The Island Ear, Issue 61E, December 17, 1980.

From forty years ago, published in the stunned wake of John Lennon's murder, here is the Island Ear from Christmas 1980 (the oldest issue in my small collection). The late Lennon shares the cover with the soon-to-be-late (and then back again) Blotto.

Here are Long Island's top records at the time.

An ad for the legendary My Father's Place.

Lutin Jennings contributes a Lennon memorial.

Crazy Eddie, with albums from A&M and RCA.

Quarterdeck Pub in Oakdale; JJ's Place in East Meadow.

Malibu, in Lido Beach. Blue Angel was Cyndi Lauper's band before going solo.|

The interview with those nutsy kids of Blotto, less than a year before their "I Wanna Be a Lifeguard" video helped inaugurate MTV.

McHebe's Depot in Hempstead (with Santa McHebe) and Titus Oaks, one of my favorite record stores.

Local musician James Papa shares a page with the always-dubious Pizan's Puzzle.

Legz, the Rock & Roll Video Dance Club in Valley Stream.

Larry Kleinman gets serious about gun control in his If They Can't Take a Joke... column.

This ad for the Right Track Inn in Freeport includes a Lennon shout-out.

Top singles and albums for the year 1980, Long Island-style.

Ads for Baldwin's Backstreet Records (with Norman Normal) and What Not Shop, and here are some Arby's coupons for ya.

Publisher/Editor Arie Nadboy was a Doors fanboy.

Rock Away in Rockaway Beach, Half Crown Pub in East Rockaway, and copyright-infringing Heckle and Jeckles (that's Gino and Brian) in Massapequa Park.

The ad for Horizons Wine, Cheese & Pub of Mineola shares a page with IE reviewers' faves of the year.

Pastime in Amityville, Belmont Park Inn of Elmont, and albums by hit-makers The Vapors and Michael Stanley Band.

New platters get a spin in the Ear-Rings reviews.

Take the quiz (but sorry, I got no answers for you) and finish the Blotto interview.

Fill in the poll and, uh... mail it to a friend, I guess?

You could have seen Alvin Lee at the Calderon Concert Hall in Hempstead, and gotten spiffied up beforehand at Sharp Hair in Valley Stream.

Music news Hot Flashes and top club requests.

Ads for TDK cassettes, North Shore Stereo Discounts, and Sam Ash Music Stores.

Here's the Interview Quiz--with answers!

Now Jennings offers his or possibly her take on Raging Bull.

United Artists Theaters wishes you a happy season of lousy-to-mediocre holiday movies.

Stations WPLJ, WNEW, WRCN, and WLIR tell their tippy-top tunes of today and tomorrow.

Ads for Bayside's subterranean dance club Camouflage, and The Pawnbroker in Farmingdale. I'm sure lots of folks went into the latter thinking, "I hope this place is as much fun as the movie!"

The back cover is bespattered with an ad for the delightfully named Spit in Levittown.

Well, the issue wasn't quite as Christmasy as I was hoping, but I've had it for ages so I'm just glad I finally got it covered. The 1984 Christmas issue will, once again, have to wait for another year, ho ho ho...