming style that is anything but common. No traditional Beatles drumming here. Whether fast or slow, he's working his way around the entire drum kit, not limiting himself to the bass, snare and high hat.

When combined together, it creates a unique sound that candidly I can't think of anyone who rivaled or even met it at that time. I can honestly see why Remain In The Light has received so much praise. It's fantastic from start to finish, and yes, you even get the hit, Once In A Lifetime. Ironically, this song never actually charted when it was initially released. Instead, it was a live version from 1984's Stop Making Sense that would, and even then, that wasn't until 1986.

Playing through this album makes me wonder if I missed anything during my previous two Retro Spins, and depending on how further listening sessions go, I may have to go back to them for a second try. My initial stance was that the quirkiness impeded me getting into them, but it turns out, that may have been the actual selling point.

For now, I'm off to their next album on my list, which is 1985's Little Creatures. I'll see you there tomorrow.

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Retro Spins: Loverboy - Loverboy

When did Loverboy hit my radar in the 80's? It's a question I truly have for myself. Did I know their hits, Working For The Weekend, The Kid Is Hot Tonite (P.S. not how you spell that), Lovin' Every Minute Of It, Hot Girls In Love, Turn Me Loose, and When It's Over? Candidly, if I did, I didn't associate it with them. Instead, I think they hit my radar with their 1986 contribution to the Top Gun soundtrack with Heaven In Your Eyes.

The band was an early addition to my 80's want list when I started building my CD collection, but not necessarily everything. My sights were initially on their 1980 self-titled debut, 1981's Get Lucky, and 1985's Lovin' Every Minute Of It. Essentially, I was after the hits I knew, and these albums were where they were hiding. However, as often happens, I came across others in a used CD show, picked them up, and then eventually finished off the list in anticipation of this series of Retro Spins.

Upon the release of their debut, it became not only their breakthrough, but a massive success, peaking in the top twenty in four countries. It would fare the best in the UK where it landed at number five. With it would come the Billboard Hot 100 hits, The Kid Is Hot Tonite, and Turn Me Loose, which reached number fifty-five and thirty-five, respectively.

With its hot synthesizer and guitar rock blend, the album comes off as a solid comparison to that of what was being churned out by The Cars and The Babies at the time. It was quite enjoyable, and by track four, I hadn't heard anything I wasn't digging.

Sure, by this point it had already hit me with the two aforementioned hits, bit in addition had delivered Always On My Mind, and Lady Of The 80's. When Little Girl came up next, my mind immediately shot to Oingo Boing. Not only did they have a song similar in title, but very different in context, but Loverboy was sounding a bit like their early decade material as well.

I didn't expect to like a song titled, Prissy Prissy, but it actually had a pretty catchy lyrical hook, and a solid guitar riff. By this point, I was really asking myself, "Self, where has this album been all my life?" I really enjoyed everything from it, and I'm down with keeping this momentum going by immediately jumping into 1981's Get Lucky.

There's not much to say in between all of that, and beyond continuing to elaborate on the enjoyable listening session, which I think I've more than made the point on, the only other thing to do is be on my way to their next album. Okay, actually I will say this; if you haven't heard this one, I highly recommend you check it out. But now I'm out of here.

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Retro Spins: The Rolling Stones - Emotional Rescue

It's ironic, yet timely that I would be starting a series of Rolling Stones playthrough leading up to my birthday. This is because I actually got several of these albums from my brother for my birthday several years ago. It has taken me this long to get to them.

As a band that's been around since 1962, there's a lot of history to go through, and candidly, I'm probably not the best person for that task. I mildly know of the band, and to date have only listened to their 1964 self-titled debut, and 1986's Dirty Work. Further, to go back through a sixty-four-year legacy would take well me time and posts than I'm going to dedicate to it. So instead, I'll just make up my own version based on my 80's child self-who's knowledge was limited to the then and now as it happened, or the rumors on the playground.

Michael Jackson was introduced to an already aged Mick Jagger through his friend, Freddie Mercury. The Queen lead singer let the guy crash at his house periodically, often times using him as an errand boy. It was at a recording session for the track State Of Shock, which would be included on The Jackson's 1984 Victory album, that the two would send Jagger out for sandwiches. However, two events would unfold from this seemingly every ordinary lunch run. The first is that the chicken salad sandwich which Mercury ate would see him in the bathroom the rest of the day with rolling pains and other unwanted side effects. This would lead to Jagger racing out of the studio to find more toilet paper, only to bang his toe on the doorframe. The bellowing howl he gave immediately caught the attention of Jackson, who put him in front of a microphone.

While conducting a wellness check on his friend later that week, David Bowie would get the opportunity to meet Jagger, who was also at Mercury's home, and once again serving chicken salad sandwiches. In a bizarre history repeating itself moment, the Queen singer would once again fall ill. Directed again to obtain more toilet paper, Jagger would head out, but Bowie would offer to accompany him. Rather than take a car, the two instead began skipping down the road, and dancing in the streets.

Across the road at the Twin Pines Mall was a young Marty McFly, who had come out in the night to meet his friend, Doc Brown. He happened to have a video camera with him, and when he saw the two, became fixated on them, filming the whole event. Angered by the unwanted voyeur, they would grab him and attempt to strongarm the cassette from him. It was only from a passing van of concerned Libyan nationalists who called the police that the cops arrived on-site, and the video footage eventually shared with the local news.

