Throw on your gold chains and head to the barber for a fresh cut as we take you back to the 80's! Without further ado, here is the 20 Years Before 2000 THROWBACK JAM OF THE WEEK!
Artist: The System Song: Don't Disturb This Groove Album: Don't Disturb This Groove (1987) Peak Billboard Hot 100 Position: 4 Bonus Fun Fact: This song hit #1 on the Billboard R&B Singles Chart and was sampled by Tupac on his song "Lost Souls" which was part of the Gang Related movie soundtrack in 1997.
Recently my kids have become more interested in the NBA due to the fact that we watched a lot of the playoffs this year. I grew up in NJ and I am a Nets fan. This year they made it to game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals, which is the furthest they've made it since they went to back to back NBA Finals in the early 2000's. Needless to say, there were more games on the TV than in years past. I wanted to do something for the kids to help their budding interest in the sport, so I went to a local card store to pick them up some packs of cards. The prices on the new stuff was outrageous!
But, I was able to get a box of 1991 FLEER for about $20. I brought it home and the kids were excited. We are a busy family, so we had to wait a few days to bust some packs and when we did I was transported back to when I was 10 years old looking for cards of Drazen Petrovic, Derrick Coleman and my favorite Net...Chris Morris! As we began the opening, I told the kids to be on the lookout for the randomly inserted "ProVisions" cards. These were a big deal back in the day and we got 4 of the 6 cards in the set. We only missed out on Magic Johnson and Charles Barkley. I also told them to keep their eyes peeled for Michael Jordan cards. Of course they know Michael from Space Jam, but I kept giving them nuggets of info on him and the other players we were unwrapping as the day went on.
We got some good stuff in this box. A few NJ Nets cards, some Hall of Famers and of course Michael "Air" Jordan. Here is a look at the MJ cards we now have in the collection.
In addition to the 1991 FLEER box, I picked up a pack of 1989 NBA Hoops. That was the last pack we opened and lo and behold, there was a Jordan in the pack!
I love the look of the cards and like I said earlier, it was a nice blast of nostalgia and I had a blast opening packs with my kids. I may have to go back to the card shop soon and pick up a few more boxes. The was a Donruss box from the 90's that may be fun and if we're lucky maybe we can score some Bo Jackson cards!
The comic book I am most excited to read this week is... DARKHAWK #1 (W) Kyle Higgins (A) Juanan Ramirez (CA) Iban Coello Who is the ALL-NEW DARKHAWK? Connor Young is a seventeen-year-old star basketball player with the world ahead of him, until a surprising medical diagnosis changes everything. But what happens when a mysterious amulet finds him and gives him powers beyond belief? What will he do with these new abilities? Get in on the ground floor as KYLE HIGGINS (RISE OF ULTRAMAN, Radiant Black) and JUANAN RAM REZ (WEB OF VENOM) start a new era. SRP: $4.99 Synopsis Provided By: PreviewsWorld.com
Throw on your colorful leather jacket and head to get some wings in Buffalo, NY as we take you back to the 80's! Without further ado, here is the 20 Years Before 2000 THROWBACK JAM OF THE WEEK!
Artist: Joe Public
Song: Live and Learn
Album: Joe Public (1992)
Peak Billboard Hot 100 Position: 4
Bonus Fun Fact: This song was ranked as #16 on Complex.com's list of the 25 best "New Jack" songs of all time. Joe Public served as the backup band to Boyz II Men, Shanice and Kriss Kross. They were also the hosts of the 90's VHS release "NBA JAMS MUSIC VIDEO".
Back in 1988 I was 7 years old and had my first experience with what would become one of my all-time favorite cartoons, toys & comics...the TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES! That's right, my first exposure to the TMNT was via the Playmates Toys action figures. Myself and my older brother were drug along on another boring shopping trip to Kmart with my Mom. It seemed like those trips with her to the local stores like Ames and Shelby's in Newton, NJ took forever, but at least when we went out there was always the possibility that we would get a new toy based on behaviors. If we were good, didn't fight and kept from complaining, the chances of getting a toy were doubled. Also, Kmart was our favorite because it meant that there was also the chance we could grab lunch at the Kmart Cafe! Remember them? I loved their bacon cheeseburgers and hot dogs!!! Anyway, on this one trip to Kmart, my brother and I bolted to the toy section as usual, but this time there was something new on the pegs that really caught our eye and piqued our imagination. They were green, they were ninjas and they had AWESOME weapons! I grabbed a Donatello and my brother picked Raphael and we ran to my Mom. We hoped she would let us get these toys and after some persuading, she did!
A few trips later, Kmart had all of their Ninja Turtles toys on sale and my Mom in a moment of weakness bought us almost the entire first wave of figures. This time I got Leonardo, Rocksteady & a Foot Soldier and my brother was able to add Michelangelo, Shredder, Splinter and Bebop! He got one extra figure, I guess he was the favorite son. Below is a photo of those very Ninja Turtle toys! I still have them today and they hold a special place in my heart & collection almost 33 years later!
Now our collection was growing and we would bring our action figures over to our friends house and have epic battles of good versus evil in the backyard. A short time later we were introduced to the cartoon at a friends house and I was hooked for life!
These figures and characters were a huge part of my childhood and I was super excited to see that Playmates was returning these original figures to Walmart shelves this year. Yes, Playmates has re-released these figures multiple times, but for some reason they never did it with the original backer card art. Luckily for me, I was able to fairly easily acquire a full set of the four Turtles and a Party Wagon after only about 5 or 6 visits. I know to some people it may seem silly, but having these figures in my hands again really brings me a lot of joy. The same joy I had as a 7 year old who held this wild looking, purple clad Ninja Turtle in his hands all those years ago. Here are some shots of those Turtles.
Thanks for taking this journey back in time with me. I hope you enjoyed it and it brought back some great memories from your childhood. TURTLE POWER!
The comic book I am most excited to read this week is... KANG THE CONQUERER #1 OF 5 (W) Collin Kelly, Jackson Lanzing (A) Carlos Magno (CA) Mike Del Mundo THE ORIGIN OF KANG! The man called Kang the Conqueror has been a pharaoh, a villain, a warlord of the space ways and even, on rare occasions, a hero. Across all timelines, one fact seemed absolute: Time means nothing to Kang the Conqueror. But the truth is more complex. Kang is caught in an endless cycle of creation and destruction dictated by time and previously unseen by any but the Conqueror himself. A cycle that could finally explain the enigma that is Kang. And a cycle that begins and ends with an old and broken Kang sending his younger self down a dark path... SRP: $4.99 Synopsis Provided By: PreviewsWorld.com
Throw on your dopest hat and head to the planet of Brooklyn as we take you back to the 80's! Without further ado, here is the 20 Years Before 2000 THROWBACK JAM OF THE WEEK!
Artist: MC Lyte Song: Lyte As A Rock Album: Lyte As A Rock (1988) Peak Billboard Hot 100 Position: N/A Bonus Fun Fact: This song features a sample from the song "Solid" by Ashford & Simpson and is included on the soundtrack to the 2000 movie "Love & Basketball".
