Thanks to Charlie Horse 47 and Killdumpster for their sponsorship of this post, via the magic of Patreon.
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At least, you might if your local recording studio was in Notting Hill.
That's because it was the month in which thirty-five of Britain and Ireland's mightiest pop stars - and Marilyn - got together in one room to become Band Aid and record the song Do They Know It's Christmas? in order to raise money for famine relief in Ethiopia.
I do acknowledge that some of those stars, such as Jody Watley, were clearly neither British nor Irish.
Regardless, that track would go on to become the biggest-selling single in UK history and hit the Number One slot on more than one occasion.
Elsewhere, it was good news for all God-fearing females because the General Synod of the Church of England finally supported the ordination of women as deacons. Having said that, it still didn't agree to them becoming full-blown priests.
Also elsewhere, the British and French governments announced their intention to find private funding for the construction of a Channel Tunnel. The tunnel - which had been first proposed in 1802 - was projected to open in the early 1990s. A target which would actually be met.
Across the ocean, Ronald Reagan defeated Democrat hopeful Walter Mondale in the US Presidential Election. Reagan won 59% of the popular vote - the highest percentage since Richard Nixon in 1972 - and picked up 49 states in the Electoral College, with Mondale only securing his home state of Minnesota, and the District of Columbia.
When it came to the UK singles chart, November launched with Chaka Khan's I Feel For You holding sway before it was dethroned by Jim Diamond's I Should Have Known Better. While the accompanying album chart greeted the month with Frankie's Welcome to the Pleasuredome on top before that was replaced by Wham's Make It Big which then had to subside before the onslaught of The Hits Album by those pesky Various Artists who just couldn't stop having hits.
It had to happen. With Conan the Destroyer rampaging through the cinemas of the world, Big Arnie makes the cover of Marvel UK's longest surviving monthly.
Starburst hits its 75th issue - and does so by looking at V, the television show which launched a million and one conspiracy theories about the world being ruled by reptile aliens disguised as people.
Elsewhere, it was good news for all God-fearing females because the General Synod of the Church of England finally supported the ordination of women as deacons. Having said that, it still didn't agree to them becoming full-blown priests.
Also elsewhere, the British and French governments announced their intention to find private funding for the construction of a Channel Tunnel. The tunnel - which had been first proposed in 1802 - was projected to open in the early 1990s. A target which would actually be met.
Across the ocean, Ronald Reagan defeated Democrat hopeful Walter Mondale in the US Presidential Election. Reagan won 59% of the popular vote - the highest percentage since Richard Nixon in 1972 - and picked up 49 states in the Electoral College, with Mondale only securing his home state of Minnesota, and the District of Columbia.
When it came to the UK singles chart, November launched with Chaka Khan's I Feel For You holding sway before it was dethroned by Jim Diamond's I Should Have Known Better. While the accompanying album chart greeted the month with Frankie's Welcome to the Pleasuredome on top before that was replaced by Wham's Make It Big which then had to subside before the onslaught of The Hits Album by those pesky Various Artists who just couldn't stop having hits.
Colin Baker gets the rare pleasure of being allowed on the cover of the magazine dedicated to the show he's the star of.
While, inside, Eric Saward reveals just what a script editor does.
Some may express surprise to discover Doctor Who in this era has a script editor.
But not me. I never doubted it for a second.
We also get Part Five of the comic strip The Voyager.
And we're treated to a preview of Vengeance on Varos and a look at the work of Ice Warriors' creator Brian Hayles.
It had to happen. With Conan the Destroyer rampaging through the cinemas of the world, Big Arnie makes the cover of Marvel UK's longest surviving monthly.
And he makes the inside too. Sort of. As the book gives us its adaptation of that very movie, as well as an interview with its star. And I do believe that adaptation is in colour!
But hold on. What's this? The mag seems to have merged with Mighty World of Marvel, which means we also encounter Night Raven, Magik and Showcase!
