October 8, 1983: New York radio report, Grandmaster & Melle Mel, Herbie Hancock, Instant Funk, Skool Boyz

ODDS ‘N’ BODS

TEDDY PENDERGRASS has returned to recording, doing soundtrack songs for a film called ‘Choose Me’ . . . Curtis Hairston whose price was rising the hotter he got on US radio, has finally been bought here by RCA for imminent release — and Polydor snapped up Major Harris! . . . ‘Street Sounds — Electro 1‘ is due now, with Captain Rock, West Street Mob, G-Force, The Packman, Newcleus, Project Future, C-Bank, K-9 Corp — talk about wikki-wikki! . . . Steve Harvey’s ‘Tonight‘ is out next week, and sounds brighter when speeded up for a killer synch out of his ‘Something Special‘, which in turn is superb out of Sharon Redd — so much so in fact, that Steve’s publishers are taking steps about the similarity . . . WEA’s Fred “Listen” Dove has re-serviced a promo of the old 109bpm Prince ‘D(ance) M(usic) S(ex) R(omance)‘ a whole year after its debut at Caister, and a US Qwest promo of James Ingram’s Quincy Jones-produced 111¾bpm ‘Party Animal‘ which coincidentally also sounds like a gruffer Prince . . . Gap Band ‘I’m Ready‘ has been dragged down to 117bpm for remixed 12in next week, while for some crazy reason CBS have ruined Haywoode ‘A Time Like This’ with a dreadful remix which now replaces all commercial copies in the shops — they can keep it! . . . MCA have withdrawn Oliver Cheatham’s current ill-advised 12in to put out ‘Bless The Ladies‘ instead — yay . . . Take Three ‘Tonight’s The Night (All Right)‘ has turned up on import Dance-Sing 12in remix, now more sparsely clomping with a freakier ‘Tonite (All Right)‘ flip, but both versions will be re-edited again and included with both earlier UK promo versions on the finally due 4-track commercial UK copy . . . Showstopper Promotions have had to cancel this month’s second Caister “overflow” weekender, they say following “the non-availability of the main Caister centre for the later dates”, but have relocated where possible people booked for Part 2 into increased accommodation at the now obviously completely full first Oct 14-16 weekend . . . Showstoppers have also joined forces with man-about-North London Joe Williams (01-487 5584) to set up Club Attack, which aims to provide properly co-ordinated liaison between artistes and clubs for PAs, charging clubs a realistic fee for a guaranteed appearance by star names with full back-up services for both parties . . . Bryan O’Connor has disappeared from his Island plugger’s job, just like that . . . Sinnita Renet turns out to be the vary tasty 18 year-old daughter of Miquel Brown, and niece of Amii Stewart! . . . ‘New Blackbeat’ deep soul fanzine (£3.75 well spent for six densely packed issues from 101 Sevenacres, Orton Brimbles, Peterborough PE2 OXJ) reveals in its full Frankie Beverly discography that his first-ever record around 1962 was the Madara & White-produced ‘Loveable Girl‘ as by The Butlers — which I’ve had for years without knowing (offers in excess of £200 only!) . . . Steve of the above mag should note that High Fashion record in Italy with European producers, and that several of the mag’s early London soul listings are in fact country & western singles! . . . Lyndon T is now promotions/A&R manager at the increasingly dance orientated Polo Records, 351 Edgware Road, London W2 1BN, where he’d welcome funky demos — plus he’s jocking with Shaun Healy every Wednesday at Kensal Green’s Tropical Palace in Chamberlayne Road (free before 9.30pm), electro-boogie ‘n soul . . . Shaun Healy also crops up with Greg Trotman & Gordon Antony as of this Saturday (8) electro-phunking Hammersmith Broadway’s Clarendon Hotel (again free before 9.30pm) . . . Hereward Radio’s Steve Allen celebrates the 4th anniversary of Slickers at Peterborough’s Cresset Centre this Sunday (9) with a 4pm alldayer (arrive before 5.30 for a special present) starring Martin Collins, Jonathan, Paul Murphy, Malcolm James, Jerry Little & Trevor Mack . . . Tony Blackburn, always a champion of Motown on his old Radio One brekky show, is now rapidly making such a reputation as “Radio London’s soul jock” he’s being inundated with club gigs! . . . Paddington Green’s Bluebird Records have taken over the shop next door just to sell US deletions and cut outs, while Kev Edwards, as threatened when he quit Manchester’s Spinn Inn, has indeed opened his own Hott Waxx record shop in Earlstown, Newton-Le-Willows — I’m sure our advertising department would love to hear from both (after all, this is the paper most read by DJs) . . . Peter Lee reports from Bolton’s Dance Factory that our mention of their recent lazer light show brought in extra punters . . . Lance Nuttall has renamed the old Cinderella’s disco at Sayers Common’s motel in Sussex (Hickstead), calling it with great imagination the Dance Factory too, the expensively refitted club now having its own Attica dance troupe made up of ex-punters who involve customers in their routines rather than just doing a cabaret spot, and Lance (0273-833232) is after other dance acts to appear there (Wednesdays everything is 50p, drinks/burgers/admission) . . . Alan James Jewell, briefly back in Blighty after poking around the Orient, has left the Bacchus fold to make a fortune jocking in Hong Kong at the Hollywood Boulevard, where high energy rules . . . I took part in what could have been a Neil Simon scenario when attending the New York wedding of Capital Radio producer Mike Childs & Jan Sedofsky at Marylou’s restaurant in Greenwich Village (haunt of Jack Nicholson), where the amazing wise-cracking showbiz rabbi (it was the full glass-stamping thing) had to get the background music turned off before uniting the couple — and guess what was playing, ‘Sexual Healing’! . . . Capital’s one-time late night producer Robbie Barish and his Dairy Milk-chomping wife Susie were my hosts, yet again (incidentally I used to live in the city a long time ago, so it’s not exactly new to me!) . . . ‘Trading Places’ starring Dan Aykroyd & Eddie Murphy (plus an eye-boggling Jamie Lee Curtis) was the only movie I caught, good John Landis-directed fun mainly for fellahs . . . Chaka Khan and Kashif were appearing together in Newark last Sunday (New Jersey, that is!) . . . Broadway’s musical version of the French film ‘La Cage Aux Folles’ looks like fuelling the Boys Town chart for months to come, Gloria Gaynor and Le Jeté already leading the race to discotize its songs . . . Men Without Hats video for ‘The Safety Dance’ is the opposite of the techno/electro you might expect — it’s a medieval morris dancing scene! . . . “We are Pepsi Free” goes a US radio commercial, to the tune of Sister Sledge’s ‘We Are Family’ . . . Graham Hunter (Basingstoke) either had his Christmas card lost in the post last year or else he’s first with one this year! . . . TWO, THREE BREAK!

NEW YORK NEW YORK – JAMES HAMILTON hot from the Big Apple

URBAN CONTEMPORARY radio’s big catchphrase in New York City is “commercial free music”, meaning that the three main black stations either haven’t got or are prepared to lose all advertising for great swathes of airtime lasting anything from half to three and a half hours! This does not result in chatter free radio though, as all the DJs have the irritating habit of following every record with “I am Mary Thomas” (or whoever) and a station identification.

WBLS is still the most consistently listenable, programmed by evening DJ Frankie Crocker who initiates most of the gimmicks copied by the here better publicised WRKS (KISS-fm) — in fact last week he actually joked on air “Why don’t they pay me for programming that other station too!” MIKTU is less high energy and more soulful with a long slow late morning “Love Break”. Despite a lack of commercials, only WBLS seems to make any attempt at completely mixed programming, disco DJ Jonathan Fearing being in evidence on occasion doing some neatly segued continuous sweeps (and a killer mix of Hot Streak/Raw Silk). Shep Pettibone’s main effort on KISS last week was a remix of G.L.O.B.E & Whiz Kid ‘Play That Beat Mr. DJ’ incorporating bits of hits every time it goes “mastermix those number one tunes”, but the big remixes were on WBLS with Grandmaster & Melle Mel ‘White Lines’ (gigantic there!) and the much played West Street Mob ‘Break Dancin’ — Electric Boogie‘, this by Charlie Casanova & Sergio Munzibai, the latter probably being responsible for Melle Mel too.

Against all expectations there was not a lot of electrophonic phunk on the airwaves, nor that much UK-derived “new music” . . . in fact, there wasn’t much anywhere that we don’t already know about here, very disappointingly. The surprising fact is that we are better served with imports (and by radio in London at least) than are soul fans in New York. The legendary NY equivalent of City Sounds/Groove/Record Shack/Bluebird, the now relocated Downstairs Records at 20 West 43rd Street (just off 5th Avenue) were amazed by how upfront our Disco Chart is, John there having to remark “You’ve got it all, there’s nothing we can sell you” — and indeed it wasn’t until I got home and went to Rayners Lane that I could see what was actually new!

To give you a very accurate idea of what’s currently being played by black urban contemporary radio in New York, the following is an exhaustive list of the stuff I heard most: Lionel Richie, Melle Mel, West Street Mob, Klique ‘Stop Doggin’ Me Around’, Tavares ‘Deeper In Love’, Rick James ‘Ebony Eyes’ / ‘Cold Blooded’, Twilight 22, Love Bug Starski, Curtis Hairston, Madonna ‘Holiday’, Jones Girls, Rufus/Chaka Khan ‘Ain’t Nobody’, Stephanie Mills ‘Pilot Error’, Michael Wycoff ‘Tell Me Love’, O’Jays ‘Heads’, Herbie Hancock ‘Rockit’ (the last three still rising there), Peabo/Roberta, Jennifer Holliday ‘I Am Love’, The SOS Band, Gladys Knight ‘You’re Number One’, Mary Jane Girls ‘All Night Long’, Hot Streak, Raw Silk, Ronnie Dyson, Lew Kirton, Lillo, NV, Colors, Herb Alpert ‘Red Hot’, Peech Boys ‘On A Journey’ (sounds better on radio), Manhattan Transfer, Pure Energy, Aretha Franklin ‘Every Girl Wants A Guy’, Gloria Gaynor ‘I Am What I Am’ (from ‘La Cage Aux Folles’), Koffie ‘And I’m Telling You I’m Not Going’ (discotization of Jennifer Holliday’s ‘Dreamgirls’ biggie), Hazell Dean, Donna Summer, Spandau Ballet ‘True’, Rick Springfield ‘Human Touch’, Bonnie Tyler ‘Total Eclipse Of The Heart’, and (in heavy rotation as it was number one nationally) a Jellybean Benitez remix of the 181bpm Billy Joel ‘Tell Her About It’.

Billy’s video of his album’s ‘Uptown Girl’ (a garage-set Four Seasons meets Busby Berkely production number) was the best to be seen on video-saturated cable television, MTV pumping ’em out 24 hours a day in initially addictive but then sense dulling rotation. Best cable viewing was SuperStation WTBS Atlanta, whose evening video slot was better than MTV (at one time at the weekend there were five channels all showing videos, two of them black orientated), WTBS also including a great game show called ‘Starcade‘ in which two kids compete on video games!

However, with all this music being thrust at once, there were few stations worth staying tuned to, and in fact for me the most entertaining listening was oldies station WCBS’s Sunday night doo-wop show! Yeah, but what about the clubs and disco DJs, I hear you ask? Well, as threatened I did a lot of eating and didn’t actually go to any clubs at all, instead having a lovely time with a nice Jewish girl from Brooklyn called Rhonda! Help Me!

HOT VINYL

GRANDMASTER & MELLE MEL: ‘White Lines (Don’t Don’t Do It)’ (US Sugarhill SH-465)
Taking rap to another higher plane in the most daring record of the year more controversial even than ‘Street Justice’ and more innovative than ‘The Message’, this adventurously arranged 115bpm 12in judderer may sound strange at first but once you’re into it you’ll be hooked . . . and that’s the subject, cocaine. The rumbling rhythm in West Street Mob style is non “electro”, with brassy crescendos, ‘Twist And Shout’ climaxes, and all the way through an inciting vocal variety (harder, freakier flip with mixing elements). Given the breaks this could go Top 20, but it’ll certainly blow your mind, if not freeze your teeth!

