March 5, 1977: import tips from Chris Hill & Tony Clark

Hot Vinyl!

Imports set the trends for the future and are much used by the hipper club jocks.  This page hasn’t reviewed many imports as I think that most DJ’s find it hard enough getting ordinary domestic releases, let alone US hot wax!

However, there is now such interest in twelve-inch disco pressings that imports are becoming more widely accepted.

To help give an ahead-of-the-minute guide to the Stateside vinyl that’s likely to be big here, I’ve recruited a regular panel of top funky club DJ’s to give their current top tips.  This week we hear from Chris Hill of Ilford’s Lacy Lady fame, and from Tony Clark of Newcastle’s Julie’s – Tony also works at Callers Record Shop in Newcastle, supplying everyone from Ian Levine on down.

Tony’s tips are:

LA EXPRESS: ‘Dancing The Night Away’ (Caribou)

TIMMY THOMAS: ‘Stone To The Bone‘ (Glades) (Billboard chart debut 3/12/77)

ARTHUR PRYSOCK: ‘I Wantcha Baby‘ (Old Town LP cut) (mentioned in Billboard column 1/15/77, Billboard chart debut 1/29/77)

LATIMORE: ‘It Ain’t Where You Been‘ (Glades LP cut)

DOOLEY SILVERSPOON & JEANNE BURTON: ‘Am I Losing You‘ (Cotton 12″)

MILLIE JACKSON: ‘There’s Something About You‘ (Spring LP cut)

and, one that Chris has been on for a long time too, BO KIRKLAND & RUTH DAVIS: ‘You’re Gonna Get Next To Me‘ (Claridge LP cut), currently vied for by several UK record labels, it’s so hot!

Chris tips:

URBIE GREEN: ‘Another Star’ (CTI LP cut)

JOE THOMAS: ‘Funky Fever‘ (Groove Merchant 12″) (mentioned in Billboard column 12/25/76)

GARY BARTZ: ‘Mother Nature‘ (Prestige LP cut)

BOOKER T & THE MGS: ‘Sticky Stuff‘ (Asylum LP cut)

CROWN HEIGHTS AFFAIR: ‘Far Out‘ (De-Lite LP cut) (Billboard chart debut 11/6/76)

LAKESIDE: ‘Taboo‘ (ABC LP cut)

JIMMY SMITH: ‘Can’t Hide Love‘ (Mercury LP cut)

CHAPLIN BAND: ‘Let’s Have A Party‘ (EMI 12″) 


Mix-Master

“Dirty” Harry Park from Wallsend has temporarily left his Quickflash disco in the hands of Ellen Carr and Gary Cornwall while he DJ’s on a North Sea oil rig – adverse Sex Pistols publicity having forced him to scrap his previously mentioned live rock group plans.  You can catch the Quickflash at Walker British Legion Club on Saturdays or at the Riverside Youth Club earlier in the week, where young Ellen’s likely to segue like this: ROSE ROYCE ‘Car Wash’ (MCA) / ALFIE KHAN ‘Law Of The Land‘ (Atlantic) / SHIRLEY ELLIS ‘Clapping Song’ (London) / ROUTERS ‘Let’s Go’ (Warner Bros.) / TAVARES ‘Don’t Take Away The Music pt. 2’ (Capitol).  Must go like the clappers!


UK Disco Top 20 – March 5, 1977

01 02 Heatwave – Boogie Nights – GTO
02 01 Rose Royce – Car Wash – MCA
03 04 Leo Sayer – When I Need You – Chrysalis
04 03 Boney M – Daddy Cool – Atlantic
05 08 Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes – Don’t Leave Me This Way – Philadelphia Int’l
06 09 Thelma Houston – Don’t Leave Me This Way – Motown
07 11 Earth, Wind & Fire – Saturday Night – CBS
08 10 Brick – Dazz – Bang
09 07 Moments – Jack In The Box – All Platinum
10 06 David Parton – Isn’t She Lovely – Pye
11 18 Boz Scaggs – What Can I Say – CBS
12 15 Van McCoy – Soul Cha Cha – H&L
13 NE Mr. Big – Romeo – EMI
14 NE Tavares – Mighty Power Of Love – Capitol
15 NE David Bowie – Sound And Vision – RCA
16 NE Bryan Ferry – This Is Tomorrow – Polydor
17 05 Stevie Wonder – I Wish – Motown
18 12 Detroit Spinners – Wake Up Susan – Atlantic
19 16 Stevie Wonder – Isn’t She Lovely – Motown
20 NE Mass Production – Welcome To Our World – Cotillion
NE = new entry; RE = re-entry

Appeared in Billboard:
#1 (Billboard chart debut 4/23/77)
#2 (Billboard chart debut 10/2/76)
#4 (mentioned in Billboard column 9/25/76, Billboard chart debut 11/20/76)
#5 (mentioned in Billboard column 12/6/75, Billboard chart debut 12/20/75)
#6 (mentioned in Billboard column 11/20/76, Billboard chart debut 11/27/76)
#8 (Billboard chart debut 9/4/76)
#11 (mentioned in Billboard column 4/3/76)
#12 (Billboard chart debut 11/20/76)
#14 (mentioned in Billboard column 6/5/76, Billboard chart debut 7/10/76)
#17 (mentioned in Billboard column 10/16/76, Billboard chart debut 10/23/76)
#19 (Billboard chart debut 10/30/76)
#20 (Billboard chart debut 10/23/76)


Songs mentioned in “DJ Hotline”:

ALFIE KHAN SOUND ORCHESTRA: ‘Law Of The Land’ (Atlantic)
CERRONE: ‘Love In C Minor’ (Atlantic) (Billboard chart debut 1/15/77)
BRENDON: ‘Gimme Some’ (UK)
GABOR SZABO: ‘Keep Smiling’ (Mercury LP cut) (Billboard chart debut 10/30/76)
DEODATO: ‘Peter Gunn’ (MCA LP cut) (Billboard chart debut 10/2/76)
KALIN TWINS: ‘When’ (Brunswick)
MARIANNE ROSENBERG: ‘A VIP’ (GTO)
RAH BAND: ‘The Crunch’ (Good Earth)
ALVIN CASH: ‘Ali Shuffle’ (Contempo)
RAY STEVENS: ‘In The Mood’ (Warner Bros.)
OTIS WAYGOOD BAND: ‘Get It Started’ (Decca)
20TH CENTURY STEEL BAND: ‘Dance Away’ (UA)
LOVE UNLIMITED ORCHESTRA: ‘King Kong Pt. 2’ (20th Century)
MUSCLE SHOALS HORNS: ‘Bump De Bump Yo Boodie’ (Bang)
MIRACLES: ‘Spy For Brotherhood’ (CBS) (Billboard chart debut 1/15/77)
BONEY M.: ‘Sunny’ (Atlantic) (mentioned in Billboard column 10/9/76, Billboard chart debut 11/20/76)
GIORGIO: I Wanna Funk With You Tonite’ (GTO) (Billboard chart debut 7/31/76)
VICKI SUE ROBINSON: ‘Turn The Beat Around’ (RCA) (Billboard chart debut 2/14/76)
DR. BUZZARD’S ORIGINAL SAVANNAH BAND: ‘Cherchez La Femme’ (RCA) (Billboard chart debut 6/26/76)

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