ODDS ‘N’ BODS
SHOWSTOPPERS CORNISH weekender at Perran Sands (October 2/3/4) will star Froggy, Jeff Young, Chris Brown, Sean French, Tom Holland, Martin Collins and Chris Dinnis – “traitors”, to quote a well known opinionated jock conspicuous by his absence from the bill! . . . I won’t give you booking details because presumably tickets are only being sold to punters in the clubs . . . ‘Wikka Wrap’ in its US 12in version (SAM S-12339) is much edited, and minus the risque “twelve inch (ooh) disc” reference . . . Black Slate have a good new untitled red label Ensign 12in promo currently circulating, guesstimatedly called ‘Are You Ready Now’ 65/130(intro)-63½/127-63/126bpm / ‘I’ve Got To Feel It (Reggae Music)’ 0/64(intro)-65bpm . . . WEA’s Fred Dove has serviced a ‘Going Back To My Roots’ promo 3-track 12in, featuring two different lengths of Lamont Dozier’s original plus the faster 119bpm Richie Havens version . . . ‘Rainy Night In Georgia’ will indeed be Randy Crawford’s follow-up, a cert to smash . . . Heaven & Earth ‘I Really Love You’ is now on US WMOT 12in with an instrumental flip . . . Spandau Ballet, wickedly wondering which way Duran Duran will jump now, last week filmed an elaborate video at Soho’s Le Beat Route (mentioned in the rap part of ‘Chant No.1’) . . . Robbie Collins starts another new futurist night next Wednesday (15) at Ilford’s Lords, in Cranbrook Road . . . MSO ‘In The Jungle‘, recently reviewed killer pure Latin rave-up, is proving too elusive for shops to order on the unheard of Mainstreet label – does anyone know who distributes it (or indeed who sent it to me)? . . . Richard ‘Dimples’ Fields dynamite ‘I Like Your Lovin‘ (reminiscent somewhat of Lenny Williams ‘Shoo Doo Fu Fu Ooh’) causes a stampede every time its played by us at Mayfair Gullivers (where Graham Gold never let up telling everyone it was his birthday last Saturday night) . . . Rick James’ absence from the UK chart was obviously too great an embarrassment for Motown to bear . . . Gap Band appears to be selling mainly for the ‘Oops Up Side Your Head’ flip, again . . . WEA’s mailing list DJs seem to lack consistent staying power, charting everything as they get it and then dropping it for the next batch the following week, which surely is not what Fred finds most effective? . . . See Bees T-shirt printers (you see their wares on sale at all the best gigs) have a nifty new design, an ‘All American Jazz Funk Giants’ eagle logo on grey fabric . . . Greg Davies (Bedford) got in the year’s first Xmas card on his return from the States and an exploration of Dallas’s flourishing jazz clubs, the ‘Strictly Tabu’ apparently being best of seven he visited . . . Paul James (Halesowen Elite mobile) hosted the entertainment at Birmingham’s Strathallen Hotel recently for the Miss Europe contestants – lucky dog! . . . Chris Ellis sez the next Staines Fusion Few naughty Caister magazine is now in production, and adds a belated happy 21st to Kathryn Peatfield, who’s “blonde, beautiful, and ultra-wow!” . . . Andrew Worthington-Jones, pop jock at North Wales Bodelwyddan Poppeys Country Club, helped car-troubled disco DJ colleague Alan Taylor by giving a lift to a friend of his only to break down himself – his kind gesture costing a £40 repair bill and no sleep for 24 hours (still, £40 wouldn’t get a fan belt fitted in London!) . . . Liverpool Gnome (or is it Pixie?) Alan Cody must have an interesting trick to have earned the nickname ‘Nutcracker’ . . . ‘Clash Of The Titans’ has such dodgy special effects you’ll believe a horse CAN’T fly, ‘For Your Eyes Only’ is OK but not as good as the last one, while the mega-monster will be ‘Raiders Of The Lost Ark’, which leaves you like a wrung-out rag within the first five minutes and then gets even more exciting, funny, and visually stunning – the best film since ‘Stars Wars’, see it, see it, see it! . . . UK Disco 90’s upper reaches are especially tough to crack right now, with so much strong product stacked up and trying to climb . . . DJ contributors, for goodness sakes get your gig details in early (Paul Clark, that means you especially!) as it’s a shame when they keep arriving a week too late – the deadline is Wednesday of the week before the week of publication, and remember that the post is awfully slow at present . . . MAKE IT MELLOW, KEEP IT FUNKY, YO HO HO!
