ODDS ‘N’ BODS
LES ADAMS has done a quick remix of Cameo ‘Word Up’, due in shops now, and incidentally tips that a vari-speed synch out of Raze into Michael McDonald (SILAS mix) goes on and on and on on! … John Morales, giving up his London flat to do even his UK remixes back in New York, has done a harder Five Star ‘Can’t Wait Another Minute’ for the US black chart, while the M&M mix of Colonel Abrams’ ‘Over And Over’ never came out (now ‘Speculation’ has appeared in a Regisford & Jarvis remix on import) … Loose Ends’ commercial 12 inch twin-pack only features the Nick Martinelli remix and dub version of ‘Slow Down’, the group’s own ‘Slow-Jam’, plus Dancin’ Danny D & Godwin Logie’s old Westside mix of ‘Gonna Make You Mine’ — leaving the latter team’s widely considered superior ‘Slowdown’ remix only on the promo pressing, unless of course it’s due for creative marketing! … Carroll Thompson’s commercial 12 inch has had the lovers’ rock ‘Tonight’ altered into a new 93bpm Daybreak Mix, but still lacks the Townhouse Mix of ‘Strangest Love Affair’ … Mel & Kim (a delightful duo to meet!) have inevitably been remixed as a more dubwise 119¾bpm Mortgage Mix, Jak To Jak ‘Take It Easy’ has finally reappeared (on promo only so far) in a much tighter more subdued 114bpm Mastermix, and Rosaline Joyce’s remix will include a snatch of ‘Cloud Nine’ … Bluebird/10 picked up Davis/Pinckney Project … Ian Levine is starting his own Nightmare label through PRT next month, not specifically for hi-NRG, debuting with ‘Animal Magnetism‘ by Darryl Pandy (who’s also heavily featured on the Anti-Smack Project all-star single’s acappella flip) … Farley ‘Jackmaster’ Funk has tried to distance himself from house music’s origins by recording something along the lines of “I’m Not Gay I’m A Man”, which has got his fellow Chicagoans in an uproar … Jesse Saunders will be spinning Chicago house tracks next month around London’s record shops, at Tower and Virgin on Friday 17, Rayner’s Lane Saturday 18 (a bit of advance news there!) … Central London readers may be in time for Jay Strongman, Julian ‘Cool’ Palmer & Simon Witter’s P’funk party this Wednesday (24) at the Limelight … JOCKS magazine is already looking for letters and feedback from DJs about relevant disco topics, so send your scribblings to editor Philip Chapman (at the same address as rm) … Madonna’s original 115⅔bpm ‘Holiday’ has made a timely, if surely unnecessary, reappearance as flip to the Shep Pettibone remixed pleasantly Sixties-ish (0-)120¼bpm ‘True Blue’ (Sire W8550T), and while still in a pop frame of thought, the 118½bpm Tracy Spencer ‘Run To Me‘ (CBS TA 7007) and 130½bpm Stacey Q ‘Two Of Hearts‘ (Atlantic A9381T) seem to be expanding on their initial hi-NRG appeal … Ralph Tee has been dredging through Motown’s vaults as well, to compile some of their less obvious but soulful album tracks from the last 14 years into a various artists ‘Motown Trackin’‘ (WL 72518), plus he’s also compiled a double LP of Jean Carne ‘Legendary Tracks‘ (StreetSounds MUSID 7) … Hermione Ross, doing radio promotion at Jive, wants to hear from “weekend radio” DJs on 01-459 8899 … British Telecom’s “ring up and spend a fortune listening to records on the telephone” Livewire service has now gone fully national, the Dave Pearce hosted RM Dance Line being on 0898-121318 – the launch party was a bit spectacular, up in the revolving old restaurant on top of the Post Office Tower! … Mantronik is in London with T La Rock, laying down rhythm tracks, and they were surprise ‘live’ guests at Radio London’s Soul Night Out – which began its new irregular season with such other guests as Gwen Guthrie, Timex Social Club, Paul Hardcastle, Mel & Kim, TC Curtis … Chris Forbes sounds fine … ‘Ebony’ this Friday on BBC2 interviews Nellie ‘Mixmaster’ Rush about house music and features footage shot with Dave Pearce in New York (for some reason) last week … Graeme Park’s chart from Nottingham’s Garage (Tues/Fri/Sat) and Leicester Fan Club (Wed) is broadcast every Monday between 7-10pm on Radio Trent’s 12 inch show … New York’s new WQHT ‘Hot 103’ seems to be concentrating on hi-NRG, playing no rap, slowies or ballads … Jellybean Benitez is ‘musical director’ of New York’s latest club 4D, just opened at the old Visage site … Oran ‘Juice’ Jones as predicted topped US Black 45s, Anita Baker Black LPs and Janet Jackson ‘When I Think Of You’ Club Play in Billboard … Freddie Jackson, Melba Moore and James Brown were due to have appeared this Tuesday at a $300-a-head anti-“crack” fundraiser in New York’s swank Plaza Hotel … James Brown has co-written his autobiography ‘The Godfather Of Soul’ for US publication by Macmillan in November … Lillo Thomas is returning to the limelight, after a bad car crash in Brazil, co-produced and mixed by M&M … Dave Malone, still pulling 300+ soul fans on Fridays at the Gainsborough Club, has just lost his other long standing Sudbury night on Thursdays at the Queens Arms due to a change of landlords, and would welcome a replacement gig within 60 miles on 0787-72355 … Mark Clark (Wokingham Mark One Records) wonders whether Ivor Biggun will remake ‘Jack Off’! … JACK THE HOUSE!
PAUL OAKENFOLD has left Rush Release promotions to handle A&R and promotion for Champion Records, who have just picked up for UK release Raze and Sybil. This doesn’t mean he’s given up dee-jaying; he still funks Croydon Scarletts on Thursdays, Streatham Project at Zigi’s on Fridays and guests around on Saturdays. The little hip hopper!
HOT VINYL
STEVE ‘SILK’ HURLEY ‘Jack Your Body’ (London LONX 117)
Massive for months on import right across the country, this is well established as the other really big house hit, comprising four sparse “jack trax” which electronically repeat the title line (or the name Steve ‘Silk’ Hurley), to bounding lean beats on the 122bpm Club Your Body and Jack Your Body – Home Made, 121¾bpm Dub Your Body, 125¼bpm Steve ‘Silk’ Hurley mixes. Confused? This looks like the Harleqiun Four’s of 1986 and it’s out while it’s still hot!
LIONEL RICHIE ‘Love Will Conquer All’ (Motown LIOT 2)
Possibly having learnt that Lionel still needs black support to score a real hit, Motown rapidly follow his rock foray with the new album’s cream soul cut, a gorgeous mellow undulating (0-)98bpm swayer dripping with lazy appeal (old 0-64½bpm ‘The Only One’ flip).
FREDDIE JACKSON ‘Tasty Love’ (US Capitol V-15254)
‘Rock Me Tonight’ revisited in typically yearning tender 80bpm tasty stylee (edit too), with his last album’s swaying 105⅓bpm ‘I Wanna Say I Love You‘ as flip. Already, it’s due here next week (Capitol 12CL 428). Continue reading “September 27, 1986: Steve ‘Silk’ Hurley, Lionel Richie, Freddie Jackson, 80’s Ladies, Kurtis Blow”
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