Pop Culture Roundup: Marvel mural, female Zorro, Warhol on the Love Boat and more!

ITEM! Artist Alex Ross' giant Marvel Comics mural will be showcased in a 2023 calendar.

ITEM! When Andy Warhol cruised "The Love Boat."

ITEM! Alfred's greatest adventures on the 1966 "Batman" TV series.

ITEM! Books, albums and movies to check out after viewing "Licorice Pizza."

ITEM! The great John Romita Jr. is returning to Marvel's "Amazing Spider-Man" title.

ITEM! A new Zorro TV series will feature a woman in the title role.

ITEM! There'll be a Marvel Halloween special on Disney+ this year.

Ads '72: Ford Pinto

 


Pop Pic: Rat Pack on the range


 

Pop Pic: Nice hat, Barney!

 


Watch Grand Funk perform "Footstompin' Music"

Coming up: "My World Fell Down – The John Carter Story"

Out March 18 from Grapefruit Records.

Details:

First-ever complete career anthology of one of British pop’s most enduring backroom figures John Carter.

4CD set containing his biggest hits and some fascinating misses

Also includes a clutch of late ‘60s songwriting demos, several of which now receive their first physical release

First coming to prominence with his songwriting and vocal partner Ken Lewis, John Carter was a fixture on the mid-‘60s British pop scene, penning hits for the likes of Brenda Lee and Herman’s Hermits, singing backing vocals for The Who and finding success with his own group, vocal trio The Ivy League.

Frustrated with the rigors of life on the road, Carter quit touring in mid-1966 to concentrate on studio work (a decision also being made around the same time by Brian Wilson and The Beatles).

He continued to excel in a number of disciplines, providing the lead vocal on The New Vaudeville Band’s huge success ‘Winchester Cathedral’, writing for numerous groups (The Troggs, Manfred Mann, etc) and creating Summer-Of-Love hippie anthem ‘Let’s Go To San Francisco’ under the pseudonym The Flower Pot Men.

After recording a number of obscure psychedelic pop nuggets that are now highly regarded by genre aficionados, John moved on to record under various one-off aliases before settling on Stamford Bridge and then Kincade, who hit big on the continent with ‘Dreams Are Ten A Penny’.

He then made some of the most ambitious recordings of his entire career as The First Class, who debuted in 1974 with the instant classic ‘Beach Baby’, a harmony pop extravaganza that became a Top Five single in America.

The first-ever complete career overview of his prodigious career, ‘My World Fell Down’ anthologises the cream of John’s work, stretching from the dawn of the ‘60s (when Carter, Lewis & The Southerners contained a mild-mannered young guitarist by the name of Jimmy Page) to the end of the ‘70s. With a new 5,000 word note and more than five hours of music, it’s an essential purchase for anyone interested in the career of one of British pop’s leading backroom auteurs.

Track Listing:

DISC ONE:

1 Back On The Scene CARTER, LEWIS & THE SOUTHERNERS

2 Two Timing Baby CARTER, LEWIS & THE SOUTHERNERS

3 Here’s Hopin’ CARTER, LEWIS

4 Poor Joe CARTER, LEWIS

5 Tell Me CARTER, LEWIS & THE SOUTHERNERS

6 Sweet And Tender Romance CARTER, LEWIS & THE SOUTHERNERS

7 Somebody Told My Girl CARTER, LEWIS & THE SOUTHERNERS

8 Skinny Minnie CARTER, LEWIS & THE SOUTHERNERS

9 Easy To Cry CARTER, LEWIS & THE SOUTHERNERS

10 Can’t You Hear My Heartbeat? (demo)

11 What More Do You Want THE IVY LEAGUE

12 Funny How Love Can Be THE IVY LEAGUE

13 Lonely Room THE IVY LEAGUE

14 That’s Why I’m Crying THE IVY LEAGUE

15 Tossing And Turning THE IVY LEAGUE

16 Our Love Is Slipping Away THE IVY LEAGUE

17 Running Round In Circles THE IVY LEAGUE

18 Don’t Worry Baby THE IVY LEAGUE

19 One Little Smile (demo)*

20 It’s Your Turn To Cry (demo)

21 Winchester Cathedral (demo)

22 Peek-A-Boo (demo)*

23 Willow Tree THE IVY LEAGUE

24 My World Fell Down THE IVY LEAGUE

25 White Collar Worker MINISTRY OF SOUND

26 Back Seat Driver MINISTRY OF SOUND

27 Time And Motion Man (demo)

28 Little Ray Of Sunshine (demo)

29 Goodbye To Rosalie (demo)

30 Publicity Girl (demo)*

31 Brown And Porters (Meat Exporters) (demo)

32 Am I Losing You (demo)

DISC TWO:

1 Let’s Go To San Francisco Pts 1 and 2 THE FLOWER POT MEN

2 A Walk In The Sky THE FLOWER POT MEN

3 You Can Never Be Wrong THE FLOWER POT MEN

4 Mythological Sunday FRIENDS

5 Conversation (In A Station Light Refreshment Bar) (demo)

6 Sunshine Girl (demo)

7 Hip Hip Hooray (demo)*

8 My Sentimental Friend (demo)

9 Knock Knock Who’s There (demo)

10 Birmingham Brass Band (demo)

11 Geranium Pot (demo)*

12 A Good Talk To Myself (demo)*

13 She Won’t Show Up Tonight (demo)

14 The Cooks Of Cake And Kindness (demo)

15 Blow Away (demo)

16 Say Goodbye To Yesterday (demo)

17 Children Of Tomorrow (demo)

18 Rain Rain Rain (demo)

19 Magic People (demo)

20 Mr Light (demo)

21 You’re Playing With Fire THE WHEELS

22 What’s The Matter With Juliet THE WHEELS

23 Midsummer Dreaming JOHN CARTER & RUSS ALQUIST

DISC THREE:

