February 9, 1985: Jenny Burton, Cashmere, Jeff Lorber, Phyllis Nelson, Dazz Band

ODDS ‘N’ BODS

London’s pirates last weekend were hit by the biggest burst of harassment yet, the DTI now evidently being supported by helicopter surveillance and an extra team of “pirate-busters” from Liverpool, South. West London’s long-standing Radio Jackie losing its studio twice within 24 hours (yet returning defiantly on Monday), London Greek Radio losing their studio too, and Solar-FM switching off just before losing their transmitter again … Eddy and the Soulband seem to be winning the ‘Shaft’ battle despite Van Twist being supplied to shops on UK white label ahead of schedule … Virgin have snapped up the great T.C. Curtis ‘You Should Have Known Better‘ (VS 75412) … Level 42 bassist Mark King has remixed Direct Drive, for no real reason other than “creative marketing”, due now … 10 Records picked up First Love … Chaka Khan seems to have been disappointing everyone at her concerts, especially in Edinburgh and London (where a dodgy throat was used as an excuse) —incidentally, The System originally intended her ‘This Is My Night’ for the ‘Beat Street’ soundtrack … I had a delicious dinner and enthusiastic long conversation at Stringfellows last week with Dan Hartman, who revealed that his US hit ‘We Are The Young‘ is so anthemic as it was originally intended to be the theme song for Breakdance’ and in fact that sequence had already been filmed before, as no contracts had been exchanged, he decided he’d keep the song for himself —whereupon Ollie & Jerry then had to write their own theme song at the some tempo to fit the rhythm danced to on screen! (Dan’s favourite New York club remains Paradise Garage, about which he still raves) … Eugene Wilde ‘Gotta Get You Home Tonight’ and now New Edition ‘Mr Telephone Man‘ have topped US Hot Black singles since last mentioned, similarly Nuance ‘Loveride‘ and now Jellybean ‘Sidewalk Talk‘ (on promo-only 12in off his EP) topped Hot Dance/Disco in Billboard … BMP, the group name, is made up of the first name initials of its members Butch McNeil, Marlon Holland, Pete DaCosta (their album’s rather ragged) … Luther Vandross’s new LP is imminent … Jimmy Jam Harris, Terry Lewis & Monte Moire will be recording themselves as The Secret, along the lines of Chic (and The System?) … Crawley’s Radio Mercury 103.6FM has decreed that in the South-East the weekend starts a half hour later — Peter Young’s essential Saturday soul show now runs only from 6.30-9pm (however, Sandy Martin’s on Wiltshire Radio is an earlier 7-9pm on Fridays) … Laser 558’s honey-toned large lady Jessie Brandon has confirmed past speculation by joining London’s Capital Radio, on which Phil Fearon has been sitting in for Greg Edwards — and Steve Collins’ early Sunday 1-5am soul show still beats all the pirates by playing lots of fresh newies … Kent’s Invicta Sound 103.8FM was in danger of losing Andy Grahamme’s weekday 4-5pm non-stop soul hour until he logged 57 protesting ‘phonecalls within 15 minutes of the announcement … Paddington Green’s Bluebird Records shop has evidently located a load of old go go cut-outs, while the Blue/10 label sent out a brightly logo-ed “Go Go” sweatshirt to plug Little Benny (extra-extra large for all, it seems!) … Chuck Brown, Kurtis Blow, Fatback Band & James Brown are all go go going back up our chart, while other oldies currently being mentioned by jocks within a go go context include Maceo ‘Soul Power 74‘, Fred Wesley & The JB’s ‘House Party‘, James Brown ‘Bodyheat‘, Gary Toms Empire ‘7-6-5-4-3-2-1 (Blow Your Whistle)‘, Trouble Funk ‘Pump Me Up‘ and ‘Early In The Morning‘, War ‘War Is Coming‘, Charles Earland ‘(It’s A) Doggie Boogie Baby‘, and oddest of all Ashton Gardner & Dyke ‘Resurrection Shuffle (Instrumental)’! … Euston’s Shaw Theatre this Fri/Sat (8/9) at 8pm presents the legendary rap-innovating Last Poets, followed in April by a Rap Attack week of hip hop workshops, masterclasses and gigs including a DJ convention with Afrika Bambaataa, the Mastermind Roadshow and top New York DJs (sounds well crucial!) … Saturday’s Channel 4 two hour ‘Gospel According To Al Green’ must have been the most exhaustive (and exhausting?) TV examination of a soul singer over, a shame then that I kept dozing off! … Jackie Wilson seems likely to have his life story filmed —rights have been acquired by New York’s ERB Productions — while Marvin Gaye’s tribute on video by Diana Ross has been getting rave reaction (a pity though that her actual song isn’t tougher) … Prince, so far as “soul” discos are concerned, this time around seems hottest in the Midlands, and Magnum Force ‘Cool Out‘ is surprisingly big around Bolton … Island were crafty to suggest a similarity between Nuance and Art Of Noise, the latter now belatedly piggybacking up the Nightclub chart … Adrian Allen (Boldon 364895) info’s that in England John Anderson’s ‘Glenn Miller Medley’ (Modern MOD 006) is distributed via Spartan, but he himself has a few copies for jocks in a hurry — incidentally, I know some of you favour Frank Barber’s Miller medley on PRT but to my mind it’s nothing like as timeless, or powerful … Showstopper Promotions (01-886 4112) have sold out the 15th Caister Soul Weekender on April 19-21 but are now booking for an in every respect similar overflow event on the previous weekend 12-14, both at the smaller Seashore camp near Gt Yarmouth used for the other doubled-up events in 1980 (the autumn Caister is likely to be at Kent’s Camber Sands during the old site’s refurbishment) … Chris Kaye (0892-45023) is after soul/reggae PAs for several tailormade gigs in Kent/Sussex, and similarly upfront mixer Paul Fernandez (01-550 0840 office hours) wants PAs for his Fri/Saturdays at Purley and Kingston Cinderella’s Rockerfella’s … Joy, Babs & Teddy, the 1950s’ singing Beverley Sisters guested on Monday at the first anniversary of London Hippodrome’s gay night! … Lorraine McKane plays Edinburgh Fire Island Sat (9) … Tottenham’s Eltons has reopened with £50,000 lazer ‘n lights as Websters, Hi-NRG stars queuing up to PA at the first gay Guys Tuesday (12) hosted by Norman Scott … Thursday (7) Tony Blackburn, Steve Walsh, CJ Carlos & Graham Gold with PAs including Direct Drive & Cool Notes are at Hammersmith Palais, where coincidentally CJ, Graham & Direct Drive return Sunday (10) for a North-South 3pm alldayer along with Colin Curtis, Tim Westwood and at least 14 more regional DJs … Direct Drive are also at Maidstone’s Sunset Club Sat (9) with Disco Gary … Friday (8) finds the start of Danair & Jonathon More’s funk/roots/afro/go go Flim Flam versus Meltdown night at New Cross Harp Dance Club in Clifton Rise (between the stations), and of Gordon ‘BMP’ Mac’s Blinders at Peckham Kisses with Tim ‘Zulu’ Westwood … Darren Dawes’ Studio 54 Roadshow does Bracknell Rugby Club Fri (8), Windsor Thames Hotel’s “Caister Reunion” (?) Sat (9) … Essex’s incipient megastar Onyx joins Kev Hill at Harlow Whispers Sat (9) … Mastermind start a weekly afternoon gig (2-5pm, £1.50, no age restriction) at Lewisham Paradise Garage on Sunday (10) before that evening joining Steve Jackson & Gordon Mac at Peckham Kisses (ladies free) … Monday (11) Gary Kent & Gary Taylor start a Solar-FM under-18s’ night at Ilford Town Hall (£1.50), and Brother To Brother’s brother Russell gets go-going at Harefield’s Breakspear … Tuesday (12) Ralph Tee begins jazzing the City of London’s Bass Clef in Coronet Street with a live group weekly, starting with George Lee’s Anansi … Polydor’s mailing list obviously has the same jocks as Fourth & Broadway’s —bad luck, Paul! … Broader than Broadway, Safer than Safeway, WOAH OH OH!

‘Saturday Superstore’ viewers and BBC DJs should note that the bespectacled singer next to saxophonist Wilton Felder not only looks and sounds like but actually IS Bobby Womack! He and his spine-tingling protégé Altrina Grayson are the real stars of the eagerly anticipated new single credited just to WILTON FELDER, ‘(No Matter How High I Get) I’ll Still Be Looking Up To You’ (MCA MCAT 919), a tortuous soul-drenched 28½-57½…61⅓bpm gut wrencher roared and wailed by the duo in stunning style (Wilt blows alone on the flip’s speedy 138⅔bpm instrumental ‘La Luz’).

HOT VINYL

JENNY BURTON: ‘Bad Habits’ (US Atlantic 0-86909)
From the fellahs who gave us ‘Somebody Else’s Guy’, so similarities can be forgiven, this monstrously vivacious bouncy 103½bpm skipper finally supplied Jenny with soulful material to equal 1975’s ‘Nobody Loves Me Like You Do‘ (when known as Jeannie Burton), the more Jimmy Jam-ish 98⅓bpm ‘Let’s Get Back To Love‘ flip being quietly stormy although on her LP ‘Jenny Burton’ (US Atlantic 81238-1) only the extremely Teena Marie-ish lurching 112bpm ‘Nobody Can Tell Me (He Don’t Love Me)‘ also rises above her more usual electro (and some ballads).

CASHMERE: ‘We Need Love’ (LP ‘Cashmere’ US Philly World 90243-1)
Getting right away from the blatant pop commercialism of their included hit, this is a great soulfully worried buoyantly tripping little 103½bpm ticker, while the gently swaying 94⅔bpm ‘Cutie Pie‘, jerkily bubbling 120bpm ‘Keep Me Up‘, wriggling 117⅓bpm ‘Someone Like You‘, ‘Thriller’-ish 120bpm ‘Fascination‘ and jittery D Train-ish 120bpm ‘Don’t Keep Me Waiting‘ are all degrees of good.

JEFF LORBER: ‘Step By Step’ (US Arista AD 1-9311)
On remixed 12in ahead of his The System-produced album, this Audrey Wheeler wailed soulful 109⅓bpm jitterer is proving quite a nagger in Thelma style, flipped by its inst plus the jerkily tinkling instrumental 108bpm ‘Pacific Coast Highway‘ — this latter also on that ‘Step By Step’ LP (US Arista AL8-8269) along with the jaggedly lurching electro-jazz 116⅓bpm ‘Groovacious‘, Luther-ish 104⅔bpm ‘Every Woman Needs It‘, Luther meets Jimmy Jam-ish 98⅓bpm ‘It Takes A Woman’, System-ish 111⅓bpm ‘Best Part Of The Night‘, James Ingram-ish 122bpm ‘When You Gonna Come Back Home‘, Madonna-ish 120⅓bpm ‘This Is The Night‘, snarling 106bpm ‘On The Wild Side’, better by far than his last set. Continue reading “February 9, 1985: Jenny Burton, Cashmere, Jeff Lorber, Phyllis Nelson, Dazz Band”

February 2, 1985: “Just think, Breakdance Revival nostalgia nights as a way of filling clubs mid-week in 1999!”