HERBIE HANCOCK: ‘Autodrive’ (CBS TA 3802)
Terrific bass resonance underpins another mixture of Material-programmed synthetic hip-hoppery and Herbie’s keyboards, this time acoustic jazz piano in an interesting 115bpm combination (try starting Hot Streak’s acappella flip over the freaky break a third through!), on 3-track 12in with last year’s ‘The Bomb‘ (already flip to the 7in of ‘Rockit’) and a remix of his vintage jazz fusion ‘Chameleon’.

INSTANT FUNK: ‘(Just Because) You’ll Be Mine’ (US Salsoul SG 410)
Producer Bunny Sigler sets up a great bouncily driving beefy 116bpm beat, especially on the 12in extended club version flip, before the guys get meshed into it to end up chanting a familiar “right on time you’ll be mine” (anytime?!), the beat having strong floor impact. I got this on white label in New York only to find finished copies a day later in Rayners Lane! Continue reading “October 8, 1983: New York radio report, Grandmaster & Melle Mel, Herbie Hancock, Instant Funk, Skool Boyz”

October 1, 1983: David Grant, Major Harris, Rocksteady Crew, Hawkeye, Active Force

ODDS ‘N’ BODS

MICHAEL JACKSON and movie director John Landis are discussing a half million dollar video featuring Vincent Price as well as Michael to illustrate an extended 10 minute version of the ‘Thriller’ title track as a “thank you” gesture to all who bought the album (well over 8,500,000 US sales so far and still selling 200,000 a week) — there’s a question of just how the video will be financed, and how indeed it’ll be shown (incidentally, ‘Thriller’ is not set for US singles release although ‘P.Y.T.’ is — the sixth single there from that one LP) . . . Lionel Richie will be on commercial 12in here as soon as his ‘Can’t Slow Down’ album is out in the States (should be next week), the mix then possibly being different from the 7in version used on promo pressings . . . Newcleus in the 111bpm re-edited 7in version sent to me on acetate turns out to be a Froggy mix, and the new commercially released 7in version (Calibre BKS 8) — l know it’s only small, not a big butch 12in, but this version is far easier for mixers as it starts bang on the main “wikki-wikki”, so get it! . . . Gap Band ‘I’m Ready (If You’re Ready)‘ in much remixed form will be their UK 12in A-Side, soon . . . Jive Afrika have signed veteran afro-jazz tootler Hugh Masekela for future product . . Martini & Rossi booze manufacturers are staging a ‘Martini Screentest’ in 80 clubs during the autumn, with a video cameraman, casting director and helpful Max Factor beauty consultant singling out one guy and gal at each venue to compete for an appearance in a future Martini commercial, with spinoffs for the punters of free cocktail vouchers and the chance to win a holiday — all very “exciting”, to use their most overworked word? . . . Dick Carrier (ex-promotions wallah at the Goodhews chain of clubs) now fronts Croydon’s burgeoning Light & Sound Distribution equipment company and startled several people at the BADEM show with a catalogue constructed so much like a magazine that that indeed is what it could become! . . . Steve Dennis (who info’s that Birmingham’s most upfront import shop is Summit Records in Temple Street) has settled his new nights in that city as Monday ‘teen disco at the Powerhouse, Wed/Fri at Millionaire, Thurs/Sat still at Faces French — where Jon Alsop assumes Steve’s old mantle of DJ/entertainments manager . . . Mark Clark now does Tues at Bagshot pub The Hero, Thurs at Burnham Beeches Henrys, Fri/Sat at Maidenhead Valbonne/Skindles where he also arranges PAs on 0734-793779 (and where he may just find Friday turning into a boys night) . . . Liverpool’s ex-godfather DJ, Les Spaine is now doing independent record plugging from the old Shepperton Studio Centre (Chertsey 09328-62688) . . . ‘Krazy’ Kevin Worth started his club career in Blackpool and has been busy ever since (compering the Miss Wet T-Shirt shows in previous years amongst other things) — anyway, he’s now just moved to a new residency at Cambridge’s Ronelles, six nights a week . . . Cramond Perry (031-225 9740) has been filling in at Edinburgh’s Reflections up to this weekend, and then could use other gigs . . . Karl Kingston (0482-42169), as well as being full time at Hull’s refitted Mecca Peppermint Park, is busily doing commercial voiceovers around the whole northern ILR circuit plus for Yorkshire TV and Channel 4, and now offers to make customised NAB (or other) DJ jingles, IDs and promo adverts at competitive prices . . . ‘Segue’ Steve Goddard (01-500 2749) is keen to do free swaps of UK released material already bought on import and thus not needed, plus he’s looking to swap gigs with jocks who maybe can’t afford to be upfront all the time . . . Kev Hill (0277-223030) is going in a party of about 25 funkateers to Cromer next weekend (7-10) and wonders if any venues dare give him gigs there to ensure those extra punters (last time he tried this idea he had a hoax booking!) . . . Viking Radio’s Roadshow offers special cheap or even free dates for minority groups like the physically handicapped (two on the team are social workers), and also needs investors — full clarifications from Philip Watkins, 59b Hilton Road, Ipswich, Suffolk (send SAE) . . . Nick Ratcliffe (most impressed by rapper/MC Andy ‘Supercool’ Read, bookable 025679-7952) this Saturday (1) starts weekly with ex-208 Tony Baron at Portsmouth’s brand new Ritzy (formerly Locarno) — could this be of interest to Andrew Macey in Winchester I wonder? . . . Radio London soul jock Tony Blackburn guests on Saturday (1) at Harrow Weald’s Middlesex & Herts Country Club, which you can see masquerading as an East End nightclub on BBC-1 next Thursday in the ‘Give Us A Break’ series, while Froggy joins George ‘n’ Eric there next Tuesday (4), Sean French, Chris Brown, Bob Jones, Nicky Holloway & Ed Stokes jazz-soul another final allniter this Saturday (1) at Watford Gema’s in the Odeon Centre, which will then be torn down to make way for a Sainsbury’s — £4 tickets include a buffet and can only be bought in advance from various record shops and jocks gigs . . . Larry Foster, Steve Goddard, Steve ‘Walthamstow’ Day, Robbie Collins, Mark Eniver & Chris Kenny have a funky party on Tuesday (4) at Epping Forest Country Club near Albridge, £1.50 tickets bookable on 01-519 7280/531 8948/529 6203 . . . Lyndon T & Gordon Mac have moved their electro-funk to Soho Gossips on Wednesdays . . . Gary Oldis has joined Dave Chadwick on Wednesdays for funky fun at The Scorpion in Colburn, Catterick Garrison . . . Steve Charles, Julianas Jock recently taking time out at Benidorm ‘s Beachcomber where Gary Low ‘I Want You‘ was the holidaymaker fave (oddly he says Gary Low and Ryan Paris are the same guy), is organising a Benidorm reunion night at Swansea’s Harpers Nightclub next Thursday (6) . . . Pete Haigh & Steve Naylor mix black & white/US & UK dance music every Thursday at Standish Cassinelli’s where they also eagerly slurp up the home-made Cassinelli’s ice cream and now eat to bursting at the newly opened Mamma’s Ristorante . . . Columbia 12in sleeves, or at least the US company’s distributed labels, now show a montage of fabulous monochrome photos of such swing era New York nightspots as Smalls Paradise and the Savoy Ballroom, all very evocative and coincidentally in line with the ‘I Remember Harlem’ TV series and other topics recently touched on here . . . Tricky Dicky Scanes was threatening at a recent ’60s night to demonstrate the Mashed Potato dance — yeah, gimme gimme gimme gravy! . . . Darryl Hayden did a gig for Moody Blue John Lodge where Noel Edmonds arrived by helicopter, Ringo Starr had a chat and Who drummer Kenny Jones booked him for his own party — by the way, Darryl, evidently US-originated videos are restricted as to use here by various exchange rules, which some companies adhere to more carefully than others . . . London Town 91FM broadcasts now to West London on Saturdays, East London on Sundays, and will soon start on ‘Outernational’ short wave service to simulcast all over the south and into Europe! . . . Chris Ryder is after all types of radio presenter for the 7 days a week/24 hour Skyline Radio 212MW, send biog/demo tape to him at 3 Horsley Drive, New Addington, Croydon, Surrey . . . Chris Dinnis now makes fortnightly appearances on Tim Arnold’s Saturday 6-9pm DevonAir soul show . . . Madonna ‘Holiday’ / ‘Lucky Star’ now tops the US Dance/Disco chart which is ever more high energy rock-disco oriented (Randy Crawford ‘Nightline‘ fitting there perfectly) . . . Sandy Martin (Swindon Brunel Rooms) — or rather the local boys in blue — found his stolen car, seized up and stranded in an M4 layby, and luckily the thieves hadn’t looked in the boot so all his records ‘n stuff were safe . . . I gotta fly . . . TWO, THREE, BREAK!

HOT VINYL

DAVID GRANT: ‘Love Will Find A Way’ (Chrysalis GRANX 3)
Attractive but very lightweight Galaxy-ish 121½bpm 12in pulsator full of soft mushy harmonies, breaking for nice walking bass and tinkling vibes towards the end — presumably he’ll have another video to help sell it (untitled on white label, the flip’s a different purposeful 114bpm instrumental).

MAJOR HARRIS: ‘All My Life’ (US Pop Art PA 1401)
Early ’70s instigator of that infamous soundtrack to a thousand seductions. ‘Love Won’t Let Me Wait‘, Major’s finally back on a happily jiggling lickety-spit 117½bpm 12in lurcher, sorta soulfully electro with supporting chicks cheerily chipping in and then taking over when the beat gets freakiest (dub/edit flip). Don’t get too excited, but it’s almost another ‘Love Town’.

THE ROCK STEADY CREW: ‘(Hey You) Rock Steady Crew’ (Charisma RSC 1-12)
The famous five break dancing b-boys (and one rather vocal girl) from ‘Flashdance’, the ‘Buffalo Gals’ video and (reputedly) ‘Wild Style!’ serve up their own Africa Islam-scratched backbeat smacking all-happening 0-115bpm 12in hip hopper in such a bright vocal style that it’s more a pop than street sound, and so should cross over fast (inst flip). Continue reading “October 1, 1983: David Grant, Major Harris, Rocksteady Crew, Hawkeye, Active Force”

September 24, 1983: Spence, Onward International, Lionel Richie, Sharon Redd, Tavares

