James Hamilton's Disco Page

Disco News

Eddie Henderson ‘Prance On’ has exploded as anticipated, but many jocks are also playing the LP’s ‘Cyclops’ at 45 rpm – making it a hot jazz-funk leaper! . . . Sam J Johnson could finally be out here soon, while for imminent release are Gap Mangione on Funk A&Merica 12in, Wayne Henderson (7in) . . . planned for early October are Teddy Pendergrass ‘Only You’ 7:18 remix 12in (with ‘Close The Door’ as plug side for radio), Carol Douglas ‘Burnin’’ on chocolate vinyl Polydor 12in, Independent Movement (possible 12in), Pockets . . . Jonathan King and Music Machine are now on 12in . . . Capitol’s much ballyhooed “luminous” vinyl Kraftwerk 12in and LP, due soon, have been beaten by Virgin’s luminous Yellow Dog ‘Little Gods’ (VS 224)! . . . Frenchies’ new Palm Beach restaurant in Worcester Park has an official music business opening on Monday (18), but served punters from last Saturday. There’s a special prize for spotting the most spelling mistakes in the menu, and a money-back offer if you throw up when Travolta’s ‘Summer Nights’ suddenly slips in between Stanley Turrentine and Sam J Johnson on the otherwise excellent music tape (come back Dave Simmons!) . . . Rus “12in” Phillips opens a new disco department this Saturday (16) at East London’s ‘Ere For Music store in Manor Park, Broadway, stocking imports, oldies and UK releases with discounts to bona fide DJ’s (take proof). Times are Friday evening till 6pm and all day Saturday . . . North-East Essex DJ Assn holds a fund-raising DJ Party Dance on Wednesday (20) at Colchester Embassy Suite.

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New Spins

ROY AYERS: ‘Can’t You See Me?’ (from LP ‘You Send Me’, Polydor 2391365)
Superb 6:07 jazzy bouncer with almost a conga rhythm and great scat ‘n vibes, huge in London, mixes perfectly out of Herbie Hancock’s slow bit (and then into Third World), while the more obvious repetitive fast 4:23 ‘Get On Up, Get On Down’ leaper will be on 12in soon.

ROSE ROYCE: ‘Strikes Again’ LP (Whitfield K 56527)
Generally laid-back “listening” LP with lotsa lovely slowies (worth using), so that only the 45’s ‘Do It Do It’ and a typically burbling ‘First Come First Serve’ 3:19 clapper are solidly uptempo.

IAN MATTHEWS: ‘Man In The Station’ (Rockburgh ROCS 206)
Excellent bouncily thudding 3:55 cool white disco jumper, worth checking cos it could be big.  Continue reading “September 16, 1978: Roy Ayers, Rose Royce, Ian Matthews, La Bionda, Gladys Knight & The Pips”

Disco News

Camberley’s Frenchies are opening a trendy new restaurant this Saturday (9) in the High Street, Worcester Park, South West London. Called the Palm Beach, it’ll feature lotsa palm trees, stuffed seagulls, waitresses in ultra-short shorts and beach shirts, a hamburger / lasagna / moussaka / pizza / malt liquor-type menu and – of course – the hottest jazz-funk. You’d better book on 01-330 1982 . . . Chris Brown and Graham Canter fill in for Robbie Vincent on Radio London’s Saturday morning soul show until next week . . . Although the South East has gone wild over ‘In The Bush’, Musique’s ‘Summer Love’ is now on 7:51 12in (CBS 12-6579) . . . Wilbert Longmire won’t be out here until November, but Teddy Pendergrass ‘Only You’ and Joe Thomas ‘Plato’s Retreat’ are due later this month, probably on 12in . . . Candi Staton ‘Victim’ (edited 7in) and Tony Orlando ‘Don’t Let Go’ (12in remix) are out next week, Ashford & Simpson (7in) and Boney M ‘Rasputin’ (12in) are due Sept. 22, Bettye LaVette (12in) and Linda Clifford ‘Gypsy Lady’ (12in probably) are set for Sept. 29 . . . The Roy Ayers track for UK 12in will be ‘Get On Up, Get On Down’, with a special “reprise cue” gimmick of a cueing band 1:38 from the disc’s end so that jocks can repeat it quickly if they want – huh? However, so far, ‘Can’t You See Me’ has three times the DJ support . . . Carrie Lucas ‘Street Corner Symphony’ / ‘Tic Toc’ is on 12in next week, while La Bionda ‘One For You, One For Me’ will be a Mercury 12in here Sept. 22 . . . Until the smallpox scare ends, all Birmingham jocks are excused sending reaction reports to Phonogram and WEA! . . . Dave Dee of Bebington (resident of Birkenhead Cabin) wants record companies to know that it’s an imposter who’s diverting his mail to a Manchester address.