ODDS ‘N’ BODS

Dreadful news for anyone looking forward to the Disco Mix Club’s trip to New York in March – their carrier Virgin Atlantic has cancelled its midweek flights for the rest of the winter and DMC can’t find any other airline as cheap, so the whole trip is postponed until hot ‘n humid August when it will be rescheduled to coincide with the New Music Seminar … don’t know about you, but I was really counting the days until that welcome late winter break! … DMC’s 2nd International DJ Convention remains at London’s Hippodrome on Sunday March 10, with the addition of the Mixing Championships as detailed in the advertisement last week … ‘Shaft’ by Eddy and the Soulband belonged to Phonogram all along through some Dutch connection and thus will be out here on Club in a fortnight at the same time as closely related Polydor release Van Twist, which they’ve already promoed well in advance (their version is the green vinyl mix, the earlier white one seeming to be 121⅓-0bpm) … Sasss’s girls aren’t called Jones after all, they’re Marilyn Ashford & Karen Scott in their recording debut … Amii Stewart ‘Friends’ in the extended remix which’ll grace the UK version of her LP is now on Dutch High Fashion Music 12in … Change’s B-side medley fluctuates around approx 111-110-111-109-110-111bpm … Loose Ends adopt a deliberate wriggling 102⅔bpm Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis-type approach on ‘You Got Me Hangin’ On A String Now‘ (?), currently on single-sided white label … Julia & Co’s ‘I’m So Happy’, due in shops the end of next week, is less instant than last year’s ‘Sugar Samba’, a disjointedly jolting then happily shuffling 111⅓bpm romper breaking down again towards the end … Michael Z (presumably Zager), somewhat pointlessly considering Paul Hardcastle’s major success, has done a 124bpm cover of the original ‘Rain Forest’ (US SSS International SSS-878) — meanwhile, Paul’s The Silent Underdog ‘Pigbag’ remake seems hottest in the Midlands … Saturday’s Commonwealth Institute-organised seminar ‘Rock ‘N Roots’ was a lot more worthwhile than might have been anticipated, it being heartening to find black music attracting so many articulate believers (any future seminars there will be a must) … Soul On Sound starts reviving the old Funktion moveable club idea as Private Funktion next Wednesday (6) at nowhere less than London’s Hippodrome, with Toby Perkins, Ray Stevens & Tosca presenting many star PAs and a free SOS cassette for all ticket buyers (a discounted £6 only), the soon to be announced Thur/Sun Private Funktion nights being equally well housed at two legendary swish Mayfair joints … Bootleggers’ Ethiopia charity last week, at which I supplied the ’60s music and Sothebys auctioned such star-donated goodies as George Michael’s old blue jeans, raised over £19,000 … America and Britain have now diagonally swapped singles by Kool & The Gang, with ‘Fresh’ the US follow-up to its UK follow-up ‘Misled’, both of which have been remixed (for eventual release here) by Mark Berry — with whom after several near misses and some successful telephone contact in the last year I finally came face to face over an orange juice last Wednesday, during his latest London visit to avail himself of our superior studio facilities and the low pound while producing Scottish rockers Chewy Raccoon (his hot remix secret is to reproduce the rhythm tracks, bring up the snare, boost the bottom and clean out the middle!) … Wednesday had also seen me remeeting after many years both Island’s founder Chris Blackwell and Tommy Boy’s Boston-bred boss Tom Silverman for a late lunch pizza, Tom revealing that despite its reputation for pure electro his label is increasingly using “real” instruments (spurred on by the doo-wop/soul revivalism of its most successful act, currently hugely so in the States, the Force MDs), Chris in turn revealing that he’s making a movie in Washington DC about the go go music scene (and that — something I never knew — he only signed up Free after talking to me about them at a gig at the Marquee!) … I also learnt that go go is so named because of its “go go bells”, whatever they are! … Britain’s record business is leaping onto the go go market with such voracity it should be gone gone by Easter: Streetwave have even re-recorded ‘Bustin’ Loose‘ by something called the Go Go All Stars — how low can you go go? … Polydor go go “shoo-be-do-wop”? … Kurtis Blow’s scene-setting ‘Party Time‘ is one that should be re-released, its lyrics actually explaining the rhythm, and if so let’s hope it’s in the subsequent longer LP mix … Zulu Nation mouthpiece Tim Westwood is starting to sound like the old jazz-funk mafia jocks four years ago, saying how now that the media are paying less attention to hip hop it’ll go back underground to become stronger than ever and last forever — which in a limited way it probably will, just like all the other old crazes that become a youthful lifestyle (just think, Breakdance Revival nostalgia nights as a way of filling clubs mid-week in 1999!): however, Tim, somewhere you missed my original point, which was that electro music had creatively peaked before the film makers last year then turned your precious lifestyle into a mass market fad, which has given a lot of passing fun to a lot of kids, most of whom are only attracted by the thrill of watching people spinning on their shoulderblades and, as history has shown, will soon fall prey to the next craze that commercial pressures foist upon them — supporters like these the Nation needs? — whereas I would agree that the specific rap scene, here so closely connected with toasting, really will continue to develop … Paul Major (Birmingham Millionaire) requests a complete listing of James Brown’s singles, without obviously realising the enormity of such a list: Mr Brown satisfied the juke box market in America (and filled his pockets) by issuing a different single either by himself as a vocalist or instrumentalist or as the JBs (for instance), just about every month throughout the period approximately 1965-1975! … Pete Haigh, (0253-824156) who guests at Preston Cloud’s Tudor Room next Thursday (7) for the local Polytechnic’s soulful Spectrum Society (details Richard Smart at the SU on Preston 58382), is after the P’funky Sweat Band ‘Jamaica‘ (US Family LP or 12in) — “that was a go-goer!” quoth he … Winchester City Football Club chairman and commercial stationers sales director Keith Bell actually sent me a brand new Rexel ENM hand tally counter with the info that (including VAT) it costs £8.64 trade, £13.29 retail, (incidentally you can still get one at Rymans on special order): anyway, our Keith, obviously in a league with music fan Elton John, is looking for copies of Dooley Silverspoon ‘As Long As You Know Who You Are‘ and Faith, Hope & Charity ‘To Each His Own‘ on Eastleigh 619023! … Valerie Simpson, not to seem ungallant, looked just a little older than 16 when I saw her, in luxuriant wig and figure hugging diamante encrusted pink sheath dress, with a pomaded and quiffed Nick Ashford in ankle flashing tight Italian suit, appearing as Valerie & Nick at Harlem’s Apollo Theater in May 1964 — they had several singles under that name on the Glover label then, before the next year, while working for Scepter/Wand owning Florence Greenberg & Marvin (Prelude) Schlacter’s publishing company Flomar Music, they wrote with Joshie Armstead ‘Let’s Get Stoned‘ (and its Oct-Dec ’65 R&B hit A-side ‘Never Had It So Good‘) in fact for blind white singer Ronnie Milsap on Scepter (everyone then assumed he was black before he became a Country superstar), the song only in its first cover version becoming a soul smash the following summer by Ray Charles … Milsap’s matrix number was 603941B … Colin Hudd at Dartford Flicks is currently raving about the Whispers’ late ’70s UK RCA 12in revival of the Bread oldie ‘Make It With You‘, now “just right for ’85” he says … MCA plugger Paul Bunting has only been unreliable because he slipped on some ice and was hospitalised with concussion — which nevertheless doesn’t stop Disco Gary Van Den Bussche (London Tramp/Croydon Musique/Maidstone Sunset) moaning “why are MCA so unhelpful to DJs, maybe they think they don’t need us?” … Solar 102.45FM have been patchily off-air as a result of a truly piratical and stupid spate of inter-station sabotage, while Horizon’s 94.5FM test transmission returned at the weekend: however, while it may have housed Radio Fulham, 92.1FM is now home for LWR playing mainly soul and some Hi-NRG around the clock … Carl Richardson, still Hi-NRG at Hull Fagins Sat, goes gay weekly from this Thursday (31) at Bradford’s free admission Benson’s in Simes Street … Norman Scott does Luton’s gay Bolts every Sunday … Hi-NRG jocks of a less upfront nature who couldn’t be bothered to send in charts over Christmas have been wittering on again about the printed results, so here then for them is their own current Hi-NRG Disco list, compiled from last week’s mailed-in DJ returns but totally excluding the Sunday ‘phone-in’ “upfront” jocks about whom some are seemingly still suspicious — compare this result with the complete combined chart’s positions (in brackets) to see how it holds back, or is held back (according to your viewpoint), the “upfront effect”: 1 (1) Earlene Bentley/Sylvester, 2 (4) Samantha Gilles, 3 (10) Dead Or Alive, 4 (2) Carol Lynn Townes, 5 (5) Lorraine McKane, 6 (3) Sylvester, 7 (6) Lydia Steinman, 8 (15) Sheryl Lee Ralph (remix), 9 (24) Sheryl Lee Ralph (UK), 10 (9) Carol Jiani, 11 (7) Touchdown, 12 (25) Venus/Jeanie Tracy (remixes), 13 (23) Martinique, 14 (12) Hot Gossip, 15 (8) Fancy, 16 (17) Melissa Manchester, 17 (18) Sam Harris, 18 (-) Bronski Beat LP, 19 (-) Girly, 20 (22) Evelyn Thomas, 21 (11) Sinitta, 22 (20) Tabu, 23 (14) Village People, 24 (-) Flirts, 25 (26) Tony Caso, 26 (-) Princess UFO, 27 (-) The Limit, 28 (-) Pointer Sisters, 29 (-) Barbara Pennington, 30 (-) Jolo … Claudja Barry, Nayobe, Koffie, Alicia Myers, Barbara Fowler, Cruisin’ Gang, Stephanie Wells (ranked by strength) all have mail-in support, leaving just the newest Peggy Blu and Patti LaBelle making it purely on upfront play last weekend — but look out for Sheryl Lee Ralph ‘You’re So Romantic‘/’Evolution‘ off her US LP, which could have reached the 30 had the “upfront effect” been as great as in recent weeks (incidentally I can’t cope with any more ‘phoned-in charts!) … I had to process every stage of all this week’s charts in Alan Jones’s brief absence, thus making the above breakdown possible, and also bringing to my notice that some new contributors are loading their charts with promo product from one company, which is pointless as that sort of chart just gets discarded — oh, and please don’t divide your returns into Disco, Nightclub and Hi-NRG if they all relate to the same basic gig, we’ll decide where you belong! … Nick Ratcliffe (Portsmouth Ritzy) addressed his latest chart to James Ingram Esq — close, but no cheesecake! … Adrian Dunbar says Southampton may not be well served with soulful record shops, but does have cable vision which plays quite a few soul/disco videos, resulting in requests at Raffles for such as Sheila E, Ashford & Simpson, Sam Harris … Friday (11) finds Jeff Young joining resident Nicky Holloway at London Bridge Tooley Street’s Royal Oak for the first weekly night of go-go soul downstairs while El Dorado & Dave Hucker latin jazz upstairs (no admission after 11.30pm) — Chris Hill being Nicky’s guest Mon (4) … Tuesday (5) Steve Walsh starts weekly along the road at Bermondsey Dockhead’s Swan & Sugarloaf … Pete Tong currently packs Friday at South Harrow Bogarts … Vicious Pink and also Floy Joy hove sent out some promotional dayglo slipmats, so thick that there can’t be many turntable spindles long enough to poke through them! … Broader than Broadway, Safer than Safeway, WOAH OH OH!

Disaster struck on Sunday evening, my typewriter broke —meaning that much of Monday was wasted in buying a replacement, so there wasn’t then time to do any HOT VINYL reviews. You can see from the chart new entries what was truly hot, and they plus more will be reviewed in full next week. Sorry!

Hi-NRG

SYLVESTER: ‘Take Me To Heaven’ (Cooltempo COOLX 106)
Both remixed by Ian Levine, the frantically rattling 0-137bpm but otherwise undistinguished choice of A-side over his flip’s previously hotter and far better 128bpm ‘Sex’ is presumably due to the latter’s lyrics and title. Hasn’t ‘Relax’ taught anyone anything?

LIFE FORCE: ‘Reach For The Stars (Remix)’ (Polo 12-37, via PRT)
Finally released just as it drops off our Hi-NRG chart alter a run of 12 weeks, which seems like craziness to me, this chick song dynamically spurting and rattling 129bpm galloper will have to convince anyone who didn’t get it on white label that they need it now (much starker 131bpm inst flip).

SINITTA: ‘Cruising’ (Fanfare 12FAN 2, via PRT)
Miquel Brown’s daughter, Amii Stewart’s niece, the perfectly formed Sinitta lets it all hang out on a perkily bounding 130bpm hark-back to ‘High Energy’ (inst flip). Continue reading “February 2, 1985: “Just think, Breakdance Revival nostalgia nights as a way of filling clubs mid-week in 1999!””