ODDS ‘N’ BODS

MARY JANE GIRLS ‘Boys‘ 12in, due imminently, finally finds their own instrumental of ‘All Night Long’ as flip, while also due is Steve Harvey ‘Tonight‘ mixed by Francois Kevorkian . . . ‘Street Sounds Edition 6‘ has current hits by Raw Silk, Serge Ponsar, El Chicano, Paradise, The Rake, Newcleus, Candido, ‘Jingo (Remix)’, SOS Band ‘Tell Me If You Still Care’, the as yet unissued (why now bother?) Beverly Skeete ‘If The Feeling Is Right (Remix)‘, all then let down by KC ‘Give It Up’ — however, watch the singles sales suffer! . . . Skyy ‘Show Me The Way’ is now on yet another 12in (US Salsoul SG 408) in presumably a Randy Muller mix (the original?) flipped by what seems to be Shep Pettibone’s UK remix — confused? . . . Teena Marie ‘Fix It‘ / Inst is on US Epic 12in, (I do hope it’s not our single), while One Way’s US 12in is ‘Let’s Get Together‘ / ‘Didn’t You Know It‘ . . . Active Force ‘Give Me Your Love‘ is due on UK 12in, ‘I Love It‘ will be the Lillo follow-up . . . Curtis Hairston is not definitely confirmed on CBS yet, the money’s been spiralling . . . Stevie Wonder’s forthcoming ‘People Move, Human Plays‘ album title track will be on single soon, the LP later in the year (Motown hope!) . . . Michael Jackson’s return duet with Paul McCartney will be in fact a McCartney release, ‘Koala Bear‘ / ‘Say Say Say‘ / ‘The Man‘ . . . BADEM’s annual disco equipment exhibition becomes ever more a self celebratory social for all the fellow exhibitors to impress each other, as their attitude this year made very apparent . . . Jerry Green, the new hopefully switched on salesperson at Rayners Lane Record & Disco Centre, jocks as well (Windsor Park Safari Club Sats/Hendon Melanies Weds) and always spends a fortune at the shop himself — so he should know what’s what! . . . Lee Taylor tells me the current fashion amongst New York’s mixers is indeed to put the records on any old how, with the faders fully up, scratch back on the beat and then (faders still up about halfway) bring the record to synching speed with their thumb against the platter before doing a crossfade — which must explain how Larry Levan and other DJ legends sounded rough to recent visitor Simon Walsh (Bradford Time & Place) . . . Rick James has replaced Thriller as top US Black LP — but for good? . . . Richard Searling, in his recently changed new time slot, this Sunday 3-5pm on Red Rose Radio 301MW/97.3FM does an all-Northern show marking the would-have-been 10th anniversary of Wigan Casino . . . Lew Kirton, from Barbados originally, sang with the Invitations — I bet some Northern ears pricked up just then! . . . Mike Shaft is special guest at the North West DJ Assn meeting this Sunday (25) 9-11pm in the Belgrade Hotel, Offerten, Stockport (non-members welcome), while earlier that day (noon) the Thames Valley DJA mob meet at Didcot’s Rio on the A4130 towards Wallingford, behind a filling station) . . . Peter Lee hosts “Bolton’s first laser light show” this Thursday (22) at the Dance Factory, followed on Friday (23) by a CBS ‘Dance Mix Dance Hits Vol II’ promotion night — coinciding with one at Edgbaston Faces French as well . . . Chris Brown & Johnnie Walker on Sunday (25) have Camberley Frenchies first-ever “all lighter” yes, light, as in miners helmets, bow ties, torches, anything except a naked flame . . . Odyssey do next week at Watford Baileys . . . ‘Grunting George’ Alexander & ‘Eccentric Eric’ Downs have bodypop/break dancers Micron at their ‘Steppin’ Out’ Tuesday next week (27) in Harrow Weald’s Middlesex & Herts Country Club . . . Paul ‘Datsun Cherry’ Gough (Hartlepool) asked for an old Prince Philip Mitchell LP on this page and says “The power of your column takes some believing, the day the paper came out I had no less than eleven calls!” — he got his copy off Martin Smith (Cardiff), who in turn kindly comments that this page “is the best for info on new releases there is” (gosh, gee, shucks, it’s folks like you who make all the sweat worthwhile!) . . . Darryl Hayden (Twickenham) recently advertised in Record Mirror for DJs and so far has had over 130 demo tapes from Plymouth to Argyle, “which goes to show how many DJs read RM” — he also runs videotheques in a big way and can’t understand why Fred Dove won’t let anyone else use, let alone copy, the many WEA promotional videos which are going to waste when just Fred himself is the only one ever to screen them . . . Dave Rawlings, adding Mon/Thurs at Kensington High Street’s The Park to his residencies, this week drops his WEA chart quota to 18 out of 50, but now 6 make his top 15 — who’s a good boy, then? . . . ‘Segue’ Steve Goddard has just started mixing good music Fridays at Strood’s La Club (where Thursday is a £6 entry/free drinks hen night), while he’s also at Barking Chains Sat/Mon, Stratford Reflections Sun . . . John ‘Nick’ Osborne has now moved on Wed/Fri/Sat to Leysdown Stage 3, replacing Tom Felton . . . Dartford Flicks bank holiday allniter raised a record-breaking £1,500 towards a cancer-treating laser gun for West Hill Hospital . . . I’m surprised Ian Levine hasn’t picked up on Mercy Ray ‘You Really Got To Me‘ what with the much repeated line (especially on the dub) “I’m waiting for a call from Heaven”! . . . Carl Richardson’s boogieing with the boys again next Wednesday (28) at Hull Fagins . . . John Tracy (Manchester Hacienda) reckons A Certain Ratio’s ‘Don’t Worry About A Thing‘ is very similar to the Cal Tjader/Carmen ‘Mama Corleone’ McCrae version on the ‘Heatwave’ LP, which was a big “cool off” jazz track at the group’s hometown club . . . The Jones Girls fairly fast shrill ‘On Target‘ 12in is an unexpected chart entry — I thought most people were waiting for their obviously imminent album . . . Tavares LP’s ‘Caught Short’ should be 133-0bpm . . . Guy Dalton ‘Passer La Nuit’ at 33 1/3rpm was dynamite between La Famille and Michael Wycoff! . . . Haywoode’s first name is Sharon — but why’s she known as Sid? . . . PRT’s Tilly Rutherford made a specially edited 111bpm 7in acetate of the Newcleus wikki-wikki’s for me, making mixes much easier — he may also (at my suggestion) be getting some without any backing . . . Arthur Baker is doing the soundtrack music, including established electro hits, for a Harry Belafonte-produced “street life” movie set in the South Bronx — presumably a more elaborate ‘Wild Style’? . . . Channel 4’s ‘I Remember Harlem’ last Sunday somehow went right through the ’30s without showing any jitterbugging apart from the last few seconds — sorry! . . . I’ll be in New York myself this weekend, for the wedding of Capital Radio producer Mike Childs and native New Yorker Jan Sedofsky, and while I can promise to do some serious eating I may not be doing much disco-going . . . TWO, THREE BREAK!

TOM BROWNE really doesn’t have much tootlin’ to do on his ‘Rockit’-style Maurice Starr/Michael Jonzun-prod/penned ‘Rockin’ Radio‘ — detailed off import 7in last week and now already on the 118½-119bpm UK 12in (Arista ARIST 12 545) — his horn making the merest token appearance especially on the (initially mislabelled) 119bpm dub version flip.

HOT VINYL

SPENCE: ‘Get It On’ (Dutch Ariola 600.956)
My monster of the weekend, an immediate floorfiller both nights despite being totally unknown, this Dutch-made dynamite ultra-beefy bass bumped 112bpm 12in trucking thudder starts with street sound effects while the beat builds in ‘Funkin’ For Jamaica’ style before hitting an Al Hudson-ish groove behind the chant supported light voiced guy, breaking with some electro hiccups towards the end (Haywoode synchs out superbly). This should be huge.

ONWARD INTERNATIONAL: ‘Foot In The Door’ (Paladin PAL 001, via Rough Trade)
Out of Paul Murphy’s jazz basement streaks this excellent homegrown frantic fast bounding brass, piano and percussion latin-jazz instrumental driven with great solidity by a familiar bass line — 0-125-126-124-126-124-126-124½-125½-127-124-126-0bpm, although 126-0.c is simpler as you’ll play it all! — on 3-track 12in flipped by the really specialist latin ‘Samba Doo Bonnay‘ and ‘21st Floor Mambo‘.

LIONEL RICHIE: ‘All Night Long (All Night)’ (Motown TMG 1319)
“Great for radio but not really a dance record” said all the pundits when this came in on import 7in last week. Oh yeah? Now on 12in promo and due as a UK 7in (flipped by last year’s delicate ‘Wandering Stranger‘), this quietly starting then madly infectious brassily spurting 108½bpm afro/carib-flavoured party jiggler is a floor filling monster (I mixed it between Michael Wycoff and Odyssey ‘Roots’), especially as it is indeed already hot on radio! Continue reading “September 24, 1983: Spence, Onward International, Lionel Richie, Sharon Redd, Tavares”

September 17, 1983: Tom Browne, El Chicano, Guy Dalton, K-9 Corp, Tavares

ODDS ‘N’ BODS

SUNDAY’S BARBEQUE at Bensons of Henley was held indoors and as usual at such music/disco biz gatherings proved a good meeting place and good fun, attracting such diverse personalities as Capital’s Dave Cash, Luxembourg’s Tony Prince, Steve ‘Jabba’ Walsh, Steve Harvey, Haywoode and a host of local jocks . . . Tony & Christine Prince in fact ended up with their Disco Mix Club colleague Alan Coulthard, Birmingham’s Steve & Ros Dennis and myself back at their house talking through the rest of the night! . . . Steve Dennis, although still jocking two nights there, has just quit his entertainments manager job at Edgbaston’s Faces French to concentrate on more freelance work and welcomes offers (he’s saving up for a yacht!) . . . Pete Tong is now ensconced at Polydor and has opened a new mailing list for “alternative” and soul jocks — written applications only, to Pete at Polydor Records, 14 St George Street, London W1R 9DE . . . Canadian Katie Farmer is the new club plugger at MCA, after originally being brought over here with her sister to work for Pete Waterman’s Loose Ends label . . . Herbie Hancock’s follow-up is indeed ‘Autodrive’ and Level 42’s ‘Micro-Kid’ . . . CBS, with Gary’s Gang and Lew Kirton due soon, have also laid out money for Curtis Hairston here . . . Freeez follow with another much looser Arthur Baker production, ‘Pop Goes My Love‘ / ‘Scratch Goes My Dub’ / ‘No Need For Greed’ on 12in due next week although white labels are evidently already about . . Teena Marie debuts on US Epic 7in with the disappointingly rushed and strident c.125bpm ‘Fix It‘, which hopefully is not typical of the LP . . . Design Communications picked up Divine ‘Love Reaction‘, Elite got C-Bank ‘Get Wet‘ both out soon . . . Pagoda need a new lead singer, sex unspecified although presumably female, for details contact Gregg Knowles on 01-398 2076 . . . Lee Taylor, globetrotting jock just back from Bangkok (try saying that with a mouth full of spaghetti!), wants blonde mixing jockettes interested in working abroad to call him on 01-385 6955 . . . Kev Hill & Chris Tyler kick off Fridays again this week (16) at Chelmsford’s Chancellor Hall with lots of “upfront tackle” (of which there’s currently so much that few can possibly play it all, surely?), Kev also funking Saturdays now at Southend’s Blue Boar in Victoria Avenue — where his opening night had to compete with a live MoR band fulfilling an earlier contract! . . . Brother Louie & Shaun James are jazz-funking Fridays at Leighton Buzzard’s Unicorn Nightclub . . . Brighton sees Andrew Henderson start a weekly soul club this Sunday (18) at the Abinger in King’s Road, with a World Series PA and mystery guest jock (7.30pm, only 50p), while Wednesdays find Andy King & Paul Clark back souling Busbys weekly with regular stellar support . . . Ian Reading notes the passing of summer next Thursday (22) at Southend Zero 6 with free admission for everyone dressed Hawaiian style and 35p spirits before 10pm . . . Gina Lamour joins Tricky Dicky Scanes with the boys at Stratford (E15), The Pigeons this Saturday (17) . . . Adrian Dunbar (Southampton Warehouse), raving about Risque, boldly says it’s so nice to find a Boys Town biggie that Ian Levine didn’t have a hand in! . . . German mixing jock Peter Romer, recently departed from Piccadilly’s Xenon, has ended up midweek at Maidenhead’s Skindles — where he’ll soon start running special “learn to mix” courses for the Disco Mix Club . . . Imagination’s Leee John seems likely to compere the televised Malibu Disco Dance championships instead of Steve Walsh or the more recently mooted Nino, “Ninny” also having just quit compering the nation-touring Miss Wet T-Shirt shows (too much for the lad from Bristol City?!) . . . New York rapper Fab 5 Freddy was rushing around the radio stations last Saturday to plug in rhyme his role in the rap/scratch/bodypop/break/graffitti ‘Wildstyle’ street flick currently showing at London’s ICA, to crowds of local electro fans — check it! . . . Channel 4 at 7.15pm for the next three Sundays should be a must for all serious black music fans interested in soul’s roots, as the ‘I Remember Harlem‘ documentary series started with rare film (and recordings) of amongst others Marcus Garvey, whose ill-fated Black Star Liners in the ’20s were intended to repatriate black people to Africa and directly inspired today’s Rastafarians, and the amazing Cab Calloway who of course is Kid Creole’s chief influence — anyway, the series this Sunday picks up from 1930 and is bound to show much jitterbugging and early break dancing along with all the black swing bands . . . ‘Close Encounters Of The Third Kind (Special Version)’ started in the cinema, and now we have a visual “remix” craze with ‘The Godfather’, ‘The Leopard’, ‘A Star Is Born’ — and you can even read ‘The Bible (Edit)!’ . . . Paul Anthony at Wolverhampton’s heaving Eve’s, where local band Tin Tin’s ‘Kiss Me‘ is still the hit that never was, dangles a carrot to all prospective PA artistes — immediately the club closes at 2am he’ll whip ’em onto Beacon Radio for a late night live interview and phone-in with Pete Clements . . . DJs despairing of getting their chart featured on Peter Powell’s ‘Steppin’ Out’ soul show (Radio One 6.10-7pm Mondays) should maybe reapply with their gig details so that they can stay on file to await an eventual phonecall and namecheck . . . Disco and Boys Town chart contributors, please send your latest lists and info NOW as I’ll be going to a wedding in New York next week . . . Dave Rawlings (Basingstoke Martines) must chart everything Fred Dove sends him, 21 of his Top 50 being on WEA (next best CBS and Polygram with 7 each), but only two of these were in his Top 15 — how many dog chocs does that earn? . . . Music Week, the UK trade paper, is full of rumblings from the record industry about reverting to a 7in only chart, which would be a disastrous move for the disco biz — far more to the point, the 12in chart should be dropped because it’s only the existence of such a thing that makes the creative marketing people think they can gain an edge by being competitive in that as well, thus resulting in everything being issued on 12in whether warranted or not . . . I hesitate to speculate how many DJs buy two copies of a record so they can create remixes at their gigs! . . . The B Boys exploded at Birmingham’s Powerhouse alldayer on Sunday, and for hip electro jocks everywhere — don’t forget to combine it with the backing-less B-side of Dolby’s Cube to really freak ’em! . . . I discovered this mix totally by chance while following one with the other on the twin decks at Rayners Lane’s Record & Disco Centre, where word has it that switched on salesperson Paul Mohamed will soon be leaving (shock horror!) . . . Del Richardson is possibly the best instrumental mixer of the moment, and it’s the instrumental flip of Skyy’s remix that’s really hot for me . . . ‘KISS-FM Mastermixes’ LP is of course now on import, while (clarifying last week’s review) Al Jarreau is only 112bpm . . . Morgan Khan is muttering about an all-‘Electro Street Sounds’ series! . . . Sakhile sadly seems too late now for singles success (why did Jive delay it so long?), but Shalamar could just regain their grassroots disco support with ‘Over And Over‘ as follow-up . . . Haywoode’s slender lithe legs must be fuelling a few fantasies at all her many PAs! . . . Chris Britton (Watford Baileys) confesses his new 1.6 Ghia Escort is actually guzzling far more gas than it should at the moment, while poor Sandy Martin (Swindon Brunel Rooms) had his old blue Ford Escort (PKK 827G) plus gear and records nicked from outside a Bank Holiday alldayer at Swindon’s Wiltshire Hotel . . . Paul Major, I thought your low Gwen Guthrie rating was right — didn’t you twig? . . . Mike Jones writes from Kilwinning’s Flicks in Ayrshire that he’s been a disc jokey (sic) for about ten years — it’s the way he tells them! . . . WIKKI WIKKI!

