Author: Mike A

ODDS ‘N’ BODS

PHYLLIS HYMAN’s continued unavailability (some say it’s chickenpox) has forced complete cancellation of July 26/27’s New York Jazz Explosion — but worry not, as surely an even bigger attraction has been booked into the Hammersmith Odeon on those same dates as solo replacement, Anita Baker! (original tickets will be refunded or exchanged at point of purchase) . . . Important Records are reissuing Fatback ‘I Found Lovin’, which seems logical, flipped by ‘Is This The Future?’, which seems good value . . . Willie Hutch ‘Easy Does It‘, an old Whitfield-released B-side, is the latest Northern Soul — sorry, London oldie to be touted as a biggie that all the DJs must have . . . Bluebird/10’s commercial copies of the Matthew David ‘Don’t Let Love Get You Down‘ cover version crazily don’t have its usefully promoed instrumental version as flip, negating any advantage left in the face of Archie Bell’s original: already the label has plans to rectify this . . . CBS have reissued on 12 inch The O’Jays ‘Love Train’/’I Love Music’/’Backstabbers’ (Portrait TA 7235) and The Isley Brothers ‘Harvest For The World’/’Summer Breeze’/’That Lady’ (Epic TA 7234), all easily available in other forms, like on Streetwave/StreetSounds, and in fact the outlet now starts its systematic plundering of the ‘CBS Club Classics’ LPs by coupling Wilbert Longmire ‘Black Is The Color’, MFSB ‘Mysteries Of The World’ (Streetwave Limited Edition SWAVE 8) . . . Motown have released as a mid-price double album the Kudu-recorded 1977 Grover Washington Jr ‘Live At The Bijou’ (WL72267(2)), containing ‘Sausalito‘, ‘Summer Song‘, ‘Mr Magic‘ . . . WEA have already rushed UK release of the Bob James/David Sanborn ‘Double Vision’ LP (Warner Bros 925 393-1) . . . Hanson & Davis’ review last week should have mentioned the label (US Fresh Records FRE-5EP) . . . Champion are rushing out Spyder-D’s Nu Shooz rap . . . Thomas + Taylor have a re-edit due with added harmonica . . . Haywoode ‘Roses’ (CBS TA 7224) has been reissued as a rockier, more choppily thunderthumbed aggressive 114¾bpm Bert Bevans remix (promoed to DJs as a 10 inch) . . . Lisson Records (catalogue number prefix DOLEQ) was named by Tilly Rutherford and his partner Pete Waterman after the dole office where he and other redundant PRT employees had to sign on, in London’s Lisson Grove — where there’s also the fashionable Seashell fish ‘n’ chips shop, in which naturally enough the label’s launch lunch was held this Tuesday! . . . Sandra Edwards is first artiste on the Pinnacle distributed new label Soul Town 45, a DJ mailing list being complied by Nik Miles on 01-802 7605 . . . Max LX and Dave VJ of Hardrock Soul Movement are after a rapping lady DJ to join them — send photo and tape, if possible, to (Roger’s sister) Nikki Tovell at Elite Records, 41 Eton Avenue, Wembley, Middlesex HA0 3AZ . . . I can’t tell at this stage how useful it might be here, but the Key West, Florida based monthly $20 subscription Harmonic Keys dance music programming service lists all the disco records applicable to its US market not only by beats per minute but also by musical key, breaking down all changes in tempo and modulation — full details from Stuart Soroka on 010-1-305-294-4491 . . . Alan Coulthard, nearing completion of his law studies, has resigned from Disco Mix Club and severed management connections with its co-founder Tony Prince due to “personal differences” — a shame . . . London’s much loved legendary club DJ from the Sixties (amongst other claims to fame he taught Lulu how to dance), Al Needles sadly died of a heart attack two weekends ago . . . Newcastle-upon-Tyne’s Walkers club was robbed of the bank holiday takings in a shotgun raid, no joke . . . Dardanella Braxton is Dhar’s real name, before the spelling got gimmicky . . . South Eastern Discotheque Association’s annual disco equipment exhibition SEDA 86 is this Sunday (8) afternoon at Gravesend’s Woodville Halls, opened by the Cool Notes . . . Graeme Park spins upfront dance hits Tues/Fri/Sat at Nottingham’s trendily named The Garage — yup, he plays “garage”, too! — as well as Wed at Leicester’s Fan club and this Thursday (5) at Derby’s Glint club in the Blue Note . . . Colin Curtis guests at Manchester Cloud Nine’s modern soul night this Friday (6), and Chris Hill souls Bristol Sanborn’s Sunday (8) . . . Peterborough’s Hereward Radio rather unexpectedly was the clearest station on MW when I spent a sybaritic night near Bala in North Wales at the Pale Hall hotel! . . . Timmy Regisford, following his Colonel Abrams remix, has “done a Sergio Munzibai” and become MCA Records’ New York A&R man . . . Steven Winwood’s next single will be a duet with Chaka Khan . . . Hit Numbers will return next issue, following Bank Holiday disruptions, with a bumper edition three weeks worth of beats per minute for all you pop pickers . . . Disco chart-returning DJs, if you aren’t mailing us your chart on Monday (to arrive by Wednesday), please do so if at all possible — we are of course grateful whenever it’s received, but somehow always just the same few DJs manage to send theirs late, making much more work . . . RELEASE THE TENSION!

