HEATWAVE: ‘The Groove Line’ (GTO GT 115)
Terrific powerhouse follow-on to ‘Boogie Nights’, with a ridiculously catchy “whoop-whoop” hook that’s an immediate audience-grabbing gimmick for singalongs!
T-CONNECTION: ‘On Fire’ (TK TKR 6006) (BNDA debut 11/5/77)
Already a hit on import alone, the frantic fast flier’s dynamite rhythm (very different from before) is really exciting, especially on the full 7:22 commercial 12-inch.
Amanda Lear’s ‘Blood And Honey’ (Ariola) has been a massive Euro-hit, following on perfectly from Baccara, and is doing well in the Disco Chart. Evidently though it isn’t selling here or why else would Ariola ally themselves with a Doncaster-based promotion company to try to persuade disco DJ’s to change that situation.
Now it’s not as if this page didn’t review – indeed, predict success for – the record even before it came out here, but . . . for the past two weeks we have been inundated with potted reviews from disco DJ’s, all telling us what the bloody thing sounds like! Great, fab, but what’s the point?
Evidently BADJA, the promotion company, masquerades as a free association for DJ’s, and doles out records to its members. In doling out the Amanda Lear 12in (and also another Ariola single by Lynne Jones ‘Come Softly To Me’), BADJA asked all the recipients to write to this page with their comments about them. Had they come out in the open and asked the DJ’s to send in Disco Charts containing the records they could have been accused of hype. On the other hand those charts would have had to contain a dozen other records not necessarily issued by BADJA.
Amanda Lear’s is a good record which works well, and I use it myself. It has every right to appear in disco charts – if those are a true representation of dancers’ reaction. From the way this page is structured it should be obvious that we welcome correspondence from DJ’s which is then broken down to provide all the info that goes into each section of the page. What were we meant to do with all the BADJA members’ comments?
It really ought to be the duty of any DJ on a record company mailing list to justify his position. By submitting disco charts to Record Mirror regularly he can influence the whole country and not just his own piddling little venue. But he should not just list all the freebies he’s received, regardless.
Also, please realise that while I enjoy getting letters they are wasted unless they contain specific news or a chart that can he used on this page, and an SAE if an answer is required. End of lecture. Happy New Year!
Hottest import for several weeks has been the fantastic ‘Philadelphia Classics’ double album (US Philadelphia Int’l PZG 34940), selling here for about £5.50, which contains eight old disco monsters all completely remixed and stretched out into longer, fresher, brand new versions! Best bets seem to be the O’Jays’ ‘I Love Music’ (9:36) and ‘Love Train’ (6:14), Harold Melvin’s ‘Don’t Leave Me This Way’ (11:00) and ‘Bad Luck’ (8:00), and more by the Intruders, Three Degrees and MFSB.
Hot Vinyl
Chris Brown (the other one, from Pantiles and Frenchies) will be funking it up at the big Reading all-dayer on January 2 and is running coach parties there from Camberley, bookable on Guilford 37317. His import tips are:
AL HUDSON: ‘If You Feel Like Dancing’ (ABC 12”)
JIMMY MCGRIFF: ‘Skyhawk’ / ‘Tailgunner’ (LRC LP cuts)
WAR: ‘Galaxy’ (MCA 339) (BNDA debut 1/14/78)
Spacey slow start to what becomes their best chunky beater since the similar ‘Me And Baby Brother’ – a monster!
TRAMMPS: ‘Love Per Hour’ (from LP ‘III’, Atlantic K 50425)
Probably the hottest of side one’s three typical tracks, while side two has slowies too.
EL COCO: ‘Cocomotion’ (Pye 7N 25761) (BNDA debut 8/20/77)
Already a disco smash on import alone, the smooth ‘n slick instrumental clapper makes a great gradual mix out of Chic.
BRASS CONSTRUCTION: ‘III’ LP (UA UAS 30124) (LP BNDA debut 12/3/77)
All tracks are good, being either funky fliers or soulful smoochers, with ‘We’, ‘Celebrate’ and ‘Get It Together’ the hotsies so far. Nothing new, but what they do they do well!
Jim Higginson, one of the funky jocks at Spennymoor’s Top Hat in Co. Durham, explains a certain amount about the Eastern Soul phenomenon in the North East.
He notes that there is little demand for the old type of Northern Soul in the area’s established clubs, probably because its fans are too young to get in – although, he adds, the hardcore are obviously over 16.
What has happened, however, is that the modern New York disco sounds which Ian Levine spins over in Blackpool – and which are so controversial among Northern fans – are equally popular with funk in the Top Hat at least.
