ODDS ‘N’ BODS
PAUL HARDCASTLE has now anonymously produced a cricket pisstaking ‘N-N-Nineteen Not Out‘ by The Commentators (featuring Rory Bremner of Spitting Image) for rush release on WEA, while the Bluebird/10 label has been legally prevented from reissuing ‘Rain Forest’, but not before some copies snuck out to become instant collectors items (especially the 33 1/3 rpm 3-track 7in of ‘Rain Forest’/Remix/’Forest Fire’!) . . . The Team, whose pop progress was delayed by pressing problems, have an even better percussive remix by the Blood Succulas due now, Chris Cameron has a slicker Club Remix next week, Mark Fisher has indeed been remixed, Les Adams has remixed Cacique for rush release, while on US 12in are slight remixes of Steve Arrington ‘Dancin’ In The Key Of Life’ and Melba Moore ‘When You Love Me Like This’ — it’s now reaching the stage where record companies are lucky to sell any singles at all, with everyone hanging on to their money while they wait to see which of the inevitable remixes will be the definitive one to buy . . . I hear that Duran Duran’s sales have suffered badly because some punters refuse to believe ‘A View To A Kill’ won’t be on 12in let alone remixed! . . . Maze ‘Twilight‘ will be teamed on 12in here with remixes of ‘Too Many Games’ and ‘Back In Stride’ — the latter incidentally did most of its US Black chart-topping business down in the Southern States . . . Billboard’s Hot Black singles currently include such as Wham!, Phil Collins, Howard Jones, Sting, Don Henley, thanks to US urban contemporary radio playlisting them, while Cheyne ‘Call Me Mr Telephone‘ topped Club Play there — I’m surprised it isn’t bigger in pop clubs here, actually . . . Whitney Houston’s eponymous LP is now out here (Arista 206978) as is the Rodney Franklin ‘Skydance’ LP (CBS 26399), with its Richie-esque carnival ‘Fiesta‘ 121bpm — and the Marvin Gaye LP here is a teensy fraction faster too . . . Stevie Wonder’s new album ‘In Square Circle’ would appear to be a good’un — trouble is, Motown are still waiting for him to approve the art work! . . . London’s soul radio has brought out a brand new generation of kids for whom black music seems exciting and what’s happening, just what it needed, for the first time since the “soul boy” scene went stagnant, yet the old guard of club DJs (who no longer control it) are grousing that the music now is shallow and their tried and trusted (ie: boring as hell) oldies don’t work any more — in other words, it’s a brand new day so let a man come in and do the funky popcorn, the new generation have their own groove and their own favourite 105bpm oldies (yet Kent’s “godfather” promoter still boasts that his jocks get a crowd going with ‘Contact’, none of that modern muck!) . . . Fatback dropped the Band from their name to indicate their broader more modern direction, with good reason as indeed most of their mid-’70s oldies were totally alien to today’s ‘Is This The Future?’ generation at Hammersmith Odeon last weekend, where only ‘Spanish Hustle’ caused a stir (although ‘Bus Stop’ was used for some sexy audience participation dancing), the audience on their own sounding more capable singing the roof-raising ‘I Found Lovin’ than the uncharesmatic John DeBerry, while Linda Blakely really shook ass on ‘Play With Me Tonight’! . . . Steve Walsh preceded them with a disjointed series of mimed PAs by Mistaken Identity (with a chick like a less buxom Chaka), whose ‘The Answer‘ still deserves more support, Intrigue, who need a choreographer bad, Mark Fisher & Dotty Green, chucking out T-shirts, The Team, whose T-shirt chucking caused pandemonium, and Five Star, perfectly synchronised but almost totally in the dark — I don’t find this technological age of lighting rigs, which so often leave the stage in semi-gloom, an advance over the old days when there were footlights where now there are foldback speakers . . . ‘6.20 Soul Train’ if it is to continue having any credibility really must as a matter of priority hire an adviser who actually knows what’s going down on the street: that said, this