Despite the events, Doc Brown would take a keen interest in Jagger, taking him back in time to 1685, where they meet a young pirate named Keith Richards. They'd bring him back to 1980, form a band, and release their debut, Emotional Rescue. To ensure its success, after recording tracks, they'd travel ahead in time, confirm that the album was well received or not, make tweaks back in 1980, and craft the perfect record which would reach number one in the UK, Canada, USA, and other countries. Thus, The Rolling Stones were born!

It's ironic how I can know little to nothing about the band, yet at the same time, playing through 1980's Emotional Rescue, it sounds exactly as I would have expected. Heavily rhythm and blues influenced, with straight up rock and roll weaved in.

On one hand, the music is generic, and kind of uninspiring. At the same time, you still want or perhaps must respect it because it's The Rolling Stones. It puts one in quite the conundrum and honestly makes it difficult to differentiate between what the good songs are, and what really aren't, but that you'll never admit lest the mob come for you.

Instead, I'll turn to the critics and let them take the flak. It turns out, in comparison, I'm not alone in my initial thoughts of the album. Ariel Swartley of Rolling Stone, the magazine, would call it formulaic, and that there was hardly a melody you hadn't already heard from them. Others would simply label it just another ordinary album from The Rolling Stones and even go so far as to say it was comprised of nothing but filler tracks. But ultimately it sold and performed well, going back to what I said earlier. It's generic, but at the same time you must respect if for who it came from.

With that said, there was actually a song on the album that prompted me wanting it. This wasn't just a checklist want. That tune was She's So Cold. I will also be flat out blunt about the title track. It's horrendous. I don't know if Jagger is channeling his inner Prince with his high falsetto vocals, but it's awful. Like actually had to skip it awful.

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Retro Spins: Martha And The Muffins - Trance And Dance

When one thinks of the countries associated with major musical acts, the USA and UK top the list. Not often does Canada get brought up, though they do have a fair share of noteworthy acts, such as Ruch, Bryan Adams, Corey Hart, Men Without Hats, and Loverboy, to name ~~a few~~ most of them.

Among that crowd were guitarists David Millar and Mark Gane, who formed Martha And The Muffins in 1977. Of course, the name wouldn't come about until they brought lead singer and keyboardist Martha Johnson into the fold, who in turn invited her friend, bassist Carl Finkle. The lineup would be completed by Gane's brother, Tim, who took up the drums. Ironically, the name was only intended to be used temporarily until the band could come up with another that they all agreed on. They never expected to use it for their entire career.

By1978, Andy Haas joined the band as a saxophonist, but this was followed by Millar opting to step out of the spotlight, instead preferring to work on the band's sound engineer. He would be replaced by Martha Ladly, who stepped in as co-singer, and second keyboardist.

The band released the independent single, Insect Love, and a demo that same year, quickly garnering the attention of Dindisc, an offshoot of Virgin Records. The label would send them over to the UK in 1979, where they'd record the tracks for what would become their 1980 debut, Metro Music. The album would be met fairly well, peaking at number sixteen in their native Canada, as well as reaching the top fifty in Australia and the United Kingdom. Propelled by the lead single, Echo Beach, the album would also hit the Billboard 200 in the USA, with the album reaching gold certification. The single itself would perform well on multiple dance charts across the country.

Prior to the year ending, their second album, Trance And Dance would hit store shelves. Initial copies featured an additional four tracks of bonus live EP material. However, as a whole, it would perform poorly, spawning no hits, and failing to chart outside of Canada, where it also performed significantly worse than its predecessor.

For me, the only thing that Trance And Dance lacks over Metro Music is a single. Overall, it's more or less the same as the previous album, mediocre, but listenable punk / new wave. It's not awful by any means. It just doesn't have anything that stands out.

So far, the juice hasn't been worth the squeeze in my new endeavor of Martha and her Muffins. With an average buy in price of $70.00 per album, while I'm getting a unique listening experience, I'm not getting anything worth raving about. Meaning I'm also not getting any value out of my purchases. This is disappointing.

I will give credit to the instrumentation across it. There's no doubt that the members know how to play. Where they falter is with catchy choruses. Songs that stick in your head and have you humming along with them. Basically, they're talented musicians, but not hit makers. Maybe that's what makes them work for the fans that follow them, but for me, it's just not hitting the mark.

I'm not going to give up on them just yet, but I'm definitely reaching a point where boredom is setting in. We'll see how tomorrow goes when I jump into their most expensive album of them all, 1981's This Is The Ice Age.

Shortly after its release, Martha Ladly would depart, opting to follow an art scholarship. She would not be replaced by anyone, and instead, Martha And The Muffins would continue on with the reduced lineup. Unfortunately, she wouldn't be the last to depart, as leading up to the recording sessions for what would become This Is The Ice Age, Carl Finkle would also quit the band. That's where I pick up tomorrow.

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Retro Spins: Martha And The Muffins - Metro Music

I was on Youtube one day, sifting through the plethora of 80's related music videos, hoping to find something new, but not really expecting it. Then this came on.

What the heck was a Marth And The Muffins? I'd never heard of it. The song was kind of catchy. Nothing amazing from the decade, but definitely something I could see myself playing again. Then the hunt began. Whoo, that was a downer. Not only are their six albums of the decade incredibly rare on CD, but man are they expensive. The average cost was about $70.00 per disc, with one album almost peaking at $200.00.

