Month: May 1986

ODDS ‘N’ BODS

TIM RUDLING is holding the fort at Fourth & Broadway following the sudden shock redundancy (amongst other staff at Island Records) of Adrian Sykes, who nevertheless is already doing independent promotion at 19 Management (01-789 7981) for Paul Hardcastle and more . . . Chris Paul, following my review, is indeed extending ‘Expansions 86’! . . . B Boys don’t despair, although scandalously unscheduled for general release the hip hop movie ‘Krush Groove’ will be shown in London at Kings Cross’s Scala Cinema for four days in July (11-14) . . . Carl Kingston hosts Leeds Radio Aire’s new Saturday 6-8pm ‘Soul Connection’ show, featuring a transatlantic chart link with Doug Gilmore of Los Angeles’ KJLH . . . Patti LaBelle and Michael McDonald topped US Black 45s and 12in sales — it seems appropriate, considering fear of terrorism caused Patti to cancel a UK visit, that she seems destined to be kept from number one here by ‘The Chicken Song’! — while E.G. Daily ‘Say It, Say It‘ and then Anthony And The Camp have topped Club Play in Billboard . . . Randy Muller, a Yank who should know Britain better by now, has also chickened out of letting both Brass Construction and, more seriously, Skyy come over here this summer due to his fear of terrorism — odd, when (sarcasm, sarcasm) surely they’re more likely to be mugged on the streets of New York? . . . Zapp (including of course Roger Troutman) brave the bombs to make their UK debut at Hammersmith Odeon June 27/28 — hang out the flags! . . . Charing Cross Heaven in three Saturdays time (21) holds “Europe’s biggest Eurobeat party ever” with 20 surprise star PAs . . . Blue Moderne’s lead singer turns out to be Audrey Wheeler . . . Cooltempo have already snapped up The Real Roxanne with Hitman Howie Tee, and Malaco grabbed Sleeque . . . Archie Bell & The Drells should be out here as you read this . . . Elvis Presley’s ‘Bossa Nova Baby‘ is, perhaps unexpectedly, being revived by some of the “jazzier” jocks, but maybe they should try to find the Leiber & Stoller-produced original by Tippie & The Clovers (on Stateside) instead? . . . Rayners Lane Record & Disco Centre appears to have cornered cut-out stock of 1978’s Leroy Hutson LP containing the evidently much sought ‘Get To This (You’ll Get To Me)‘ . . . Sheila E, to judge from the sleeve of an ancient Pete & Sheila Escovedo LP, has had to have had her nose fined down at some stage! . . . Slick Rick of the Get Fresh Crew has signed as a solo rapper to Rush Productions . . . DJ Cheese will be mixing a mini LP by Fats Comet . . . Thursday (29) Steve Walsh joins Simon Goffe at London Leicester Square’s Secret Rendezvous (in The Store) . . . Friday (30) Chris Hill souls Dartford Flicks, followed by Pete Tong next week, while Disco Gary & Steve Goddard start two funky Fridays at Maidstone Harveys . . . Jonathon More’s planned Meltdown night at Mayfair’s Legends was stymied by the last minute closure of that club, but as a stop-gap he, Rob Milton and Jay Strongman present The Bunker this Saturday (31) at that 1-7 Boundary Row warehouse off London’s Blackfriars Bridge Road . . . Wednesday (4) Andrew Holmes starts hosting Rusholme International Club’s weekly Manchester Soul Nite Out, with amongst the first PAs Projection, Hardrock Soul Movement, and Astra & Tony . . . Danny Smith & Richard Routledge spin new jazz and old soul at Gt Yarmouth’s free admission Two Necked Swan in King Street every Tuesday . . . Fridays find soul pirates John Osborne & Cockney Martin at Catford One-O Club . . . Essex Radio’s soul chart presenter Tony Monson is at Badgers Mount Shades (near Sevenoaks) Thursdays, Clacton-on-Sea Oscars Sundays . . . Joe Field souls Hemel Hempstead Heath Park Sundays, with guest DJs . . . DJ Grand Groove and “Special Guests” (like it!) are after Manchester area gigs on 061-773 1805 (Nick) . . . Mike Shaw (Bristol Sanborn’s) is desperate for a copy of Cloud One ‘Flying High‘ on 0272-500055, and Pete Haigh (Blackpool Zanatas Tues/Thurs) similarly seeks Silk ‘I Can’t Stop (Turning You On)‘ (1979 US Phil Int seven inch or LP) on 0253 824156 . . . Lovebug Starski so far appears, hopefully not fatally, not to be breaking outside London yet . . . Louie Oxley ‘Go-Go Gadget‘ might have done better without its offputting applause intro . . . George Clinton’s terrific ‘Shake’ video was sadly too late to boost his surprisingly brief chart appearance . . . Colin Hudd (using two copies for phasing and echoing) says Wally Badarou synchs superbly out of Thomas & Taylor, while Pete Tong points out the Janice ‘Bye-Bye’ acappella has some great “bitchy” bits for dropping in a mix! . . . I do hope the Seventies disco revival doesn’t get too good a grip, as that era’s wandering non-electro rhythms are a pain to BPM! . . . RELEASE THE TENSION!