January 26, 1985: T.C. Curtis, Little Benny & The Masters, Eugene Wilde, Change, George Benson

ODDS ‘N’ BODS

THAMES VALLEY DJ Assn’s Sunday (27) 2-7pm Disco-Ex at Sunbury’s Kempton Park has 32 major disco exhibit stands, followed 7-12pm by Shownite 85 with the Cool Notes and Black Lace live plus PAs including hopefully Chaka Khan, Sade & Wham! . . . Saturday (26) Capital Radio sponsors the Kensington Commonwealth Institute’s one day 10am-5.30pm seminar Rock ‘N Roots at which panels (Charlie Gillett seems heavily involved) will discuss with audience participation all sorts of black music topics, including pirate radio (I’m going along with the Solar-FM guys) — £5 tickets (£2.50 unemployed/student) from Capital or the Commonwealth Institute . . . North Wales DJ Ian Turner (Llandudno 79404) is after artistes willing to appear at a PA-style concert on Sunday March 17 at Llandudno’s 1,200 seat Arcadia Theatre in aid of the Feed The World Ethiopia campaign, at which he hopes Bob Geldof will be star guest . . . Ballymena DJ Davy King reveals that the elusive Modern label is an offshoot of Northern Ireland’s Emerald Records and available from Solomon & Peres, 120 Coach Road, Templepatrick, Co Antrim (9486-32711) alternatively Davy himself can supply any desperate jocks with copies of the label’s great John Anderson Big Band ‘Glenn Miller Medley’ on 0266-41374 after 6pm (check for N. I. dialling code) . . . London picked up Barrington Levy ‘Here I Come’ for rush release as of now (LONX 62) . . . Fourth & Broadway’s “go go” compilation seems to be on hold, their first release from Washington DC’s DETT label now being Redds & The Boys ‘Movin’ And Groovin‘ . . . Dave Clark (Barking Chains) reminds us the Jimmie Gray produced Kirk ‘Sweet Legs’ Thorne rap of ‘Mr Magic’ was previously on Champagne/DJM’s 1981 compilation LP ‘Premixture‘ . . . Dave McAleer, nowadays behind labels like S.O.U.N.D. and Crystal City, is looking for new black dance music acts and song writers — send demos and details to him at 38 Wharncliffe Gardens, London, SE25 6DQ . . . Wokingham Mark One record shop’s Mark Clark reports the upcoming Maze set is a goodie, while Melba Moore produced by Keith Diamond sounds like a female Billy Ocean! . . . Rayners Lane Record & Disco Centre, as an example, have pegged LP import prices at £8.49 but 12in rise from £4.75 to £4.99 (don’t forget they do good part exchange swapsies, though!) . . . Matt Bianco’s currently promoed ‘Big Rosie (Remix)‘ is a buoyantly bounding 121½bpm samba instrumental, commercially their next B-side, while also now promoed on single-sided 12in is the acappella started LP version of Ashford & Simpson ‘Solid’ . . . Morales & Munzibai, have remixed ‘Club‘ and ‘Dub‘ mixes of the Commodores on so far scarce US promo . . . Amii Stewart’s UK LP in a few weeks will have some alternative tracks and remixes (including ‘Friends’) as well as all the better import tracks . . . Mercury are releasing a ‘Best Of Jerry Butler’ LP . . . Julian ‘Slack’ Palmer has moved to A&R at Fourth & Broadway, leaving Adrian ‘Black’ Sykes as head of club promotion with new boy Tim Rudling to answer the phone . . . Steve Walsh & Paul Hardcastle’s label Total Control Records has signed with EMI where it would appear to be a major part of their new Dance Division, with busy Paul as house producer: Paul is also currently remixing Third World’s old ‘Now That We Found Love’ for Island with added Direct Drive female vocal and a wild dub B-side, while his original ‘Rain Forest‘ has sold over 250,000 in the States so far and Bluebird/10 have just promoed his ‘Forest Fire‘ as a trailer to their ‘Zero One’ soundtrack LP (plus of course he’s behind The Silent Underdog’s new ‘Pigbag’ hit and has new product due under his current solo contract with Cooltempo!) . . . Horizon Radio as threatened snuck back on 94.5FM to rival breakaway Solar-FM (who experienced some interference from a brief return of LWR, while Radio Fulham has joined London’s soul airwaves on 92.1FM . . . JFM’s studio it seems was finally tracked down when the police and DTI men blacked out the electricity supply floor by floor until the station’s signal cut off — whereupon Steve Jackson and Mastermind’s Herbie & Dave, who were just starting their very first show, couldn’t get out of the window . . . Hull Bali Hai regular Carl Kingston has lost his BBC Radio Humberside evening show due to needletime cutbacks but is sitting in as a freelance on Viking Radio 102.7FM . . . Radio Forth jock Tom Wilson in his regular telephone chat with New York’s Charlie Cassanova at WBLS learnt that ‘BLS are still urban contemporary, it only being WKTU that’s gone Top 40 in NYC . . . America’s colour conscious music video cable service MTV has finally started a separate cable channel Video Hits One (VH-1) on which around a third of the artists screened appear to be black — giving an outlet at last to MTV’s leading critic, Rick James . . . Mayfair Gullivers ‘King J Root’ party nights every Wednesday are heaving, Melle Mel & Scorpio hangin’ out last week while tonight (23) James Mtume plus Carroll Thompson & Total Contrast are due to PA . . . Chas Dennis finds ’60s soul and R&B taking the place of jazz sets at his gigs (like Yeovil Electric Studio Sat 26), and in fact every Thursday at Taunton Kingstons it’s oldies until 10pm when things get more modern and Chris Stagg does some mixing too . . . Friday (25) finds the ’60s soul Function At The Junction upstairs at Clapham Junction’s Wessex Suite, and Chris Hill guesting with Colin Hudd at Dartford Flicks (Chris might have had more of a look-in on Bob Geldof’s ‘This Is Your Life’ had he been flown in specially from New Zealand or somewhere!) . . . Saturday (26) Kev Hill celebrates Harlow Whispers first birthday with lots of PAs headed by the Cool Notes . . . Sean French joins Vicky Holloway at London Bridge Tooley Street’s Royal Oak Mon (28), Pete Haigh funks Tues (29) upstairs at Charlestons on Morecambe Promenade, Greg Wilson hip hops Wigan Pier Wed (30) with top breakdance crews and prizes . . . I don’t know which end of town Tim Westwood lives, but I haven’t seen him hanging out around Harlesden where the Mastermind guys are my near neighbours and the kids in the local supermarket stopped being heavily into hip hop ages ago — anyway, isn’t street roller hockey going to be 1985’s skateboard?! . . . Grandmaster Flash’s current ‘Sign Of The Times‘ turns out to be rapped by his group’s new member Leven and (Melle Mel’s brother) Kid Creole . . . Major Harris claims he was in the Jarmels for their 1961 US hit ‘A Little Bit Of Soap‘ but reference books don’t list him — and if he’s as young as he says he is the other guys would’ve been a whole lot older! . . . Atlantic should consider re-issuing Bobby Darin’s ‘La Mer (Beyond The Sea)‘/’Mack The Knife‘ following their current revivals by respectively George Benson and Frank Sinatra . . . Colin Hudd’s hot chop is from Little Benny’s “duh duh duh duh duh” into Direct Drive’s “dit dit” (if you yet my drift!) . . . MCA’s Paul Bunting seems to be overtaking Streetwave’s Morgan Khan for the title ‘Mr Reliability’ . . . Broader than Broadway, Safer than Safeway — WOAH OH OH!

AN UNEXPECTED BATTLE has broken out between two rival European versions, neither brand new, of the theme from ‘Shaft — that Richard Roundtree starring 1971 film which sparked a spate of “blaxploitation” flicks, and whose Isaac Hayes-penned 117-122-0bpm wukka-wukking theme was no less influential musically.

Polydor have already picked up for Feb 15 release the interesting 122-0bpm electro treatment by VAN TWIST (French Magic M 771), surprisingly close to the original arrangement apart from the way the actual noises are generated (reviewed off green vinyl rather than the earlier evidently different white vinyl version), this being the winner so far on radio although currently in short supply — so thus selling faster at the moment and preferred anyway by many is the even older 121¾-121½-122½-122-121½(vocal on)-0bpm non-electro treatment by EDDY AND THE SOULBAND (Dutch Break 308467), in which Ben Liebrand excitingly cuts up the wukka-wukking “real” instruments with car ignition effects and bursts of percussion (WEA were after this when last heard). Incidentally, Eddie Murphy’s hilarious though foul mouthed new film ‘Beverly Hills Cop’ could well become the ‘Shaft’ of the ’80s — do see it!

HOT VINYL

T. C. CURTIS: ‘You Should Have Known Better’ (Hot Melt 12TC 003)
Taking London’s airwaves by storm, this excellent buoyantly lurching 113½bpm chugger is worryingly whinneyed and yelped (sometimes in Jackson-ish style) while the beat and backing chicks keep creaming away (inst flip) — terrific stuff, so nagging it should be a national smash!

LITTLE BENNY & THE MASTERS: ‘Who Comes To Boogie’ (Bluebird/10 BRT 13)
Singing trumpeter Benny Freemen from Rare Essence seems all set to spearhead the UK explosion of Washington DC’s “go go” beat with this infectious brassy 109¼-109½-109¾-109½-108¼-109½bpm good time party jiggler (less vocal Club Mix flip), similar to Chuck Brown’s ‘We Need Some Money’ — which is surely due for re-promotion?

EUGENE WILDE: ‘Personality’ (Fourth & Broadway 12BRW 18)
Bruce Weeden has created two good back-to-back remixes of this mournfully sung electronically jittered nagging wriggler, the acappella introed 115½bpm Complex vocal and sparse 116bpm Split dub, sandwiching a de-Hi-NRG-ized John Morales remix of the joyfully bounding 123½bpm ‘Let Her Feel It’ (previously credited to Simplicious). Continue reading “January 26, 1985: T.C. Curtis, Little Benny & The Masters, Eugene Wilde, Change, George Benson”

January 19, 1985: Commodores, Sasss/Dexter Wansel/Grover Washington Jr, George Benson, Nuance/Vikki Love, Barrington Levy