1 The Laughing Man JOHN CARTER & RUSS ALQUIST

2 Life Is Living (demo)

3 Roberto Billow (demo)

4 Sunday In The Park (demo)

5 Three In The Morning (demo)

6 Angels Get Out Of Bed (demo)

7 Love Equals Love (demo)

8 When I Was Born (demo)

9 Huma Luma THE CARLEW CHOIR

10 Give A Hand To The Clown THE CARLEW CHOIR

11 Aye-O THE RUNNING JUMPING STANDING STILL BAND

12 Why Be Blue THE RUNNING JUMPING STANDING STILL BAND

13 A Letter To Josephine THE HAYSTACK

14 Tahiti Farewell THE HAYSTACK

15 Pantomime People THE HAYSTACK

16 A Night To Be Remembered DAWN CHORUS

17 Wish I Were A Child SWEET CHARIOT

18 Going Round And Round (demo)

19 Cowboy Convention OHIO EXPRESS

20 Highway Of Your Dreams FAT MAN’S MUSIC FESTIVAL

21 Boats Of Angel Bay FAT MAN’S MUSIC FESTIVAL

22 Roly Poly STAMFORD BRIDGE

23 Little Boy Blue STAMFORD BRIDGE

24 Vicar’s Daughter STAMFORD BRIDGE

25 The Elephant Song PHILWIT & PEGASUS

26 Pseudo Phoney Mixed-Up Croney PHILWIT & PEGASUS

DISC FOUR:

1 Radio One jingle #1 STAMFORD BRIDGE

2 World Of Fantasy STAMFORD BRIDGE

3 Radio One jingle #2 STAMFORD BRIDGE

4 Move Out Of Town STAMFORD BRIDGE

5 Mother Of Nature STAMFORD BRIDGE

6 Sweet Talking Mama RED LINE EXPLOSION

7 I Want To Be Where You Are SCARECROW

8 Hello, Hello, Hello STORMY PETREL

9 The Light Of Day STORMY PETREL

10 Eyes Of Kazan THE LONDON BOYS

11 Mississippi Lady SEQUOIA

12 Take Off KENTUCKY FREEWAY

13 My Sweet Potato BUTTERWICK

14 Dreams Are Ten A Penny KINCADE

15 Big Hand For Annie KINCADE

16 Beach Baby THE FIRST CLASS

17 Bobby Dazzler THE FIRST CLASS

18 What Became Of Me THE FIRST CLASS

19 I Was Always A Joker THE FIRST CLASS

20 Let It Roll PETE KIRCHER

21 Oh California MAGIC

22 I Was A Star THE FIRST CLASS

23 Private Eye KINCADE

24 Too Many Golden Oldies THE FIRST CLASS

Watch The Association perform "Seven Man Band" on "The Ed Sullivan Show," 1969

New comics collected editions: Batman vs. Ra's Al Ghul, Warlock by Jim Starlin Gallery Edition

Out today. Click the links to order from Amazon.

From comics industry titan and Ra's al Ghul's original artist, Neal Adams, comes an all-new story featuring one of the Dark Knight's greatest enemies!
    Gotham City is under seige by terrorists, and Batman is determined to find the source. But when Boston Brand tries to intervene, he discovers an even more disturbing and deadly truth: the terrorists are led by an inhuman monster. Ra's al Ghul has volunteered his own private security force to aid the GCPD, and now they are the only thing standing between nuclear terror and the townspeople.
But al Ghul's true goal is hidden from everyone's eyes. He will destroy the city and kill Batman -- this time for good. Watching in horror is...Bruce Wayne?
    Collects Batman vs. Ra's Al Ghul issues #1-6.

At Marvel in the 1970s, no one mastered the startling scope of cosmic adventure like Jim Starlin! In this star-spanning spectacle, Starlin evolved Adam Warlock to the next level, imbuing the character with the inner demons of a man-god on the brink of insanity. Forced to confront an evil version of himself and the nihilistic menace Thanos, Warlock’s conflicts weren’t just knuckle-grinding throw-downs — they were existential struggles for his very soul. Featuring the first-ever assembling of the Infinity Gems, the debuts of Gamora and Pip the Troll, and an all-out struggle to save the universe — joined by the Avengers, Captain Marvel and Spider-Man! And now, the full epic grandeur of Starlin’s saga is unleashed on the oversized pages of a Gallery Edition!
    COLLECTING: Strange Tales (1951) 178-181, Warlock (1972) 9-15, Avengers Annual (1967) 7, Marvel Two-In-One Annual (1976) 2

Pop Culture Roundup: Wildey's Martian Chronicles, Action #1 for $2 million, Thor #750, Stones stamps!


ITEM! Check out artist Doug Wildey's adaptation of Ray Bradbury's "The Martian Chronicles."

ITEM! An issue of Action Comics #1 purchased for 10 cents by a 13-year-old in 1938 will sell for more than $2 million.

ITEM! Walt Simonson, Dan Jurgens, Tom DeFalco, Ron Frenz and other veteran comics creators will help celebrate the 750th issue of Marvel's Thor.

ITEM! The Rolling Stones will be honored on their 60th anniversary this year with a series of stamps in England.

Ads '72: Talk to a tape recorder like a real person