March 13, 1982: no reviews, extended Odds ‘N’ Bods

ODDS ‘N’ BODS

MEDWAY MEGASTAR Nicky Peck has abruptly decamped from his Gillingham King Charles Hotel venue, where the management evidently started upping prices without warning (greed kills the goose again), to re-open his Sunday Soul Club this weekend (14) at the Tudor House on the A20 a couple of miles East of Maidstone . . . Greg Wilson’s alldayer with Froggy, Colin Curtis and more at Wigan Pier next Sunday (21) is members-only, but membership forms are available with SAE from the Pier, Pottery Road, Wallgate, Wigan, Lancashire, or from the DJs appearing, or from City Sounds record shop in London (return rail fare is £10.50 Euston–Wigan) . . . PRT soon release Search ‘Like The Way‘ on Philly World . . . P-Funk All Stars ‘Hydraulic Pump’ finally surfaced here on Virgin in a colourful sleeve but 2bpm faster at 108bpm and with just two tracks instead of the US copy’s three . . . Streetwave’s new 18 track ‘demo/master’ studio is only a converted broom cupboard at Morgan Khan’s Detroit — sorry, West Acton HQ, so don’t expect to fit in more than two people at a time! . . . Steve Walsh’s Svenson advert in Birmingham (where he did radio commercials for hair weaving) read as, “Working in front of audiences means my looks matter to me. So imagine how I felt when I started to go bald” . . . South Eastern Disco Assn’s SEDA ’82 Spring Fair stretches over two days at the Great Danes Hotel near Maidstone this year, Saturday 3rd April seeing an afternoon Record Fair (stand space from Theo Loyla on 01-548 2911) followed by Froggy guesting at a Superdisco, Sunday 4th April then featuring the equipment exhibition, and SEDA’s annual dinner/cabaret . . . Graham Bond (Middlesbrough 0642 325112) is after record pluggers to talk at Cleveland Area DJF meetings, the next one being Sunday week (21) at Middlesbrough’s Post House 7-10pm . . . New York’s “urban contemporary” (ie. disco/soul) radio stations — WKTU, WRKS, WBLS (who carve up the largest share of the city’s listeners between them) — all now feature their own exclusive remixes of current disco hits specially created for each station by rival teams of DJs and unavailable commercially, the main mixing moments to catch being WBLS ‘Mid Morning Mix’ (2½ hours daily), WRKS ‘Master Mix Dance Party’ (noon-1pm daily) which uses original versions leaving remixes for general play, while WKTU slots in mixes in continuous 20 minute chunks several times a day . . . oh for an urban contemporary station in London! . . . Capital now sounds like a commercial radio station — any commercial radio station — rather than Capital . . . UK music of the new variety is breaking in the States via disco play as radio won’t touch it — current US club hits include Chas Jankel, Soft Cell, Human League, Clash, Pete Shelley, Aneka, Modern Romance, Fingerprintz, Flock Of Seagulls, Genesis, Slow Children, DAF, Yello, Haircut One Hundred, Depeche Mode — in fact the vast majority of the non-“disco” material charted by DJs . . . Olivia Newton-John, Soft Cell and Kraftwerk also hit the US Soul LP chart! . . . Erskine T has had the E from WEA . . . Orin, what’s happening? . . . London DJ and sometime disco plugger Dave Towry-Coker, known to wary club managers as Dave TC, was recently killed in an altercation with security staff at the Venue . . . Watford’s New Penny needs another DJ, call Mr Harris on Watford 22003 after 8pm . . . Sandy Martin’s “Randy Sandy” smooch session on Valentine’s Saturday at Swindon Brunel Rooms resulted in Kevin Logan going on stage in front of 1,200 people to ask Donna Gordon to marry him — she blushed bright scarlet and said “Oh yes!” . . . Valentine Sunday saw Shakatak break Watford Bailey’s door record, with 2,500 admitted and 800 turned away . . . Tony ‘Visionary Entrepreneur’ Jenkins actually sent a Telex to cancel our tea date at the Ritz — gad, the guy’s got style! . . . Phonogram’s Four Tops reception at the inconveniently sited Xclusiv would have been better had they not run out of food before I’d found a parking place! . . . PEEL’s latest jingle-spiked promo (for Lady Contour razors) included a gas lighter and lifetime’s supply of excellent fibre-tip pens — how many of those got handed out? . . . John Malkin (Mon/Tues/Thurs/Friday at Rotherham’s refitted Charade, Wed/Sat at Maltby Manor Hotel) says South Yorkshire is pretty much futurist orientated but surprisingly there’s a trend back towards disco/funk, black as well as the white boys variety . . . CJ Carlos, as well as Streatham Cats Whiskers on Sundays with Svenson Walsh, now does Central London’s Samantha’s on Wed/Thurs, Hombres Fri/Sat/Tues . . . Alan Jewell is so highly rated in Oslo that, after a short break in London soon, he’ll be staying there all summer — but he does wish his much prized copy of Record Mirror could reach him before six other fellow DJs had read it first! . . . Larry Foster now squeezes in early sessions on Thurs/Fri/Sats at Romford’s Lamps wine bar . . . Steven Fay (Darwen) revives Wee Gee ‘Hold On To Your Dreams‘ (US Cotillion) in smooch spots, Kev Hill (Basildon Sweeney’s) revives Chairmen Of The Board ‘Finders Keepers‘ (Invictus) to growing demand . . . David Ruffin & Eddie Kendricks are back performing live with the Temptations, and Ben E King will be fronting a Drifters line-up for a UK visit soon . . . Groove’s Chris Palmer very flatteringly sported a specially made “Dr Soul is big with me” T-shirt at one of my ’60s soul nights — which are really going well, so visit Soho’s Le Beat Route in Greek Street one Tuesday soon . . . Edgbaston Faces’ Steve Dennis & Gibbo issued a joint communique: “The music of the street and disco is having less chart impression now than for a very long time and as pop radio becomes more and more MoR it really is time we saw the development of street awareness” . . . Flash Gordon (Bristol Misty’s) has computed that the complete Disco Top 90 would take 9 hours to play, plus another 3 hours for chart hits, oldies and slowies — so no wonder lots of good stuff gets left behind . . . Frenchie (Blackpool) after doing a break down of the disco chart, wonders whether DJs are cutting back on imports and LP tracks due to lack of money or is the audience demand waning? . . . Nick Radcliffe (Winkfield) buys all his records at the Slough Record Centre in Farnham Road, Slough, where Tony Hodges runs the import department . . . David Emery reports that Newcastle-upon-Tyne’s Stage Door is chock-a-block nightly with (as in many other venues currently) private parties swelling the numbers usefully — but don’t you find you have to play mainly oldies and mega-hits to that type crowd? . . . Saint Tropez ‘Femmes Fatales‘ (US Destiny LP) has as expected become my most enquired about (and now requested) sound, the entirely French-spoken with sound effects scenario concerning a lady and her male lover being murdered while on the job by the former’s jealous lesbian ex-lover — and thankfully a few of you are picking up on it now too . . . Tony ‘Jammy Sod’ Jenkins has an exclusive copy of Brass Construction’s new LP, rave tracks he says being ‘Do That Thang‘ and ‘Forever Love‘, quite as good as their very first set . . . Sunday night’s the night, but you’ll have to find out where the stylish dressers are going for yourself! . . . Is Steve Strange putting on weight because of all the dainty tea’s he’s having? . . . Electrik Funk is a monster and mixes with anything, although the sequence Goldie Alexander, Frankie Smith, Electrik Funk, NY Skyy ‘Call Me (Remix)’ works well . . . Maxine Singleton is good out of George Duke ‘Shine On’ or Jean Carn ‘Was That All It Was’, while Imagination ‘Illusion’ and Shakatak ‘Easier Said Than Done’ blend together backwards and forwards (with vari-tuning) so well I defy you to spot the joins! . . . when is a wig not a wig? — when Svenson calls it a weave! (it may not blow off in the wind but otherwise what’s the difference?) . . . Greg Gregory (London Busby’s) does a killer mix from Oneness Of Juju into ‘Kasso’ . . . Ian Levine (Charing Cross Heaven) reckons that the all-time gay disco classics never to cross over and hit must include Front Page (featuring Sharon Redd) ‘Love Insurance‘ (Panorama), Suzi Lane ‘Harmony‘ (Elektra), Jessica Williams ‘Queen Of Fools‘ (Polydor), Ferrara ‘Love Attack‘ (Midsong), Kat Mandu ‘The Break‘ (TK) . . . Mark Clark currently plays to over 400 roller skaters at both Bracknell and Maidenhead Sports Centres (with skating “tribes” like the Bay City Rollers, even!), where he finds slowish BPMs work best — Vaughan Mason ‘Bounce Rock Skate Roll‘ being a biggie — but can anyone recommend other suitable sounds? . . . Jon Williams (Birkenhead 051-645 3618) has a 16mm Bell & Howell cine projector for sale . . . Monday midday deadlines now make my time even shorter, so, although I’d rather be doing reviews, as there’s always an outcry if there’s no Odds ‘N’ Bods, I hope you’re happy . . . MOMBASSA! NYASA!

