#101 U2

U2 makes their first appearance in the 1991 MusiCards set huddled together outdoors on card #101. Checklist shenanigans are afoot here, as U2 gets another card at #106, with four unrelated acts between them.

Spoiler alert, but this part of the checklist (again, more or less alphabetical) looks like this:

#99 Tina Turner
#100 Tina Turner
#101 U2
#102 UB40
#103 Jody Watley
#104 Karyn White
#105 Paul Young
#106 U2   <--- End of "pop" section
#107 Al B. Sure   <--- Start of "R&B/rap" section
#108 Al B. Sure

Perhaps there was another artist down at the end of the alphabet meant to have card #106 that had to be swapped out for some reason and so U2 filled in? (I'd like to believe Frank Zappa was penciled in there, LOL.) More likely is the guy at Pro Set in charge of correlating the set screwed up when assigning numbers again, like with the whole "Card #90" debacle. The janky order isn't really a big deal, of course; just something slightly interesting to point out as we make our way through the set.

Partially since I've again procrastinated until the last day of the month for the blog's monthly post, I think I'm going to keep the second U2 card in sequence and save it for later.

After a very slanted front photo, looks like The Edge got cropped out of the back shot. The second card, #106, doesn't even have a back photo, but rather just a big text "U2" in that space, so perhaps Pro Set was working with a limited number of band photos to choose from here, or simply had trouble fitting the four guys into the design. The blurb jumps right into lauding Joshua Tree, then lists the fellas, divulging the oh-so-secret real names of Bono and The Edge in the process.

U2 - "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For"

The Joshua Tree has in fact endured as the band's peak, as far as critical and commercial success, though they've put together an incredible body of work. It's amazing that they're still together with all the original members to this day. There can't be many other rock bands out there who've remained active for decades with no major lineup changes. It's my understanding that the guys split the money evenly, which must help with the longevity.

I was a little too young to be fully present for the Joshua Tree era, but Achtung Baby (1991) and Zooropa (1993) were right in my wheelhouse. I owned those CDs and loved them. I even had an Achtung Baby t-shirt that I rocked in high school, though I never saw them live. 

When I was first getting into the band, circa 1990, I made dubbed cassettes of their early albums I borrowed on tape from my cousin. Copies of copies, I didn't even have song titles and had to make up tracklistings based on my best guesses from the lyrics. LOL 

U2 - "A Day Without Me" (--not actually "Landslide in my Ego", as I first knew it as.)

Eventually I built up a better U2 library in my collection and learned the real names to their older songs. I loved all that stuff, though when 1997's Pop came out-- or more specifically the lead single "Discothèque"-- it didn't jive with me at all, and I never really picked up my fandom back to the level it was at before that. 

But yeah, what a run to begin their career:

Boy (1980)
October (1981)
War (1983)
The Unforgettable Fire (1984)
The Joshua Tree (1987)
Rattle and Hum (1988)
Achtung Baby (1991)
Zooropa (1993)

Those all get a thumbs up from me. Bono can get on your nerves sometimes, sure, but you gotta admit U2 had something special going there.

Welp, I gotta run, but for more U2 info, here's the link to their main Wikipedia page. And we'll circle back to them again soon at card #106.

Are you a U2 fan? Favorite songs of theirs? Let me know in the comments. Thanks!

#97-100 Tina Turner

Tina Turner has four consecutive MusiCards that we'll take a look at today. There's also a card of hers in the UK edition, as well as a "different font in logo" promo card (--notable for being the only one of those featuring a photo that didn't make it into the retail set). The picture on card #97 here looks like it could be a still from a music video, or maybe she was just putting on a little show for the photographer.

There was a fascinating documentary called Tina (2021) that did a great job of telling her story while she was still with us. 

Tina Turner - "Proud Mary"

Other than the back of #97 where she's sporting a denim jacket, all these pictures on her MusiCards are from just two photo shoots: "black dress, yellow background" or "sequin dress, white background", card #98 here being among the latter.

Kinda funny that the back picture of card #98 is also...

... the front picture of card #99.

Back to the black dress, yellow background.

"What's Love Got To Do With It" has always been a favorite of mine. 

According to the Trading Card Database, there are 50+ different Tina Turner cards out there dating back to 1972.

