COMIC BOOK COVER GALLERY: Heroes (and others) in space, as seen in comics acquired in the '60s, '70s, and '80s

Space! Given that fact that the superhero explosion in comic books began with the 1938 debut of a strange visitor from another planet, it's fitting that space and its cosmic accoutrements have been such a pervasive and prevailing aspect of four-color adventures for nearly nine decades. As Artemis returns to Earth this week, Comic Book Cover Gallery directs its telrescopic gaze to the moon, the stars, and the endless final frontier of the heavens themselves. Look! Up in the sky...!

As always, we'll be sticking exclusively to the '60s-'80s era of acquisition I've established for these galleries. Today's selection includes books I bought new, back issues I acquired after the fact (but within the timeline), and B-stock contraband originally purchased without their covers. These aren't actual photos of comics in my collection; most images are courtesy of the Grand Comics Database, which is grand indeed. But I did have each and every one of 'em at some point in time.

If you like what you see here on Boppin' (Like The Hip Folks Do), please consider a visit to CC's Tip Jar. You can also become a Boppin' booster on my Patreon page.

I compiled a various-artists tribute album called Make Something Happen! A Tribute To The Flashcubes, and it's pretty damned good; you can read about it here and order it here. My new book The Greatest Record Ever Made! (Volume 1) is now available, and you can order an autographed copy here. You can still get my previous book Gabba Gabba Hey! A Conversation With The Ramones from publisher Rare Bird Books, OR an autographed copy here. If you like the books, please consider leaving a rating and/or review at the usual online resources.

This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio with Dana & Carl airs Sunday nights from 9 to Midnight Eastern, on the air in Syracuse at SPARK! WSPJ 103.3 and 93.7 FM, streaming at SPARK stream and on the Radio Garden app as WESTCOTT RADIO. You can read about our history here.

THE GREATEST RECORD EVER MADE! Strawberry Alarm Clock, "Incense And Peppermints"

Drawn from a previous post, this is not part of my book The Greatest Record Ever Made! (Volume 1).

An infinite number of tracks can each be THE greatest record ever made, as long as they take turns. Today, this is THE GREATEST RECORD EVER MADE!

THE STRAWBERRY ALARM CLOCK: Incense And Peppermints

Written by John S. Carter and Tim Gilbert [based on instrumental ideas by Mark Weitx and Ed King]

Produced by Frank Slay and Bill Holmes

Single, Uni Records, 1967

Going out to the Z-man, wherever he is. It's my happening, and it freaks me out!

I don't remember if I knew Strawberry Alarm Clock's "Incense And Peppermints" at the time of its 1967 chart reign--I was seven years old, but it's possible--or if I came to embrace the song after the fact. If the latter, I may have heard of the 1970 sexploitation film Beyond The Valley Of The Dolls before I knew "Incense And Peppermint;" I certainly didn't see the movie itself until many, many years later, and I didn't know that Strawberry Alarm Clock appeared in it, but I saw a Beyond The Valley Of The Dolls pictorial in Playboy, and that got my adolescent attention. (What business did a ten-year-old have reading Playboy? The business of staring at unclothed women. Plus articles, I guess.)

But yeah, in addition to the pulchritudinous charms of its actresses, Beyond The Valley Of The Dolls presented Strawberry Alarm Clock in a party scene, lip-syncing their hit from a few years back, and then doing the same with two new songs for the soundtrack LP (as well as pretending to back up the film's fictional combo the Carrie Nations).

Unlike the Carrie Nations, the Strawberry Alarm Clock kept their clothes on. Who cares what games we choose?

Little to gain, but nothing to lose. "Incense And Peppermint" was the group's only big hit, (though "Tomorrow" did make the Top 40 at # 23). But man, they earned that one hit, and one hit is one more freakin' hit than most of us ever achieve. The Strawberry Alarm Clock's one hit still buzzes like the audible psychedelic flash of a black light custom-fitted for AM radio. A yardstick for lunatics? That's one point of view. Good sense, innocence, cripplin' mankind. Beyond any valley of dolls, the sound of the Strawberry Alarm Clock is but one of many things I can't define. Turn on. Tune in. Turn your eyes around. And to hell with the Z-man anyway.

If you like what you see here on Boppin' (Like The Hip Folks Do), please consider a visit to CC's Tip Jar. You can also become a Boppin' booster on my Patreon page.

I compiled a various-artists tribute album called Make Something Happen! A Tribute To The Flashcubes, and it's pretty damned good; you can read about it here and order it here. My new book The Greatest Record Ever Made! (Volume 1) is now available, and you can order an autographed copy here. You can still get my previous book Gabba Gabba Hey! A Conversation With The Ramones from publisher Rare Bird Books, OR an autographed copy here. If you like the books, please consider leaving a rating and/or review at the usual online resources.