RAY PARKER Jr. of Raydio is in the States a bigger star than you might suppose,owning a two million dollar house right at the top of Beverly Hills (above Frank Sinatra’s) which, he told recent visitor Chris Hill, he paid for all by himself . . . unlike some stars whose homes are owned by their record companies.
SUMMER GROOVE starts this Friday (10) on BBC Radio One between 4.30-5.30pm with Froggy and Peter Powell presenting a mixture of hot new soul sounds and some session tapes. Froggy feels that the Beeb’s top brass remain unconvinced that there’s an audience for our kind of music and reckons that feedback in the form of constructive letters to them could be helpful – so get writing. And, PP make it funky!
UK NEWIES
ABBA: ‘Lay All Your Love On Me’ (Epic EPC A13-1456).
Now sounding really strong on unremixed but beefily cut 12in, their galloping 0-133-134bpm disco pounder has a spacious choral sound lined to a Sylvester / Tantra-type beat and will obviously be huge pop – plus it’s flipped by the almost Quo-like powerfully trucking 127-128-127bpm ‘On And On And On‘!
STEVIE WONDER: ‘Happy Birthday’ (Motown TMG 1235).
There can hardly be a jock that hasn’t used this languidly bubbling but madly infectious 117bpm loping swayer, even if only trotting it out now on the title’s occasion (ie: someone has a birthday every night!), and now it’s finally on single – but only 7in commercially with an instrumental flip, lucky mailing list DJs getting the long prepared promo 12in flipped by Martin Luther King’s ‘I Have A Dream’ sermon.
MANHATTAN TRANSFER: ‘(Wanted) Dead Or Alive’ (Atlantic K11668).
Great – their dynamite happy jump-up 121bpm version of the Mighty Sparrow’s terrifically worded calypso is now on 7in and should add lotsa fun to those party moments when the tempo varies.
MORRISSEY MULLEN: ‘Do Like You’ (Beggars Banquet BEG 60T).
Stevie Wonder’s chorus is chanted by Linda Taylor, while sax ‘n’ guitar solo on speedily skipping, bass rumbled fast 126-125bpm 12in jazzy flier, flipped by the slightly fluctuating 114bpm bumpily bluesy ‘Badness’, both sounding better cut loud on this rapid follow-up to their previous limited edition 12in.
BROTHERS JOHNSON: ‘Caught Up’ (LP ‘Winners’ A&M AMLK 63724).
Immensely disappointing self-produced glossy slick set devoid of funk despite lots of lyrics about dancing, the only standout being this Valerie Johnson-sung pitter-pattering rolling 55/27-112/56bpm jogger with an interesting bassy undertow, while the grittiest they get is the joltingly bumping 119-118-120bpm staccato ‘Teaser‘ thumper, the 127bpm ‘The Real Thing‘ and 131bpm ‘Dancin’ Free‘ being all surface speed and no substance, ‘Hot Maple’ a 0-134bpm rock-orientated chugger, ‘Do It For Love’ a jerky 123-124bpm skitterer, ‘In The Way’ a bass tugged 0-84/42-85bpm jogger, ‘Sunlight’ a prettily looping 55/110bpm slowie, ‘I Want You’ a 0-35/71bpm smoocher with searing rock guitar, and ‘Daydreamers Dream’ an Elton John-like disjointed 34bpm jolter.
GILBERTO GIL: ‘Maracatu Atomico’ (LP ‘Nightingale’ Elektra K 52120).
Sergio Mendes-produced Portuguese-sung bubbly semi-slow 105/53-107bpm South American swayer from 1979 that Fred Dove has evidently geed-up some jocks on, ‘Samba De Los Angeles‘ being an ethnic 118-121-123-121-123bpm Brazilian knees-up (more authentic than Shakatak!), other tracks slowies.
