Florida’s TK label is now distributed here on its own logo by RCA, who hosted a big launching party last week that was attended by several of the TK stars. Full details next week.
New Spins
ROSE ROYCE: ‘I Wanna Get Next To You’ (MCA 278)
’60s-type soul slowie, atmospheric and lovely, with edited ‘Sunrise‘ flip.
TAVARES: ‘Whodunit’ (Capitol CL 15914)
‘Dragnet’-type intro to a good but slow rhythm swayer with catchy lyrics.
D.C. LARUE: ‘Overture (All We Need Is Love)’ (Pye 7N 25740) (Billboard chart debut 12/4/76)
Chugging funky snorter with old Stax touches even, rather strong.
GRAHAM PARKER & THE RUMOUR: ‘Hold Back The Night’ (from EP ‘The Pink Panther’, Vertigo PARK 001)
Long a Parker stage fave, the Trammps classic’ll hold them back no more. Dy-na-mite!
STEVE GIBBONS BAND: ‘Tulane’ (Polydor 2058855)
Great choogling Chuck Berry rocker that I’ve been mixing out of ZZ Top’s ‘Arrested For Driving’ and Queen.
J.A.L.N. BAND: ‘Street Dance’ / ‘Nija Walk’ (Magnet MAG 901)
Good “live” medley of the old Fatback biggies.
Imports set the trends for the future and are much used by the hipper club jocks. This page hasn’t reviewed many imports as I think that most DJ’s find it hard enough getting ordinary domestic releases, let alone US hot wax!
However, there is now such interest in twelve-inch disco pressings that imports are becoming more widely accepted.
To help give an ahead-of-the-minute guide to the Stateside vinyl that’s likely to be big here, I’ve recruited a regular panel of top funky club DJ’s to give their current top tips. This week we hear from Chris Hill of Ilford’s Lacy Lady fame, and from Tony Clark of Newcastle’s Julie’s – Tony also works at Callers Record Shop in Newcastle, supplying everyone from Ian Levine on down.
Tony’s tips are:
LA EXPRESS: ‘Dancing The Night Away’ (Caribou)
TIMMY THOMAS: ‘Stone To The Bone‘ (Glades) (Billboard chart debut 3/12/77)
ARTHUR PRYSOCK: ‘I Wantcha Baby‘ (Old Town LP cut) (mentioned in Billboard column 1/15/77, Billboard chart debut 1/29/77)
and, one that Chris has been on for a long time too, BO KIRKLAND & RUTH DAVIS: ‘You’re Gonna Get Next To Me‘ (Claridge LP cut), currently vied for by several UK record labels, it’s so hot!
Chris tips:
URBIE GREEN: ‘Another Star’ (CTI LP cut)
JOE THOMAS: ‘Funky Fever‘ (Groove Merchant 12″) (mentioned in Billboard column 12/25/76)
Are you a DJ on Creole’s mailing list? If so, you’d better check out their new ‘Non-Stop Disco Chartbusters’ album (CRLP 508), as your name is likely to be on the back of it!
Creole have listed all 500 or so DJ’s that were on their books at the end of last year – but, here’s the rub, they’re not sending the album out to them even though they’re thanked for their “continued support”.
How long that support remains forthcoming we must now wait and see, while for those who are interested the album itself really is non-stop, with every track mixing fairly intelligently into the next without even the tiniest gap.
Basically instrumental and decidedly hustling, it contains tracks like CRISPY & CO ‘Brazil’, CHEQUERS ‘Undecided Love’, HOT BLOOD ‘Soul Dracula’, BONEY M ‘Baby Do You Wanna Bump’, BOBBY AZEFF ‘My Way’, LAFAYETTE STREET ‘Chariot’ and SOUL AFFAIR ORCHESTRA ‘Amor Amor’, all in a flurry of sizzling cymbals.
New Spins
SONS OF ROBIN STONE: ‘Got To Get You Back’ (Atlantic K 10723) (Billboard chart debut 10/26/74)
Near legendary 1974 New York disco hit, a cool vocal group thudder, recently released along with other better-known old Warner/Atlantic hits.
ARTHUR PRYSOCK: ‘When Love Is New’ (Polydor 2058842) (mentioned in Billboard column 10/30/76, Billboard chart debut 11/20/76)
Lovely jaunty mellow hustler in Lou Rawls style, big in US and a chart chance here.
Following a marathon listen to a whole three weeks’ worth of new releases, here at last is an up-to-date New Spins section . . . in case anyone was worried.
ALFIE KHAN SOUND ORCHESTRA: ‘Law Of The Land’ (Atlantic K 10894)
At last this legendary German instrumental version of the Temptations tune is out here! Although from ’74, it has the ‘Jaws’ sound and should smash.
DOUBLE EXPOSURE: ‘Ten Percent’ LP (Salsoul SZS 5503) (LP mentioned in Billboard column 6/26/76, LP Billboard chart debut 9/4/76)
As well as the full superb 6:51 title track, there’s the (less good) 7:00 ‘My Love Is Free‘ US disco hit. A pity radio’s not on ’em.
