NY DISCO ‘80
New York’s disco/soul WBLS radio may still be winning the ratings battle but out in the clubs the energy has definitely dropped, with once exclusive names now practically touting for business at any time other than the busy weekends. Where disco was once a lifestyle this comes as a depressing fact of life.
Studio 54, until recently closed, now opens just on Fridays and seems to be attracting a largely black crowd, possibly due to its new black owner, the svelte pyjama suit and sombrero-sporting Michael Stone. Lacking a liquor licence (but then New York’s best, Paradise Garage never had one), the club now has a more enjoyable atmosphere than in the era of poseurs even if the music on offer remains much unchanged. The converted theatre setting has been slightly revamped although the same variety of backdrops and flashing light columns drop down from the high ceiling amongst the dancers, new additions being extra articulated neon panels overhead and a huge rather ugly mechanised walkway-topped gantry that slides forward through the old proscenium area to form a stage.
Also in an old theatre with similar backdrop variety, Xenon makes much play of its spectacular laser effects. This club last year was adamant in its refusal to grant admission to a group of British disco personalities, but was only too keen to grab 12 dollars a head while it still could In 1980. The only feature of slight interest was Rick James getting DJ John ‘Jellybean’ Benitez to play his new album and clearing the dangerously empty floor of its Wallys in the process. Still, it was a Monday!
Jellybean actually seemed to be jocking all over the place, and was at The Electric Circus for much of the week too. The disco floor here is naturally divided with lights into a three ring area and the DJ booth is housed inside half a merry-go-round. Interestingly, despite much talk of rock’s in-road into US discos, a live band playing on another floor at the Circus had zero audience while the disco was comfortably populated (new wave, rock and Merseybeat oldies are big in LA though, but then . . . I mean, LA!).
Froggy and his friend Owen Jailler, when they weren’t looking at smutty books, spent much of their nights chasing after New York’s best mixing DJ, Larry Levan, who was not due at his regular Paradise Garage gig until the Friday we had set aside for Studio 54. Consequently Froggy and Owen experienced the heavy black drugs-orientated scenes at Manhattan’s Melons and New Jersey’s Zanzibar, at both of which Larry was making celebratory appearances on winning Billboard’s disco DJ award again.
My own observations then on this trip are based mainly on Jellybean’s style, which naturally involved no talking at all. His big tricks seemed to be chopping very loudly into the long tension-building intros of Kano ‘I’m Ready’ and Diana Ross ‘I’m Coming Out’, possibly mixing two copies of each to prolong the excitement which typically got all the athletic young men throwing their arms In the air and going “ooh!”. His running mixes were consistently faultless, but the constant excitement without any respite from the brighter end of the disco music spectrum got to be a bit wearying. It was the sound rather than tempo that stayed bright and zingy, it being noticeable how he was having to use oldies due to the lack of suitable newbies when taking the tempo very fast.
Of the current material used not o by Jellybean but by other jocks I heard, and In addition to records mentioned In passing on this page over the last two weeks, the much repeated material included obviously Stacy Lattisaw, SOS Band, Change ‘Searching’, less obviously George Benson, Raydio ‘For Those Who Like To Groove’, Gap Band, especially France Joli, Kurtis Blow, Dynasty, plus Voyage ‘I Love You Dancer’, Chaka Khan ‘Clouds’, Two Tons O’ Fun ‘Got The Feeling’, Flakes, Everlife ‘Superhero’s Theme’, and — mixing really effectively wherever I went — Rod ‘Shake It Up (Do The Boogaloo)‘.
Temporarily fired with enthusiasm on my return to London, I loaded up my disco boxes with some of the ones I wouldn’t normally carry but in fact have yet to use any of the zingy ones here, because, let’s face it, London is London . . . thank god!
KEEP IT FUNKY
Some jocks seem to have been getting the wrong end of the stick about my little slogan, taking it to mean that variety in the music they play is bad and monotony is the Ideal to aim for. Far from it.
“Keep It funky” followed on from my double-edged “Disco is dead” – which (a) pointed up the stupidity of that remark from uneducated media when clearly disco as a concept was not dead, and (b) sarcastically expressed the hope that crud “disco” disco music was indeed dead — the “funky” slogan thereafter referring to the music that for the most part has become the dominant disco sound AND NOT to the need for DJs only to play that sound.
