Thanks to Charlie Horse 47 and Killdumpster for their sponsorship of this post, via the magic of Patreon.
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There was no change at the top of the UK album and singles charts, this week in 1973, with
Skweeze Me Pleeze Me by Slade and Various Artists' That'll Be the Day still reigning supreme.
Like anyone with any sense, I do, of course, love a good dose of Slade but other singles I approved of on that week's chart were:
Life on Mars - David Bowie
Albatross {1973} - Fleetwood Mac
Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting - Elton John
Live and Let Die - Paul McCartney and Wings
Stuck in The Middle With You - Stealers Wheel
Can the Can - Suzi Quatro
I Saw the Light - Todd Rundgren
and
See My Baby Jive - Wizzard.
Should you wish to peruse the matter further, that week's singles chart lives right here.
While the corresponding album chart resides here.
There's just no rest when you're the Hulk. No sooner has he returned to Earth than he's brainwashed by the evil organisation the world knows as The Living Lightning.
Or it would do if it had ever heard of it.
Under this mind control, our hero attacks Thunderbolt Ross and, while Ross is dealing with that, the Lord of the Living Lightning only goes and takes over his military base!
Elsewhere, the Marvel time streams are about to get a whole lot more complicated because, seeking a cure for Alicia's blindness, the Fantastic Four travel to Ancient Egypt and are promptly met by Rama-Tut, tyrannical time traveller from our distant future.
It's a pivotal day for Peter Parker because it's the day he graduates from high school.
But it's a big day for Mark Raxton, as well. Thanks to an experiment gone wrong, he turns into the Molten Man - and Spider-Man's just the kind of guy he'd like to take his frustrations out on.
It's all eventful for Thor, as well because Odin travels to Earth to stick his nose into the thunder god's relationship with Jane Foster.
But wouldn't you know it, the moment he's gone, Loki frees the malevolent giants Skagg and Surtur, in an attempt to hold on to power in Asgard forever.
That's the plan, at least. Sadly for Loki, Thor, Balder and Odin defeat the giants and that means there'll be no supper for Loki tonight.
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39 comments:
The Molten Man's a character I encountered later, but clearly he's a "type". One of those villains who can't be touched, so finally the hero realizes "special gloves" (often asbestos?) are necessary to beat the villain. Spidey webbed up some heat-proof gloves to beat Raxton in the story I read. Battling Electro, Spidey used similar special gloves once (although at other times, strangely it wasn't necessary!) Likewise, didn't Cap use "special gloves" to beat the Grey Gargoyle once? (I forget) - and Captain Marvel also used special gloves to beat Deathgrip!
Phillip
A weird week in that I can remember reading the Thor story as an eight year old but not the Spider–Man story. In fact I remember not remembering the Molten Man story after seeing some landmark covers at the back of that huge Spider–Man holiday grab bag type book and wishing I could have read that story.
And in this issue (and his next appearance in about 15 weeks' time) Molten Man is touchable. He's just room temperature metallic like Colossus, not hot and metallic. In his third appearance (much later with Gerry Conway writing) he's as Phillip remembers bim, burning footprints as he walks across the carpet. Very weird that Spider–Man sees the footprints in that issue and works out straight away it's Molten Man when he's never come across him in this new hot form.
Having discovered ‘I Saw The Light’ myself in the late 90s, I didn’t realise it ever charted over here. Cool!
Great list of singles there. I could live without Stealers Wheel (for Tarantino reasons) but otherwise gold.
You're not wrong about the time stream starting to get more complicated in that FF story about Rama-Tut, Steve.
I didn't mind the early 80s Dr Strange story - Doc #52 - where he travelled back in time to ancient Egypt and while he was there secretly helped out the FF against Rama-Tut (unknown to them, and contemporary readers). That was a bit of an aside in a single issue, and was quite an enjoyable use of retro-active continuity.
But the whole Kang/Immortus thing is really annoying. Some version of Marvel will be putting out series complicating that stuff even more ridiculously for decades to come. Centuries even.
-sean
Other than 'Life on Mars' I'm not really that keen on any of the singles this month. And the albums aren't too good either, apart from 'Hunky Dory' and 'Aladdin Sane' (although for my taste they're a bit patchy compared to Bowie's stuff later in the decade).
Still, on the plus side, Funkadelic's brilliant 'Cosmic Slop' lp - the last of their more underground era, before they started having big sellers as Parliament with 'Up for the Down Stroke' in '74 - came out this month.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=FsIqDxssLYg
-sean
Like Matthew I can't hear the Stealers Wheel song without thinking of THAT scene in 'Reservoir Dogs' - a nasty scene in a nasty film that delighted in glorifying violence (see also 'Pulp Fiction'). I don't want to sound like Mary Whitehouse but sometimes I think censorship is justified.
