Continuing the sight seeing of Japan through the lens of my brother's phone.
Click "HERE" to go back to the home page. For more posts related to this one, please click the labels below.
Retro Spins: Animotion - Strange Behavior
The history of Animotion is an interesting one, and one that I'm sad that I didn't necessarily dive into when going through their self titled debut.
Animotion was formed by Bill Wadhams, Astrid Plane, Paul Antonelli, Charles Ottavio, and David "Frenchy" O'Brien in 1983. Though Wadhams initially provided both vocals and guitars, the latter instrumental duties would ultimately be taken over by Don Kirkpatrick. Signing a recording deal with Mercury, the six would enter the studio with session keyboardist Greg Smith to record what would become their debut self titled album, released in 1984.
The album was lead by the Knight and Des Barres penned and recorded single, Obsession, originally released by the aforementioned duo for the movie, A Night In Heaven. Under Animotion, the single shot up the charts to peak at number six. It was followed by the minorly successful hit, Let Him Go, which charted at number thirty-nine.
Though it's not really known why, Antonelli would depart the band, later forming the band Radio Werewolf. Meanwhile, O'Brien would also leave in 1985. Much like Antonelli, there doesn't appear to be a documented reason why he departed. However, he would go on to work in the public library system in Los Angeles, California, where he remained for the rest of his working life, passing away in 2019. Session musician Greg Smith joined full time, along with new drummer, Jim Blair to fill their roles.
This new lineup entered the studio to record their follow-up album, 1986's Strange Behavior. Fun fact, it would be the last album recorded for Casablanca Records before the label completely folded. Though the album spawned two singles, they didn't fair as well on the charts as those from their debut. I Engineer peaked at number seventy-six, while I Want You stalled at eighty-four.
Frankly, I find Strange Behavior to be a diamond in the rough. A forgotten gem from the era of the greatest music of all time. I hadn't heard anything bad by track six, and in fact was really trying to resist the urge to add everything to my shuffle list. I think it's far superior, as a whole, to its debut, and it makes me think I need to go back and listen to that album again.
After editing myself, I ended up adding I Want You, I Engineer, Anxiety, Out Of Control, Stranded, and The Essence to my shuffle. I felt these best represented the album, without going overboard on my end. Frankly, this could easily be a wall vinyl for me. For those of you who don't know what that means, I reserve my vinyl purchases for albums I find perfect from start to finish, which I then put in a frame on the wall.
Seriously, check this one out. You're missing out if you don't. It's a real shame the album sales didn't match my level of enjoyment. Animotion could of perhaps gone on to be a very different story. Whereas, as it stands, turmoil set in to the band as they entered the studio to record their third album. It culminated in firings, quitting, and the unique tale of a band that ultimately ended up with no original founding members. We'll go into that one tomorrow.
For now, and again, I highly recommend checking out 1986's Strange Behavior. It's a goodin'.
Click "HERE" to go back to the home page. For more posts related to this one, please click the labels below.
Disclaimer: They Toy Box does not endorse or contribute to piracy. Retro Spins posts are intended for educational and entertainment purposes only. None of the music discussed here is available for sale, downloading or distribution.
 |
| THIS WEEK ON THE CHARTS October 6, 1984 |
Comics Corner: Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man 77
Title: Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man
Issue Number: 77
Release Date: April 1983
Highlights
- Reference is made to Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man 75, Daredevil 166,, 173, 174, and 186
- Doctor Octopus pledges to Spider-Man that he will have his revenge in twenty-four hours
- Spider-Man meets Melvin Potter, AKA Gladiator
- None
Oddities
- None
Rating (based on a 1 through 5 Stans grading system)
Click "HERE" to go back to the home page. For more posts related to this one, please click the labels below.
Retro Spins: Alison Moyet - Raindancing
After the disbandment of Yaz, Alison Moyet set off on a solo career, releasing the highly successful Alf in 1984. However, it wouldn't be until 1987 that she'd return to the studio to follow it up. In the interim of this, Moyet would participate in 1985's Live Aid, and also relocate from England to the USA, settling in Los Angeles.
While the majority of the tracks that would make up Raindancing were written prior to her move, during her time in the studio to record them she'd end up collaborating with Jean Guiot to write and record, Is This Love? Oh, did I say Jean Guiot? You probably know him best as David Stewart of Eurythmics. Stewart opted to use the name Jean Guiot to avoid publishing issues with his management.
