September 9, 1978: Eddie Henderson, Rose Royce, Gap Mangione, El Coco, Solar Flare

Disco News

Camberley’s Frenchies are opening a trendy new restaurant this Saturday (9) in the High Street, Worcester Park, South West London. Called the Palm Beach, it’ll feature lotsa palm trees, stuffed seagulls, waitresses in ultra-short shorts and beach shirts, a hamburger / lasagna / moussaka / pizza / malt liquor-type menu and – of course – the hottest jazz-funk. You’d better book on 01-330 1982 . . . Chris Brown and Graham Canter fill in for Robbie Vincent on Radio London’s Saturday morning soul show until next week . . . Although the South East has gone wild over ‘In The Bush’, Musique’s ‘Summer Love’ is now on 7:51 12in (CBS 12-6579) . . . Wilbert Longmire won’t be out here until November, but Teddy Pendergrass ‘Only You’ and Joe Thomas ‘Plato’s Retreat’ are due later this month, probably on 12in . . . Candi Staton ‘Victim’ (edited 7in) and Tony Orlando ‘Don’t Let Go’ (12in remix) are out next week, Ashford & Simpson (7in) and Boney M ‘Rasputin’ (12in) are due Sept. 22, Bettye LaVette (12in) and Linda Clifford ‘Gypsy Lady’ (12in probably) are set for Sept. 29 . . . The Roy Ayers track for UK 12in will be ‘Get On Up, Get On Down’, with a special “reprise cue” gimmick of a cueing band 1:38 from the disc’s end so that jocks can repeat it quickly if they want – huh? However, so far, ‘Can’t You See Me’ has three times the DJ support . . . Carrie Lucas ‘Street Corner Symphony’ / ‘Tic Toc’ is on 12in next week, while La Bionda ‘One For You, One For Me’ will be a Mercury 12in here Sept. 22 . . . Until the smallpox scare ends, all Birmingham jocks are excused sending reaction reports to Phonogram and WEA! . . . Dave Dee of Bebington (resident of Birkenhead Cabin) wants record companies to know that it’s an imposter who’s diverting his mail to a Manchester address.

---

New Spins

EDDIE HENDERSON: ‘Prance On’ (from LP ‘Mahal’, Tower EST 11846)
Dynamite fast 5:16 flier by the jazz-funk trumpeter that’s set to explode – around the South East, anyway! It’s right in the sparse skipping Charles Earland groove, so you’ve been warned!

ROSE ROYCE: ‘Love Don’t Live Here Anymore’ / ‘Do It Do It’ (Whitfield K 17236)
Sensational delicate 3:56 smoocher, full of those trendy syn-drum noises, with a great brassily blasting herky-jerky 4:09 funky flip for extra double-sided value.

GAP MANGIONE: ‘Mellow Out’ (from LP ‘Suite Lady’, A&M AMLH 64694)
At last (though the 45’s still late!), the smash import exciting fast 5:39 funk-jazz jumper – amazingly like a squeaky synthesizer version of the Crusaders’ ‘Put It Where You Want It’ – has now been overtaken in the South East by the much more specialist 5:27 ‘Sister Jo/Time Of The Season’ medley, a trickily lurching jazzy builder that gets quite fast before subsiding again into quieter piano-backed thumps ‘n bumps. 

EL COCO: ‘Love In Your Life’ / ‘Dancing In Paradise’ (Pye 7NL 25792) (BNDA debut 7/15/78)
Exhilarating fast 7:40 rhythm rattling 12in racer chop-mixes perfectly out of the brief break in Curtis Mayfield’s ‘No Goodbyes’, while the more plodding 8:05 official A-side similarly includes some cooing chix but can’t compete for excitement.

SOLAR FLARE: ‘Boogie Fund’ (RCA PC 1334) (BNDA debut 9/9/78)
Huge on import, the storming 7:06 12in chugging thudder is very like ‘Disco Inferno’ so should now be big in the West, Midlands and North too. Hi, Fred!

