Chris Hill, now DJ’ing at Ilford’s Lacy Lady, moved back to his old haunt of Canvey Island’s Gold Mine on Sunday for a special one-off revival night . . . and what a beautifully heavy little number the joint was for a few hours again!
Kids had come in cars and coaches from all over the Home Counties to revisit the scene of 1975’s “Swing Thing” and to hear the best of fast Southern funk.
The ambience was like steam heat as the unself-conscious and spontaneously natural dancers liberated their healthy randiness and forgot the Nazi-revivalist times in which we live.
Frank sexuality was expressed in the healthy eroticism of their fancy dress, lit by flickering electric bulbs of multi-coloured hues.
The fancy dress winners included a (male and hairy!) mother and infant, overgrown boy scout, sexy schoolgirl, Diddyman, Spiderman and a couple of Fred Astaires, while a “mooning” contest between the lads of Stevenage and Romford saw the former letting it all hang out, over and over again! Oh yes, it was all healthy fun, the mood being moulded by Chris’s choice of music.
Naturally he played funky faves old and new, but things really took off when he progressed through thirties and forties swing tunes to the bootleg R&B of the early fifties before suddenly switching to organised country dancing. Yes, ‘Strip The Willow’ no less!
Then it was the ‘Hokey Cokey’, ‘Gay Gordons’, ‘Boomps-A-Daisy’ and ‘Conga’ going straight into Jackie Wilson’s ‘By The Light Of The Silvery Moon’, Mandy Miller’s ‘Nellie The Elephant’ and Tiny Tim’s ‘There’ll Always Be An England’ medley.
Master of the echo unit and mike, Chris fills out the records by adding harmonica, swanee music and vocal accompaniment, hardly ever letting anything sound the way it was intended.
He really does have to be seen to be believed and is a lesson for all beginning DJ’s who can learn a lot about pacing, verve and vitality by catching the likes of Chris and his peers.
Anyway, there’s likely to be another Gold Mine revival night near Christmas when the joint’ll be jumpin’ again!
And apologies to Dave Godin for some borrowed phraseology – nothing nasty meant!
New Spins
GONZALEZ: ‘I Haven’t Stopped Dancin’ Yet’ (EMI 2706) (BNDA debut 12/12/78)
The long established live act’s best bet yet, a creamily churning happy romper with infectious Tavares-type appeal – a real grower!
PATSY GALLANT: ‘Are You Ready For Love’ (EMI 2714)
Rather good, pleasant, light lopper, surprisingly soulful.
SPACE: ‘Tango In Space’ / ‘Carry On, Turn Me On’ (Pye 7N 25756) (BNDA debut 6/4/77)
Double-sided disco smash, already charted as LP tracks and import 12in.
VICKI SUE ROBINSON: ‘Hold Tight’ / ‘Turn The Beat Around’ (RCA PC 1029, 12in) (BNDA debut 7/9/77)
Seemingly endless rhythm rattler, a great mixer but overshadowed by last year’s near miss on the flip now 12-inched for the first time here in all its unedited glory!
DOOLEYS: ‘Love Of My Life’ (GTO GT 110)
Bright and breezy fast pop hustler.
DANNY WILLIAMS: ‘I Hate Hate’ (Ensign ENY 7)
Catchy revival of Razzy’s great ‘74 message song.
RIGHTEOUS BROTHERS: ‘You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’’ (Phil Spector 2010022)
Just about the all-time liver quiverer!
PROCOL HARUM: ‘A Whiter Shade Of Pale’ (Cube LBUG 77)
Blimey, it’s been 12-inched!
CLAUDIA ASHLEY: ‘C’est La Vie, Part 2’ (Pinnacle P 8451)
Stereo scat and rap intro to a sensational continuation of the blandly sung A-side, well worth finding.
GRACE JONES: ‘La Vie En Rose’ (Island WIP 6415) (BNDA debut 10/15/77)
French-sung floater works better as an edited 7in, only half the length of the 12in.
CAFE CREME: ‘Unlimited Citations, Pts. 1 & 2’ (Harvest HAR 5143)
More ‘Discobeatlemania’, better constructed than BDM’s, but the French accents sound incongruous, though admittedly they are trendy right now!
RAY CRUMLEY: ‘It’s Uncanny’ (Magnet MAG 103)
King Floyd-type dated bouncy thudder, quite effective.
PHYLLIS HYMAN: ‘Loving You – Losing You’ (Buddah BDS 457) (BNDA debut 5/14/77)
Reactivated sensuous slow builder from earlier this year.
THIRD WORLD: ‘96 In The Shade’ (Island WTP 6413)
Subtle smash, title track of an atmospheric album (ILPS 9443) whose ‘Rhythm Of Life’ goes well with Bob Marley’s ‘Jamming’.
ELVIS COSTELLO: ‘Watching The Detectives’ (Stiff BUY 20)
Bass booming slow reggae.