That was a heck of a lot of money for a band I'd never heard of. so why did I keep coming back to them, pondering the prospect of buying them? I think it all came down to uniqueness and rarity. Something to add to the trove that wasn't common in your average music collection.

Well, unfortunately, average seems to be the takeaway with their 1980 debut, Metro Music. Things kick off with Echo Beach, which sets the bar a bit high, perhaps too high for Martha and her Muffins. What follows is decent punk, dance, and new wave music, but sadly, no hits to really drive it home.

That stated, I did dig the Sinking Land. The instrumentation laid down on that one is so different from the rest of the album, and overall, it's just a cool tune. It gave me hope that across their remaining albums that there were more hidden gems to be uncovered.

Stylistically, it reminds me of older material from The Police, as well as Bow Wow Wow, XTC, and The Waitresses. Metro Music was a decent starting point into new territory, and I'm definitely down with hearing more. I just hope that the value starts to show itself because as of now, the cost outweighs that in spades.

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Retro Spins: Squeeze - Argybargy

Squeeze. They hit my radar way back in the heydays of MTV, when the station actually played music videos. It was here that I came across the 1987 music video, Hourglass. It was unique, comical, visually stunning, and overall, fun. It stuck with me all those years, to the point that when I started building my 80's collection, they were on that list relatively early. Mind you, not just for that particular song, but also for 1980's Pulling Muscles From A Shell, and 1981's Tempted.

That was relatively all I needed for the longest time from their six albums released in the 80's. However, while out and about on one of my many CD excursions, I came their 1989 album, Frank. This was nothing more than a, "It's here, it's 80's, I know them, let's get it purchase. As for their remaining two albums, 1982's Sweets From A Stranger, and 1985's Cosi Fan Tutti Frutti, if I knew they existed, I didn't remember until May 2026 when I looked further into them.

Mind you, I didn't purchase them immediately. Instead, I dug a little into their hits, where I came across the equally quirky music video to Another Nail In My Heart. It brought me back to that moment in time when I first saw the video for Hourglass and immediately intrigued me.

From there, I kept digging and quickly came to the realization that I really enjoyed not only the music, but the vocals of lead singer, Glenn Tilbrook. This pretty much solidified me grabbing their final two albums, and well, here we are today, kicking off another series of Spins with 1980's Angrybargy.

It's the third in their overall discography to date (at the time), it was the first to chart in the USA on the Billboard 200, reaching number seventy-one. Regardless of the album's popularity, singles didn't fare too well on US charts, with only Another Nail making any waves on the dance charts, where it reached number seventy-six. It would also reach gold sales status in Canada.

Despite this, Pulling Muscles From A Shell would become a fan favorite, and bounce around college radio airwaves, and dance clubs. In 1982, it would even be the song which Squeeze would select to play live on Saturday Night Live.

The album kicks off with Pulling Muscles From A Shell, and is followed by Another Nail In My Heart, escalating the bar really high from the starting gate.

Packaged in fantastic new wave and power pop, the band, consisting of Chris Difford, Jools Holland, John Bentley, Gilson Lavis, and of course, Tilbrook, deliver an album that's just enjoyable to listen to. I can't quite put my finger on it, but I can't figure out if the band is writing serious songs, or instead just having fun with it all. Maybe it's both.

Though enjoyable, perfect it is not. There were actually only a handful of tracks beyond the aforementioned ones which stood out to me. These included Misadventure, I Think I'm Go Go, and There At The Top. Still, I'm invested for now, and I want to hear more from the band. I'm hoping to find several more hidden gems in the albums to come.

Tomorrow I'll pick up with 1981's East Side Story. Believe it or not, though that album has probably their most recognized song from the 80's, the single is actually their lowest Billboard Hot 100 charting in the USA. We'll pick up there tomorrow.

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Retro Spins: Devo - Freedom Of Choice

Back in my day, Devo's Whip It was required listening. Unfortunately, it relatively stopped there, and as a result, one would be forgiven to classify the band as a one hit wonder. Even being a staple of the era, the reality is that the song only reached number fourteen on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1980. Its relevance perhaps came more so from its music video, which was among the earliest played on the station.

From there, they had two other minor Billboard hits. The first was the cover version of Working In The Coal Mine, which peaked at number forty-three in 1981. While it was recorded during the Freedom Of Choice sessions, it would not be included on the album. Instead, it was contributed to the animated film, Heavy Metal, and its subsequent soundtrack. Ironically, it would be another soundtrack contribution which would be their third and final charting hit when the Theme From Doctor Detroit landed at fifty-nine in 1983 on the Billboard.

Personally, my knowledge of the band was limited to just Whip It and Working In The Coal Mine for the longest time. For the longest time, the only albums in my collection were 1980's Freedom Of Choice, and the Heavy Metal soundtrack. However, while out shopping at a used CD store in 2022 for my birthday, I came across, Oh No, It's Devo, which I decided to pick up. It definitely wasn't an album I wanted per se, but rather, grabbed because it was there, and from a band I knew.

