Streets of Fire (soundtrack)

Welcome to another edition of Soundtrack Sunday.

In June of 1984, a film hit the theatres that had dreams of being a big blockbuster but failed to gross enough to cover its original budget. Not even stars Michael Paré, Diane Lane, Willem Dafoe, Rick Moranis, Deborah Van Valkenburgh and a very young Bill Paxton could save Streets of Fire for cinema disaster.

However, thanks to an interesting musical score and a pretty decent soundtrack album, the film did find itself a cult following among fans. Today we look at that soundtrack album.

The B-52's - The B-52's

Welcome to another edition of Seventies Saturday.

On July 6th of 1979, as the fires of disco were burning out, the rising tide of new wave was ready to wash over the music scene. And one of the bands ready to throw a big beach bash was the Athens, Georgia-based rock band the B-52’s.

Their self-titled debut The B-52’s was welcomed by music fans looking for something a bit different. The album went all the way to number 59 on the Billboard 200 charts and number 22 on the UK charts, was certified Gold in a little more than a year’s time and was certified Platinum before the summer of 1986. Decades after its release, the album still garners favor. It was ranked number 99 on VH-1’s 100 Greatest Albums of All Time in 2003; Rolling Stone magazine placed it at number 152 on its list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All-Time.

Comic Books of the Week (7/27/11)

Flashpoint: Hal Jordan #2 (of 3) - reading about Hal as a pilot-turned-hero isn't so bad. I've always been a fan of his outside the ring-identity of Green Lantern. This issue was a bit better than the last and the art style actually suits the story and character.

Flashpoint: Kid Flash Lost #2 (of 3) - this issue held up a little better than the last one. We actually get to see traits in Bart that were always interesting - a smart, capable hero. I wasn't as thrilled with the art on this issue though. I look forward to see how/if Bart can get back to his Uncle Barry in time and help resolve things. My gut feel is Bart, along with Booster Gold, will help Barry "fix time" and result in getting things not quite right (leading to the DCnU timeline come September).

Lois Lane and the Resistance #2 (of 3) poor Lois gets bumped as lead of her own mini, thanks to the appearance of the Grifter as leader of the Resistance. The issue is all about him, which I am sure excites his Wildstorm comic fans. It makes sense to put him front and center as he has his own DCnU book coming in September. For me, the issue really was so-so. The change in art style from last issue helped a bit but not enough.

Justice Society of America #53 - Jerry Ordway provides the art on this second-to-last issue for the series. I love his style as it is perfect for the JSA. I love the use of the Challengers of the Unknown. My only concern is this whole story is forced to a rushed conclusion next time. Sad. I was actually getting into it.

Teen Titans #98 - Krul and company are going out with a bang. So glad the powers-that-be gave them extra issues to get to #100 by the end of August. Superboy-Prime is back and he's brought some allies to take out the Titans. Things could get really chaotic really fast. I'm glad to see this version of the Titans go out with a bang rather than a whimper. So sad they're being totally retooled for September (just one of the many reasons I am dropping comics come Fall). Special kudos to the art team for the shots of Ravager on page 11. They made her look well-proportioned without going over the top. Clearly these guys know their anatomy. Something some comic artists could use a refresher course on.

John Byrne's Next Men #8 (#38) - Byrne provides an interesting way to bring one former cast member into the future with the rest of the group. However, that is pretty much all this issue is - vignettes of the move of Gil/Gillian from body to body over time. We only get a brief feel for each life she shared. I was a bit bored by the fourth jump. And, looking at the end, it appears that the story (and perhaps the series?) might conclude with the next issue? That works for me. Since my dropping regular comics thanks to DC's new approach means I lose this title (my one regular non-DC title), I would be happy if the run were ending at the same time. But if it does not I won't lose too much sleep over it.

Vanity 6 - Vanity 6

Sex sells.

As Prince’s career was taking off in the early 80’s, he certainly had that old axiom in mind when put together a girl-group to sing songs about sex and fantasy while dressed in lingerie. The final line-up with the trio of Vanity (Denise Matthews), Brenda Bennett and Susan Moonsie certainly looked the part. Together they would be known as Vanity 6, the number referring to the total count of certain female anatomy of the trio.

Mötley Crüe - Too Fast For Love

Formed in 1981, the quartet of hard-rocking musicians from Los Angeles known as Mötley Crüe cut a debut record called Too Fast For Love on a small label on November 10th of that year. That 900 copy run was enough to get them noticed and signed by Elektra Records, who helped them re-record and remix the record for a 1982 release. Despite an initial chart showing that reached number 77 on the US Billboard 200 charts, the record would eventually reach Platinum selling status.

The cover of the record pays homage (and a little parody) to the Rolling Stones’ 1971 album Sticky Fingers.

Adam Ant - Friend or Foe

After a third album and disbanding Adam and the Ants in early 1982, Adam Ant (born Stuart Leslie Goddard) went out as a solo artist. His first, and most successful to date, solo album was Friend or Foe which was released October 11th, 1982.  It went to number 5 in the UK.

Thanks to the growing market of music videos on MTV, he was able crossover to the US and gain a larger following. Here in the States, the album went all the way to number 16 on the Billboard 200. The record was certified Gold in both the UK and the US.

Nu Shooz - Tha's Right

Nu Shooz is the husband-wife musical team of John Smith and Valerie Day, who hail from Portland, Oregon. Their first recording, an eight song release, was done in 1982 on a small label called Nebula Circle. In 1986, they had their first major label recording Poolside on Atlantic Records (of which I am a huge fan - but that album is a blog post for another time). In between those two was a five song EP entitled Tha’s Right that was put out on Poolside Records.

I first heard of Nu Shooz in early 1986 (when I was back at college for my junior year) as dance clubs had picked up one their tracks. That was the Dutch remix version of “I Can’t Wait” which had gotten them major label attention in the United States. Recently discovering Tha’s Right, which includes the original US version of the song, was like unearthing a lost treasure after many decades at sea.

Let’s take a look at this release.