'Welcome Home' by Peters & Lee was stuck at #2 but it did eventually reach #1.
Some other classics ignored by Steve:
Snoopy Vs The Red Baron - Hotshots
Give Me Love (Give Me Peace On Earth) - George Harrison
Yesterday Once More - Carpenters
You Are The Sunshine Of My Life - Stevie Wonder
Touch Me In The Morning - Diana Ross
Peters & Lee - and that George Harrison record - are a better argument for censorship than any Tarantino films, Colin.
-sean
Feet Don’t Fail Me Now! Says Charlie-delic!
I like those Carpenters, Stevie Wonder and George Harrison tunes. I never think of RESERVOIR DOGS when I hear “Stuck In The Middle”. Why would I let a movie I watched once 25 years ago ruin a song I’ve enjoyed dozens of times over the past five decades?
b.t.
Lenny Peters (of Peters and Lee) was Charlie Watts (of the Rolling Stones) uncle. He was blinded in one eye during a car crash when he was 5. He then lost his sight in the other eye when someone threw a brick at him when he was 16. Who throws a brick at a one eyed man? I saw Peters and Lee at a Pontins' holiday camp in the mid 70's. It was when he had the Phil Thompson perm, and so their career was on the decent. I'm pretty sure they finished with Welcome Home, accompanied by much swaying from the aged people (who were probably younger than I am now). But I remain cool because I've also seen Bowie perform Life on Mars live ;-)
I think I also had this week's Spiderman, but most likely retrospectively, because I remember being surprised that it had a paper (rather than glossy) cover. Probably another great jumble-sale find. Why did people give such valuable items away?
DW
*descent.
Not sure they were ever decent...
Speaking of Fleetwood Mac...
Charlie had the good fortune to see Santana two weeks ago and Black Magic Woman was one of the highlights.
Whilst googling around, b/c we were not aware of Carlos Santana actually writing the song (he did many covers during his career), we learned that Fleetwood's Mac Peter Green wrote it back in 1968.
Any of you gents heard of Peter Green?
Guess he was quite the musician but drugs addled his brain?
I'm betting even money bt has, being a California guy?
Happy "Fete National" to all you Frenchies out there!
(As some of you know, it is entirely conceivable my daughter Rachel checks in, now and then, lol! That story still comes up around the dinner table.)
"Merci beaucoup, Monsieur Charlie" disent les Francais.
Hey, speaking of French! As we watch, all 10 seasons of father Brown, me, and the Mrs. have noticed a sprinkling of French words used by the father and others on the show. For instance, they use the word gareau, which means cake, and fete which is a feast or festival. And there are others. But curious Charlie wants to know if those words are still used today in England, or if not, did perhaps your grandparents use them when you were little who would’ve been of the father Brown generation, which was the 1940s and 50s?
And there are other French words use as well. We were bemused for sure!
Gateau is a cake. Geeze… not gareau.
Charlie - The village fete is a stock in trade of such shows!
Michele Thomas quoted somebody (I forget who), saying: "English is just French, badly pronounced."
Phillip
So many questions from Joe/Charlie this week. I'll answer one. I have a load of CDs from the Peter Green era of Fleetwood Mac. Live ones as well as studio albums. End of the 60s, start of 70s blues music, yep, that's me. I expect Sean had already worked that out given how much stick he gives me over the Allman Brothers.
Peter Green definitely ended up brain addled. Probably drugs related. From what I've heard he seems to have ended up extremely anti capitalist, not seeing the point of money, seeing it as just an arbitrary way of keeping scores. Gave it all away and was happier without it for years. Even score that when he was still together, when you hear him talking between tracks on live albums he sounds really shy and timid and 50+ years ago I'd have been worried about his future. Great blues guitarist though.
Feats Don't Gail Me Now – yes, got that too. Saw Little Feat in London a few years ago. A cracking evening.
I'm not overly familiar with Peter Green, but he seemed a bit more of melodic and concise player than most of those 60s70s white boy blues types (just an opinion, not knocking anyone else's, honest)... Anyway, I like his solo tune 'Slabo Day', which has a somewhat ineffable quality to it.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=INOVuZQsxKQ
And on the subject of village fetes, I hope you did well in Upchurch today, dangermash.
-sean
Charlie, I grew up in a village which had an annual fete but we called it "The Carnival".
The word gateau is reserved for a more upmarket cake such as the Black Forest Gateau.