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HOT VINYL

SKYY: ‘From The Left Side’ LP (US Capitol ST-12448)
Still sounding something like Michael Jackson backed by Brass Construction, the Randy Muller and Solomon Roberts Jr-produced group give out from the left side, the heart, their usual good grooves on the (0-)117bpm ‘Non-Stop’, 115½bpm ‘Love Attack‘, 114½bpm ‘Jealousitis‘, 101½bpm ‘Love Illogical‘, 113¾-0bpm ‘Big Fun‘, 112½bpm ‘Rock It‘, and of course 113bpm ‘Givin’ It (To You)‘, slowing down soulfully for the 0-51½/25¾bpm ‘Song Song’, 38bpm ‘Tell Her You Care’. If they did they’d come here and tour as planned.

ARCHIE BELL & THE DRELLS: ‘Don’t Let Love Get You Down’ (Portrait TA 7254)
In the vanguard of London’s current Northern Soul-like Seventies “rare soul” revival since first boosted last year, this much sought gently yet grittily weaving singalong 92¼-94¼bpm sleazy swayer is finally out on 12 inch for all to buy, flipped by the much more dated though possibly Tavares-compatible 127½-126½-125½-126½-125-127bpm ‘Soul City Walk‘ and (0-)117-119-117-116½-116bpm ‘Where Will You Go When The Party’s Over?‘.

PIECES OF A DREAM: ‘Say La La’ (US Manhattan V-56022)
Designed for partying under starry skies all night long (all night), the young jazzers’ languid 99bpm vocal jogger combines gently go go-ish beats, a summery lilt, simple “la la la” chorus and distinctive solos (in three mixes) Hot hot hot! Continue reading “June 7, 1986: Skyy, Archie Bell & The Drells, Pieces Of A Dream, Jimmy McGriff, Colors”

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”