ODDS ‘N’ BODS

IMPORT PRICES seem certain to rise horrendously, possibly this week, to keep pace with the plummeting pound (anyone going to New York in March should consider buying their dollars now before the bad exchange rate gets even worse): even at current prices the records that DJs buy as soon as they come out are not necessarily the best, but the cheapest (ie: UK releases) . . . Sergio Munzibai, now ensconced as Motown’s New York A&R guy, is already busy with John Morales remixing such as the Dazz Band and Temptations hits (back-to-back on US promo), for likely inclusion on their respective UK follow-ups, while American pressings of Stevie Wonder ‘Don’t Drive Drunk’ include a bonus remix of the old 121½bpm ‘Did I Hear You Say You Love Me‘ from his 1980 ‘Hotter Than July’ LP . . . Prelude, answering my “Whatever Happened” question, have signed Rose Royce, LTD, Undisputed Truth and Enchantment in a move away from disco to soul . . . Thames Valley DJ Assn’s annual Shownite next Sunday (27) at Sunbury Kempton Manor — at which Wham! are heavily hinted to be appearing! — will for the first time be preceded in the afternoon (2-7pm) by a major equipment exhibition in a separate hall . . . Hammersmith Odeon’s New York Jazz Explosion with Roy Ayers, Tom Browne, Lonnie Liston Smith & Jean Carn on Sat/Sun Feb 23/24 has added a 5.30pm matinee on the Sunday to help satisfy demand . . . Junior ‘Do You Really Want My Love’ from ‘Beverly Hills Cop’ has been remixed by John Luongo for UK release in a fortnight — the film opens Jan 25 with Eddie Murphy himself coming here to promote it (and take the country by storm?) . . . Polydor have picked up Direct Drive, and EMI next week put out the previously reviewed rapped and sung bonking 114½bpm Canute ‘Amazing Mind‘ (12TAKE 1) . . . WEA for some reason have reissued Dominatrix ‘The Dominatrix Sleeps Tonight‘ (X9572T), last year’s quirky sparse 112½bpm US club hit which meant little here . . . Julia & Company’s new ‘I’m So Happy‘ is due soon . . . Shalamar’s current product is so poor that that their next single looks like being creatively marketed with a medley of their old hits as flip . . . Eugene Wilde’s ‘Chey Chey Kule‘, has been remixed for Dutch 12in, while the version used on UK pressings of his LP misses out the Woody Woodpecker intro that’s such a catchy feature of the US album . . . Dave Gregory this Saturday (19) devotes the 6-7pm hour of his nightly Essex Radio 95.3/96.4FM soul show to the favourites of snooker champ Steve Davis (bad luck in Warrington though), who reveals he’s so into the music he even once spent a day working behind the counter at Chadwell Heath import shop JiFS! . . . London’s latest radio ratings would appear to show all the pirates combined with only a 10 per cent listenership, Tony Blackburn making no appreciable difference to Radio London’s figures during the day, and Capital on the upsurge again level pegging with Radio One just a little behind Radio Two . . . JFM have had their first full studio confiscation bust, under sinister circumstances (rumour suggests that a former pirate is trying to clear away competition for his own return — which really is madness when a show of respectable solidarity has never been needed more), but thankfully Solar-FM returned on 102.4FM last Sunday — JFM had become so boring playing the same old pre-Xmas hits that I actually switched back to Capital for the same records played less frequently! . . . BMP’s name seems to be tripping up word-blind radio DJs, one wally even explaining in detail what the initials BPM stand for after playing the record! . . . Phonogram’s Pete Tong reckons Rymans no longer stock the Rexel hand tally counter (useful for counting Beats Per Minute) but he found one at a commercial office supplier, where it only cost £7.95 — whereas Rayners Lane Record & Disco Centre’s Jerry Green had to pay £13.50 for his at a normal stationers recently . . . Disco Mix Club’s November ‘Glam-Rock’ mixer Sanny X has now restructured oldies by The Sweet into a commerical 12in ‘It’s It’s . . . The Sweet Mix‘ (Anagram 12ANA 28), a bit bitty at first but doubtless fun for the ‘Supersonic’ TV generation, his January DMC mixes being an excitingly scratched ‘The Adventures Of Sanny‘, wild freaky Millie ‘My Boy Lollipop’ remix and electronically over-clever Billy Ocean medley, while Alan Coulthard’s more straightforward and danceable mixes are an excellent Sister Sledge medley and really useful (especially the first ½) fast pop Hyper-Energy set . . . Stargard ‘Which Way Is Up‘ (MCA), coincidentally included on Sanny’s ‘Adventures’, has been getting revived alongside the “go go” hits by the likes of Radio London’s Jeff Young, while Chaka Khan ‘I’m Every Woman’ has had much provincial play again . . . Major Harris ‘Love Won’t Let Me Wait‘ (57½/28¾-58/29bpm in the sexier extended Atlantic LP version) always used to be followed nicely by the similar vintage and equally orgasmic 47¼-95-93-92-91½-92bpm Leon Haywood ‘I Want’a Do Something Freaky To You‘ (20th Century LP) — has anyone thought of reviving that, too? . . . Chaka Khan (with Billy Ocean) celebrates her birthday on Tuesday (22) wetting herself playing the Playhouse in Edinburgh — where ‘Hopalong’ Neil Fincham is back funking the Speakeasy . . . I myself the same night (Tuesday) return to London’s old Speakeasy, now Bootleggers, for a special ’60s night in aid of Ethiopia with such as Eric Clapton raffling a guitar and the likes of The Who and Tony Curtis promised in the audience! . . . Kenny Tosh (Belfast) evidently prefers a ‘Hooked On’-type clap track on his Glenn Miller medleys and will be sticking with Tony Evans ‘Jive Alive’ (Tema) instead of the ungimmicky powerful John Anderson Big Band ‘Glenn Miller Medley’ (on still elusive Modern) — isn’t it hard to say “clap track” and not “clap trap”?! . . . Philip Radjuschko of Maidenhead’s small scale AKOM (All Kinds Of Music) mobile and Jay Buzz of Dagenham’s Buzzers mobile were amongst jocks successfully relaying some of my Capital party tape on New Year’s Eve — Jay incidentally gets as funky as requested (which looks like, very!) Wed/Fri at the Old Burford Arms’ newly refurbished Magnums cocktail bar just off Stratford Broadway near Bow flyover . . . Disco Gary now does Maidstone High Street’s brand new The Sunset on funky Thursdays (girls free) and hot fun Saturdays, with PAs by Jimmy Ruffin Sat (19) and Chosen 3 Thurs (24) . . . Sunday (20) London Lyceum’s 2-11pm reggae/funk alldayer stars David Rodigan, Steve Walsh, Smiley Culture, Barrington Levy, Maxi Priest, Asher Senator, Papa Face & Bionic Rhona, Direct Drive, Cool Notes, Jaki Graham, Hi-Tension . . . Jeff Young joins Nicky Holloway Monday (21) at London Bridge Tooley Street Royal Oak . . . Greg Wilson revives “the interesting years” 1980-1983 on a one-off Tuesday (22) at Wigan’s The Pier . . . Wednesday (23) Sacha Vitorovich starts weekly The Future at South Kensington Harrington Gardens Roxanne’s with fashion shows, live bands, video spectaculars and other trendy excitements . . . Ben Calhoun does Peterborough Hickory’s Fri, March Raffles Sat . . . ‘Toad’ seems a surprising nickname for Marie Clare, now full time at Bolton’s Sundowners — ‘Sleuth’ may be more appropriate, as she has a degree in criminology! . . . ‘Frenchie’ Paul French finally made it from Dunfermline’s Night Magic over to Norway and Bergen’s Oleana’s . . . P’funker (and Time Zone player) Bernie Worrell guested live after Christmas with his old colleague Jesse Rae at Edinburgh’s Hoochie Coochie Club before flying home after a European tour . . . Mick Clark, the Brighton soul jock who went into A&R at Virgin, has not disappeared but merely moved sideways to 10 Records — where the red hot Sasss is his current project . . . Slack & Black might get more phonecalls at Island if their answering machine’s opening “soundtrack” was about three minutes shorter! . . . Cashmere ‘Can I’ isn’t only Hall & Oates-ish, it has the “uh-oh” from ‘Self Control’ . . . Mike Morgan wants to hear from other Hi-NRG jocks around Central/SE Essex at 281 Main Road, Broomfield, Chelmsford . . . Carol Lynn Townes from all accounts has the best bit in ‘Breakdance 2 — Electric Boogaloo’, yet anyone watching telly recently has probably seen it anything up to three times already, used as a video . . . Phil Fearon was sitting just behind me last Friday at ‘The Terminator’ (a cut price ‘Blade Runner’ for violent fun fans) . . . Big Phil Etgart (Greenford Barbarellas) synchs Krystol/Nuance (dub)/Clair Hicks/Chaka Khan (newie) for the sound of now — everyone else is digging out James Brown, Fatback, T-Connection and other percussive choppy oldies for the sound of tomorrow . . . GO GO GO-GO!

HOT VINYL

COMMODORES: ‘Nightshift’ (Motown TMGT 1371)
A spine tinglingly haunting gently intensifying 105bpm tribute to Marvin Gaye and Jackie Wilson, sung by new ex-Heatwave member J.D. and Walter Orange, produced by Dennis Lambert, most easily slotted in for dancers before it becomes familiar between either Teena Marie ‘My Dear Mr Gaye’ or Midnight Star ‘Curious’, and (whose rhythm it borrows) Lionel Richie ‘All Night Long (All Night)’ — thanks for the mix to Graham Gold. This should be a national smash.

SASSS Featuring DEXTER WANSEL and GROVER WASHINGTON JR.: ‘I Didn’t Mean It At All’ (10 Records TEN 41-12)
Not only that but sounding like it’s sung by the (sassy?) Jones Girls an’ all, this gorgeous dreamy slow 94bpm ticker aims to be another ‘Nights Over Egypt’ as Grover softly toots through producer Dexter’s weaving beat (beefily striding flipside 121bpm ‘City Life‘ by the het-up chix) — but Wally Average may miss its subtle charms.

GEORGE BENSON: ’20/20′ (Warner Bros W9120T)
Remixed by ubiquitous Jellybean and losing the 7in/LP version’s Al Jarreau-ish scat impact in the process, this rhythmically tricky electro skittered staccato 0-110bpm jerky spurter somehow lacks warmth, and fades away before an instrumental continuation comes back in on the beat. The flip’s guitar doodled jazzy instrumental 106bpm ‘Shark Bite‘ is not on the new LP, which (along with others) time has prevented me reviewing. Continue reading “January 19, 1985: Commodores, Sasss/Dexter Wansel/Grover Washington Jr, George Benson, Nuance/Vikki Love, Barrington Levy”

January 12, 1985: Intrigue, Doug E Fresh, Rah Band, Ci Ci, Samson & Delilah

ODDS ‘N’ BODS

BLUEBIRD/10 RECORDS cannily snapped up Little Benny & The Masters for UK release-a-go-go in two weeks . . . The Limit’s bonus UK 12in track (and 7in flip, the only version I’ve been sent), ‘Destiny‘ is a lightly wriggling 114bpm strider with wheezling synth between distinctive semi-falsetto male vocal . . . . . US remixes now on import are Evelyn ‘Champagne’ King ‘Out Of Control’ (RCA), Force MD’s ‘Forgive Me Girl’ (Tommy Boy) . . . Bobby Womack has left Beverly Glen Music for MCA, the label’s first release featuring him actually being Wilton Felder’s new single ‘No Matter How High I Get I’ll Still Be Looking Up To You‘, on which Bobby duets with his stage show sensation Alltrinna Grayson (whom he discovered in a hamburger joint!) . . . Jimmie Gray has produced a nifty remake of Grover Washington Jr’s ‘Mr Magic’, rapped/sung in ‘Killer Joe’-ish style by Kirk Thorne for UK release soon — and not to be confused with a current import BY a Mr Magic . . . Lionel Richie has had a concert performance of ‘All Night Long (All Night)’ filmed specially for showing in US cinemas as a supporting short before such movies as ‘Beverly Hills Cop’ and ‘2010’ . . . Sheena Easton’s US follow-up to her ‘Strut’ smash is ‘Sugar Walls‘, written and co-produced by none other than Prince (calling himself “Alexander Nevermind”), hot already in the Black chart . . . Madonna and Midnight Star held steady atop last week’s US Dance/Disco and Black Singles charts respectively, but New Edition nipped in as top Black LP (Paul Hardcastle’s original ‘Rain Forest’ is racing up everything!) . . . Billboard’s chart system defies logic: last week Band Aid was placed only at number 20 in the States yet as the same issue reported had already sold 2,300,000 copies there — surely by far the biggest seller of the moment? . . . Ken ‘B’ Brudenell (Poole Mariners Wharf) wonders how many DJs found our year-end Disco Top 50 disappointing with so many great dancers not even mentioned — too true, but as I said, you only have yourselves to blame (the same goes for all who ignored our Xmas deadlines and thus didn’t get their gigs publicised!) . . . Major Harris’s appearance at Streetwave’s less than crowded though star-studded pre-Xmas Hammersmith Palais party seems to have sparked a revival of his classic ‘Love Won’t Let Me Wait‘ . . . I spent the New Year in sunny North Wales, where I cleaned out the Record Shop in Denbigh’s Love Lane of nearly all its 25p early-’70s US 7in soul bargains, including L. J. Reynolds 1972 version of the Temptations ‘All I Need‘ (Lady), and a rapped rather than sung (so probably the now famous A-Teamster) Mister “T” revival of Otis Leavill’s ‘Love Uprising‘ (Dakar) . . . Capital Radio’s New Year’s Eve party tape was oddly played simultaneously in a certain house just outside Denbigh (where it worked very well), the barn of which my host Sparrow Harrison allows to be used as a rehearsal room by recently formed North Wales “supergroup” Company HQ (abbreviated as Coy. HQ), sorta Amen Corner/Dexy’s/Billy Joel/Northern Soul and not bad at all (record companies please note) . . . StreetSounds’ cassette version of the boxed ‘Love Ballads’ set makes great motoring music, each cassette lasting so long I got from Birmingham to London during both sides of just one! . . . Jonathan King’s showing of their video on ‘Entertainment USA’ finally pushed Ashford & Simpson into the 75 — and had there been room that show would again have been my top Hammy Award for Essential Telly, along with Phil Silvers (‘Bilko’), ‘The Jewel In The Crown’, ‘Minder’ (although it’s lost its edge), ‘Hill Street Blues’ (which chases up too many alleys these days), while TV-am’s ‘Good Morning Britain’ remains my favourite bedtime viewing! . . . Solar-FM actually linked up on-air with JFM over the New Year for communal greetings and good will, but have lost their transmitter twice since their most recent full studio confiscation, last Thursday’s disappearance under sinister circumstances (they should be back by now) . . . Mastermind (don’t forget their over-18 hip hop Arena I at the Lyceum Fri/under-18 Arena II at Camden’s Electric Ballroom Sat) have now moved to JFM Thursday evenings, another DJ recruit being record plugger and hairstyle model Bryan O’Connor . . . Tony Blackburn’s latest jingle unbelievably says “Radio London is like a breast — firm, soft, and fun”! . . . Gary Byrd sits in for Steve Wright on Radio One for two weeks from Jan 28 . . . Roger Tovell on Gloucester’s Severn Sound 388 now does the daily evening drive time show but reserves Friday 7-9pm for nothing but funk (including highlights from our chart) — he also does the Saturday breakfast show, and amongst his gigs is Worcester Tramps Sats . . . Essex Radio’s evening soul presenter Dave Gregory funks Southend Chesters Tues . . . Pete Haigh (who knows the true price of a “drink”, thanks!) starts this Sunday (13) afternoon a new 1-5pm Sunday Hip Hop club at Blackpool Bunters on The Strand, exploring the whole culture for a quid weekly — he also info’s that DJ Ellis is his partner around Lancaster/Morecambe and no relation to wind-up artiste Chris! . . . Big Phil Etgart now funks Watford New Penny Sats (including a Walt Disney silly spot) . . . while at Greenford Barbarellas he has alternative dance Wed/Hi-NRG Thur/soul Fri . . . East London soul veteran Terry Hooper now manages Enfield’s brand new Townhouse disco . . . Gary London’s gay Bang nights at London Charing Cross Road Busby’s have renamed the extended 10pm-3am Monday as The Bunker for funkier “music with muscle”, co-jocked with Patrick Stephens (Thursdays stay Hi-NRG) . . . Carl M. Richardson has moved Hull’s Hi-NRG disco to Saturdays at Fagins, under the Station Hotel in Ferensway . . . Sylvester’s ‘Take Me To Heaven’ remix is on promo with an instrumental flip, but commercial copies next week will have ‘Sex‘ as a flip instead (remixed like the A-side by Ian Levine) . . . Earl Bentley has been playing the Wicked Witch Of The West in the Hammersmith Lyric production of ‘The Wiz’ — and her little dog Timbie played Dorothy’s dog Toto! . . . Tania Maria has a new LP due next month, on another label Manhattan Records . . . Nicky A (Ilford ArBeez Wine Bar) slipped into Roy Ayers ‘Compadre‘ during a Christmas Eve knees-up, and the ravers kept on jumpin’! . . . Staple Singers ‘Slippery People’ through James Brown ‘Sex Machine’ is really neat even without vari-speed as long as you don’t try mixing it during Brown’s faster “bridge” . . . Craig Dawson (Edinburgh), after your nice feature before Xmas, how about using a stamp next time?! . . . Foreigner’s current hit is backed by none other than Jennifer Holliday and the New Jersey Mass Choir . . . SAY-YAY-YAY-YAY-YEAH!