SUPERMAX: ‘World Of Today’ (Atlantic K 11108)
Unusual rather good organ and rhythm-introed fast jagged flier from France is sorta funk-jazz-pop and well away from the usual Euro clichés – check it out.

MICHAEL HENDERSON: ‘Happy’ (from LP ‘In The Nighttime’, Buddah BDLP 4055)
Aptly-titled and fantastically funky 6:00 instrumental burbler includes Raydio’s Ray Parker in the line-up, so you get the idea? Try it!

VARIOUS: ‘Salsoul Saturday Night Disco Party’ LP (Salsoul SSLM 4001)
Forget the Salsoul Orchestra’s three bland Bee Gees covers and concentrate on Ripple ‘The Beat Goes On And On’ (4:22), Charo ‘Dance A Little Bit Closer’ (4:31), Loleatta Holloway ‘Hit And Run’ (6:29), First Choice ‘Dr. Love’ (5:17), and – yes! – the full 7:30 12in-length Double Exposure ‘Ten Percent’.

CONSTELLATION ORCHESTRA: ‘Perfect Love Affair’ / ‘Cosmic Melody’ (CBS 6585) (BNDA debut 7/1/78)
Suspiciously zingy 4:15 girlie group racer from the Saturday Night Band stable, recently big on import, has an oogie oogie bass and thudding breaks – and an even zingier flip.

GRACE JONES: ‘Fame’ LP (Island ILPS 9525) (BNDA debut 6/17/78)
The rattling ‘Do Or Die’ segues straight on through ‘Pride’ and ‘Fame’ on the continuous side one so they all sound the same. Could be the new Donna Summer.

THELMA HOUSTON: ‘It’s Just Me Feeling Good’ / ‘Don’t Pity Me’ (Motown TMG 1117)
Gradually intensifying smooth funky 4:20 chugger from last year, now a bit like Linda Clifford, relegated to flip of a typical Van McCoy thumper.

RAYDIO: ‘Honey I’m Rich’ / ‘Me’ (Arista ARIST 183)
Blandly funky perky jiggler kinda combines their two previous hits, while the slower flip’s more truly funky.

PETER BROWN: ‘You Should Do It’ (TK TKR 6048)
Jaunty pop-slanted variation of his ‘Dance With Me’ formula.

VOYAGE: ‘Point Zero’ / ‘Latin Odyssey’ (GTO GT 235) (BNDA debut 2/11/78)
Burundi Black-type rhythm rattling afro chanter, which on the LP segues straight out of ‘From East To West’ but may not be so big on its own. Equally percussive Santana-ish flip.

KEBEKELEKTRIK: ‘War Dance’ / ‘Magic Fly’ (Epic EPC 6577) (BNDA debuts 6/24/78 & 6/18/77)
Rhythm rattling instrumental 3:27 synthesizer pounder with an “oriental” melody, plus a 4:00 remix of their similar Space cover from last year.

QUARTZ: ‘Beyond The Clouds’ (from LP ‘Quartz’, Pye NSPL 28261) (BNDA debut 7/22/78)
Cerrone-ish fast 5:05 synthetic thudder with dramatic piano plonking over the top, currently big in Chicago discos (huh!?).

SOUNDTRACK: ‘Midnight Express’ LP (Casablanca CAL 2030) (‘Chase’ BNDA debut 1/20/79)
Giorgio’s movie score includes an 8:21 ‘Chase’ that’s in his typical electronic disco style and much better than his other recent stuff.

THREE DEGREES: ‘Giving Up, Giving In’ (Ariola AROD 130-12) (BNDA debut 11/4/78)
Giorgio-produced aggressively noisy fast 6:07 skitterer with syn-drum bursts, on red vinyl 12in.

MICK JACKSON: ‘Blame It On The Boogie’ (Atlantic K 11102)
Jackson 5-type (though no relation) jaunty pop-soul jiggler, sounds good on radio.

