The Musical Career of Tracey Ullman

The British comic and singer achieved big success with her eighties albums, and in particular, one retro-sounding hit single.

by Rich Watson 

Many Americans know Tracey Ullman as the one whose Fox television show gave birth to The Simpsons. She has had a prosperous career in TV and film, on both sides of the Atlantic.

A start in musical theater eventually led to the release of two albums from her in the eighties. An international smash single from her made her a star.

The Music in Rastan Made You Want to Crush Your Enemies and See Them Driven Before You

To this fifteen-year-old at the time, this fantasy game with an exciting score was best in life.

by Rich Watson 

The 1982 movie Conan the Barbarian, an adaptation of the series of pulp novels by Robert E. Howard, was a sensation during the eighties. The character appeared in other media and inspired spin-offs and imitations.

Rastan was a video game set in a Conan-like fantasy setting. In addition to its superlative graphics, what set it apart from other games was its sophisticated music.

Gyruss Upped the Awesome Level of Space Invaders By Playing In the Round

This early video arcade game wed the Space Invaders template to the mobility and dimension of Tempest for a more exciting shoot-em-up—set to Bach.

by Rich Watson

I first played video games in the mid-eighties, during junior high school. Enticed by alien adventures in cartoons and comic books, among the first games that attracted me were variations on Space Invaders: Galaxian, Phoenix, Galaga, Gorf. Kill the armada of alien spaceships before they kill you. Simple.

Then in 1983, a new space game provided a greater challenge: it allowed movement in three hundred sixty degrees.