Pro Set really jammed as much text as they could fit into card #100, huh? That's probably beneficial for this post since I'm trying to be succinct, rushing to get this published on New Year's Eve to keep my streak of monthly posting alive. For more on Tina Turner's incredible life, check out her big Wikipedia entry; and Tina is probably still streaming on Max.

We finally hit triple-digits with this set as we close out 2024. The coming year will see another milestone as we alphabetically finish up the "Pop Artists" section and move into the "R&B/Rap" part of the Series 1 checklist.

Thanks as always for following along and please let me know in the comments if you've got any Tina Turner thoughts/memories/favorites to share.

1991 MusiCards Come To Life!

Happy New Year, everybody.

#96 Tiffany (+ Robin Sparkles bonus)

At first glance, you might think this is another card for Alannah Myles (#80-81), but nope, it's Tiffany. Seems this must be from a period when she was rebelling against her bubble gum 80s image, attempting to rebrand as a more serious artist.

I don't know much about Tiffany that isn't mentioned on the back of her lone MusiCard. I'm really only familiar with her one popular song, but I like it fine.

Tiffany - "I Think We're Alone Now"

"I Think We're Alone Now" was Tiffany's biggest hit, but as the back of the card mentions, her follow-up single "Could've Been" rode the momentum to #1 as well, so you can't call Tiffany a one-hit-wonder and get away with it to a music know-it-all.

Tiffany - "Could've Been"

But yeah, that dull ballad isn't quite as memorable as her peppier number one that has become the unofficial anthem of 80s mall fashion. I didn't even realize back then that "I Think We're Alone Now" was a cover of a Tommy James & the Shondells hit from 1967.

Tiffany Darwish has kept busy over the years. She still performs occasionally and released her 11th album in 2022.

Maybe Tommy James and/or the Shondells deserve a shot at a MusiCard-- they got some bangers like "Crimson and Clover" and "Draggin' the Line"-- but I'll go in another direction and make a custom for a fictional character inspired by Tiffany's "now-celebrated 1987 shopping mall tour".

This card is essentially an inside joke for those of us who've watched the sitcom How I Met Your Mother. In a memorable 2006 episode of the show, it's revealed that mild-mannered news reporter Robin Scherbatsky (played by Cobie Smulders) has a secret past: Turns out she was briefly a Canadian pop star in the 80s whose big song was "Let's Go to the Mall". There's a cheesy music video for it and everything. 

Robin Sparkles - "Let's Go to the Mall"

While that one was clearly a Tiffany-inspired parody, Robin Sparkles returned the following season with another unearthed song, "Sandcastles in the Sand", which took its queues from 80s pop ballads by three other artists we've already seen on the blog: Belinda Carlisle's "Circle in the Sand", Debbie Gibson's "Foolish Beat", and Martika's "Toy Soldiers".

Robin Sparkles - "Sandcastles in the Sand"

I don't think I've watched an episode of HIMYM since the finale (which I liked, btw, though my wife hated), and honestly I've forgotten most of that show's run, but those Robin Sparkles episodes were a treat. Maybe I'll do a re-watch of the series at some point? It was my wife's favorite show for a while back then and we own at least a couple seasons on DVD.

That'll wrap up this month's post. I wouldn't expect any of you regular readers to be big Tiffany fans, but who knows! Ha. Let me know in the comments if you've got thoughts to share regarding her or How I Met Your Mother.

#95 Sting

 

Here's Sting at #95 in the 1991 MusiCards checklist. The sinister smile and black turtleneck calls to mind the old "Sprockets" sketch from Mike Myers on SNL. This card also appears in the UK edition (with the logo dropped to the opposite corner, as they do). The Police have a pair of cards coming up later in series 2, but for now it's just Sting's solo career being featured.

The Soul Cages is the only Sting album I've ever owned, picking it up on cassette back when it was on the charts. I think "All This Time" was the single I liked enough to justify the purchase. Honestly, it was never one of my most-played tapes, and I'm not all that sentimental about it today, but it's a solid album. I also had a greatest hits cassette of The Police around that time, and later got their first album used on CD.