Returning to the same used CD store in January 2023, I found their 1978 debut, Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo!, and followed this up with a purchase on ebay for a compilation album I'd had on my want list, but never pulled the trigger on, 2000's Pioneers Who Got Scalped: The Anthology. Though I typically steer clear of greatest hits, I wanted this one specifically for the inclusion of the cover, Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini, used in the 1987 film, Revenge Of The Nerds II: Nerds In Paradise. The film itself never received a soundtrack release.

It was at this same time that I also came across 1981's New Traditionalist, and for whatever reason, I also grabbed it for my collection. However, it wouldn't be until May of 2026, when deciding which Retro Spins to tackle next that I decided to look into their remaining two album, 1984's Shout, and 1988's Total Devo. It was at this point why I remembered that Devo was a slow band to be added to my collection; most of their albums are so freaking expensive.

This does at least make sense, as CD releases were relatively few and far between. With exception of Japanese releases, legit or otherwise, options in the USA were mostly limited to the 1996 Infinite Zero Archive series, or 2005 Collectibles releases. Mind you, not every album was released during these periods. Yes, there are anomalies in there, such as Freedom Of Choice which saw a wider CD release, due in part to Whip It, and Total Devo, which was released during the boom of CD popularity. But for the most part, the majority of their earlier work is quite rare outside of vinyl and cassettes.

Devo was a new wave and synth pop bad through and through, and this is exactly what I expected to get from today's Retro Spin. Yes, they do incorporate lead, rhythm and bass guitars into the tracks, but these are utilized sparsely. Mainly, you're getting keyboards and drums.

Ever present are those quirky lyrics the band became known for. In retrospect of listening to Weird Al Yankovic's Dare To Be Stupid, the song, which parodies liberally from the guys, it's actually not far off from how their lyrics come off. I do, however, favor the latter to Devo.

With an understanding of what I was going to be getting, it was easier to mentally wrap my mind around everything. Tracks like Snowball, Freedom Of Choice, and That's Pep delivered catchy hooks, and along with Whip It, stood out as the superior tracks. Overall, while I'm not necessarily sold on the band, I am intrigued enough to continue on. With four more to go, I suppose that's a good mindset to have.

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Retro Spins: The Human Leage - Travelogue

Today I'm heading back to new wave, for a dip in the ocean of The Human League. Admittedly, I know very minimal about this very impactful band of the 80's. I mean, who doesn't know the tracks Human, Don't You Want Me, and Fascination? They're classic staples of the decade.

For the longest time, my collection of their albums consisted solely of 1981's Dare, and 1986's Crash on CD, as well as an LP of the EP, Fascination! That was enough for me (at the time), as it covered all bases of the aforementioned tunes. However, as often the case, when preparing for my next block of Retro Spins, I decided to focus in on them, and see what albums from the era I was missing. Not too many, as it would turn out. Just 1980's Travelogue, and 1984's Hysteria.

Tracking them down was easy. Accepting how expensive they were was not. My biggest concern going into the purchase was that knowing nothing from the albums, or in general much more than a handful of songs from the group, that this could be a purchase which didn't deliver on value. Still, I took a chance, mainly driven by my desire to cover the entire decade in one fell swoop of posts.

Well...Travelogue, which kicks off 1980, but is The Human League's second album to date, not including EP's, definitely has a very new wave synth pop sound to it. With that comes the quirky sounds associated with the genre; beeps, boops, and distortion, as well as sometimes odd lyrics. This is all very prevalent in the opening track, The Black Hit Of Space, a song with lyrics such as:

I couldn't stand this bland sound any more so I walked towards my deck to turn it off

All I could see was the B-side of the disc which had assumed a doughnut shape with the label on the outside rim

I reached for the arm which was less than one micron long but weighed more than Saturn and time stood still

I knew I had to escape but every time I tried to flee, the record was in front of me

Yeah, sure, whatever all of that means.

Overall, though, and the biggest offense, was that it was just boring. There's nothing memorable on Travelogue. No songs which stood out, nor really entertained. Basically, when you get to the root of it, this one, for me, wasn't worth the price I paid, and that's incredibly disappointing. Further, it doesn't excite me to really press on in the band's discography. I mean, I will because I already own the albums, but I'm not exactly looking forward to it at this point. Though I do hope it gets better.

Beyond that, I don't have much of anything left to say.

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Retro Spins: Judas Priest - British Steel

Today I'm off on a new journey to listen to a little band by the name of Judas Priest. You may have heard about them. Over their brief career they've released a couple studio albums which faired pretty okay with critics and the general public.

By 1980's British Steel, Rob Halford and company had released five studio albums, contributing to the forging of the road of heavy metal created by Black Sabbath. Though they had a steady following of fans, and their first entry into the decade would also become their highest charting album to date, they had not yet broken out into mainstream. Nor was that going to happen just yet.

Judas Priest would reprise the more commercial sound they adopted with their previously released Killing Machine (1978) and drew inspiration from AC/DC on some tracks after supporting them on tour in 1979. In conjunction with this, they also abandoned some of the dark lyrical themes which had been prominent on their previous releases. To further move towards mainstream success, the band focused on shorter song lengths with hooks, in an attempt to push radio play.

Guitarist J.K. Rowling...er....K.K. Downing would say that the band had a lot of fun recording the album in the former home of Beatles drummer, Ringo Starr. Not yet in a digital age of sampling, the boys had to find unique ways to incorporate the layers of sound they were looking for, which included smashing milk bottles, shaking cutlery trays, swishing pool cues, and whipping guitar strings against suitcases. Downing would joke that since it was Ringo's home and cutlery, that essentially the Beatle was responsible for the creation of the metal sounds on their album.