ALSO RELEASED but house hunting has cut into reviewing time, meaning I couldn’t devote the usual average 36 hours to putting this page together this week, are:
PLEASURE: ‘Glide’ (Fantasy FTCT 196)
WAS (NOT WAS): ‘Out Come The Freaks’ (Ze 12WIP 6709)
EDDY GRANT: ‘I Love You Yes I Love You’ (Ensign ENYT 216)
and the great MODERN ROMANCE: ‘Everybody Salsa/Salsa Rappsody‘ (WEA K 18815T) – sorta The Clash meet Salsa at circa 124bpm!
IMPORTS
COMMODORES: ‘Lady (You Bring Me Up)’ (LP ‘In The Pocket’ US Motown M8-955M1).
A crucial set for the group as a whole if not so much for Lionel Richie (purveyor of smash soundalike ballads to the US charts), finding them in a welcome earthier mood of late – for proof just check the funky album title and then try dancing to this the set’s first single (already out here on slightly faster 0-122bpm 7in TMG 1238, the LP being due as STML 12156), a steadily thudding and humming deceptively catchy 0-121bpm chugger that chops sensationally minus intro out of Cheryl Lynn. ‘Keep On Taking Me Higher‘ is a jerkily strutting enthusiastic 125-126-125bpm smacker building through nice percussion with jittery tension, ‘Why You Wanna Try Me‘, a slow-starting convolutedly rolling 116bpm tripper with synth tones, various degrees of slowie being the attractive tender 35bpm ‘This Love’, grittily grinding soulful 39/78bpm ‘Been Loving You’, slow thudding husky 0-45/90bpm ‘Saturday Night’, the absolutely typical Richie compositions being the 21/43bpm ‘Oh No’ and 0-34bpm ‘Lucy’.
AVONN: ‘Everybody Get Down’ (US RBL RB-1001).
Probably the weekend’s hottest 12in newie, somewhat in the Strikers / Wish style and just made for mixing with practically everything else that’s currently hot (try it out of ‘Wikka Rap’!), this snazzy little 121bpm rhythm rattling and vocal scatting fragment could hardly be called great music (the flip is instrumental) but its mood and groove are so simple and strong it packs a powerful punch where it matters – out there on the floor.
PHYLLIS HYMAN: ‘Can’t We Fall In Love Again’ LP (US Arista AL 9544).
Her yummily packaged and long awaited lovely new set is distinguished by its classy slowies mainly produced by Norman Connors with some by Chuck Jackson, the talking point being the soulfully soaring 0-44/88bpm title track duet with Michael Henderson, others being the Carole Bayer Sager/Burt Bacharach/Peter Allen-penned Dionne Warwick-ish 34/68bpm ‘The Love Too Good To Last’, disjointedly pulsating 0-35-37-35-37-35-37/75bpm ‘The Sunshine In My Life’, bass pattering 83bpm ‘Don’t Tell Me Tell Her’ and straightforward 0-36bpm ‘Just Another Face In The Crowd’. Best of the faster cuts is the rolling and tumbling 113-114bpm ‘Tonight You And Me’, the staccato spurting 126bpm ‘You Sure Look Good To Me’ being nice but with the wrong beat and ‘I Ain’t Asking’ an Ashford & Simpson 113-114-115bpm swayer.
STACY LATTISAW: ‘Feel My Love Tonight’ (LP ‘With You’ US Cotillion SD 16049).
Narada Michael Walden-produced set made samey by her inflexibly shrill immature voice (at least Narada’s keeping consistent time these days!), this beefy bass rumbled fast 124bpm shuffler going into a Blondie-like rap, ‘Young Girl‘ being a nice chunkily lurching monotonous 117bpm swayer with party noises halfway, ‘Spotlight‘ a Roberta & Donny tempo 111bpm catchy backbeat swayer with chart potential, ‘Screamin’ Off The Top‘ a bass introed busily backed steady smooth 116bpm clopper. ‘Baby I Love You’ a squeaky 113bpm chugger and ‘It Was So Easy’ a rolling 89bpm jogger, dead slowies being the dramatically introed but then bland 0-35bpm revival of the Moments ‘Love On A Two Way Street’, 0-30bpm ‘You Take Me To Heaven’ and 0-15/30-31-0bpm ‘With You’.
