Amanda Lear’s ‘Blood And Honey’ (Ariola) has been a massive Euro-hit, following on perfectly from Baccara, and is doing well in the Disco Chart. Evidently though it isn’t selling here or why else would Ariola ally themselves with a Doncaster-based promotion company to try to persuade disco DJ’s to change that situation.
Now it’s not as if this page didn’t review – indeed, predict success for – the record even before it came out here, but . . . for the past two weeks we have been inundated with potted reviews from disco DJ’s, all telling us what the bloody thing sounds like! Great, fab, but what’s the point?
Evidently BADJA, the promotion company, masquerades as a free association for DJ’s, and doles out records to its members. In doling out the Amanda Lear 12in (and also another Ariola single by Lynne Jones ‘Come Softly To Me’), BADJA asked all the recipients to write to this page with their comments about them. Had they come out in the open and asked the DJ’s to send in Disco Charts containing the records they could have been accused of hype. On the other hand those charts would have had to contain a dozen other records not necessarily issued by BADJA.
Amanda Lear’s is a good record which works well, and I use it myself. It has every right to appear in disco charts – if those are a true representation of dancers’ reaction. From the way this page is structured it should be obvious that we welcome correspondence from DJ’s which is then broken down to provide all the info that goes into each section of the page. What were we meant to do with all the BADJA members’ comments?
It really ought to be the duty of any DJ on a record company mailing list to justify his position. By submitting disco charts to Record Mirror regularly he can influence the whole country and not just his own piddling little venue. But he should not just list all the freebies he’s received, regardless.
Also, please realise that while I enjoy getting letters they are wasted unless they contain specific news or a chart that can he used on this page, and an SAE if an answer is required. End of lecture. Happy New Year!
No New Spins this week.
No Hot Vinyl this week.
UK Disco Top 50 – December 31, 1977
01 02 Donna Summer – Love’s Unkind – GTO
02 01 Chic – Dance Dance Dance – Atlantic
03 06 Odyssey – Native New Yorker – RCA (12″)
04 07 Bob Marley & The Wailers – Jamming – Island
05 03 Wings – Mull Of Kintyre – Parlophone
06 15 War – Galaxy – MCA
07 11 Dooleys – Love Of My Life – GTO
08 04 Village People – San Francisco – DJM
09 12 Darts – Daddy Cool – Magnet (12″)
10 17 Jonathan Richman – Egyptian Reggae – Berserkley
11 08 Carl Douglas – Run Back – Pye
12 22 L.T.D. – Back In Love Again – A&M
13 05 Showaddywaddy – Dancin’ Party – Arista
14 16 Boney M – Belfast – Atlantic
15 18 Tom Robinson Band – 2-4-6-8 Motorway – EMI
16 14 El Coco – Cocomotion – Pye
17 NE Bing Crosby – White Christmas – MCA
18 13 Roy Ayers Ubiquity – Running Away – Polydor
19 09 Bee Gees – How Deep Is Your Love – RSO