HOT VINYL

TOM BROWNE: ‘Rockin’ Radio’ (US Arista AS 1 9088)
Trumpeter Tom hip-hops aboard the ‘Rockit’ bandwagon with a powerful Maurice Starr/Michael Jonzun-prod/penned 119bpm electro smacker topped out over muttering vocoder by infrequent bursts of his various sharply stabbing horns. A warning shot on 7in, it’s being rushed this week on 12in.

EL CHICANO: ‘Do You Want Me’ (CBS TA 3722)
1970’s Santana-ish ‘Viva Torado!’ latin-rockers return with a drifting 86bpm 12in harmony chant and organ swayer hinting at old San Francisco flower power in its vocal sound — however, all the soul jocks play its lovely tougher 87bpm organ instrumental flip, which after initial resistance is suddenly catching on fast. Incidentally, Scotland’s Kenny Macleod speed-spins the import at 45rpm so it’s then a slightly distorted but useable 117bpm.

GUY DALTON: ‘Passer La Nuit’ (Mach 1 MAGIC 127, via PRT)
You’ll laugh even more, but this Liverpudlian’s dreadful frantic 134bpm ‘Night People‘ vocal on 3-track 12in has this instrumental version which when played at 33 1/3rpm comes out at a very respectable 99bpm, without distortion — and synched between ‘PIMP The SIMP’ and Active Force it was one of my hottest records of the weekend! You must try it too!

K-9 CORP: ‘Dog Talk’ (Capitol 12CL 307)
Rightly rapid UK release for the great amusingly goofy rap overdub of George Clinton’s ‘Atomic Dog’ using his original 107bpm 12in backing track (and 113bpm instrumental of ‘Man’s Best Friend‘ as flip). Watch me raise my leg — woof! Continue reading “September 17, 1983: Tom Browne, El Chicano, Guy Dalton, K-9 Corp, Tavares”

September 10, 1983: Hot Streak, Curtis Hairston, The B Boys, Skyy, Hamilton Bohannon

ODDS ‘N’ BODS

ALAN COULTHARD has mixed CBS’s new ‘Dance Mix Dance Hits II‘ LP due next week, with a far stronger and more compatible looking line up of tracks than poor Froggy had to use last time, while Alan’s Duran Duran megamix for this month’s Disco Mix Club will be accompanied by not two but three cassettes of promo material . . . Volume 2 of the ‘KISS-FM Mastermix‘ series is now on import Prelude LP but features disappointingly dated tracks . . . ‘In Store Music’ plugger Granville Williams is fretting that DJs sent the cassettes of promo tracks for free are not filling their reactions as accurately as he’d like, some saying they already had a record before it had even been pressed — does it really matter? . . . El Chicano and the Booker Newberry III follow-up will be out here next week . . . Bensons of Henley at Remenham Hill have their music biz barbeque this Sunday (11) at 7pm, don’t forget (details last week) . . . Colin Day has taken over the ‘Dancing In The Streets’ Saturday 6-8pm disco show on Worcester’s Radio Wyvern but is short of good product from record companies/indie pluggers and could handle more interviews too . . . Cino Berigliano, still jocking, is now also working as a freelance plugger on dance records exclusively — but this is not an invite for DJs to call him as his service relies on personal contact with all the clubs in the London area rather than mail-outs (however, companies with product to plug can call 01-688 3699/551 0631) . . . Barry Brown of Barry’s Disco Centre in Gloucester is holding another annual Discomart exhibition at the Gloucester Leisure Centre on Sunday 13 November, stand space available on 0452-421126 . . . David Grant’s erstwhile Linx partner, Sketch is getting back into music but maybe in an unusual direction (just as long as it’s not like Shalamar, huh?!) . . . Chiltern Radio’s Sunday soul show host Martin Collins tragically lost his 16 year old sister last week, dying from an incurable respiratory problem, while one-time assistant editor of Record Mirror (responsible for my present job) and editor of several other Disco publications, Peter Harvey also sadly died recently — actually in mid-air aboard a flying ambulance on the way home to England for treatment for cancer of the liver — heartfelt condolences to both families . . . Rick James ‘Cold Blooded‘ took over as top US Black single . . . Kurtis Blow’s LP review missed the 104bpm ‘Got To Dance‘ last week . . . JFM’s ‘Crazy Chris’ Ryder kicks off Fridays at Gillingham’s Regency Nightclub with a Kenny Lynch PA this week, and also jazz-funks Saturdays at Coulsdon’s Dance Factory . . . Robbie Vincent, Jeff Young & Chris Bangs soul South Harrow Bogarts this Sunday (11) with 50p drinks 10-11pm . . . Cosmic, saying the Bank Holiday breakfast at Flicks was “allll right!”, is in slight confusion as the Liberties nightclub part of his Basildon residency has closed down although the New Yorker pub part hasn’t . . . Colin Hudd has been joined at Dartford Flicks by young blood David Williams for Tuesday’s under-18 ‘Teen Scene’ . . . Martin Waine does Fri/Sats at CJays on Colwyn Bay pier, but I was barbequeing in Denbigh the night he invited me there! . . . Peter Powell may have an annoyingly indistinct way of burbling on but he does at least sound different from his Radio One colleagues (and play more than the same six records over and over again!), as I came to realize once my cassettes had run out while exploring mainly sunny Central Wales later last week . . . John Tracy (Sheffield Leadmill/Manchester Hacienda) is one of several jocks who returned from hols in Spain full of praise for the standard of mixing and even sound and air conditioning in clubs there . . . New Yorker David Franco is new DJ and fellow American Elizabeth Krall the lighting jock at London Piccadilly’s Xenon, while around the corner in Bond Street The Embassy (celebrating its 3rd birthday tonight Thursday 8) has organised a petition to stop redevelopment of the site, which has housed a nightclub since 1870 . . . Dougie Mack, resident jock at Brighton’s Pink Coconut, says an earlier announcement of Jon Kutner’s that he’d also be working there was premature to say the least — he didn’t pass the audition! . . . Norman Scott similarly reports from the pink zone that despite muck raking by the gutter press there were over 1,200 gays at Brighton Bolts a couple of Sundays ago . . . Carl Richardson boogies with the boys this Saturday (10) at Hull Bali Hai . . . Adrian Dunbar (Southampton Warehouse) reckons the attitude of WEA plugger Fred Dove is very strange, as if DJs should feel honoured to be on his mailing list, and he now understands how pressure on DJs to chart any old track off dogpoop albums can distort the record’s real potential . . . IDA rep Martin ‘Fast Eddie’ Edwards, who also jocks at Harrow’s Mirrabeau winebar (Sunday MoR oldies his busiest night), says that in the current sales chart it’s easy to get to number 80 just on sales to DJs alone . . . Rayners Lane’s Record & Disco Centre has yet to sell a single Clark Sisters 12in, despite discounting ’em to 99p in the cheapo bin . . . Nancy Wilson’s old 67bpm ‘How Glad I Am‘ is nice out of Carmel ‘Bad Day‘, inspiring me at another of my 6am closedown mobile gigs last Saturday to dig out Ketty Lester ‘Love Letters‘, Nina Simone ‘I Put A Spell On You‘ and Esther Philips ‘Moody’s Mood For Love‘ too . . . Tyneside’s peripatetic DJ Dirty Harry writes from Abu Dhabi that he’ll be reporting soon from Poland! . . . Hartlepool DJ Paul Gough, without being on radio, has got an impressive scale of sponsorship from Datsun dealers Bradleys of Blackhall & Peterlee, who gave him a free (but signwritten) Datsun Cherry courtesy car in return for plugs at all his many North-Eastern gigs . . . Chris Britton (Watford Baileys) used to drive “expensive limos” like a Jag, Audi, Merc, but now has a new 1.6 Ghia Escort which does 0-60 in 10 secs and 32mpg (is that all? — what a gas guzzler!), although he’s yet to see how much disco gear fits in the back . . . Graham Hunter (Basingstoke) finds guest appearances easier now with a Ford Cortina Mk. 4 Estate, which takes all his records in the back instead of as before on the passenger seats (OK, I know you’re all agog, I get five big and two small LP boxes in the normal concealed boot of my Cherry!) . . . Herbie Hancock has really brought the electro revolution out into the open, lots of electro mixers which previously would have been confined to certain black London and Birmingham clubs now moving chartwards fast, while it’s interesting that the chief critics of electrophonic phunk are all white suburban DJs working outside the city centres . . . WIKKI WIKKI!

HOT VINYL

HOT STREAK: ‘Body Work’ (Polydor PSOPX 642)
Starting with a US Army style “sound off” chant, the instrumental flip’s acappella version of which is dynamite played un-synched as a cross-fade out of ‘Autodrive’, this Jellybean Benitez-mixed vocodered and chanting catchy jittering 121bpm 12in tuneful electro rattler has taken off like a rocket already.

CURTIS HAIRSTON: ‘I Want You (All Tonight)’ (US Pretty Pearl PP 510)
Chix-backed new soulster, sometimes sounding more like a soulstress (without any effeminacy), on an excellent creamily pushing 114bpm 12in chugger that already has the feel if not lyrics of a classic in the Newberry/McFadden & Whitehead mould (dub/edit flip). Should be huge.

THE B BOYS: ‘Two, Three, Break’ (US Vintertainment VTI-001)
‘Buffalo Gals’ and ‘Rockit’ paved the way, now here’s the ultimate scratcher — pure and simple, just a 104bpm 12in judder ‘n thud rhythm box beat programmed by Guy Vaughn with Chuck Chill Out scratching over it, giving it musical form minus anything as off-putting as an actual tune or real instruments! (Same track on flip). Continue reading “September 10, 1983: Hot Streak, Curtis Hairston, The B Boys, Skyy, Hamilton Bohannon”

September 3, 1983: “Now seems the moment to put recent developments into their historical perspective.”