Pure zingy “disco” was fun for a while but the surfeit of “disco” tripe that that then flooded the market is what gave the word a bad name. If there’s going to be a main type of music identified as disco, let’s for goodness sake — KEEP IT FUNKY! Funk, soul and jazz have roots, pure “disco” had none and largely suffered the consequence.
Now this is not to say that I only want to hear from specialist funky jocks, or about the specialist funky records that ordinary DJs are using in amongst their regular programme of sounds. I personally play a huge range of music on mobile private party gigs (the “vinyl junkie” tag is true), and I think it is important to reflect — without necessarily going into too much detail — what records are being danced to in addition to the current funky stuff, otherwise a generation of DJs will grow up totally unequipped for the real world should they ever get a general gig.
Hence, the DORC . . . but not enough DJs are listing general non-specialist hits in their chart returns. I’m sure a lot of you are playing ’em so let’s hear about ’em too! And if you’re one of the lucky minority who does play at specialist funk-jazz gigs, keep your charts coming as well. Let’s face it, there’s room for them all.
Send your charts (at least a Top 20 or more if possible), written on your own paper (there are no printed forms), so that they arrive mid-week to James Hamilton, Record Mirror, 40 Long Acre, London WC2E 9JT — and remember that any dates or info enclosed will not be published until the week after the one you’ve aimed for.
ODDS ‘N’ BODS
Morgan Khan, with big money behind him, and three brand new companies (including a label whose still secret name you’ll love!), is off to the States to tie up product and generally spread the news about his promotion service, which looks likely to monopolise R&B releases even from many major UK companies (and that’s not the half of it) – hmm, I wonder, will PRAT regret losing this “brat”?! . . . Tony Jenkins of Mayfair Playboy Club funk fame end Peter Byefield have formed ‘FunktIon’, a club with a difference for up-market jazz-funk fans — starting nest week (12), members (£5 charter, £10 once 500 have joined) get the discounted use of Battersea’s Bennett every Tuesday with Tony & Alex Anders spinning jazz just for them, nobody else admitted, plus regular funk parties every six weeks at other exclusive London discos similarly taken over specifically for the night – details from Funktion, 3 Cale Street, London SW3 (01-352-7349) . . . BBC-TV filmed at Soho’s Groove record shop last week as evidently they think of Jean there (neither little or old) as ”the little old lady from Greek Street” who knows all about funky music, this plus stuff about Jean’s little boy and his hit records for showing on ‘Nationwide’ within the next month . . . Surface Noise — and it Is a pity It’s too darned fast after all (at in fact 130bpm) – will be on Groove Production instead of WEA for the entire run, pressed and packaged by WEA, who believe In the smaller label’s street vibe, man . . . Cameron ‘Let’s Get It Off’/’Magic Of You’ is on US 12in now . . . Chris Hill and the Mafia currently love ‘To Prove My Love’ from Ned Doheny’s year-or-more-old Japanese CBS Sony LP, Ned being AWB’s sometime writer . . . Ingram ‘Mi Sebrina Tequana’ (US H&L LP) Is Chris’s other big oldie still, while Bob Jones says ‘Foot Loose’ from Morrisey/Mullen’s 1977 ‘Up’ LP (Embryo/Atlantic’ SD 536) Is a killer fast jazz-funk dancer . . . CBS’s Loraine Trent (to whom Terry Hooper owes £5) will launch Earth Wind & Fire’s upcoming new double LP called ‘Faces’ appropriately at Edgbaston’s Faces with DJ Steve Dennis in October . . . Greg Edwards’ photo last week didn’t get printed quite as lull length as the original, which got pretty near the knuckle — or something! . . . Peter Young now starts his 9 am Saturday morning London chart show on Capital with the first hour given over to hot newies but with strong soul slant, adding even more to the station’s disco orientation at weekends . . . London Is noticeably ahead of and funkier than the rest of the country to judge between local and national sales charts, incidentally (so what else is new?!) . . . Rob Harknett (Harlow) says it’s getting so difficult to buy records outside the Top 75 in his area that he