20 NE Althea & Donna – Uptown Top Ranking – Lightning
21 34 Pockets – Come Go With Me – CBS
22 19 Billy Paul – Only The Strong Survive – Philadelphia Int’l
23 23 Status Quo – Rockin’ All Over The World – Vertigo
24 10 Munich Machine – Get On The Funk Train – Oasis
25 28 Roberta Kelly – Zodiacs – Oasis
26 27 Amanda Lear – Blood And Honey – Ariola (12″)
27 21 Ruby Winters – I Will – Creole
28 40 Con Funk Shun – Ffun – Mercury
29 26 Fantastic Four – Got To Have Your Love – Atlantic
30 49 Showdown – Keep Doin’ It – State (12″)
31 33 Emotions – I Don’t Wanna Lose Your Love – CBS
32 31 Gonzalez – I Haven’t Stopped Dancin’ Yet – EMI
33 24 Brighouse & Rastrick Brass Band – Floral Dance – Transatlantic
34 NE Heatwave – The Groove Line – GTO
35 RE Crystal Gayle – Don’t It Make My Brown Eyes Blue – UA
36 37 Nite School – Do You Speak French – Ensign
37 30 Donna Summer – I Love You – Casablanca
38 29 Donna Summer – Rumour Has It – Casablanca (LP)
39 20 Bonnie Tyler – It’s A Heartache – RCA
40 43 Eddie Henderson – Say You Will – Capitol
41 42 T-Connection – On Fire – TK (12”)
42 41 Boz Scaggs – Hollywood – CBS
43 38 Le Pamplemousse – Get Your Boom Boom – Barclay
44 NE Imperials – Who’s Gonna Love Me – Power Exchange
45 39 Lenny Williams – Choosing You – ABC (LP)
46 RE Long Tall Ernie – Do You Remember – Polydor
47 47 Mass Production – I Believe In Music / Cosmic Lust – Cotillion
48 NE Brass Construction – We / Happy People – UA (LP)
49 44 Saar Band – Magic Mandrake – Calendar
50 35 Mike Theodore Orchestra – The Bull – Atlantic
NE = new entry; RE = re-entry
All titles are 7” singles unless noted otherwise
Appeared in Billboard:
#1 (BNDA debut 5/28/77) / #2 (BNDA debut 9/24/77) / #3 (BNDA debut 8/27/77)
#6 (BNDA debut 1/14/78) / #8 (BNDA debut 7/30/77) / #12 (BNDA debut 10/22/77)
#16 (BNDA debut 8/20/77) / #18 (BNDA debut 9/24/77) / #21 (BNDA debut 1/7/78)
#24 (BNDA debut 6/11/77) / #25 (BNDA debut 8/27/77) / #29 (BNDA debut 9/24/77)
#31 (BNDA debut 8/28/76) / #32 (BNDA debut 12/12/78) / #37 (BNDA debut 11/12/77)
#38 (BNDA debut 11/12/77) / #41 (BNDA debut 11/5/77) / #43 (BNDA debut 3/26/77)
#45 (BNDA debut 7/30/77) / #47 (BNDA debut 8/6/77) / #48 (BNDA debut 12/3/77)
#50 (BNDA debut 9/3/77)
Breakers:
1 THE BANNED: ‘Little Girl’ (Harvest)
2 ROBERT GORDON: ‘The Fool’ / ‘Endless Sleep’ (Private Stock 12”)
3 CAMEO: ‘Funk Funk’ / ‘Good Times’ (Casablanca)
4 JUDGE DREAD: ‘Up With The Cock’ (Cactus)
5 TOMMI: ‘Disco Satisfaction’ (Private Stock)
6 COACHOUSE RHYTHM SECTION: ‘Nobody’s Got Time’ (Ice/Pye)
7 TRAMMPS: ‘The Night The Lights Went Out’ (Atlantic LP cut) (BNDA debut 11/26/77)
8 BILL FREDERICKS: ‘Love With You’ (Polydor)
9 PEOPLES CHOICE: ‘Jam Jam Jam’ (Philadelphia Int’l)
10 MONTREAL SOUND: ‘Music’ (Creole 12”) (BNDA debut 8/13/77)
Songs mentioned in “DJ Hotline”:
ROSE ROYCE: ‘It Makes You Feel Like Dancin’’ / ‘Funk Factory’ (Whitfield LP cuts) (BNDA debut 9/24/77)
QUINT: ‘Hold Me’ (UA)
SHU-BI-DUA: ‘Rap Jul (White Christmas)’ (Polydor – Danish import)