Less infamously, there's a look at the new fantasy adventure Streets of Fire, a film I've never heard of. While John Brosnan looks back at Tarzan films through the ages.
And, as if that wasn't enough for any reader, this issue also offers up reviews of The Company of Wolves and the aforementioned Conan the Destroyer.
Posts
30 comments:
Any of you ever see Various Artists in concert? Must have been incredible!
I started going to a youth club (there’s a phrase from the past) in 1984. It had a PA and twin turntables. Everyone used to bring their records along.
One night everyone was late and the only record we had for about half an hour was ‘I Feel For You’. The experience didn’t put me off it though, and nor did its recent misuse in a UK ad campaign. I love that record.
I was brought up by the music press to despise Marilyn for reasons I don’t really understand. But I fairly recently heard (insert appropriate pronoun here, I honestly don’t know how they identified then or now: I’m not taking the p*** here) record ‘Calling Your Name’ and I think it’s great.
Oh, so MWOM was merged into Conan? Weird. I never knew that. Why? Why not simply rebrand as Captain Britain? And carry over the reprints into that?
Yet again, an edition of Staburst I had but never read. I remember the first series of V being quite enthralling at the time, though Alan Moore obsessed me was miffed that the V slogan had been appropriated. There were more series, weren’t there? But I completely missed those.
Matthew - I went to a youth club too, but in 1985. The girls brought "Girls On Film" by Duran, Duran, and danced to it. Another one that sticks in my mind is 'Body Rock', by Maria Vidal. There were others, too - but my memory only seems to take a representative sample!
V was very powerful. Wasn't it the moment when face-peeled Diana was revealed to be a lizard-like creature (rather than a beautiful humanoid), the scene that shocked the audience beyond words? Confronting "the other" - that which is not us - on a fundamental level!
Phillip
Strike 'creature' & replace with 'monster' !
Phillip
Philip:
Yes, that was the moment that had viewers all a-buzz afterwards. Honestly, I was a bit surprised at the response — I was like, “People are freaking out because the Visitors are actually Lizard People in disguise? Really?” It seemed kinda corny and “Old Hat” to me at the time. I guess most people hadn’t been exposed to as much cheesy sci-fi pulp as I’d been.
It’s hilarious to me (and also kinda worrisome) that there are a large number of people today who firmly believe that the world is secretly being run by Lizard People disguised as humans. I mean, it’s a whole thing! I wonder if the Paranoid Fringies got the idea from seeing “V” or if it pre-dates the mini-series. Maybe it was started by a sub-sect of gullible folks who bought into the Shaver Mystery nonsense — or Scientologists…
Oh, and I hope you’re feeling better, Phillip:)
Steve:
I’m kind of amazed you’ve never heard of STREETS OF FIRE. Maybe it didn’t get much of a publicity push in the UK. Here in the States , Universal’s PR machine practically rammed it down our throats in the weeks leading up to its release — it was their big Summer Movie that year. When it finally opened, it was a huge bomb. I can’t recommend it, but it’s not terrible — just kinda half-assed and mediocre. Good soundtrack tho (The Blasters, The Fixx, Jim Steinman etc).
b.t.
b.t. - Yes, Lizard people - a former sport commentator, named David Icke, started a lot of that nonsense in the UK. If V didn't start lizard people, maybe it was Kirk fighting the Gorn. If lizard people are as slow as the Gorn, we've got nothing to worry about! And what about the Greys - did anybody conceive of big-eyed, spindly-limbed Greys before Close Encounters?
Thanks, b.t. - Hopefully, the antibiotics are kicking in, and I'm booking my chest X-ray tomorrow.
Phillip
Steve, Streets of Fire was a sort of vaguely dystopian retro/near future noir musical. Think a less stylish Brazil meets Grease. Only even worse than that sounds.
b.t. is mistaken, it is in fact a terrible film -
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lEOvn2IaLMM
The record I was most into this month was the 'World Destruction' 12" single by Time Zone, a collaboration between Afrika Bambata & John Lydon.