ODDS ‘N’ BODS

JOHN MORALES is remixing Candi Staton ‘Young Hearts Run Free’, for re-release … Cashflow will have two separate 12 inch versions, due on white label now, ‘Mine All Mine (LP Version)‘/’Party Freak (Latin Rascal Edit)‘ plus a four-tracker with two different rather less Fatback-like Mark Berry remixes, his dub, and ‘Party Freak’ again … Chris Paul’s finished ‘Expansions 86‘ features a surprise guest vocalist, David Joseph! … Princess’s three-track remix is due Monday with Pete Waterman’s Funky Sisters Dub Mix as A-side, Cheese ‘n’ Chad’s techno-hop cut-ups as flip … City Beat picked up Crown Heights Affair for a Les Adams remix (with stronger intro) … Froggy is starting his own Master Disk label through Streetwave, releases to include a Decade Remix of Crystal Grass ‘Crystal World’, Kreamcycle ‘No News, Good News’, Dr Jeckyll & Mr Hyde ‘Fast Life’/’The Challenge’ – wot, no Intruders? … Portsmouth’s plucky little Domino Records label is reissuing Hamilton Bohannon ‘Let’s Start II Dance Again’ (DOM 3T, via Charly) … Kelly Marie’s love-hate Hi-NRG 1980 pop chart-topper ‘Feels Like I’m In Love’ has been remixed by Vince DeGiorgio for his Canadian Power label … Anita Baker ‘Rapture’ LP (Elektra 960 444-1) is now out here, as is the intelligent Bognor-aimed Kleeer ‘Kleeer Winners — The Best Of Kleeer‘ (Atlantic WX 42) … Choice Reunion’s review last week should read 86-0bpm … Guinn ‘Open Your Door’ is on 12 inch here May 12, just ahead of their album … Oliver Cheatham’s London-recorded new Champion LP will include a ‘Get Down Saturday Night Part 2′ … Chicago’s hot DJ International Records signed Loleatta Holloway … Kleeer, now they’ve actually been dropped by Atlantic, want to sign direct to a UK label for the world as they appreciate that (like so many US black acts) their profile is higher in Europe than at home … Adrian Allen, previously the Sex Dwarf at South Shields’ Chelsea Cat but now Teeside’s Soul Brother Numero Uno, starts his own weekly 7-10bpm black music show from next Wednesday (30) on Radio Tees – well done! … Pete Tong has created a stir featuring Dusty Springfield’s soulful old ‘Just A Little Lovin’‘ on his Sunday evening Invicta Radio show … Bognor’s oldies (especially Marvin Gaye) obviously had most impact but, although no “chart” as such was compiled, it seems tough newies included Aurra, George Clinton, Serious Intention, J M Silk, Steve ‘Silk’ Hurley, Fingers Inc, Private Possession, Dhar Braxton, Nu Shooz, Russ Brown, Mantronix ‘Ladies’, Joeski Love, Cut Master DC, Macattack, Joyce Sims, Aleem, Modern-nique, Alexander O’Neal ‘What’s Missing’, Janet Jackson ‘When I Think Of You’, Cashflow ‘Mine All Mine’, Thomas & Taylor, Michael Jeffries, Chris Paul (off acetate) … Atlantic Starr’s Bognor biggie was in fact their old ‘Silver Shadow‘ … Chris Hill feared it was an ill omen when the record he’d planned as the finale anthem, the Supremes & Four Tops ‘Reach Out And Touch (Somebody’s Hand)‘ (rather than Diana Ross’s), snapped in two as he took it off the turntable on the very first night, but luckily Colin Hudd had a copy as well so Sunday’s finale featured that, then Vera Lynn ‘We’ll Meet Again’ and Detroit Spinners ‘I’ll Be Around’ – all the DJs, having held hands, then sloping off stage only to reappear (running around behind scenes) from the other side over and over again! … Colin Curtis, soldiering on despite being taken ill just before one of his sets, reckons the North will be even better represented at October’s Bognor now that word’s got back … “Bugger Bognor”, the famous last words of George V (the king who put the Regis into Bognor by his patronage of the place), could make a suitable slogan for Showstopper Promotions T-shirts after their latest mafia-lacking Caister! … Saturday (26) Nicky Holloway has another Do At The Zoo (Regents Park) with Martin ‘Caister’ Collins, Pete Tong, Chris Brown, Gilles Peterson, Chris Bangs … Andrew Holmes funks Manchester’s International Club (Anson/Dickenson Roads) next Wednesday (30), then weekly from May 21 … Thursday (1) the Cool Notes play live with Take Five and guest PAs plus Simon Goffe at the Woolwich Coronet … Belfast’s new Soul In The City moveable venue club holds once monthly soul-funk-jazz nights for around 100 fans so far, contact Steven Brodie at 3 Rochester Drive, Cregagh, for news of the next one … Peter C Helyer wants more presenters to join him on Cardiff’s in-store Radio Top Shop – send tapes and details to him at 8 Petrel Close, Lavernock Park, Penarth CF6 2U (the only pay is from selling commercial airtime for the station) … Hardcore Groove Masters, a five strong Mastermind-style mixing/classic funk DJ team just back from a winter in Holland’s clubs, wants North London gigs (Ilford-Acton) on 01-597 6572 (ask for Robin) … UK mixing runner-up Jon Davis’s fame has become such that at a Cornish wedding the best man asked for a demonstration as all the guests had read about him, and even the grannies got bopping to his scratched up ‘Set It Off! … Mildred Scott, glamorous young looking veteran since 1967 of The Glories, Quiet Elegance and Cut Glass, is called Mildred at home but happily answers to Millie too! … Q-Pid Featuring Nikki Q was actually cut a year ago … May Bank Holiday deadlines loom, and although it never makes much difference when we ask DJs this, PLEASE post your chart returns NOW to arrive by Tuesday! … RELEASE THE TENSION!