Sting - "All This Time"

Among other favorite Sting tracks for me are "Fortress Around Your Heart", "If I Ever Lose My Faith In You", and "Fields of Gold". He's continued putting out solo albums over the years, as well as a bit of acting here and there, with a big Wikipedia entry if you'd like to learn more. The Police did a reunion tour in 2007-2008 that was a huge financial success, though the guys decided not to carry on after the tour but rather split again.

We'll talk about The Police more when we eventually get to their pair of MusiCards in the second series. I thought about maybe making a custom for Dire Straits, seeing as Sting has a notable guest spot on "Money For Nothing", but turns out Dire Straits have a real MusiCard already, over in the UK edition. I'll just keep this post a short one instead.

Sting - "If You Love Somebody Set Them Free"

Thanks for reading and please speak up in the comments if you've got anything to add. Any particular Sting songs you dig?

#94 Simple Minds (+ Talking Heads bonus)

 
Simple Minds has card #94 in the '91 MusiCards set, though only frontman Jim Kerr is featured in the photo. Anyone know the significance of the picture in the background? This card has a twin in the UK edition (which unlike the US counterpart, is gracious enough to at least name the other bandmembers on the back).

Wordmark/logo on the back in lue of a second photo; that's somewhat of a rarity in this set. Simple Minds are a bigger deal across the pond; While they might be thought of by some in the States as a one-hit wonder, they've had five #1 albums in the UK.

Simple Minds - "Don't You (Forget About Me)"

The Breakfast Club soundtrack was one of the first cassettes I bought for myself, circa '88 (old news by then, as the film premiered in early 1985, but I was a kid catching up). You gotta love "Don't You (Forget About Me)" and its iconic use there. The 1989 album mentioned in the card's blurb didn't really hit in America, but I suppose the band further justified their case for Pro Set's inclusion when their 1991 album Real Life saw modest success with the singles "See the Lights", "Let There Be Love", and "Stand by Love". I remember hearing them on the radio often back then, but never saw them on MTV besides maybe "(Don't You)".

Simple Minds - "New Gold Dream"

Around that time, I borrowed an old cassette of their 5th album, New Gold Dream (81–82–83–84), from my cousin and copied some songs off it. A couple years later I picked up a used greatest hits CD (Glittering Prize), and it got regular rotations from me as a teen and twenty-something.

The lineup may have changed a bit, with only Jim Kerr and Charlie Burchill remaining as original members, but Simple Minds have done their best to make sure you don't forget about them, still alive and kicking all these years later. Their most recent studio album-- their 19th-- came out in 2022.

CUSTOM CORNER

When thinking of a band to pair up with Simple Minds, seems like the obvious choice is to go with Talking Heads, so let's do that. (Lou Reed, referenced on the card's back, would also have been a good one, but we'll save Lou for another day.)

Kind of surprising the Talking Heads didn't get a real MusiCard. They didn't formerly disband until December '91, but the writing was on the wall as the 80s came to a close and David Byrne wandered off to do other things. 

Talking Heads - "Burning Down the House"

But yeah, they were big in the 80s. My mom didn't listen to much "cool" music when I was growing up-- more into classical music with some "easy listening" adult contemporary on the side-- but I remember Talking Heads right along with the Beatles and Paul Simon filling the living room among my earliest exposure to music that got my attention. Little Creatures is probably the album we listened to the most together, often played on the stereo on a weekend afternoon while choring. Funny enough, I'd later come to find out that my favorite song on that album is her least favorite ("Television Man"). The 2CD collection Sand in the Vaseline also got a lot of play at home back then, as did the live album Stop Making Sense (where again, my favorite song was her least favorite ["Burning Down the House"]).

My aunt (the mom of the cousin I borrowed the Simple Minds tape from) was (still is?) also a big fan of the band. I remember one year for Christmas in my teenage years, I got her a live bootleg CD (Memories Can't Wait [Boston '79]), and I made sure to make myself a copy when I got a chance. And at least a couple times back then, I'd get her or my mom the latest David Byrne CD if I needed a gift idea. My best friend Doug thought they were a little weird at first-- resistant the first time I tried to play them while we hung out together-- but he came around.

Talking Heads - "Once in a Lifetime"

But enough of my personal reminiscences-- to give a quick bio, Talking Heads got their start in New York City in 1975, with the band consisting of David Byrne (vocals and guitar), Chris Frantz (drums), Tina Weymouth (bass) and Jerry Harrison (keyboards and guitar). With Byrne at the helm, the band's output evolved from a raw punkness in their early days to lush worldbeat soundscapes by the end. 