THOSE JONES GIRLS — Brenda, Shirley and Valerie — have an enviable record of import chart success with their last two albums, yet have been notoriously badly served here by CBS, who for instance have only now just got around to releasing the latest set, ‘Get As Much Love As You Can’ (Philadelphia International PIR 85347). Best for home listening (as of course are all the really big sellers), it contains ‘Nights Over Egypt’.

UK NEWIES

No UK Reviews this week.

IMPORTS

No Import Reviews this week.  Continue reading “March 13, 1982: no reviews, extended Odds ‘N’ Bods”

March 6, 1982: Oneness Of Juju, Chocolate Milk, Janet Kay, Brass Construction, Electrik Funk

ODDS ‘N’ BODS

SPANDAU BALLET release a boxed set of four 12in singles next week, from which two have been promoed already, best sides being a brassy “dub” introed beefy 120bpm remix of ‘Chant No.1’ and the new ‘Coffee Club‘ a jumbled noisy 124bpm ‘Tighten Up’ rattler with Beggar & Co brass — but they don’t sound so fresh now newcomers are outstripping them . . . Shakatak ‘Night Birds‘ a slick 118bpm tinkler, and Gonzales ‘Closer To You‘, a brassy 119bpm jiggler with off-putting vocals (and completely off-centre flip!) have also been promoed on white label, while EMI America / Capitol / Liberty artists are featured on a 10in twin-pack sampler . . . Sheree Brown ‘It’s A Pleasure’ (Capitol 12CL 232) and — of interest to mobiles — Derek & The Dominos ‘Layla’ (RSO RSOX 87) are now on 12in . . . West Yorkshire Assn of DJs meet this Sunday (7) at Manningham Ward Labour Club in Bradford (time details from Gary Williamson on Elland 0422-76063). West Sussex & Hampshire DJ Assn meet on Monday (8) at the Stoke Motel — wherever that is (these chaps are so communicative!) . . . Barry McCloud Enterprises (The Old House, PO Box 40, Shepperton Studio Centre, Shepperton, Middlesex TW17 0QD — they’re after more mailing lists DJs) has picked up the Posse label for the UK, with 12in issues by Mynk, Glory & Ritz, and a Joe Simon LP due . . . Quincy Jones scored five Grammy awards out of eight nominations, Al Jarreau and Mike Post got two apiece . . . Richard Jon Smith is indeed an old mate of Alton Edwards from South Africa, but Alton tells me he’d no idea he was in Britain and certainly hadn’t heard of Richard’s single until I told him about it! . . . Streetwave’s plea on this page for an office junior resulted in 16-year-old Michael Cronin getting the gig . . . RCA’s Rowdy Yeats is considering doing Steve ‘Svenson’ Walsh under the Trade Descriptions Act for claiming to be “Working as a DJ” — although of course the notorious advert’s grammar reads as if “you” are working as a DJ! . . . STAY LOOSE!

GEORGE DUKE these days wields a mean Dream Machine, as he calls his guitar-slung portable synth, although the 35-year-old Californian began playing straight jazz piano before working towards his current electronic style through the likes of Al Jarreau, Jean-Luc Ponty, Frank Zappa, Cannonball Adderly and Billy Cobham, his most recent pairing with Stanley Clarke in the Clarke / Duke Project having met with far greater success in the States than here.

UK NEWIES

ONENESS OF JUJU: ‘Every Way But Loose’ (Buddah BDSL 497).
Dynamite bounding bass, percussion, brass and chanting prodded 115-116-115-114-115(break)-116-117bpm 12in chugging riff with the flow of Brass Construction ‘Movin’ and flavour of Roy Ayers ‘Running Away’, great for mixing (try ‘E-Man Boogie ’82‘ out of it!) and huge on import for ages.

CHOCOLATE MILK: ‘Let’s Go All The Way’ (RCA RCAT 200).
Acappella harmony introed jittery 0-118bpm 12in routine mechanical funk thudder, flipped by last year’s much better booming jiggly bumping 113bpm ‘Blue Jeans‘ which really raised sweat, yet went largely ignored on import.

JANET KAY: ‘You Bring The Sun Out’ (Black Roots BR 033, soon-via Phonogram).
Lovely gentle 0-37-75bpm 12in lightly lovers rock treatment of Randy Crawford’s smoocher. Hot for Graham Gold (Harrow)!  Continue reading “March 6, 1982: Oneness Of Juju, Chocolate Milk, Janet Kay, Brass Construction, Electrik Funk”

February 27, 1982: Smokey Robinson, Frankie Smith, Central Line, Sharon Brown, Kasso

ODDS ‘N’ BODS

IT TAKES a brave man to admit they wear a wig, and with these words — “Working as a DJ you can imagine how I felt when I started to go bald” — Steve Walsh appeared in a testimonial advertisement for Svenson hairweaving in London’s Standard last week (surely a first for this type of endorsement by a disco DJ?), which must have taken a lot of guts . . . Oh, do shut up, Rowdy! . . . Tony Jenkins special at the Embassy would in fact have been a lot better had owner Stephen Hayter allowed it to be run as intended — he didn’t even allow Shalamar to be interviewed, because microphones are a no-no in gay clubs . . . Steve Strange was there checking out the slim ties and slick suits . . . Ian Levine’s “hetero” Tuesdays at Charing Cross’s Heaven are a good opportunity to discover what a New York disco can be like . . . Rusty Egan, touting an acetate of Nona Hendryx doing T-Connection’s ‘Do What You Wanna Do‘, squeezed into Mayfair Gullivers Padded Cell, now bulging every Saturday with new romantics . . . South Harrow’s Bogarts is futurist every Tuesday with DJs Robert Brunwin, Neil & Derek . . . I’m starting my ’60s soul earlier in the evening on Tuesdays at Soho’s Le Beat Route, so there’s more time for nostalgic sounds before the Northern dancers get going . . . Marvin Howell (ex-Casablanca) has evidently picked up Goldie Alexander for his own new label through Phonogram . . . NY Skyy ‘Call Me’ is due next week on 3-track 12in as a new remix, with the original plus ‘Jam The Box’ . . . Tom Tom Club ‘Genius Of Love’ (huge for Phil Howell at Derby’s Bluenote) is in fact a remix in this current version . . . Phyllis Nelson sounds awfully like Viola Wills (and thereby hangs a tale!) . . . John Cecchini & Jon Williams will be giving away six rare framed picture discs and promise lotsa funky fun ‘n’ games on their Mersey river cruise next Tuesday (2), ticket details on 051-645 3818 . . . Steve Dennis (Edgbaston Faces) reports commercials voiced by Steve Walsh are never off the (h-)air on BRMB these days . . . David Lowe will be playing plenty of soul smoochers old and new every Tuesday in March on BBC Radio Medway between 6.45 – 8.00pm (290M / 96.7FM) . . . Richard Afton starts jocking nightly this week at London’s Rockafellas restaurant (just off Regent Street beside Samantha’s), from a new console hidden behind the Harley Davidson . . . Steve E Bane, well known around Bristol for yonks, is now resident at the Burgundy in Congresbury’s Cadbury Country Club . . . Stone ‘Time’ is a killer with “D” Train, and Search ‘Like The Way’ is indeed dynamite (as suspected) out of Kool ‘Ladies Night’ . . . Brixton’s Front Line got a good plug on ‘OTT’, which Alexei Sayle thankfully appears to be leaving — how did he ever get a reputation for being funny? . . . What’s the difference between Steve Walsh and ‘Airline’-s Jack Ruskin? — Ruskin actor Roy Marsden wears a toupee, Walsh had a weave . . . OVER AND OUT.

