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”
James Hamilton's Disco Page 