New Spins
BABE RUTH: ‘Elusive’ (Capitol CL 15869)
A funky disco hit since last year, this joyfully leaping album cut is finally out on 45, though edited in half.
MANDRILL: ‘Panama’ / ‘Disco-lypso’ (UA UP 36103)
Happy calypso-ish A-side should be good MoR while the funkier flip (a US hit) is much stronger disco fare.
THE CORRIES: ‘Wha Wadna ‘Fecht For Charlie’ (EMI 2447)
‘Jungle Rock’ cum ‘Burundi Black’ drumming sound makes this jig-type folk song a left-fielder that could reward adventurous jocks.
JONATHAN KING: ‘He’s So Fine’ (UK 132)
For rush release, Jo King’s set the Chiffons’ lyrics (without changing any genders!) to George Harrison’s ‘My Sweet Lord’ backing . . . an idea so fine that it’s a gas.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tmzDVtWGNVs
TEAGARDEN REVIVAL: ‘She’s A Great Great Girl’ (Pye 7N 455594)
Out last summer as by Harry Hastings & The Palm Beach Orchestra, this crazily jaunty little ditty is the same record as was then on Bell. Why the name change? A Thirties tune synthesized, it’s great MoR fun.
MAUREEN MCGOVERN: ‘The Continental’ (20th Century BTC 2222)
The old Fred Astaire number gets a lovely sophisticated reading, full of period charm for quicksteppers.
NICK MARTYN: ‘Eddie Waring’ (Pye 7N 455587)
What?!? With rooty-tooty backing from Terry Lightfoot’s Band, here’s a jolly knees-up that’s a knockout!
CALHOON: ‘Soul Man’ (Spector 2010015)
Sam & Dave’s classic goes Philly as a two part cymbal-schlurping hustler.
MELBA MOORE: ‘This Is It’ (Buddah BDS 443)
Much publicized, Van McCoy’s newie is a typically bubbly beater with hit prospects.
JACKIE CARTER: ‘Treat Me Like A Woman’ (Atlantic K 10720)
Excellent Euro-Disco funky thumper that evidently segues NY style with ‘Love Hangover’, though the sound is thinner.
RHYTHM MAKERS: ‘Zone’ / ‘Prime Cut’ (Polydor 2001651)
Much imported instrumental, a 5:00-long stylus-skipping microgroover with hissing hi-hats and constantly ticking rhythm. Beefier cymbal-sizzling flip.
BILL PURSELL & THE NASHVILLE SWEAT BAND: ‘Now (Hoy)’ (Spark SRL 1142)
Lush lead-in to a nicely schmaltzy rhapsodical piano tinkler with cooing chix and busy disco rhythms.
DEBBIE TAYLOR: ‘Just Don’t Pay’ (Arista 50)
Terrifically effective jazzily laid-back Al Green-ish bouncer, sung with soul.
GOLD CONNECTION: ‘Darling I Like It’ (NEMS NES 010)
Jamaican copy of Silver Convention.
DAVE: ‘Moonlight Serenade’ (CBS 4197)
Phonetically enunciated vocal has disco trappings but more MoR appeal than anything.
THE NEW VENTURES: ‘Moonlight Serenade’ (UA UP 81101)
Totally disco, with 5:26 flipside mix and not a twang in sight! ‘Baby Face’ style.
THE FUNKEES: ‘Abraka’ (Black Magic BM 114)
Santana-ish instrumental of the ‘Soul Sacrifice’ type.
SANTANA: ‘Europa (Earth’s Cry Heaven’s Smile)’ (CBS 4143)
Lovely guitar slowie amazingly like Focus’s ‘Tommy’.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aRRzuZlSLAw
ABSOLUTE ELSEWHERE: ‘Earthbound’ (Warner Bros. K 16697)
Divinely spacey synthetics for late night smooching. By the way, God was an amphibian from Sirius.
AL BANO & ROMINA POWER: ‘We’ll Live It All Again’ (Epic EPC 4218)
American chick and Italian bloke sing a Demis-type slowie in their own respective languages — soppy stuff that could go MoR.
SHAWNE JACKSON: ‘Get Out Of The Kitchen’ (RCA 2667)
Steady thumping churner with Northern appeal, Shawne’s a she.
UK Disco Top 20 – April 17, 1976
01 03 Barry White – You See The Trouble With Me – 20th Century
02 02 Billy Ocean – Love Really Hurts Without You – GTO
03 16 Brotherhood Of Man – Save Your Kisses For Me – Pye
04 11 Brass Construction – Movin’ / Changin’ – UA
05 01 Tina Charles – I Love To Love – CBS
06 NE Hot Chocolate – Don’t Stop It Now – Rak
07 NE Silver Convention – Get Up And Boogie – Magnet
08 NE Hank Mizell – Jungle Rock – Charly
09 04 Fatback Band – Spanish Hustle – Polydor
10 NE Roger Collins – You Sexy Sugar Plum – Fantasy
11 NE John Miles – Music – Decca
12 08 Beatles – Yesterday – EMI
13 18 Trammps – Where The Happy People Go – Atlantic
14 10 Sailor – Girls, Girls, Girls – Epic
15 NE Beatles – Get Back – Apple
16 RE Pioneers – Feel The Rhythm – Mercury
17 NE Isaac Hayes – Disco Connection – ABC
18 NE Elton John – Pinball Wizard – DJM
19 NE Andrea True Connection – More, More, More – Buddah
20 NE Marmalade – Falling Apart At The Seams – Target
NE = new entry; RE = re-entry
james’ top ten
1 SAVE YOUR KISSES FOR ME, Brotherhood Of Man (Pye)
2 THERE’S A KIND OF HUSH, Carpenters (A&M)
3 YOU SEE THE TROUBLE WITH ME, Barry White (20th Century)
4 CONCRETE AND CLAY, Unit 4 + 2 (Decca)
5 HE’S SO FINE, Jonathan King (UK)
6 STRANGERS IN THE NIGHT, Bette Midler (Atlantic)
7 EDDIE WARING, Nicky Martyn (Pye)
8 OPUS ONE, Ted Heath (Decca)
9 YOUNG BLOOD, Bad Company (US Swan Song)
10 SPANISH WINE, Chris White (Charisma)
BREAKERS
1 THE CONTINENTAL, Maureen McGovern (20th Century)
2 PANAMA, Mandrill (UA)
3 MOONLIGHT SERENADE, Dave (CBS)
star tip
TEST TONE TEASER
A one-side demo with just a test tone on the flip has recently been going the rounds – if you’ve got one you can now do one of my favourite tricks!