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CUT MASTER D.C., from Flatbush in Brooklyn, actually uses three turntables and scratches with his elbows, nose, feet and a basketball, as well as behind his back! He also creates a true marriage of go go with hip hop on his partying audience accompanied rap ‘Brooklyn’s In The House’ (be*bop & Fresh 12 DANCE 3, via Pinnacle), now out here with its only slightly altered 101¾-0bpm remix plus 102¾-0bpm original and instrumental all on the one 12 inch. Say “yo”!

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HOT VINYL

BEAU WILLIAMS: ‘Give Me Up’ (US Capitol V-15228)
Soulfully enunciating and worrying his words, Beau truly wails in toe-curling traditional style his tale of self-sacrifice (you can’t really believe that he’s got someone else who wants him “ten times as much”) to a breezily skittering 119¾bpm which like the vocal seems proud to be black and unfashionable . . . but it’s selling (inst flip). Marvellous!

ADONIS: ‘No Way Back’ (US Trax TX 112)
Sounding like the old ‘Space Bass’ beat, this bounding cool rattle ‘n’ bass rhythm driven 125¼bpm garage groove has some incidental husky muttering or an instrumental flip, and is taking off fast enough to reach outer space! Continue reading “May 31, 1986: Beau Williams, Adonis, Skyy, Pauli Carman, Hanson & Davis”

