Retro Spins: The Cross - Shove It

When The Magic Tour wrapped up in 1986, members of Queen took a short break, some of which was utilized to pursue other projects. Freddie Mercury would work with Montserrat Caballé to create the opera album, Barcelona. Meanwhile, Roger Taylor would return to the studio with the intensions of recording his third solo studio album.

Though he completed most of the work himself, Taylor opted to recruit a band in the long run, forming The Cross. To achieve this, he put an advertisement out in national newspapers, looking for people to audition. In his ad, he hinted at being a famous rock star, but didn't outright tell anyone who they were auditioning for.

Roger would put the lineup in place of Spike Edney on keyboards, Clayton Moss on guitars, Peter Noone on bass, and Josh Macrae on drums. Taylor would serve as lead singer, and rhythm guitarist. Additionally, the Queen drummer would enlist the aid of Queen, utilizing Brian May on guitars, Freddie Mercury on vocals, and John Deacon on bass.

Upon its release in 1988, Shove It failed to impress. It peaked low on the UK charts at 58, and by the following weak disappeared completely. In the US, it wouldn't even chart.

Playing through it, this shocked me. Frankly, I don't see how any Queen fan could hate this. Mainly, because it sounds like a heavy rock Queen album. This is all the more present by the distinct sound and contributions of the other members of the band.

I don't know. Maybe I'm just bias. Maybe in my mind none of the members can do no wrong, musically. This might have been true if it weren't for the fact that I flat out said that Taylor's second solo outing, Strange Frontier didn't impress me. So, no, I don't think I was listening to Shove It with any type of filter that was swaying my opinion.

I enjoyed Shove It from start to finish, and put every single track on my shuffle list. It's one of those rare moments where even though their next album came out in the 90's, I'm kind of intrigued enough to track it down.

The Cross would go on to release two more albums, 1990's Mad, Bad And Dangerous To Know, and 1993's Blue Rock. None of them performed very well, and frankly, Taylor's involvement in his own band throughout these recording sessions were noted as sparse. This was mainly because of his obligations to Queen, and the promotion of their album, The Miracle, and subsequent death of Freddie Mercury. Purportedly,

Blue Rock was considered so bad that EMI didn't even want to release it, but ultimately relented to do so in Germany, where The Cross's popularity was the highest. Taylor disbanded the group in 1993 after their final tour date, and has since then continued to work with the faux iteration of Queen, as well as release additional studio albums.

We're not done there. Before we can call it a day, we have to get back to the business at hand from yesterday. There was a contest going on between the goth boys and girls known as The Cure, and Siouxsie and the Banshees.

The Cure's Faith and The Head On The Door were facing off against the Banshees' A Kiss In The Dreamhouse, and Through The Looking Glass, respectively. After much deliberating, yeah, it really didn't take me but a few seconds, we have our finalists.

Up for the grand first prize of...well, nothing...are the Banshees' A Kiss In The Dream House, and The Cure's The Head On The Door. Both were awesome albums in my book, and ones which repeatedly came to mind in retrospective consideration. But, only one can win the whole shebang, and that winner is...

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THIS WEEK ON THE CHARTS
July 28, 1984

 

Comics Corner: Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man

   

Title: Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man
Issue Number: 62
Release Date: January 1982

Highlights

• The Maggia fill Goldbug, AKA Matthew Gilden, full of holes for bringing them radiated gold

Low Points

• Debra Whitman continues to pine over the thought of being with Peter Parker, and it makes me hate her all the more - Seriously, Biff Rifkin deserves better then her

Oddities

• Goldbug says he needs to live a life of crime to steel gold because that's what he uses to aid him in his life of crime - Maybe find a different shtick?
• Goldbugs gun shots gold dust at his targets which turns them into gold - That just seems unnecessarily expensive
• Editor's Day Off: Goldbug says, "Thought she was a another rent-a-cop.