By hand, spin a turntable very fast in neutral and fade in the extremely shrill noise you’ll get from the tone at this speed. Then brake the deck gently with your thumb, so that like a siren the tone slides down until it’s rumblingly deep.
Just as the deck is about to stop, the whole room (plus your speakers!) will be shaking fit to bust … great fun, and it scares the hell out of everyone!
Or, if you can find a test pressing with totally silent grooves, experiment by scratching it so that when played at 78 rpm while a perfectly good oldie is on the other deck, it sounds as if the oldie is truly old!
New Spin
TONY BARNFIELD is planning a “Disco New Spin” for Monday, May 3, at “Circles” Disco in Harrow between 8.00pm and midnight. A record pool type of idea, he’s aiming especially for mobile DJs to attend and will be playing newies supplied by the many disco promotion people who will be present. More details later.
dj hot line
HANK MIZELL is now enormous just about everywhere, paving the way for VINCE TAYLOR ‘Brand New Cadillac’ (Chiswick) to get tips from Ken Davis (Sound Machine, Welwyn), Dave MacRae (Primitive Disco, Seaham), Steve Ingram (DJ Enterprises, Weybridge), Les Aron (Life Disco, Bognor Regis), Alan Gold (Brighton) and Doctor John (Disco Tech, Telford) … RODGER COLLINS is another that’s busted wide open, as has ARMADA ORCHESTRA
‘Band Of Gold’ (Contempo) for such as Anthony Allan (Speakeasy, Wakefield), Steve Lloyd (Llanelli), Jon Taylor (Crockers, Norwich) and
Rod Schell (Twisted Wheel, Carlisle) … Doug Forbes (Klouds, Warwick) is bananas about CHARLES RANDOLPH GREAN SOUNDE: ‘Star Trek’ (UK), which will be out here soon … Doug also joins Jon Taylor and Mark Rymann (South Wales clubs) for LEE GARRETT: ‘You’re My Everything’ (Chrysalis) … the Biggest Disco Ever at Wembley Empire Pool was lots of fun if not exactly the biggest or a disco, but it nearly packed the Pool and made a nice return for Superspike … “Barmy” Steve Haines (Beckenham) goes over Niagara Falls in a barrel on July 4, which ain’t exactly DJing but is certainly Rock ‘n’ Roll! … Chris Hill (Lacy Lady, Ilford) Funky Malc (The Goodies, Rochester) and Colin Mclean (Aces Club, Hamilton) are hung up over DIANA ROSS ‘Love Hangover’ (Motown LP) … Colin also tips GLADYS KNIGHT ‘Make Yours A Happy Home’ (US Buddah), her strongest ever for the label, so why can’t we have it here instead of boring old ‘Midnight Train’ again’? … Chris
Hill also joins John Goodway (Diamond Discos, Brighton) for DONNA SUMMER: ‘Try Me / I Know / We Can Make It’ (GTO LP) and Ray Robinson (Tiffanys, Leicester) for JACKIE CARTER ‘Treat Me Like A Woman’ (Atlantic) … and Barry Lee Martin (Tudor House, Maidstone) is a sharp
dresser, fancy hats and all … not forgetting Ray Moss (Romford), who gets blushes from the girls over CHRIS HILL ‘Ride On’ (Philips)! … Mick Hanzlik (108 Lutterworth Road, Northampton) challenges Dave Porter (Oscar’s, Liverpool) to the title “King Of The Jingles”, and wants to swap tapes … add R. L. Braley (Mr Bee’s. Poole) to the ANDREA TRUE believers … BRASS CONSTRUCTION T-shirts are available to DJs at £1.10 each from United Artists … Les Aron and Steve Day (Cricket Club, Chingford) are getting free Phonogram albums for tipping PIONEERS ‘Feel The Rhythm’ (Mercury)! … Steve also joins Mark Rymann to tip BIDDU ‘Rain Forest’ (Epic) and several others for CATE BROS ‘Union Man’ (Asylum) … Dougall DJ (Kilsyth) reckons SHOCKING BLUE ‘lnkpot’ (Polydor) and DONNA HIGHTOWER ‘The World
Today Is A Mess’ (Columbia) could stand reviving … MIGHTY CLOUDS OF JOY ‘Mighty High’ (ABC) finally getting tips, from Fred Stevenson (The Strand, Glasgow), Colin King (Sale) and others … Steve Guest (Sounds Galore Disco, Hertford) scores with HENRY MANCINI ‘Pink Panther Theme’ (RCA) as warm up fun.
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