Great at the time, but perhaps it doesn't hold up so well now? I suppose you could say something similar about both Bambaataa and Lydon as individuals too...
Also, Frank Zappa's triple lp concept album 'Thing Fish' came out this month. Interesting to hear him talk about it on tv in late '84, with a bit of insight into the times -
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hSj43YppeVA
-sean
Matthew, the problem with carrying over material from MWOM into Captain Brexit was that #1 was still couple of months away (I think it came out in January '85).
And it was intended to feature only UK originated material - as part of a push to export the mag the US - so it couldn't have included Magik reprints anyway.
I find the weird thing about SSOC this month is that the cover price has gone by 10p, even though the other mags haven't changed. And it costs 15p more than this month's issue of Warrior (#24) which is made up entirely of new material!
-sean
The Band Aid song is being re-issued for its' 40th anniversary but this version is a mix of previous versions from 1984, 2004 and 2014 (the '89 one has been ignored). There's controversy this time because Ed Sheeran has said Band Aid's "white saviour" attitude is perpetuating damaging stereotypes about Africa. He's probably right and the whole thing is just a bit embarrassing nowadays but obviously "Sir" Bob Geldof doesn't agree.
As I recall, ITV showed V in the Summer of 1984 because the BBC had the Olympics.
Oh sean, you’re gonna make me defend STREETS OF FIRE? Jeez, how can I do that plausibly? Hmmm… wait, I got it!
Any movie that ends with the (admittedly charisma-free) blue collar hero and his nemesis (super-pasty-faced Willem Dafoe) swinging sledge-hammers at each other can’t be all bad.
Ehhh, okay… maybe it IS terrible.
b.t.
Sean -
I didn’t know those allegations against Bambaataa. That’s rough.
I also missed the fact MWOM merged into Conan. Quite a sad ending for Marvel UK’s flagship title (once removed). Still, I have high hopes for the new Captain Britain, and I’m sure I’ll get years of enjoyment from this.
Whilst the single was a bit crap, band aid seemed to come from a genuine desire to help. It also led to Live Aid, with that perfect hour from Queen, Bowie and the Who.
Phillip, I’m tardy but hope you’re feeling better.
DW
b.t.-
I didn't know ANYBODY ANYWHERE had ever seen Streets of Fire.
Not even the people who made it.
But it did give us Diane Lane.
For that I am grateful.
...and it also gave us Willem Dafoe, and he's pretty good too.
M.P.
Thanks, DW. I've just booked a chest X-ray for 12.45pm, today, at my local hospital. Incredible - that's fast service!
Phillip
M.P., was it not The Outsiders and Rumble Fish that gave us Diane Lane?
Apparently Heaven's Gate was Willem Dafoe's first film, but he was almost completely edited out of the final cut and didn't get a credit. Presumably he's disappointed that didn't also happen with Streets of Fire...
-sean
Sean - I also immediately thought of Rumble Fish, Diane Lane being Rusty James's fantasy. Not a brilliant part for an actress; but - nevertheless - a brilliant film to have a part in. Nothing else she's done immediately springs to mind. She had some new role, a few years ago, that got publicity - but I've completely forgotten what it was!
Phillip
It was Mr And Mrs Lane that gave us Diane Lane - if not for them, who would have played Judge Hershey opposite Sylvester Stallone in 1995's Judge Dredd movie?
Charlie enjoyed yesterday’s 3.5 hour performance of “THE MARRIAGE OF FIGARO” at the Lyric Opera yesterday, with Ms. Charlie. It is rightly considered one of the greatest operas ever.
That said, if Charlie was on his death bed and told he had 5 minutes to watch either BAND AID or FIGARO, he would opt for BAND AID.
Maybe the “Christmas” wording is clunky in today’s hyper-critical climate if one wants to suggest it is a covert attempt to encourage proselytizing. But it’s obviously not. Each paragraph ends in a thought-provoking line:
- Throw your arms around the world at Christmas time.