ODDS ‘N’ BODS

MICHAEL JACKSON has just cut another duet with Paul McCartney, mixed by Jellybean Benitez, but first we’ll finally get ‘Thriller’ on 12in in a month, while Alan Coulthard’s Disco Mix Club Jackson megamix has evidently been closely copied on a remade Belgian bootleg (please do not ask how to find it!) . . . Tom Browne has been produced by the Jonzun Crew in ‘Rockit’ style — and Herbie Hancock is now top US Dance/Disco hit . . . Bensons of Henley at Remenham Hill hold a music business barbeque next Sunday (11) at 7pm, £3 a head, all DJs and record company people welcome — if they can bear WEA’s Fred Dove as guest jock! . . . Randy Crawford will sing and talk to you all this month on 01-388 5188 . . . Lillo Thomas’s LP is already out here (Capitol EST 7122901), and Ryan Paris last week should have been 120½bpm . . . Brass Construction ‘We Can Work It Out’ is now on import 12in as a negligible remix . . . Philip Bailey’s import ‘Continuation’ LP doesn’t exactly scream “dance to me!” . . . Canada’s Power label soon reissues Antonia Rodriguez ‘La Bamba‘ and Dee Dee Jackson ‘SOS (Remix)‘, and in fact Power’s Vince Degiorgio is looking for new “high energy” masters at 190 Colin Ave, Apt 108, Toronto, Ontario M5P 2C6, Canada . . . Paul Travis has just started a free admission/pub bar prices boys town night at Wigan’s old Tiffany’s, now renamed Maxine’s, every Thursday . . . Norman Scott (Haringey Bolts — current big oldie, Connie Francis ‘Where The Boys Are‘!) passes on from regular Bolter Steve Jolley that Imagination’s next album will include some strong disco tracks . . . Pete Haigh (Standish Cassinellis) observes that boys town music seems to be crossing over to pop audiences who dislike electro-funk’s rigidity . . . Carl Richardson (Hull 0482-711874) is after the old “Josephine Baker tribute” LP by Phyliscia (Felicia?) Allen & The Village People . . . Paul Gough (Hartlepool 0429-70036) will pay big bucks for the old Prince Philip Mitchell ‘Top Of The Line’ LP . . . ‘New Blackbeat’ is a fax ‘n’ info crammed deep soul fanzine 34 closely printed pages long, £3.75 for 6 issues bi-monthly, from 101 Sevenacres, Orton Brimbles, Peterborough, Cambs PE1 OXJ — October’s will include the complete 1962-83 Frankie Beverly discography . . . Main Ingredient’s ‘Happiness Is Just Around The Bend’ has been remade by ex-lead singer Cuba Gooding for Streetwise . . . Sundays at Basildon New Yorker, Cosmic revives the likes of Mighty Fire ‘Love Fantasy‘ . . . Darren Fogel, now doing Saturdays at Tottenham Valentinos, is compiling the Top 100 Soul Singles for Christmas broadcast on Radio Invicta 92.4 FM (his ‘Soul Searchin’ spot’s 4-6pm Sunday), so send your nominations to Invicta at 8 Southampton Row, London WC1 . . . Alan Reid, ex-Bacchus/Julianas jock (he had to learn to mix in Canada, as if he talked the club emptied!) and ex-Birmingham Powerhouse lighting operator, has opened his own Gingers in Pontypridd with a full lightshow (Wed-Sun) even though it’s only small . . . Jon Alsop’s high energy bias is bowing to the ‘Rockit’ influence with increased electro-funk on Mondays at Edgbaston Faces French ‘Kilohertz’ night, while at Faces this Thursday (1) Steve Dennis has a visit from Kenny Lynch — who’s then on Friday (2) with Peter Lee at Bolton’s Dance Factory . . . Jeff Young guests Thurs (1) at Hemel Hempstead’s Whip & Collar, Dave Rawlings has a St Trinians Friday (fancydressers in for free) at Basingstoke Martines . . . Steve Walsh starts funking Mondays at Bermondsey Old Kent Road’s Dun Cow next week (5), Lyndon T electro-funks Tuesdays at Soho Jean Pierres (first drink free) . . . Frenchie’s Sunday Funk Club has moved to the later licensing hours of Wednesdays at Charnock Richard’s Bowling Green Inn (£1 before 10.30, half price drinks) . . . Rickmansworth’s very American style restaurant the Long Island Exchange (by the station roundabout) does alcoholic milk shakes — um yum, schlurp schlurp! . . . Colin Hudd has gone megamix crazy at Dartford Flicks on Saturday nights, and now that Thames Valley DJ Assn big boy Frank Smith has started editing the Disco Mix Club mag, all the TVDJA members are being told how to mix! . . . Steve ‘Dover’ Day (Sheerness Woodys) recommends mixing Hazell Dean ‘Searchin’ into Change ‘Searching’ in a synch from “where the drums sweep down and back up again” . . . Tom Edgar, jocking as Tom Mator (in a cockney accent?), is busy enough but could handle more club/pub gigs on 01-855 2064 (night)/855 7777 (day) . . . Rob Harknett (Roydon 027-979 2329), booked solid on Saturdays until 1985, needs more MoR jocks to cover some venues, small rigs OK but music must be “tame” for fees around £35/45 . . . Chris Cole (Bramley) recorded himself at a 21st gig to make a demo for a club where he wanted a residency, and was told he was “too confident, cocky and frantic” — presumably a nervous, shy and quiet jock got the job, but Chris’s own approach does at least bring in lots of mobile work! . . . Steve ‘Walthamstow’ Day similarly applied for a gig, only to be told he was “behind the times and much too old”! . . . Gary Oldis, now back at Aycliffe Bee Jays after fracturing his skull in a road accident, recuperated in Jersey where he reckons Chris Tandy at the Madison is the Island’s best night . . . Richard ‘Lofty’ Lofthouse (Tyneside) reckons the name LaFleur sounds like the Peter Sellers French pronounciation of what you dance on! . . . WIKKI WIKKI!

These are the breaks…

NOW SEEMS the moment to put recent developments into their historical perspective. Black American music began outside when Southern slaves relieved the tedium of picking cotton with rhythmic call-and-answer “field hollers” derived from dimly remembered tribal chants, vocal music being the cheapest to make — and maximum effect/minimum outlay still holds good today.

Christian church music, military bands, the patronising “plantation songs” of touring nigger minstrel shows, and the attention grabbing antics of street corner medicine sellers (whose increasingly eccentric dance steps were the basis of most we know now) all combined in the late 19th century to produce the different strains of a new and specifically American black tradition.

The banjo, an approximation of certain African stringed instruments, gave way to the Spanish guitar as the go-anywhere accompaniment for an emergent type of solitary “blues” singer, the blues being a simple secular adaptation of the mixture of call-and-answer with church music which at the opposite extreme resulted in gospel (the eventual inspiration of vocal harmony groups and ultimately soul).

The other solitary black musicians were the pianists in brothels, who experimenting amidst their exotic surroundings came up with sexy, sleazy, syncopated rhythms of “ragtime”, which when played with jaunty abandon on military band instruments became a dance craze lasting nearly thirty years with increasing acceptance (and white copyists) until the soloing fervour of its more adventurous musicians became known to the world as “jazz” in the early ’20s.

The urban jazz bands had no problem making a loud enough noise for dancers, but the rural blues guitarists had to play open-tuned chords with a broken bottleneck on their finger to make a shrill sound, or use metal bodied guitars fitted with resonators.

Following the spread of radio in the early ’20s came electrical recording in 1925, enabling “whispering” crooners to be heard where previously only the bellowers cut through, microphones replacing megaphones for the featured vocalists on ballroom bandstands.

With the big bands of the ’30s came an acrobatic black dance style known as “jitterbug”, which had been germinating in Harlem since 1923 and really erupted in ’28 when marathon dancer ‘Shorty’ George Snowden amazed onlookers by doing a “breakaway” flinging out his partner and improvising some solo steps. Shorty and other inventive dancers, egged on by money throwing celebrity socialites, became a big attraction as they tried to out-dance each other in the “Cats Corner” at the Savoy Ballroom, where two battling bands would drive the dancers so hard the music became called “swing”.

It was Benny Goodman who gave swing the white face of respectability in 1936, the same year young black teenager Charlie Christian (following the lead of Count Basie’s guitarist Eddie Durham) began experimenting playing jazz on a guitar plugged into a rudimentary electric amplifier. The Jimi Hendrix of his day, Charlie Christian went on to play with Benny Goodman, but more importantly his improvisational style influenced saxist Charlie Parker and the whole ’40s be-bop movement.

Probably the first electric blues guitarist was flamboyant showman T-Bone Walker (some of whose moves were copied by Elvis Presley!), but during World War II many rural bluesmen moved north and west to the industrial cities where they too plugged in and formed raucous “rhythm & blues” groups, augmented at war’s end by “booting” saxists splintering away from the no longer viable big bands.

Black kids who couldn’t afford an instrument would hang out on street corners copying such gospel-derived tenor/bass/harmony groups as the Ink Spots and Ravens, singing silly phrases like “doo-wop” in a style which influenced the Temptations onwards. Other street corners often had blues players plugged into portable speakers, some maybe talking rather than singing their blues, while in the churches were preachers whose crescendoing rhythmic sermons moved the congregation to frenzy.

Rapping and ranting radio DJs spread rapidly as R&B became “rock ‘n’ roll” in the ’50s and men like Alan Freed copied the black style, which right through the ’60s often incorporated a carefully prepared rhyming rap lead out over an instrumental from the playlist.

Around 1970 such street poets as the Last Poets recorded their angry, staccato, musically flowing raps (the era when Gary Byrd started out), all of this sewing the seeds of rap as we know it today.

However, apart from the total commercialisation of black music and increasing sophistication in the making of it, things stayed pretty much the same out on the street corners, in the subways and stairwells (anywhere there’s an echo!) . . . until, that is, another advance in the use of electronics. The ghetto blaster. Now every kid can make a loud noise out on the street, even miking up to rap along to the beat. Cheap electronics and the boom in synthesizers like the rhythm box which can be programmed to any automatic beat pattern have revolutionized the creation of black music, cutting costs and replacing musicians.

Out of the portable discos of Brooklyn, base of New York’s big Jamaican population with their sound systems, came the use of rhythm boxes allied to DJs “scratching” records over the top of them — often out in the street, where of course the “break” dancers carry on their tradition.

It’s sad to think that in this revolution we’ve probably lost the vocal group tradition, but the current breed of young men out there today are in fact merely following in the footsteps of all that went before them — and every new development mentioned above was greeted in its day with the abuse of many and total horror of some. Think about it!

HOT VINYL

LADY M: ‘Please (Don’t Break My Heart)’ (Calibre CABL 116)
Sneakily catchy with an interest-holding good frisky arrangement, this soulfully wailed soaring jaunty 114bpm 12in wraggler weaves around a booming bass line (good out of Kenny Lynch) with so much zest that it’s really quite high energy too and could well get pop attention (inst flip). The lady’s vocal is outstanding.

BAISER: ‘Summer Breeze’ (Canadian Celsius 12CLS-7013)
Chording piano, sassy brass and tootling sax start this attractive chick-sung long ever developing unhurried sinuously pumping gently jiggly 109¼bpm 12in swayer, which eventually hits a cowbell percussion break (inst flip) and initially had boys town attention though should win wider favour. Incidentally, check the chart in case any more hot imports arrived after this week’s early deadline.

K-9 CORP (Featuring Pretty C): ‘Dog Talk’ (US Capitol 8562)
Coinciding perfectly with renewed interest in the original, this is a great rap version of ‘Atomic Dog’ using George Clinton’s 107bpm 12in backing track behind and between mentions of Pluto, Goofy, Scooby Doo, Snoopy and other canine cartoon faves — “watch me raise my leg” being the nicest line! — flipped by Clinton’s own 113bpm instrumental of ‘Man’s Best Friend‘. Woof . . . woof! Continue reading “September 3, 1983: “Now seems the moment to put recent developments into their historical perspective.””