ODDS ‘N’ BODS

DIANA ROSS, now living in London on Chelsea Embankment, turned up to lend moral support to her sometime Supremes partner Cindy Birdsong at the Hippodrome’s gay night recently, where she came face to startled face with her notorious lookalike — and, my dear, if looks could kill! . . . Champion definitely have UK rights to Harleqiun Four’s ‘Set It Off’ and, while the A-side will remain unaltered, Herbie Mastermind is remixing the original master tape for what may well turn out to be a special edition twinpack of different mixes (including an instrumental) . . . Jeff Young’s plays of it on Radio London have created fantastic interest in 1982’s previously rare and always underground proto-“garage” groove, Dinosaur L ‘Go Bang! #5‘ (US Sleeping Bag), a fascinating fast 0-130½-130-129½-129-128½-126½-129-0bpm avant garde ramble with some of the hi-hat schlurp now known as “the ‘Set It Off’ beat” — and it’ll soon be out here on Tim Palmer’s burgeoning CityBeat label! . . . Eighties Ladies ‘Turned On To You‘, originally on US Uno Melodic and currently much revived in London’s sweatier dives, has turned up here credited to just “Ladies” on “United Records” (but only under certain counters) . . . Cashflow’s US 12 inch is much better value than their separate UK singles, all four of the ‘Mine All Mine’ mixes plus ‘Spending Money’ being on the one piece of vinyl (US Atlanta Artists 884 722-1) . . . be*bop & Fresh are rushing next week Cut Master DC ‘Brooklyn’s In The House’ (remix and original back-to-back) . . . Lovebug Starski’s UK sleeve suggests that those really are the voices of Captain Kirk, Scotty, Spock and even Bela Lugosi on ‘Amityville’, not impersonations — although they are in fact the latter, by one Ron Darian . . . Ian Levine has been commissioned to create a Chic-like group called Moonstone for Warner Bros, in a mega-bucks seven album international deal . . . EMI may be going through some staff changes, which hopefully won’t affect the disco side, following the departure of managing director Peter Jamieson . . . I can’t tell yet, but which two Ian’s and a Welsh rarebit will be starting their own label come September? . . . Damon Rochefort and Ralph Tee have, as anticipated, started their own West End PR/management company, Style Inc, already plugging such hits as Oliver Cheatham, Cool Notes and more . . . Jon Williams has landed on his feet too, doing A&R for Malaco Records here, so that’s The Street Scene’s founding trio taken care of . . . StreetSounds are about to have a rival, Serious Records, who release their first double LP ‘Upfront 1‘ next week (at single LP price) containing current hits by Princess, Joyce Sims (remix), George Clinton, William Bell, Cool Notes, Willie Collins (title track), TC Curtis, Crown Heights Affair (original), Steve ‘Silk’ Hurley, Total Contrast, Spyder-D, Ice-T, MC Boob, Cut Master DC, plus two megamixes of all these — impressive, huh? . . . UK Fresh ’86 as rather suspected may not feature exactly the same artist line-up as first announced, and will be staged as two separate (afternoon and evening) shows with no artist duplication — so that’s two tickets you’ll need . . . Steve Walsh had his second Soul Set at The Hippodrome last Wednesday, in a radio studio stage set that if it wasn’t sponsored by a double-glazing company was a missed commercial opportunity — Steve is undeniably a commanding presence, but at a venue like that he should realise that there is more to DJ-ing than merely looking large and shouting . . . Home Office prevarication has, as anticipated, encouraged several soul pirates to return to London’s FM airwaves during weekdays, among those heard recently being LWR 92.1, TKO 102.4, TRAX 103.35, and ever present JBC 104.7 . . . Steve Collins in his 4-6am show on Capital Radio only plays some soul plus bland pop instead of the independent label soul gems that used to make him such essential listening — aren’t they still non-needletime? . . . Disco Mix Club’s trip to the New Music Seminar in New York is getting so big they’re having to fly British Caledonian (with first class perks) rather than Virgin as before . . . Jellybean, with an album due on his new label Chrysalis (and Adele Bertei singing its first single), is making selected US club appearances — so how about a trip behind the turntables here too? . . . ‘Chess’, the musical, had its preview party at the still not quite finished Limelight (built, as in New York, inside a church) . . . Morecambe Pier has sunk by three feet into the sand following the jumping up and down at a Mod alldayer, and is closed to music events until repaired! (Morecambe’s northern soul allniters continue the last Friday every month temporarily at the Charlton Club on the prom-prom-prom tiddly-om-pom-pom) . . . Friday (23) Northampton’s Whirlwind with MCs Jay Rock & Wild Ski join UD4 at Bristol’s Sunset Rendezvous (behind the Inkerman pub) . . . Sunday (25) Eccles Silver Screen’s 2pm purist soul alldayer has a strong Scottish element with Richard Searling, Kev Edwards, Billy Wildman, Keni James, Ray Rose, Billy Davidson, Bob Jeffries, Tom Jackson . . . Bank Holiday Monday alldayers include Martin Collins, Bob Jones, Danny Smith and more at Linton (Cambridge) Chilford Hall from 3pm, Steve Allen and more at Hunstanton’s Club Alexia from 4pm, Steve Walsh, CJ Carlos and a cast of thousands at Hammersmith Palais from 4pm, Chris Brown, Big H, Sean French, Johnnie Walker, Sandy Martin and more at Padworth (Reading) The Out Of Town Club’s barbeque from 4pm . . . Chris Forbes, Tim Westwood & Jasper solidly soul London Leicester Square’s Maximus every Wednesday . . . Les Adams-trained attractive Aniela, until recently at Soho’s Le Beat Route, mixes everything slickly at Harlow’s Whispers Fridays now . . . BILLYboy’s artist is Gerry Trew, not Tew . . . RELEASE THE TENSION!