GREG WILSON must have a head for heights to jock in the frog-shaped DJ booth 15 feet up above the floor at Wigan Pier (shades of Thank God It’s Friday’?). Sunday 21st March he’ll host an alldayer with Colin Curtis, Graham Carn, Pete Girtley, Ralph Randall and — specially imported from the South — the one DJ for whom the Pier’s decor was obviously designed, Froggy!

UK NEWIES

SMOKEY ROBINSON: ‘Tell Me Tomorrow’ (Motown TMGT 1255).
Gorgeous tremulously wailed bittersweet busily jogging 107-106-105bpm swayer with lovely piano towards the end, on 3-track 12in for stupendous value with not only last year’s smash 54/108-109-110-111bpm ‘Being With You’ but also its usefully Spanish-sung 54/107-108-109-110bpm ‘Aqui Con Tigo’ version.

FRANKIE SMITH: ‘Double Dutch Bus’ (WMOT VS 48512, via Virgin).
Finally for the first time since US release in autumn 1980 both original sides are now back-to-back here, this million-selling ultra-catchy jauntily jumping 119-120bpm 12in rapper (great out of ‘Fungi Mama’) and the initially hotter (here) 118-120-119bpm ‘Double Dutch‘ with chaps ‘n’ chix swapping childish playground taunts and dares.

CENTRAL LINE: ‘Don’t Tell Me (USA Remix)’ (Mercury MERX 90).
Larry Levan’s much called out, lengthened and changed 111-114-113-112-113-114-113-112-113-114bpm remix does nothing to add pop appeal or make the song stronger, although mixing DJs will find it’s terrific between Hall & Oates and Vicky “D”, but it is on 3-track 12in with Larry’s old remix of ‘Walking Into Sunshine’, and ‘Shake It Up’.  Continue reading “February 27, 1982: Smokey Robinson, Frankie Smith, Central Line, Sharon Brown, Kasso”

February 20, 1982: Vicky “D”, Kool & The Gang, Star Sound, Michael Wycoff, Roy Ayers

ODDS ‘N’ BODS

ORIN COZIER has unexpectedly been made redundant by Arista, who evidently “don’t think black music has a place in the market at the moment, and are consequently closing down the department” — where will the Ladies Man go next? . . . Mick Clare at Virgin has picked up Vicki “D” and the P-Funk All Stars, the latter turning out to include George Clinton, Sly Stone, Bootsy Collins, Bobby Womack, Phillipe Wynne, Bernie Worrell, Junie Morrison . . . MCA in the States have taken over distribution of the ultra-hot but hard to get album by The Band A.K.A. . . . Tight Fit ‘Lion’ and Richard ‘Dimples’ Fields ‘No!’ are now on 12in . . . Shalamar’s new album is available here via WEA (K 52345) . . . Excaliber evidently discovered the day after release that they didn’t in fact have UK rights to Lime ‘Your Love’, hence its reappearance now on Carrere! . . . Tony Jenkins’ tea party at the Ritz with various Groove Weekly writers was a classy affair, as was his Brideshead themed one-off at the Embassy on Monday night (with an exclusive Shalamar PA and a thousand tickets pre-sold without any advertising) . . . Tony’s now ensconced in a Kensington High Street office and kicks off a new Fri/Saturday venue to be called Ambience in March, location to be kept secret but it’ll not be a million miles from the Burlington Arcade, stylish attire a prime requisite for all jazz-soul fans wanting admission . . . Chris ‘Fusion Few’ Ellis will be designing with Japanese Kiki Okada a collection of quality fashions for an autumn launch solely through Ambience events and video . . . Funktion’s Peter Byfield, just before recent events, was quoted as saying “I would rather consider myself the Freddie Laker of jazz-funk” – oops! . . . I looked in at Soho Le Beat Route’s ’60s soul night last Tuesday to find the main DJ hadn’t turned up, so Fatman got me to fill in and it went so well that I’ll be reviving my old ’65/66 ‘Scene’ era there weekly now — but please don’t be confused into thinking that I’ve left Mayfair’s Gullivers, which is where I am every Fri/Saturday with Graham Gold . . . Nicky Peck is dropping the ‘Central’ name in favour of ‘The Sunday Soul Club’ at the King Charles Hotel in Gillingham, starting this weekend with Shakatak on Sunday (21), but preceded somewhat confusingly with a Central Reunion first birthday party on Saturday (20) . . . Canvey Goldmine’s Jayne Barrett (0268-683153) is looking for stylish “modern” bands to play at their Friday ‘Style’ nights — Buzzz are there this week (19), if that’s any indication of what’s wanted . . . Chris Hill of course was last week’s mysteriously uncredited DJ playing Barry White ‘Beware’ . . . Leeds Warehouse owner Mike Wiand is managing Soft Cell’s backing group Vicious Pink Phenomenon, whose ‘My Private Tokyo’ will be on the new Mobile Suite Company label via Phonogram next month (you’ll remember that Soft Cell’s Marc Almond used to be hat-check boy at the Warehouse!) . . . Frenchie & Pete Haigh start broadcasting hot jazz-soul toons fortnightly this Thursday (18) over Lancaster’s University Radio Bailrigg, 9-11pm on 312m MW, with a reputed reception radius of 40 miles . . . Brother To Brother’s soul night moves from Thursday to Friday at Watford Odeon Film Centre’s Gemma’s / New Caprice (which is due for a name change), starting next Friday (26) — and the DJ duo (01-428 7994) have a 1000 watt roadshow and free club premises available on certain nights for interested promoters. Juliana’s have taken over Bacchus International, but the latter will remain an autonomous operation . . . Richard Jon Smith turns out to be an old mate of Alton Edwards from South Africa, so no wonder there are similarities! . . . Nigel ‘Wikka Wrap’ Martinez is currently producing a new Light Of The World LP . . . Mike Morgan, doing the only exclusively reggae night in Essex at Chelmsford YMCA every third Wednesday in the month (drat, you just missed it last night!), would welcome promotional consideration from record companies with reggae product new or old — send to 281 Main Road, Broomfield, Chelmsford, Essex, CM1 5AU . . . Paul Mulligan (Edinburgh 031-443 9232) desperately needs a copy (7 or 12in) of Savoy ‘Sunny Side Of The Street’ . . . Alan Gaskell (St Helens) reports that Liverpool’s Rumbelow’s record shop are closing down and selling off both import and UK stock at cheapo prices . . . Johnny ‘JB’ Batten is selling imports again on Byfleet 49627 (he delivers) — OK, TC? . . . Theo Loyla, still burnin’ rubber around the country, reckons Huddersfield Flix DJ Jack Wood must be the best mixer in the North, while an outrageous club in Hudd called the Amsterdam defies description in a respectable family magazine! . . . Mike Tarbuck spins quality disco / electro at the Juliet’s half of Blackburn’s Romeo & Juliet’s, for smart dressers . . . Steve Goddard (01-500 2749) wants his regulars at Stepney’s Old Rose to know he’s moved now to Barking’s Chains pub, where there’s a solidly funky crowd . . . Brian Gardner, brother of RM’s Mike, funks it up at Soho’s long established Whisky A Go Go every night except Thurs / Friday . . . WEA’s Fred Dove (currently touting a great promo 12in of ADC Band ‘Roll With The Punches‘) these days is almost unrecognisable without his hat — ”You can’t get them cleaned. and they do get dirty, you know!” . . . TVS’s terrific ‘Radio’ soap opera about a commercial radio station weekdays 5.15pm / Sunday omnibus edition 5.25pm) is so closely modelled on Capital (although much scaled down) that it’s hilarious for insiders to identity the real people represented, librarian Clive Smith in particular getting stitched up good and proper — and it’s nice to see the bird from ‘Going Out’ back on screen again . . . BMRB’s national chart is in such chaos now returns don’t reflect the massive influence of Top Of The Pops for almost a fortnight that it is evidently soon going back to its old compilation deadline . . . Comparison between the main “up front” UK Disco 90 and expanded POD 75 tends to show up the relative strengths of different disco pluggers’ mailing lists, so it would be nice to get more charts from people not on these lists in an attempt to counteract the distortion and lessen the impact of some titles that only show up because they’ve been received for free by a privileged few . . . Kev Hill (Basildon Sweeney’s) encloses a calendar motto, “Nothing narrows a man’s outlook so much as getting into a groove” — get DOWN! . . . Lenny Henry asks, what does an African hang his coat on? . . . KAIANGA! KATANGA!