HOT VINYL

INTRIGUE: ‘Fly Girl’ (US World Trade Records Inc. WT-1000)
Not the London group Intrigue, this terrifically soulful set of New York fellahs weave, wail and groan through a Leroy Burgess co-prod/penned muddily rumbling 106½bpm throbber (inst flip) which has been by far the hottest import since Christmas, although specialist.

DOUG E FRESH with DJ’s CHILL WILL & BARRY BEE: ‘Just Having Fun (Do The Beat Box)’ (US Enjoy EN-6035)
Dougy Fresh proves he’s truly the original human beat box with an amazing display of spluttering slurping and panting as he vocally has shown the 112bpm polyrhythms before the DJs come in for some stark 128bpm scatting — the most exciting “electro” release in ages, (more integrated 108bpm flip and acappella ‘No Music’).

RAH BAND: ‘Are You Satisfied (Funka Nova)’ (RCA RCAT 470)
Paving the way for ‘Clouds Across The Moon’ (which will be the follow-up), this typically arranged chick crooned luscious languid 91½bpm strutter featuring jazz guitarist Pete King’s strings, lovely stuff, with an instrumental flip and snappier 0-126bpm ‘The Shadow Of Your Love‘. Continue reading “January 12, 1985: Intrigue, Doug E Fresh, Rah Band, Ci Ci, Samson & Delilah”

January 5, 1985: “One Man’s View” of 1984, BPM counting explained, James Ingram, Walter Jackson, Barney Rachabane

ODDS ‘N’ BODS

DISCO MIX CLUB’s 2nd DJ Convention will be at London’s Hippodrome on Sunday March 10, followed don’t forget the next day by DMC’s now rapidly filling Mon-Fri £340 (+VAT) Virgin Atlantic charter trip for DJs and club management to the discos of New York City, staying at the Barbizon Plaza on Central Park South (a shame the stuff-yourself-silly Beefsteak Charlie’s is no longer nearby!), sure to be great tax-deductible fun at real bargain rates — and you don’t HAVE to go to all the boring discos if you don’t want to! (£50 non-refundable reservation deposit cheques to Disco Mix Club Ltd, PO Box 89, Slough, Berks, or full details from 06286 67276 — but hurry!) . . . Tony Blackburn and I are both going! . . . WRKS (KISS-fm) is now the only black “urban contemporary” station in New York, where radio has gone Top 40 mad with tightly rotated all-hit playlists, so it’s predicted producers are going to be playing safe for commercial airplay acceptance rather than making offbeat club-aimed dance records — bad news . . . Gary Byrd this month starts a US syndicated hour-long weekly ‘Dance Music International’ radio programme, featuring remixed classics and special mixes by club jocks from around the world, as well as star interviews, with an emphasis on the “international” dance scene . . .  Midnight Star ‘Operator‘ topped US Hot Black before Christmas — and Wish featuring Fonda Rae ‘Touch Me (All Night Long)‘ (as it’s billed there now) finally crept in as the lowest new entry! . . . Motown could well be joining its new owners Inner City Broadcasting in co-celebrating legendary Harlem showcase the Apollo Theatre’s 50th anniversary — I used to go there every week to catch the star-studded soul shows in ’64, four shows daily with a movie between them and a new bill every Friday, and then in ’67 after the intervention of cassette recorders I even bootlegged a couple on a return visit to New York (including the Parliaments’ first engagement there, singing ‘Testify (I Wanna)’ in shimmering green silk suits, and Linda Jones tearing the house down with ‘Hypnotized’!) . . . John Anderson Big Band’s brilliant ‘Glen Miller Medley‘/’Scot’s Medley’ (Modern Records 7in) is much in demand at record shops after my recent review, but nobody can trace its distributor (who I’d have listed had the info been given) — does anyone know how to order records on Modern (who might have a hit if they could get their act together)? . . . Julie Roberts ‘I’m So Glad’ is now on 12in too, Magnum Force’s two churners on their Bluebird/10-released old LP should have been the 119-120½bpm ‘What’s Your Name’, 0-119½-120½bpm ‘Girl You’re Too Cool’, George Benson ’20/20′ being 111bpm — and due here as a Jellybean remix next week, when ‘Caught In The Act’ will be flip to Chaka Khan’s ‘This Is My Night’ and Sheryl Lee Ralph’s ‘In The Evening‘ Hi-NRG smash will finally appear on Beat Box . . . George Lee’s ‘Sea Shells’ A-side may not be on the Anansi LP but it is on the cassette version for some reason . . . Kensington’s The Park is looking for a new versatile DJ with up-to-date comprehensive records to audition this month — contact Charlie Cozzens weekday afternoons on 01-937 7744 . . . Switch Records were mentioned way back last May as looking for previously unrecorded black music acts to submit cassette demos (of original material) for possible inclusion on a compilation LP: well, before Christmas, Mayfair Gullivers DJ Graham Gold and myself helped lodge the submissions so far with the result that stuff by Zulu Clicks, Bonnie Prince Charlie, Jah Bond, Addis Rockers, Julian Cyriax and Yogeswaren could well be in the running, but further material is still needed — send cassettes to Cass Gilroy at Zenda Video Film Productions Ltd, Omnibus, East Row, London W10 (01-969 7135) . . . ‘Brother Louie Martin’ (and even that isn’t his real surname!) in a return onto the scene now makes it soul seven days a week on Chiltern Radio 97.6FM with his Saturday Soul Seeking 6-7.30pm show adding to the others done by Martin Collins . . . Solar-FM actually returned to the airwaves for a brief spell within four days of their second full-scale bust, but what with the holiday deadlines I can’t comment until next week on the current state of the stations . . . Morris Day admits he played a stereotype in ‘Purple Rain’ and intends to get away from the “shuck and jive nigger” image in his future solo work — it seems with The Time he was told what to do (the implication being, by Prince) . . . oops — how could I exclude Sheila E ‘The Glamorous Life‘ from my list of The Ones That Got Away, or Gary Crowley as one of the broadcasters I always used to tune to (on a Saturday afternoon)? . . . Island’s Christmas card was an obviously very collectable flexi-disc ‘Xmas Cuts‘ Steinski-style medley of 29 recent hits from the label’s stable, some speeded and others slowed to a ludicrous rate to fit the backing of ‘Relax’ (yup, another one!): meanwhile, using the slogan “Fourth & Broadway sock it to y’all”, that label’s Xmas pressie was a snazzily packaged pair of colourful designer socks! . . . Graham Murray (North Ormesby Teesvalley Roadshow) reckons Band Aid sounds a lot like Boney M’s old non-hit ‘Boonoonoonoos (Free The World)‘ which he says mixes with them as if one record . . . Colin Hudd has been synching Laid Back ‘White Horse’ (re-released this month) with Prince ‘Erotic City’ at Dartford Flicks, where Al Young joins him Friday (4) . . . Pate Haigh & Kev Birchall this Fri (4) at Blackpool Baskervilles presumably have their monthly dose of Mecca classix and Black Alternative Dance (from ’40s Louis Jordan thru Northern Soul to ’70s jazz and ’80s funk) . . . ‘The Master Of Style’ Allan Nevett starts partying weekly this Friday at Havant Leigh Park’s Leighs Nitespot in the Greywell Shopping Precinct, as well as funking Sats at Waterlooville Sam Lord’s Castle and hitting Weds at Northend Portsmouth Gatsbys . . . Andy Douglas keeps classy funk alive Fri/Sat/Sun at his long established residency in Glasgow city centre’s Pzazz . . . Tony Simmons has left Dumbos and now souls Luton’s Tropicana Beach (ex-Sands) Sundays . . . Billericay’s Neil Matthew, partner of Russ B in the Fighting Machine Roadshows, has just started soul-funk Thursdays at Writtle Chequers near Chelmsford — in which latter town’s flashy new Tico’s (ex-Dee Jay’s) Kev Hill now souls Wednesday . . . Ian Robertson does Dalkeith’s The Paddock seven miles from Edinburgh and “Midlothian’s only seven nights a week disco pub” (funkies Thur/Fri/Sat) . . . Mark Moore with Tasty Tim joins Jay Strongman Fridays at London Charing Cross Road Busbys posey The Mud Club, and is alone Thurs at Charing Cross Heaven’s The Asylum in the Star Bar . . . Tim Hopton goes the Walker Group’s brand new over-20s fast pop Jimmy’s Night Scene in Castleford Mon/Wed-Sat, unaffected by local economic conditions, while Gary Oldie is at Spennymoore’s over 25s Chaplins Mon, amidst ’30s-style decor with a massive illuminated glass dancefloor . . . Chris Hill gets another year older next Tuesday, as do David Bowie, Shirley Bassey — and so would have Elvis Presley (mind you, my birthday’s the same day as The Queen!) . . . SAY-YAY-YAY-YAY-YEAH!

OVERVIEW

THE YEAR: ONE MAN’S VIEW BY JH

THIS YEAR saw 24 hours a day soul radio arriving at last in London, albeit illegally, an event which has had a profound effect on the scene locally if not of course nationally. The rest of Britain relies still in the main on whatever the colour-conscious Radio One deigns to feed it and to Radio One anything black, no matter how soulful, remains “sweaty disco music”, as I am informed by Tony Blackburn whose own fantastically successful soul ‘n sex morning show on Radio London is a continual embarrassment to prim Auntie BBC.

American radio has the terminology right in calling black orientated radio “urban contemporary” — it is an urban music, unlikely to have immediate appeal out in the wide open countryside where it gets little exposure, so in some respects the BBC’s attitude when programming an all-embracing station is understandable — however, the Blackburn approach of combining the listenable black records (rather than the danceable ones) with mildly risque titillation has attracted such a huge housewife audience that it’s got the competition thoroughly rattled (and revising their own programming strategy).

Soul shows have been expanded not only at Capital Radio but also on neighbouring Radio Essex, Chiltern Radio and other local stations outside the urban confines of London itself. Now I’m not advocating a US-style fatally slavish approach to programming (when disco was big after ‘Saturday Night Fever’ many US stations jumped onto that bandwagon whether it suited their demographic audience or not, with the result that soon disco was declared “dead”), but I am pointing out that there is now an urgent need for legal soul radio around the clock, and preferably on a national basis.

An audience has been proved to be there for it. Within the London area, advertisers on Solar-FM and JFM have experienced dramatic results especially when those advertisers have been clubs or one-off gigs, attendances rocketing. There is another negative side to the coin, though: the power in “breaking” records has passed from disco DJs to radio DJs . . . who unfortunately at the moment seem to be abusing this power, which many may see as their greatest argument for legitimacy, by slipping into that maddening British habit of devoting more energy on unearthing oldies than on recognizing and supporting strong newies. Soon after starting my own DJ-ing career I realized that certainly white audiences don’t have an ear for rhythm but dance instead to the words — and not just the words as they hear them, their MEMORY of the words! In other words, they’ve got to know the record really well!