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HOT VINYL

The S.O.S. BAND ‘Sands Of Time’ LP (Tabu TBU 26863)
Not actually out here until May 6, but already white labelled and about on import, this is so predictable it’s almost a self-parody of Jam & Lewis’s past productions! You’ll know exactly what to expect of the 101¼-0bpm ‘Borrowed Love‘ (‘Change Of Heart’ for instance), 98½bpm ‘Even When You Sleep‘, 86⅔-0bpm title track, 104⅓bpm ‘Nothing But The Best‘, (0-)110¼bpm ‘The Finest‘, 105½bpm Two Time Lover‘, 0-87⅔-0bpm ‘Do You Still Want To?‘ Even the Princely pumping 123½bpm ‘No Lies‘ is good, though. You know what you like, you like what you know.

MODERN-NIQUE featuring Larry Woo ‘Love’s Gonna Get You (Watch Out Baby For Love)’ (10 Re-cords TEN T 123)
Steve Arrington’s rhythm bubbles through an excellent very current sounding soul vocal for a madly infectious here 116¾bpm romp (in four mixes) that’s hot on import and sure to smash. Why do so many DJ’s spell ’em as Monique?

DHAR BRAXTON ‘Jump Back (Set Me Free)’ (US Sleeping Bag Records SLX-00019)
Snapped up already by 4th + B’way here, this is like a female Russ Brown but breezier and brighter, a more soulful Lisa Lisa/Rochelle/Shannon, jammed through an emulator and bounced all over a leaping light 115¼bpm electro beat with bounding bass (in five versions). Brill! Continue reading “April 26, 1986: The S.O.S. Band, Modern-nique featuring Larry Woo, Dhar Braxton, Marvin Gaye, TKA”