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THE COOL NOTES’ new single may not be too alluring, but you can’t say that about the new image of Heather and Lorraine! Now all they and the guys need is some slickly synchronised puppet-like choreography and they could teach that Pearson mob a thing or two!

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NEW YORK’S singing postman has had his excellent debut LP overstickered on import for UK release. WILLIE COLLINS ‘Where You Gonna Be Tonight?’ (Capital EST 2012), Recently reviewed in full, its hottest cuts on a generally ladies-aimed lurve set are the smoothly wriggling 0-113½bpm title track and romantic candlelit 45½-0bpm ‘First Time Making Love‘. Make that special delivery, my man!

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HOT VINYL

CANDI STATON: ‘Young Hearts Run Free (Extended M&M Mix Eighty-Six)’ (Warner Bros W8680T)
John Morales’ much stretched and restructured (0-)115¼-116-115½-116½-117-117½-118-117½-0bpm “Decade Remix” of her classic canterer (it hit the UK chart exactly 10 years ago this week!) now funnily sounds more correct than the nervier 115¼-116-116½-117½bpm short original, which is joined as flip by an Instrumental M&M Mix emphasising the modem overdub’s elements.

SLEEQUE: ‘One For The Money’ (US Easy Street EZS-7524)
As I said to Jerry at the shop after only a few bars, “No, take it off, I want to groove to this in the privacy of my own home!” A fabulous breezily bounding (0-)114¼-0bpm mixture of garage rhythm, bouncy acoustic piano and wailing lady with lots of space (in four Paul Simpson mixes) and infectious charm.

BLUE MODERNE: ‘Through The Night’ (US Roll Records SUN 440)
Ish Ledesma (of Foxy)-prod/penned with a hi-hat schlurping 106¾-0bpm ‘Set It Off’ beat (in five mixes), this girlie group wailed and souled sneakily satisfying multi-layered swayer looks like being large! Continue reading “May 24, 1986: Candi Staton, Sleeque, Blue Moderne, Willie Colon, Yang”