MARTINA: ‘Central Park’ (Canadian Black Sun BS-1, also US Brass BRDS 2515).
Solidly clomping 120-122-123-122-120bpm 12in Eurodisco thudder with more than a hint of Gino Soccio’s old ‘Dancer’ behind the chix ‘n’ chaps building to some good beefy instrumental solos, the more pedestrian but pleasant enough 116-119-120-117-120bpm ‘Let It In’ loper being flip.
CAPTAIN CHAMELEON: ‘Grab Them Cakes’ (US Millennium YD-11807).
Bassily booming 103bpm 12in heavy funk semi-rap thudder mumbled and chanted by a mush-mouthed fella before excitingly erupting into a good 1:35 instrumental breakthrough which you can backtime Juny Boom’s spoken ‘Rules Of The Game’ intro to good effect.
RAFAEL CAMERON: ‘Number One’ (LP ‘Cameron’s In Love’ US Salsoul SA-8542).
The Randy Muller-produced kid’s got Stevie Wonder’s gruff growl and trademarked little yelp down pat and does ’em all over everything, the 12in issued ‘Funtown USA‘ remaining more powerful than this more smoothly rounded simple little 122-123bpm jaunty jitterer or the bumpily chugging 117-118bpm ‘Boogie’s Gonna Get Ya‘, ‘All That’s Good To Me‘ being a pleasantly old fashioned bubbly 118bpm tripper with nice “shoobedooba” backups and all other cuts slowies.
GREG PHILLINGANES: ‘Do It All For Love’ (LP ‘Significant Gains’ US Planet P-17).
Synthesist to the stars and Stevie in particular, Greg gets kinda Wonder-ful on this trickily low-key introed lightweight cool jiggly 122bpm loper, and even more so on the pretty 112bpm ‘I Don’t Want To Be The One‘ samba and guitar-introed jolting 0-97bpm ‘Baby I Do Love You‘ swayer, while ‘Maxxed Out‘ is a mainly instrumental extremely heavy slow 106bpm funk bumper with Herbie Hancock’s synthetic bass behind vocoder vocals, ‘Big Man‘ an angrily buzzing 116-0bpm vocoder thumper and ‘Girl Talk‘ a disjointed but interesting 111bpm treatment of the Neal Hefti / Bobby Troup standard. Reaction is coming from a Fred Dove DJ special, but in truth the album mix lacks the edge to cut through.
THE SOS BAND: ‘Do It Now’ (US Tabu 4Z8 02126).
Changing one word and no notes, this noisy and nasty imitation of their ‘Do It Right’ monster is on lavishly eye-cued 12in with three different versions. ‘Long’ at 0-121-120-119(band 5)-120-119(band 8 on)bpm mixing with BB&Q, ‘Part 1’ at 121-120-119bpm, ‘Part 2‘ at 0-121-120-119 (band 4 on)bpm, this latter being most subdued with a variation of the gimmicky intro that segues superbly out of Rafael Cameron . . . the only reason why I bought it! The digital mix-emphasised tinkling glockenspiel-filled shrill triteness might ring bells with Young & Co fans. Or might not.
LIME: ‘Agent 406’ (LP ‘Your Love’ US Prism PLP-1008).
Hold your hats, its galloping gay disco time with a vengeance, this exciting 129-130bpm instrumental pounder being just like Kat Mandu’s ‘The Break’ (it’s all the same gang so not too surprisingly), while the girlie group gets going on the similarly styled 138bpm title track in both its original and remixed form, the 121bpm ‘You’re My Magician‘, 122bpm ‘I’ll Be Yours‘ and more melodic 128bpm ‘It’s You‘.
FELA ANIKULAPO-KUTI: ‘Unknown Soldier’ LP (US Uno Melodic UM-0002).
