Redartz: Greetings once again; your ride is ready for another trip aboard the Retro Metro! This time, we aim for the year 1979. Times were tough , as the headlines were filled with stories about the aftermath of the regime of dictator Pol Pot in Cambodia. Then there's the ongoing revolutionary turmoil in Iran. In the US, the economy is still struggling; Chrysler has asked the government for a billion dollar bailout to stay afloat. During such times, it helps to seek some diversion in the form of popular culture. Therefore, let's hear the top song on the US Billboard Hot 100: Donna Summer, "Bad Girls"...
Donna's had a lock on the top spot since mid-July. A mammoth follow-up to her previous hit "Hot Stuff", another chart topper for disco's reigning diva.
Rounding out the top five:
2. Chic, "Good Times"
3. Barbara Streisand, "The Main Event/ Fight"
4. The Knack, "My Sharona"
5. John Stewart, "Gold"
To be honest,most of the top five this week leave me cold. I'm more tuned into the emerging New wave rather than the disco scene. But "My Sharona" seems to be garnering a lot of press for the Knack; some calling them the new Beatles (of course, we've heard that one before). And that John Stewart song is pretty good.
Further down the chart, some other tunes deserve mention: ELO, "Don't Bring Me Down"; a good solid rocker from Jeff Lynne and co. Charlie Daniels Band, "The Devil Went Down to Georgia" : a story song, with some cool fiddle work. I love a good story song. The Cars, "Let's Go": Off their new lp "Candy-O", the Cars give us a fine bit of New wave-tinged rock. ABBA, "Does Your Mother Know": The foursome from Sweden just keep putting out phenomenal pop songs, one after another. Supertramp, "Goodbye Stranger": Supertramp's album "Breakfast in America" is amazing, loaded with good songs. And this is a great one (although you want to hear the full version, not the trimmed single version).
The Cars, "Let's Go"
Tops in the UK: The Boomtown Rats, "I Don't Like Mondays"
Having checked out the music world, let's see what's in store on the small screen tonight:
US Television Schedule:
ABC: Monday Night Baseball
Baseball fan that I am, I don't watch this very often. Generally because of the appeal of the strong CBS lineup.
CBS: WKRP in Cincinnati, Flatbush, M*A*S*H, One Day at a Time, Lou Grant
Yes, this is quite a schedule. M*A*S*H remains great, One Day at a Time is entertaining, but WKRP is a blast! A brilliant comic cast; among them are Gary Sandy, Howard Hesseman, Gordon Jump, Loni Anderson and (my current crush) Jan Smithers. The show features embedded pop music, likeable characters and plenty of craziness.
And at the end of the evening, Lou Grant is a great finish. Ed Asner is always a pleasure to watch. It's intriguing to see the turn from the comedic Grant of "Mary Tyler Moore" to the dramatic newsroom version we see here.
WKRP in Cincinnati Intro
NBC: Little House on the Prairie, NBC Monday Night at the Movies
NBC Monday Night at the Movies Intro
BBC1: Explorers of the Deep, Raintree County, World of Panorama
BBC2: For Valour, The Waltons, T.J. Thorpe Sings Country, Inside Story, Best of Brass
That "Explorers of the Deep" sounds good; on this side of the pond we often see Jacques Cousteau featured on National Geographic specials.
Now then, we always love some good reading material. With that in mind, shall we investigate the offerings out now on the spinner racks?
As usual, there are plenty of temptations available. As summer is winding down, the Annuals still keep coming, and here's two good ones. The Avengers annual features a Bill Mantlo story with Don Newton artwork; a bit of a departure from the norm. Then there's the Amazing Spider-Man annual; a great Dr. Octopus tale with art by John Byrne! A favorite villain and a favorite penciller; that adds up to a must-buy.
On the other hand, the new Howard the Duck magazine seems to have lost something. That something would be Steve Gerber, unfortunately...
Daredevil looks like another winner; Bullseye by Frank Miller. Can't beat that.
DC has a big anniversary spectacular for Action Comics, telling Superman's life story as presented by Martin Pasko and Curt Swan. With a cool infinity cover, to boot.
Also from DC, a new anthology called "Time Warp". Science fiction tales make up the content, appropriately enough, for this book. I'll definitely give this a try.
Speaking of time warps, it's time we wrap up this visit to the Bronze age. Thanks for joining us; and keep your eyes peeled for the next journey on the Retro; coming soon!
