Puttin' Around

A haven in my teen and college years, the good 'ol video arcade. Back when you had to be out among other people and pay a quarter to get some good graphics in your game.

I was looking for lost 70's AOR classics because I was thinking of making some 70's CDs to continue my Arena Rock set for the car. In looking I ended up finding more forgotten 80's hits than 70's and now they're stuck in my head. The only way to get them out is to give them some air, so here we go!

The video arcade was a place where my friends and I would go to have fun on the weekend where I lived. In the neighboring town there was a Scandia family fun center which had mini golf, video games, go-kart racing and batting cages. We would go play some games and then practice in the batting cages for hours. I spent a good chunk of time and money at that place in my high school and college days. These memories were brought on by the first song on this Flashback.

This first song is called "Salt Of My Tears" by Martin Briley. It's one of those songs I heard a lot for a little while but never knew who did it. While fishing around for tunes I came across this and when I hit the hook - Blam! I was blown away. Brings back memories of going to the nearby miniature golf place to play arcade games and golf with friends. So many quarters spent playing Xevious, Star Wars (the one with the stick figure graphics while you attack the Death Star) and other shoot 'em ups (I can't remember the game, I also liked the one where it's a Police training simulator and a mix of innocent and criminal targets pop up for you to shoot). Cool ass stuff.

The second song was a big hit at that time and has become forgotten since then. Does the name Astrid Plane mean anything to you? If it does, then you were one of maybe five other people like me who grooved out to the mechanized New Wave meets mainstream rock of Animotion. "Obsession" was about as overtly sexual as you could get away with in mainstream music (and dated now considering what people get away with today) at the time. Loved to hear songs like these blast on the arcade speakers while playing games like Terminator 2 pinball ("Load the Kha-non") and the Addam's Family pinball ("Grreeeed"). So '80's it hurts. OK, T2 and Addam's Family were 90's but it still lumped together in my mind. Totally rad.

Nice to think about those hot summer nights at the batting cages or playing mini golf with friends. When I took my future wife to the miniature golf arcade when we were dating, this kid referred to her as my wife. Psychic, that kid was.