Somewhat ethnic and angrily political (it’s about the death of his mother), this shiftingly textured side long title track 101-103-104-103-0bpm Afro chant has the same rhythmic roots as Odyssey / Lamont Dozier and although not exactly starting with impact could reward adventurous programmers as it gratifyingly does attract a floor (admittedly at African-frequented Gullivers) the longer it’s on. The other side is a slower instrumental version.
SYLVIA STRIPLIN: ‘Searchin’ (LP ‘Give Me Your Love’ US Uno Melodic UM-004).
Roy Ayers/Jaymz Bedford-produced pleasant squeakily souled slightly Diana Ross-ish set, strongest out-and-out dancer probably being this bubblingly clopping 123bpm loping swayer (other than the recently warm 110bpm title track), the jazzy slow 45/90bpm ‘You Can’t Turn Me Away’ ending up with some high pitched wailing, ‘Toy Box’ being a steadily thudding 115-112bpm swinger, ‘You Said’ a bumpy 54/108bpm jogging squeaker, ‘Look Towards The Sky’ a bumpy 58/117-60/120bpm semi-slow swayer, ‘All Alone’ an attractive 111bpm swayer, and ‘Will We Ever Pass This Way Again’ a 36bpm smoocher.
GENE CHANDLER: ‘Love Is The Answer’ (LP ‘Here’s To Love’ US 20th-Century Fox / Chi-Sound T-629).
This fairly featureless 119bpm shuffler with muttering intro and synthetic twiddles sounds acceptable to radio jocks (though are they actually excited by it?) and is likely to be a single here instead of America’s sophisticated ‘I’m Attracted To You’ 37bpm smoocher, while to my mind the set’s real goodie is a lovely old-style revival of the gulping and soaring 32/64-0bpm ‘God Bless Our Love‘ which nostalgicats should hear.
REVELATION: ‘Stand Up’ (US Handshake 4W8 02138).
Cleanly trotting repetitive 123-122(break)-123bpm 12in soul vocal group canterer with nice timbales break and more urgency than actual content.
INNER LIFE: ‘Ain’t No Mountain High Enough’ (US Salsoul SG 350).
Patrick Adams co-produced emptily starting sparse tapping 130-129bpm 12in squawker finally fills out to be wailed by a familiar sounding lady, but although touted as being better, it most definitely is not as good as the more Diana Ross-ish Boys Town Gang medley version.
RONI GRIFFITH: ‘I Want Your Lovin’ (US Vanguard Disco SPV 44).
Jittery plodding steady purposeful 111bpm 12in smacker with pop orientated shrill chick switching into rap at times, evidently selling to futurists.
DENNY GREENE: ‘The Great Escape’ (US Lenox International 32-1A).
Hoarsely souled wukka wukka-barbled messy 123bpm 12in jitterer finally gets to a better bass-backed instrumental bit but it’s kinda ugly before that.
KURTIS BLOW: ‘Starlife’ (US Mercury MDS4012).
Fairly lacklustre plodding 116bpm 12in rapper falls flat. Every time it starts to get instrumentally interesting, he comes in to alter course.
OTHER IMPORT albums about include a competent but not terribly inspired “disco” double compilation on Importe/12 called ‘Prime Cuts’, more “disco” by Rainbow Brown, US remixes by Billy Ocean, dullness by Eighties Ladies, plus others I’ve yet to hear by Evelyn King, Strikers, Carl Carlton, Zingara, and reputedly hot jazz by Rahmlee, Spaces, Yellow Coats, Dave Valentin. If only there were eighty hours in a day!