ODDS ‘N’ BODS

MORGAN KHAN’s July 19 UK Fresh ’86 shows at Wembley Arena, as well as the Mike Allen Roadshow, would appear to include such as Mantronix, Aleem featuring Leroy Burgess, Roxanne Shante, Dr Jeckyll & Mr Hyde, Afrika Bambaataa, Word Of Mouth featuring DJ Cheese, Hashim, Captain Rock and more (New York’s New Music Seminar being over by then) . . . Live Wire’s next October 10-12 soul weekender is likely to be switched from Bognor to the Butlins camp at Barry Island near Cardiff. The extra journey for Londoners actually won’t take much longer than that to the south coast as it’s all by motorway, and will be well worth it provided the neighbouring funfair remains open as that’s a good one! . . . Froggy seems to have permanently landed Capital Radio’s Sunday midnight — 4am early morning soul show, followed for two hours however by Steve Collins and then Al Matthews’ gospel slot — more sleepless nights! . . . Community Radio licence announcements are indeed being delayed, but the Home Office now promises they will be made, with some drastic changes to the original recommendations, within the next two months or so, or sometime (current Home Secretary Douglas Hurd was always interested in radio and has many ideas of his own to add) . . . Shep Pettibone and the Latin Rascals’ exciting 105(intro)-107½bpm US Remix, with juddery cuts and scratches, of ‘Something About You’ has been added by popular demand to Level 42’s UK 12 inch (Polydor POSPA 790), vocally every bit as soulful as Police . . . Joyce Sims’ ‘Mantronik Mega Mix‘ of ‘All And All’ (London LONXR 94) was worth the wait, with fresh new edits and added 109¾bpm percussion . . . Technics turntables have a serious new rival in the US, where PPD’s similarly styled vari-speed TT2400 deck includes such refinements as a tiny light built in above the stylus . . . Atlantic have scaled down their old ‘This Is Soul’ compilation to make a new 12 inch EP ‘6 of the 60’s’ (A9410T) containing the classic Arthur Conley ‘Sweet Soul Music’, Wilson Pickett ‘Land Of A 1000 Dances’, Solomon Burke ‘Everybody Needs Somebody To Love’, Aretha Franklin ‘Respect’, Booker T & The MG’s ‘Green Onions’, King Curtis ‘Memphis Soul Stew’ — forget the Seventies disco revival, here (with Sam Cooke) comes the Sixties . . . MCA Records have reactivated the 0-124½bpm M&M Extraterrestrial Mix of Ready For The World ‘Oh Sheila’ (RFTWX 1) in a 12 inch twinpack to coincide with the group’s televised Montreux appearance . . . Chris Paul’s B-side, now finished copies are out, is his own 116¾bpm Paul Hardcastle-ish whoops, Jeff Lorber-ish instrumental ‘Broadway Boulevard‘ . . . Thursday (15) hunky Big H hosts Ascot Belvedere Arms’ beach party . . . Jeff Young joins Trevor Fung & Paul Oakenfold at Streatham Zigi’s weekly The Project this Friday (next week, Pete Tong), and also souls Deptford Champs on Sunday (18) . . . Mike Shaft & Colin Curtis pack Manchester’s Playpen Thursdays . . . Larry Foster’s Fridays at Gants Hill Villa are veering ever more into old R&B, Motown and soul . . . Trevor Hadley funks Saturdays at Deal’s free admission Lifeboat Inn on Walmer Strand, while Peckham Walmer Castle’s newly opened Snoop’s Disco is funked Thur/Fri/Sat by DJs Dave, Freddie M and Owen Washington . . . Oxford’s Steve Aspey does Boddles Wed-Sat but really gets into jazz ‘n’ soul Tuesdays at Parkers cocktail bar, for listening . . . ‘The Bean’ is back from abroad and attempting to funk Charnock Richard’s The Park . . . Hollywood’s Prime Cuts record store reckons that aerobics instructors account for half the Hi-NRG records sold there! . . . Samantha Fox’s bosom buddy Linda Lusardi is getting in on the singing act, recording for Polo Records . . . I just haven’t room to review all the current incredible deluge of black dance releases here, but my column in Music Week at least lists all that fit (although without BPMs) . . . RELEASE THE TENSION!

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DESIREE HESLOP’s debut LP ‘Princess’ (Supreme Records SU1) as well as her current 119bpm ‘I’ll Keep On Loving You’, and abbreviated 101¼bpm ‘After The Love Has Gone’, 104bpm ‘Say I’m Your Number One’ hits, has the strong jauntily tumbling 109bpm ‘Tell Me Tomorrow‘, self-penned moody 112bpm ‘Just A Teaze‘, routine 114bpm ‘If It Makes You Feel Good‘, Hi-NRG-ish 118bpm ‘In The Heat Of A Passionate Moment‘, and US-aimed 122¼bpm ‘Anytime’s The Right Time‘, all typically tightly produced by the Stock-Aitken-Waterman team. ‘Tell Me Tomorrow’ (from the movie ‘Knights And Emeralds’) sounds like another smash!

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HOT VINYL

LOVEBUG STARSKI : ‘Amityville (The House On The Hill)’ (Epic EPA TA 7182)
Stand by for another smash, the ‘Monster Mash’, updated in Kurtis Blow co-prod/penned jiggly 88bpm go go hip hop rap style with impersonations of the ‘Star Trek’ crew as well as the more usual Karloff/Lugosi voices (they’re especially on the dup flip). Already massive in London, this is the next Full Force/Whistle-like crossover.

ALEXANDER O’NEAL: ‘What’s Missing’ (Tabu TA 7191)
With a new O’Neal LP due soon, look what CBS have finally done after a year of campaigning by the soul media — they’ve pulled his (0-)111bpm US Remix of this exuberantly striding album smash off the recent 12 inch of ‘A Broken Heart Can Mend’ (no wonder they let that quietly die) to make it at last an A-side here! A pity it isn’t the still superior original version, but we can’t have everything (inst, and 80bpm ‘Do You Wanna Like I Do’ flip).