• Despite being blasted by the Maggia, this issue isn't noted as the death of Goldbug

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

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Retro Spins: The Cure - Disintegration

Touted as The Cure's opus, Disintegration is purportedly the best album in all of the 80's. Okay, maybe it's not that grandiose is stature, but it is highly praised as a masterpiece unto its own. The album is noted for its return to the gothic rock era of the band's early 80's outings, and this was a result of Smith himself, who wasn't happy with The Cure's mainstream popularity. This resulted in the singer turning to hallucinogenic drugs, which influenced the writing and recording of the album. This is a critical aspect, as it will come back towards the end of this post, and for me, seem almost hypocritical in retrospect.

In preparation of recording, the band met to compare notes of what each had written. From this, thirty-two songs were chosen to be worked on, and from them, twelve would make the final cut. Smith's writing adopted the tone of depression from the thought of turning thirty (gasp, the horror), and feeling like the band's music was being misunderstood.

There is also a bit of irony here in Smith's own personal assessment on life because in his efforts to go all dark and gloomy again, he actually ushered in a new era of goth, and with it, Disintegration became the bands best selling album of all time, spawning numerous hits as a result.

As I played through it, Disintegration sounded familiar, which was odd since I've never heard it before. I can't help but wonder if perhaps it's been used in pop culture, or maybe I caught it on the radio one day. Regardless, I feel I've heard a lot of this before.

As a whole, did it blow me away? Am I now that guy that's going to go around saying, "You've got to hear this album!"?

No.

It's okay, and it has some stuff on it that I added to my shuffle. Honestly though, I preferer the more peppier The Top, and The Head On The Door, the latter over the previous. Perhaps it's one of those "you had to be there" records. Like some of the Beetles stuff. Wherein at that moment in time it was revolutionary, but now is just music, and the impact is gone. I don't know. The Cure weren't on my radar in 1989.

For the record, or more so for my own old self to remember when I'm reading this post later, those songs I grabbed were Plainsong, Pictures Of You, Lovesong, Lullaby, Fascination Street

But, let's go back to that thing I said in the first paragraph. That part where in retrospect, things seemed hypocritical. See, prior to its recording, the band were starting to express annoyance with original founding member, Lol Tolhurst, for his alcoholism. His repeated abuse ended up in him not making it to recording sessions, and though he was credited on the album, apparently only contributed to one track. This led to him being fired prior to its release.

The hypocrisy that I see here is that you can do all the drugs you want as long as you show up to record, but if you drink and bail, you're out. I don't know, maybe get the guy help? You were, after all, Smith, turning thirty! You should have been old enough to one, cope with life to not need drugs, and two, be mature enough to want to help your friend.

I don't know, it just doesn't sit well with me. Like I said, it seems hypocritical, but I guess it also doesn't matter.

Dang it, now The Cure have me being all nonchalante nothing matter feeling.

Anyway, we now come down to that dramatic conclusion where Disintegration stands toe to toe with Siouxsie and the Banshees' Peepshow, and from there, we crown a grand finale victor.

Well, for this round, I honestly had to go back and forth for a bit. Peepshow has a lot of quirky and unique songs, many of which I had to edit myself, lest my shuffle be overtaken with forgettable tracks. Meanwhile, Disintegration has a lot of hits. Truthfully, I had to walk away from this one, and genuinely go think about it. By this I mean, nature called, and I figured I'd go do some reflecting in the place where I do my best thinking.

After deeply analyzing all the facets of both, it came down to the basics. Which one would I be more inclined to listen to again? For that, I immediately thought, "Peepshow". Thus, the winner came forth. Sorry, The Cure. The winner of this round is Siouxsie and the Banshees.

I'm sure I lost a lot of friends in that one. But, uh oh. We don't have an album to contend with Peepshow for the final slot in round two. Well, let's just dig into our bag of, my rules, my contest, and pull out who will be up against Peepshow.

For this decision, I thought back through all of the above who didn't make it past round one, and one clear cut winner kept popping back to the tip of my tongue - Through The Looking Glass by Siouxsie and the Banshees. I simply was not ready to let this one go, and as such, it will get the honorable mention last spot for an opportunity to advance to the next round.

Frankly, in comparison to Peepshow, it's going to do just that.

There you have it. My finalists for best album between The Cure, and Siouxsie and the Banshees. The Cure's Faith will go head to head with the Banshees' A Kiss In The Dreamhouse, and then Smith's boys with The Head On The Door will face off against Souxes' Through The Looking Glass. Who will win?