couldn’t even get Diana Ross — but someone’s been stocking it since though, surely! . . . Andy Greg, playing good disco and some jazz-funk (despite earlier saying his crowd shun it) around Loughton, infos the local Discocity shop at 27 The Broadway stocks current Imports . . . ‘Paul’ Davison (Sawston Black Bull on funky Fri/Sundays), excited by a recent trip to the North-Eastern US, reports that out-of-the-way Johnson City’s Power & Light disco there has a carpet-covered DJ booth full of luxuries like TV games, CB units, beer freezer and other home comforts — but makes no mention of decks or records (who needs ’em!) . . . DJ doyen of swinging sixties (he taught Lulu how to dance when jocking at the Bag O’Nails for instance), Al ‘Needles’ is now very welcome as floor manager at Mayfair Gullivers, where the doors were actually closed last Friday it got so full . . . Steve Lockwood (Huddersfield) seems proud that the West Yorkshire Assn of DJs chart he compiles has long been headed by the appalling Kelly Marie, while Glenn Ross (South Normanton Storthfield Country Club) says he’s often asked for it as ‘My Heart Beats Like A Drum’, and Russell ‘Arbie’ Burtonshaw (Retford MAYC) says let’s hope It sinks without trace — no such luck I fear . . . Larry Foster (Ilford Room At The Top) has been giving the Wallys some fun with Tom Jones ‘It’s Not Unusual’ and Bud Flanagan ‘Who Do You Think You’re Kidding Mr Hitler’ – goodies both, I agree . . . Chic ‘Le Freak’ must be a contender for the modern equivalent of ‘Simon Says’ or ‘Sugar Sugar’ surely, to judge from recent gigs where upper class sprigs do depressingly like real “disco” disco still . . . Rolling Stones would have been at 50 and only the next three DORC hits in the Disco 90 had they been included . . . Alan Jewell (Finchley Road Les Elites) slavishly copies all this page’s BPMs (plus he does his own) into a cross-indexed notebook so that he’s ever ready for gigs when not using his own records . . . I just memorize ’em! . . . Anthony Nutting (Stafford), not a DJ, thinks it’s a pity I stopped listing record timings as well — frankly everything else takes too long to do, and timings only cluttered the reviews even further . . . Hiroshi Fukumura needs careful enunciation — you WHAT your mother? . . . MU strike being over and TOTP due back, doubtless consistently selling soul music will get swamped again by TV-generated higher pop sales, ending much of our recent mini disco boom . . . KEEP THE FAITH, right on now!
UK NEWIES
LEVEL 42: ‘Love Meeting Love’ (Polydor POSPX 170).
Throbbing synth undertow and jazzy piano with derivative languid vocal on lovely UK-recorded flowing 100-99-101-102bpm 12in jogger, originally on Elite, mixes well With Ramsey Lewis ‘Hell On Wheels’, the longer 101-100-101-102-103-102bpm ‘Instrumental Love‘ B-side version being led by Gato Barbieri-style sax.
SUN: ‘Space Ranger (Majic’s In The Air)’ (Capitol 12CL 16157).
Jauntily bubbling smoothly harmonised 125bpm soul canterer with splurging synth effects and classily constrained instrumentation reminiscent of a less raucous GQ, on extremely pleasant 3-track 12in with the gently jittery 113bpm ‘Hot Spot‘ jogger and more angular steadily jolting 113bpm ‘Quest‘ instrumental, none of which really raise a sweat.
DENNIS BROWN, SLY & ROBBIE: ‘Sitting And Watching’ (Taxi TAXI 100).
Jamaica-pressed amazingly effective dead simple 81bpm 12in reggae roller with great wailing harmonised humming and a beat that’s somehow just right for getting lost in — hard to explain, but It’s a grabber! Tom Holland’s been turning everyone on to it, so see if you can find one too.
ROBERTA FLACK: ‘Don’t Make Me Wait Too Long’ (Atlantic K 11555).
Attractive bass-bumbled but rhythmically murky 117-118bpm 7in Stevie Wonder-penned hi-hat hustler with muttering break and evident appeal (this week’s winner on Capital’s People’s Choice), though the gospel-introed freaky synth spiked solidly smacking 109bpm ‘God Don’t Like Ugly’ B-side thudder could be better for us.
A TASTE OF HONEY: ‘Rescue Me’ (Capitol 12CL 16156)
Drawn-out slow intro to a George Duke-produced jolting catchily squeaked Emotions-type 106-108bpm smacking logger on 3-track 12in with the dull crawling then briefly sprinting 71-148bpm ‘Say That You’ll Stay‘ and classic 120(intro)-125bpm ‘Boogie Oogie Oogie’.