British Steel would be unleashed among the time that was seeing a surge in new wave British Heavy metal, released alongside Saxon's Wheels Of Steel, and Iron Maiden's self-titled debut. Critically, it was well received and later credited for kickstarting heavy metal's glory days. It's also gone on to be listed by Rolling Stone's 100 Greatest Metal Albums Of All Time and also noted as one of the 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.

What I came to find out was that there were songs from Judas Priest which I had forgotten over time. In particular, from this album, that was Living After Midnight. Personally, I bought it for Breaking The Law and wasn't really expecting to know anything else beyond that.

Unlike my previous listening sessions of Megadeth and Iron Maiden, which catered more so to song length and thrashing metal, Priest slows things down. They're not afraid to let the drums thunder, and the guitars squeal, but what they do in all of that is deliver cohesive vocals and lyrics that you can actually understand.

Though I only found one other standout track, United, as a whole, the album was a solid listening session. I'm totally down and excited to hear more from the band, which actually surprises me. I really didn't expect to enjoy this one as much as I did.

There's not much noted, history wise, between 1980's British Steel, and 1981's Point Of Entry. Rather, it's summed up as essentially saying, "Then Judas Priest made another album similar to this one." While that's not much to go on, I'm excited that it's more of what I just heard. That's where I head to tomorrow.

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Retro Spins: Iron Maiden - Iron Maiden

My journey through unknown territory continues with today's entry, Iron Maiden. One thing I've been reluctantly finding out in this process is just how expensive a lot of 80's metal is on CD. It's kind of up there with rap, being not only costly, but sometimes a bit rare. What's most odd about this, is that there's no relative rhyme or reason I can figure out as to what's driving some of the prices. For example, among the seven Iron Maiden CD's from the 80's, which range between 1980 and 1988, 1984's Powerslave seems to be the rarest to obtain an original pressing of.

As of this writing, Iron Maiden has been together for fifty-one years, and over that course of time have released seventeen studio albums, thirteen live albums, seven compilation albums, four extended plays, five box sets, twenty video albums, and a slew of singles. That's not to mention the lineup of music videos they've had over the decades which have run in steady rotation on MTV. Basically, there's no shortage of material for one to seek out.

The band popularized their mascot, Eddie, by featuring the zombie like character on pretty much everything they ever released. In a way, the character became just as popular as a band, and since its inception has been memorialized on merchandise that's included shirts, buttons, and even in action figure form.

Of course, with all of this, there is a tome of history behind the band. I'll skip over that at present, as I'm still in the process of reading and learning about it myself. Out of respect for their legion of fans, I'll try not to butcher it when I swing back around to it tomorrow.

Honestly, I didn't know what to expect when I fired up their 1980 self-titled debut. Was this going to be speed metal, similar to my recent listening sessions of Megadeth? Or would we lean into a more circus act approach, such as where we landed with Grim Reaper? The short answer, Megadeth, but sometimes with length.

The long answer, Iron Maiden focuses on playing fast, playing loud, but unlike Megadeth who kept songs confined to a three-to-four-minute mark, Maiden occasionally steps out of this confinement, giving songs room to breathe between the five- and seven-minute mark.

Candidly, this is where I felt their music shined. Songs such as Remember Tomorrow, and Phantom Of The Opera, stood out because of the great guitar work which was able to flourish in the extended runtime. Further, where they also came in far superior to both bands noted already, was in the vocals of Paul Di'Anno, who bothers to sing over the music, versus screaming. Sadly, I would learn that he would later be fired from the band after their sophomore album, Killers. While I'm glad that there will be at least one more with him, I'm not going to lie, that's a bit disappointing.

I suppose that's a fairly good segue into tomorrow's post, where I'll pick up with 1981's Killers. I did also see that the band released quite a few EP's between 80 and 81, and I may check some of those out too.

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Retro Spins: Simple Minds - Empires and Dance

Simple Minds is a band that everyone knew in the 80's for their 1985 album, Once Upon A Time, and / or their single for the film The Breakfast Club, Don't You (Forget About Me). However, what people may have missed, me included, is the rich history of albums which came prior to that, and the monumental amount which came after.

The band originated in 1977 as a cover band called Biba-Rom! with friends, Jim Kerr, Charlie Burchill, Tony Donald and Brian McGee filling the lineup. They'd go on to join Johnny & The Self-Abusers with Alan Cairnduff, John Milarky, and Allan McNeill. Following their live debut, they were given the opportunity to open for Generation X, the prior Billy Idol led punk band.

Despite releasing the single, Saints and Sinners, a split had formed within the group with Milarky and McNeill forming one faction and the other consisting of Kerr, Donald, Burchill and McGee. Johnny & The Self-Abusers would subsequently break up the day of the single's release. Milarky and McNeill would form The Cuban Heels, with the others going on to form Simple Minds.

Duncan Barnwell, and Mick MacNeil would join in 1978, and with this lineup in place, garner a residency at the Mars Bar in Glasgow. However, by April, Donald would quit, being replaced by Derek Forbes. No information has been given as to why he left.