BLACK PAUL: ‘The King In Black Disco’ (Delphine 12” – French import)
LE PAMPLEMOUSSE: ‘Le Spank’ (AVI – US import) (BNDA debut 10/22/77)
PATRICK JUVET: ‘Ou Sont Les Femmes’ (Barclay LP – French import)
HIGH INERGY: ‘You Can’t Turn Me Off’ (Motown)
BLACKBYRDS: ‘Street Games’ (Fantasy LP cut)
FANTASTIC FOUR: ‘There’s A Fire Down Below’ (Atlantic LP cut) (BNDA debut 9/24/77)
STAPLE SINGERS: ‘If You’re Ready’ (Stax)
THIRD WORLD: ‘96 In The Shade’ (Island)
BAND OF THE ARGYLL & SUTHERLAND HIGHLANDERS: ‘Zulu’ (Black Bear)
MINK DEVILLE: ‘Cadillac Walk’ (Capitol)
GLORIA JONES: ‘Bring On The Love’ (EMI)
FATBACK: ‘Master Booty’ (Spring) (BNDA debut 1/7/78)
MIKE OLDFIELD: ‘Cuckoo Song’ (Virgin)
RORY BLOCK: ‘Help Me Baby’ (Chrysalis 12”)
LYNNE JONES: ‘Come Softly To Me’ (Ariola)
REZILLOS: ‘Flying Saucer Attack’ (Sire)
STEVE HILLAGE: ‘Not Fade Away’ (Virgin)
The Top 50 RM Disco Chart Hits of ‘77
1 Belle Epoque – Black Is Black – Harvest
2 Rose Royce – Car Wash – MCA
3 Heatwave – Boogie Nights – GTO
4 Donna Summer – I Feel Love – GTO
5 Joe Tex – Ain’t Gonna Bump No More – Epic
6 Van McCoy – The Shuffle – H&L
7 Emotions – Best Of My Love – CBS
8 Baccara – Yes Sir I Can Boogie – RCA
9 Boney M. – Daddy Cool – Atlantic
10 Rah Band – The Crunch – Good Earth
11 John Miles – Slow Down – Decca
12 Tony Etoria – I Can Prove It – GTO
13 Boney M. – Ma Baker – Atlantic
14 Space – Magic Fly – Pye
15 Stevie Wonder – Sir Duke – Motown
16 Shalamar – Uptown Festival – Soul Train
17 Marvin Gaye – Got To Give It Up – Motown
18 T-Connection – Do What You Wanna Do – TK
19 Gladys Knight – Baby Don’t Change Your Mind – Buddah
20 Boney M. – Belfast – Atlantic
21 Rose Royce – Do Your Dance – Whitfield
22 Stevie Wonder – I Wish – Motown
23 Floaters – Float On – ABC
24 Meco – Star Wars Theme – RCA
25 Detroit Emeralds – Feel The Need In Me – Atlantic
26 David Bowie – Sound And Vision – RCA
27 Thelma Houston – Don’t Leave Me This Way – Motown
28 Status Quo – Rockin’ All Over The World – Vertigo
29 Brendon – Gimme Some – Magnet
30 Donna Summer – Deep Down Inside – Casablanca
31 Jacksons – Show You The Way To Go – Epic
32 Donna Summer – I Remember Yesterday – GTO
33 Tom Robinson Band – 2-4-6-8 Motorway – EMI
34 Philadelphia All-Stars – Let’s Clean Up The Ghetto – Philadelphia Int’l
35 Hot Chocolate – So You Win Again – Rak
36 Boney M. – Sunny – Atlantic
37 Commodores – Brick House / Sweet Love – Motown
38 Stevie Wonder – Isn’t She Lovely – Motown
39 Darts – Daddy Cool – Magnet (12″)
40 Santa Esmeralda – Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood – Philips
41 Earth, Wind & Fire – Saturday Night – CBS
42 Lenny Williams – Shoo Doo Fu Fu Ooh – ABC
43 Danny Williams – Dancing Easy – Ensign
44 Tavares – Whodunnit – Capitol
45 Dead End Kids – Have I The Right – CBS
46 Olympic Runners – Keep It Up – RCA (12″)
47 Candi Staton – Nights On Broadway – Warner Bros.
48 Giorgio Moroder – From Here To Eternity – Oasis
49 ABBA – Knowing Me, Knowing You – Epic
50 Trammps – Disco Inferno – Atlantic
James Hamilton's Disco Page 