JONATHAN KING: ‘One For You, One For Me’ (GTO GT 237)
Good thickly-textured cover of La Bionda’s happily pounding Eurosmash (due here soon on 12in).

DEAN FRIEDMAN: ‘Lucky Stars’ (Lifesong LS 402)
Mind-nagging toe-curler of a sexy slow duet with Denise Marsa, should smash MoR.

LITTLE RIVER BAND: ‘Reminiscing’ (EMI 2839)
Gorgeous atmospheric AOR pop slowie with Dr. Buzzard brass bits.

COOL NOTES: ‘You Are What You Are’ (Jama JA 0047)
Pleasant mid-tempo reggae ends up as a dub, and has worked well for me already.

---

DJ Top 10

Tony Barnfield, musical director and DJ at Mayfair’s Saddle Room in Hamilton Place, has again come up with a Continental playlist of hot foreign language hits, suitable for a sophisticated cosmopolitan crowd.

1. MICHEL SARDOU: ‘En Chantant’ (French Trema)
2. MICHAEL RAITNER: ‘On Se Souvient’ (French Disques Ibach)
3. ALAIN BARRIERE: ‘Paris Disco’ (French Albatros)
4. JEAN-CLAUDE BRIALY: ‘Si T’Es Beau T’Es Con’ (French CBS)
5. JOE DASSIN: ‘Si Tu Penses A Moi’ (French CBS)
6. ANTONELLO VENDITTI: ‘Sotto Il Segno Dei Pesci’ (Italian Philips)
7. JULIO IGLESIAS: ‘Stai’ (French CBS)
8. BEBU SILVETTI: ‘Sun After The Rain’ (Spanish Hispavox)
9. UMBERTO TOZZI: ‘Tu’ (Italian CBS)
10. GILBERT BECAUD: ‘Un Instant D’Éternité’ (French Pathe)
    