STEPHANIE MILLS: ‘D-a-n-c-i-n” (20th Century-Fox TCD 2464).
Catchily spelling beefy 113-114-115-114-116bpm 12in chugger was good in its day but seems kinda late on single now.
RANDY CRAWFORD: ‘One Day I’ll Fly Away’ (Warner Bros K 17680)
Delicately unfurling gentle quavery 39/79bpm 7in slowie.
MERRY CLAYTON: ‘Emotion’ (MCA MCAT 622)
Brassily starting good steady 91bpm Webster Lewis jogger, on so-called ‘Import Action’ 4-track 12in with the similarly far too late dull DRAMATICS ‘Music Is The Peoples Choice‘ 0-102-107-109bpm plodder, good cheerful LOVE COMMITTEE ‘Boogie Papers‘ 123(intro)-125- 127bpm romper and Emotions-like jolting 0-118bpm HEAT ‘Just Like You‘. Incidentally the other recent MCA 12in BPMs need adjusting, John Handy ‘Hard Work’ to 132-134-133-134bpm, One Way/Al Hudson up 1bpm on all tracks, Crusaders ‘Put it Where You Want It’ up 3bpm to 128-130bpm and ‘Sweet n’ Sour’ up 2bpm.
INVISIBLE MAN’S BAND: ‘Love Can’t Come/Love Has Come’ (LP ‘The Invisible Man’s Band’ Island ILPS 9537).
Ethereally starting and then ever changing lushly rolling jazzy disco canterer with Latin percussion emerging out of smooth scatting harmonies and tootling sax accelerates through 117-118-119(break)-121-122-123-124-125bpm.
TOM BROWNE: ‘Forever More’ (LP ‘Love Approach’ Arista GRP 5008).
With his jazz trumpet to the fore on all but the ‘Jamaica’ hit, this is an almost self-consciously ‘Rise’-like 104/52-106bpm jogging instrumental smacker, ‘Martha‘ a breezy 121-124bpm loper and ‘Dreams Of Lovin’ You‘ a brassy 93-94-95bpm swayer, everything (hit included) making for a nice album.
SISTER SLEDGE: ‘Let’s Go On Vacation’ (Atlantic K 11548)
Dr Buzzard-ish slinky 93bpm 7in lurching swayer.
IMPORTS
MTUME: ‘Give It On Up (If You Want To)’ (US Epic 48-50918)
Unusual smoothly bounding slick 117bpm 12In lurcher with shrill chix squawking through the mellower men but the whole effect pinned to an unrelenting delayed backbeat-thudding forward chugging drive that’s full of life. Pronounced Em-too-may (it’s James Mtume & Reggie Lucas of course).
RHYZE: ‘Do Your Dance’ (LP ‘Just How Sweet Is Your Love’ US Sam 703). Unexpectedly dead slow bluesy brass intro becomes a creamily clopping restrained 120-124bpm chanter with braying brass between vocals and a more percussive finish, ‘Free‘ being a gaily galloping 128-127-128bpm tuneful butch romper and ‘Singing And Dancing’ an attack and rhythm-switching falsetto/bass 126(intro)-127- 126(break)-127bpm soul smacker.
MANTUS: ‘Slidin’ To The Music’ (US SMI 12-405). Considering their past last flashy syndrum numbers, this extremely heavy funk thudding slow 105(intro)-103-102(harp on)bprn 121n chanter with harmonica break is a surprise, as is the pleasant smoochy 69bpm ‘Can’t You Feel It’ flip.
LEON HUFF: ‘Tight Money’/’The Money’s Tight’ (US Phil Int ZS9 3109)
Strange resonant rolling 101-102-103bpm 7in tripper with cooing chix is by no means slow but hard to categorise, the purely instrumental flip being heavier and chunkier with jazzy atmosphere.