ODDS ‘N’ BODS

CHAD JACKSON did his scratch mix stretched across four decks, and demonstrated the technique on last Thursday’s ‘Blue Peter’! … Morgan Khan could find the timing of his Mike Allen Roadshow alldayer at Wembley Arena in July clashes with the New Music Seminar in New York, where all the biggest hip hop acts are already booked for club appearances … Geno Washington stood in at Bognor for Georgie Fame, who irritatingly cancelled all UK gigs to go to Finland … Tavares, Real Thing: now wouldn’t Tony Etoria’s 1977 hit ‘I Can Prove It‘ (GTO) make a good remix? … Chrysalis picked up Thomas & Taylor (from all the transatlantic calls he makes, Lamar Thomas’s ‘phone bill should soon be as big as Mike Carr’s!), 4th + B’way took Private Possession, and Streetwave have 12:41 … Alan Coulthard’s previously promoed Megamix is now Haywoode’s 12in flip … Janet Jackson’s follow-up Stateside is ‘Nasty’, although even there jocks are wondering why it isn’t ‘When I Think Of You’ … The SOS Band’s imminent album sounds so exactly as you’d expect of another set from Jam & Lewis it’s virtually a self parody, but good, if that’s your thing … 48-year-old Kelly Isley, known in earlier days as O’Kelly, of the original enduring Isley Brothers trio sadly died from a heart attack on Easter Monday … just a little bit softer now … Whitney Houston’s ‘Greatest Love Of All’ video was shot at Harlem’s Apollo Theater, where I saw her cousin Dionne Warwick on the same bill as the Isley Brothers (presumably with Jimi Hendrix on guitar) way back in 1964 – which was when, while working in New York, I met Sam Cooke in Sammy Davis Jr’s dressing room at the Copacabana, then had a long chat with him sitting together at a Jamaica Ska dance demonstration in Greenwich Village, and on a third even more memorable encounter drove back to his Warwick Hotel suite together with New Orleans R&B pioneer Lloyd Price, whose Slide Hampton-fronted big band we’d been to see at yet another club (in common with many here, I’d in fact first seen Sam in October 1962 at the Woolwich Granada on tour with Little Richard — whose New York hotel suite I could tell you some stories about, too!) … Sam Cooke, not to seem too banal, was a very nice guy. He was so greatly loved, from his incredibly influential time as lead singer of the Soul Stirrers gospel group onwards, that his violent death shook black America as much as that of President Kennedy, everyone in the soul music business going around with tears in their eyes … ‘Motown Remembers Marvin Gaye‘, due here soon, is a great LP of unreleased tracks largely from the Sixties, stuff that then would have sounded too much like other issued material to make sense but now reeks of nostalgia even though everything is actually unknown – 6T’s dancers will flip to the familiar resonances of such as ‘That’s The Way It Goes‘, while ‘Baby I’m Glad That Things Worked Out So Well‘ could be another ‘Frankie’ … Chris Hill, who’s only a year younger than me, joins Colin Hudd hosting Dartford Flicks’ first ever Sixties Night this Saturday (19) … David Rodigan, Tim Westwood & Chris Forbes head a mighty clash Sunday (20) 2pm at Chippenham Goldiggers, where young Barrie Thyer mixes Thur/Fri/Sat … CBS’s Julian Palmer joins Jonathon More at Mayfair Legends’ Sunday Wax club (20) … Manchester mafiosi Mike Shaft & Colin Curtis funk Wigan Pier every Tuesday … Simon Goffe, not content with packing Thursdays at Leicester Square’s Secret Rendezvous in The Store (this week’s guest Lyndon T), souls Sundays at South Norwood’s plush Limelight … Essex has a new Sunday pirate on 103.8FM cheekily called JFM South … KISS-fm, who’ve sneakily snuck in between Radio London and Capital on 95.4FM, have a 2pm alldayer Sunday week (27) at Kentish Town’s Town And Country Club staring all the top London jocks you can imagine (“North London posse!”) … Phil Fearon, famed for recording at his Kensal Rise family home’s own studio, now finds his brothers Lenny and Paul have started their own 20/20 label in the kitchen! … Ralph Tee and Damon Rochefort are mulling over future plans, one very real possibility however being their own record company financed by an Arab club owner, with almost inevitably some freelance disco promotion work as a more immediate stop-gap … StreetSounds revamp their Hi-NRG LP series with an Ian Levine-compiled ‘Eurobeat‘ set, and soon start three new series of go go, P’funk, and smoochers … Streetwave’s next DJ Limited Edition 12-inchers will be Donald Byrd ‘Dominoes (Live)’, Wilbert Longmire ‘Black Is The Color’/ MFSB ‘Mysteries Of The World’, Dexter Wansel ‘Life On Mars’/Willie Bobo ‘Always There’ but no mention of ‘Expansions’ … Cliff Richard’s revival should have been of ‘Goodbye Sam, Hello Samantha’, considering the amazing coincidence that the top three of a fortnight ago made! … Prince ‘Kiss’ topped US Club Play, 12in Sales and Black 45s in Billboard … Milwaukee urban radio station WLUM admits to speeding records up by three per cent, which makes everything sound brighter, and rival stations duller! … Budd Arthur, PR Counsel to the American Federation of Musicians, corrects the impression that all US radio stations before transferring a record to cartridge tape have first to hire an AFM union member to put the stylus on the record —”record turners”, as they’re called, used indeed to be widespread but now only a couple of Chicago stations are left employing such old timers (the last survivors of an arrangement that gave employment to musicians displaced by all-record programming, cumbersome but surely more satisfactory for listeners than our own “needletime” arrangement?) … RELEASE THE TENSION!