August 27, 1983: Newcleus, The O’Jays, Unique, Monyaka, The Rake

ODDS ‘N’ BODS

DISCO PLUGGER Fred Dove has spare copies of Serge Ponsar and the Clark Sisters for the first hundred bona fide DJs not already on his WEA list to contact him at PO Box 59, Alperton Lane, Wembley, Middlesex HA0 1FJ . . . Francois Kevorkian has remixed Time Zone for Island release soon, while One Way ‘Shine On Me‘ remix/instrumental is about on MCA 12in now . . . Steve Harvey may yet alter it, but his follow up is likely to be ‘Tonight‘, a juddering jolting c.110bpm smacker reminiscent of the Whispers similar title . . . Herbie Hancock’s LP title track ‘Future Shock‘ is indeed as my white label review said “Curtis Mayfield-ish” — he wrote it (and it’s sung by a squeaky chap, Dwight Jackson)! . . . IMS ‘Nonline‘ is 114½bpm, in case anyone was wondering how to get it down to “wikki wikki” speed, while last week’s Donald Byrd review should have mentioned the “live” 118-117-116-115-0bpm ‘Dominoes‘ jazz-funk anthem, and disco-aimed 107-106bpm ‘Change‘ . . . OPEC-UK’s Paul Oakenfold has finally got a day job at Rush Release . . . London Weekend Radio 92.5FM, normally funking the airwaves just on Saturdays (when Colin Hudd features the City Sounds sales chart during his 5-7pm slot), this weekend keeps going through to Monday . . . Peckham’s Kisses has a busy holiday weekend lined up, Richard Jon Smith & Katie Kissoon PA-ing with their radio commercial’s star DJ Froggy on Friday (29), Galaxy’s Phil Fearon somersaulting with Steve Walsh on Saturday, while Monday’s 3pm alldayer has Atmosfear, Direct Drive, State Of Grace and Katie Kissoon again PA-ing with JFM’s Graham “Good Morning” Gold, Invicta’s Steve Devonne, Lyndon T & Gordon Mac . . . Bob Jones, Chris Brown, Sean French & Nicky Holloway jazz-soul Watford Gemas all night Saturday (27) . . . Sunday (28) Manchester Hacienda’s 2pm alldayer stars Colin Curtis, Mike Shaft, Greg Wilson, Simon Walsh, Cleveland Anderson and more, Edinburgh Madhatter’s 3pm alldayer has Alan David, Kenny McLeod, Jim Symon, Billy Davidson, Paul Murphy, Cleveland Anderson (is this possible?) and more, while Wimbledon Tiffany’s 7pm ‘After Carnival Street Dance’ features the magical Mastermind Roadshow, Steve Devonne, Gordon Mac, Lyndon T & Nite Groove plus a £100 dancing prize (£4 advance tickets from Bluebird & Groove, £4.50 on door) . . . Bank Holiday Monday (29) starts early at midnight with Robbie Vincent, Colin Hudd & John Rush hosting Dartford Flicks annual charity allniter (this time a pre-swim beach party) which includes a free full British breakfast from 1am! Bank Holiday events then include Chris Hill, Robbie Vincent, Jeff Young, Pete ‘Pedro’ Tong, Chris Brown, at Eastbourne Kings Country Club 2pm (check ticket availability on 01-866 8141), Colin Curtis, Greg Wilson, Mike Shaft, Kev Edwards, Baz Maleedy, Toby Perkins, Ralph Tee etc plus PAs at Preston Clouds alldayer, Greg Edwards, Steve Walsh, George Power, Paul Anderson, Owen Washington, Steve Jackson at London Lyceum 2pm, Medway/Orwell’s Dave ‘TG’ Brown, Steve Devonne, King Enri, Barry Lee Martin, Tom Mator, Johnny North at Eltham’s Yorkshire Grey 2pm, Froggy, Martin Collins, Sean French, Bob Jones at Luton Pink Elephant’s noon toga party, Tom Felton, John ‘Nick’ Osborne, Russ B at Leysdown Stage 3 early evening 6pm . . . John ‘Nick’ Osborne has in fact left his tenure at the Room At The Top to move around the corner to Ilford’s Lords in Cranbrook Road on Tues (kids 14-18 before 10.30pm)/ Thurs (party night)/Fri & Sat (“good stuff”), still doing Wed at Bletchley Peaches and Sun with Steve Walsh at Streatham Cats Whiskers . . . Bluebird follow their re-release of Lonnie Liston Smith ‘Expansions’ with Francine McGee “Delirium” (which should please Brother To Brother in Stanmore!), all within a couple of months . . . Earlene Bentley is out here on import ahead of commercial UK copies, while the next exclusive Record Shack white label produced by Ian Levine will be the violently percussive Eastbound Expressway ‘Primitive Desire‘ . . . Tony Godden (01-370 7556), with Peter Brown ‘Can’t Be Love’ / ‘Do It To Me Anyway’ for sale, is after a copy of Gianco ‘Old Night Flight‘ and is also trying to identify a very fast “war dance”-ish record with the line “make it on your own” heard at Heaven’s Friday funk night . . . Boys Town “high energy” material seems to be crossing over into straight charts especially up North and in Scotland, where they’ve always been into fast stuff anyway (now then, who said “no taste”?!) — either that, or there’s an undiscovered new pink zone north of the Humber! . . . Brighton’s boys presumably will not be opening a new club called the Pink Zone . . . Bill Grainger (0506 54305) is after artistes with suitably high energy new records for PAs at Edinburgh’s Fire Island disco during the current Edinburgh International Festival (ends 10 Sept) . . . NYC Peech Boys pulled out of their UK club tour due to one boy’s injury — however, disgruntled reports suggest they were rather more rock orientated than expected . . . Slingshot’s cover of the ‘Do It Again/Billie Jean’ medley has topped the US Dance/Disco chart, Aretha Franklin ‘Get It Right’ the US Black Singles . . . Graham Gold (Mayfair Gullivers), back from his hols, reports the shops in Majorca have stopped stocking Ryan Paris ‘Dolce Vita’ as it’s “out of date”, the huge summer hit there being Righeira ‘Vamos A La Playa‘ (Spanish HispaVox 12in) . . . Monyaka, my import review of which was so long ago most people have forgotten it, only ever really sold around Harrow until Gary Crowley started plugging it on Capital — could his Tuesday residency at South Harrow’s Bogarts be the reason? . . . Men At Play has had far more reaction from people buying UK copies than from any jocks sent it on import for free by Rush Release . . . Motivation was serviced to DJs by Phonogram and has yet to sell as well as its current chart showing suggests . . . Level 42’s pop position must be due to the creative marketing of the 7in twin-packed with a free picture disc of ‘Out Of Sight Out Of Mind’ and the 12in similarly with either ‘Love Games’ or a cassette of LP extracts — but the creative marketing prize for shifting plastic over counters must go to Annabel Lamb, whose 7in is packaged with a free video! . . . Steve Dennis (Edgbaston Faces) was recently visited by Island’s Bryan O’Connor, who just happened to have a copy of Hot Streak which he let Steve play to great success — “Bryan, generous to a fault, allowed me to keep the polythene shrink wrap — which even created dance floor reaction, as my dog pulled it from my bag and played it for most of Sunday morning!” (like it, like it!) . . . Will Powers inferior version of ‘Adventures In Success’ is now about on import 12in, but thankfully it looks as if the great Big Brother version will finally get a push from Island . . . Steve Walsh was able to stagger Kenny Lynch during an interview with the info I’d fed him that Kenny’s cover of ‘Stand By Me’ in 1964 was not of Ben E King but of the then current version by new boxing champ Cassius Clay! . . . Phil Fearon’s big birthday party titbit which I forgot last week was Jabba The Hutt taking a swing at Doris Morris — whoops! . . . Channel 4 last week showed the Broadway production of ‘Eubie!’, reviving songs written by Eubie Blake who died recently aged 100, which hopefully anyone really interested in black music was able to see — from cakewalking vaudevillian ragtime to jazzy torch songs, big band blues and gospel, it was virtually an illustrated version of a book I’ve often recommended before, ‘Jazz Dance — The Story Of American Vernacular Dance‘ by Marshall & Jean Stearns (Macmillan), Rock On’s Ted Carroll this Sunday at Camden Town’s Electric Ballroom (7.30pm) presents a ‘1950s R&B Jamboree’ with Big Jay McNeely, Chuck Higgins, Young Jessie & Willie Egans — which brings the history of black music slightly more up to date, as these were the pre-rock ‘n’ roll “booting” sax guys . . . Roger Scott’s ‘Hall Of Fame’ on Capital has reached artistes beginning with the letter ‘P’, in the compilation of which last week I discovered in a spectacular mix how Pigbag got the rhythm for ‘Papa’s Got A Brand New Pigbag’ from Esther Phillips ‘What A Diff’rence A Day Makes’! . . . Newcleus only just missed being Capital Radio ‘Peoples Choice’ by one vote . . . WIKKI WIKKI WIKKI WIKKI!

SECOND IMAGE did indeed win the final of TV’s ‘Freddie Starr Showcase’ on Tuesday, as widely tipped (actually some of us knew, as it had been pre-recorded in July!). They now go on to star in a telly special all of their own . . . which just shows where bodypopping can get you?

HOT VINYL

NEWCLEUS: ‘Jam On Revenge (The Wikki-Wikki Song)’ (Becket BKSL 8, via PRT)
Frankly pretty silly but such good fun that kids’ll love it, this ultra-catchy chipmunk/smurf-sung somewhat rambling 109½bpm 12in electrophonic jitterer imitates the scratching effect with its deadly “wikki-wikki wikki-wikki” hookline (dynamite synched over the ‘Rockit’ scratches!), and now as anticipated is such an underground cult it must be a monster crossover smash too (rap/inst flip, the UK pressing fractionally slower than import — a pity that fraction wasn’t upwards to 111bpm) Wikki Wikki!

THE O’JAYS: ‘Put Our Heads Together (Remix)’ (Philadelphia International 4Z9 04073)
Well, lookie lookie! Extended to 7 minutes with new stretches of instrumental adding to its peaks, and a totally instrumental flip, the 120bpm 12in soul stormer now gives itself and mixers more room to breathe (thus lessening the danger of crashing vocals during a mix into ‘Ain’t No Stoppin’ Us Now’, for instance).

UNIQUE: ‘What I Got Is What You Need’ (Prelude TA 3707)
My original mention of it being that week’s hottest import seems belatedly to have shot this surprisingly high in the chart, conveniently for CBS coinciding with its UK release. Dead simple, it’s a straightforward synth burbled chix sung striding 115bpm 12in disco smacker in classic uncluttered style (dub flip), strong enough to cross over. Continue reading “August 27, 1983: Newcleus, The O’Jays, Unique, Monyaka, The Rake”

August 20, 1983: New York Skyy, Edwin Starr, Rick James, Earth Wind & Fire, Junior Walker