To be continued!

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THIS WEEK ON THE CHARTS
July 27, 1985

Comics Corner: Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man

   

Title: Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man
Issue Number: 61
Release Date: January 1981

Highlights

• First appearance of the St. Luke's Hospital location
• Spider-Man saves a falling kid who was mimicking him by climbing down a building with a set of bed sheets that rip
• Spider-Man explains to the kid that being a super hero isn't all glitz and glamour
• Moonstone destroys Spider-Man spider signal light
• Reference is made to The Incredible Hulk 228 - 233, Captain America 230, Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man 34, and 40
• Spider-Man accidentally calls Peter Parker's co-worker, Marcy, by name (twice) when she's in trouble, and this doesn't go unnoticed by the girl

Low Points

• Debra Whitman again doubts her relationship with Biff Rifkin as she instead dwells on Peter - Kind of makes her the jerk in that relationship if you ask me - Stringing the guy along because he's better than being alone - Biff deserves better

Oddities

• None

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

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Retro Spins: Siouxsie and the Banshees - Peepshow

Multi-instrumentalist Martin McCarrick and guitarist Jon Klein joined Siouxsie and the Banshees, with the quintet heading to the studio to lay down the tracks that would become 1988's Peepshow. Upon its release, it was highly praised by critics for its collage of sound, which included orchestration, bouncing tracks, reverse instrumentation, and intermixed styles, such as pop, rock, and reggae,

Peepshow would be the Banshees last album to receive a sales accreditation, silver on the BPI. While follow-up album, 1991's Superstition, and their final (to date) 1995's The Rapture would chart in the top fifty in the UK, as well as be critically acclaimed, they would both fail to meet the sales heights of prior releases.

Starting up the record...or in my case, CD, Peek-A-Boo sets a very unique stage from the drumming, the aforementioned reverse instrumentation. It's a quirky song, but at the same time, kind of spooky. It sets the tone of a fun and different experience, which for the most part Peepshow delivers on.

I had to reserve myself because if I were adding songs to my shuffle simply for getting my toes tapping, I would have added all of them. However, these ultimately wouldn't be memorable. In fact, even writing this paragraph, those memories are all but gone.

What I did add to the shuffle was Peek-A-Boo, Carousel, Ornaments Of Gold, and Turn To Stone. I felt these represented the best of what the album had to offer.

Overall, what makes Peepshow unique, is also what makes it a bit problematic. When you have so many different styles incorporated from song to song, nothing flows. This doesn't sound like an album that a concept was conceived from start to finish. Rather, a mishmash of ideas, that while good, don't transition well into the track which follows.

Tomorrow, things wrap up in our little self proclaimed contest of Siouxsie and the Banshees versus The Cure with the final album in the mix the latter's 1989 Disintegration. From there, a final victor of the 80's will be crowned.

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ON THE CHARTS THIS WEEK
July 26, 1980

 

THIS WEEK ON THE CHARTS
July 26, 1980

Comics Corner: The Amazing Spider-Man 223

   

Title: The Amazing Spider-Man
Issue Number: 223
Release Date: December 1981

Highlights

• First appearance of Roger Hochberg, and Mia Carrera
• Spider-Man goes up against Red Ghost and his super apes, Igor, Peotor, and Mikhlo, for the first time

Low Points

• Eh...Just another villain of the week stories

Oddities

• None

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

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Retro Spins: Siouxsie and the Banshees - Through The Looking Glass

On the surface, I immediately have a problem with Siouxsie and the Banshees' Through The Looking Glass. That being that it's a collection of covers performed by the band. Sorry, but much like Van Halen was panned for Diver Down, and Guns N' Roses for The Spaghetti Incident, there's no reason, or excuse, for an established band to record a cover album. The fans expect, and deserve better.

I won't pan it from the starting gate, but I will stress that it's lazy.

As I was greeted by the opener, This Town Ain't Big Enough For Both Of Us, I would have sworn I was listening to a hard rock iteration of the band ABBA, despite being a Sparks song. It had that distinct sound, albeit with a heavy rock overtone layered in. Point being, it resonated, and I dug it a lot.