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LIVE WIRE’s first Trading Places Soul Weekender at Bognor Butlins completely succeeded in adding new life and blood to the weekender concept, justifying promoter Adrian Webb’s gamble in leaving his old Showstoppers partners and taking the original Caister DJ team with him. All 5,000 sweat-soaked groovers, many from outside the South-East, were ‘in the place to be’ last weekend! Despite a few hitches with accommodation, the holiday camp’s facilities were far superior, Butlin’s staff having an almost American attitude in their desire to serve (this was the first such event ever allowed here). Huge venues housed the main Superbowl, Warehouse and Jazz Village rooms, with a proper theatre for US attraction Kleeer’s three hot concerts. Kleeer in fact were amazed by it all, and couldn’t envisage anything similar being staged in America. Dexter Wansel was also about, amongst PAs, while lunchtime acts the Team Ten Band jammed jazz and Sixties veteran Geno Washington discovered the “whoa whoa” chant! Jocks were old lags Chris Hill, Robbie ‘Speedy’ Vincent, Pete Tong, Chris Brown, Colin Hudd, Froggy, Bob Jones, Sean French (once a real Red Coat there!), plus young bloods Nicky Holloway, Gilles Peterson, Trevor Fung, Jay Strongman, Kev Hill, Ian Reading, with Colin Curtis and Jonathan made specially welcome South Of Watford. Musically, things were changed. Instead of jazz and Seventies, the extremes had become electro and Sixties, soul purism having a struggle. The ‘Garage’ groove of Serious Intention and J.M. Silk met Mantronix and Nu Shooz, Aurra was biggest newie, but Marvin Gaye and James Brown led the oldies that really signified. Camp radio WBBC plugged Thomas & Taylor. Fred Dove’s WEA record stall did a staggering £2,000 of business, but the most incredible statistic was that, not including other canned beer, 228,480 pints of lager were consumed or slopped all over the sodden floor — that’s 46 pints per person (and I for one had none)! Bognor, The Sequel, is already set for October 24-26, although as Chris Hill said during the Supremes & Four Tops ‘Reach Out And Touch (Somebody’s Hand)‘ finale, ‘This is the one the others’ll have to live up to’. He was referring also, of course, to this coming weekend’s new-look Caister, which as a comparison could be even more interesting (unfortunately family commitments are keeping me from it).

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HOT VINYL

THE CONTROLLERS ‘Stay’ (MCA Records MCAT 1052)
Hanging on Loose Ends’ ‘String’ rhythm, the gently soulful fellas weave a sinuous 97¾bpm swayer that’s here flipped by its radio edit and their older more falsetto friskily wriggling 113⅔bpm ‘Undercover Lover‘.

PATTI LaBELLE and MICHAEL McDONALD ‘On My Own’ (MCA Records MCAT 1045)
Straining at the leash to race up the charts and do a Whitney, this exquisite lushly swaying 92¼bpm duet must surely be another ‘Saving All My Love For You’. There’s hardly a DJ that doesn’t predict it’ll be number one.

WILLIAM BELL ‘Headline News’ (Absolute Records 12LUTE 1, via Pinnacle)
Many also anticipate great things from this soul veteran’s return, without perhaps noticing that – especially in the newly extended 95bpm 12in remix – it’s largely a gently swaying girls cooed title line looking for not that much of an eventual song, admittedly amidst the most relaxed soulful atmosphere imaginable. We all love it, but unfortunately soulful atmosphere alone is not that widely appreciated. Continue reading “April 19, 1986: Trading Places Soul Weekender report, The Controllers, Patti LaBelle & Michael McDonald, William Bell, Heaven 17 featuring Jimmy Ruffin”

ODDS ‘N’ BODS

‘SOLID SOUL’, the newly independent successor to ‘Soul Train’, hits Channel 4 this Friday at 6.30pm (only half an hour long now) with singer Julie Roberts and club jock Chris Forbes as presenters, Serious Intention, Millie Scott and Joyce Sims being likely amongst the guests … I’m sorry to see after just 19 issues the abrupt demise of dance music mag The Street Scene, which had some enthusiastic writers on its staff … Pinnacle’s dance music manager Mark Arthurworrey has remixed with added sax and percussion an extended 95bpm 12in of William Bell ‘Headline News’, out fully on Absolute Records next week although white labelled now … Viola Wills’ 97bpm Diva Mix turns out to be instrumental with Mary Jane Girls-type bass … Patti LaBelle & Michael McDonald’s smash-bound smoochy ‘On My Own’ will be out here within a fortnight … Nu Shooz topped US Club Play in Billboard and is likewise scheduled here … ’48 HRS’ being shown on TV was a massive plug for the featured Busboys — always described as playing rock they turned out to be black rock ‘n’ rollers (a big difference), reminiscent of the Rivingtons to these ears, their ‘The Boys Are Back In Town‘ possibly being worth belated issue by Arista here … George Clinton, doubtless encouraged by response to the animated element of his ‘Atomic Dog’ video, has been collaborating with Thomas Dolby on the music for a George Lucas-produced cartoon called ‘Howard The Duck’ … Kashif’s discovery Johnny Kemp turns out to be from the Bahamas, which may make his “London” sound less surprising … Joyce Sims is due here for PAs, hopefully taking in this week’s big Bognor bash … System X should keep their subscribers better informed if they really want to rival the Disco Mix Club … I can appreciate while listening to the cassette of the six best Technics World DJ Mixing finalists why DJ Cheese’s winning mix may seem like a swizz to those who didn’t see him do it live, as its visual and physical intricacy is not conveyed by the resulting sound alone (that boy was busy!): remember that stage presence and audience response were just as important as the mixers’ ability and imagination to the judges’ final score, so things which now sound slick on tape were not necessarily that exciting live … 1984’s winning mix by Sanny X was likewise far more excitingly dynamic live than on tape … South Harrow one man band Chris Paul, whose ‘Expansions 86‘ should soon be white labelled, wants to be another Jeff Lorber rather than Paul Hardcastle! … RELEASE THE TENSION!