CLAUDJA BARRY is best remembered for some zingy gay gallopers in the classic “disco” era, but now the Germany based thrush is back at a more sedate pace with ‘If I Do It To You‘ on Ensign. — While at the same time she’s climbing the US disco chart in a duet with Ronnie Jones, ‘The Two Of Us‘ (US Handshake 12in) which has yet to surface here.

UK NEWIES

VICKY “D”: ‘This Beat Is Mine’ (SAM VS 48612, via Virgin).
Solar style extremely strong 113bpm 12in shuffling smacker with piercing catchy Evelyn King-copying synth through the long instrumental rhythm intro, the usefully all instrumental flip sadly lacking the A-side’s ultra mixable break.

KOOL & THE GANG: ‘Take My Heart’ (De-Lite DEX 6).
Always their album’s really “class” track and the first to be put on single in the USA, the subtly infectious spoken/sung gently jolting laid back 111-110-111bpm rolling slinky thumper has been remixed for 3-track 12in, flipped by the datedly messy ‘Caribbean Festival’ and lush slow ‘Winter Sadness’.

STAR SOUND: ‘Stars On Stevie’ (CBS A13-2941).
As a soundalike this Stevie Wonder medley is brilliant — there’s no other word for it, but as a smoothly flowing mixer the 126-111-126-138bpm 12in could be better (‘Master Blaster’ in particular comes as a rude intrusion amongst some classic mellow swingers). However, it’s going to be huge, regardless.  Continue reading “February 20, 1982: Vicky “D”, Kool & The Gang, Star Sound, Michael Wycoff, Roy Ayers”

February 13, 1982: Tomorrow’s Edition, George Duke, Claudja Barry, Richard ‘Dimples’ Fields, War

ODDS ‘N’ BODS

MORGAN KHAN in fact turned down Vicki ‘D’ as he now realises Streetwave will do better by originating its own UK-produced product (a lesson first learned by Island’s Chris Blackwell in the ’60s) . . . Streetwave meanwhile are — incredibly — having difficulty in finding an office junior with the right attitude, an intelligent non-smoking school leaver (O Level Maths / English) keen on music and competent to cope on his own, to work at their new office next to West Acton tube station. Call 01-593-1512 and get into the music business . . . Motown’s Roger Upright and Robert Bienman are forming their own DJ mailing list at RCA, independent of Rush Release . . . Kleeer’s ‘Taste The Music’ import LP is now distributed here by WEA (Atlantic K50873) . . . Lime ‘Your Love’ / ‘Agent 406’ appears to have switched from Excaliber to Carrere (CART 227), while Excaliber seem to be re-promoting Firefly ‘Love (Is Gonna Be On Your Side)’ from last summer . . . Teddy Pendergrass came across best on the slowies at his beautifully staged shows (great lighting) last week, but hasn’t he a funny way of walking?! . . . Brass Construction and BT Express members have combined to form Brass Tacks (geddit?) with hot toons due soon . . . Shock, the US funk group, will be called Oregon Shock here to prevent confusion with the UK dance group . . . Showstoppers St Tropez trip in May will feature star DJs Chris Hill, Froggy, Jeff Young, Sean French, Robbie Vincent and maybe more, while next month’s Caister weekender is virtually sold out . . . psst —  Monday (15) London’s Embassy is the place to be, Brideshead-type smart dress essential . . . Tony ‘visionary entrepreneur’ Jenkins was entertaining the media to tea at the Ritz on Tuesday, full story next week . . . Paul Major has turned Gt Yarmouth’s Wheels into a home for the Country Bumpkins tribe, with a weekly fanzine and jazz-funk-soul every Friday / Saturday (except this Saturday, it’s closed) . . . Stockton on Tees Club Fiesta next Sunday (21) has a jazz-funk alldayer, coaches welcome (£2.50 admission), with Alex Lowes, Paul Cooke, David Baird, Phil Mitchell and Lofty Lofthouse — and Lofty, in very different style, is also running a general pop quiz every Thursday at Chester-Le-Street’s Whispers in the Garden Farm Hotel, application forms from the club or anyone interested in the North-East can call Lofty (afternoons) on Gateshead 775021 . . . Nigel Porter and chums hope to counteract Leicester’s electro-pop / rockabilly mania with jazz-funk-soul fortnightly at the Saracen’s Head in the city centre every other Monday (22nd next one) . . . Derek Pierce, who does Bath Moles ‘Cabaret Moderne’ nights on Thursdays now, is writing a history of Electronic Music for the magazine Electronics & Music Matter, which should interest recent Kraftwerk converts . . . Oneness Of Juju and Jimmy Castor are huge at Soho’s Le Beat Route on the Friday posers night, when far from provincial electronics the crowd prefer mid-70’s jazz-funk . . . Frenchie (Blackpool) says any and all of the various ‘Genius Of Love’ versions are huge in the North-West . . . Canvey Goldmine, rapidly turning the Detroit Spinners ‘I’ll Be Around’ into a new (?) anthem, says the recent Barry White ‘Beware’ (US Unlimited Gold LP) is his hottest smoocher . . . Ian Levine is inviting record company and media people to a special night at Charing Cross’s normally gay Heaven on Tuesday (16) . . . Tricky Dicky, whose gay Dicks Inn nights now include Kensington’s Union Tavern in Camberwell New Road every Tues / Thursday and the Old Kent Road’s Astoria on Thursdays, reports that ‘Bobby’s Girl’ Susan Maughan at a recent PA looked so good still she could join the Nolans! . . . Phil ‘Red’ Andrews unfortunately named Amazing Woofters Roadshow does Derby’s Bridge Inn on Fri / Sun / Tuesdays, the Albion Suite on Thursdays . . . Rob Harknett (Harlow) tells how a friend recently did a gig for a token £10 fee when a mobile DJ arrived and offered his services “for £5 less than that lot”, and on being told he’d then be working for just £5 in total he agreed to try an audition . . . The DJ Federation have circulated a handsomely produced DJs Year Book, in which (inevitably) many of the record company details are already out of date . . . Thames Valley DJ Assn meet on Sunday, 28th Feb, at noon in Ivor’s Tower Arms pub, Thorney Lane South (where unfortunately I will be unable to speak as invited), the Assn currently offering silly string at 95p a can (12 for £10.50 plus postage) to all DJs, details from TVDJA, PO Box 25, Staines, Mx . . . Gary Oldis has returned to Dee Jay’s Country Club, as the Gretna Green has been renamed after refurbishment, where a high quality musical cross section packs ’em in . . . Ray Stevens has resurfaced to jazz-funk Coulsdon’s Pistols wine bar Sat / Sundays, and London’s Jermyne Street’s Moonberrys regularly Thurs / Fridays . . . George Andrew (Salford) likening The Jam’s ‘Malice’ to The Who’s interpretation of Martha & The Vandellas ‘Heatwave’ fully expects up-coming soundtracks to ‘Saturday Night Down The Tube Station’ or ‘Thank God For All Mod Cons’ if this Bee-Geefication continues . . . Mista Le Parks recent jitterbug revival programme on the ‘South Bank Show’ prompted Groove Records Jean to reveal that her late husband Timothy Palmer (father of Chris & Tim) the undefeated UK professional ballroom champion — with a trophy still named after him — introduced the Big Apple and Suzy Q dance steps to Britain after learning them while appearing in New York during the ’50s (grandad ‘Pedlar’ Palmer was a champion Irish flyweight boxer too!) . . . Rockafella’s late-nite eaterie, next to Samantha’s just off Regent Street, played the whole of Richard ‘Dimples’ Fields lovely new album last Friday night! . . . “New Romantic” lady, overheard at Mayfair Gullivers Saturday night Padded Cell, “I used to be a soul boy, really dedicated too, but now the only soul record I like is ‘Get Down On It’.” — Any discotheque under my own trading name in West Sussex is not in fact me . . . KATANGA KATANGA!