While the band was proving to be a popular local act, record labels weren't impressed, with several turning them down. Bruce Findlay, owner of the Bruce's Records chain of record shops and the Zoom Records label would eventually sign on as manager for the band. After being convinced by his friend, Brian Hogg, signed them to his own label, which subsequently had a licensing deal with Arista.

Just before the end of the year, Duncan Barnwell would be asked to leave the band. Though he was well liked, the remaining members felt they didn't need two guitarists. Barnwell was admittedly angered by this, and felt Derek Forbes would step down in sympathy, but didn't.

From November 1978 through September 1981, Simple Minds would be a tight-knit quintet of Kerr, Burchill, MacNeil, Forbes and McGee. Though others would come and go, only the core members would be considered part of the creative and compositional team.

Zoom released their debut, Life In A Day in April 1979, and before the year was done, their follow-up, Real To Real Cacophony. While their debut would peak at number thirty in the UK, it would fail everywhere else. Their second album wouldn't chart anywhere.

Empires And Dance would be released in 1980 but would be their last on Zoom. The reason being that seeing their long-term potential, Bruce would close the label down to focus strictly on managing the band.

Songs would take inspiration from disco and electronica music, which is quite obvious with the opening track, I Travel. As it played, I actually made the comment to myself, "This sounds like a disco album."

The album would put them back on the charts in the UK, peaking at number forty-one, as well as giving them chart success in New Zealand, charting at number forty-seven. Its overall poor performance was blamed on Arista, who would only release the album in small batches.

Playing through it, it's a weird album. Nothing pop or radio friendly. It almost has a Kraftwerk or Devo sound to it. I think the perfect example of this quirkiness can be heard in Twist/Run/Repulsion, which features a chanting drumbeat, a female talking in French, and lead singer echoing his own chanting vocal style. The overall album as a whole caught me off guard. This wasn't at all what I was expecting from Simple Minds. While I wouldn't call it bad, I probably won't ever listen to it again.

As noted above, Findlay closed Zoom Records down with the intensions of focusing on managing the band. This led them to sign with Virgin Records, where they'd experience a boost in popularity with the 1981 double album, Sons And Fascination / Sister Feelings Call. We'll pick up there tomorrow.

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Retro Spins: Make A Difference Foundation - Stairway To Heaven / Highway To Hell

The Moscow Peace Festival which took place in August 1989, brought hair and metal bands together under one venue for a night of rock across the USSR. Cinderella, Gorky Park, Nuance, Brigade S, Scorpions, Skid Row, Mötley Crüe, Ozzy Osbourne, Bon Jovi, and special guest, Jason Bonham, would all take respective turns performing a selection of their hits, all broadcast live across fifty-nine nations. The event would go on to inspire the hit, Winds Of Change by Scorpions.

This was followed by the compilation, Stairway To Heaven / Highway To Hell, released under the banner, Make A Difference Foundation, which featured studio performances of cover hits by most of the folks noted above. All album proceeds would be split between Make a Difference and the Soviet Union's All-Union Society for Sobriety.

Now I'll be the first to tell you that most covers never hold a candle to the original, but there are exceptions. What's surprising is that all of them on this compilation fall under the exception. They're amazing!

Each respective artist brings their all, in only the style they know how. With amps cranked up to eleven, and bellowing vocals that would scare a pack of wolves away. Part hair band, part metal, all loud.

It's awesome to hear some of my favorite artists from the 80's performing "new" material, like an old friend come to visit again. While each artist performs their own studio cover, it wraps up with a three-part live performance "jam" from the event with everyone involved performing Hound Dog, Long Tall Sally, Blue Suede Shoes, and Rock & Roll.

Though it was never released on DVD, you can also get a two-volume VHS set from 1989 of The Moscow Peace Festival, though volume one is far rarer than two for some reason. While I wish it was on DVD, this is still a great way to enjoy the show.

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Retro Spins: Billy Squier - The Tale Of The Tape

Billy Squier was an artist I discovered relatively late. Though I knew of a handful of his songs, I daresay I wouldn't have been able to tell you who sung them until stumbling across them around 2022. This would lead me to grabbing four of his six eighties' albums, and then in late 2025 filling in the remaining two. Though I owned them all, candidly, I never got around to playing them. So, it's time to rectify that.

Music began early for him. At the age of eight, he was learning the piano, but after three years, grew bored of it. His grandfather would step in and actually pay the now eleven-year-old to stick with it. Sometime thereafter, a classmate would sell Billy a guitar, leading to him forming his first band, the Reltneys, at age fourteen.

His first public appearance would occur the same year he graduated high school, 1968, forming the band, Magic Terry & the Universe. However, by the early 70's he was playing Kicks. Though his initial plan was to go to college, and become a teacher, after just a short time in school, he left for New York, and joined the band, Sidewinders.

In the mid-seventies, he joined Piper, and this would lead to his first brush with the music industry. Piper released two albums in 1977, their self-titled debut, and Can't Wait. The band was met with great critical review, with their debut being called one of the best of all time. Being managed by the same management company as Kiss also granted them the opportunity to tour and open for them. Despite this initial success, the band opted to disband, and Squier went solo, signing with Capitol Records in 1979.

His 1980 debut, The Tale Of The Tape would spend three months on the Billboard 200, peaking at one hundred sixty-nine. Though only mildly successful, it would help to jumpstart his solo career. Ruther, his song, The Big Beat, would go on to be one of the most heavily sampled among the rap community. A music video would also be produced for the track, which would eventually make its way to MTV when the channel launched in 1981.