MIXERS: two more ‘Special Disco Mixers’ that I picked up in New York are ‘Medley Of The Hits Of 1979’ (US JGL-3714) and ‘Disco Decade —The Greatest Mixers‘ (US Factory Hit Records). The latter is disjointedly scrappy using instrumental snippets starting with Man Tran ‘Twilight Zone’ and progressing over 12:00 through 128-123-132bpm, but the ’79 medley is a beautifully mixed spot-on selection that may be sadly a little too “disco” now for some tastes here. Lasting 15:02 and building from 112-132bpm, It brilliantly blends quite long vocal segments starting with Instant Funk ‘Got My Mind Made Up’, Love De-Luxe ‘Here Comes That Sound’, Jackie Moore ‘This Time’, Suzi Lane ‘Harmony’, Michael Jackson ‘Don’t Stop ‘Til You Gel Enough’, Gino Soccio ‘Dancer.’ Poussez ‘Come On And Do It’ and so on right up to Donna & Barbra ‘No More Tears’. Costing 5 dollars 50 cents each, this type of mixer (in the ‘Calibre Cuts’ style) can be obtained from New York’s equivalent of Groove —although it also carries 100,000 oldies from 1929-1980 (Catalogue 1 dollar 25) —Downstairs Records, actually underground in the subway arcade at 55 West 42nd St, NYC, NY 10036 (on the corner of Avenue Of The Americas), ‘phone from Britain (0101-)212 354 4684. If interested, you’ll have to check on postage rates charged in addition.
UK Disco Top 90 – August 9, 1980
01 01 Stacy Lattisaw – Jump To The Beat – Atlantic 12″
02 02 Odyssey – Use It Up And Wear It Out – RCA 12″
03 04 Tom Browne – Funkin’ For Jamaica – Arista 12″
04 07 George Benson – Give Me The Night – Warner Bros. 12″
05 03 George Duke – Brazilian Love Affair – Epic 12″
06 11 Diana Ross – Upside Down – Motown 12″
07 06 Change – A Lover’s Holiday / The Glow Of Love – WEA 12″
08 10 S.O.S. Band – Take Your Time (Do It Right) – Tabu 12″
09 16 Bob Marley & The Wailers – Could You Be Loved – Island 12″
10 05 Teena Marie – Behind The Groove / You’re All The Boogie I Need – Motown 12″
11 08 Frank Hooker & Positive People – This Feelin’ / I Wanna Know Your Name – DJM 12″
12 20 Gap Band – I Don’t Believe You Want To Get Up And Dance – Mercury 12″
13 14 Jermaine Jackson – Burnin’ Hot – Motown 12″
14 12 Baby’O – In The Forest – Calibre 12″
15 09 Roberta Flack & Donny Hathaway – Back Together Again – Atlantic 12″
16 22 B.T. Express – Give Up The Funk / Does It Feel Good – Calibre 12″
17 17 Cameo – On The One / Cameosis – Casablanca 12″
18 13 Lipps, Inc. – Funkytown – Casablanca 12″
19 21 Detroit Spinners – Cupid/I’ve Loved You For A Long Time – Atlantic 12″
20 32 George Benson – Off Broadway / Love X Love / Moody’s Mood / Dinorah Dinorah / Star Of A Story (X) / Turn Out The Lamplight / Midnight Love Affair – Warner Bros. LP
21 18 Cecil Parker – Really Really Love You – EMI 12″
22 19 Crown Heights Affair – Use Your Body & Soul / You Gave Me Love – De-Lite 12″
23 26 Locksmith – Unlock The Funk / Blackjack / Far Beyond – Arista 12″
24 15 Jermaine Jackson – Let’s Get Serious – Motown 12″
25 28 Stacy Lattisaw – Don’t You Want To Feel It / Dynamite! / You Know I Like It / Let Me Be Your Angel – Atlantic LP
26 24 Rene & Angela – Free And Easy – Capitol 12″
27 23 Surface Noise – The Scratch – WEA 12″
28 46 Shakatak – Steppin’ / Killing Time – Polydor 12″