Friday’s has The Team, David Grant, JoAnna Gardner, Al Green, McFadden & Whitehead . . . David Grant’s latest video was shot in 10 hours, edited in 12, and shown on TV within four days of the camera crew actually turning up, all for £17,000 (which is enough) whereas Go West spent £120,000 on their video and are lucky if TV shows more than 20 seconds — aren’t the economics of modern pop bonkers? . . . David Grant, Phil Fearon and lots more late night revellers (whose anonymity is guaranteed) celebrated Chris & Carol Hill’s wedding last Wednesday, much of it videoed by producer Tony Eyers — including Carol falling off her horse in an expensive ‘Dynasty’-style cream satin suit, now with green trim (sidesaddle, satin, bareback, bump!) . . . “Phil Who?”, asked Chris’s mum, on being introduced to the star whose music her son publishes — yeah, and even now after 16 years my own mother can’t remember the name of Record Mirror! . . . Island boss Chris Blackwell admits about the low budget $1 million ‘Good To Go’ go go movie, due to open in August Stateside, “There’s simply not enough strong material to break the music ahead of the film” — this and much more was interestingly reported by The Washington Post of May 20 (it’s useful having a godmother in DC!) . . . Berry Gordy’s ‘The Last Dragon’, opening here in a month, is terrific fun which after a few first embarrassed titters will have you in gales of guffaws as you suddenly realize it’s an hilarious comedy on purpose, concerning a naive black kung fu master (Taimak) called ‘Bruce’ Leroy (geddit? — there’s even a “Hey Leroy!” joke), a gorgeous video jock (Vanity), a massive Black Shogun Of Harlem (Julius J. Carry III, likely to eclipse Mr T.), a send-up of Cyndi Lauper, some cute kids, comic villains, martial arts, and many good cross-cultural jokes about the black hero acting like he’s Chinese while a Chinese rap trio jive talk like they’re black: in fact there’s so much to enjoy on many often subtle levels (how’s Sum Dum Goy for a Chinese name?), it’s a shame the music isn’t any better — to my mind the best track, by the Chinese rappers, doesn’t even make it onto the soundtrack LP . . . ‘Fast Forward’, the Sidney Poitier-directed dance movie, has shown up here on RCA Columbia video cassette rather than in cinemas . . . Steve Davis, consoling himself after his snooker defeat, is back practising his disco mixing! . . . Essex Radio’s new expanded soul policy seems to have spurred South-East Essex’s so far only intermittent soul pirate ACR 103.3FM into broadcasting around the clock Fri-Sun every weekend now . . . Solar FM and LWR quickly recovered from transmitter raids last week, Horizon were still silent when last heard . . . Jasper souls the early hours 1.30-3am Mon-Thurs on Skyline Radio 90.2FM, his gigs being Egham 21’s Fri/Barnet Broadway Sat/Mill Hill Bradways Sun . . . Pete Tong may find The Dude is a gunslinger . . . Greg Edwards evidently appears on Divine’s new single, while Capital’s Sunday 5am gospel jock Al Matthews has had to shave his head for a film he’s in! . . . Adrian Dunbar (Bournemouth Bolts, with Kelly Marie this Sunday) apologises to Tricky Dicky that his gay club isn’t playing much soul: “perhaps he meant the smaller venues where you have to play pop hits to get them on the floor?” (like it, like it!) . . . Friday (14) Colin Hudd reviews 1978 at Dartford Flicks, and Dave Rawlings looks for Basingstoke’s worst dancer at Martines (where — no connection! — Sean French joins him next Wednesday) . . . Paul Morrissey joins Paul Lewis (the Pauls that refresh?) funking Swindon Brunel Rooms Amphitheatre Saturday (15), when Five Star hit Harlow Whispers . . . Kev Edwards wheels Take Three around Merseyside to Birkenhead Promises and The Sandpipers Sun (16), Warrington Carlton and BBC Radio Merseyside Mon (17) . . . Disco Mix Club’s hit mixer Sanny X now has a guest spot at London’s Hippodrome every Tues/Fri . . . Edinburgh jock Cramond Perry, still alternating Saturdays at Mistys On The Mound and Reflections (every Sunday there too), does Thurs and funky Fri at