ODDS ‘N’ BODS
BLUE FEATHER is evidently about to have an extra previously unavailable ‘Club Instrumental’ added to make ‘Let’s Funk Tonight’ a 3-track 12in, while mixers should note their ‘It’s Love’ and D’Llegance have the same bongos . . . “D” Train’s ‘You’re The One For Me’ KISS remix is on one-sided Dutch Rams Horn 12in (RAMS 12-3106), their ‘Keep On’ being due here already as follow-up to ‘Walk On By’ . . . US Motown now know, so Stevie’s 12in can be acknowledged . . . 12in copies of Dennis Brown have been hard to find, which hasn’t stopped him being one of London’s top sellers . . . Light Of The World’s July album has been preceded by a 4-track promo 12in (hissily cut), their future ‘No. 1 Girl‘ being a 0-89-0-129bpm jogger with nice sax which suddenly switches into a fast Latin finish (are the lyrics really about coming home to Mum?), ‘Soho‘ a jittery 118bpm smacker with ‘Wikka Wrap’ outro, and ‘(Everybody) Move‘ a brassy 114 bpm jiggler . . . Donna Summer’s Quincy-produced ‘Love Is In Control‘ 7in is 133bpm pop . . . Harringey’s Bolts gay club starts next Thursday (1) a National Gay Disco Dancing Championship which’ll also embrace Manchester Heroes, Nottingham Le Chic Part Two, Brighton Bolts (Sherrys), Southampton Magnum Club before finishing back in Harringey — details on 01-802 0303/5959 . . . Leeds Warehouse owner Mike Wiand donated £800 to Radio Luxembourg’s recent charity telethon, buying a future half hour show on the station for the club’s DJ Ian Dewhirst . . . Steve Walsh is busy this Friday (25), guesting on Dave Brown’s BBC Radio Medway soul show, then jocking at both Battersea Queens and Soho Gossips . . . Chris Hill will be resident on Fridays when Dartford Flicks reopens . . . Fatman Graham Canter’s now doing regular spots at Piccadilly’s flashy Xenon, which gives receipts for all your drinks— good for expense accounts? . . . DJ Federation individual membership charges have been halved for the rest of 1982, costing now £12.50 — enquiries to DJF(GB), 6 Apsley Street, Keighley, West Yorkshire . . . Maze’s New Orleans video is evidently to be released officially . . . Level 42’s next single will possibly either be live, or have a live flip, or a free live extra single — according to Mark King, talking to Bristol’s Nigel Halkes, who also says “I wonder if someone could tell Froggy not to shout so much when he’s on ‘Steppin’ Out’, he does yell a bit” tee hee! . . . Staines Jacksons Nightclub needs established club DJs to guest on Friday nights with Dave Collins — call Marc Carter on Staines 53193 / Henley 5430 . . . Neil Fincham (Edinburgh Mad Hatter’s Speakeasy) revisits his Ipswich birthplace early in August and would welcome some free jazz-funk guests spots — call him (weekends) on 0368 63606 . . . Mike Page, now slipping in some jazz-funk at Telford’s Nell Gwynn, used to jock in Essex at the Essex Barn and Countryman with Bob Jones, and says “hi” to him . . . ‘Murphy’s Law’ composer credits read as James Hunt! . . . TV’s version of ‘Fame’ is less snappily edited than the movie but will obviously bear watching as it explores the diameters in greater depth (I hope) . . . Gary Numan’s image is of course that of Herbert Lom in ‘The Ladykillers’ . . . Beggar & Co’s ears have been burning, with everyone talking about their dreadful new single . . . Chris Britton (Watford Baileys) recommends Modern Romance to any promoter following their week with him . . . Cindy Ecstasy, Soft Cell’s female “voice” has been staying round my mate Sparrow’s gaff . . . Nightclub pop dance chart has settled down to a regular 65 places long — It would be nice to hear from more jocks who buy their pop records . . . Change is 115(intro)-116bpm . . . Mark Clark, Paul Major and others, note: when calculating Beats Per Minute, the beat at the moment you hit your stopwatch is “0” and not “1” — I always wind my hand tally counter back to ‘9999″ so that it hits zero as soon as I start clicking off the beats . . . Greg Edwards recommends unattached young ladies to go up to strange men in bars and say “Why suck on a strawberry cocktail when you can suck on my lips?” . . . KEEP IT TIGHT!
UK NEWIES
NARADA MICHAEL WALDEN: ‘You Ought To Love Me’ (Atlantic K 11739T).
Sensational to mix (with Larry Graham, Second Image — hell, just about anything!), this tumblingly rattling and lurching 116bpm smacker really cuts naggingly through due to its great simple bubbling synth twiddles and is now on extra strong 3-track 12in with his old classic 117-116(start)-114-115 (break)-114bpm ‘I Shoulda Loved Ya’ and 125(very start)-121-120-125(clap/horns)-123-121bpm ‘Tonight I’m Alright’. DJs previously plugging his LP’s ‘Summer Lady’ will be switching in droves!
CAPTAIN SENSIBLE: ‘Happy Talk’ (A&M CAPP).
The madly jaunty ‘South Pacific’ ditty — apart from being a surefire silly summer smash in this carefully created 100/50-0-100-0bpm 12in revival — amazingly blends into a funk set thanks to its solid bass! Try vari-synching it between Ray Parker ‘Just Havin’ Fun‘ and then (before it pauses slowly) into Kid Creole ‘Wonderful Thing’ — brilliant!
RICK JAMES: ‘Money Talks’ (LP ‘Throwin’ Down’ Motown STML 12167).
Beautifully packaged totally typical Rick James funk set, this 120-121-122bpm smacker synching perfectly out of ‘Standing On The Top’ and now to my mind being better than the 123-124-123bpm ‘Dance Wit’ Me‘, others in similar mould being the 121bpm ‘Hard To Get‘, 126bpm ‘69 Times‘, 129bpm ‘Throwdown‘, while Teena Marie joins him on the dead slow ‘Happy’. Continue reading “June 26, 1982: Narada Michael Walden, Captain Sensible, Rick James, Plunky & The Oneness Of Juju, Stevie Wonder”