UK Disco Top 90 – July 11, 1981
01 01 Odyssey – Going Back To My Roots – RCA 12”
02 02 Thelma Houston – If You Feel It – RCA 12”
03 03 Evasions – Wikka Rap – Groove Production 12”
04 07 Strikers – Body Music – Epic 12”/Dutch Rams Horn 12” remix
05 08 Rick James – Give It To Me Baby / Ghetto Life / Fire And Desire – Motown LP/US 12” promo remix
06 06 Coati Mundi – Que Pasa/Me No Pop I – Ze 12”
07 10 Whispers – I Can Make It Better – Solar 12”
08 11 Imagination – Body Talk – R&B 12”
09 04 Smokey Robinson – Being With You – Motown / 12” promo
10 16 Quincy Jones – Razzamatazz – A&M 12”
11 14 Kool & The Gang – Take It To The Top / Celebremos – De-Lite 12”
12 13 Gino Soccio – Try It Out / Closer – Atlantic 12”
13 17 Grace Jones – Pull Up To The Bumper – Island 12”
14 15 Keni Burke – Let Somebody Love You – RCA 12”
15 12 Third World – Dancing On The Floor – CBS 12”
16 23 Evelyn King – I’m In Love – RCA 12”
17 09 Enigma – Ain’t No Stopping – Disco Mix 1981 – Creole 12”
18 05 Starsound – Stars On 45 – CBS 12”/LP
19 18 Linx – Throw Away The Key – Chrysalis 12”
20 28 BB&Q Band – On The Beat – Capitol 12”
21 26 Bobby Thurston – Very Last Drop – Epic 12”
22 19 Champaign – How ‘Bout Us – CBS 12”
23 21 Michael Jackson – One Day In Your Life – Motown
24 20 Human League – The Sound Of The Crowd – Virgin 12”
25 22 Barry Biggs – Wide Awake In A Dream – Dynamic 12”
26 35 Hi-Gloss – You’ll Never Know / I’m Totally Yours – Epic 12”
27 24 Aurra – Nasty Disposition / Are You Single – Salsoul 12”
28 51 Carl Carlton – She’s A Bad Mama Jama – 20th Century-Fox 12”
29 25 Esther Williams – I’ll Be Your Pleasure – RCA 12”
30 46 Material – Bustin’ Out – Ze 12”
31 41 Wish – Nice And Soft – US Perspective 12”
32 33 Lamont Dozier – Going Back To My Roots – Warner Bros 12”/LP
33 NE Spandau Ballet – Chant No.1 – Reformation 12”
34 87 Tom Tom Club – Wordy Rappinghood – Island 12”
35 37 Mighty Fire – Love Fantasy / Love Attack / Sweet Fire / Love Fuzz – US Elektra LP
36 83 Starsound – Stars On 45 Volume 2 – CBS 12”
37 56 Debra Laws – On My Own – Elektra 12”
38 27 Jacksons – Can You Feel It – Epic 12”
39 31 Shalamar – Make That Move – Solar 12”
40 29 Quincy Jones – Ai No Corrida – A&M 12”
41 54 Tantra – Hills Of Katmandu / Wishbone – Automatic 12”/US Importe/12 LP
42 57 Shakatak – Brazilian Dawn – Polydor 12”
43 38 Incognito – Incognito / Shine On (Live) – Ensign 12”
44 40 Heatwave – Posin’ ‘Til Closin’ – GTO 12”
45 47 Cheryl Lynn – Shake It Up Tonight – US Columbia 12”
46 71 Sharon Redd – Can You Handle It (Remix) / You Got My Love – US Prelude 12”
47 39 Second Image – Pinpoint The Feeling – Polydor 12”
48 34 Carol Jiani – Hit ‘N’ Run Lover – Champagne 12”
49 32 The Quick – Zulu – Epic 12”
50 36 Harvey Mason – How’s It Feel – Arista 12”
51 48 Teena Marie – It Must Be Magic / Square Biz – US Gordy LP
52 49 Stargard – High On The Boogie / You’re The One / Back To The Funk / It’s Your Love That I’m Missin’ / Here Comes Love – US Warner Bros LP
53 NE Morrissey Mullen – Dragonfly / Pass The Music On – Beggars Banquet LP
54 53 Was (Not Was) – Wheel Me Out – Ze LP/US Antilles 12”