DHAR BRAXTON: ‘Jump Back (Set Me Free)’ (Fourth & Broadway 12BRW 47)
Exploding on import, this breezily catchy here 116bpm electro leaper in the Lisa Lisa/Rochelle/Shannon/Joyce Sims style should be a pop smash too (Dubette and Jump Backappella flip, presumably leaving the Dub for creative marketing later?) Continue reading “May 17, 1986: Lovebug Starski, Alexander O’Neal, Dhar Braxton, Nu Shooz, Grandmaster Flash”

ODDS ‘N’ BODS

PATTI LaBELLE is going to disappoint everyone who’s just given her a smash as she’s chickened out of her concerts here on account of the terrorist bomb scare, but in her place we could be getting separate visits from Anita Baker and Patti Austin — who’d you rather see?! . . . Steve Walsh is to star in a movie, filmed in London over the next two months, as the gigantic leader of a tribe of post-nuclear holocaust mutants (obviously someone saw ‘Thunderdome’, though whether this’ll be for cinema or just video release is unclear at the moment): more immediately, his Soul Set returns to The Hippodrome next Wednesday (14) with a mock-up radio studio built on stage and many PAs . . . Disco Mix Club’s Megamixers night at the same venue last week could have been busier but was a good showcase for some non-competitive scratching — Les Adams in particular did serious damage to ‘Just Buggin’ and ‘Alice’ . . . New York master cutter Steinski’s latest non-commercial offering, due on ultra-scarce vinyl and already about on cassette (stay tuned to Capital Radio!), is ‘The Motorcade Sped On‘, doing for President Kennedy’s assassination what ’19’ did for Vietnam, setting actuality news reports to what’s presumably a purpose-built hip hop backing (rather than snippets of well known records this time), making a hook out of the repeated line “Mrs Kennedy jumped up, she called ‘Oh no’” . . . Princess producer Pete Waterman says we should have heard the stuff he had to cut out of Cheese’s mix! (‘I’ll Keep On Loving You’ meanwhile is being remixed by Bruce Forest for the US) . . . Champion Records picked up Word Of Mouth featuring DJ Cheese ‘Coast To Coast‘, and — cross your fingers — could well have Harleqiun Four’s ‘Set It Off’! . . . Tim Westwood interestingly observes that nearly all the calls received by Dial-A-Beat (the expensive ‘M’-rate ‘phone a disc service he hosts) are during office hours, when obviously lots of funky secretaries are getting hip at their bosses’ expense . . . Greg Edwards ousts Gary Crowley from Capital Radio’s week nights, this week starting a new half ‘n half soul ‘n style show 8-10pm Tuesday to Friday, as well as his Saturday ‘Soul Spectrum’ of course . . . JJ Barnes at the last moment turned down the chance of a world-wide deal with EMI, his lucky replacement being Steve Mancha: both are Sixties soul legends now best remembered (unfortunately) for their northern soul sides . . . Linda Creed, who partners Thom Bell writing Philly Sound hits for most notably The Stylistics, has died aged just 37 of cancer — she’s currently charting as co-writer of ‘The Greatest Love Of All’ . . . Pauli Carman used to lead Champaign . . . O’chi Brown ‘Whenever You Need Somebody’ (on Mercury there) and then Pet Shop Boys ‘West End Girls (Remix)’ topped US Club Play, Stephanie Mills ‘I Have Learned To Respect The Power Of Love‘ (a Rene & Angela-penned ballad) Black 45s, and Janet Jackson Black LPs in Billboard . . . Billboard’s disco columnist Brian Chin is chuffed that instead of flowers he gave the Anita Baker album to Jane Torvill after a New York Torvill & Dean gig! . . . Anita Baker’s first ever UK single will have to be ‘Sweet Love’ as a video’s been made for its US release . . . The SOS Band’s follow-up will be ‘Borrowed Love’ . . . I never know why otherwise quite soulful seeming DJs still support the pop material that Level 42 have been making in the main, albeit stylishly, for the last few years . . . Gilles Peterson is amongst the jocks at Andros’s trendy War nights in London St Martin’s Lane Lacey’s for the next six Thursdays . . . Superfly co-presents Saxon Studio International at Bristol Mecca Mayfair Rooms this Saturday (10), and at Gloucester Jamaican Sport & Social Club on Friday fortnight (23) . . . Sunday (11) Chris Brown & Johnnie Walker start up The Stronghold weekly at Camberley’s Cambridge Nightclub, playing every vintage, type and ethnic origin of black music that fits . . . Danny Smith spins hard funk ‘n soul Fri/Sat with guest jocks at Hunstanton’s Club Alexia . . . Paul Burnett’s next rap attack under the guise of PB Squad, following earlier send-ups of ‘Convoy’ and ‘Rambo’, is ‘Walking The Dog’ — as in ‘Mad Dog’ Gadaffi . . . RELEASE THE TENSION!