    ---

UK Disco Top 90 – September 9, 1978

01 02 Crown Heights Affair – Galaxy Of Love – Mercury 12″
02 01 A Taste Of Honey – Boogie Oogie Oogie – Capitol 7″/12″/LP
03 06 Sylvester – You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real) / Dance (Disco Heat) – Fantasy 7″/12″
04 03 Commodores – Three Times A Lady – Motown 7″/LP
05 05 Karen Young – Hot Shot – Atlantic 7″/12″/US West End 12″
06 07 Herbie Hancock – I Thought It Was You – CBS 12″/LP
07 09 Hamilton Bohannon – Let’s Start The Dance – Mercury 12″/US LP
08 11 Hi-Tension – British Hustle / Peace On Earth – Island 7″/12″
09 04 Quincy Jones – Stuff Like That – A&M 7″/12″/LP
10 10 Charles Earland – Let The Music Play / Over And Over – Mercury 12″/US LP
11 12 Cerrone – Supernature – Atlantic 7″/12″/LP
12 08 Rick James – You And I – Motown 7″/12″/LP
13 13 Brothers Johnson – Ain’t We Funkin’ Now / Mista Cool / Ride-O-Rocket / Streetwave – A&M 12″/LP
14 14 Sweet Thunder – Everybody’s Singin’ Love Songs – US Fantasy/WMOT 12″
15 32 Stargard – What You Waitin’ For – MCA 7″/12″
16 23 Cissy Houston – Think It Over – Private Stock 7″/12″
17 18 Boney M. – Rivers Of Babylon / Brown Girl In The Ring – Atlantic 7″/12″
18 29 Al Hudson – How Do You Do / Spread Love – ABC 7″/12″/US LP
19 19 Wilbert Longmire – Black Is The Color / Lovely Day / Good Morning – US Tappan Zee LP
20 30 Roy Ayers – Can’t You See Me / Get On Up, Get On Down – US Polydor LP
21 45 Musique – Keep On Jumpin’ / In The Bush – US Prelude LP
22 37 Curtis Mayfield – No Goodbyes / Do It All Night – US Curtom LP
23 31 Atlantic Starr – Stand Up – A&M LP
24 20 Voyage – Voyage (all cuts) – GTO LP
25 52 10cc – Dreadlock Holiday – Mercury 7″
26 17 Barry Manilow – Copacabana (At The Copa) – Arista 7″/12″
27 16 John Travolta & Olivia Newton-John – You’re The One That I Want – RSO 7″
28 24 Deodato – Whistle Bump – Warner Bros. 7″/12″/US 12″ promo
29 15 Saturday Night Band – Come On Dance Dance – CBS 7″/12″/LP
30 35 Lenny Williams – You Got Me Running / I Still Reach Out – ABC 12″/LP
31 26 Ronnie Jones – Me And Myself – Lollipop 7″/12″ promo
32 36 Real Thing – Rainin’ Through My Sunshine – Pye 7″/12″
33 42 Gap Mangione – Mellow Out / Time Of The Season – A&M 7″/LP
34 27 Norma Jean – Saturday – Bearsville 7″/US 12″
35 38 Dennis Coffey – Gimme That Funk – US Westbound LP
36 47 Foxy – Get Off – TK 7″
37 49 Patrick Juvet – Got A Feeling – Casablanca 7″/LP
38 21 Evelyn “Champagne” King – Shame – RCA 7″/12″
39 22 Raydio – Is This A Love Thing – Arista 7″/12″/LP
40 33 War – Youngblood – US UA 7″/LP
41 41 Nigel Martinez – Better Things To Come – State 7″/12″
42 34 Teddy Pendergrass – Only You – Philadelphia Int’l LP
43 46 Don Ray – Garden Of Love (all cuts) – Polydor LP
44 44 David Williams – Come On Down Boogie People – US AVI 12″/LP
45 43 Slave – Stellar Fungk – Cotillion LP/US 12″ promo
46 50 Andy Gibb – An Everlasting Love – RSO 7″
47 72 Linda Clifford – Runaway Love / If My Friends Could See Me Now – Curtom 12″/US 12″ remix
48 28 Carol Douglas – Night Fever – Gull 7″/12″
49 25 Samona Cooke – One Night Affair – Mercury 7″/12″ promo
50 89 Frankie Valli – Grease – RSO 7″
51 67 Cleveland Eaton – Bama Boogie Woogie – Gull 7″/12″
52 66 Platinum Hook – Standing On The Verge – Motown 7″/12″/LP
53 57 Ohio Players – Jass-Ay-Lay-Dee / Funk-O-Nots / Shoot Yer Shot – US Mercury LP
54 63 Darts – It’s Raining – Magnet 7″
55 NE Third World – Now That We Found Love – Island 12″
56 58 Phil Hurtt – Giving It Back – Fantasy LP/US 12″
57 48 Boney M. – Rasputin / Painter Man – Atlantic LP
58 68 Grace Jones – Do Or Die – Island 12″
59 90 Ashford & Simpson – It Seems To Hang On / Get Up And Do Something – US Warner Bros. 7″/12″
60 60 Tyrone David – Mind Blowing Decisions – D-Roy 7″/12″
61 61 Solar Flare – Boogie Fund – RCA 12″
62 79 Passport – Loco-Motive – Atlantic LP/US 12″ promo
63 56 Trammps – Disco Inferno – Atlantic 7″/12″/RSO LP
64 59 L.T.D. – Holding On / It’s Time To Be Real – A&M 12″/LP
65 40 Earth, Wind & Fire – Magic Mind – CBS 7″
66 71 Bobby Caldwell – Down For The Third Time – US Clouds LP
67 55 O’Jays – Use Ta Be My Girl – Philadelphia Int’l 7″
68 64 Teri DeSario – Ain’t Nothing Gonna Keep Me From You – Casablanca 7″
69 53 Michael Zager Band – Music Fever / Soul To Soul – Private Stock 7″/12″
70 54 Gladys Knight & The Pips – Come Back And Finish What You Started – Buddah 7″
71 77 Crusaders – Cosmic Reign / Fairy Tales – ABC LP
72 85 Loleatta Holloway & Bunny Sigler – Only You – Salsoul 7″
73 RE Samuel Jonathan Johnson – You – US Columbia 12″ remix
74 84 Sugar Cane – Montego Bay – Ariola Hansa 7″/12″
75 51 Len Boone – Love Won’t Be Denied – Chrysalis 12″/US 12″
76 76 Kandidate – Don’t Wanna Say Goodnight / Closer – Rak 7″/12″
77 62 Gato Barbieri – Poinciana – A&M LP
78 74 Diana Ross – Lovin’, Livin’ And Givin’ – Motown 7″/Casablanca LP
79 NE David Essex – Oh What A Circus – Mercury 7″
80 NE Larry Page Orchestra – Erotic Soul / You Do It Good – Rampage 7″/12″
81 75 Gilla – Bend Me Shape Me – Ariola Hansa 7″/12″
82 65 KC & The Sunshine Band – It’s The Same Old Song – TK 7″/12″
83 NE Marc Jordan – Survival – Warner Bros. 7″/US 12″ promo
84 NE Delegation – Oh Honey – State 7″
85 NE Blair – Night Life – US Solar Sound LP
86 70 Switch – We Like To Party . . . Come On – US Gordy LP
87 RE Players Association – Disco Inferno – Vanguard 7″/12″
88 NE Eddie Henderson – Prance On – Tower LP
89 83 Norman Connors – Captain Connors – Buddah 7″/LP
90 NE Pockets – Take It On Up – US Columbia 7″
NE = new entry; RE = re-entry