ODDS ‘N’ BODS

PHIL FEARON of GALAXY, whose ‘Fantasy Real‘ follow-up will be a ballad, belatedly celebrated his birthday last week with the widely acclaimed “best party of the year” aboard a Mississippi-type paddle steamer going right down the Thames through the futuristic ‘Star Wars’-ish Thames Barrier (like the Sydney Opera House chopped up!), a really swell affair rounded off by his brother Paul Fearon turning DJ to play Tom Jones and ‘Knees Up Mother Brown’ in traditional style! . . . Phil’s friends (and just about everyone was there) included such out of town jocks as Ian Turner (Llandudno), Paz (Wallassey), Steve Dennis (Birmingham), Sandy Martin (Swindon), Steve Day (Dover) and one-time DJ of the year Dave Silver, now lunchtime jock on Leeds ILR . . . Muhammad Ali looked in at Mayfair Gullivers last Friday, where naturally I played Hurt ‘Em Bad ‘The Boxing Game‘ and ‘The Crown’ while screening ‘The James Brown Story’ — trouble is, we then gave him the latter! . . . Kenny Lynch is actually looking for club PAs, via Nine Bees Promotions on 01-902 4205/900 1683 (incidentally, the mafia jocks join me in hating his 12in mix) . . . Pete Tong is cutting down his journalism and jocking to join London/Polydor as club plugger and junior A&R man, working with Mike Sefton on London product but starting a new Polydor mailing list once settled in next month, his only club residency now being Fridays at Sheffield Park’s Sheffield Arms in Sussex (Bob Jones & Jeff Young taking turns to join him there) . . . Streetwave issue The Rake imminently, Arista/West End have Raw Silk next week, Chrysalis picked up Atmosfear from Elite for a 3-tracker now including their old 109bpm ‘Xtra Special‘ . . . Style Council has been promoed with a less good 86¼bpm remix on white label, luckily flipped by the fuller sounding superior 87bpm original ‘Long Hot Summer’ . . . Booker Newberry III’s ‘Teddy Bear‘ follow-up not surprisingly will be out here ahead of the States (where he’s yet to hit), while the UK version of Sylvester ‘Band Of Gold’ will make much use of its ‘I Can’t Help Myself’-quoting “sugar pie honey bunch” in a so-called ‘Clubhouse mix‘ . . . Hot Streak, the now radio activated New York reggae Monyaka, and Rumple-Stilts-Skin will be here on Polydor (I now find Lady M works better than Rumple-Stilts-Skin, by the way) . . . Liverpool’s Tony Tiger is looking for a versatile experienced club jock for a rapidly expanding local circuit of ten discos like Clouds, Coconut Grove & Earl St John’s, paying top money — full details were in an ad on August 6, p.39, or contact Box No 3841 at Record Mirror . . . Barrie Thyer (Bath 23728), something of an infant prodigy, started broadcasting on Bath Hospital Radio when only 11 and has been jocking kids discos until now aged 17 he’d appreciate some regular club work (he can mix) . . . Larry Foster (01-519 7280), still busy around East London other nights, is after another residency to replace Saturday at Tottenham Mayfair . . . Bank Holiday deadlines mean we need all charts and info for early September sent NOW! . . . Boys Town “High Energy” stuff is really starting to show up in Nightclub pop charts, which could get confusing, so would any new Boys Town contributors please come out and confirm it? . . . Norman Scott (Haringey Bolts) wishes the instrumental promo of Visage ‘The Anvil’ could be commercially released as he’s sick of all the punter enquiries . . . Carl Richardson boogies with the boys next Wednesday (24) at Hull’s Fagins under the Station Hotel (a week early) . . . Joe Field & Mike Allin’s guest this Thursday (18) at Hemel Hempstead’s Whip & Collar is busy Pete Tong . . . Ian Reading at Southend Zero 6 has Canadian Club at half-price all night this Thursday (18) and all spirits at half-price for three hours every Friday . . . Sean Brett jazz-funks Fri/Sat (19/20) at Nethertown’s Village Inn amidst the lovely Lake District . . . Galaxy PA with John DeSade at Maidstone Queens Head on Friday (19) before moving on to join Steve ‘Dover’ Day’s Tia Maria promotion night at Sheerness Woodys . . . Jon Kutner, now with new pluggers Feedback Promotions on Potters Bar 77-4410, starts jocking weekly this Saturday (20) at Brighton’s Pink Coconut (he also does Soho Hombre/Mile End Benji’s) . . . Watford Gema’s has an allniter next Saturday (27) with Bob ‘Dr Jazz’ Jones, Chris Brown, Sean French & Nicky Holloway — £4 tickets from the latter at 101 Lyttelton Road, London N2 ODD . . . Peter Young had Millie Jackson fans ears wide open when on his Friday 6.30pm ‘Soul Cellar’ on Capital he played her 94-96-0bpm ‘Not On Your Life‘ — but rapidly chopped it before the final “not on your *@+!ing life”! (on her 1980 ‘For Men Only’ LP, it’s another good summer tempo) . . . Tony Blackburn’s mid-morning Radio London show is reportedly rivalling Robbie Vincent and the weekend pirates for soul content — incidentally, London now has more soul radio stations than New York, even if they are all only part-time! . . . London Town 91FM, transmitter losses permitting, souls the airwaves Sunday nights 5-11pm with Big Phil Etgart, Paul The Big M, and the real Gary Steel — Paul also jocks Fridays at Bethnal Green’s Weavers Arms in Roman Road . . . Simon Walsh (Bradford Time & Place) was appalled in New York to find these days at the Paradise Garage one-time ace mixer Larry Levan merely slings on the records any old how, evidently a prevailing fashion amongst the Big Apple’s elitist gay jocks — oh dear! . . . Rayners Lane Record & Disco Centre’s Andy Mann found Record Mirror on sale in Rhodes, three weeks late maybe, but all the jocks buying it conscientiously! . . . Steve Jason (Peterborough) says Funk Masters and New Order were huge in Corfu, where he pushed Spandau Ballet for Rush Release (a big help, I’m sure!) . . . Kev Hill (Brentwood) writes, with further descriptions you can imagine, “In your dreams you’ve been to Tunisia — and in your nightmares you had to stay two weeks”! . . . Dave Stodart (Bridge) sent the best holiday postcard so far, from the Algarve — cor! . . . I’ll be in North Wales for the bank holiday, if jocks there can remind me how to find them before then . . . Thames Valley DJ Assn’s annual riverboat shuffle is this Sunday (21), leaving Walton-on-Thames at 7.30pm, £5 tickets on Ashford (Mx) 58881 . . . London’s LODJ Association have heard that the Inland Revenue are using 400 new recruits to winkle out moonlighters — be warned! . . . Morgan Khan on being told there’s a new US label called Street Sounds said: “I’ll sue ’em” . . . David Joseph goes the fast pop Shalamar route on his next c.141bpm ‘Be A Star‘ — so much for funk . . . Alton Edwards has been produced by Isaac Hayes . . . Gwen Guthrie isn’t exactly the smash that Island’s Bryan O’Connor confidently predicted — hopefully he’s not been too creative? . . . Ensign launch a great reissue series of ’60s Sue label classics soon . . . Second Image are hotly tipped to win the Freddie Starr Showcase final on telly next Tuesday (23) . . . Marvin Gaye’s ‘Wherever I Lay My Hat’ was actually recorded in 1962 for his January ’63 ‘That Stubborn Kinda Fella’ US LP and was merely resurrected in ’69 as flip to ‘Too Busy Thinking About My Baby’ . . . Motown, further to last week’s closing comment, was the only indigenous US pop music to compete successfully with the original ’60s “British Invasion” — and if today’s American radio programmers really looked at our own current UK pop chart, they’d find that full of black acts too . . . Newcleus played at the end of the night already has people going home chanting “motel, hotel, Holiday Inn” — wot a monster! . . . WIKKI WIKKI!

HOT VINYL

NEW YORK SKYY: ‘Show Me The Way’ (Epic TA 3691)
Randy Muller’s monster album track smash is out here ahead of import in Shep Pettibone remixed, though not necessarily improved, 12in form — and could catch out dozy dealers unaware of its popularity already! Now acappella introed, the perfectly simple 114(start)-115-116½-117bpm bass bumbled deceptively driving smacker has great anxious Jackson-ish vocal interplay and is a subtle dancers delight similar to Brass Construction’s ‘Walkin’ The Line’ (dead slow flip).

EDWIN STARR: ‘Smooth’ (Calibre CABL 114)
Originally unveiled at Mayfair’s Gullivers in a marathon half hour “live” version — during which Edwin’s all-star backup singers changed it to “the girl is rude”! — and now on vinyl seemingly lasting almost as long, this superb slightly reggae flavoured mesmeric soulful sultry slow slinky 77bpm 12in groin grinder should send shivers down your spine and could certainly sneak up your trouser leg to be a surprise big hit (inst flip). Thoroughly recommended.

RICK JAMES: ‘P.I.M.P. The S.I.M.P.’ (LP ‘Cold Blooded’ US Gordy 6043GL)
Getting the gatefold white suit glamour treatment, Rick’s latest is most notable for its slowies — the obvious monster being this dynamite ‘All Night Long’-mixing 97½bpm purposeful pusher with rapping help from Grand Master Flash, while on the gorgeous old fashioned sweetly wailing 36/72bpm ‘Tell Me (What You Want)‘ smoocher there’s passionately whispering actor Billy Dee Williams, and the equally romantic 35/70bpm ‘Ebony Eyes‘ is duetted by Smokey Robinson. Of the rest it’s his routine formula, all at fast US tempos — the 128bpm ‘U Bring The Freak Out‘, 130bpm ‘1,2,3 (U, Her And Me)‘, 134bpm ‘New York Town‘, 137bpm ‘Doin’ It‘ — apart from the now UK-issued title track 12in ‘Cold Blooded‘ (Gordy TMGT 1314), a Prince-type sparse jiggly 117½bpm smacker with “sexy sexy sexy” muttering, stronger on the floor than it sounds at home . . . though it’s a pity the instrumental flip couldn’t here have been replaced by the not exactly made-for-radio but more commercial ‘P.I.M.P.’! Continue reading “August 20, 1983: New York Skyy, Edwin Starr, Rick James, Earth Wind & Fire, Junior Walker”

August 13, 1983: Paradise, Style Council, Candido, Herbie Hancock, Hot Streak

ODDS ‘N’ BODS

WIKKI WIKKI! — Newcleus, which PRT picked up, is now getting bigger for many than Herbie Hancock and (at 110½bpm) is vital for mixers to use with ‘Rockit’ (111bpm) — as, in an ever evolving variety of mixes, are the 111bpm Time Zone, 107½bpm The Packman, 107bpm George Clinton ‘Atomic Dog’, 111bpm Dwayne Omarr ‘This Party’s Jam Packed‘ (US Survivor 12in earlier this year), 115bpm Man Parrish ‘Hip Hop’, 118bpm Tyrone Brunson ‘Smurf’, Herbie’s own 115bpm ‘Autodrive’, and even the military drumming intro of the 110bpm Diana Ross ‘Work That Body‘! . . . Take 3, reviewed last week, is still only on promo and will probably be out as a US remix . . . Galaxy is also available as a (slight) remix, which with Phil Fearon leaping on Top Of The Pops should creatively market it up the chart — but it’s not the easy ride that Ensign were expecting, is it? . . . Leeds Warehouse-owning Mike Wiand has picked up Otis Liggett ‘Every Breath You Take‘ for his recently started Warehouse label in a fortnight, the 119bpm Police remake mixing perfectly out of Club House to many enquiries — so it’s looking good Mike! . . . ‘All Night Long’ is still the dominant summer tempo, and worthy of Keni Burke-like re-release ‘cos great with it is Gwen McCrae ‘Funky Sensation‘ (97-99-98-100-99bpm) from the two years old ‘Gwen McCrae’ LP (on which the 97-95-97bpm ‘Feel So Good‘ could be good too), while Bob James ‘Sign Of The Times‘ (0-99-100bpm) is another that works well again . . . Orin Cozier the ladies man is compiling a new mailing list for his P’zazz Promotions at 70 Briar Road, London SW16 4LX — he needs “modern dance”-type Nightclub jocks only . . . Cath Harris (Preston) reckons the fast becoming notorious Ryan Paris ‘Dolce Vita‘ is the record that every British tourist is bringing home from Spain . . . Paul Lincoln, funking again at Lowestoft’s Corton Chalet & Caravan Camp, now at least can get a different version of Candido ‘Jingo’ — he’s had to play it up to five times a night seven nights a week, for the last two summers! . . . Danny Smith & ‘H’ at Yarmouth’s late-night 151 Club in King Street mix Mon-Thur, go MoR Fri/Sat . . . Basingstoke’s Martines only raised three contestants for the Miss Wet T-shirt contest (so therefore no pics to send us!) — unlike Bridgend’s Crossways Club where 40 would-be entrants had to be whittled down to just 16 actual contestants, not that compere Nino was complaining (and appropriately enough too, he’s from Bristol!) . . . PRT’s Robert Blenman warns jocks he’s back on the road visiting clubs . . . Alan Christo now does The Dunne Thing at Pontypridd (couldn’t resist that — it really is the club’s name!) . . . Danny Daniels, threatening to jog me during a mix, is currently also at Mayfair Gullivers funking downstairs Sat/upstairs Mon . . . Nicky Holloway & Sean French have had to meet demand for quality soul-jazz by adding Fridays now at Bermondsey Dockheads Swan & Sugarloaf . . . Chris Hill plays butler and Paul Clark footman for this Sunday’s 3.30pm garden party (formal dress preferred!) at The Sheffield Arms on the A275 in Sussex — if it’s fine, I’ll be there for the cucumber sarnies too . . . Record Shack have a little midnight promotion for Miquel Brown next Tuesday (16) at the Camden Palace . . . Carl Richardson boogies with the boys this Saturday (13) at Hull Bali Hai . . . Edinburgh Fire Island’s Bill Grainger now has a ‘High Energy Disco’ spot playing the boys’ biggies 2.45-4.00am Sunday mornings on Radio Clyde during Jim Symon’s regular all-night show . . . MCA’s Andrews Sisters medley, mentioned last week, turns out to be called ‘Boogie With The Andrews Sisters’ . . . Black Bob Maclauchlan (041-886 4899) and his Thunder-G-Disco partner ‘KP’ Graham (041 882 3460) play mainly high energy fast if not actual boys town Fri/Sat at Glasgow Paisley Road West’s Parkway Lounge Bar and are ever looking for further residencies . . . Chris King is another using lots of high energy stuff at Sunderland Mayfair (Sat/Sun/Mon/Tues) and Newcastle Tuxedo Junction (Thur/Sat late)/Tiffanys (Fri) . . . Alan Coulthard’s August Disco Mix Club floorfiller mix is his best yet, apart from the change from hard Unique to soft Galaxy (even more disastrously jolting on his fast oldies mix from ‘Que Sera Mi Vida’ into ‘Use It Up And Wear It Out’ — would more live gigs not help him?), this month’s megamix being of Earth Wind & Fire oldies . . . Mike Sefton is actually part of a three week rota with Ralph Tee & Lindsay Wesker playing soul newies 1-3.00am Sunday mornings on London Weekend Radio 92.5FM . . . Steve Prince, now plugging for Switch Records and arranging PAs on 01-727 0041 for someone called Tony Jackson, also broadcasts 6-8.00pm Saturday evening on London Music Radio 94.4FM and 2-4.00am Monday morning on Radio Horizon (same wavelength) . . . The Dells have joined the Chi-Lites now on America’s soulful Larc label — and if this trend for it to mop up ex-20th Century/Chi-Sound artistes continues, can Gene Chandler be far behind? . . . Dionne Warwick is the latest to be produced by Luther Vandross & Marcus Miller . . . Atlantic’s labels in the USA now all use the same new 12in sleeve design, confusingly not die-cut so you can’t even identify the label at a glance . . . Our Price record shops have shifted all their still unsold import stock to their Wembley branch, where there’s nothing over £3 now and literally everything must go, for however little it takes in the end . . . Rush Release, that should have been Lawton — not Hawton (and you probably know who he is!) . . . Capital’s cockney sparrow Gary Crowley is really championing The Rake ‘Street Justice‘ — good show, what? . . . Comateens ‘Get Off My Case‘, now indeed remixed for US 12in at any rate, is being tipped to tear ’em up Stateside even if everyone did ignore my rave about it here . . . Central Line seems to be being played by people who don’t normally feature real ‘soca’ . . . Sakhile’s album is my fave current most played in-car listening, so soothing! . . . Peter Lee reckons his anything-goes music at Bolton’s The Dance Factory is the most upfront in the area . . . Michael Jackson’s mega-selling number one pop album plus the unexpectedly huge TV ratings for the Motown 25th Anniversary special in the States must surely soon change the blinkered attitude of white-orientated US radio programmers, who appear to have forgotten the lack of colour bar in the ’60s when Motown really was ‘The Sound Of Young America’ . . . keep careful out there, but in the meantime — WIKKI WIKKI!