UK NEWIES

TOMORROW’S EDITION: ‘U Turn Me On’ (CBS A13-2098).
Actually getting bigger by the week on import, despite a downturn in recent chart placings, this doodling bass introed powerfully pounding 109-110-111-110bpm 12in jiggler has good soulful harmony interplay, dramatic brass, synth and guitar twiddles in amongst the thudding momentum (the flip has a less intense version).

GEORGE DUKE: ‘Shine On’ (Epic EPC A13-2872).
Punchy if somewhat shallow EWF-style squeakily clucked staccato bounding 119bpm 12in smacker with good beefy bass, the jerkily building 121bpm brass, synth and scat instrumental ‘Positive Energy‘ flip getting jazz-funk attention, while the imminent album’s ‘Ride On Love‘ is actually the killer (especially with Brandi’s ‘Watch Out’!).

CLAUDJA BARRY: ‘If I Do It To You’ (Ensign ENYT 223).
So deceptively simple it takes a few plays to register, this repetitively looping 113bpm 12in pulsator is basically a slower ‘Ring My Bell’ but without the “ptoo ptoo” syndrums! Toughening up considerably halfway with a gruffly rapping guy and good break, it mixes well out of Vicki “D”.  Continue reading “February 13, 1982: Tomorrow’s Edition, George Duke, Claudja Barry, Richard ‘Dimples’ Fields, War”

February 6, 1982: Touch, Morrissey Mullen, Brandi Wells, George Duke, Jimmy Castor

ODDS ‘N’ BODS

SOUTHGATE ROYALTY is soon to be redeveloped into a very different type of venue, but in the meantime the recently started Friday soul-disco ‘Slix’ nights continue (with Jeff Young and Martin Collins on alternate weeks), as do rock ‘n’ roll Thursdays, while the Saturday ‘Rox’ specials will occur as and when bands are available . . . Central Line’s ‘Don’t Tell Me’ 12in has been replaced by a much longer remix, plus a ‘Walking Into Sunshine’ remix on 2-track flip (review when received) . . . Kool’s follow-up is already on white label, ‘Take My Heart’ remix flipped by the old ‘Caribbean Festival’ and ‘Winter Sadness’ . . . Slave and Whispers 12in copies should initially be at 7in price, so question the dealer if you’re asked to pay more . . . Angela Bofill’s 3-track 12in is available via specialist disco shops but not on general release . . . Wallace W Williams ‘Waterbed’ reggae steel band fusion is available through Pinnacle (01-662 5741) or Jet Star (01-961 4422) — Wallace does a nifty PA, complete with whip wielding lady, by the way! — while Jerome’s self-financed ‘In The Right Direction’ is through Soto Sound (01 837 7141/7147) . . . Mick Clark, who says a Brandi ‘What Goes Around’ remix will be about soon, is starting two mailing lists at Virgin, one modelled on Fred Dove’s for up-front jazz-funk-soul jocks and another for pop-dance-fusion general DJs: send full work details to Mick Clark, Virgin Records, 2 Vernon Yard, 119 Portobello Road, London W11 . . . Ex-Motown press gal Karen Spreadbury’s Eyes & Ears promotion/PR firm is off and running, Karen handling press and Gullivers girl DJ Nicky Mackenzie servicing club jocks: apply to Eyes & Ears, PO Box 103, London, SW19 6PD (01-809 1073/789 9673) . . . Theo Loyla has already left MAP to start his own Super Jocks Mailing Service and is pushing a video of a band called Volcano (sort of like Ottawan meets Village People — so you’ve been warned!) — apply to him at 15a Crescent Road, Kingston-upon-Thames, Surrey KT2 7RD . . . PRT have picked up Oneness of Juju, CBS release Tomorrow’s Edition next week, while Streetwave’s Morgan Khan is back from MIDEM with Vicki “D” and the strong likelihood of two currently ultra-hot US labels catalogues . . . WEA’s Erskine Thompson got myself and Tape 1’s Dave ‘Razorblade’ Moore to put together a mixer medley of four Prince tracks — ‘Head/Wanna Be Your Lover/Sexy Dancer/Controversy’ — in a completely re-edited 64bst (Bits of Splicing Tape!) melange of all the best bits, but its future release is still uncertain . . . Kool could have been number one nationally if it had sold more strongly in Scotland (it was number one in London), but a lack of 12in copies has at least put the album in the Top 10 (there’s also a rare remix, as there is too of NY Skyy) . . . Gilberto Gil (who could be due for a 3-track 12in) is the biggest victim of our currently very volatile disco chart — he lost just two “chart points” (our inverse ratio scoring) yet dropped 10 whole places — the competition at the top being really intense now the snow has melted and mailing list-orientated provincial DJs are once again outnumbering the London dominated record-buying jocks whose charts held sway during the big freeze . . . Holborn’s City Sounds record shop is now open on Saturdays 10am-4pm, while Greek Street’s Groove is still of course open until 10pm nightly six days a week and on Sunday until 6pm . . . Junior (Giscombe) is the latest big Brit hit in US soul and disco charts . . . Rahmlee’s ‘Heartbreaker’ / ‘Think’ is now a 12in on US Headfirst, so could the label eventually get around to Lesette Wilson’s ‘Caveman Boogie’? . . . Quincy Jones has been nominated for eight Grammy awards in different categories, plus he’s associated with six more nominated artists, while other important black nominees include Grover/Bill, Diana/Lionel, and Al Jarreau . . . Fergus McKinna (East Kilbride) contacted Geffen Records to hear that Quincy should have finished producing Donna Summer’s new album next month (it’ll evidently combine traditional Summer-style material with a jazz-funk slant too), Quincy also — thank goodness! — being set to produce the Brothers Johnson again . . . Stevie Wonder has formed his own Wondirection label (he’ll stay on Motown, who’ll distribute), the likely first signings being Little Willie John’s sons Keith & Kevin . . . Rush Release had a healthy response to their announced video service, but then once DJs realised it was going to cost money there was a lot of hasty backpedalling — really professional, don’tcha think? . . . Mark Clark (Bracknell), like us at Gullivers, has been having great success showing a much-sought promotion video of Maze — who incidentally appear here next month, when ‘Joy and Pain’ will be re-promoted . . . Groove Weekly’s John Wischhusen kindly singled out Mayfair Gullivers as one of the best black music clubs, but in saying that my mixing maintains “a technical excellence rarely matched elsewhere” he unfortunately made no mention of full-time resident DJ Graham Gold at all, and Graham (with all week to practice) pulls off more stunts than I have the time for . . . John Dalglish of Glasgow’s Dalglish Dance School (041-334 8550) has been contracted by the Scottish Milk Marketing Board to put a three girl dance troupe (with a 30-minute act incorporating all dance styles) out on the road from 1st May to appear absolutely free of charge in Scottish discos: contact John, or the SMMB’s Dennis Gray (041-887 1234) for date details . . . Blackburn’s Martin Platts does an open air disco at Clitheroe Castle on 21st February, where all the DJs will be topless — and most of ’em are girls! . . . Disco & Lighting Exhibition Nottingham ’82 is planned for Sunday 25th April, at Nottingham’s Sherwood Rooms, full stand details from Goldwax Discos on 0602-231457 . . . John Mayoh, John Barry, Gillie Beanz & Dave Eager “Beaver” at Bolton Cinderella Rockerfella’s are experimenting on Wednesdays with £6.50 admission a head to include a free meal plus as much as you can drink all night! . . . Mayfair Gullivers has 25p drinks on Mondays now, electro-funk downstairs and live big band jazz (jammers welcome) upstairs on Tuesdays, ’60s soul oldies on Thursdays and the new romantic Padded Cell downstairs on Saturdays — which shows the advantage of running two floors . . . T-Connection ‘Do What You Wanna Do’ is a big oldie for both Steve Glover (Bournemouth Faradays) and Chris Hill (Canvey Goldmine), while Chris is also reviving real soul oldies by such as the Detroit Spinners, Intruders, James Brown . . . Roger Dynamite, who’s replaced his brother Paul Major at Gt Yarmouth Tiffany’s (Paul’s at Wheels — in Lowestoft?), reckons on the futurist front that RCA should reissue Iggy Pop ‘The Passenger’, while equally big on the floor for Nick Davies (Watford New Penny — Sundays) is Andy Forray ‘Drac’s Back‘ (Acrobat) . . . Steven Fay (Darwen, Lancs) has had Melody Stewart ‘Get Down‘ (US Roy B 12in) in his chart for month after month! . . . The Quick’s up-coming new material produced by John Luongo in the States sounds remarkably like Linx . . . Capital Radio producer Mike Childs currently swears by 12in versions, and uses them wherever possible on Nicky Horne’s rock show (“they sound so great”, sez he) . . . Robbie Vincent is presumably reviving ‘Do The Dog’ on Radio London! . . . Dolly Dots are Dutch . . . Johnny Proctor at Oslo’s Ridderhalen has Alton Edwards at number one — maybe because his next door neighbour is Morgan Khan-chauffeuring Alan Jewell?! . . . Colin Day, back from the Continent, is specialising sensibly on MoR gigs with his new roadshow (Worcester 0905-353361) . . . Kev Hill (Brentwood 0277-221309) is selling a variety of 18 months old hi-fi components at reasonable prices . . . Andrew Worthington Jones (Bodelwyddan Poppeys Country Club) is among many who prefer the Whispers ‘Emergency’ . . . Alex Sweeney (Dundee Sands Club) has a disco/jazz-funk show Thursday nights on Radio Tay . . . Neil Fincham & Colin Cordrey are really stepping up the soul-jazz-funk now festivities have abated at Edinburgh’s Uptown . . . John Douglas (Essex Venues) says Matumbi’s old ‘Point of View’ is much in demand again . . . Gary Oldis has been renamed after refurbishment, where a high quality cross section of music is packing ’em in . . . Ian Turner is now resident at Llandudno’s Speakeasy Club playing some of everything . . . I’m sorry that ‘Odds ‘n’ Bods’ have been missed for a couple of weeks, but unfortunately there are only 24 hours in a day . . . Did you know that ‘Twinkle Twinkle Little Star’ was written by Mozart, at the age of five? . . . KATANGA! KATANGA!