DILLINGER: ‘Cokane In My Brain’ (Black Swan WIP 6416)
Freaky talking reggae, big in Holland where the words get by.
TELEPHONE BILL & THE SMOOTH OPERATORS: ‘Blue For You’ (Weekend/DJM DJS 10808)
Slinkily syncopated sophisticated slow samba.
CROSBY, STILLS & NASH: ‘Fair Game’ (Atlantic K 11024)
Classy bossa nova.
CASSANDRA: ‘I’ll Never Let You Go Out Of My Life’ (Decca F 13734)
Pop-reggae swayer.
HOLLYWOOD BROWN: ‘Love On The American Express’ (Bronze BRO 46)
Jaunty pop hustler.
L.T.D.: ‘Back In Love Again’ (A&M AMS 7319) (BNDA debut 10/22/77)
Chunkily jiggling US hit funker.
UCLA: ‘Do You Want To Dance (I Do)’ (Gull GULS 55)
Mildly jaunty KC-type jiggler.
JARVIS BROTHERS: ‘Happy People’ (EMI 2672)
Squeaky Jackson Five, Tavares-type romper, with fans up north.
KEVIN KITCHEN: ‘Silver Dream’ (Ire 1)
Fleetwood Mac-ish deadpan thumper.
MANDRE: ‘Solar Flight (Opus 1)’ (Motown TMG 1089)
Tricky rhythm but the sound’s spacey.
BETTY WRIGHT: ‘Clean Up Woman’ (Atlantic K 10335)
Classic slow Florida funker from ‘71.
NICK LOWE: ‘Halfway To Paradise’ (Stiff BUY 21)
Dave Edmunds-type update of Tony Orlando’s ‘61 classic.
BREWER BROTHERS: ‘Serenade For Two Lovers’ (BDM Award BDMA 27)
Gloriously slushy instrumental pan-pipe smoocher.
DARYL HALL & JOHN OATES: ‘Why Do Lovers Break Each Other’s Heart?’ (RCA PB 1132)
Solid slow lurcher.
THELMA HOUSTON: ‘I’m Here Again’ (Motown TMG 1088) (BNDA debut 11/12/77)
Too true – it’s ‘Don’t Leave Me This Way, Part Yonk’, and lots less exciting.
LYNNE JONES: ‘Come Softly To Me’ (Ariola ARO 104)
Anaemically hustling pop retread of the Fleetwoods’ ‘59 ditty.
BLOSSOMS: ‘APB’ (MAM 168)
‘Armed & Extremely Dangerous’ slowed to plod tempo.
SHOWADDYWADDY: ‘Dancin’ Party’ (Arista 149)
Limp remake of Chubby Checker’s great ‘62 rabble-rouser.
WESS: ‘Good Time’ (Pinnacle P 8450)
Durium-recorded gruffly-sung brassy skitterer, more northern than anything and not bad at all.
MAIN INGREDIENT: ‘Reggae Disco’ (Power Exchange APX 265)
Vocal version of Kalyan’s happy leaper, less reggae than calypso, on limited 12in.
UK Disco Top 50 – October 29, 1977
01 04 Rose Royce – Do Your Dance – Whitfield (12″)
02 05 Baccara – Yes Sir I Can Boogie – RCA
03 03 Emotions – Best Of My Love – CBS
04 01 Belle Epoque – Black Is Black – Harvest (12″)
05 02 Meco – Star Wars Theme – RCA
06 06 Commodores – Brick House / Sweet Love – Motown
07 12 Santa Esmeralda – Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood – Philips
08 31 Rokotto – Boogie On Up – State (12″)
09 09 Lenny Williams – Shoo Doo Fu Fu Ooh – ABC
10 07 Giorgio Moroder – From Here To Eternity / Too Hot To Handle – Oasis
11 14 Space – Magic Fly – Pye
12 13 Whispers – Make It With You – Soul Train (12″)
13 46 Brick – Dusic – Bang
14 16 Status Quo – Rockin’ All Over The World – Vertigo
15 25 Celi Bee & The Buzzy Bunch – One Love – TK (12″)
16 32 Ram Jam – Black Betty – Epic
17 18 Donna Summer – Deep Down Inside – Casablanca
18 20 Eddie Henderson – Say You Will / Funk Surgeon – Capitol
19 19 Barry White – It’s Ecstasy When You Lay Down Next To Me – 20th Century
20 NE Rose Royce – In Full Bloom (all cuts) – Whitfield (LP)
21 47 Darts – Daddy Cool – Magnet (12″)
22 10 Smokey Robinson – Theme From Big Time – Motown
23 23 Inner City Express – Dance And Shake Your Funky Tambourine – Ebony