55 55 Cameo – Freaky Dancin’ / The Sound Table / Don’t Be So Cool – US Chocolate City LP/12” promo
56 45 Touchdown – Ease Your Mind – Record Shack 12”
57 52 Voggue – Dancin’ The Night Away – Canadian Celsius 12”
58 65 Tee Mac – Sound Of the Universe – Ensign 12”
59 67 Proton Plus – Pay-Up – UK Champagne 12”
60 62 Eddy Grant – California Style / I Love You Yes I Love You / Give Yourself To Me – Ice LP
61 70 France Joli – Gonna Get Over You – US Prelude 12”
62 42 Barbara Roy – If You Want Me – US Roy B 12”
63 63 Quincy Jones – Betcha Wouldn’t Hurt Me / The Dude / Just Once – A&M LP
64 50 Atmosfear – Invasion / Interplay – MCA LP/12” promo
65 NE Gilberto Gil – Maracatu Atomico / Samba De Los Angeles – Elektra LP
66 74 Fatback – Kool Whip – Spring LP
67 35 Hi-Gloss – It’s Up To You / I Want Your Love To Last – US Prelude LP
68 66 Chaka Khan – What Cha Gonna Do For Me / I’m Every Woman – Warner Bros 12”
69 60 Wanda Walden – Don’t You Want My Lovin’ / It’s Gone Now – Elektra 12”
70 90 War – Cinco De Mayo – US LAX 12”
71 61 Ramsey Lewis – Expansions / Romance Me / Lakeshore Cowboy – CBS LP
72 76 Cayenne – Roberto Who…? / Little Sunflower – Groove Prod LP
73 NE Greg Phillinganes – Do It All For Love / Girl Talk / Maxxed Out – US Planet LP
74 64 Bunny Wailer – Dancing Shoes – Island 12”
75 72 Abba – Lay All Your Love On Me – Epic 12”/US Disconet 12” promo
76 81 Rafael Cameron – Funtown USA – US Salsoul 12”
77 NE Richard ‘Dimples’ Fields – I Like Your Lovin’ / She’s Got Papers On Me – US Boardwalk LP
78 58 Randy Crawford – You Might Need Somebody – Warner Bros 12”
79 59 Mystic Merlin – 60 Thrills A Minute – Capitol 12”
80 79 Jermaine Jackson – You Like Me Don’t You – Motown 12”
81 82 Mastermind – Uncle Slam Wants You – US Half Moon 12”
82 73 Various – Bits & Pieces III – Canadian Special Disco Mixer 12”
83 69 Randy Crawford – Rainy Night In Georgia – Warner Bros LP
84 85 Future Flight – Red Light Row / Don’t Pull The Plug / Hip-Notic Lady – US Capitol LP
85 NE Maze/Frankie Beverly – The Look In Your Eyes / Joy And Pain / Changing Times / Southern Girl / Running Away / Before I Let Go – US Capitol LP
86 NE General Saint & Clint Eastwood – Another One Bites The Dust – Greensleeves 12”
87 44 Gino Soccio – Hold Tight / Street Talk – Atlantic LP
88 NE Keni Burke – You’re The Best / Love Is The Answer – US RCA LP
89 NE Bob Marley – No Woman No Cry – Island 12”
90 89 Impressions – Fan The Fire – US 20th Century-Fox LP
BREAKERS
BUBBLING UNDER the UK Disco 90 with increased support are:
Morrissey Mullen: ‘Slipstream’ / ‘Do Like You’ / ‘Badness’ / ‘Stay A While’ (Beggars Banquet LP)
Teruo Nakamura: ‘Route 80’ (Japanese Agharta LP)
Boystown Gang: ‘Remember Me/Ain’t No Mountain High Enough Suite’ / ‘Cruisin’ The Streets’ (US Moby Dick 12in)
Side Effect: ‘It’s Got To Be Love’ / ‘Make You Mine’ (Elektra LP)
Jacksons: ‘Walk Right Now’ (Epic 12in)
Avonn: ‘Everybody Get Down’ (US RBL 12in)
Carol Jiani: ‘The Woman In Me’ / ‘Hit ‘N’ Run Lover (Remix)’ (Canadian Matra LP)
Steve Winwood: ‘Night Train’ (Island 12in)
Bits & Pieces: ‘Don’t Stop The Music’ (Island 12in)