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HOT VINYL

THOMAS & TAYLOR: ‘You Can’t Blame Love’ (Cooltempo COOLX 123)
Married soul duo Lamar Thomas and Judy Taylor are hopefully headed for a crossover hit with this lovely lazily swaying 102¼-102½-102¼-102½bpm duet, punctuated by haunting War-like harmonica and tinged with southern soul despite being recorded in New York, already much played by radio in London at least (edit, and 0-62¼-62½bpm ‘We Need Company’ flip). They recently visited for some PAs and are due here again, not being put off by bomb scares, which surely deserves support?

CHRIS PAUL: ‘Expansions ’86 (Expand Your Mind)’ (Fourth & Broadway 12BRW 48)
Here we go! South Harrow’s Jeff Lorber has linked Lonnie Liston Smith’s jazz-funk classic to the 113¾bpm ‘Set It Off’ beat, with guest vocals by David Joseph. To say it sizzles is an understatement! Why can’t it last longer?

SKYY: ‘Givin’ It (To You)’ (US Capitol V-15226)
Producer/writer Randy Muller is right on form, as are the ever distinctive sounding New York Skyy, whose opening “uh-uh yeah” and patented synth swirl will make fans feel immediately at home as this beefily bounding 113½bpm powerhouse pusher sets up an ultra infectious bright breezy lick (in three versions). A biggie! Continue reading “May 10, 1986: Thomas & Taylor, Chris Paul, Skyy, Ca$hflow, C.M. Dance”