Noteworthy were some of the personnel contributing to the recording sessions. This included future Kiss guitarist, Bruce Kulick, and Bruce Springsteen E Street alum, David Sancious, and Ernest Carter.

The Tale Of The Tape delivers a solid rock experience. I really dig Squier's unique vocals, and frankly, he's not a bad writer either. The album delivers a slew of great tracks; The Big Beat, Rich Kid, Like I'm Lovin' You, Who's Your Boyfriend, and The Music's All Right.

If this is what Billy has to offer, then yes please. I'm only disappointed that I didn't catch on sooner. To think I would have never grabbed this album had I not come across it in a used CD shop, as it wasn't among the initial four that I purchased, nor did I have any plans to buy it. This excites me for what's to come.

To support the album, Squier headed out on tour with Alice Cooper, and upon its completion reached out to Brian May. His initial intensions were to have the Queen guitarist produce his next album. However, scheduling conflicts wouldn't allow for this to happen. Instead, May recommended Reinhold Mack, the producer who worked with Queen on their 1980 album, The Game. Mack has an impressive resume all his own and could easily have a post unto himself. Maybe we'll go a bit more into him tomorrow with 1981's Don't Say No.

As for this one, I'm highly recommending that you check out The Tale Of The Tape. If you're a fan of great rock and roll, this one could easily become your next favorite album.

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Retro Spins - Huey Lewis And The News - Huey Lewis And The News

Despite owning their entire discography of the 80's, I'm honestly not the biggest fan of Huey Lewis And The News. They're the type of band that your parents also liked, which made them instantly uncool.

Clover was an American country rock band which was primarily active from 1967 to 1978. They released their self-titled debut in 1970 and followed this with 1971's Fourty Niner. Finding little to no success, they relocated to the UK, where Huey Lewis and Sean Hopper would join the lineup of Alex Call, John McFee, and John Ciambotti. Previous member, Mitch Howie would depart and be replaced by Micky Shine.

This new iteration of the band would release 1977's Unavailable. However, Shine would then depart, and be replaced by Tony Braunagel. That same year, they'd release Love On The Wire, their final album until 2018's Homecoming, which would feature guest appearances from Huey Lewis, Sean Hopper, Pete Thomas and Elvis Costello.

During the late seventies, the band would heavily tour as a support act for the likes of Lynyrd Skynyrd, Thin Lizzy and Graham Parker, but never found their own footing. Clover would disband in 1978, and the members returned to the USA. Alex Call would embark on solo projects, while also writing hits for Tommy Tutone (he wrote the infamous Jenny / 867-5309), as well as multiple hits for Huey Lewis And The News.

During their Bay Area days, Clover's biggest competition was Soundhole, a band featuring Bill Gibson, Johnny Colla, and Mario Cipollina, among others. When Huey was able to secure a contract for singles with Phonogram Records, he needed a band to record them. It was at this point that (ex) members of Clover and Soundhole would come together to form Huey Lewis & The American Express. The lineup consisted of Huey Lewis, Sean Hopper, Bill Gibson, Johnny Colla, and Mario Cipollina.

The band took the theme song from the film, Exodus, and worked it into the disco track, Exodisco. For the single, they also shortened their name, releasing it as American Express. The b-side would feature Kick Back, a song which was previously performed live by Clover. It would fail to perform and go relatively ignored.

By 1979, they were joined by Chris Hayes, and they moved to Chrysalis Records where they recorded their debut album. However, Chrysalis didn't like the name, American Express, specifically fearing backlash and trademark infringement from the credit card company. Huey Lewis And The News was officially born.

Their self-titled debut was released in 1980, and much like the aforementioned single, went relatively unnoticed. About the only noteworthy thing, at the time, was the inclusion of the song, Who Cares? in the 1979 film, Rock 'n' Roll High School.

Some of My Lies Are True (Sooner or Later), and b-side Don't Ever Tell Me That You Love Me, was the only single released, but failed to chart. At the time, promotional music videos were recorded for both, and would later be released on the 1985 VHS, Video Hits. The songs would also be remixed and re-released as the b-sides to Hip To Be Square, and Stuck With You, respectively, in 1986.

However, in 1980, Huey Lewis And The News were essentially DOA. Playing through the album, it does not impress at all, and critics of the time felt the same way. Playing through it, for me, didn't yield any noteworthy tracks.

Frankly, had I heard this in 1980, that would have derailed the band completely for me, and I'd have moved on. Fortunately for them, my first exposure, like many, was at the peak of their popularity, and massive hit single for Back To The Future. So, I'll give them a pass, the benefit of the doubt, and jump into their sophomore released, Picture This (1982) tomorrow. Until then, I don't have much more to say.

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Retro Spins: Chicago - Chicago XIV

By the time I caught up with Chicago in 1984 with their massive hit, Stay The Night, the band had already been around for almost two decades. Of course, in my young mind, I could have never fathomed that. Instead, much like Genesis and Fleetwood Mac, I'd swear up and down they were a product of the 80's. Further, much like Genesis vs. Phil Collins, I also wouldn't be able to differentiate between Chicago and Peter Cetera.