The Disney Jungle Book covered Trust In Me, is somewhat out of place when the album is based on the Lewis Carroll Alice In Wonderland novel. Why not choose any of the number of songs from that Disney film? It would have better fit. Though as I sit here and think about it, I can't exactly think of one which wouldn't have been silly.

Knowing nothing about the original, I will say that I enjoyed their cover of the Bob Dylan song, This Wheel's On Fire, as well as Billie Holiday's Strange Fruit. But again, I have to take a step back. These versions, while good to me, have the benefit of me not knowing how the originals sound. Further, had I not read that this album was all covers, I would easily have been mistaken to think that Siouxsie and the Banshees brought their "A" game to the writing table.

Look, I'm not going to pan something for being good, even if it is a cover, but again, stress that it's lazy. Which makes me all the more annoyed at how much I enjoyed Through The Looking Glass. If this were my first Siouxsie and the Banshees album, I would almost feel duped if I then went and bought something else from them only to be greeted by a completely different sound.

Iggy Pop would even praise Siouxsie for her rendition of his song, The Passenger. However, I wouldn't go as far as he did by saying she improved it. It's a decent rendition, but in terms of this one, I'd rather hear Iggy's.

In comparison to The Cure's Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me, which I've reviewed already in a prior post, and which Through The Looking Glass is contending with today, the Banshees will get the victory. As I said in my original review of Kiss Me, and again in my retrospective review yesterday, it's just not that good. It has its hit, which is cool, but in the sheer volume of songs I grabbed for my shuffle from Looking Glass, it has to be crowned the winner. I'm going to go back to this one far more often than The Cure's '87 entry.

Our final round starts tomorrow when the Banshees' 1988 released Peepshow will go head to head with The Cure's 1989 released Disintegration. From there, we'll get our final winner across all that went on to the last round.

First, we have to deal with the business of who the winner is between The Cure's The Head On The Door, and Through The Looking Glass. Despite my ranting about the latter being a cover album, I really did like this one. Which is why it was really difficult for me to choose between the two. But, someone's gotta win, and that was The Cure.

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THIS WEEK ON THE CHARTS
July 25, 1981

 

THIS WEEK ON THE CHARTS
July 25, 1987

Comics Corner: Captain America 266

   

Title: Captain America
Issue Number: 266
Release Date: February 1982

Highlights

• Death of S.U.L.A.T.A.N.S.

Low Points

• Out of the first eight pages, two are used up retelling the prior issue's story
• Sloppy writing - story has plot holes that ruin it

Oddities

• Why does Spider-Man fall to the ground from the flying mountain when he could have easily constructed a web parachute like he's done many times before? Spider-Man even makes reference that he should have brought a parachute with him
• S.U.L.T.A.N.'s whole plan of launching an atomic bomb at Washington D.C. was all just a ruse? He didn't actually have a bomb? Then why did he get excited when he thought it detonated? None of this makes sense

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

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Retro Spins: The Cure - The Head On The Door

 

Despite his sudden departure from the band, bassist Simon Gallup and Robert Smith were able to reconcile their relationship, prompting his return to The Cure in 1984. Smith would be so elated by this that he would comment how the group was a band again. Additional members Port Thompson, and Boris Williams would also join the lineup.

1985's The Head On The Door would become the band's first international success, entering the top seventy-five in the USA, and top twenty in several other countries. It would become their best selling album to date, being certified gold on the BPI and RIAA.

For its recording, Smith took inspiration from Siouxsie and the Banshees' Kaleidoscope, and The Human League's Dare, with a goal of having an eclectic array of sounds and moods in the final production. A sound which critics immediately favored, praising the album for Smith's ability to take The Cure's gloom and doom sound, and make it danceable.

When I read the album title, The Head On The Door, it invoked a dark image. So, it caught me rather off guard when it starts with the peppy strumming of an acoustic guitar, and the upbeat In Between Days. This level of pep is present through the whole album, and can definitely fool you into thinking you're hearing a happy go lucky pop album. That is, until you actually focus in and listen to the words.

For me, The Head On The Door is pure deliciousness. It would be difficult for me to tell you what songs I love versus those I passed on, because I grabbed pretty much all of them. This also excites me all the more for their forthcoming 1989 Disintegration. The bliss has been building and building since The Top, and getting all the more enjoyable with today's Retro Spin.