This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio with Dana & Carl airs Sunday nights from 9 to Midnight Eastern, on the air in Syracuse at SPARK! WSPJ 103.3 and 93.7 FM, streaming at SPARK stream and on the Radio Garden app as WESTCOTT RADIO. You can read about our history here.

Fake THIS IS ROCK 'N' ROLL RADIO Playlist: Records purchased in Buffalo, NY and its vicinity

This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio with Dana & Carl is simply too large a concept to be neatly contained within a mere three-hour weekly time slot. Hence these occasional fake TIRnRR playlists, detailing shows we're never really going to do...but could.

Following last week's phonus-balonus playlist of records I bought in Brockport, NY 1977-2012, we have a similar programming concept of tunes I snagged in Buffalo and its surrounding area,1982 to...2023, or so? I moved to Buffalo in 1982, lived there for not quite five years, and have been back for many visits since then. I picked up a Moby Grape compilation CD on a '23 visit to the Queen City, so the stated time frame seems right.

The ups 'n' downs of my life in Buffalo were detailed in my 1980s memoir The Road To GOLDMINE. I worked for a record store chain for some of that time, and this playlist deliberately excludes the many promo LPs and 45s I snagged in that capacity. Today, we're only considering LPs, 45s,, and (later) CDs that I purchased new or used from some retail or private vendor in Erie County: Apollo Records (run by none other than Bomp! magazine's Gary Sperrazza!). Home Of The Hits, The Record Theatre, Cavages, The Record Mine, whatever record and stereo equipment place was in University Plaza before Record Theatre moved in, a church rummage sale in the basement under the day care where my wife worked, and a bunch of others. Boost Buffalo, it's good for you. 

Let's GO, Buffalo!

This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio with Dana & Carl--y'know, the real one--airs Sunday nights from 9 to Midnight Eastern, on the air in Syracuse at SPARK! WSPJ 103.3 and 93.7 FM, and on the web at http://sparksyracuse.org/ You can read all about this show's long and weird history here: Boppin' The Whole Friggin' Planet (The History Of THIS IS ROCK 'N' ROLL RADIO). TAX DEDUCTIBLE DONATIONS are always welcome.

The many fine This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio compilation albums are still available, each full of that rockin' pop sound you crave. A portion of all sales benefit our perpetually cash-strapped community radio project:

Volume 1: download
Volume 2: CD or download
Volume 3: download
Volume 4: CD or download
Waterloo Sunset--Benefit For This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio:  CD or download

Volume 5: CD or download

Fake TIRnRR Playlist: Records I purchased in Buffalo, NY and its vicinity

* indicates an act I saw perform in Western New York when I lived there

*THE REDUCERS: Let's Go (Rave On, Let's Go)

*THE BANGLES: All About You (Columbia, All Over The Place)

ROKY ERICKSON: Don't Slander Me (Dynamic, single)

VANITY: Pretty Mess (Motown, single)

MOBY GRAPE: Omaha (Columbia, Vintage)

*THE RAMONES: In The Park (Sire, Subterranean Jungle)

--

FOOLS FACE: Nothing To Say (Talk, Tell America)

*EDDIE MURPHY: Party All The Time (Columbia, single)

HÜSKER DÜ: Eight Miles High (SST, single)

X: True Love (Elektra, More Fun In The New World)

GENE PITNEY: It Hurts To Be In Love (Musicor, Greatest Hits Of All Times)

*LET'S ACTIVE: Blue Line (IRS, Cypress)

--

ARETHA FRANKLIN: Respect (Atlantic, single)

BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN: My Hometown (Columbia, single)

THE LONG RYDERS: Lights Of Downtown (Island, State Of Our Union)

"WEIRD AL" YANKOVIC: Yoda (Scotti Brothers, Dare To Be Stupid)

*THE KINKS: State Of Confusion (Arista, State Of Confusion)

*THE VIPERS: Tears (Only Dry) (PVC, Outta The Nest!)

--

*PRINCE AND THE REVOLUTION: When Doves Cry (Warner Brothers, Purple Rain)

THE MYSTICS: Valley Of Indecision (Lolita, Dandies Are Back)

DOCTOR AND THE MEDICS: Barbara Can't Dance (IRS, Laughing At The Pieces [UK])

EDDY GRANT: I Don't Wanna Dance (Portrait, Killer On The Rampage)

THE PANDORAS: Stop Pretending (Rhino, Stop Pretending)

*THE RESTLESS: I Wanna Know (Mercury, The Restless)

--

ON THE AIR: Even Try (Rhino, VA: The Girls Can't Help It)

*LYRES: Help You Ann (Ace Of Hearts, On Fyre)

*CULTURE CLUB: Church Of The Poison Mind (Epic, Colour By Numbers)