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HOT VINYL

GEORGE CLINTON ‘Do Fries Go With That Shake’ (Capitol 12CL 402)
Shaping up as another ‘Let It All Blow’ or even ‘Rockit’, this marathon mesmeric 112⅔bpm funk groove has bursts of chant and blistering Tom Browne-type trumpet, its piledriving dancefloor punch not stopping enthusiastic radio play either. A biggie!

JAKI GRAHAM ‘Set Me Free’ (EMI 12JAKI 7)
Roaring and storming, her exuberant 0-104bpm jittery lurcher is like a denser Skipworth & Turner as it pushes and stomps along, only the repetitively rolling song structure maybe being short of inspiration.

THE FORCE MD’S ‘Tender Love’ (Tommy Boy/Island 12ISX 269)
WEA belatedly barred ‘Force MD’s Meet The Fat Boys‘ from being a limited edition flip to this Richie-esque dead slow 0-35-0bpm radio ballad (prod/penned by Jam & Lewis), ever so tender and here in two lengths with the ‘Groovin’’-like 106bpm ‘Chillin’‘ as couplin’ instead. Continue reading “April 12, 1986: George Clinton, Jaki Graham, The Force MD’s, Joyce Sims, Tease”

ODDS ‘N’ BODS

‘WONDERFUL WORLD’ had even more TV exposure when, during the Oscars, it was heard on the sound-track of ‘Witness’ — although Sam Cooke rightly has the hit, in fact the Levi’s jeans version is a remake by Tony Jackson of Paul Young’s backing singers … The Controllers’ Stay’ is due here now flipped by their older ‘Undercover Lover’… Joyce Sims has been on 109⅓bpm UK white label but a new Mantronik remix will be added to the full release next week. .. Total Contrast’s LP track ‘What You Gonna Do About It’ has been remixed by Timmy Regisford as their late April follow-up … Princess is being remixed by International DJ Mixers Cheese, Chad ‘n’ Orlando, plus producer Pete Waterman, all four new versions being intended for the same four-track 12 inch… TC Curtis’s fluidly cantering 117¼bpm ‘Let’s Make Love‘, widely promoed, is out on April 14 … Gwen McCrae’s original ‘Funky Sensation’ is due with others on a ‘Dance I.D.‘ compilation LP from WEA … WEA also picked up Cargo ‘Don’t Stop Your Love‘ (YZ66T), which deal hopefully made enough to cover Mike Carr’s ‘phone bill! … West London’s JBC 104.75FM stays on air through the week, other pirates who’ve reverted to traditional weekend only operation including (when last heard) Fame 94.4FM, KISS 93.95FM, LWR 92.1FM, and the poppier Starpoint 88.55FM … Russ Brown’s day job is crimping at his own Soul Scissors hair salon in New York, but the 24 year old singer/keyboardist has gospel roots (showing through the dye?) … New York City’s legendary Paradise Garage has to close later this year when its lease expires – with the best sound system in the world plus DJ Larry Levan, the club immediately became the British contingent’s awe inspiring favourite during a Disco Forum visit in early 1979, since which nothing’s really beaten it … Doug E Fresh & The Get Fresh Crew ‘The Show’ is the latest of only six singles ever to win a gold disc for officially certified US sales of over 500,000 copies on 12 inch, others being Barbra Streisand & Donna Summer ‘No More Tears (Enough Is Enough)’, Kurtis Blow ‘The Breaks’, Frankie Smith ‘Double Dutch Bus’, Afrika Bambaataa & Soul Sonic Force ‘Planet Rock’, Madonna ‘Angel’/’Into The Groove’ – the Recording Industry Association of America’s certification may not however be all embracing as not every label belongs, or seeks certification … King Kut DJ Cheese cuts up Lowestoft Ziggies Thursday (3), then the next night the differently spelt Ziggys (as Streatham’s revamped Chaplins is now known) for Paul Oakenfold & Trevor Fung’s first Friday Project Club night … Nicky Holloway has totally converted London Bridge Tooley Street’s Royal Oak with painted artwork canvas banners which cover the original decor so it no longer looks like a pub on his Special Branch Fridays … Jeff Young joins Danny Smith souling Gt. Yarmouth’s Aquarius Friday (4), when Paul Wright, Pete Haigh, Steve Barker & Dave Hamer funk Blackpool’s Dixieland … Deptford Albany Empire’s Friday over-21s Spirals stars Steve Walsh (4), CJ Carlos (11), with resident Simon Goffe — Steve’s Soul Set night will in fact return to The Hippodrome on May 14 … David Brook funks Fridays at Middlesbrough’s Norma Jean bar below the bus station … Seventh Avenue PA at Wolverhampton’s Silver Web Saturday (5), and Kabbala PA with Jonathon More and guest Robert Elms at Mayfair Legends’ new Sunday Wax club (6) … Chris ‘Connie’ Crooks (0332-384658) is after more Eurobeat/Hi-NRG gigs around Derby … Essex jock Mike Morgan is the new manager of Braintree’s Lion Records shop, offering discounts to bona fide DJs even on import orders … Hammersmith Spin Offs record/equipment shop owner Greg James reveals all his mail order customers from Finland order nothing but electro, and tons of it! … rm’s long established Disco chart is compiled with scrupulous honesty from reported floor-filling plays by, and some sales to, “black music” DJs (biased towards plays with sales boosting mainly the rising newies), which means that unlike some others we resist the easy temptation to chart records competitively just because they are new, even if the truthful result may at tunes seem boringly static —and yet we’re still accused by pop DJs of being ‘upfront”! … Eurobeat, which seems to create more controversy in some quarters than our effort is worth, is merely compiled from whatever DJ gay charts we happen to receive, so don’t blame us! … GET LOOSE – RELEASE THE TENSION!