29 31 Kool & The Gang – Hangin’ Out / Open Sesame – De-Lite 12″
30 27 Cameron – Let’s Get It Off / Magic Of You / Funkdown – US Salsoul 12″/LP
31 34 One Way feat. Al Hudson – Do Your Thang / Copy This / Pop It – MCA 12″
32 29 Bobby Thurston – You Got What It Takes – Epic 12″
33 30 Gene Chandler – Does She Have A Friend – 20th Century 12″
34 37 Kelly Marie – Feels Like I’m In Love – Calibre Plus 12″
35 25 Yellow Magic Orchestra – Firecracker – A&M 12″
36 41 Dynasty – I’ve Just Begun To Love You – Solar 12″
37 54 Level 42 – Love Meeting Love / Instrumental Love – Elite 12″
38 42 Change – Searching – US RFC 7″/LP
39 38 John Handy – Hard Work – MCA 12″
40 36 William DeVaughn – Be Thankful For What You’ve Got – US TEC LP
41 52 Whispers – My Girl – Solar 12″
42 35 Gladys Knight & The Pips – Taste Of Bitter Love – CBS 12″
43 45 Gayle Adams – Stretch’ In Out / Plain Out Of Luck – Epic 12″
44 57 Young & Company – I Like (What You’re Doing To Me) – US Brunswick 12″
45 51 Mexicano – Dallas – Mercury 12″
46 75 Hiroshi Fukumura – Hunt Up Wind – US Inner City LP
47 58 Rick James – Big Time / Mary-Go-Round – US Gordy LP
48 39 Flakes – Sugar Frosted Lover – US Magic Disc 12″
49 62 Gibson Brothers – Mariana – Island 7″
50 55 Rhyze – Just How Sweet Is Your Love / I Found Love In You – Epic 12″
51 61 Al Di Meola – Roller Jubilee – CBS 12″
52 33 Starship Orchestra – You’re A Star / New York New York – US Columbia LP
53 73 Fatback – Backstrokin’ – Spring 12″
54 50 Stanley Clarke – We Supply – Epic 12″
55 80 Narada Michael Walden – I Don’t Want Nobody Else / You’re Soo Good – Atlantic 12″
56 48 Dave Grusin – Rag Bag / Friends And Strangers / City Nights – Japanese JVC LP
57 71 Diana Ross – I’m Coming Out / Have Fun (Again) / My Old Piano / Tenderness – Motown LP
58 44 Average White Band – Let’s Go Round Again – RCA 12″
59 69 Dynasty – Do Me Right / Day And Night / Groove Control – US Solar LP
60 49 Sun – Space Ranger / Hot Spot / Fancy Feet / Quest – US Capitol LP
61 47 Aurra – In The Mood – Salsoul 12″
62 53 Al Jarreau – Distracted / Never Givin’ Up – Warner Bros. 12″
63 NE Starpoint – I Just Wanna Dance With You / Get Ready Get Down – US Chocolate City 12″ promo/LP
64 65 Johnny Guitar Watson – Booty Ooty – DJM 12″
65 60 Crusaders – Soul Shadows / Put It Where You Want It – MCA 12″
66 56 Lonnie Liston Smith – Give Peace A Chance / Space Princess – CBS 12″
67 63 Ozone – Walk On – Motown 7″
68 59 Invisible Man’s Band – All Night Thing – Island 12″
69 78 Shalamar – I Owe You One – US Solar 12″
70 NE Dells – All About The Paper / I Touched A Dream – US 20th Century 12″
71 RE Jean Carn – Was That All It Was – Philadelphia Int’l 12″
72 NE Michael Jackson – Girlfriend – Epic 7″
73 87 Aurra – When I Come Home (remix) – US Dream 12″
74 NE Ramsey Lewis – Hell On Wheels / Colors In Space / Whisper Zone / Come Back Jack / High Point / Tondelayo – US Columbia LP
75 RE Sadao Watanabe – Samba Do Marcos / Down East – Japanese Flying Disk LP
76 NE Rhyze – Do Your Dance / Free – US Sam LP
77 88 Jermaine Jackson – Feelin’ Free / You Got To Hurry Girl – Motown LP
78 NE Manhattans – Shining Star – CBS 7″
79 72 Philly Cream – No Time Like Now – Calibre 12″
80 74 Phyllis Hyman – Under Your Spell / Kiss You All Over – Arista 12″