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New Spins

EDDIE HENDERSON: ‘Prance On’ (from LP ‘Mahal’, Tower EST 11846)
Dynamite fast 5:16 flier by the jazz-funk trumpeter that’s set to explode – around the South East, anyway! It’s right in the sparse skipping Charles Earland groove, so you’ve been warned!

ROSE ROYCE: ‘Love Don’t Live Here Anymore’ / ‘Do It Do It’ (Whitfield K 17236)
Sensational delicate 3:56 smoocher, full of those trendy syn-drum noises, with a great brassily blasting herky-jerky 4:09 funky flip for extra double-sided value.

GAP MANGIONE: ‘Mellow Out’ (from LP ‘Suite Lady’, A&M AMLH 64694)
At last (though the 45’s still late!), the smash import exciting fast 5:39 funk-jazz jumper – amazingly like a squeaky synthesizer version of the Crusaders’ ‘Put It Where You Want It’ – has now been overtaken in the South East by the much more specialist 5:27 ‘Sister Jo/Time Of The Season’ medley, a trickily lurching jazzy builder that gets quite fast before subsiding again into quieter piano-backed thumps ‘n bumps.  Continue reading “September 9, 1978: Eddie Henderson, Rose Royce, Gap Mangione, El Coco, Solar Flare”

Disco News

Pye Records are now selling unlimited 12in pressings at £1.25 and are not just using the 12in format as a lever into the charts. New on 12in is Patrick Juvet, while next week sees Real Thing and El Coco with David Williams to follow soon . . . Gap Mangione’s LP is due now, but the 45 coupling goes back to Sept. 22 . . . Roy Ayers’s LP is out mid-month, Wayne Henderson’s ‘Hot Stuff’ will be on 45 only eventually . . . Nigel Martinez is now not on longer promo 12in, but even so is one of London’s hottest funky hits – try it if you haven’t, as it’s a great rhythmic pick-up segued out of anything! . . . WEA’s Fred Dove has some Detroit Spinners on US promo 12in, which should go well in the North West . . . Friday/Saturday/Sunday (1/2/3) Jim Kershaw and various Radio Hallam jocks demonstrate disco gear at the Sheffield Trades Fair in Hillsborough Park, open to the public and free on Sunday . . . London’s LODJ Assn meets 4pm on Sunday (3) in the Three Wheatsheaves pub, 52 Upper Street, Angel, N1, while over in Essex the Havering DJ Assn has been formed by some local mobiles and needs more (free) members. Contacts are: LODJ, Bill Forrester (01-348-3269), HDJA, Brian Mead (Romford 61129, day / Ingrebourne 49663, evening) . . . Pete Maxwell of Southsea’s new PM Entertainments disco agency is after good South Coast/Hampshire-based jocks for its books, so call 0705-751238 . . . finally, yes Michael Morgan (Chelmsford’s Confunktion Roadshow), Eumir Deodato is on UK 12in – but the hot US promo remix is a lot longer and better. It’s also worth a fortune as there are none left!

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New Spins

BROTHERS JOHNSON: ‘Ain’t We Funkin’ Now’ / ‘Strawberry Letter 23’ / ‘Get The Funk Out Ma Face’ (A&M Funk America AMSP 7379)
Flagship of the new 3-track 12in series has their current funky monster, last year’s lovely lurching slowie and the full 6:10 disco version (not on any LP) of their first boogie, which is edited for the 7in – the only cut in this debut trio that is. In fact, the scaled-down 7in versions are packaged exactly like the limited 12in editions . . . beautifully.

L.T.D.: ‘Holding On’ / ‘Back In Love Again’ / ‘Love Ballad’ (A&M Funk America AMSP 7378) (‘Back In Love Again’ BNDA debut 10/22/77)
Current funky hit (which segues perfectly in the sequence Bros Johnson/Sweet Thunder/L.T.D. – try it!), plus last year’s even better enduring jumper and a tender slowie.