While of course funky records can be big elsewhere in Britain too, it remains strange that the ones which get reported as hits in the South East, East Anglia and East Midlands only seem to catch on in the North East and never further west.
Anyway, now that the Brighouse And Rastrick Brass Band are so big in the charts, the latest trend seems to be for clog dancing! Let me know when that catches on with you!
Tea Break! Round Two
Ron Greenfield suggests we start asking jocks for their funny experiences; I suggest jocks should send in their favourite one-liner jokes, suitable for disco use.
Either way, Ron’s own amusing antic was during a gig in an old church hall with only one mains socket, where the vicar pulled the plug so he could boil a kettle… halfway through the evening! Talk about a tea-break!
New Spins
COACHOUSE RHYTHM SECTION: ‘Nobody’s Got Time Pts. 1/2’ (Ice 3, via Anchor)
Already hot for some, Eddy Grant’s funkily jumping chanter is like an updated Equals, with synthetic backing.
SHOWDOWN: ‘Keep Doin’ It’ (State STAT 63)
Full – length 12” version of the happy bumper – Pity it’s so late.
Everyone knows about Northern Soul and some say that there’s such a thing as Southern Soul – but how many have noticed there may also be Eastern Soul? Since I started compiling the expanded Disco Charts for Record Mirror and Music Week, I’ve noticed a very definite trend for certain funky-type sounds to happen especially in London and the Southeast and up in the Northeast. Many of them also get action between these areas, in East Anglia and up through the East Midlands. Is this merely a coincidence? Several record company promotion people have confirmed that they too have noticed this pattern of response to certain of their releases. While the rest of the country’s discos tend to feature the more obvious pop material the jocks up the eastern side of the country certainly seem to be a lot funkier in their tastes. There are of course many exceptions elsewhere, in Liverpool especially, but of those who contribute charts the funkiest DJ’s would appear to be from the east!
Current sounds that could be called Eastern Soul include Roy Ayers Ubiquity ‘Running Away’ (Polydor), Le Pamplemousse ‘Get Your Boom Boom Around The Room’ (Barclay), Village People ‘San Francisco’ (DJM), Fantastic Four ‘I Got To Have Your Love’ (Atlantic), Earth, Wind & Fire ‘Serpentine Fire’ (CBS), Lenny Williams ‘Choosing You’ (ABC LP), Diana Ross ‘Your Love Is So Good For Me’ (Motown LP) and even Rose Royce ‘It Makes You Feel Like Dancing’ (Whitfield LP). Another whose high disco chart placing has been almost entirely due to the south and north east is Eddie Henderson ‘Say You Will’ (Capitol) which never had a single mention from any DJ west of Nottingham!
All this is not to malign DJ’s from elsewhere; rather, it questions why tastes up the eastern side of Britain should be so similar and so different. North versus South is a geographical division that can be explained by sheer distance, but this is a less logical frontier. Well, what do you make of it? Whether DJ or disco dancer, let me know what you think. And if you’re an outraged funky DJ from the west, you’ve only yourself to blame for the imbalance caused by your not sending in your weekly chart!
New Spins
LA BELLE EPOQUE: ‘Disco Sound’ (from LP ‘Miss Broadway’, Harvest SHSP 4074) (LP BNDA debut 6/18/77)
Even better than the 12in version, this side long continuous medley cuts up ‘Black Is Black’ between several other tunes, all with the same sound, so that the song as a separate track just doesn’t exist!
BOB MARLEY AND THE WAILERS: ‘Jamming’ (Island WIP 6410)
Superbly sensuous reggae, proved with the passage of time to be the ‘Exodus’ LP’s best track.
VILLAGE PEOPLE: ‘San Francisco’ / ‘In Hollywood’ (from LP ‘Village People’, DJM DJF 20524) (BNDA debut 7/30/77)
Already a disco hit here on import alone, it’s a hoarsely soulful side-long segue of pounding perfection. The edited single (DJS 10817) flips ‘San Francisco’ with the equally good ‘Fire Island’.
EMOTIONS: ‘I Don’t Wanna Lose Your Love’ (CBS 5819) (BNDA debut 8/28/76)
Laid-back funky chugger, a US biggie last year.
AMANDA LEAR: ‘Blood And Honey’ (Ariola ARO 103)
Watch it, here’s the next Euro-monster to follow Baccara! It even comes in three different lengths, spread between the 7in and a limited 12in (ARO 103-12). You’ve been warned!
SAAR BAND: ‘Magic Mandrake’ (Calendar DAY 111)
Powerfully chugging simple stomper, strong enough to smash and sure to be big.
James Hamilton's Disco Page 