Now, with so much radio exposure, the same thing unfortunately is happening with black audiences. West Indians particularly get stuck in a rut of only responding to a narrow range of proven favourites (all within the “hot tempo” soul equivalent of reggae’s heartbeat), although Africans thankfully still have an ear for new rhythms as soon as they hear them. Even with all the radio coverage in London this year, the most common moan I’ve heard from club jocks is how hard it is to break new material.

The other point about exposing anything new to a British audience is the need for visual stimulation. Britain is a visual nation, and how! Going right back to the ’50s, it was the film of ‘Rock Around The Clock’ that broke rock ‘n roll here, and since then people have needed to see (whether on film or TV) in order to want and do — ‘Saturday Night Fever’, ‘Fame’, kung-fu movies, the list of visual stimuli on youth culture and the music market is endless.

No wonder in this, the video age, you’ve got to be on TV to go up in the record charts. And so it was that the other new phenomenon to capture kids minds this year arrived by way of the big screen — not that the music associated with it did as well as the mania might have suggested, the music’s full strength having been reached a year or more before and subsequently sneered at by all but youth club DJs.

I refer of course to the films ‘Breakdance’ and ‘Beat Street’ (and the videos of Break Machine), which had kids, as I established during my summer strolls, lugging ghetto blasters down dusty lanes and break dancing in market town squares all over the deepest countryside. Serious DJs were right to sneer, but that didn’t stop the kids having fun —break dancing has been this year’s skateboard.

The other aspect of disco music to get much media attention and a few hits this year has been Hi-NRG, gay dance music. White British people, with no sense of rhythm, also need to hear fast music to let them know they’re having a good time and should get up and dance! ‘High Energy’ apart, it’s interesting to note how few of the Hi-NRG crossover pop hits did well in our own Hi-NRG chart, which still reflects what’s happening in gay clubs by any other name.

And that was the year that was. Go-go in ’85?

BPM’S

THIS WEEK is the sixth anniversary of my beginning to list the number of Beats Per Minute in all records reviewed (only six years, it seems like a lifetime!). As it’s been a while since my methods were last explained and I still get quite a few enquiries about how it’s all done, this is what I do. For the last 2½ years everything BPM-ed at home has been pretty accurate as I’ve been using a quartz-locked deck — however, after the event I’ve sometimes discovered a few BPMs done at the shop have despite precautions been slightly off, and obviously in a shop I can devote less time to progressive split-second accuracy throughout the length of a record. It’s possible to BPM just tapping a foot in time to the record and counting (aloud, to aid concentration) while watching a stopwatch, but this leaves one unable to think about anything else at the same time! I use a Heuer “trackmaster” stopwatch which has a 30 second sweep (eg: the second hand goes around twice for a full minute) which makes the spacing of the seconds much wider, so that calculations are easier at a glance. This I hold in my left hand, while in my right hand I use a Rexel ENM hand tally counter to mechanically click off the beats on a four digit display. These hand tally counters you will find at such stationers as the Rymans chain, where people who have bought them recently report they now cost over £12. They’re made of plastic, which I thought six years ago didn’t look very robust so instead I initially invested in a metal hand tally counter. This broke within three weeks, whereas the replacement Rexel has probably had the worst pounding of any model ever made and is still going strong! Anyway, I set the counter’s display to “9999”, so that as soon as it’s hit at the same time as the stopwatch is started the digits go to “0000”, and then clock up each beat in real time. This is where many amateurs make their fatal mistake: the beat where you start timing is obviously not “1”, it’s zero, and especially if you’re only timing for a fraction of a minute and then multiplying the result you’ll get a wildly inaccurate final figure. So, using a tally counter and 30 second watch your mind is free to make progressive calculations (or dream up pithy reviews!) while watching the second hand jitter by. At 15 seconds (multiply by 4), 20 seconds (by 3) and of course especially at 30 seconds (by 2), I get an increasingly accurate idea of what the final BPM is likely to be after the full minute — and these days, which is why so many finely detailed fractions are showing up, I now actually stop both watch and counter at the exact moment the number I reckon the result is going to be comes up. It’s then easy to see if the second hand is ahead or behind the minute, and work out any fractions (bearing in mind that 1bpm at 100bpm is .6 of a second, and at 120bpm .5 of a second). If the result is not what early indications led me to expect its obvious the record’s beat has sped up or slowed down, and then the fun begins, going back and BPM-ing it section by section over as many seconds as the tempo holds steady. This incredible detail is not that important for general use, but if in print I’m listing the BPM then its got to be right — even if this takes it to ludicrous lengths! I mean, suppose I say something is 116bpm when in fact it fluctuates about, and you think “oh, that’ll be a doddle to synch through so-and-so” and then find it isn’t . . .? I do my best, its pretty tedious, and in fact in many ways I’ve been hoist by my own petard! However, I personally find the system extremely useful, even if I do begrudge the effort involved on many of the records that require review, and what better way is there of detailing a beat in print?

HOT VINYL

JAMES INGRAM: ‘Yah Mo B There’ (Qwest W9394T)
Here we only get half of the US 12in tracks, this is Jellybean remixed smooth lush 117½-118bpm soaring Michael McDonald duet with new fluttering electronic percussion and an added break now being far hotter (around the South-East at any rate) than the original hit ever was, and although it still has its similarly remixed instrumental, the flip instead of the two ‘It’s Your Night’ remixes, held back as follow-up, has the previously used undanceable cod-calypso ‘Come A Da Machine‘.

WALTER JACKSON: ‘Touching In The Dark’ (Bluebird/10 BRT 11)
The two cream slices from the late lamented mellow soulster’s current posthumous LP now sandwiched back to back on 12in, this gorgeous Jerry Butler-ish light 110bpm sinewy floater and the romantically agonised 79-80½bpm ‘It’s Cool‘ both having been hot originally on 7in around two years ago, both remaining pure class and like this an essential bargain.

BARNEY RACHABANE: ‘Caribbean Queen’ (Jive Afrika JIVE T82)
Hugh Masekela produced this interesting instrumental 111¼bpm saxophone exploration of Billy Ocean’s international smash, this version out of them all really deserving the title ‘African Queen’ as Barney’s sinuous blowing finds hidden depths as he twists and turns away from the melody in jazzy style while the beat and softly chorusing chicks stay steady (thoughtful slow 67bpm ‘Don’t Cry’ flip ending in African singing). Continue reading “January 5, 1985: “One Man’s View” of 1984, BPM counting explained, James Ingram, Walter Jackson, Barney Rachabane”

December 29, 1984: The Hammy Awards 1984, End Of Year Disco/Hi-NRG/Nightclub Charts 1984

The HAMMY Awards

Yes folks, amidst a flurry of beat boxes and a slither of scratching, it’s time to announce the big ones for that year of destiny 1984! All statistics are derived from the year-end disco charts, for the contents of which you only have yourselves to blame — which leads us straight into . . .

THE REAL HITS OF THE YEAR:

Cheryl Lynn ‘Encore’ (US Columbia/Streetwave), Jeffrey Osborne ‘Plane Love’ (US A&M), both of which hung on but mainly midway in the chart for month after month after month.

1984’s HOT TEMPO:
95-113bpm

THE OTHER HITS THAT STILL MATTER:
Fatback ‘I Found Lovin’ (Master Mix), Rose Royce ‘Magic Touch’ (Streetwave), Dennis Edwards ‘Don’t Look Any Further’ (Motown), Jocelyn Brown ‘Somebody Else’s Guy’ (Fourth & Broadway), Cameo ‘She’s Strange’ (Club).

PRODUCERS OF THE YEAR:
Jimmy Jam Harris & Terry Lewis.

ARTISTE OF THE YEAR:
Chaka Khan.

‘SLEEPER’ OF THE YEAR:
Grandmaster Melle Mel ‘White Lines’ (Sugarhill).

ALBUM OF THE YEAR:
Leon Bryant ‘Finders Keepers’ (US De-Lite/Club)

IMPORT OF THE YEAR:

Circle City Band ‘Magic’ (US Circle City Records).

DISCO LABELS OF THE YEAR:
1 (-) Motown, 2 (-) Club, 3 (1) Epic, 4 (-) Warner Bros, 5 (-) WEA, 6= (-) MCA and London, 8 (4) Streetwave, 9 (-) Fourth & Broadway, 10 (-) Atlantic.

WHATEVER HAPPENED TO:
Prelude?

RECORD COMPANIES (labels ranked by hit strength):
1 (7) WEA — Warner Bros/WEA/Atlantic/Sire/Elektra, 2 (3) RCA — Motown/Planet, 3 (2) Phonogram — Club/London, 4 (1) CBS — Epic/CBS/Tabu, 5 (6) Island — Fourth & Broadway/Ensign, 6 (-) MCA, 7 (5) Streetwave, 8 (9) Arista, 9 (-) Record Shack, 10= (-) Total Control and Master Mix.

IMPORT LABEL OF THE YEAR:
Private I Records.

Hi-NRG LABELS:
1 (1) Record Shack, 2 (-) Electricity, 3 (2) Proto.

Hi-NRG ARTISTES:
Evelyn Thomas, Earlene Bentley, Miquel Brown, (the Record Shack triumvirate!)

A GOLD KEY TO TRIDENT STUDIOS:
Ian Levine.

COMEBACK OF THE YEAR:
The Temptations. Continue reading “December 29, 1984: The Hammy Awards 1984, End Of Year Disco/Hi-NRG/Nightclub Charts 1984”

December 22, 1984: The Limit, Amii Stewart, Breakdance 2 – Electric Boogaloo, Bonzo Goes To Washington, Air Force 1