Raindancing continued Moyet's solo success in the UK, peaking at number two, and also saw success in many European countries. However, in the USA, it faired worse than her debut, peaking at ninety-four. The four singles from the album, while also successful in the UK and Europe, equally failed to impress in the USA, and failed to chart.
Critically, it received a lot of negativity for its generic pop sound, with reviewers feeling Moyet wasn't being utilized to her full potential by managers and the label. Mostly, people just wanted to compare it to her prior work with Yaz, making note that the remnants of any influence by Vince Clarke were gone. Specifically, the impactful new wave elements, replaced with nothing more than MTV friendly pop.
Well, I like pop, so maybe that's for me? At least, that's what I was hoping as I dove in.
Raindancing definitely isn't as strong as 1984's Alf, but it's okay. I can understand the critical reception upon its initial release. You waited all this time to get a follow-up album from Moyet, and then it's not only mediocre, but stripped of all the depth and passion that made you love the prior release so much.
It would be like if Michael Jackson's follow-up to Thriller, that would of course be, Bad, was just mediocre upon release. People would have lost their minds. Fortunately, that wasn't the case for the King of Pop, but that's really the best comparison I can give to make my point.
 |
| USA Cover |
Now, I'm not going to say the album was terrible because it wasn't. Again though, it's definitely got a lot of generic pop to it. Still, there are standout tracks, for me at least, which included, Ordinary Girl, Without You, Is This Love.
Overall, I think my biggest complaint with Raindancing mimics what the critics were trying to convey. When you listen to an artist, a lot of what draws you to them is what they uniquely bring to the table. For Moyet, it was haunting vocals, and to an extent, new wave. When you then get a generic pop album, it throws you out of the zone you want to be in.
Let me put it this way. Imagine you're angry. You're having a really bad day, and you just want to hear someone as angry as you feel. So, you pop in the latest Marilyn Manson album. Then you realize that Manson has done an artistic 180, and you're getting a children's album from him, full of safe lyrics and life lessons. You're like, "What the ****?!?!" That's what Raindancing is in comparison to Alf, and as an extension, in comparison in her work as Yaz.
Raindancing, for what it's worth, is not an Alison Moyet product. It's a label and manager trying to make her into something she's not. Again, decent album, just not what I wanted, stylistically, from her.
With the release of Hoodoo in 1991, Moyet's sales dropped drastically. The once platinum artist was now only receiving silver certifications. Additionally, upon its release, she began a long legal battle against her label to gain creative control over her artistic direction. This was still ongoing in1994 when she follow-up with the release of Essex. Sony refused to release the album until she returned to the studio to re-record, remix, and create a more commercial friendly record. Ultimately, it resulted in continued dropping sales upon its release.
She was released from her contract with Sony in 2002, and signed with Sanctuary Records. The result of this was that year's studio album, Hometown, and 2004's Voice, both of which went gold in the UK. She would switch labels again in 2007 to release The Turn. While received well critically, it would continue the trend of low sales which failed to garner any certifications.
In 2013 she signed to Cooking Vinyl, where she released her last three albums to date, The Minutes (2013), Other (2017), and Key (2024). She continues to remain active on the road, and who knows, maybe we'll see some more studio work from her in the future.
Click "HERE" to go back to the home page. For more posts related to this one, please click the labels below.
Disclaimer: They Toy Box does not endorse or contribute to piracy. Retro Spins posts are intended for educational and entertainment purposes only. None of the music discussed here is available for sale, downloading or distribution. |
| THIS WEEK ON THE CHARTS October 5, 1985 |
Comics Corner: Marvel Team-Up 128
Title: Marvel Team-Up
Issue Number: 128
Release Date: April 1983
Highlights
- First appearance of the location, D'Agostino's grocery store
- Awesome photograph cover featuring Marvel staff members John "Jack" Morelli as Spider-Man, and Joe Jusko as Captain America
- Reference is made to Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man 76, Captain America 270, and 278
- Spider-Man and Captain America are each in a separate stall in the same bathroom changing into their costumes while Vermin is outside running rampant
- Gail Runciter makes a move on Captain America, and he rejects her
- None
Oddities
- I still don't understand where Steve Rogers hides that shield when he's in his civvies
- Peter gives his apartment keys to his two friends, Mia and Roger, at the carnival, telling them to go there when Vermin attacks, but then is surprised when they're at his home when he gets there
Rating (based on a 1 through 5 Stans grading system)
Click "HERE" to go back to the home page. For more posts related to this one, please click the labels below.