‘Disco Inferno’ is the title of THE TRAMMPS’ long-awaited new album (Atlantic K 50339), and so far as the States are concerned it’s already hotter than hell! Even more than before, every track is totally disco – maybe too much so, as they get samey when heard together.
On the dance floor (or radio), they’ll have more individuality when played on their own, and certainly each one is getting separate disco action in America.
The biggest US movers are the 10:54 title track (a repetitive mechanical churner that gets tedious), ‘Starvin” (typically bland New York-style slickness), and – a better bet for here – ‘Body Contact Contract’, which at 6:55 is a good medium-paced finger snapper with clever wordplay around the ‘Contract’ title and soulfully screamed pleas to “sign it”.
There’s a tricky instrumental buildup to the frenetically galloping ‘I Feel Like I’ve Been Livin’ (On The Dark Side Of The Moon)’ – another good one – while the shorter ‘Don’t Burn The Bridges’ and ‘You Touch My Hot Line’ seem more mundane on first hearing. In fact, Atlantic are confident that they have here an album full of potential singles, and they could be right! Continue reading “February 5, 1977: Trammps “Disco Inferno” LP review”
Talk about exciting! I was practically laying bets myself as the results unfolded with each new poll form. Would Stevie hold off Abba? (For a long time it was touch and go.) Wait a minute, here comes Candi! And look at Tavares go! Right up to the final form, the finish was still in doubt.
All in all, a total of 164 Disco DJ’s voted, of whom 13 failed to fill in the first general audience reaction section of the voting form. Luckily, a number of disco goers did fill in this section, with obvious knowledge and interest – many thanks to you all.
The first question, to discover the definitive disco hits of ’76, asked for three nominations in order of preference. First choice got 3 points, second got 2 points and third got 1. In all other sections the votes were scored as 1 for each answer, including the multiple answers possible from some questions.
DISCO HITS
1. Stevie Wonder – Isn’t She Lovely – Motown LP cut
2. Candi Staton – Young Hearts Run Free – Warner Bros.
3. Tavares – Don’t Take Away The Music – Capitol
4. Abba – Dancing Queen – Epic
5. Four Seasons – December ’63 – Warner Bros.
6. Tina Charles – I Love To Love – CBS
7. Tavares – Heaven Must Be Missing An Angel – Capitol
8. Wild Cherry – Play That Funky Music – Epic
9. Ritchie Family – The Best Disco In Town – Polydor
10. (tie) Jesse Green – Nice And Slow – EMI
10. (tie) Elton John & Kiki Dee – Don’t Go Breaking My Heart – Rocket
12. (tie) Brass Construction – Movin’ – UA
12. (tie) O’Jays – I Love Music – Philadelphia Int’l
14. Trammps – Where The Happy People Go – Atlantic
15. (tie) Bee Gees – You Should Be Dancing – RSO
15. (tie) Lalo Schifrin – Jaws – CTI
17. (tie) Bryan Ferry – Let’s Stick Together – Island
17. (tie) Diana Ross – Love Hangover – Motown
17. (tie) Rose Royce – Car Wash – MCA
20. (tie) James Brown – Get Up Offa That Thing – Polydor
20. (tie) Pussycat – Mississippi – Sonet
20. (tie) Silver Convention – Get Up And Boogie – Magnet
23. (tie) Boney M – Daddy Cool – Atlantic
23. (tie) Chicago – If You Leave Me Now – CBS
23. (tie) Dr. Feelgood – Roxette – UA
23. (tie) Mistura – The Flasher – Route
23. (tie) Billy Ocean – Love Really Hurts Without You – GTO
23. (tie) Donna Summer – Try Me, I Know We Can Make It – GTO LP cut
29. (tie) Rick Dees – Disco Duck – RSO
29. (tie) Donna Summer – Could It Be Magic – GTO
29. (tie) Andrea True Connection – More, More, More – Buddah Continue reading “January 29, 1977: Disco Poll Results”
Tavares have a new maxi out . . . and the big news is that the first 25,000 copies have been pressed in the popular 12 inch disco format, yet sell at a normal 70p!
Featuring one track from each of their four albums, it’s unfortunately not all that disco orientated as both ‘I Hope She Chooses Me’ and ‘Strangers In Dark Corners’ are slow, and the driving ‘My Ship’ is rather dated. However, the happily bouncing lead track (Capitol 12 CL 15905) is ‘Mighty Power Of Love’ from the ‘Sky High’ set which has already produced their last two hits, and although not as strong it should do well.
Capitol have plumped for the 45 rpm speed for their UK 12 inchers, incidentally, while so far our Disco Poll participants seem fairly well divided in favour of both 45 and 33rpm. Full poll results will hopefully be ready by next week’s issue, so stay tuned!
New Spins
MASS PRODUCTION: ‘Welcome To Our World’ LP (Cotillion K 50331) (Billboard chart debut 10/23/76)
Bigger than Brass Construction for many DJ’s, the great title track’s a compulsive polyrhythmic funky stomper, while other good ‘uns are ”I Like To Dance‘, ‘Wine Flow Disco‘, and ‘Magic‘.
James Hamilton's Disco Page 