Byrne has kept it up as a solo artist and has also done some notable collaborations with Brian Eno and more recently St. Vincent. The other 3 continued to work together for a while (Tina and Chris have been married since '77, btw), but interpersonal conflicts and bad blood prevented any substantial Talking Heads reunion. One tidbit from their Wikipedia page is that the band was offered $80 million earlier this year to do a reunion tour including a performance at Coachella, but they (he?) turned it down. As it stands, the band's only reemergence since the original run was in 2002 when they performed 3 songs at their own Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony.

Ok, we'll wrap up the post here. Please let me know in the comments if you've got any thoughts to share regarding Simple Heads, Talking Minds, or whatever. :)

#93 Roxette (+ Rilo Kiley bonus)

 
Roxette has card #93 in the 1991 MusiCards set. They'll make a return appearance with a card in series 2, plus they've got three cards in the UK edition. I'd say this card here is another rare occurrence where the photo fits ok with the unwieldy border design.

That's an interesting quote, though a little strange to fill up the blurb. I don't remember "Dressed For Success" being the hit that the card claims, but "Listen To Your Heart" was huge, as was "It Must Have Been Love" from the Pretty Woman soundtrack. I got a bit tired of those couple songs getting played so much, but liked Roxette overall.

Roxette - "The Look"

After hearing "The Look" a few times in '89 and really liking it, I used some allowance money to buy Look Sharp! on cassette and listened to it a bunch back then. I still give the album a spin every so often and would put it right there with Forever Your Girl as an enduring personal favorite from my stint as a kid at the time listening to pop music. (Hesitating to use the term "guilty pleasure".)

By the time the follow-up album Joyride came out in 1991, my musical interests had shifted mostly to alternative rock, though I did kinda like the cheesy/catchy title-track.

Roxette - "Joyride"

They didn't get much attention in the US after that album, but the duo was active on-and-off over the years with scattered releases and live performances until Marie Fredriksson sadly lost her fight with brain cancer in 2019. The guy, Per Gessle, has been keeping the name Roxette alive by sharing rare tracks and the like, recently bringing in another Swedish singer, Lena Philipsson, for incarnation 2.0 of Roxette as an active act, with some touring planned for 2025.

For further information, there's a pretty massive Wikipedia entry for Roxette. We'll revisit when we get to their card in series 2, but that's probably enough for now.

CUSTOM CORNER

I figured I'd pair up Roxette with another musical favorite boy+girl dynamic of mine.

Funny thing here is I actually photoshopped up this custom way back in 2019-- the before times! Yeah, I had originally planned to feature them as the Custom Corner bonus for the John Lennon card in the Legends subset-- the loose connection being RK covered a John Lennon song live once-- but then changed my mind and had this custom waiting around for its time to shine. I thought I was pretty clever working the logo into an arm rest.

Rilo Kiley has been a huge part of my life, as far as bands go. I've already written about them a few times on my baseball card blog, showing off some autographs and stuff while talking about how I got into the band, so I won't rehash it too much here, but the short version is they were my favorite band of the 00s (or maybe second only to Neutral Milk Hotel) and I ended up meeting my wife through our mutual appreciation.

Rilo Kiley - My Slumbering Heart

Quick bio: Former child actors Jenny Lewis and Blake Sennett started playing music together in the late 90s, filling out the band with Pierre "Duke" de Reeder and drummer Dave Rock (later replaced by Jason Boesel). They put out a few CDs and eventually signed with Warner Bros. for their major-label debut which turned out to be their swansong. Jenny Lewis has gone on to modest success as a solo artist, while Blake has kept busy and done some producing.

But yeah, they were a fun band in the aughts to follow and be a part of their fanbase (I was a moderator on their main fan forum, which was pretty hoppin' for a few years there). I had a lot of fun attending their So. Cal shows (I think I saw them 8 times) and-- in addition to meeting my wife-- made a lot of friends in that community, some of which are still online pals today.