81 NE Grace Jones – Private Life – Island 12″
82 76 Donna Summer – Sunset People / Our Love – Casablanca 12″
83 NE Ashford & Simpson – Love Don’t Make It Right – US Warner Bros. 7″/12″ promo
84 NE Maze – Changing Times / Joy And Pain / The Look In Your Eyes / Southern Girl – US Capitol LP
85 70 Bob James – Snowbird Fantasy / Brighton By The Sea / The Walkman – Tappan Zee LP
86 RE Chico Hamilton – Strut / Magic Fingers / Mysterious Maiden – Elektra 12″
87 89 Crusaders – Honky Tonk Struttin’ / Last Call – MCA LP
88 67 Mark Soskin – Walk Tall – Prestige 7″ promo remix/12″
89 77 Leon Haywood – If You’re Lookin’ For A Night Of Fun – 20th Century 12″
90 83 Pure Energy – Party On – US Prism 12″
NE = new entry; RE = re-entry
Appeared in Billboard:
#1 (BNDA debut 5/17/80) / #2 (BNDA debut 4/5/80) / #3 (BNDA debut 8/23/80)
#4 (BNDA debut 7/12/80) / #6 (BNDA debut 6/28/80) / #7 (BNDA debut 3/29/80)
#8 (BNDA debut 4/12/80) / #9 (BNDA debut 10/4/80) / #10 (BNDA debut 3/29/80)
#11 (BNDA debut 5/17/80) / #12 (BNDA debut 3/8/80) / #13 (BNDA debut 4/5/80)
#14 (BNDA debut 4/26/80) / #15 (BNDA debut 4/5/80) / #16 (BNDA debut 4/19/80)
#18 (BNDA debut 1/26/80) / #19 (BNDA debut 5/31/80) / #22 (BNDA debut 3/22/80)
#23 (BNDA debut 9/6/80) / #24 (BNDA debut 4/5/80) / #25 (BNDA debut 5/17/80)
#29 (BNDA debut 9/8/79) / #30 (BNDA debut 6/28/80) / #31 (BNDA debut 6/28/80)
#32 (BNDA debut 3/1/80) / #34 (BNDA debut 11/22/80) / #36 (BNDA debut 6/28/80)
#38 (BNDA debut 3/29/80) / #40 (BNDA debut 8/16/80) / #42 (BNDA debut 6/14/80)
#43 (BNDA debut 5/24/80) / #44 (BNDA debut 6/14/80) / #47 (BNDA debut 8/23/80)
#48 (BNDA debut 6/28/80) / #50 (BNDA debut 5/10/80) / #53 (BNDA debut 8/9/80)
#55 (BNDA debut 4/14/79) / #57 (BNDA debut 6/28/80) / #58 (BNDA debut 7/12/80)
#59 (BNDA debut 6/28/80) / #61 (BNDA debut 5/17/80) / #63 (BNDA debut 8/9/80)
#68 (BNDA debut 1/26/80) / #71 (BNDA debut 12/22/79) / #73 (BNDA debut 5/17/80)
#80 (BNDA debut 4/14/79) / #82 (BNDA debut 4/21/79) / #83 (BNDA debut 7/19/80)
#90 (BNDA debut 6/28/80)
Bubbling under the UK Disco Top 90:
ROSE ROYCE: ‘Pop Your Fingers’ (US Whitfield 7”)
MANFREDO FEST: ‘Jungle Kitten’ / ‘Koko An Leeroe’ (US Tabu LP)
NED DOHENY: ‘To Prove My Love’ (Japanese CBS/Sony LP)
KURTIS BLOW: ‘The Breaks’ (US Mercury 12”) (BNDA debut 6/28/80)
CROWN HEIGHTS AFFAIR: ‘You’ve Been Gone’ / ‘Far Out’ (De-Lite 12”)
JIMMY SENYAH: ‘Weakness For Your Sweetness’ (Rokel 12”)
BLACK SLATE: ‘Amigo’ (TCD LP)
MICHAEL HENDERSON: ‘Wide Receiver’ (US Buddah 7”/12” promo) (BNDA debut 10/18/80)
CAPTAIN SKY: ‘Sir Jam A Lot’ / ‘Bubble Gum (I Chewz You)’ (US TEC LP)
RITZ: ‘I Wanna Get With You’ (US Posse 12”) (BNDA debut 8/16/80)
FRED WESLEY: ‘House Party’ (US RSO 7”)
SURFACE NOISE: ‘Dancin’ On A Wire’ / ‘Love Groove’ (Groove Production 12”)
MTUME: ‘Give It On Up’ (US Epic 12”)
VIOLA WILLS: ‘Up On The Roof’ (Ariola Hansa 12”)
JAMES MASON: ‘Sweet Power Of Your Embrace’ (US Chiaroscuro LP)
QUEEN: ‘Another One Bites The Dust’ (EMI LP/US Electra 12” promo) (BNDA debut 8/9/80)
DENNIS BROWN: ‘Sitting And Watching’ (Jamaican Taxi 12”)
VILLAGE PEOPLE: ‘Can’t Stop The Music’ (Mercury 12” promo/LP) (BNDA debut 7/12/80)
James Hamilton's Disco Page 