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FRESH BEAT DJ Tim Westwood introduces a daily different hot newie (soul Mon-Thur/hip hop Fri-Sun) on London’s new round the clock telephone service, Dial-A-Beat (00-771 1188 — yes, that’s 00). It’s only another ploy for British Telecom to make yet more money out of unsuspecting diallers, and although a shareholder I feel bound to warn you that each two minute call will cost you 86p (46p cheap rate). Instead of two calls you could buy a seven inch, which’ll last a lifetime. Think about it.

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HOT VINYL

ALEXANDER O’NEAL ‘What’s Missing (Extended Remix)’ (Tabu QTA 6244)
CBS have only gone and done it again! Against all expectations, although a short version of the attractive shuffling (0-)99⅔bpm ‘A Broken Heart Can Mend‘ is indeed nominal lead track, the four-track 12 inch is dominated by the (0-)111bpm US remix and instrumental of his hottest dance hit, potentially another ‘Saturday Love’ if ever A-sided properly but as was its LP version here just thrown away as an added attraction for converted fans. The soulfully smooth yet snappy 115⅓-0bpm ‘Are You The One‘ reappears too.

PROJECTION ‘Turn Your Love (Right Around)’ (Elite DAZZ 48) has been remixed by Max LX and Dave VJ of Hardrock with busier 0-108¾bpm electro beats which lose many of the original‘s recognisable influences, although the ‘Twilight’ blip blip remains, so that singer Doreen’s cool “London” vocal is even more to the fore — however, the flip’s 109bpm Chris Madden Allstars Remix cuts it up (and things in) much more amusingly to triple def fresh effect.

LOUIE OXLEY ‘Go-Go Gadget’ (Cooltempo COOLX 121)
With bursts of introductory applause, here at last is the insanely jaunty (0-)99⅔bpm jiggly jumping go go instrumental by Tyrone Brunson’s ‘Smurf’ keyboardist (with goofy interjections and chorusing girls) that was originally in circulation here on cassette a year ago. Bang on the groove today, it’ll wriggle you out of your skin! Continue reading “April 5, 1986: Alexander O’Neal, Projection, Louie Oxley, Aleem featuring Leroy Burgess, Anita Baker”