You should do because this week of forty years ago saw the arrival of ITN's first ever female newsreader Anna Ford. How we gasped as a woman proved she could read out loud, just like a man can. It does seem amazing now that the hiring of a female newsreader would be big news but it's a reminder that the past is indeed a different country.
Elsewhere that week, ABBA were claiming the Number One slot on the UK singles chart, with Take A Chance On Me and Blondie were making their chart debut with Denis while Gerry Rafferty also had a new entry with Baker Street.
Perhaps the most anomalous song on the chart was ELO's Mr Blue Sky which was rapidly ascending. It does seem highly strange that arguably the most summery record of all time would be released in the depths of winter but maybe the record company thought we all needed cheering up.
They were wrong, of course.
We didn't need cheering up at all.
Why?
Because we already had the warm glow of the pages of Marvel UK to do that for us.
Hooray! It's the second majestic issue of the comic that's coming to us from a galaxy far, far away and a time long, long ago. Luke Skywalker gets to meet the Sand People, which implies that he may also be meeting Alec Guinness.
But what really matters is that we get a cardboard T.I.E. Fighter to go with the X-Wing Fighter we were presented with last week.
All we need now is to get our hands on next week's free cardboard Death Star and we can reenact the movie to our hearts' content.
Wait?
What's that?
They never gave away a free cardboard Death Star?
The tight-fisted...
Apparently, this story involves the Defenders being lumbered with a Gamma bomb that they have to get rid of.
I now have visions of Dr Strange running up and down the waterfront, with a Gamma bomb in his hands, desperately trying to find somewhere to dispose of it, Adam West style.
But I would assume this is one of those occasions where Bruce Banner suddenly comes into his own.
Come to think of it, I'm not sure I can remember Bruce Banner ever putting in an appearance in any of the Defenders stories I ever read. When it came to their strip, he seemed to be in Hulk form permanently.
It would appear the Defenders aren't the only people having problems with things that are in danger of exploding.
Admittedly, in the FF's case it's a man who's in danger of going kablooey.
And I now have visions of Reed Richards running up and down the waterfront, with Mahkizmo in his arms, desperately trying to find somewhere to dispose of him.
Not that we need care about that. If the cover blurb is to be believed, it's the mightiest FF saga ever.
That's the Galactus Trilogy put in its place.
This is either the climax of the Hulk's first fight with Jack of Hearts or it's the beginning of his second encounter with the Bi-Beast. Which of those it is, I could not say.
I predicted last week that Spidey and Moltie might end up in a burning, collapsing building, and it looks like I may well have been right.
Elsewhere, I believe the Captain America story may herald the arrival of the Red Skull's Fourth Sleeper who can walk around underground and fire great big force blasts out of his great big face. How can our hero hope to triumph? How?
Actually, I think he triumphed with the aid of a tuning fork but I don't quite recall how.
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Hi Steve. Two extra bits of info to throw in the pot this week.
First, Star Wars. While there wasn't a free Death Star given out, I vaguely remember one of those early issues including a centrespread that was like a map of the surface of the Death Star, complete with that channel that Luke-Bob Walton flies his ship down before getting in the winning shot. And don't get me started on how shocked I was watching the film the first time and seeing TIE fighters that looked nothing like that cardboard freebie.
Second, that Captain America tale. I think we're at Cap #129 (based on my conclusion about being in Cap #128 four weeks ago). Red Skull kidnaps the king of Irabia (sic) and Cap rescues him. At the end, it sounds as if Red Skull is blasted into space in a rocket. Just like the Grey Gargoyle was at some point in MTU. The Fourth Sleeper was way back in Cap #102 (presumably reprinted in Titans?) where Agent 13's powerful feelings for Cap shatter the tuning fork and make the Sleeper disintegrate. Don't ask me what that means!
Hi, Dangermash. That Death Star map does ring a bell.
You're probably right about the Captain America tale. I was basing my guess on the assumption that last week's issue featured the Syd Shores inked Baron Zemo/Black Panther/Irma Kruhl story. Thinking about it, I don't have a clue why I thought it did. I think I may be going mad.
Interesting you mention Hulk never becoming Banner in The Defenders stories, I'm sure he must have once or twice, probably when gassed or hypnotised (as was his wont) I imagine this may have been a deliberate way to keep the continuity simple as the Hulk would have no doubt have been being chased around the desert in his own title at the time. Never really thought about it at the time.
I must mention how your Thursday Marvel Uk posts have become a little nostalgic microcosm of the excitement I used to feel when picking the issues up at the time. Obviously without the massive hassle of trying to get them home without getting them rained on or creased.
Yes, the Hulk never seemed to become Banner in the Defenders stories even when he was completely calm!
This was my first issue of Star Wars Weekly. I'd been looking forward to it but I was decidedly underwhelmed. The fact it only had 28 pages didn't help.
My memory of MWOM is of lots of split covers but there were obviously far less than I thought as week after week no split cover appears!
I remember Angela Rippon being interviewed a few years ago and she said that she was so annoyed at constant press claims of the "rivalry" between her and Anna Ford that she phoned Anna and invited her out to dinner. It had been believed women couldn't read the news because they'd get too emotional. Let's hope one never becomes Prime-Minister!