ATLANTIC STARR: ‘Stand Up’ (from LP ‘Atlantic Starr’, A&M AMLH 64711) (BNDA debut 10/7/78)
Dynamite 4:29 funky stamper, already a smash on import – but amazingly not among their Funk America tracks (AMSH 7380), of which brightly romping ‘Don’t Abuse My Love’ is best but heavy US funk tempo ‘Gimme Your Luvin’’ is lead.  Continue reading “September 2, 1978: Brothers Johnson, L.T.D., Atlantic Starr, Third World, Cleveland Eaton”

Disco News

CBS Records and other labels they press like WEA and A&M are being effected by a go-slow at the CBS pressing plant . . . Barry Manilow is now on commercial 12in while Tyrone David ‘Mind Blowing Decisions’ scales down to 7in (D-Roy PF 009) . . . upcoming on 12in soon are Solar Flare, El Coco, Players’ Association, Carrie Lucas and a Gladys Knight newie, while LP’s include Michael Henderson and Renzo Fraiese . . . SEDA members meet at 8 pm on Sunday (27) in Tunbridge Wells’s Robin Hood, Sandhurst Road, to learn about record manufacturing while Clyde Coast DJ Assn members participate in an all-dayer at Ayr’s Darlington Hotel also on Sunday. Association secretaries are: South Eastern DA, Brian Davies (0342-832 559); Clyde Coast DJA, John Andrews (Darvel 21988) . . . Nikkie Peck and Roger Yarwood share a Disco Review spot on BBC Radio Medway’s Rod Lucas Show every Wednesday between 8:10-9:00pm, while one of our Edinburgh contributors broadcasts illegally as Martin Davis every Sunday on Radio Telstar International on 222m MW between 10:00pm-midnight!

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New Spins

STARGARD: ‘What You Waitin’ For’ (MCA 12MCA 382)
Absolutely dynamite Rose Royce-type funky bubbler, already exploding, on 3:37 7in or what I’m told is sensational six-minute 12in. I’ll believe it!

AL HUDSON & THE SOUL PARTNERS: ‘How Do You Do’ (ABC 4229)
Terrific thundering funky chugger with useful applause intro, huge on import, hits a James Brown-style groove that don’t quit for 5:49 of 12in!

LENNY WILLIAMS: ‘You Got Me Running’ (ABC 4228) (BNDA debut 7/29/78)
Great deceptively fast funky flier’s long been hitting on LP and now makes full 7:45 12in or edited 3:52 7in.  Continue reading “August 26, 1978: Stargard, Al Hudson, Lenny Williams, Brothers Johnson, Jeff Wayne”

Disco News

Thames Valley DJ Association, truly flourishing, now has over 100 members – making it the country’s largest (yet youngest)! They meet again this Sunday (20) at noon in Newbury’s Henwick on Ashmore Green Road, Thatcham, where legal advice will be given about setting up in business. Membership details from Mark Anthony on Bourne End 24171 . . . Sylvester, ‘You Make Me Feel’ and Nigel Martinez ‘Better Things To Come’ have been 12-inched, the latter also on extended remix 12in promo . . . Constellation Orchestra, Wayne Henderson and Kebekelektrik imports are all due out here early September, and remember that the special CBS £2.99 offer on certain disco LP’s expires August 31st . . . Charly Records are launching a new “Double Headed Monsters” series of back-to-back oldies next week, coupling the likes of Shangri-Las / Ad Libs, Hank Mizell / Warren Smith, Jerry Lee Lewis / Warren Smith and Curtis Lee / Roy Orbison, all titles of interest to oldies jocks . . . Southgate Royalty are promoting a funk all-niter at Edmonton Picketts Lock on Friday, October 6th, with Rick James live on stage plus Chris Hill, Robbie Vincent, Froggy and more – now that DOES sound hot!

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New Spins

GATO BARBIERI: ‘Poinciana (Song Of the Tree)’ (from LP ‘Tropico’, A&M AMLH 64710)
Superb slow 7:48 instrumental funk-jazz jogger builds through snappy bass bumps into his braying sax sound and some chanting chix.

CALVIN DAVIS: ‘Train Ride To Nowhere’ (Bulldog BD 18)
Frantic funky filer gets a bit zingy but should work with EWF/Martinez.

