1988 - 1990
Reviewed by CaptSlappy
Segment 1
"Our House"
"Tune Machine Malfunction Skit"
"Oldies Medley" (Louie Louie, Hang on Sloopy, Doo Wah Diddy)
Segment 2
"(Lime in the) Coconut"
"Looney Fixes Tune Machine Skit"
"Venus"
Fatz demonstrates his magical Tune Machine keyboard to the rest of the band and shows off that it can make any sound in the world. He lets the members of the Rock-afire name any sound they can think up to prove it. Unfortunately, Dook decides to hear all the sounds in the world backwards at the same time and overloads the Tune Machine's circuits. Beach Bear suggests that Fatz try turning it off and on again. The organ comes back to life but gets stuck on a (cheesy) organ sound. Fatz apologizes to the audience after some teasing from Beach Bear and Mitzi and is just about to have the band take a break when Rolfe demands that the show continue because of contractual commitments. After the "Oldies Medley", the band takes a break so Fatz can try to fix the organ.
The second part of the show opens with the Rock-afire performing "(Lime in the) Coconut". After the song, Billy Bob inquires how Fatz's repairs are going, but every time he tries to speak, a radio signal drowns out his words. Looney Bird quickly diagnosis the situation and realizes his antennae is picking up radio interference with the filling in Billy Bob's tooth. Once the problem is resolved, the Tune Machine starts working again and Mitzi sings her infamous rendition of "Venus."
Tune Machine - Starting with this show, Fatz's organ becomes known as the Tune Machine (and is mentioned again in a few different Cyberstar shows). However, back in 1986 it was called the Time Machine in the Time Machine showtape produced by corporate ShowBiz. The premise was basically the same, except that the Time Machine could transport you to any time and place.
Programming - When the Tune Machine overloads all the lights on stage, including the organ lights and Rock-afire Explosion sign behind the band, flash uncontrollably and then go out.
Cybervision & Reel - As many people know, the Cyberstar system utilized both audio and video. During the transitional phase to convert all ShowBiz stores to this new system, different variations of tapes were made to fit a store's current needs. So this particular show also exists on reel, and there's even a version that exists on Cybervision - the earliest prototype version of Cyberstar. The difference between the two is basically that the earliest Cybervision only has footage of the stage without all the crappy animated effects spliced into it.
Watch the Cybervision version in our Video Archive: Segment 1, Segment 2.
Watch the Cyberstar version in our Video Archive: Segment 1, Segment 2.
-4 out of 5 Tokens-
This show is a superior example of what the Rock-afire is all about. It is strong both in theme and song choice and really lets the personality of each character shine at various points in the show. Looney Bird, really gets to show off his technical expertise in this show, by offering the solution to fix the Tune Machine. While many later shows had a common theme, this is one of the few Cyberstar-era showtapes that has an actual storyline to it.
"Our House"
"Tune Machine Malfunction Skit"
"Oldies Medley" (Louie Louie, Hang on Sloopy, Doo Wah Diddy)
Segment 2
"(Lime in the) Coconut"
"Looney Fixes Tune Machine Skit"
"Venus"
Fatz demonstrates his magical Tune Machine keyboard to the rest of the band and shows off that it can make any sound in the world. He lets the members of the Rock-afire name any sound they can think up to prove it. Unfortunately, Dook decides to hear all the sounds in the world backwards at the same time and overloads the Tune Machine's circuits. Beach Bear suggests that Fatz try turning it off and on again. The organ comes back to life but gets stuck on a (cheesy) organ sound. Fatz apologizes to the audience after some teasing from Beach Bear and Mitzi and is just about to have the band take a break when Rolfe demands that the show continue because of contractual commitments. After the "Oldies Medley", the band takes a break so Fatz can try to fix the organ.
The second part of the show opens with the Rock-afire performing "(Lime in the) Coconut". After the song, Billy Bob inquires how Fatz's repairs are going, but every time he tries to speak, a radio signal drowns out his words. Looney Bird quickly diagnosis the situation and realizes his antennae is picking up radio interference with the filling in Billy Bob's tooth. Once the problem is resolved, the Tune Machine starts working again and Mitzi sings her infamous rendition of "Venus."
Tune Machine - Starting with this show, Fatz's organ becomes known as the Tune Machine (and is mentioned again in a few different Cyberstar shows). However, back in 1986 it was called the Time Machine in the Time Machine showtape produced by corporate ShowBiz. The premise was basically the same, except that the Time Machine could transport you to any time and place.
Programming - When the Tune Machine overloads all the lights on stage, including the organ lights and Rock-afire Explosion sign behind the band, flash uncontrollably and then go out.
Cybervision & Reel - As many people know, the Cyberstar system utilized both audio and video. During the transitional phase to convert all ShowBiz stores to this new system, different variations of tapes were made to fit a store's current needs. So this particular show also exists on reel, and there's even a version that exists on Cybervision - the earliest prototype version of Cyberstar. The difference between the two is basically that the earliest Cybervision only has footage of the stage without all the crappy animated effects spliced into it.
Watch the Cybervision version in our Video Archive: Segment 1, Segment 2.
Watch the Cyberstar version in our Video Archive: Segment 1, Segment 2.
-4 out of 5 Tokens-
This show is a superior example of what the Rock-afire is all about. It is strong both in theme and song choice and really lets the personality of each character shine at various points in the show. Looney Bird, really gets to show off his technical expertise in this show, by offering the solution to fix the Tune Machine. While many later shows had a common theme, this is one of the few Cyberstar-era showtapes that has an actual storyline to it.