Retro Spins: Alison Moyet - Alf
Alison Moyet don't need no man. When Vince Clarke unceremoniously broke up their duo efforts, the former Yaz singer struck out on her own. Her first studio release, 1984's Alf, would end up going 4X platinum in the UK, platinum in Germany and New Zealand, and Gold in Canada.
Mind you, Moyet didn't initially want to go solo, and even begged Clarke to stick it out with Yaz. However, while change can be scary, it can ultimately be good. Though Clarke would form Erasure with Andy Bell, and eventually see success, their debut would flop. Additionally, none of their albums would sell as many copies as Moyet achieved with her solo debut.
I admittedly made a mistake when listening to this one. I started it, got to about song five, but then got incredibly busy, and had to turn it off. When I came back to it, I had totally forgotten the majority of everything I had already heard.
What I did remember was that it was relatively enjoyable. Doing a quick retrospective listen of a few sections of the tracks, I reconfirmed this, then added Love Resurrections, and Honey From The Bees to my shuffle list. Finishing up the album, I also added All Cried Out, Money Mile, Twisting The Knife, and Where Hides Sleep.
As a whole, I really enjoyed Alf, and it excites me to dive into her next album. While I wish I had more that I could say about the album, I honestly don't.
Moyet would join Live Aid in 1985, performing along Paul Young, and then later in the show with Bob Geldof, David Bowie, Pete Townshend, and Paul McCartney for Let It Be. Despite remaining active, she wouldn't release a follow-up studio album until 1987's Raindance. She'd then take another hiatus before returning for 1991's Hoodoo, and break again before 1994's Essex.
Since then, Moyet continued to release albums sporadically, with her latest being 2024's Key. Additionally, her and Clarke would reunite in 2010 for the Yaz Reconnected Tour. They performed one final time in 2011 prior to an Erasure show.
Click "HERE" to go back to the home page. For more posts related to this one, please click the labels below.
Disclaimer: They Toy Box does not endorse or contribute to piracy. Retro Spins posts are intended for educational and entertainment purposes only. None of the music discussed here is available for sale, downloading or distribution.
 |
| THIS WEEK ON THE CHARTS October 4, 1980 |
 |
| THIS WEEK ON THE CHARTS October 4, 1986 |
Comics Corner: Marvel Team-Up 127
Title: Marvel Team-Up
Issue Number: 127
Release Date: March 1983
Highlights
- First appearance of Bette Chekhov, Buck Todd, and Joe Face
- First appearance of the locations, Jimmy's Corner Bar, and Montague Street
- It's Christmas Eve in New York
- Spider-Man meets the Watcher for the first time.
- The Watcher gives Spider-Man a jewel which shows Mr. Chekhov's granddaughter, Bette in it, but without words from the cosmic being, he doesn't know what any of it means
- A surprise appearance from Captain America who raises Spider-Man's spirits, and returns him back to the hunt for Bette Chekhov
- None
Oddities
- Editor's Day Off: The Watcher says, "For those actions, I suffered the the scorn of revilement of my brother Watchers..."
- Spider-Man gets the address of Bette by using a pay phone, and talking to the operator, but with that information, how does he know where that exact address is located? Does he carry a map book?
- Editor's Continued Day Off: Multiple panels with Spider-Man's lenses colored red
Rating (based on a 1 through 5 Stans grading system)
Click "HERE" to go back to the home page. For more posts related to this one, please click the labels below.
Retro Spins: Erasure - Wild!
The Erasure ride started off a bit bumpy. It started off on a pretty low point, with me comparing Andy Bell to nothing more than a carbon copy of Yaz's Alison Moyet. However, by 1987's The Innocents, something changed. Bell was coming into his own, stepping up to finally become the lead singer of Erasure, and not just a cover version of Moyet.
Wild! kicks off with the short, and frankly, unnecessary instrumental, Piano Song. This leads into the peppy, and fun Blue Savannah. I was onboard with it, and it set an expectation that I hoped would be met.
This was followed by Drama! (boy, they sure do love their exclamation points), which kept the adrenaline high. In fact, as a whole, this level of energy is consistent. With it comes good tracks like Star, and La Gloria.
I also really dug Brother And Sister, which may be my favorite from the album. This was followed by 2000 Miles, decent, but definitely has Bell back to channeling his inner Moyet.
Admittedly, the final two tracks are a bit of a disappointment. While Crown Of Thorns simply doesn't resonate with me, Piano Song, yes, the same that opened the album, is not filled with vocals, but still doesn't fair well. The latter, like its opening counterpart just feels unnecessary to the album as a whole.