- Tonight we’re reaching out and touching you.
- Can they know it’s Christmas time at all?
- Heal the world.
This is hardly a bunch of pedantic platitudes. It is a call to action! And, “Christmas time“ is a simple metaphor for “peace (no more death by war) and material comfort (not starving to death).” Besides it was released at Christmas.
One could interpret FIGARO in a Christian context too. It involves the Count, rightfully occupying his position on the “TREE OF LIFE” as ordained by GOD! The Count only wants to exercise his DROIT de SEIGNEUR and sex up Susanna on her wedding night. But he is constantly being thwarted by those non-religious ones challenging his God-given legal right (His wife and Figaro). But like BAND AID, it’s a hell of a stretch to put it in a religious context.
Charlie likes BAND AID. He still has the extended single he bought in Germany in 1985. He plays it every year on his 40 year old stereo. He leaves the album cover out, conspicuously displayed. He tries to get his kids to listen to it, to show them that the people can be moved to help others.
Now it’s time to toil for the man…
Going to agree with Charlie here regarding Band Aid. Yes, it is a bit clunky in places, but it's heart was in the right place. And musically it was (in my opinion) much more memorable than the later "We Are the World" (certainly not bad, but pretty ordinary both harmonically and lyrically). When "Do They Know it's Christmas" came out over here, some of my college friends and I all trooped out to the mall record store to snag copies. We loved the purpose, the song, and the fact that it featured so many of our favorite performers. Apparently our group purchase wasn't enough to push the song up the Billboard chart sufficiently, it peaked at number 13...
According to Band Aid's critics the song stereotypes Africans as hopeless cases always needing help.
I've no objection to people actually doing something to help their fellow human beings, so fair play to Sir Bob for that (even if he is a knight of the British realm).
But the actual record does me cringe quite a bit.
The New Testament records that Philip the Evangelist baptized an Ethiopian court official (Acts 8: 26-28), and the Coptic Orthodox Church became the established church in Ethiopia from the time of the Axumite kingdom early in the 4th century tíl the fall of the Conquering Líon of Judah himself, Haile Selassie, in 1974.
So I expect Ethiopians did know it was Christmas.
-sean
Even more justification for the title Sean! Maybe Geldof was concerned Ethiopia would forget about Christmas in the middle of a mass famine and wanted to remind them!
STEVE - just curious, you rascal you, if women being accepted into the Church of England followed by “full blown priests” was deliberately worded to make the fast skimmer say “hold on there!”
Anon, the wording was purely inadvertent.
Phillip, on film appearances by Diane Lane a few years ago, were you maybe thinking of Martha Kent in Superman v Batman, and Justice League?
-sean
Sean, Bob Geldof's knighthood is only honorary so he's not Sir Bob.
I did not know that, Colin. It did seem a bit weird that he could be a British knight. Checking online, I see that he is actually Bob Geldof KBE - that is, a Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire - and would be Sir Bob if he became a British subject.
Kind of surprised he hasn't done that actually, given his remarks about the Easter Rising being a mistake because Ireland was better off in the British empire. Ffs what an eejit.
-sean
Streets of Fire, St. Elmo’s Fire a year later… wow. What are we to make of this?
Sean - Regarding Diane Lane, I've looked on the imdb, and I think it was the mini-series, 'Y: The Last Man'. Lane playing a woman president, the media was bigging it up, I think! Her role as Martha Kent should have caught my eye, but I haven't watched that many DC superhero movies. Another interesting DC actress is Emanuelle Chriqui ( Lorelei Martins, in the Mentalist ), who played Lana Lang, in Superman & Lois. That being said, the male lead was completely wrong for Superman, so I didn't continue with that series!
Phillip
I had no idea there was a Superman & Lois series tíl a few months back, Phillip. At a bit of a loose end and casually noticing it in the tv listing, I assumed the BBC were showing the old Dean Cain/Terri Hatcher series...
It was awful. Completely agree about the casting of Supes!
-sean
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