Prince: ‘Head’ / ‘Gotta Stop’ / ‘Uptown’ (Warner Bros 12in)
Klymaxx: ‘Never Underestimate The Power Of A Woman’ (Solar 12in)
Manhattan Transfer: ‘(Wanted) Dead Or Alive’ / ‘On The Boulevard’ (Atlantic LP)
Mona Raye: ‘Do Me’ (US Park Place 12in)
Don Armando: ‘Deputy Of Love’ / Gichi Dan: ‘Cowboys and Gangsters’ (Ze LP)
Eddie Russ: ‘Zaius’ / ‘See The Light’ (US Monument LP)
Dillinger: ‘Melting Pot’ (A&M 12in)
Candido: ‘Jingo’ (Excaliber 12in)
Graingers: ‘Shine Your Light’ (US BC 12in)
Potion: ‘Catch The Feelin’ / ‘Showstopper’ (Slapps & Sticks 12in)
Raydio: ‘Still In The Groove’ / ‘A Woman Needs Love’ (Arista 12in)
Grace Jones: ‘I’ve Seen That Face Before (Libertango)’ (Island LP)
Compass Point All Stars: ‘Peanut Butter (Pull Up To The Bumper Dub)’ (Island 12in)
Commodores: ‘Lady (You Bring Me Up)’ (US Motown LP)
Change: ‘Stop For Love’ / ‘Heaven Of My Life’ (WEA 12in)
Fatback: ‘Take It Any Way You Want It’ (Spring 12in)
Kleeer: ‘De Kleeer Ting’ (Atlantic 12in)
Reddings: ‘If You Feel It’ / ‘You’re The Only One’ (US BID LP)
Pleasure: ‘Glide’ (Fantasy 12in)
Cheryl Lynn: ‘In The Night’ / ‘I’m On Fire’ (US Columbia LP)
Was (Not Was): ‘Out Come The Freaks’ (Ze 12in)
Karen Silver: ‘Set Me Free’ (Canadian Quality / RFC 12in)
Roberta Flack: ‘Lovin’ You (Is Such An Easy Thing To Do)’ / ‘Qual E Malindrinho’ (US MCA LP)
Azoto: ‘San Salvador’ (Dutch Rams Horn 12in)
Gap Band: ‘Yearning For Your Love’ (Mercury 12in)
Shalamar: ‘Uptown Festival’ / ‘Take That To The Bank’ (Golden Grooves 12in)
DORC (Disco Featured Pop Hits)
1(1) Ultravox, 2(2) Specials, 3(10) Bad Manners, 4(7) Shakin’ Stevens, 5(4) Adam, 6(3) Kim Wilde, 7(6) Toyah, 8(5) Kim Carnes, 9(11) Tenpole Tudor, 10(8) Hazel O’Connor, 11(9) Bucks Fizz, 12(19) Duran Duran, 13(12) UB40, 14(-) Kiki Dee, 15(-) Kraftwerk ‘Calculator’, 16(13) Phil Collins, 17(16) Nolans, 18(-) Gidea Park, 19(14) Stray Cats, 20(18) Kate Robbins.
HIT NUMBERS
Beats Per Minute for last week’s pop charts entries on 7in (endings denoted by “f” for fade, “c” for cold, “r” for resonant) are:
Star Sound 124f, Bauhaus 0-89/45f, Eurythmics 156f, Samson 175f, Rick James 122f, Jacksons 133f, Joe Jackson 198-0r, Jim Steinman 55-110-155-109-111f.
DJ TOP TEN
DAVE KING is now resident at Blackpool’s Rank-run Man Friday’s in Market Street, a members’ club established five years and still open six nights a week. Finding “good new dance music thin on the ground” (a point I must contend with), Dave has compiled a “classic floor-fillers” chart, including some old faves from Burnley Angels, Wigan Cassinellis and Manchester Lofters.
1975 Expansions – Lonnie Liston Smith – RCA 12in
1974 The Bottle – Gil Scott-Heron – Champagne 12in
1979 Space Bass – Slick – Fantasy 12in
1978 Disco Nights – GQ – Arista 12in
1978 On Broadway – George Benson – Warner Bros LP
1979 Dancer – Gino Soccio – Warner Bros 12in
1978 Get Another Love – Chantal Curtis – Pye 12in
1979 I Want You For Myself – George Duke – Epic LP
1980 Young Child – Ronnie Laws – UA 12in
1977 Let’s Clean Up The Ghetto – Philly All Stars – Phil Int 12in
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