Erasure would continue to achieve number one albums in the UK in the early 90's with Chorus (1991), and I Say I Say I Say (1994). However, sales would begin to steadily decline by 1995's (self titled) Erasure. Despite this, they've stuck through it, and continued to release albums fairly consecutively through 2022's Day-Glo (Based On A True Story), with their albums continuing to rank in the UK top ten, twenty, or fifty.
Additionally, Erasure would contribute greatly to the resurgence of ABBA in the 90's with their 1992 EP, Abba-esque. The album featured cover versions of Lay All Your Love On Me, S.O.S., Voulez-Vous, and Take A Chance On Me. The latter received a music video, which...just isn't right. Agnetha Fältskog, and Anni-Frid Lyngstad are beautiful women. Meanwhile, Andy Bell, and Vince Clarke dressed as the two ladies are not. I mean...well...see for yourself...
I will say that it looks like the two had a lot of fun making the video, and look like they're on the verge of laughing at each other throughout it.
Overall, I'm glad that Erasure was able to turn it around for me personally. The latter decade albums, specifically, The Innocents, and Wild! are definitely the better of what I heard. They were a good note to end on, and I suppose that too wraps up this post.
Click "HERE" to go back to the home page. For more posts related to this one, please click the labels below.
Disclaimer: They Toy Box does not endorse or contribute to piracy. Retro Spins posts are intended for educational and entertainment purposes only. None of the music discussed here is available for sale, downloading or distribution.
 |
| THIS WEEK ON THE CHARTS October 3, 1981 |
 |
| THIS WEEK ON THE CHARTS October 3, 1987 |
Comics Corner: Marvel Team-Up 126
Title: Marvel Team-Up
Issue Number: 126
Release Date: February 1983
Highlights
- First appearance, and death of Tryone D. Gus
- Features the original script of a Hulk and Spider-Man adventure which was initially edited down, and featured in select newspapers
- Reference is made to these events happening long before The Incredible Hulk 272
- Peter Parker gives Bruce Banner his last five dollars
- Hulk gives a man who was just robbed five dollars, coming full circle to the above
- Unrelated story featuring Power Man and The Son Of Satan takes up well over half the book
- The cops decide that they can take out both Hulk and Spider-Man, ridding the city of two menaces at one time
Oddities
- Editor's Day Off: Panels with Spider-Man's lenses colored red
Rating (based on a 1 through 5 Stans grading system)
Click "HERE" to go back to the home page. For more posts related to this one, please click the labels below.
Retro Spins: Erasure - The Innocents
Though already well establishing in the UK and Germany, Erasure wasn't making a big impact on the USA. However, this would change with their 1988 released, The Innocents. Not only would the album become the first of several consistent number one albums in the UK, but become the first to crack the top fifty of the Billboard Hot 200 in America. It would also generate two Billboard Hot 100 top twenty hits, Chains Of Love, and A Little Respect. Meanwhile, in the UK, it would also spawn the additional hit, Ship Of Fools.
Okay, now we're talking. Now I can get a little excited for the band that, to date, hasn't really impressed. I saw some potential on the last half of their prior album, The Circus (1987), and this information above gives me hope that things are about to turn around.
The about face is very obvious with the upbeat opening track, A Little Respect. It's no surprise that it's a winner. It's one of the songs I bought the album for. The other being Chains Of Love.
However, wedged in between those two are Ship Of Fools, and Phantom Bride. Fools is a slower paced (in comparison) tune, but equally delightful to the two aforementioned hits. Phantom is an enjoyable track, but its definitely not as strong as the others so far.
Hallowed Ground closes out side one on a decent note, but doesn't really resonate as highly as the others. Meanwhile, side two opens with the (mostly) instrument Sixty-Five Thousand, which was serviceable, but yet kind of out of place. With the hits out of the way, I admittedly was concerned that the remaining half of The Innocents would be nothing short of filler.
I appreciate and respect the track Yahoo, for being a seemingly religious song. While it doesn't denote a specific denomination, it's chorus, "Find your way unto the Lord," resonate as Christian. It was also at this point that I dug in further to Andy Bell, and discovered he was not only a professed Christian, but took over as head of Oakbrook Preparatory School in July 2025. Prior to that, he served as the Superintendent of Christian School of York, and continues to attend church at Daybreak Church. While that's awesome, unfortunately, that's not the same Andy Bell who was part of Erasure, and only serves to show more how useless Google's new AI search has made the search engine worse.
