25 Years Ago...

1986.

It was the year Halley's comet returned.

Kevin & Katharine got hitched.

Pixar opened its doors.

Lady Gaga and Lindsay Lohan were born. 

Ronald Reagan was "the man we picked (man we picked). He says he has inflation licked ('flation licked)."

It was the year of Hands Across America...

...and Hands Across Bill's U.M.

In sports, something happened to Bill Buckner of the Boston Red Sox that many would rather forget.

At the movies, Mr. Sulu said, "San Francisco. I was born there" in Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home.

And we, the Lemmings, looked like this.

1986 marked our fourth trip to Williamstown for the Octet Reunion Concert, and I'll admit we were feeling pretty cocky. We'd debuted in '83 with our first group arrangement, "Love Potion No. 9" (aka Poesh), which killed and was immediately adopted into the Octet folio. The next year we crushed with brand new Lem-tunes "Cooler In The Shade," "I Won't Stand In Your Way," and "Buzz Buzz Buzz," as well as the Huey Lewis version of "It's Alright." 1985 was the year of "My Girl" and "Under The Boardwalk," as well as the high-degree-of-difficulty "Hodja." So, yeah, we were feeling good, ready to crush and kill again.  I mean look at that picture above! No, really. Look at it.



L-E-M-M-I-N-G-S spells Lemmings (1986)

But, like Icarus and his wax wings (shout out to my brother, Kurt), we flew too close to the sun and singed our tender under-noodles. At least, that's the way I remembered 1986 until I saw the tape I have for you today. My memory was of not quite connecting, being a little tentative, choosing the wrong songs... a bit of a misstep. But what I see is the opposite. "Naturally" and "Mint Julep" are both solid as very small rocks, and "She's Not There" is one of the classic performances in all of Lem-dom. 



Flynt's Stairs ('86)

So, what was I thinking? Clearly I must be leaving something out. And I am. The encore, "Happy Loving Couples." It was, how you say, OUT THERE! A dense, epic mash-up of baroque silliness that left the audience (and us) slightly stunned. Charlie and Chuck gave it their best, God bless 'em, but as Salieri said to Mozart in Amadeus, there were just "too many notes."

That's what must have put the asterisk on that year for me. That and the fact that we actually dared to perform a snippet of "Surfin' Messiah" between songs 2 and 3. ("Hello, Icarus, is your nether region getting crispy yet?") But the other three songs were all direct-hit crowd-pleasers and now seem totally crush-worthy in the forgiving fullness of time.

Enough toting. Here are our 3 songs minus encore from November 1, 1986. (I'll save "Happy Loving Couples" for another day.) The tape is in terrible shape, but that just adds to the "mist of time" quality. Enjoy.

POLL RESULTS: It's not even close!!! Orgo-Man is our favorite side character by a country mile. In fact, he dominates (Hey-o!)

He wins hands down (Wha-hut?)

It's a... (wait for it)... blow out! 

This week, in honor of "Surfin' Messiah," what song snippet or comedy bit should have stayed in the rehearsal room? It's too late to take them back, but you can still show your disapproval by voting.

Cease all audible emissions.