UK NEWIES

TOUCH: ‘Keep On’ (reviewed off white label but now on Elite).
Although originally only intended as a group-financed limited white label edition of 500, then another 1,000, which soon sold out with no further pressings planned, this has now been picked up by Elite to meet the demand quite rightly generated — and for once it’s not just scarcity value alone that’s generated the buzz, as it’s a really infectious carefree happily flying 126-127bpm 12in jazz-funk instrumental sizzler pushed along with wings on its heels by jauntily tootling synth and fast simple chinking rhythm, with laughter, applause and panting in a brief break, to be so darned catchy it could chart nationally (like ‘Southern Freeez’ did).

MORRISSEY MULLEN: ‘Come And Get Me’ (Beggars Banquet BEG 73T).
Chris Palmer produced (and played?) terrific beefy bass thwacked relentlessly pounding 123bpm 12in full tilt strutter soulfully wailed by Carol Kenyon (who’s been cropping up on telly with Alton Edwards), totally out of previous character and likely to be massive (if the BPM accelerates I’ll let you know — It’s cut so loud my stylus won’t track it!), the excellent instrumental 124-125bpm B-side ‘Life On The Wire (Version)‘ being jazz-funkier and very Surface Noise with more superb bass (beware the abrupt end).

BRANDI WELLS: ‘What Goes Around Comes Around’ (LP ‘Watch Out’ WMOT V2224, via Virgin).
I seem to have been reviewing this dynamite 113bpm disco dancer rather a lot recently, so suffice to say it’s finally out here together with the 117bpm title track… but more importantly, now I’ve finally had a 12in copy of the latter, ‘Watch Out‘ turns out in that form to be the original 117bpm but restructured and lengthened from the 5:44 LP and PRT promo version to 7:20 with an extended break before the rap (now over a minute later). Packaged in the LP sleeve with the slushy dead slow 0-35-0bpm ‘You Are My Life’ as flip.  Continue reading “February 6, 1982: Touch, Morrissey Mullen, Brandi Wells, George Duke, Jimmy Castor”

January 30, 1982: “The majority of the population can’t actually dance and so need to hear something fast to make them believe they’re having a good time”

ODDS ‘N’ BODS
No Odds ‘N’ Bods this week.

HINDSIGHT

LAST YEAR ended as it began with Kool & The Gang safely sitting at the top of the disco chart, but any impression this may give that there has been no change in the disco world would be entirely misleading. For a while at the start of the year it looked as if black/disco-orientated music was about to enjoy an unprecedented boom, because, far from the much ballyhooed futurist/new romantic material dominating the pop chart, in the lull before the storm there was one incredible week when more black records were in the national chart than at any other time before. However, as predicted, it wasn’t long before white kids (who actually are in the majority!) discovered the new white dance groups were made up of kids like themselves with whom it was more interesting to identify, and by the time that these groups put their emphasis on fairly funky rhythms rather than futurism for futurism’s sake, the big split was inevitable. The big crossover disco-pop hits have always tended to be rather faster than the soul dance hits, because the majority of the population can’t actually dance and so need to hear something fast to make them believe they’re having a good time, which meant that the fast futurist hits not only were thought of as straight pop but also brought other pop records into play, much to the evident relief of a large proportion of the population. Now a lot of these people were out of work or at least unable to afford as many nights out as before, having to rely on the radio to hear their music during the week. Radio One is still the most influential station in the country, and as this only plays a few token black records there was not much chance for people to get acclimatised to anything other than the current pop playlist. With fewer people going out there were fewer gigs, which resulted in fewer DJs with the money (or the need) for as many new records as before. As the year wore on, the disco hits that would previously have been expected to cross over into the pop chart failed to do so. At the same time, egged on by a fanatical minority of tribal fans, the jazz-funk DJs who once had enjoyed the power to break new material were now searching out obscure ultra-specialist jazz oldies (known as “hard tackle”) to compensate for a general softening of the current US jazz-funk scene. This had also been predicted, as in the States the radio outlets for jazz had been severely diminished. In searching out and playing complex oldies, the DJs and their dwindling audiences seemed hell bent on creating a new Northern Soul like scene. As the disco scene contracted it also fragmented, with clubs (either themselves or by letting in outside promoters) putting on specific types of faddish music on certain nights of the week. Doowop, ’60s psychedelia and other styles enjoyed a brief limited vogue, but all too often it seemed that all the clubs in a town followed each other in doing the same thing on the same night. The latest way of filling an otherwise empty club and at least making a small profit is to charge admission and then sell drinks at a break-even 25p. All is not gloom and despondency, though. Visionary entrepreneurs like London’s Tony Jenkins successfully continue to pack out one-off special events at up-market venues whose locations are a closely guarded secret known only to the “right” people. Chris Hill’s ‘Back To The Clubs’ tour during the autumn created a very real excitement with the aim of putting an emphasis back on local venues rather than people just turning out for the big alldayer / nighter / weekender events (however he attracted a caravan of fans who followed him from club to club as if each gig was just such a major event). Possibly most important though, was the growth of Britain’s own home-grown dance music, whether black or white. Whereas in 1980 only two UK acts topped the disco chart, Linx and Surface Noise, last year there were five British-based chart-toppers — Eddy Grant, Freeez, Spandau Ballet, Modern Romance and Central Line. Far more musical experimentation is going on here than in the States, where it often seems that black dance music follows one of three formulas, so that it does make sense to wrap up by saying — cliched though this may be — our future lies in the hands of our own musicians.