the brand new plush Madison by the Playhouse theatre . . . Paul Anthony, still at Cuddles near Solihull Wed, joins Mark Page at Shrewsbury Park Lane Mon/Thur/Fri/Sat . . . Big Phil Etgart adds Fri as well as heaving Sun at Wembley Stallones (pub hours) . . . Big ‘H’ jazzes Staines Jacksons Tues, Ascot Belvedere Fri, Teddington Le Moulin Sat (& Sun lunchtime), and does Woburn Grange Foxy’s ladies night Thurs . . . Eon Irving, obviously blind tired before, corrects he’s Mon/Fri at Chelsea Mainsqueeze where it’s ‘Rain Forest’ that ‘Forbidden Fruit’ mixes with . . . Andy ‘Bomber’ Boules (who must be a petonk player!) has joined Halstead’s Mirror Image Roadshow, ex-Faze One . . . Michael Buzzi, polishing up his English, tries his best to play funky alternatives to the usual Europop at Mettmenstetten’s Disco Club Tiffany in Switzerland, which could be useful for holidaymakers (if they know where it is!) . . . Kenny Copeland’s disco plays seem to depend on the weather each weekend . . . Pete Haigh (0253-824156) is now after J.R. Funk & The Love Machine ‘Feel Good Party Time‘ (US Brass 12in), the James Brown clone I reviewed Sept 6, 1980 (that particular page of Record Minor was blown up big for the BADEM show and now graces my bathroom wall!) . . . DJs who could honestly use Virgin’s segued ‘Massive 1’ reggae hits album at their venues should contact Hot Licks on 01-486 8794 . . . DJs in places outside mainland Britain (Ireland, Channel Islands, Europe and anywhere that UK release schedules don’t apply) must realize that record companies are unable to include you in their tightly budgeted mailouts, which are designed to expose their product in areas well served by chart return shops . . . Gary Hickson, pulling 2,500 at weekends to Blackburn’s Peppermint Place Pepps 2, complains he knows many mobile and Top 30 resident DJs who received promos every week but won’t be playing them until jocks like himself have helped to chart them by buying often two copies to break them in a mix . . . I wish record companies could bike their stuff to my home address, as I never get mail on a Saturday and rarely on Monday for some reason, especially now I’ve started a disco column in Music Week (as a supplement to that well known spelling mistake Barry Lazell!) . . . North West Ten turns out to be Phil Who’s brother Lenny Fearon with two chums, their 119½bpm ‘I Choose You‘/120¾bpm ‘You’ve Got All Night‘ double-sider being due July 1 . . . Ian Levine’s production is really Dr Buzzard for Barbara Pennington’s follow-up, an M&M remix however ruining Miquel Brown’s ‘Close To Perfection’ which hopefully can be altered before reaching vinyl . . . MCA in the States have chickened out over its lyrics being too suggestive for radio and have stopped promoting One Way ‘Let’s Talk’ — pooh! . . . LET’S TALK ABOUT SEX!
HOT VINYL
LUTHER VANDROSS: ‘It’s Over Now’ (US Epic 49-05228)
Always his album’s most danceable track, this soulfully teased lurching smacker has been much freak-ified with fancy effects and “get out” growls for a drastic and powerful 110(intro)-113(start)-114-114½-114¼-113¾(break)-114¼-0bpm Dance Remix (straighforward inst flip), not as blatant as a Chaka Khan but exciting enough to smash.
9.9: ‘All Of Me For All Of You’ (US RCA Victor PW-14083)
Richard Dimples Fields-produced good looking girlie trio wailing an excellent simple brightly bonking 115¼-115¾-116¼bpm disco wriggler, with a far harder Dub Version and the traditionally bluesy 92bpm ‘Little Bitty Woman‘ as flip, exploding right out of the box!
SKIPWORTH & TURNER: ‘Thinking About Your Love (A Lady Sings The Blues) — Remix #2’ (Fourth & Broadway 12BRWX 23)
Now extremely different, this Jocelyn Brown-ish 106½bpm remix finds Helena Springs wailing and gurgling after the long intro and then counterpointing the guys in a remix what is a remix (original as flip), even if it is only likely to get many of the same people buying it yet again. Does that make it a hit? Continue reading “June 15, 1985: Luther Vandross, 9.9, Skipworth & Turner, Kleeer, Atlantic Starr”
James Hamilton's Disco Page 