ODDS ‘N’ BODS

Many may be surprised to hear I had a very enjoyable lunch with Tony Blackburn, sitting either side of Evelyn Thomas as guests of Record Shack at the annual Music Publishers Association Christmas bash, not the least because Tony was recently quoted as calling me “the most boring man I’d ever met” — an expression I could well imagine him using lightheartedly, but which (as he apologetically announced on Radio London the day after it appeared in print) he had not actually used at all, the words having been put into his mouth as suspected by a student reporter hurrying to make a journalistic reputation, no matter who he upset. OK Ralph Tee, you can stop stirring it! … Solar-FM’s new studio had another “very heavy” raid last Tuesday afternoon (11) with absolutely everything confiscated again — but they were promising to be back on the air again soon … lan Dewhirst invites “imaginative, innovative, good DJs” to send their full details to Dance, EMI House, 20 Manchester Square, London W1A 1ES … Disco Dave Singleton (our “oldest” reader?) is selling his giant video show for £1,000 and looking for DJs/groups on Newton-Le-Willows 6018 as, after eight years jocking there, he’s become general manager and licensee of Eccles Rainbow — a proper job at last! … ‘Purple Rain’ is already available on video Stateside and selling so fast it could outstrip ‘Making Michael Jackson’s Thriller’ — meanwhile, Prince has been modifying his US tour’s content so that when he played predominantly black Washington DC he revived many of his soul oldies in singalong style before really turning on the funk aided by Sheila E, to delightedly stunned response (a thought: could it be that now he’s won the white mass market with his rock style, he’s going to turn them on to soul?) … Madonna topped US Hot Dance/Disco … Reggie Thompson, who so distinctively mixed Mtume’s hits amongst others, is currently adding synthesized drums and a modern “urban” treatment to a whole pile of unreleased 1968-1972 recordings by Bob Marley & The Wailers – the mind boggles … February 23/24 Hammersmith Odeon has the New York Jazz Explosion – basically Roy Ayers, Tom Browne, Lonnie Liston Smith & Jean Carn, each doing a set before combining for one giant jam (at last someone’s promoting the sort of jazz bill people under 50 want to see!) … Haywoode supports Imagination this Fri/Sat (21/22) at the Hammersmith Odeon, where the orchestra pit has been boarded over specially! … Rick Robinson won’t be playing Five Star any more at Bermondsey Old Kent Road’s Oasis after they failed to turn up despite last minute confirmation (has TV gone to their heads?), but with any luck the much nicer Cool Notes will be there tonight (Thur 20) … Johnnie Gee (ex-Tottenham Eltons) souls the Old Kent Road’s Oasis Fri/Sun, while down the road Les Adams funks the Green Man Fri and Dun Cow Thur (plus Tues with Greg Edwards, for whose Saturday Capital show he creates a weekly megamix), Les also doing New Maiden Chemies Wine Bar Sat … John Sachs kids not, his weekday afternoon Capital show was practically wall-to-wall soul when last heard — keep it up! … Simon Harris, mixing Saturdays at Epping Billie Jean’s 18-21 disco, joins Froggy creating a special weekly mix for Tony Blackburn on Radio London … Paul Dakeyne, spinning up-front sounds to up-front people at Hull Romeos & Juliets, is the creator of the weekly ‘Tasty Mixer’ on Carl Kingston’s evening BBC Radio Humberside disco show – and he sent me an absolutely excellent Steinski-type mix on cassette with lots of nice snappy speech drop-ins … Nicky A (Aravis) has quite unfunky Romford to soul Thur-Sun at Ilford High Road’s ArBeez Wine Bar (beer & spirits too), while Dave Clark is fairly funky Mon/Sat at Barking’s non-dancing Chains wine bar … Trevor ‘Redeye’ Hughes is thankfully able to get quite soulful Saturdays at Woodcote’s Preachers (in a converted chapel, between Wolverhampton-Newport) … Stuart Hughes wears two hats both managing and jocking at Sidmouth Carinas (where Nic Wakefield used to hold court), open also as a fun pub lunchtime and the first UK club to be fitted with a 60 selection Thorn Laser Video System, Wednesdays being jazz-funk night, Thursdays reggae … Nick Graham fills Werrington (Peterborough) The Gables with up-front funk Thursdays … Glenn Jones started out singing gospel, first recording when only aged 8 with the Bivens Specials on Nashboro, and later in his teens solo on Savoy … Billboard’s Hot Black chart has gradually been showing there must be an unheralded market presumably amongst young black Americans for records by cute kids, like New Edition, Kids At Work, Force MDs, Menudo, Nolan Thomas and probably even the Fat Boys — it would be ironic if this new youthful market was opened up by that former child star Michael Jackson … Passion next year becomes an exclusively Hi-NRG label, soul/funk going onto the provisionally titled Debut … Tricky Dicky’s record of the year at Soho Newport Court’s Record Cellar shop is Pamala Stanley ‘Coming Out Of Hiding‘, still selling five copies a week (as opposed to ‘High Energy’ now doing one a fortnight) … Evelyn Thomas’s import LP now won’t be out here until March! … Donna Summer’s two simultaneous singles, old and new, didn’t do much did they? … Adrian Allen (South Shields Chelsea Cat) got his Peter Brown ‘Love In Our Hearts’ after Andy Gregory (Laughton Tempo Rico) rang him and rabitted for an interesting hour … Pete Haigh (0253-824156) is after New Birth ‘K-Jee‘ (US RCA LP), JB’s ‘Doin’ It To Death’ (Canadian/US Polydor 12in), Beginning Of The End ‘Funky Nassau’ (LP version) … Chris Ellis, notorious wind-up artiste of recent Greek experience, is back not in London but looking for gigs with David John in Lancashire on 0772- 22771 — could he be the DJ Ellis who’s been doing the odd Club Ranger Night Out at Morecambe’s Harveys?! … Colin Hudd (Dartford Flicks) quips at last there’s a record for everyone who comes up to ask “Can you play anything for my mate?” — Direct Drive! … Nicky Holloway (London Bridge Royal Oak) stumbled on a good mix, Dazz Band into Imagination’s old ‘Burning Up”— “same BPM and everything!” … Jeffrey Osborne ‘Stay With Me Tonight‘ is resurging for Alan Donald in mid-Clyde on the Isle of Bute at Rothesay’s Ashburn, where it “seems to be the type of beat they want up here the noo!” … New Year’s Eve once again I’ll be doing Capital Ratio’s four-hour 10pm party tape, and what’s more the full playlist will be in next week’s Record Mirror, along with the usual year-end features … many thanks for all your cards, kind wishes and welcome drinks, and LETS HAVE AN OUTASIGHT, SNOWY WHITE, CHRISTMAS!

BIG BAM BOO! When recently in Birmingham, AFRIKA BAMBAATAA looked in at the 222 Broad Street headquarters of THE STUDIO 222 EXPERIENCE where young PAUL DIXON (left), street name “Mix Wizzard”, lays down his ambitious mixes — including a weekly selection featured every Saturday night on Steve Dennis’s BRMB soul show.

HOT VINYL

THE LIMIT: ‘Say Yeah’ (Portrait TA 4808)
Suddenly due in our shops on Christmas Eve — ‘cos let’s face it. it’s too hot to hold! — this breezily skittering 123bpm light snapper with Gwen Guthrie joining the chaps is the deadly catchy “say-yay-yay-yay-yeah!” singalong smash that’s already number 2 in our chart just on import. UK copies will have the as yet unheard ‘Destiny‘ added to the 12in inst flip.

AMII STEWART: ‘Friends’ (RCA RCAT 471)
Exploding as predicted now that European imports have finally flooded in, this unexpectedly beautiful almost ‘I’m Not In Love’-like gently bubbling 0-94⅓bpm soft soul swayer is truly haunting and should with luck (her past Wally hits will help at Radio One) cross over to a wide public — don’t miss it (inst flip).

SOUNDTRACK: ‘Breakdance 2 — Electric Boogaloo’ LP (Polydor POLO 5168)
Hollywood’s quickie follow-up film again has OLLIE & JERRY providing its title track, a chunky 112bpm lurcher obviously led by straining Jerry Knight with whinneying support and stronger than it struck me on 12in, plus their stark skittery 124⅓bpm electro ‘When I.C.U.‘, while the FIREFOX girls return on the jerkily strutting electro 121½bpm ‘Radiotron‘ and similarly backed but more soulful 125bpm ‘Stylin’ Profilin’‘, oldies being GEORGE KRANZ’ eccentric 123bpm vocalised drum solo ‘Din Daa Daa‘ and MIDWAY’s D Train-ish 119½bpm ‘Set It Out‘ (both abbreviated), CAROL LYNN TOWNES’ Hi-NRG pop 135bpm ‘Believe In The Beat‘ being due as our first single, MARK SCOTT’s ‘I Don’t Wanna Come Down‘ being a Michael Jackson-ish fast 129⅓bpm jolter and STEVE DONN’s ‘Gotta Have The Money‘ frantic 164½bpm flashdance —however, the one that’ll do the business here is RAGS & RICHES ‘Oye Mamacita‘, a light 117⅓bpm Latin chugger reminiscent of the Chakachas’ ‘Jungle Fever’. Continue reading “December 22, 1984: The Limit, Amii Stewart, Breakdance 2 – Electric Boogaloo, Bonzo Goes To Washington, Air Force 1”

December 15, 1984: Gap Band, Aswad, Warren G Burris, Magnum Force, Clair Hicks & Love Exchange

ODDS ‘N’ BODS

Steve Ripley’s follow-up CBS compilation ‘Club Classics 2‘ will definitely include the much sought Willie Bobo ‘Always There’ remix (possibly even shrink-wrapped on limited bonus 12in!), but not before March … Froggy has launched his own Krack label (one track mind!) with surprisingly some Hi-NRG by Touchdown … Thelma Houston’s 12in is now on UK pressings (MCA MCAT 932), and The Temptations’ LP is out here too (Motown ZL72342) … RCA are rushing Amii Stewart next week, and the Skyy LP … David Middleton, jocking aboard the OW Hollandia across the North Sea, reports that Holland’s time-shared TV channels show a lot of new videos and it’s noticeable how less censored some are than here — he cites the Pointer Sisters’ ‘I’m So Excited’, Prince’s ‘Purple Rain’ and The Cars’ ‘Hello Again’ as being much raunchier than the versions we see here (the lucky Dutch!) … David also info’s that the now land-based TV offshoot of Radio Veronica has just been voted ‘Europe’s Young People’s Television Company’ – incidentally, could Holland be a good new base for London’s soul pirates to beam from? … David Collins has joined the deserters from JFM to Solar-FM … Tony Hodges keeps revealing (in his great radio voice) that his exclusive megamixer ‘Scratcher’ lives in Burnham near Slough – which is Disco Mix Club territory, so are we to assume he’s had written permission to play their mixes on Solar? … DMC’s Glam-Rock mix seems to have been sparking off a ‘70s pop revival especially up north, while December’s set of mixes should cause even more excitement: Sanny X has totally restructured Chaka Khan ‘I Feel For You’ and put together an Electro ’84 medley, Alan Coulthard has excelled himself on a brilliant Hi-Energy ’84 stormer (enabling DJs to junk half the Hi-NRG records they previously carried!) although his Pop ’84 is less compulsive, and Les Adams is hot in spurts on Funk ’84 (subscription details 06286-67276) … Graham Gold does an indiscernible mix between Temptations ‘I’ll Keep My Light In My Window‘ and Kool & The Gang ‘You Are The One‘, both a bit gospelly, both 91bpm (even if the latter is really double-time!) … Stevie Wonder ‘Woman In Red’ finally topped Prince’s own soundtrack atop the US Top Black LPs … Arista ought to rush out Ray Parker Jr’s US hit ‘Jamie‘ while telly soap fans’ interest in the like-named new ‘Dallas’ character is still high … Chaka Khan and Dennis Brown headline this Saturday at Kingston Jamaica’s third annual Reggae Superjam … Peter Kok, a faithful Toronto reader, reports Run-DMC are currently working on their own ‘Run-DMC’ film which they say will show the “real story” of hip hop, while Jimmy Jam Harris & Terry Lewis seem indeed to be together and forming their own Flyte Time label in Minneapolis … Philip Bailey is following his own wonderful gospel LP on Myrrh by producing gospel singer Jubilant Sykes for the label … Teena Marie’s soulful ‘We’ve Got To Stop Meeting Like This‘ duet with Ronnie McNeir was originally intended as a return engagement with Rick James (like ‘Fire and Desire’), but Motown won’t let him work with her now she’s moved labels to Epic … Al Jarreau’s slowie ‘After All‘ is huge on US “adult contemporary” radio so it’s strange he let himself be talked into using uncomfortable fast electro rhythms on his album just to be supposedly fashionable … Toddy, another Essex jock into Onyx, has a pre-Xmas boogie at Ilford Town Hall’s Lambourne Rooms this Friday (14), when Froggy funks Stanmore Chevaliers in The Limes (get there by 11pm), and Colin Hudd attracts an ever older crowd to Dartford Flicks for soul oldies from ’75 to ’70 (loon pants!) … Saturday (15) Chris Dinnis joins Paul Lewis souling Swindon Brunel Rooms Ampitheatre, which pulls the party hearty crowds from the likes of Reading, Gloucester, Oxford & Bristol … Steve Walsh, now weekly Fridays at Rayleigh Pink Toothbrush, joins the usual crew at Birmingham’s Powerhouse alldayer Sunday (16), when Frenchie T in the same city reminds everybody to check the funk weekly at Edgbaston Maximillians’ Sunday Night Experience … Dave Hucker, celebrated Thur/Sat spinner of ethnic exotica at Soho’s Sol Y Sombra, moves his Afro/Carib/N & S American ryddims into Ronnie Scott’s Maze Club Wednesday (19) … Bolts gay venues are spreading north to Nottingham’s Easy Street every Wednesday from the 19th … Llandudno’s hot Hi-NRG mixer John Dineley made a big move from North Wales to Surrey and Camberley’s new gay Krugers, where he’s after PAs (and members) on Camberley 64547 …Tony Howard shirtily sniffs he’s been sole DJ at Brighton Bolts (Sundays in the Pink Coconut) since Summer ’83 … Hazell Dean is square jawed at London’s Hippodrome Mon (17) … John DeSade has opened Wed/Thur at Gillingham’s lavish new The Avenue, and in the same town souls Sundays at Kents with lots of old jazz to please Barry the boss (makes a nice change!), Paul French (the other one), still at Kents Tues/Thurs, now does Fri/Sat at The Avenue – which he reckons is in Rainham’s Watling Street … Franklin Sinclair the funky solicitor (really!) has actually replaced Sean Brett Fri/Sat at Bolton’s fully refurbished The Dance Factory, which now turns “the young element” away but is if anything funkier than before … Phil England spins ’60s soul at Egham Olivers Wednesdays … Darryl Hayden has clocked up nearly 70,000 miles this year alone in his Ford lorry with his 6 kilowatt video roadshow – among selected upcoming dates are Ruislip Southbourne School Sat (15), Cranford Community Centre Mon (17), Potters Bar Elm Court YC Fri (21) – and he now also operates a Twickenham-based Abracadabra disco equipment hire service (01-898 1127) offering a whopping third-off discount to reader DJs caught short over Xmas … I’d advise anyone parking in the West End of London to pay attention to police “No Parking” signs no matter how unreasonably sited you may think they are, otherwise you could find the bomb squad letting off controlled explosions in your car – I was parked perfectly legally not far from just such a suspicious vehicle and the police only begrudgingly let me move in a great hurry (while they hid around the corner) after checking first for a secondary device under my own car, so be warned, be careful, and be aware that your lack of consideration can cause unnecessary alarm and trouble … Theo Loyla probably realizes his record plugging job enables him to visit such far flung hot spots as Blackburn’s Peppermint Place, which I too would love to see if it cost nothing to get there and wasn’t at the weekend when my own job ties me down to assembling the charts he finds so useful – thanks for the kind words though Theo … DJs post your charts ‘n info NOW to arrive Monday (17) to catch the issue dated January 5 … SA Y-HO-HO-HO!