MICHAEL HENDERSON: ‘Take Me I’m Yours’ (Buddah BDS 477)
Strong smoochy slow soul jogger for funk fans.  Continue reading “August 19, 1978: Gato Barbieri, Calvin Davies, Michael Henderson, Dexter Wansel, 777 European Music Authority”

Disco News

Next Tuesday (15) Thames TV shows at 6pm a half-hour documentary, ‘Good Times’, about a Saturday night in the life of Capital Radio’s Greg Edwards and seven of his London fans, so get home early! . . . Chris Hill returns to Canvey Island’s Gold Mine every Saturday starting on August 26th with a grand fancy dress relaunching night (prizes for first 25 fancy dressers through the door), and he also starts a Friday night residency at Southgate Royalty on September 1st . . . Revolta-dancing Ian Moore’s been to the movies again so that now his big night at Gravesend’s Wings is Friday, when (thank god) he rolls on the floor quite appallingly! . . . Tuesday (15) the DJ Federation hold their annual general meeting at London’s Ski Club at 10:30am. The DJF (GB)’s secretary is Chris Archer, 1 Low Jason Cottages, Drayton, Norwich NR8 6RR . . . A&M Records launch in a fortnight a new Funk America label series with 12in Bros Johnson, LTD and Atlantic Starr. Quincy Jones is now already on 12in, while next week Gap Mangione ‘Time of The Season’ / ‘Mellow Out’ will be on 7in only. Gull Records finally issue Cleveland Eaton ‘Bama Boogie Woogie’ on September 1st, as a blue vinyl 12in! . . . Creole Records invite DJ’s to apply for new mailing list, so write to Creole’s Disco Dept, 91-98 High Street, Harlesden, London NW10 . . . Rob Harknett (Harlow) follows up his recent MoR LP Top 10 with info that Northern Dance Services of 20 Commercial Street, Shipley, West Yorkshire, do a 25p (approx.) catalogue listing most tunes available in ballroom tempo, and have a series of their own strict tempo EP’s.

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New Spins

CROWN HEIGHTS AFFAIR: ‘Galaxy Of Love’ (Mercury 9199332)
Enormous frighteningly freak tempo-switching funky flier (in every sense!), with superb brass, catchy chant and great air stewardess announcements, horribly edited for 3:26 7in (6168801) but in all its essential 5:48 glory on 12in.

HAMILTON BOHANNON: ‘Let’s Start The Dance’ (Mercury 9199330) (BNDA debut 7/22/78)
Incredibly exciting disco smash rhythm romper finally out on weedily edited 3:25 7in (6167700) or full 5:30 12in.

MASS PRODUCTION: ‘Just Wanna Make A Dream Come True’ (from LP ‘Three Miles High’, Cotillion K 50510)
Big on import for ages, the jittery fast 5:33 brassy burbler has a great powerful clapping counterpart rhythm, while other hotsies are the Brass Construction-ish fast racing ‘Watch Me Do It’, spikily skittering fast ‘Scarey Love’ and mid-tempo bumping ‘Sky High’.  Continue reading “August 12, 1978: Crown Heights Affair, Hamilton Bohannon, Mass Production, Charles Earland, Frankie Valli”

Disco News

Brighton area resident jocks have their own Assn of Professional Discotheque & Night Club DJ’s of Brighton (APDNCDJB? – gulp!), totally divorced from the more mobile-orientated Sussex DJ Assn. Details from John Lewis on 0272 561220 . . . Glasgow area jocks have the DJF affiliated Strathclyde DJ Assn. Details from Bob Bennett, 6 Creswell Street, Hillhead, Glasgow (041-334 7679) – OK, John Hill of Bathgate? . . . how many disco dancers are doing the Child Disco Smooch, snigger snigger?!

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New Spins

HI-TENSION: ‘British Hustle’ (Island 12 WIP 6446)
Eagerly awaited infectious fast funky galloper with added Evelyn King-type handclaps (try mixing halfway into ‘Shame’!), on full 6:37 12in for first 10,000 copies, then 3:30 7in.

KAREN YOUNG: ‘Hot Shot’ (Atlantic K 11180) (BNDA debut 6/17/78)
Madly catchy import smash leaper, edited three different ways for UK 12in and 7in, the vocal side being only 3:18 on both . . . odd! Personally, I’m sticking to the full US 12in version.

HERBIE HANCOCK: ‘I Thought It Was You’ (CBS 12 6530)
Superbly, deceptively fast but delicate-sounding funk-jazz smash, now on full LP-length 8:54 12in for just 99p!  Continue reading “August 5, 1978: Hi-Tension, Karen Young, Herbie Hancock, Sylvester, Real Thing”