Appeared in Billboard:
#2 (BNDA debut 5/27/78) / #3 (BNDA debut 7/8/78) / #5 (BNDA debut 6/17/78)
#7 (BNDA debut 7/22/78) / #11 (BNDA debut 11/26/77) / #12 (BNDA debut 5/13/78)
#16 (BNDA debut 7/22/78) / #21 (BNDA debut 7/29/78) / #22 (BNDA debut 9/9/78)
#23 (BNDA debut 10/7/78) / #24 (BNDA debut 2/11/78) / #26 (BNDA debut 4/15/78)
#28 (BNDA debut 5/27/78) / #29 (BNDA debut 4/15/78) / #30 (BNDA debut 7/29/78)
#34 (BNDA debut 6/17/78) / #36 (BNDA debut 5/6/78) / #37 (BNDA debut 6/3/78)
#38 (BNDA debut 10/1/77) / #40 (BNDA debut 10/7/78) / #43 (BNDA debut 4/22/78)
#47 (BNDA debut 3/25/78) / #48 (BNDA debut 3/11/78) / #58 (BNDA debut 6/17/78)
#61 (BNDA debut 9/9/78) / #63 (BNDA debut 1/15/77) / #75 (BNDA debut 8/12/78)
#78 (BNDA debut 12/23/78) / #80 (BNDA debut 7/16/77)