Mr. Blue Sky the most summery song? You've thrown down the gauntlet, Steve - now we'll have to think of songs even more summery ;)
For best summer song well I would suggest "Summer Breeze" by the Isley Bothers (or Seals and Croft version - but Isley were better imho). From a nostalgic point though for me it has to be Mungo Jerry's "In the Summertime" that takes me back to my Primary school days and those long hot summers (even in Glasgow) - of course there are other summer songs that don't have summer in the title and of these Elton John and Kiki Dee's "Don't go breaking my heart" and the great T-Rex's "Get it on" are up there (I would add "I don't like Monday's by the Boomtown Rats but Im not 100% that was a hit in the summer)
As for the comics I cant recall any of the contents but I did have Rampage and MWOM
Paul, "I Don't Like Mondays" was No.1 during July and August 1979 so definitely a summer hit.
Mungo Jerry's "In The Summertime" has always bothered me because of the lines:
If her daddy's rich,
Take her out for a meal
If her daddy's poor,
Just do what you feel.
WTF ?? - if she's rich treat her with respect, otherwise do whatever you like to her!! And what exactly does "just do what you feel" mean? It sounds rather sinister to me.
Some other summer songs that come to mind are:
Here Comes Summer - Jerry Keller
Summer Holiday - Cliff Richard
Summertime (And The Livin' Is Easy) - Ella Fitzgerald
Cruel Summer - Bananarama
But for me the most summery song of all is probably "You're The One That I Want" by, of course, John Travolta & Olivia Newton-John. It was No.1 for a whopping nine weeks during summer 1978. Every time I hear it I'm taken back to being 12 years old in the last golden summer of the pre-Thatcher world - before that ghastly woman infected everything with her ideology of greed and selfishness.
Sinister lyrics indeed Colin. Here are some more...
Every night, I pick you up from school
Cause you're my steady date
But Monday to the Friday night
I leave you at the gate, yeah
You know, we can't have too much fun
'Til all your homework's done
But when the weekend comes
She knows where we will be, oh
Kissin' in the back row
Of the movies on a Saturday night with you
Holdin' hands together, you and I
Holdin' hands together, baby
Smoochin' in the back row
Of the movies on a Saturday night with you
We could stay forever, you and I
We could stay forever, you and I
Huggin' and a kissin' in the back row of the movies
Colin we been playing mungo jerry in my monthly ukulele club the last few years. So, after 45 years I finally learned the words to a song that was a lot of fun as a kid,
Anyhow a bunch of us were rather surprised about that lyric as it does seem rather crude. But it was no more out of place than the lyrics of a bunch of the old time ukulele songs about Hawaii native girls popularized decades ago. Lots of references to "lovin' little brown girls."
I am actually struggling to think of summery songs. The only ones I can think of off the top of my head are:
"Good Day Sunshine" - The Beatles.
"Here Comes the Sun" - The Beatles.
"Sun King" - The Beatles.
"Hot as Sun" - Paul McCartney.
"Back in the Sunshine Again" - Paul McCartney.
I do feel there's a sort of pattern starting to emerge there.
Then again, there's also:
"Sunny Afternoon" - The Kinks.
PS. Thanks, Timothy. It's nice to know I'm reviving just a bit of that childhood anticipation. :)
Summertime Blues - Eddie Cochrane
Summer In The City - Lovin' Spoonful
Summer - Imagine Dragons
Summer Nights - John Travolta & Olivia Newton-John
Sumer Is Acumin In - 13th Century English folk song (I'm getting desperate now)
IIRC, the final part of the Wrecking Crew story was scripted by Chris Claremont, who revealed Thunderball was a scientist or engineer. An early mainstream Marvel for Cheerful Chris, who was more associated with War Is Hell or Giant-Size Dracula at that point in his career.
Claremont was responsible for a greater depth of characterisation than Len Wein but he was also far more verbose.John Byrne was another culprit for great slabs of expository dialogue but his problem was extensive explanation of plot mechanics. While Claremont had his dubious tropes of bondage and psychological abuse, at least he could write characters with personalities.
I don't think anyone mentioned Jacko's "Farewell My Summer Love."
Today is my birthday - woo hoo !!
If anyone still cares here are some more summer songs:
Summer (The First Time) - Bobby Goldsboro
Summer Night City - ABBA
Our Last Summer - ABBA
Summer Of '69 - Bryan Adams
The Boys Of Summer - Don Henley
Endless Summer Nights - Richard Marx
And some songs with a summery feel:
La Isla Bonita - Madonna
Island In The Sun - Harry Belafonte
Y Viva Espana - Sylvia
Sunny - Boney M
Brown Girl In The Ring - Boney M
Figaro - Brotherhood Of Man
Walking On Sunshine - Katrina & The Waves
Surfin' USA - Beach Boys...
...and zillions more no doubt.
So you see, Steve, we have challenged your assertion that Mr. Blue Sky is the most summery song ever.
I rest my case and retire :)
I still think that Mr Blue Sky is summerier than any of the other songs so far mentioned.
But, more importantly, happy birthday, Colin.
Happy B-Day Colin!
Mr. Blue Sky... Well, Charlie prefers "I want it so fine" by ELO as a summer treat. It sticks in my head with sunshine and blue skies since the first I heard it was on a "Spring Break" vacation in southern California, bombing down a five lane highway towards San Diego around 1976. I was around 15.
The reason for the strong impression was b/c our family departed from Chicago where, as usual, the weather sucks. We were literally ice skating on the streets playing hockey due to a major ice storm the day before. To see the sun, surf, and sand in March... WOW!
By the way... I never understood how Jeff Lynn and his ELO-style music got him into the Traveling Wilburys? He seems odd-man out?
From what I can remember, he was George Harrison's producer at the time, and the idea for the Traveling Wilburys emerged when he and Harrison decided to try and get Orbison, Dylan and Petty involved with what they were doing.
I remember Dr. Strange magically transforming the Hulk into Bruce so he could preform some kind of scientific task. I think there was an explanation why Strange couldn't make it permanent.
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