LINDA TAYLOR should finally break through as a result of the new album that Productions Chris Palmer is currently recording by her — the first of three scheduled in a new deal for release in the States on Prelude. To judge from an incomplete rough mix, every cut’s just dripping with class, the ultimate killer likely to be ‘You And Me Just Started’. Linda meanwhile appears to be gigging as one of Ray Shell’s Street Angels.

UK NEWIES

EARTH WIND & FIRE: ‘I’ve Had Enough’ (CBS A13-1959).
Cleanly smacking brassily blasting 117-118-119bpm jittery strutter squeakily clucked in typical style to make a strong if maybe not quite so monstrous follow-up, on 3-track 12in with a previously unreleased full length version of the moodily rumbling and jiggling instrumental 101-102- 106bpm ‘Kalimba Tree‘, and a rather messy 124bpm remix of ‘Let’s Groove’ – certainly not worth getting excited about.

YVONNE GAGE: ‘Garden Of Eve’ (Atlantic K 11708T).
Excellent strictly “disco” chick wailed big beefy resonantly thrumming 114bpm 12in rollingly tugging jolter with electronic twiddles and ‘Another One Bites The Dust’ bass break. Full of enough crossover appeal to hit here.

WHISPERS: ‘In The Raw’ (Solar K 12597T).
Totally typical somewhat stark slightly fluctuating but basically 114-115bpm 12in smacker somehow lacking the body of their past triumphs, although I must concede it’s growing on me (but then I was the one who didn’t originally rate ‘It’s A Love Thing’!), the flip’s gorgeous soulfully tripping lush 37/74bpm slow ‘Small Talkin‘ however being my favourite cut off their new album.  Continue reading “January 30, 1982: “The majority of the population can’t actually dance and so need to hear something fast to make them believe they’re having a good time””

January 23, 1982: “D” Train, Bohannon, Brandi Wells, Barbara Roy & E.P.P., Mynk

ODDS ‘N’ BODS
No Odds ‘N’ Bods this week.

UK NEWIES

“D” TRAIN: ‘You’re The One For Me (Instrumental)’ (Epic EPC A13-2016).
Blinding stereo synth introed powerful catchy rolling and tumbling 120bpm 12in instrumental whomping smacker with a bit of echoing hollering halfway before an ever-changing simple synth seated rhythm break (try synching QT through it!) — however in typical style, they’ve kept this the instrumental hot side as the B-side, so do be warned because I have heard of unaware DJs (especially gigging radio jocks) being greeted with hoots of derision when they used the chaps chanted, OK but less hip, 121bpm vocal topside.

BOHANNON: ‘Let’s Start II Dance Again’ (London HLX 10582).
My enduring devotion to 1978’s original ‘Let’s Start The Dance‘ is no secret and I must confess I still use it more than this, but as an ultra-exciting remix this 120-121-120-119bpm 12in rejig must take some beating – over the pounding inexorably jittery original track Hamilton has added another layer of rhythm and Dr Perri Johnson’s rap, while the flip is a straight remix of the original without any rap, leaving Caroline Crawford to sing it alone. For a killer mix, start the Whispers ‘It’s A Love Thing’ (at the intro) immediately after the first 4 bars (16 beats) of the flip’s first jittery break — you’ll find the Whispers start singing immediately after Caroline’s first “everybody get on up and dance” (which you must then whip out fast). While also KID ‘Hupendi Muziki Wangu?!’ and Deodato’s ‘Whistle Bump’ (varied up) do a dynamite long running synch out of either side.

BRANDI WELLS: ‘Watch Out’ (Virgin VS 479-12).
PRT unexpectedly lost the WMOT catalogue over Xmas after they’d issued an unbeatable value promo white label coupling of this plus the still at the moment much hotter ‘What Goes Around Comes Around‘ — however, as an enduring piece of music this Dexter Wansel-arranged chunkily rolling bass rumbled 118bpm 12in lilter with a rap about the backing musicians and some superb jazzy scatting is in truth a superior side, and as such (if the two songs had to be split) would still have been a strong second release whereas ‘Around’ will probably not now last long enough to follow up once this has had its day.  Continue reading “January 23, 1982: “D” Train, Bohannon, Brandi Wells, Barbara Roy & E.P.P., Mynk”

January 16, 1982: George Benson, Diana Ross, Rick James, Oneness of Juju, Yvonne Gage

ODDS ‘N’ BODS

BRANDI WELLS, recently wed to Fat Larry singer Terry Price, will not be out via PRT but on Virgin, who now have WMOT here, just ‘Watch Out’ being on 12in next week (making PRT’s white label a real collector’s item!) . . . DJ Mick Clark has left Holborn’s City Sounds shop to head black A&R at Virgin, and Robert Blenman has left Rush Release to plug for Motown at RCA . . . Tomorrow’s Edition import 12in is now on US Atlantic RFC, but WEA don’t have it here . . . Touch have no plans to press any more copies of their extremely limited and long sold out ‘Keep On’ white label . . . Kleeer and other WEA LPs mentioned as due now have in fact been put back . . . Steve Walsh has taken over a club (Rowdy Yeates would have us believe it used to be a morgue — and so far nobody’s noticed any difference!), Soho’s Gossips just off Dean Street, where he currently jazz-funks Fridays and David Rodigan reggaes Saturdays . . . Nicky Peck guests with Dave Brown on BBC Radio Medway 290m this Friday (15) 7-8.45pm . . . Friday gigs also include Robbie Vincent at Dartford Flicks, Tom Holland at Southend Zero 6, Hipnosis at London Baker Street Barracuda — and Second Image at Barracuda on Monday (18) . . . Kool number 2 on the Capital Hitline! . . . RCA’s mystery white label last week is The Mood ‘Don’t Stop‘ (RCAT 171) . . . Orin Cozier is of course NOW continuing the tradition of Arista, rather than as misprinted in the Hammy Awards, while last week lots of stuff got left out including the rest of a POD Top 60 . . . Diana Ross ‘Tenderness’ and Four Tops are much bigger in this week’s POD, were there room for it . . . BPM’s last week were done on freezing cold decks, so adjust Scrunter +3, Brandi +1, Legato +1, D Spinners ‘Love Connection’ 112bpm (rest OK) . . . Beats Per Minute for recent 7in pop hits are Kraftwerk ‘Computer Love’ 0-63/126f / ‘The Model’ 62/125-0f, Philip Lynott 0-137f, Mobiles 0-38/77f, Geoffrey Burgon / Brideshead 29-0r, Ken Dodd 100-101-102c, Human League 0-51-103f, ELO ‘Moon’ 20-80-0-82-61f / ‘News’ 0-140-0-140f, Alton Edwards 0-121f, Stranglers 62f(waltz) . . . Breakers include Grandmaster Flash ‘It’s Nasty’, Whispers LP, Double Exposure ‘After All This Time’, Miss Man & Co ‘Give It All To Me’, Rick James ‘Ghetto Life’, Slyck ‘Love It Or (Beat The Bush)’, Four Tops ‘Don’t Walk Away’, Purple Flash ‘Creme Souflee’, Pigbag ‘Papa’s Got A Brand New Pigbag (Remix)’, Kasso ‘Kasso’ . . . now, SEE AN OCCULIST!

UK NEWIES

GEORGE BENSON: ‘Never Give Up On A Good Thing’ (Warner Bros K 17962T).
Dynamite brassily strutting 114bpm backbeat whomper on 3-track 12in with the frantic instrumental 138-0bpm ‘California PM’ and smoochy 43-0bpm ‘It’s All In The Game’ (both “live” oldies).