Bubbling Under the Top 90 (Domestic):
GARY BARTZ: ‘Shake Your Body’ / ‘Giant Steps’ (Tower LP)
PHIL UPCHURCH: ‘Strawberry Letter 23’ / ‘Free’ (TK LP)
PATRICK JUVET: ‘I Love America’ (Casablanca LP) (BNDA debut 6/3/78)
MAJOR HARRIS: ‘Love Won’t Let Me Wait’ (Atlantic 7”)
EXILE: ‘Kiss You All Over’ (Rak 7”)
AMII STEWART: ‘You Really Touched My Heart’ (Atlantic 7”)
ERIC CARMEN: ‘Baby I Need Your Lovin’’ (Arista 7”)
DAVID BYRON: ‘African Breeze’ (Arista 12” promo)
JAMES BROWN: ‘The Spank’ (Polydor LP)
NINA SIMONE: ‘Baltimore’ (CTI LP)
MASS PRODUCTION: ‘Watch Me Do It’ / ‘Just Wanna Make A Dream Come True’ (Cotillion LP)
CLIMAX ASHER: ‘Rocker’s Arena’ (Bronze 12”)
CALVIN DAVIES: ‘Train Ride To Nowhere’ (Bulldog 7”)
JOHNNIE TAYLOR: ‘Hey Mister Melody Maker’ (CBS 7”)
LITTLE NELL: ‘Fever’ (A&M 7”)

Bubbling Under the Top 90 (Imports):
MFSB: ‘Use Ta Be My Guy’ (US Philadelphia Int’l 7”)
FINISHED TOUCH: ‘New Horizons’ (US Motown LP)
INDEPENDENT MOVEMENT: ‘Slippin’ Away’ (US Polydor LP)
CHARLES JACKSON: ‘Ooh Child’ (US Capitol 12”)
FUNKADELIC: ‘One Nation Under A Groove’ (US Warner Bros. 7”) (BNDA debut 11/11/78)
PEOPLE’S CHOICE: ‘Turn Me Loose’ (US Philadelphia Int’l LP)
JOE THOMAS: ‘Plato’s Retreat’ (US TK 12”) (BNDA debut 8/12/78)
LA BIONDA: ‘Sandstorm’ / ‘One For You, One For Me’ (US Polydor LP)
WILLIE HUTCH: ‘And All Hell Broke Loose’ / ‘All American Funkathon’ (US Whitfield 7”)
EL COCO: ‘Love In Your Life’ / ‘Dancing In Paradise’ (US AVI LP) (BNDA debut 7/15/78)
GLASS FAMILY: ‘Mr. DJ You Know How To Make Me Dance’ (US JDC LP) (BNDA debut 8/19/78)
T-LIFE: ‘Games’ / ‘Tell Me’ (US RCA LP)
THE BROTHERHOOD: ‘Soul Power’ (US MCA LP)
CARRIE LUCAS: ‘Street Corner Symphony’ (US Solar 12”)
DAN HARTMAN: ‘Instant Replay’ (US Blue Sky 12”) (BNDA debut 8/19/78)
ELOISE LAWS: ‘Number One’ (US ABC 12”) (BNDA debut 3/11/78)
ZAFRA: ‘Now That I’ve Found You’ (US H&L LP)
BROTHERS BY CHOICE: ‘She Puts The Ease Back In Easy’ (US ALA LP)
GREGG DIAMOND: ‘Starcruiser’ (US Marlin LP) (BNDA debut 9/2/78)
LALO SCHIFRIN: ‘Fortune Tellers’ / ‘To Cast A Spell’ (US Tabu LP)
BETTYE LAVETTE: ‘Doin’ The Best That I Can’ (US West End 12”) (BNDA debut 8/12/78)
DENISE LASALLE: ‘P-A-R-T-Y’ (US ABC LP)
LOVE COMMITTEE: ‘Law And Order’ (remix) (US Gold Mind 12”) (BNDA debut 6/24/78)
GARY CRISS: ‘The Girl From Ipanema’ / ‘Brazilian Nights’ (US Salsoul LP)
SONNY FORTUNE: ‘Turning It Over’ (US Atlantic LP)
PEDALBINNERS: ‘Put It In It’ (US Goldmine 12”)
LARRY CARLTON: ‘Room 335’ (US Warner Bros. LP)
JOE FARRELL: ‘Another Star’ (US Warner Bros. LP)
GREY & HANKS: ‘You Fooled Me’ (US RCA 7”)
AFRO-CUBAN BAND: ‘Rhythm Of Life’ (US Arista 12”) (BNDA debut 9/2/78)