In keeping with the space invaders theme from the previous post, I thought I’d jog your retro memories with a vintage one hit wonder from 1984 by the Earons. Their hit “Land of Hunger” was an interesting fusion of the electronic Euro sound from the era similar to Kraftwerk and Visage mixed with a bit of a reggae beat and vocal style – or stylie.
The Earons describe themselves as an Astro Funk band (not too many bands in that category I assure you) from Earon Earth and get their inspiration from the cosmic mythology teachings of Sun Ra, an eccentric Jazz musician who claimed to be from Saturn and part of the Angel race that preached peace and love above all. I shit you not. You can’t make this stuff up. He also happened to be one of the first musicians to extensively use electric keyboards and synthesizers in his music.
The Earons themselves all went by numerical stage names which included .28 (vocals), .33 (keyboards), .22 (guitar), .69 (bass) and .18 (drums) which if you add it all up comes to 1.7 which is pretty much the amount of time this song remained at number 1 on the Hot Dance chart in 1984.
Month: November 2009
Space Invaders Among Us
How much cooler would playing Space Invaders have been if the alien hordes looked more like the little guys below?
From the creative mind of designer Logan Walters comes a new take on an old foe. Now, how cool would it have been to wear the sweater below while playing Space Invaders back in the day? Probably not so much……….
Modern Mothers Know Best
In an earlier post, we saw how advertisers in the 50s dealt with the delicate subject of feminine hygiene. The fact that the product used for achieving the ultimate in feminine squeaky cleanliness was Lysol disinfectant, proved to be more disturbing than the ad itself.
In a similar ad, we now see how modern mothers of the 50s and 60s handled this delicate subject with their daughters.
Kind of rude I admit but that ad had nothing on the ad below that kind of illustrates what our 50s era modern mother was eluding to. Subtle like a brick to the side of the face. Yet another example of an ad designed and written by a man, sold by a man and bought by a man. Keep in mind – these are both real ads from back in the day.
Retro Arcade Game of the Day – Super Mario Brothers
Before Wii Sports became the best selling console game in the history of video games, there was Super Mario Brothers that was released by Nintendo in 1985. This game was the sequel to the very popular Mario Bros. game and has sold over 40 million copies worldwide.
This game helped put Nintendo’s gaming console on the map and was a major factor in the recovery of the video game industry after the crash of 1983. It’s inspired many clones, sequels, cartoons and spin offs but Mario remains one of the most popular and recognizable video game characters ever created. Many non gamers also know who Mario is – not too many characters can make that claim. Italian plumbers everywhere burst with pride on that thought.
Check out the flash version below!
Retro Video of the Day – Disco Double Shot
Being Thursday and oh so close to Friday, I thought I’d treat you all to a double shot of some classic retro Disco that is a little left of the usual Disco standards you normally hear during a Disco radio show or one of those retro nights at a club.
The first is Michael Zager Band’s “Let’s All Chant” from 1978 that reached #1 on the Disco singles chart and also crossed over to the Soul singles chart and made it to #15 and #36 in the Top 100 chart. The classic chant refrain of “ooah ooah” became a popular staple in many clubs during the 90’s and can still be heard today during many a retro set.
The first is Michael Zager Band’s “Let’s All Chant” from 1978 that reached #1 on the Disco singles chart and also crossed over to the Soul singles chart and made it to #15 and #36 in the Top 100 chart. The classic chant refrain of “ooah ooah” became a popular staple in many clubs during the 90’s and can still be heard today during many a retro set.
The second track is Kano’s “I’m Ready” from 1979. It’s one of those tracks you’ve heard samples of in other tunes but could never quite put your finger on it. The most recognizable track the melody was sampled for was Tag Team’s “Whooomp! (There It Is)” from 1993.
The Kano classic was the brainchild of a couple of Italian producers that helped form the basis of the new Italo-Disco genre from that era that was basically a blending of Disco and Funk. It was also an instant Break-Dance classic that helped paved the way for what is now Hip-Hop. It peaked at #21 on the R&B charts in the U.S. Can you remember roller skating to this one? Enjoy!
Retro Video Bonus !!
Retro Video Mashup of the Day – Golden Age of Video
Every once in a while you come across a video that really makes you marvel at the dedication a person can have towards their craft. In this case, it’s a clip titled “Golden Age of Video” which is made up of bits and pieces of classic movies and some retro gem TV shows.
I posted the version with sub-titles because it is amazing how the creator, Ricardo Autobahn managed to find and splice (is that even a proper term for editing anymore? Am I dating myself? Do I care?) together all these relevant bits of dialog so seamlessly that it proves he’s either really good at editing or has unbelievable amounts of time on his hands. Either way, I look forward to more!Enjoy.
Retro Ad of the Day – Coca Cola
I’ve been in a bit of a football kick these last few days probably a reaction to my five week winning streak in fantasy football but it got me thinking of some classic commercials featuring football. Obviously the Superbowls have given us some classics in recent years but in my retro world only one sticks out as a true feel good classic.
Coca Cola did an ad in 1979 featuring all-Pro Pittsburgh Steeler defensive back “Mean” Joe Greene which became an instant classic. They actually remade the commercial for Super Bowl XLIII featuring current Pittsburgh Steeler defensive back Troy Polomalu that had a bit of a twist from the original. Here they are together – see if you spot the subtle differences.
Retro Video of the Day – Lips Like Sugar
There are some bands that the minute you hear their music takes you straight back to the 80s and yet their music still holds up well in this era. Echo and the Bunnymen are one of those bands. They formed in Liverpool in 1978 and the original lineup included three members and a drum machine until 1980 when they recruited a real drummer. They chose the name because they wanted something that sounded kind of stupid – mission accomplished.
They released a number of great albums all with decent critical acclaim and a few classic hits per disc but the biggest and most memorable tracks have been The Cutter, The Killing Moon, Silver, Seven Seas and Bring on the Dancing Horses which was used on the soundtrack for John Hughes’ “Pretty in Pick” which is one killer soundtrack and a must for all retro lovers.
They released a number of great albums all with decent critical acclaim and a few classic hits per disc but the biggest and most memorable tracks have been The Cutter, The Killing Moon, Silver, Seven Seas and Bring on the Dancing Horses which was used on the soundtrack for John Hughes’ “Pretty in Pick” which is one killer soundtrack and a must for all retro lovers.
Retro Video Bonus !!