JAMES BROWN AND THE FAMOUS FLAMES: Cold Sweat--Part 1 (King, single)

THE CICHLIDS: Did You Ever (Bold, Be True To Your School)

R.E.M.: Burning Hell (IRS, 12" single)

--

*THE CHESTERFIELD KINGS: I've Gotta Way With Girls (Mirror, single)

THE SCRUFFS: Teenage Girls (Power Play, single)

THE DAVE CLARK FIVE: At The Scene (Epic, More Greatest Hits)

*JOAN JETT AND THE BLACKHEARTS: Frustrated (MCA, Glorious Results Of A Misspent Youth)

TINA TURNER: Better Be Good To Me (Capitol, Private Dancer)

THE BARRACUDAS: Grammar Of Misery (Closer, Mean Time)

--

WHAM!: Freedom (Epic, Make It Big)

THE EVERLY BROTHERS: On The Wings Of A Nightingale (Mercury, EB 84)

EL DEBARGE: Who's Johnny? (Gordy, single)

*BILLY JOEL: An Innocent Man (Columbia, An Innocent Man)

THE RECORDS: Imitation Jewelry (Virgin, Music On Both Sides)

*THE WAITRESSES: Square Pegs (Polydor, I Could Rule The World If I Could Only Get The Parts)

--

EDWIN STARR: War (Gordy, single)

*JOHNNY THUNDERS: M.I.A. (Jungle, Que Sera Sera)

SIMPLE MINDS: Don't You (Forget About Me)

*TALKING HEADS: Burning Down The House (Sire, single)

THE LOLLIPOP SHOPPE: You Must Be A Witch (BFD, VA: Pebbles Vol. 8)

THE NOMADS: Have Love Will Travel (Sounds Interesting, VA: The Rebel Kind)

THE MOD FRAMES: I Don't Want To Cry (Hit, single)

THE MEMBERS: Working Girl (Arista, Uprhythm Downbeat)

--

*THE FLESHTONES: American Beat '84 (IRS, 12" single)

JOHN COUGAR MELENCAMP: R.O.C.K. In The U.S.A (A Salute To 60's Rock) (Riva, single)

ARTISTS UNITED AGAINST APARTHEID: Sun City (Manhattan, single)

THE MARVELETTES: The Hunter Gets Captured By The Game (Tamla, single)

THE GO-GO'S: Turn To You (IRS, Talk Show)

THE HOODOO GURUS: I Want You Back (A & M, Stoneage Romeos)

WILSON PICKETT: Hey Jude (Atlantic, single)

*THE MONKEES: That Was Then, This Is Now (Arista, single)

--

THE SPORTS: Who Listens To The Radio? (Arista, Don't Throw Stones)

*THE CLASH: Should I Stay Or Should I Go (Epic, Combat Rock)

*THE ANIMALS: [If the K-Tel compilation Brenda won from a Buffalo radio station qualified, I could have listed "The Night']

COMIC BOOK COVER GALLERY: Cowboys and Western characters (sometimes with superheroes!) in comics acquired in the '60s, '70s, and '80s

My first published fiction sale was a Western short story called "The Last Ride Of The Copperhead Kid." I wrote it in 2019, sold it to the good folks at AHOY Comics, who published it that same year in the pages of The Second Coming # 5. This week, AHOY is reprinting the story in Toxic Crusaders # 5 (as mentioned here), and my Western story's return to comic book shops provides a good excuse to slap together a Comic Book Cover Gallery dedicated to cowboys and other characters and themes often seen in Westerns.

As always, we'll be sticking exclusively to the '60s-'80s era of acquisition I've established for these galleries. Today's selection includes books I bought new, back issues I acquired after the fact (but within the timeline), and B-stock contraband originally purchased without their covers. These aren't actual photos of comics in my collection; most images are courtesy of the Grand Comics Database, which is grand indeed. But I did have each and every one of 'em at some point in time.

If you like what you see here on Boppin' (Like The Hip Folks Do), please consider a visit to CC's Tip Jar. You can also become a Boppin' booster on my Patreon page.

I compiled a various-artists tribute album called Make Something Happen! A Tribute To The Flashcubes, and it's pretty damned good; you can read about it here and order it here. My new book The Greatest Record Ever Made! (Volume 1) is now available, and you can order an autographed copy here. You can still get my previous book Gabba Gabba Hey! A Conversation With The Ramones from publisher Rare Bird Books, OR an autographed copy here. If you like the books, please consider leaving a rating and/or review at the usual online resources.

This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio with Dana & Carl airs Sunday nights from 9 to Midnight Eastern, on the air in Syracuse at SPARK! WSPJ 103.3 and 93.7 FM, streaming at SPARK stream and on the Radio Garden app as WESTCOTT RADIO. You can read about our history here.