What I also had to do in retrospect is revisit their 1987 released Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me, which upon originally reviewing, I was not kind to. I don't normally take the time to listen to an album twice, because that time simply doesn't exist. However, in this case, I made the exception. Unfortunately, it didn't change my opinion of it. Still not a fan of that one.

As for today, The Head On The Door going up against Siouxsie and the Banshees' Tinderbox, The Cure are the clear winners here, and moving on to round two.

Tomorrow, we reset the board, and start over with the Banshees' Through The Looking Glass, which will be up against The Cure's Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me, both from 1987.

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THIS WEEK ON THE CHARTS
July 24, 1982

 

Comics Corner: Captain America 265

   

Title: Captain America
Issue Number: 265
Release Date: January 1982

Highlights

• First appearance of S.U.L.T.A.N. (systematic ultimate lawless takeover of all nations), and Biotron Constructs
• First appearance of the location S.U.L.T.A.N.'s Floating/Detachable Island
• John Beatty and Mike Zeck at the help of Captain America - I may have to check out more issues
• I learned from this issue that Steve Rogers works as a struggling artist - I never knew that about the character
• Peter Parker sees Steve Rogers get pulled into an alley by a bunch of punks, and quickly reacts thinking he needs to help the poor citizen in trouble
• Peter sees Steve beating the stuffing out of the punks, and quickly snaps pictures, thinking this is the story J. Jonah Jameson has wanted for a long time - an average citizen standing up to crime
• Steve Rogers demands the film from Peter Parker after the fighting is over
• Puns...Spider-Man follows Steve back to his home, and says, "There's my plainclothes avenger now!"
• The Biotron Constructs can rebuild themselves from the parts of their fallen counterparts
• Spider-Man swings himself and Captain America up and out of the mountaintop, thinking they'll be able to hit the water, and swim away - There's only one problem, the mountain has thrusters built into it, and it's launched into the sky

Low Points

• S.U.L.T.A.N.'s name is really dumb...well, when spelled out for what it stands for

Oddities

• S.U.L.T.A.N. built a giant metal wall in the middle of the highway, using it to stop Nick Fury and Spider-Man from driving any further - Um...What about the other drivers on the road?

• Nick Fury tells Spidey that the plan is to surrender quietly, and then attack when they're brought to where Captain America is - except he says this secret plan right in front of the Biotron Constructs

• S.U.L.A.T.A.N.'s taken Captain America as a prisoner, but left him with his shield?

• Wait...how does a mountain have thrusters built into it?

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

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Retro Spins: Siouxsie and the Banshees - Tinderbox

With the departure of Robert Smith from the band, the Banshees were in need of a new guitarist. John Valentine Carruthers, would make his debut in that role. His first appearance was on the 1984 EP, The Thorn, before heading into the studio for what would become 1986's Tinderbox.

The album has been praised as one of the best from Siouxsie and the Banshees, with verbal accolades going to the fierce drumming of Budgie, and complexe synthesizer work of Steven Severin.  Some critics have even gone so far as to call it their all-time favorite album...like ever.

Well, that's quite a high bit of praise, and a high bar. Tinderbox must be amazing, no?

No.

Maybe I missed something. What I heard in the Banshees seventh studio album was nothing worth writing home about. While definitely delivering a straight up rock sound, I also found it to simply be loud. As if the drums were trying to drown out Siouxsie, while she was trying to drown out the guitars, which they were trying to drown out the keyboards. The whole thing resulted in a wall of sound, which frankly made my ears ring, despite not being turned up high.

The songs also felt bloated, over extended in time, and without any sort of hook to really draw you in to any of them. By song seven, I felt like I had been listening to it for hours, and couple with the sheer volume, it wasn't necessarily enjoyable.

There was one standout track among the bunch, that being Cities In Dust. This was actually a song I had heard in prior shuffle sessions of my entire library, and one which has actually been on my shuffle list for a while. However, beyond that, Tinderbox really doesn't offer anything for me. I love Siouxsie's voice, but it doesn't feel utilized here.