ODDS ‘N’ BODS

THIS WEEKEND’S New York Jazz Explosion at Hammersmith Odeon has had to be postponed due to Phyllis Hyman’s serious illness, but all tickets will be valid on the new dates, July 26/27 . . . Home Office decisions about not only the licence applicants but also now the very existence of the planned two year Community Radio “experiment” have been shelved again until the autumn at earliest (when expected last Christmas), to follow publication and Parliamentary debate of another Green Paper on the deregulation of local radio as a whole — it seems lobbying by ILR stations has delayed the experiment actually being put into practice, the Green Paper now suggesting that maybe existing local stations should be allowed to concentrate on one type of music or programming applicable to their market if they want, instead of having to be all things to all men, which could open the door to US-style formatted radio (although it won’t stop disgruntled pirate operators returning to the air rather than waiting in the ever receding hope of a community licence) . . . Lovebug Starski ‘Amityville’ is being rushed out here! . . . William Bell’s UK label turns out to be called Tout Ensemble, as late in the day distributors Pinnacle discovered there was already another Absolute Records . . . Thomas & Taylor’s US pressings were in fact only for export, to help get a deal here first, and Aurra’s UK top 20 smash is similarly unsigned in the States — Aurra, who maybe would have sounded beefier on ‘Top Of The Pops’ if they hadn’t sung live, repeated their Bognor success to be biggest newie at Caister too (where numbers were about half the normal but everyone had a hot time) . . . Charisma have reissued 1984’s haunting ‘All Night Long’-based 94½bpm The World’s Famous Supreme Team ‘Hey! DJ‘ (TEAM 1-12) . . . Patti LaBelle & Michael McDonald is 92½bpm here . . . Elite’s new girl Nikki Tovell is rebuilding their DJ mailing list on 01-903 0305 . . . London readers may be in time this Wednesday (30) for the Disco Mix Club’s special Megamixers night at the Hippodrome with Chad Jackson, Les Adams, Paul Dakeyne and more . . . Chad Jackson joins nine other international mixing DJs competing in the Roman ampitheatre at Nimes in Southern France during the town’s Pentecostal Festival on Sat/Sun May 17/18, Tina Turner heading the judges and the arena’s 40,000 watt disco beamed by satellite into 100 French clubs simultaneously to set up a world record! . . . I appear to be chairing the International DJ Debate at New York’s New Music Seminar on July 13-16: it’s an expensive jaunt, but the Disco Mix Club can give you travel advice on 06286-67276, or contact the Seminar’s registration office direct on 010-1-212-722-2115 . . . Tony Blackburn & Steve Walsh celebrate Radio London’s 50th Soul Night Out at Hammersmith Palais this Thursday (1) with guests Aurra, Oliver Cheatham, Maxi Priest, Sandra Cross . . . Jonathan More’s eclectically mixed up Meltdown night has moved to Mayfair Legends Fridays . . . Bank Holiday Monday (5) finds Steve Walsh guesting at Forest Gate Upper Cut Stadium (“South London Posse!”), and Luton Ronelles at midnight . . . Capital’s cheeky chappie Gary Crowley and CBS’s cool Julian Palmer start funking The Floor Board weekly at Kingston Cinderella’s next Wednesday (7) . . . Pete Haigh funks Morecambe’s Old Rangoon wine bar Wednesday next (7) and fortnight (20) . . . Eurobeat/Hi-NRG releases include Kiki Dee ‘Another Day Comes (Another Day Goes)‘ (Columbia 12DB 9122), unusual exciting 123½bpm gospel-ish surger a bit lost amidst its rhythm but now tidied up in Ian Levine’s 124bpm Nightmare Mix (12KIKI 1); Louise Thomas ‘Reflex Action‘ (R&B RBS 1803), Levine & Trench-prod/penned emphatically chanted clodhopping 118bpm rhumba; Hazell Dean ‘E.S.P.‘ (EMI 12 EMI 5560), dreary subdued 110½bpm plodder somehow high in the chart; Boney M ‘Young, Free And Single‘ (Carrere CART 384), simple 128bpm Hi-NRG chant with Duane Eddy-ish twangs . . . Dexter Wansel’s upcoming LP is likely to disappoint many, mainly wallpaper music, fast tempos, or the Jones Girls sounding like Madonna . . . I’m amazed the brilliant Man Friday ‘Love Honey, Love Heartache‘ (US Vinyl Mania) isn’t bigger here considering the current interest in all things “Garage” — it’s right out of New York’s Paradise Garage where the word came from, and mixed by resident jock Larry Levan, so how truly “Garage” can you get?! . . . Graham Gold had four boxes of records ripped off from his caravan at Caister, all easily identifiable by BPMs sellotaped (or marks of their removal) on the top right corner of the sleeves: no questions asked rewards for return c/o Mayfair Gullivers on 01-499 0760 . . . RELEASE THE TENSION!

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OLIVER CHEATHAM (seen above with BPM-ing James H) soulfully asks DJs all over the world to help find his sweet, sweet girl in a personal ‘S.O.S.’ (Champion CHAMP 12-11), which canters catchily along through John Morales-mixed 119½bpm Arrington-ish percussion once past a stodgy start.

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HOT VINYL

PAULI CARMAN: ‘Dial My Number’ (US Columbia 44-05373)
The System-prod/penned, and the rhythm shows it although bouncier than usual, this brightly wriggling 117¼bpm bounder finds fluidly Pauli waiting all alone by the telephone, like so many before him (dub/inst flip). Call collect!

RENE & ANGELA: ‘Your Smile’ (Club JABX 24)
Another US smash soul slowie like a less schmaltzy Atlantic Starr, this strangulatedly emoted Minnie Riperton-ish 35¾/71½bpm tense little smoocher is flipped by its instrumental and an odd, none too successful, jerkily remade (100½-0-)99½-99-99½bpm ‘Secret Rendezvous 86‘. Continue reading “May 3, 1986: Oliver Cheatham, Pauli Carman, Rene & Angela, Total Contrast, Mantronix”