This Set of Custom Cards Will Show You Just How Much the 1970s Rocked

Remember that David Lee Roth look-alike custom card I did a couple of months ago? The one based on the 1974-75 Topps basketball card featuring Pete Maravich?

 

Well, recently I took some time to look through the original 1974-75 set a little more closely, and found some really great-looking team leader cards. Here are a couple of examples.

 

The colors, the team logos, the '70s haircuts and mustaches. It wasn't long before all of those things caused inspiration to hit. The gears in my mind started churning: 

 

There are four players on these team leader cards. 

 

There are four members of Van Halen. 

 

See where I'm going here?

 

 

 

 

All four band members, captured in all their glory. And Van Halen formed around 1973, so it works out perfectly.

 

As for design elements, I replaced "Team leaders" with "Team members", and then changed each leader's category (scoring, free throws, rebounds, assists) to each band member's instrument (vocals, guitar, drums, bass). The bright yellow panel that features the basketball team logo on the original card provides a perfect analog for the band logo, don't you think?

And I didn't stop there. I enjoyed the design so much that it made me want to create a card back. The first thing I had to do was look at one of the originals:

 

It took me a little while to figure out how to adjust the stats for a rock band, but here's what I came up with:

Instead of the individual player stats that appear on the backs of the original cards, I went with some stats about the band: Album certifications, hit singles, some general info, and even a music quiz related to the band. 

And this card came out so well that inspiration hit again. I started thinking about other 4-man rock bands of the era, and came up with quite a list of powerhouse groups: Led Zeppelin, KISS, The Ramones, The Who, Black Sabbath, and more.

 

And then I thought, Hey, let's make this a set of cards.

 

And then I thought, Hey, all these bands are either from the US or the UK.

 

And then I thought, Hey, let's try to come up with an equal number from each nation.

 

So I did some more thinking. Here's what I came up with.

 

US 4-man rock bands: The Doors, KISS, The Ramones, Van Halen

UK 4-man rock bands: Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin, Queen, The Who

So there I had it. An 8-card set featuring some of the best hard rockin' quartets of all time, let alone the 1970s. And I got right to work.

Want a sneak-preview of the finished products? 

 

Okay, here we go.

 

 

 

I went with a separate color combination for the UK bands to provide some variety, and also to distinguish them from the US bands. And I'm not sure you can get much more '70s than that green and orange combo.

 

But why only a sneak-peek? Why not show all eight card fronts and backs here?

Well, a little later this year I'm going to run a special series here on the blog that puts more of a spotlight on these cards and these bands. The series will run for a few consecutive Sundays, and I've been having fun creating the content. Not going to reveal any other details for now. Stay tuned.

 

 

What are your initial thoughts about the set? 

Favorite band of the bunch?

 

Feel like putting a 45 on the record player and blasting some rock music out of your quadraphonic sound system?

 

Share in the comment section, and thanks for reading!

This Custom Card Might Call You a Sucker MC

Last year I created a Beastie Boys custom card using the 1982 Topps "Future Stars" design. It's been a big hit, and recently I thought about another world-class trio of the era that would look terrific on the 1982 template.

 

 

 

It's Run-DMC!

Chronologically, it's perfect. McDaniels, Mizell, and Simmons first teamed up around 1982, officially founded Run-DMC in 1983, and released their first album in 1984.

As for the design elements, similar to the Beastie Boys card, I used baseball-themed backgrounds from a few of the original 1982 Topps cards. I also inserted the stage names DMC, Jam Master Jay, and Run where the fielding positions would normally appear.

And this trio was an absolute sensation. How much so? I can illustrate by sharing an experience that two of my elementary school friends and I had back around '86 or '87—particularly a friend named David:

 

It was summer vacation, and we'd been playing at a nearby field. Dusk was quickly approaching, which meant it was time for us to get home. We all lived within a few houses of each other, and only had one more block to walk when a bigger kid stopped us. (In retrospect, he was probably only in middle school or high school, but when you're 8 or 9 years old, that translates to huge and intimidating.)

Big Intimidating Kid: What are you doing?

David: Going home.

Big Intimidating Kid: You live around here?

David: Yes.

Big Intimidating Kid: You ever hear of Run-DMC?

David: Yeah. Those are my initials. 

Big Intimidating Kid: What do you mean?

David: My initials are D-M-C (Proceeds to say his first, middle, and last name out loud.)

Big Intimidating Kid: Ah man, now we're friends. (Holds out hand, gives David a low-five.)

 

And then he went his way and we went ours. Home in time for dinner, a confrontation dispelled by the power of music.

 

But don't just take my word for it. Watch this video and then tell me you didn't get into it, or at least smile once or twice.

 

 

One thing about the group I appreciate is that their lyrics, by and large, were not raunchy, explicit, or violent. It was much more about rhyming, dominance, skill, and fun. Listen to a song like Peter Piper or You Be Illin' for more examples.

 

Also of note, in 1986 Run-DMC partnered with Aerosmith to create a new version of the rock band's 1975 hit Walk This Way. The crossover helped introduce countless rock fans to rap, and vice versa. (Watch the music video for more guaranteed entertainment.)

 

 

 

BONUS CARD

It's one thing to have the members of Run-DMC on a Future Stars card, but the 1982 Topps set has a perfect "In Action" template that I wanted to use as well.

Can't get much better than an image showing the three guys doing their thing at an outdoor concert.

So that's that. Another two custom cards in the books. Any Run-DMC fans out there? Favorite song? Share in the comment section, and thanks for reading!

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PS: Things will get pretty busy at work for the rest of the calendar year, which means these Run-DMC customs will be the final two custom cards for the 2021 series. I've placed a print order for all the 2021 customs, and once they arrive I'll hold another giveaway like I did for the 2019s and 2020s. Stay tuned for that!

 

PPS: Speaking of giveaways, come back next Sunday for a chance to take part in a smaller one.