HOT VINYL

PARADISE: ‘One Mind Two Hearts’ (Priority PX 1)
Leaving other amateurish Brit-funkers standing as they scorch ever upwards on white label promo (surely due commercially by now?), the gospel trained guys are exceptionally accomplished on this ultra-soulful lightly pitched 107bpm 12in summer tempo jogger (‘Crazy’ goes great out of it).

THE STYLE COUNCIL: ‘Long Hot Summer’ (Polydor TSCX 3)
Sensational haunting truly soulful slow 87bpm 12in Imagination-type rolling grinder with scatting “shiddy diddy — diddy de bup” and mucho wailing, obviously a pop smash and so brilliant I actually bought it without waiting for a freebie to play amongst the real black stuff at Gullivers . . . I hope young Weller gets a kick out of that! This is one ex-Scene DJ who digs where he’s coming from.

CANDIDO: ‘Jingo’ (US Salsoul SG 406)
Just what you’ve been waiting for — the Shep Pettibone remix! Isolating and clarifying the enduring classic’s original percussive elements, this chanting Latin instrumental now chugs at 0-120-121-122½bpm (great with ‘Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’) while the 12in flip’s a usefully very different much emptier 0-119-121-122-122½-122bpm ‘Jingo Breakdown‘. Watch this one go! Continue reading “August 13, 1983: Paradise, Style Council, Candido, Herbie Hancock, Hot Streak”

August 6, 1983: Rumple-Stilts-Skin, Serge Ponsar, Kenny Lynch, Toots Hibbert, Feel

ODDS ‘N’ BODS

SHEP PETTIBONE has remixed Skyy ‘Show Me The Way’ for rush released US 12in imminently, as ‘Bad Boy‘ bombed even in the States . . . Teena Marie is hotly rumoured to have an album due now . . . Keni Burke ‘Risin’ To The Top’ is set for re-release (same bass as ‘All Night Long’!), while a future Crown Heights Affair 12in will team ‘Rock The World’, their current 115bpm ‘Heavy Lovin’ 7in flip and an as yet undecided oldie . . . Junior ‘Runnin’ has been remixed by Nick Martinelli for UK 12in in a fortnight . . . CBS have white labelled UK-produced lady Haywoode ‘A Time Like This‘, due commercially mid-Aug, a beefily trucking 114½bpm thudder to which at PAs the crowd pleasing foxy Miss skips through all of Michael Jackson’s slickest video steps in rapid rotation . . . Disco Mix Club now sends members not only their cassettes but also a monthly “power play” on 12in (it’s been Club House, now Kenny Lynch) — for subscription details, DJs/ club managers should contact Christine Prince at PO Box 89, Slough, Berks or on 06286 63227 . . . Michael Jackson’s ‘Thriller’ was deposed by The Police after 19 weeks as top US Pop LP, similarly after 25 weeks the Isley Brothers pipped it atop the Black LP list — but for only one week before it returned! . . . Mtume ‘Juicy Fruit’ lost the US Black Singles chart top after 8 weeks to Donna Summer, and Yaz(oo) ‘State Farm’ / ‘Nobody’s Diary’ is now number one US Dance/Disco . . . Second Image were the audience’s most-liked act on Freddie Starr’s Showcase last week on telly, and should they win the final (which you can see Aug 23) they would be in line for their own TV special — which could be interesting because, as hinted last week, they’ve left Polydor and are currently un-signed . . . Julie Roberts missed appearing with the Funk Masters on Top Of The Pops only because she was on a pre-booked holiday in America (silly girl) — oh, and at her big Bluebird Records party in Fulham Pools last week, Chris Hill was never out of the water (showing off his rippling physique!) . . . Big Brother ‘Adventures In Success’, still hot for me, rather interestingly has a totally different and less effective 94½bpm treatment on US Island 7in as by Will Powers, with composer credits including Robert Palmer and Sting — my thanks for this to Record Corner’s Terry Davis & Ian Clark, who will be presenting their soulful ‘Function At The Junction Pt 3’ this Saturday (6) at Lavender Hill’s The Cornet in Lavender Gardens, good regular crowd into deep rarities . . . Dave Rawlings has “Crazy Christmas” all this week at Basingstoke Martines (‘ere, where’s them pics?) . . . Bob Jones guests with Joe Field & Mike Allin this Thursday (4) at Hemel Hempstead’s Whip & Collar . . . Cleveland Anderson, standing to his full height and threatening my kneecap, proves he can get gigs in the south by funking Oxford Street Spats on Thursdays! . . . Loughborough University’s Eddie Gee & Ken funk a one-off ‘Touch Of Love Roadshow’ with competitions and a raffle this Thursday (4) downstairs at Mayfair Gullivers in Down Street — the same room that the all-mixing all-dancing Mastermind Roadshow has taken over on Fridays now, while upstairs at Gullys for the next two Fri/ Sats your own James Hamilton jocks all night while Graham Gold is away . . . Mike Sefton, guesting with Chris Brown at Camberley Frenchies this Sunday, the previous night (6) starts a monthly early-hours slot on London Weekend Radio 92.5FM playing mainly new soul-jazz-funk . . . I explored the sunny Suffolk coast last week, rather surprisingly listening to Robbie Vincent’s “naff” phone-in on radio London as far away as Snape . . . Peter Stringfellow was the interesting DJ guest on Susie Barne’s Friday night Radio London show last week . . . John Harris (Redruth): that record you couldn’t identify in Spain is that country’s current biggest hit, Ryan Paris ‘Dolce Vita‘ (Spanish CBS A 12.3557/Italian Disco Magic MIX 117) — so say “ta for the info” to Spud (Stevenage), Gary Allan (Liverpool), J A Knight (Bexleyheath)! . . . Heatwave’s massive injection of new blood would seem to have freshened up their stage act considerably . . . Newcleus’s “wicki wicki” vocal scratch effects are sensational repeatedly synched through Herbie Hancock’s real scratching bits, and those two plus Time Zone can be mixed back and forth until the cows come home! . . . Peaches & Herb ‘One On One Situation‘ so far seems hottest up north . . . Level 42 are hitting pop as a twin-pack twofer with ‘Love Games’ . . . I bet Bruce Foxton’s great dance-orientated ‘Freak‘ is the smash in the States that’s so far eluded Paul Weller . . . Isaac Hayes looked in at Mayfair Samantha’s (next to Rockafella’s late-nite eaterie off Regent Street) for Dave Smith’s “back to school” party recently . . . I wonder, does burbling Peter Powell ever think anyone’s made a bad record or done a dreadful Radio One Session? . . . Imagination, who missed their chance of getting out of the rut by not issuing ‘Heart ‘N’ Soul’ way back when they should, had better come up with something different and preferably energetic for their single . . . Greg Edwards stopped Capital’s listeners dead in their tracks last Saturday when he handled a birthday dedication saying, “I won’t tell how old you are — just as long as you’re old enough to funk, that’s alright” (at least we think that’s what he said!) . . . ‘War Games’, a great movie about this computer crazy kid who by chance connects through to the US defence centre and plays ‘Thermonuclear War’ for real (what, you know that plot?), also includes the lovely if oddly named Ally Sheedy — who ‘Hill Street Blues’ fans will know as that recent sexy “just three words” tease (oh boy oh boy!) . . . hey hey HEY, LET’S BE CAREFUL OUT THERE!

ROBERTA FLACK has returned the favour when Peabo Bryson duetted with her following Donny Hathaway’s death, and now shares (second-placed) split billing with Peabo again on ‘Born To Love’ (US Capitol ST-12284), a largely slow quality selection penned/produced by the likes of Bob Gaudio & Bob Crewe (the uptempo highlight is their 121bpm ‘Heaven Above Me‘), Burt Bacherach & Carol Bayer Sager, and Michael Masser — whose Gerry Goffin co-penned slow Richie/Ross-like 0-29½/59-0bpm ‘Tonight I Celebrate My Love‘ is now on 7in here (Capitol CL 302). Designed with lovers in mind!

HOT VINYL

RUMPLE-STILTS-SKIN: ‘I Think I Want To Dance With You’ (US Heat MS 609)
Starting straight out with great squalling sax in Band AKA style over an Al Hudson-ish rhythm, this extremely soulful gal/guy duetted jiggly 112½bpm 12in swayer (inst/edit flip) is one of those unheralded delights that jump out of nowhere to scorch up the chart! Expect this to be massive.

SERGE PONSAR: ‘Out In The Night’ (WEA U9852T)
Instantly accepted rerun of the Chic/’Another One Bites The Dust’ bass line driving the black Frenchman’s 113bpm 12in jiggler, his vocals veering between Phil Fearon and the Bee Gees (inst flip). Sadly, Serge’s import LP ‘Back To The Light’ (US WEA 1-23914) is a bit dull apart from the 116bpm ‘I Want Money‘.

KENNY LYNCH: ‘Half The Day’s Gone And We Haven’t Earned A Penny’ (Satril 12SAT 510)
Very disappointingly in this 113bpm ‘Bethnal Green Chin-mental Funk Mix’ 12in version Kenny and Greg Edwards have together taken out all the funky feel of the LP’s great long intro to leave just the “disco” chix in a horrid empty unsoulful mix, which would never have had a rave review: in fact, I’m not massacring it now only because the swaying song’s so catchy it’ll cross over regardless . . . but do please check the better album version too. Flip’s the more languidly loping (0-)109-113bpm ‘Another Groovy Saturday Night‘. Continue reading “August 6, 1983: Rumple-Stilts-Skin, Serge Ponsar, Kenny Lynch, Toots Hibbert, Feel”