What I disliked most about Tinderbox was that it made me think about my music collection as a whole. I contemplated if it was time to go through my thousands of CD's and reassess what was there versus what I actually loved, and therefore needed. Basically, it made me wonder if it was time to consider downsizing, and that's not a feeling I wanted to have.

Tinderbox gets a big fat "F". Not only for being a stinky album, but for making me reassess my life choices. Basically, tomorrow's review, The Cure's The Head On The Door is poised to already be professed as the winner...Unless of course it's all the more worse, and I don't know, burns my house down, or something...

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THIS WEEK ON THE CHARTS
July 23, 1983

 

THIS WEEK ON THE CHARTS
July 23, 1988

Comics Corner: Marvel Team-Up 112

   

Title: Marvel Team-Up
Issue Number: 112
Release Date: December 1981

Highlights

• First appearance of Ju-Lak
• Spider-Man is dying from the serpent man bite he suffered in the last issue
• Spider-Man's spirit is transported across space and time, back to the time of King Kull
• Hulk in a Hostess Fruit Pies add
• Spider-Man makes reference to going to see Excalibur in the movie theater

Low Points

• Really not my kind of story, which makes it incredibly difficult to trudge through
• Story feels so unnecessary in the world of Spider-Man - Swords, sorcery, nonsense
• The Hostess Fruit Pies ad is the best thing about the entire book

Oddities

• Are the guerilla group in the Hostess ad really called the Phoomie Goonies? Who the heck came up with that name?

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

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Retro Spins: The Cure - The Top

Their prior album, Pornography (1982), had the band on the cusp of a breaking point. Smith was in a deep depression, purportedly considering suicide, while the rest of the band were heavily abusing drugs. Fighting, drama, and an overall state of exhaustion could have broken the band indefinitely.

That's not to say there weren't casualties during this period. After continuous fighting between bassist Simon Gallup and Robert Smith, one such altercation which almost turned physical (over a bartab no less), Gallup would leave the band.

While Andy Anderson would join the band for 1984's the top, it would be on drums. This was because prior drummer, Lol Tolhurst, would opt to switch his roll to keyboards. This may have been the best decision for The Cure, as the group would enter their more mainstream period as a result, and finally have a commercial breakthrough.

The album would also be notable for its experimentation and different sounds from previous works. In place of the drab doom and gloom were flutes, violins, and more complexe guitar work. There was also an incorporation of different styles, such as those from Spanish, and metal genres.

The Top was recorded in correlation with Siouxsie and the Banshees' Hyæna, which Smith was also the guitarist for. However, unlike the Banshees' album, which in my own personal review, sounded more so like an album from The Cure, The Top took a more psychedelia sound approach. The end result left critics praising not only for what it was, but what they speculated generations to come would appreciate it for.

Right from the starting gate, the sound is definitely different from what the band have brought to the table in the past. It sounds almost as if the core members have been reinvigorated since their last outing. Dare I say, happier? Is that a thing Robert Smith can experience?

Wailing Wall stood out to me for its guitar work. It was reminiscent in retrospect to the sounds that would eventually come with their 1994 song, Burn, from The Crow soundtrack, but ultimately wasn't one I added to my shuffle.

What I did end up grabbing were Shake Dog Shake, Birdmad Girl, Give Me It, The Caterpillar, and Piggy In The Mirror. This is the style of The Cure I like. This is what I want to hear more of. Frankly, if The Top was this good, I can only imagine how blown away I'll be when I finally make it to 1989's Disintegration, touted as their best work ever.

The Top is the clear winner when compared to Siouxsie and the Banshees' Hyæna. In fact, there's simply no competition in this one. Ironic, since Smith was involved with both. A new round kicks off tomorrow with Siouxsie and the Banshees' 1986 released, Tinderbox going up against The Cure's 1985 album, The Head On The Door.

Before we get there, there's something we also need to take care of, and that is to determine who is advance to round two between the Banshees A Kiss In The Dreamhouse, and The Cure's The Top. Now we're in the weeds. How do I choose between these two? Both were pretty solid.

Round three is going to be no easier task, when I have to decide between A Kiss In The Dreamhouse, and The Cure's Faith. I'm going to need to think on that one before revealing the winner.

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THIS WEEK ON THE CHARTS
July 22, 1989