HOT VINYL

GAP BAND: ‘I Found My Baby’ (LP ‘Gap Band Vl’ US Total Experience TEL8-5705)
The guys repeat their enduring underground smash ‘Outstanding’ bar for bar at 97bpm but now with a flavour of Fatback’s ‘I Found Lovin’’ – and as both are still instant floor fillers in black clubs this is off to a great start! – while ‘Disrespect‘ is a Woody Woodpecker-introed whistle blowing easily rolling and swaying 107¾bpm groove with chanting from halfway, ‘The Sun Don’t Shine Everyday‘ a particularly beautiful very delicate tenderly started 52/26bpm slow smoocher building in a Marvin Gaye influence (fragments of its instrumental link some other tracks), ‘I Believe‘ an interesting old fashioned yet Stevie Wonder-ish tortuous 73-0bpm weaver, ‘Beep A Freak‘ (the US 12in) a perfectly serviceable repetitive 114 ¼bpm P’funker, ‘Weak Spot‘ a rambling 106bpm soul swayer, their inevitable fast ones being the frantic 136½bpm ‘Video Junkie‘ and jerky 134½-137bpm ‘Don’t You Leave Me‘. Now, how about a megamix of ‘Outstanding’ and ‘I Found My Baby’ as UK 12in?

ASWAD: ‘Need Your Love (Each And Every Day)’ (Island 12IS 214)
Nice lazily soulful attractive 83bpm reggae swayer ending in its dub.

WARREN G BURRIS FEATURING MICHELLE: ‘I’ve Got It’ (US Becket Records BKD 524)
Chick ‘n’ chap souled 120bpm jitterer, blandly uninvolving (Master Mix flip). Continue reading “December 15, 1984: Gap Band, Aswad, Warren G Burris, Magnum Force, Clair Hicks & Love Exchange”

December 8, 1984: Major Harris, Mascara, Sheena Easton, Grandmaster Melle Mel & The Furious Five, Dreamboy

ODDS ‘N’ BODS

SOUTH-WEST LONDON’s long established community-serving Radio Jackie 1332kHz/227m MW last Friday were served with a writ by Radio Mercury and the Attorney General claiming loss of advertising revenue and the stealing of Mercury’s audience, amongst other complaints (this despite sympathetic support from their local MP) — however the writ is being contested by Jackie, who are taking their case to the European Court Of Human Rights … Jon Guy reports from Manchester that the busted KFM were planning by now to be back on air, but on Medium Wave using a low power transmitter, while the unconnected rival Carousel Radio have been testing on the thus vacated 94.3FM with an aim to run around the clock … LWR seem firmly back on 92.05FM, and although not one of London’s soul stations there are various hip hop shows … Brian Hurst now counts down the Billboard top 100 US Hot Black singles on Solar 102.45FM Fridays 9.11 pm … Ashford & Simpson topped US Hot Black, Alphaville ‘Big In Japan’ Hot Dance/Disco with Paul Hardcastle ‘Rain Forest’ streaking up fast behind!! … The Temptations actually increased their UK sales but because four other singles vaulted higher they slipped one place in last week’s Gallup chart, thus becoming ineligible for Top Of The Pops, which was a shame as (now too late) their video was then ready — ironically they were overtaken by labelmates the Dazz Band, whose video was ready and shown the week they went Top 30 (still, these are the breaks) … Marion McClain, of Jeff Lorber Fusion and Pleasure as well as solo fame has joined the Dazz Band for their US tour … Roy Ayers’ ‘In The Dark’ LP is also out here now (CBS 26199), as is the Phyllis St. James set (Motown ZL72298), while La Famille ‘Lost In Paradise’ is indeed on 107⅓bpm 12in (Bpop BPOPT 01, via PRT) … G.Q. should have been 115½-0bpm … Morgan Khan’s latest compilation, not without some help from myself, is a massive 14 album boxed set of 142 Love Ballads (Street Sounds LVBAL 1)! … Lenny Henry’s current 12in is about to be twin-packed with a great “Hip Hop Katanga” electro scratcher and a comedy routine, neither on his LP … Erskine Thompson is overseeing a largely re-recorded remix of Total Contrast ‘Sunshine‘ … Ian Dewhirst, ex-Leeds Warehouse DJ, is now the disco man at EMI who are launching a classy new Manhattan label next year with such jazzy signings as Bobby McFerrin … George Benson’s new LP ’20/20’ is due Jan 11 … Chris Hill (Sheffield Park Hilly’s) and Tom Holland (Canvey Goldmine) have exclusive tapes of Sister Sledge’s unreleased ‘Outrageous’ well ahead of vinyl issue … Double Dee & Steinski, with Whiz Kid, are creating “an historic mastermix” of classic hip hop tracks for an LP on US Tommy Boy which next month will compliment Steve Hager’s similarly titled book ‘Hip Hop’, the album (and the mastermix’s starting point) featuring such seminal “break” oldies as the Incredible Bongo Band ‘Apache‘, Dennis Coffey ‘Scorpio‘, Baby Huey & The Babysitters ‘Listen To Me‘, Ralph MacDonald ‘Jam On The Groove‘ … Les Adams’ remix of ‘Stomp‘ will be promoed on 12in backed by his 4-track medley, only available commercially on the Brothers Johnson’s final A&M hits LP … Kev Hill soulfully VJs “video funk” Thursdays at Rayleigh Pink Toothbrush Palms Cocktail Bar (pub hours) to build the night for eventual transfer into the club itself, while his Saturdays at Harlow Whispers are being talked about as the Goldmine’s natural successor — he himself tips Basildon’s Chris Hewitt as a “singing Paul Hardcastle-like future star”, hot on Essex radio duo to Dave Gregory plugging his demo of ‘Dateline Girl’ recorded as by Onyx … Booker Newberry Ill, an amiable fellow with whom it’s a pleasure to chat, may be big (though not as big as Steve Walsh!) yet he really struts his stuff in a dynamic stage act worth catching while he’s here — and the slinky Vanity moves it about a bit too, cor! … l was too late to see much of David Sanborn at Wembley but Al Jarreau was pretty good when not over-doing his self-indulgent scatting — his frantic acappella scat ‘Take Five’ was great though, while my faves were his sultry ‘Teach Me Tonight’ and bluesily staged ‘Just Got In From Chicago’ — after which I waited with Fiona Waterman and birthday girl Barbie Dunne to watch him perform again to a playback of the first few numbers so that, while all around was being dismantled, he and the band could have some action close-ups filmed to slot into the TV programme shot at Wembley … Lovely Previn acting as tour guide later that night led Al Jarreau and Slim Gaillard into Rockafella’s late nite eaterie and introduced us, so naturally we had a chat in which Al revealed he’s such a perfectionist he’d have repeated the entire show for the cameras had it been necessary … Brenda Russell’s ‘Jarreau’, off last year’s ‘Two Eyes’ LP, was played immediately before Al hit the stage and has been causing quite a demand in record shops since … Junior joins such as the Pointer Sisters, Rick James, Shalamar, The System, Patti LaBelle in supplying soundtrack songs for the new Eddie Murphy movie ‘Beverly Hills Cop’ … Beggars Banquet have picked up and re-packaged/titled the old 1981 Grove Production album by Robert Greenfield’s alter-ego Roberto Campoverde, the “London Latin” and hot in its day Cayenne ‘An Evening In Jaffa‘ (Coda CODA 11) … Band Aid’s as yet unheard 12in was mixed by Trevor Horn … Capital’s John Sachs bribed me not to mention where he was in Cricklewood last Thursday, but Mike Allen is there instead this week and the club (your starter for ten) is named after the surname of a Labour MP from a North Midlands mining constituency! … Five Star join Rick Robinson at South London’s Old Kent Road Oasis (free admission) Thursday (6), when Judge Dread hits Whitchurch (Shropshire) 007 Club — he’s at Charing (Kent) Night Owl Fri/Sat (7/8) … Friday (7) finds Chris Hill & Froggy back at The Royalty, or rather Southgate’s Pink Elephant for one night only, Jeff Young (who will sit in for Robbie Vincent on Radio One too!) at Dartford Flicks, Chris Dinnis at Yeovil Electric Studio with Paul Lewis & John C (and alone at Taunton Kingstons Sat) … Friday (7) also sees Pete Haigh & Kev Birchall alternate between floors at Blackpool Baskervilles with monthly Mecca/Wigan classix upstairs and the new Black alternative Dance downstairs (£1 covers both), PAs needed on 0253-824156 … Saturday (8) Mastermind cut up an under-18s hip hop scene 6.30-11pm at West Norwood’s Nettlefold Hall … Sunday (9) Electricity Records present Kofi & The Lovetones, Simone, Velvette, Linda Lewis, Angie Gold and more at Nottingham Barry Noble’s Astoria 2pm Hi-NRG alldayer jocked by Peter Martine, Les Cokell, Richard Jones, while the previous Ilford crew of Froggy, Graham Gold, Nicky Holloway & Ian Reading funk another 3pm alldayer but at Southend Zero 6 with lotsa PAs … Paul Major now does Birmingham Millionaire’s Fri/Sat, and is about to start the other five nights at Derby’s non-dancing Knotted Snake fun pub … Birkenhead Atmosphere’s Tuesday Hi-NRG nights are hosted by the enigmatically named Gypsy Rose Lee … Clair Hicks & Love Exchange ‘Push (In The Bush)‘ (US KN) is a Greg Carmichael/Shep Pettibone-produced scratch remake of 1979’s Musique ‘In The Bush’ — and Bobby ‘Boris’ Pickett has re-recorded his immortal 1962 ‘Monster Mash’ as an updated ‘Monster Rap‘ (US Easy Street) … Al Matthews, whose Sunday 6-7am Capital gospel show is an hour I try never to miss, really played some corkers last Sunday — such soulful singing! … Continental hits Tony Esposito ‘Kalimba De Luna‘ (Red Bus) and Sandy Marton ‘People From Ibiza‘ (Carrere) mix nicely using 7in copies if you run the latter’s electro intro through the former’s short 4 bar break (chopping that out as Sandy’s beat begins) … who is this Damon Cheesedip anyway? . . . SAY-YAY-YAY-YAY-YEAH!

ATTENTION DJs! Please post your charts and all Christmas/New Year gig info NOW to arrive this coming Monday (10) or else you’ll be too late for inclusion in the Dec 22 issue, and likewise next Thurs/Friday aim for Monday (17) delivery to catch Jan 5. We’ll be back to normal (ie: previous Wednesday 2) for the Jan 12 issue, but especially at this busy time for everyone we really need ya to keep ‘em coming!

HOT VINYL

MAJOR HARRIS: ‘I Believe In Love’ LP (Streetwave MKL 3)
Produced by Butch and backed by the whole family Ingram (who typically go more for soul content than strict tempo), the traditional throaty soulster’s excellent classy set’s most haunting standout is the gently weaving 104⅓-105⅔-108½- 0-108bpm title track swayer, beefier being the 110-111-112bpm ‘What Ever Happened‘ and 110½-111-112½bpm ‘Let Me Give You Love‘ while in this company his recent wriggling 113⅓- 113¾bpm ‘Gotta Make Up Your Mind‘ sounds stronger (a better mix?), many mellow slowies including the 82¼/41bpm ‘Through It All (The Game)’, 68½bpm ‘After All’, 74bpm ‘I Love You’, 69-0bpm ‘Rediscover’, 62bpm ‘Spend Some Time’.

MASCARA: ‘Baja’ (Personal 12PER 110)
‘Jingo’-ish jaunty rattling 122¾bpm bounder with Spanish chattering chix and Kid Creole-ish rapping chap going into a vibes-based conversational break (useful Instrumental Dub and echoey Ruff Mix flip), mixed by Jellybean and huge in US clubs as is anything he touches. A stiff on import, but then even ‘Jingo’ took time to explode.

SHEENA EASTON: ‘Strut (Dance Mix)’ (EMI 12EMI 5510)
Starkly percussive powerful 114⅓bpm jagged jerker building intensity as it motorvates along behind chanting shrill Sheena, monstrous in the States since the summer and given the chance likely to do a Madonna here. I think it’s terrific! Continue reading “December 8, 1984: Major Harris, Mascara, Sheena Easton, Grandmaster Melle Mel & The Furious Five, Dreamboy”