#103 Jody Watley (+ Chappell Roan bonus)

Between this and the previous low-resolution UB40 photo, I needed to check my cards to make sure my new all-in-one printer didn't do a poor job scanning the images. But no, it's just a slightly blurry photo used for the MusiCard.

When I think "Jody Watley", I think of the no-nonsense sassy gal from the "I'm Looking For a New Love" video, so it's kinda weird to see her with such a big smile here.

And here she is on the back with a less jovial facial expression from the same "black turtleneck, white background" photoshoot.

I remember liking "Looking For A New Love" back when it was getting airplay. I thought Jody Watley was a new artist at the time-- she won the Grammy for Best New Artist in 1988, after all-- but as the card back implies, she already had many years of experience under her belt by that point.

Checking out more of her stuff now, there are a few other tunes that are familiar to me from my days listening to pop radio in the late 80s, such as (Want Me,) "Don't You Want Me" and (You Were My) "Everything", that I hadn't realized (or forgot) were Jody Watley tracks. I also dig "The Second Time Around" by Shalamar, and wasn't aware Jody Watley was in that group before going solo.

Turning to her Wikipedia entry to dig in a little more, she's put out 9 studio albums, most recently 2006's The Makeover. Since then, she's also put together a new incarnation of Shalamar, first called "Shalamar Reloaded", then "SRL", before morphing into "Jody Watley & SRL".

CUSTOM CORNER

To go with 1988's Best New Artist winner, I thought I'd whip up a custom for the most recent winner of that particular Grammy Award.

 

I watched Chappell Roan perform a couple tracks on Saturday Night Live last year, and while I'm certainly not in her target demographic, I could dig it.

Chappell Roan - "After Midnight"

She sort of strikes me as like a more bawdy version of Taylor Swift, but I'm a middle-aged dude, so what do I know? (Don't want any young fans who stumble upon this post to be upset with me! lol)

But yeah, Chappell Roan originally debuted with a folky EP in 2017 that didn't see much success, but then she took a few years and returned with The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess (2023). That album was a big hit and lead to her being nominated for all the "Big Four" awards at the 2025 Grammies, ultimately winning Best New Artist.

That's it for this time. As always, let's hear it in the comments if you've got anything to add or just wanna give your 2¢ on either artist.

#102 UB40 (+ Neil Diamond bonus)

Seven guys from UB40 pose for a photo that would go on to be used on 1991 MusiCards #102. The two guys in the back seem to be standing in front of engraved text; perhaps a memorial or something? The band's Wikipedia page has one of those handy "band member timeline" charts, and according to that, there were 8 people in the band at the time, though I'm not sure who got left out here. I gotta wonder if the omitted guy was there sitting on the side and just got cropt out of the card (but then wouldn't it have made more sense to orient this card horizontally? And seeing how this particular photo is so low-resolution, you'd think there must've been a better option!). As the Trading Card Database shows, UB40 has several cards (if stickers or playing cards) from the 80s, many of which manage to squeeze in all 8 musicians just fine.

Another thing to mention here-- you probably have to be a big MusiCardork like myself to notice, but the band name text appears to be bold on this card compared to the rest of the set.

In the above pic, you can tell the "U" in UB40 is thicker than the "U" in U2 or Tina tUrner. Just another of the set's quirks thanks to a lax QC department at Pro Set, I suppose. Not sure if there are other emboldened cards in the set, but I'll keep an eye out as the blog advances. And by the way, the same UB40 card (front) is repeated in the UK edition, but with the Super Stars logo moved to the opposite corner, and the band name isn't bold on that one.

I wasn't aware of the Russian love or the name origin, so that's cool. Crazy how "Red Red Wine" was recorded by UB40 back in 1982, released to little attention in 1983, and then eventually became a #1 hit in 1988, ignited by a televised performance.

UB40 - "Red Red Wine" (live 1988)

Another funny thing about the UB40 track is they were actually covering a different reggae cover of the song (by Tony Tribe), and didn't realize Neil Diamond originally wrote it until after their version was released.

Another cover song, the Elvis standard "(I Can't Help) Falling in Love with You", got them back to #1 in 1993, but things settled down for them after that. UB40 is still technically around since forming in 1978, though they've lost some original members over the years and haven't done a whole lot this decade.

I consider myself a casual UB40 fan and have put together a playlist of my favorite songs of theirs that I remember hearing on the radio back in the early 90s:

Red Red Wine (LP)
The Way You Do The Thing You Do
Here I Am (Come and Take Me)
One In Ten
Cherry Oh Baby
(I Can’t Help) Falling in Love With You
Where Did I Go Wrong
If It Happens Again
Rat In Mi Kitchen (LP)

Notating "LP" a couple times here because you have to go with the long versions over the single edits that cut out the best stuff.

UB40 - "Rat in Mi Kitchen"

Oh wow, love this song and didn't realize until just now that it's the great Herb Alpert on trumpet. I learn a lot doing this blog! ha

He got name-checked on the back on the UB40 card, but Neil Diamond probably deserves his own MusiCard, eh?

Mixing things up with a Legends subset custom. He seems to be strumming a D chord here, I think.

I heard a lot of Neil Diamond as a kid thanks to him being one of my mom's favorite artists at the time. His schmaltzy ballads never did much for me, but stuff like (They're Coming to) "America" (Today!), "Cracklin' Rosie", and "Forever in Blue Jeans" are fun songs. And of course there's "Sweet Caroline" that everyone loves singing along to (or maybe hates by this point?), a familiar song at sporting events, perhaps most notably for baseball fans, at Red Sox home games.

Mr. Diamond is still with us at age 84, though he has retired from touring and unfortunately has Parkinson's disease slowing him down now. For further reading on his impressive career, here's the link to his Wikipedia entry.

Thanks as always for taking a moment to stop by. If you've got any thoughts to share regarding UB40 or Neil Diamond, I'd love to hear it in the comments below.

#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. :)