As for the remainder of The Innocents, it was pretty okay. Heart Of Stone, Imagination, and Weight Of The World were decent, perhaps even good enough to add to the IPOD shuffle list. I haven't yet made that decision, but I'm sure in the long run they'll end up on there.
Prior to calling it a day on 1988, Erasure released the Christmas EP, Crackers International. It's not an album I'll be jumping into just yet. However, I do plan on circling back in December, when I go through a series of Christmas albums from the 80's. As for me, my next stop for the band is their final entry in the decade, 1989's Wild!...Mind you, that exclamation point is part of the title. It's not me being all excited about hearing it.
Click "HERE" to go back to the home page. For more posts related to this one, please click the labels below.
Disclaimer: They Toy Box does not endorse or contribute to piracy. Retro Spins posts are intended for educational and entertainment purposes only. None of the music discussed here is available for sale, downloading or distribution.
 |
| THIS WEEK ON THE CHARTS October 2, 1982 |
Comics Corner: Ka-Zar The Savage 27
Title: Ka-Zar The Savage
Issue Number: 27
Release Date: June 1983
Highlights
- First appearance of Garvan, and his assistant, Jan
- Buth takes Ka-Zar's unconscious body to Aerie Shalan
- After dropping of Ka-Zar, Buth goes back for Shanna
- After dropping of Shanna, Buth goes back for Zabu
- Reference is made to Ka-Zar The Savage 23, 24, 25, and 26
- Dherk, Buth, Zabu, and Ka-Zar enter Shanna's mind in an attempt to restore her sanity
- Ka-Zar proposes to Shanna
- You have to read this issue to get the final chapter, but there's no Spider-Man
Oddities
- In preparation to tak Ka-Zar's body to Aerie Shalan, he ties Shanna to a tree to protect her from herself
Rating (based on a 1 through 5 Stans grading system)
Click "HERE" to go back to the home page. For more posts related to this one, please click the labels below.
Retro Spins: Erasure - The Circus
I don't know...I still have a sour feeling about Erasure, and I'll tell you, it all comes down to Andy Bell simply sounding like a male version on Alison Moyet (of Yaz). It just doesn't make sense to me that Vince Clarke would break up the prior popular duo of Yaz to simply go on and create another version of them.
Though they failed to garner much attention with their debut, Erasure would finally break through with the single, Sometimes, which peaked at number two in the UK and Germany. It would apparently become the first of many successful hits for the group. The album it would end up on, 1987's The Circus, would reach number six in the UK, and spawn additional hits, It Doesn't Have To Be, Victim Of Love, and the album titled track, The Circus.
Playing through it, the album opener, It Doesn't Have To Be did certainly stand out as okay, but ultimately wasn't anything to write home about. In fact, by track four, and a series of mediocre tunes, I would be lying if I said I even remembered how the song even sounded. At this point, I was too focused on what I said above. Andy Bell just sounds like Alison Moyet, and frankly, I'd rather be hearing these songs sung by her.
Side one of the album droned on, continuing to deliver blandness at its best. Considering side two boasted three hits, I set my expectations a bit higher than I probably should have. This resulted in the opener, and hit for that side, Victim Of Love, being pretty disappointing. If this was a hit, I don't see how.
Surprisingly, things turned around pretty abruptly with the non-hit, Leave Me Blead. It really shocked me that I was suddenly enjoying thing, and all the more better when the following tunes, and aforementioned hits, Sometimes, and The Circus, consecutively came up next. Where was this album hiding? Why didn't Erasure start with these two tracks instead?
The Circus wouldn't make too many waves in the US. However, it did spawn a couple hits on the Hot Dance Music / Club Play. Additionally, as a whole, the album did manage to hit the Billboard Hot 200, peaking at 190.
Erasure would also release a counterpart remix album that same year, The Two Ring Circus. Surprisingly, it would actually fair better on the Hot 200 than its parent album, though not by much, peaking at 186.
1988 would finally bring their USA breakthrough with the album, The Innocents, but we'll dive into that one tomorrow. As for now...Still not a big fan of Erasure. However, I'm coming around a bit. I just wish Andy Bell had his own style and voice, and wasn't just a carbon copy of Moyet.
Click "HERE" to go back to the home page. For more posts related to this one, please click the labels below.
Disclaimer: They Toy Box does not endorse or contribute to piracy. Retro Spins posts are intended for educational and entertainment purposes only. None of the music discussed here is available for sale, downloading or distribution.
 |
| THIS WEEK ON THE CHARTS October 1, 1983 |
 |
| THIS WEEK ON THE CHARTS October 1, 1988 |
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)