DIANA ROSS: ‘Mirror Mirror’ (Capitol 12CL 234).
Powerful juddering 104bpm 12in jolter with yowling guitar, surprisingly lukewarm as an LP cut but sure to smash now, c/w Brenda Lee’s 0-121-0bpm ‘Sweet Nothings‘.

RICK JAMES: ‘Ghetto Life’ (Motown TMGT 1250).
Good ‘Give It To Me Baby’-type 117bpm 12in smacker, c/w the frantic jerky 130bpm ‘Below The Funk‘.  Continue reading “January 16, 1982: George Benson, Diana Ross, Rick James, Oneness of Juju, Yvonne Gage”

January 9, 1982: Brandi Wells, Tom Browne, Central Line, Richard ‘Dimples’ Fields, Daryl Hall & John Oates

ODDS ‘N’ BODS

THE WHISPERS do indeed have a brand new album, ‘Love Is Where You Find It’, due on UK release this week . . . 12in newies due now too are George Benson ‘Never Give Up On A Good Thing’, Slave ‘Wait For Me’ / ‘Just A Touch Of Love’, Earth Wind & Fire ‘I’ve Had Enough’ / ‘Let’s Groove (Remix)’ / ‘Sparkle’, Modern Romance ‘Queen Of The Rapping Scene’ / ‘Can You Move (Everybody Salsa – US rap mix)’, Mike Post ‘Hill Street Blues’, Five Special ‘Just A Feeling’, while albums due next week are Kleeer, Chaka Khan, Sister Sledge, Shalamar . . . Al Jarreau ‘Roof Garden’ will be on single in a fortnight . . . Rush Release have serviced a mystery RCA white label 12in by an unnamed group, ‘Don’t Stop’ being a 128-129bpm chanting electronic pop pounder in the deadpan Depeche Mode style . . . I’m writing this while still holidaying in North Nottinghamshire, where import shops and disco gossip ain’t exactly on the doorstep, so sorry if there’s very little hot to report . . . Baccuus International are currently revamping London Camden Town’s old Music Machine into an “ultra hi-tech discotheque” for re-opening under a new name in a couple of months or so . . . Capital Radio’s ‘Souled Out And Roots Rockers’ programme now runs 9.30-10.30pm on Fridays . . . ‘OTT’ sorta ‘TISWAS’ for kids who stay up late, is very silly and quite likely to keep people in (or at least watching on their videos) on Saturday nights, especially if it sustains such inspired lunacy as The Greatest Show On Legs – three stark naked guys having difficulty in covering their naughty bits with balloons while dancing the cha cha cha! . . . Chris Hill, David Bowie, Shirley Bassey and Elvis Presley were all born on January 8th – mind you, my birthday’s the same day as the Queen’s! . . . Chris Hill now makes a point of mixing solidly for an hour between 11pm and midnight every Saturday at Canvey Goldmine . . . Froggy, who’s punters sing the “R-D-R-D-O” bit from ‘Caveman Boogie’ as “airy-ah-ah-soul”, defends the way he doesn’t do much mixing when at Radio One’s Kid’s disco’s by saying “With 3,000 kids in the venue there will be a thousand standing in front of the stage waiting for a giveaway or a silly and although I do mix a few records together it’s only two at a time as otherwise I’d lose contact with the crowd who basically would not understand what the hell was going on.” (he’s been brooding about that for months, has our Frog!) . . . Mark Southall of Newport’s Flashback Record Shop (where I believe his hero also works) says without doubt that Britain’s best mixing DJ is Dave Bumford who demonstrates the fact every Friday at Scruples in the Kings Head Hotel, Newport (Gwent) – Dave also prints exhaustive BPM lists and peel-off sticky BPM labels . . . I’ve been having fun with two copies of Kool keeping the ‘Get Down On It’ title line repeating ad infinitum, also synching KID over TC Curtis for ages, and taking Lamont Dozier out of Brandi Wells ‘Around’ . . . Europa International Agency has recently restructured itself and started up Bless The Funk Promotions which kicked off over Christmas presenting Froggy, George Power and others at Wood Green Avenida (over the Odeon) with a strict funk/soul but no jazz/reggae policy, this venue evidently being regular – as are the more commercially orientated Europa International’s nights for North London Colleges at Southgate Royalty on Wednesdays . . . Neil Fincham and Colin Cordrey say their funk/soul weekend policy at Edinburgh’s Uptown packs the place by 10.30pm so get there early if you want to get in . . . Lenny says it’s not all electro-funk at Edinburgh’s Nite Club (over the Playhouse Theatre), the video thang is where it’s all happening . . . Theo Loyla after seven and a half years has had to leave his residency at Bridge Country Club (near Canterbury) where his all-time top request was Stephanie Mills ‘If You Can Learn How To Cry‘ (US Tamla 7in) . . . I actually played for a party at my parents on New Year’s Eve, in preparation of which I and my father spent two days just shovelling snow out of the drive so that our guests could arrive, with the consequence that my leg muscles ended up aching in places I didn’t even know I had places! . . . London Capital Radio’s four hour uninterrupted continuously mixed New Year’s Eve ‘Ain’t Nothin’ But A House Party’ show meanwhile went out on tape after I’d put it together before heading North for Christmas, and in the compiling of it I discovered a sensational synch mix through the drum break of Altered Images ‘Happy Birthday’ into – you try it too – Chris Montez ‘Let’s Dance’! . . . Soft Cell ‘Tainted Love’ and ‘Bedsitter’ on 12in are both 145bpm and mix flawlessly, but in synching the 145bpm Human League ‘The Sound Of The Crowd’ through ‘Bedsitter’s’ central tapping bit I could not tell which record was making which noises, they were so perfect (ahh, the luxury quartz locked – fixed speed – decks!) . . . Bruce Springsteen ‘Cadillac Ranch’ synched out of Rod Stewart ‘Maggie May’ is a bit tasty too! . . . POD peculiarities this week include pop jocks finally catching up with Perry Haines, and discovering ‘Fire And Desire’ on the flip of Rick James ‘Super Freak’ at last . . . “D” Train is moving faster than British Rail’s APT, look at that record go! . . . and speaking of trains, I’ve got to get this onto a Red Star to London . . . Next week hopefully there’ll be some news that’s new, but in the meantime – make it anything you like, but MAKE SOME MONEY!

UK NEWIES

BRANDI WELLS: ‘What Goes Around Comes Around’ (WMOT WMOTL 105, via PRT).
Already established as the new Evelyn King, this Dexter Wansel-arranged powerfully lurching 113bpm 12in simple snickety strutter mixes sensationally out of ‘I’m In Love’ and just keeps right on along through some great rolling instrumental passages, while the equally strong ‘Watch Out‘ coupling is a chunkier 117bpm bass rumbled lilter with more vocal emphasis including a rap about the backing band and some superb jazzy scatting. The only two hot cuts off her import album, this is terrific value and not to be missed.

TOM BROWNE: ‘Fungi Mama / Bebopafunkadiscolypso’ (Arista GRP ARIST 12450).
One of the hottest sounds around, this crowing cockerel introed and clucking chickens accompanied madly jaunty bass burped 121-122-123-124bpm 12in driving jitterer has blasts of trumpet and happy fiesta-type chanting, mixing beautifully between “D” Train and EWF or (as discovered over Xmas) chopping sensationally out of Bros Johnson ‘Stomp’ in place of the bass break, the flip’s new 111bpm ‘Funkin’ For Jamaica’ remix being a tiny bit shorter and slightly rearranged with less vocal and different more doodling trumpet at times.

CENTRAL LINE: ‘Don’t Tell Me’ (Mercury MERX 90).
Sneakily infectious subtly powerful steadily tugging 111(intro)-114-113-114bpm 12in clomper with touches of Evelyn King in the beat and backing plus a whole lot of Eddy Grant in the vocal, the somewhat Isleys-style ‘Shake It Up‘ fast funky 129bpm B-side burbler fading in on some “go ‘head” chants.  Continue reading “January 9, 1982: Brandi Wells, Tom Browne, Central Line, Richard ‘Dimples’ Fields, Daryl Hall & John Oates”