In fact, I don't think I even knew who Chicago were until after Cetera's hit, Glory Of Love for the 1986 blockbuster, The Karate Kid, Part II. Truthfully, even with how much I loved that movie and song as a kid, most of the tunes from the band were kind of sissy love songs. Massive hits, for sure, but sissy none the less.

Their storied history begins with the formation of Big Thing in 1967, formed by saxophonist Walter Parazaider, guitarist Terry Kath, drummer Danny Seraphine, trombonist James Pankow, trumpet player Lee Loughnane, and keyboardist / singer Robert Lamm. They focused on playing the top forty hits around Chicago around the local nightclubs. Soon thereafter, Cetera was invited to join.

Manager, James William Guercio, recommended the group move to Los Angelos, which they did, and began working on their own material. Columbia Records would sign them relatively quickly, and in doing so, the group changed their name to Chicago Transit Authority, releasing their 1969 debut under this name. This would be shortened to Chicago for their 1970 sophomore album and also begin a trend of titling albums with subsequent numbers, regardless of whether it was a studio, live, compilation, or box set. In the rare event that they'd go with a formal title, such as Chicago At Carnegie Hall, released after Chicago III, they'd immediately pick up with the numbering, such as Chicago V, which followed Carnegie Hall.

By the time 1980 hit, the band had reached their fourteen albums, releasing XIV that same year. They also had twelve platinum albums, and one gold leading up to this point. As such, it was a bit of a surprise that they entered the new decade failing to receive any sales certifications. XIV was considered a failure by Columbia as the album bombed. It was so bad that Columbia would buy out their contract for two million dollars and release them from the label. The agreement called for one final release, and to fulfill this obligation, Columbia released Greatest Hits, Volume II, AKA, Chicago 15.

Frankly, when I bought the Chicago albums on my want list, XIV was not among them. Rather, it was 16, 17, 18, and 19. Among them, 17 is the only one I've previously done a Retro Spin on. XIV would only make its way to my collection recently, when I decided it was time to finish up my listening sessions of the band.

It's an album I'd looked at multiple times in the past, simply to check a box, but often shied away from. Of the Chicago albums from the 80's, it's definitely a little rarer, and as such, also a bit pricier than most. I came across a seller on Discogs who also had another album that I wanted and decided to go ahead and grab it when I saw it was considerably cheaper than most sellers were offering it for.

Playing through it, I felt it was going to be a complete and total bust. Nothing was resonating. Then out of nowhere, the track, Hold On, fired up, and it totally blew me away. More like this would have definitely made the album far superior, and candidly, I'm surprised nobody saw it as single worthy back in 1980. It's literally an album saver. Granted, it is only one track out of ten, which means it's one expensive song.

Without a label, things certainly looked bleak for the band. However, fortune would smile upon them in the form of Full Moon Records / Warner Bros. This new era of the band would bring about a change in sound, a return to platinum certifications, mainstream success, and massive top forty hits, not to mention a slew of music videos for MTV. Skipping over the aforementioned Greatest Hits, Volume II, I'll pick up tomorrow with 1982's Chicago 16.

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Retro Spins: Donna Summer - The Wanderer

It feels like a lifetime since I last played through a Donna Summer album. Way back in 2021, I not only listed to her 1983 released, She Works Hard For The Money, but also touched on how I was personally introduced to the singer.

Summer was already a well-established artist by the time the 80's hit. Her breakthrough came with her 1975 released, Love To Love You Baby, paving the way for consecutive gold certifications through 1977's Once Upon A Time... She'd receive platinum certification for 1979's Bad Girls, which would also serve as her last record for Casablanca. The split would come at a time where the artist felt she had no jurisdiction over her personal and professional life, with the label all but controlling all of it. She'd be the first female solo artist signed with Geffen, and release 1980's The Wanderer.

Though usually a disco-based artist, Summer wasn't tone deaf to the shifting times. Even if she were, it would be difficult to avoid banners which literally stated, "disco sucks" being posted all over the place. Smartly, she opted to leave the sound behind, focusing instead on a rock-based tracks with long time writers / producers, Giorgio Moroder and Pete Bellotte. Production, however, was rushed by Geffen, who wanted to put something new on the market ahead of Casablanca's planned greatest hits album, Walk Away.

The Wanderer would peak at number thirteen on the Billboard Hot 200, with the title track reaching number three on the charts. Two additional singles, Cold Love, and Who Do You Think You Are Foolin' would falter, not even cracking the top forty. Despite this, critics were relatively favorable towards the album.

Playing through it, I'm relatively favorable towards it too. In particularly, I really dug the title track, Looking Up, and Stop Me.

The overall feel to the album is peppy, with a rock sound that's almost familiar to a musical soundtrack for an 80's movie. I suppose this makes sense with Moroder behind the wheel. We are, after all, talking about the man behind such noteworthy soundtracks as Flashdance, American Gigolo, Metropolis, Over The Top, and so many more.

It was definitely a good listening session, and I'm kind of glad that I took the time to track down her 80's discography. I think this is going to be a good one, and I'm looking forward to jumping into tomorrow's Retro Spin.

Summer quickly returned to the studio to record the album, I'm A Rainbow. While it was initially intended to be released in 1981, it would ultimately be shelved. Geffen then insisted that the singer part ways with Moroder and Bellotte and paired her with Quincy Jones. Together, they would record her 1982 self-titled follow-up, which is where I'll dive in tomorrow.

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