24 24 Tina Charles – Love Bug / Sweets For My Sweet – CBS (12″)
25 17 Brothers Johnson – Right On Time – A&M (12″)
26 40 Pratt & McClain – Happy Days – Reprise
27 NE Rod Stewart – You’re In My Heart – Riva
28 08 Donna Summer – I Remember Yesterday – GTO
29 15 Patsy Gallant – From New York To L.A. – EMI
30 27 LaSo – LaSo Square – MCA
31 28 Marvin Hamlisch – Bond ’77 – UA
32 44 Ronnie Jones – Soul Sister – Mercury
33 11 Olympic Runners – Keep It Up – RCA (12″)
34 43 Boney M – Belfast – Atlantic
35 RE Roy Ayers Ubiquity – Running Away – Polydor (LP)
36 35 People’s Choice – Jam, Jam, Jam – Philadelphia Int’l (LP)
37 37 Stranglers – No More Heroes – UA
38 NE Tom Robinson Band – 2-4-6-8 Motorway – EMI
39 22 Idris Muhammad – Turn This Mutha Out / Could Heaven Ever Be Like This – Kudu
40 NE Bee Gees – How Deep Is Your Love – RSO
41 NE ABBA – The Name Of The Game – Epic
42 30 Leo Sayer – Thunder In My Heart – Chrysalis
43 45 Peter Blake – Lipsmackin’ Rock ‘N Rollin’ – UA
44 NE Showdown – Keep Doin’ It – State
45 42 Jacksons – Goin’ Places – Epic
46 NE D.D. Sound – Shopping Baby – Mercury
47 26 Donna Summer – Love’s Unkind – GTO (LP)
48 21 Dooleys – I Think I’m Gonna Fall In Love With You – GTO
49 RE Village People – San Francisco / Hollywood / Fire Island – Casablanca (LP) [Imp]
50 48 Smokie – Needles And Pins – Rak
NE = new entry; RE = re-entry
All titles are 7” singles unless noted otherwise
Appeared in Billboard:
#1 (BNDA debut 9/24/77) / #3 (BNDA debut 6/11/77) / #4 (BNDA debut 6/18/77)
#5 (BNDA debut 7/23/77) / #6 (BNDA debut 4/16/77) / #7 (BNDA debut 9/3/77)
#10 (BNDA debut 8/6/77) / #11 (BNDA debut 6/4/77) / #12 (BNDA debut 7/23/77)
#15 (BNDA debut 4/9/77) / #17 (BNDA debut 7/2/77) / #19 (BNDA debut 8/27/77)
#20 (BNDA debut 9/24/77) / #22 (BNDA debut 8/6/77) / #28 (BNDA debut 5/28/77)
#30 (BNDA debut 6/11/77) / #32 (BNDA debut 3/25/78) / #33 (BNDA debut 11/12/77)
#35 (BNDA debut 9/24/77) / #42 (BNDA debut 12/10/77) / #45 (BNDA debut 12/3/77)
#46 (BNDA debut 7/16/77) / #47 (BNDA debut 5/28/77) / #49 (BNDA debut 7/30/77)
Breakers:
1 LOU RAWLS: ‘See You When I Git There’ (Philadelphia Int’l)
2 BRECKER BROTHERS: ‘Don’t Stop The Music’ (Arista) (BNDA debut 4/16/77)
3 JOHN FORDE: ‘Stardance’ (EMI)
4 BLUES BUSTERS: ‘Just Don’t Want To Be Lonely’ (Dynamic)
5 TEDDY PENDERGRASS: ‘Somebody Told Me’ (Philadelphia Int’l)
6 RUBY WINTERS: ‘I Will’ (Creole)
7 KENNY WILLIAMS: ‘(You’re) Fabulous Babe’ (Decca)
8 ARCHIE BELL & THE DRELLS: ‘So Glad You Could Make It’ (Philadelphia Int’l LP cut)
9 LOVE & KISSES: ‘I’ve Found Love’ (Barclay) (BNDA debut 6/11/77)
10 FANTASTIC FOUR: ‘Got To Have Your Love’ (Atlantic) (BNDA debut 9/24/77)
Songs mentioned in “DJ Hotline”:
RAY CRUMLEY: ‘It’s Uncanny’ (Magnet)
DBM: ‘Discobeatlemania’ (Atlantic)
STEEL PULSE: ‘Nyah Luv’ (Anchor)
CHARLIE FEATHERS: ‘Gone Gone Gone’ (Charly)
WAR: ‘War Is Coming’ (Island LP cut)
JONATHAN RICHMAN: ‘Egyptian Reggae’ (Beserkley)
WESS: ‘Goodtime’ (Pinnacle)
ODYSSEY: ‘Native New Yorker’ (RCA LP cut – US import) (BNDA debut 8/27/77)
MIKE THEODORE ORCHESTRA: ‘The Bull’ (Westbound LP cut – US import) (BNDA debut 9/3/77)
GENO WASHINGTON: ‘Boogie Queen’ (DJM)
SHALAMAR: ‘Inky Dinky Wang Dang Doo’ (Soul Train LP cut)
James Hamilton's Disco Page 