I've lost touch with my buddy Vegan/Greg who took this photo, but I'll be forever grateful to him for documenting an incredible moment in my life when Jenny sauntered up to me in the front row and we sang a few bars of "With Arms Outstretched" together at a show in January 2004. I also have video of the entire set and shared it on YouTube earlier this year for the 20th anniversary. Not even counting my big moment in the sun (which didn't really get caught on the video), it would rank high among my favorite live shows. Fun band. It might be nice if they did the whole "reunion tour" thing someday.

Rilo Kiley - Wires & Waves

How about you readers? Ever listen much to either Roxette or Rilo Kiley? Feel free to let me know in the comments and thanks for stopping by.

#91-92 Lionel Richie (+ a music card mailday)

Got a double dose of Lionel Richie for ya today. Card #91 here features a fun live photo, though a bit grainier than ideal. The border cutting off Lionel's outstretched hand is another knock against the card, but I suppose you can get a chuckle by pretending he's flipping the bird or something.

I watched the doc on "We Are The World" earlier this year and was fascinated by how that all came together. I hadn't previously realized just how much Lionel spearheaded that project with Quincy Jones and Michael Jackson.

USA For Africa - "We Are The World"

Card #92 has another pic from the photographers area by the stage of a live performance, similar vantage point of the previous card, but this time we get to see both hands in action. Seems to be from the same show as the back photo of #91, evidenced by the striped jacket.

A standard promo headshot breaks the string of concert photos. I didn't know he started as a saxophonist. That's cool.

Lionel Richie - "All Night Long (All Night)"

As a kid, I remember Can't Slow Down being one of the first CDs we had in the house. I loved "All Night Long", but otherwise didn't play the disc much, just remember always seeing the album cover as I'd flip through my mom's small collection of non-classical CDs.

I also dig that song's spiritual successor, "Dancing on the Ceiling". "You Are" is another upbeat Lionel Richie fav of mine. And his hit ballads are fine in moderation too-- talking 'bout the likes of "Hello", "Endless Love", and "Stuck on You". I think he's been a judge on one of those singing competition shows for a while, and otherwise keeps busy these days with charity work and occasional live performances.

By the way, the Commodores also have their own MusiCard, so we're penciled in to give them a closer look at card #295 in Series 2.

INCOMING CORNER

Instead of a Custom Corner today, here's a surprise PWE I got recently from ol' blog buddy, Zippy Zappy. Normally cardboard maildays like this would be covered on my main blog, Baseball Card Breakdown, but since all five of the cards in the envelope were music related, I figured I'd bump the content over here to my music-focused outlet.

Tupac 2013 Panini Black Friday - HRX
- Cool card of a legendary name in hip hop. Digital Underground (an act Tupac worked with coming up) has MusiCards, but I don't think he's featured in those photos.

J. Cole feat. Wale 2013 Mann Center
- I'm not all that familiar with these artists, but love the concert promo cards that the Mann Center (an outdoor music venue in Philadelphia) put out for a while a decade ago featuring cartoon art on classic card designs. I suggest you do an eBay search for "Mann Center trading card" to check out some of the others.. trust me; fun stuff for card dorks like us! I've already got the Neutral Milk Hotel card from the set and wouldn't mind adding others.

Joe Guese / The Click Five

Turns out the Click Five were a power pop band out of Boston in the aughts who put out an album called Greetings From Imrie House (2005), with at least some copies coming with promo trading cards of the band, such as this one featuring lead guitarist Joe Guese. Gotta respect the Mod style commitment of rocking out under hot lights in a suit and tie.

Barry Manilow 1991 Starline Hollywood Walk of Fame

Manilow doesn't have a MusiCard, and this '91 Starline card is the most "mainstream trading card" release of the few collectible items listed at TCDB under his name. Not sure what Kenny was doing with this one! Ha. But yeah, Barry's got some fun songs in his iconic songbook.

The Rolling Stones 2014 Topps Heritage - News Flashbacks

This one's a baseball card, technically. The Stones have a MusiCard but only in the UK set. Heritage gave them back-to-back News Flashback inserts. I already had the 2013 card, and this one from '14 completes the pairing for me. Nice!

Here's a photo of the backs.

Thanks a lot, Zippy! Solid additions to my modest collection of various music trading cards.

Anywho, I hope you readers are having a pleasant-enough summer! Please chime in down in the comments if you've got any thoughts to share on Lionel Richie or any of the zapped cards above.