I'm not sure that Green's problems were completely drug related. I had a cousin who, like Green, was diagnosed schizophrenic. Everybody said it was drugs, but I rather doubt it. I don't think Cousin John ever got within sniffing distance of anything harder than reefer, but those corn-bred hicks back there in the early '70's thought marijuana was the Devil's doorknob.
I think it was just bad wiring.
Steve, over here Suzi Quatro is best remembered as Leather Tuskadero, the cousin of the legendary Pinky Tuskadero. They were friends of the Fonz.
The blood ran hot in them Tuskaderos, lemme tell ya.
M.P.
Cheers Sean. No sales yet but Friday was always going to be the quiet day.
Peter Green was one of those musicians that the cool kids at school loved in the 1970s, like Clapton. It took me a few years to listen to him ( knoeingly) eat a great guitarist. His Fleetwood Mac (Black Magic Woman, Albatross rtc) was excellent. Green got me into blues music when I was about 17. As M.P. says Greens health issues were sadly due to mental health problem
Just wait til everyone starts hitting the Pimms over the weekend, dm.
-sean
Drugs. Not sure why the younger generation consume them like a 10 year old goes after candy. Perhaps because so many are now on medication? But as i google musicians like Peter North and Funkadelic a fair few blame lsd for mucking up their brains.
we have talked about bicycles in our youth here (or was it BitBA)… but as I watch the Tour de France these guys are going 45 mph down hill and one just wiped out!
Any of you gents wipe out on your bikes in your youth? I sure did on Pike Hill in GaryIN at the age of 10, lol. Went right over the top. Banana seat followed me!
I didn't own a bike, Charlie, but I did learn to ride on a neighbour's bike (and I never went over the handlebars).
MP, 'Happy Days' was shown here too.
Dam boys! Falling in Love #121, immortalized here at SDC, only $29 for “buy it now” on ebay! But… cover detached and only VG. One of these days…
I've just been reading about the heatwaves in southern Europe and the southern US - apparently the Acropolis in Athens was closed when temperatures reached 48 degrees Celsius and in Italy they are braced for a record temperature of 49 degrees.
Meanwhile here in Britain we had a few weeks of sunny, dry weather but now we're back to the usual wind and rain.
Strange, Charlie - my impression is that since around the turn of the century if anything young people have been less into drugs. Maybe it's different in the US.
Where I live you have to take care not to get wiped out on your bike as an adult. Even when you're not stoned.
Colin, never mind the weather and climate apocalypse, what about the important issue du jour - do you have any thoughts on Declan Rice signing to Arsenal?
-sean
Also - in a development possibly of interest to the Steve Does Comics massive - I see the government are planning to go ahead again with the tunnel under Stonehenge again.
www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2023/jul/14/stonehenge-road-tunnel-plans-approved-transport-secretary-concent-widen-roads
I'll believe it when I see it with this lot in Westminster, but still - if the British aren't that bothered about Stonehenge, why not just return it to where it belongs?
-sean
Charlie, I dunno what the sky looks like in Chicago due to the fires up north, but today is the first day I've ever seen serious air pollution. I mean, yeah, maybe briefly in NYC, but this is South Dakota. Think about that!
Everything looks weird, almost yellowish, and the sun was as red as the Devil's dick. I could look right at it without wincing.
To me, this seems like a dire portent. I'm starting to appreciate my own mortality, because the future scares the hell outta me.
What next?
M.P.
Actually Sean, the important issue du jour is Britain joining the CTPPPPTPTPPPTTT and the whopping 0.08% boost to our GDP. Yet another Brexit benefit which will have the Red Wall cheering no doubt!
MP, we've already passed the environmental tipping point and it's all downhill from here on. The advantage of having no children is not having to worry about the disaster that's coming.
When I was in school my maths teacher, Mr Ken Morgan, had a phrase he liked to exclaim in a booming voice whenever he thought we weren't paying attention:
IT'S YOUR FUTURE, NOT MINE...and that's how I feel now about the state of the world.
MP we had that sky for 3 days. Couldn’t ne outside. Amd its coming again I suppose, wafting over Wisconsin and Minnesota as I type.
I do feel bad for my kids. Maybe something beneficial to the planet will happen, like 5 BB folks die off (hopefully 100% are republicans) and we can start to recover?
Well MP, i had just woken up about 30 minutes ago and was doing “my morning constitutional” when I wrote and had not yet looked outside ! I’ve now had a chance to look outside and see the washed out yellow tinted skies meaning IT’s BACK!
Air quality is “unhealthy for everyone “ again.
I asked my niece who is an officer in the airforce if they could please start cluster bombing Canada to make them stop with the wild fires.
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