August 22, 1981: Richard ‘Dimples’ Fields, Linx, Chris Rainbow, Keni Burke, Aretha Franklin

ODDS ‘N’ BODS

RCA RECORDS may have lost Solar despite all the hits they gave it (even more than in the States), but to compensate they’ve gone and got the UK rights as of October 1st to – are you ready for a shock? – MOTOWN! . . . Beggar & Co are also signed now direct to RCA and, with Spandau Ballet returning support, soon release ‘Mule (Chant No.2)‘ – it sounds strong and mixes superbly out of Rick James . . . Arista start a major autumn jazz-funk-soul campaign next week with a 3 track 12in (ARIST 12430) featuring Spaces ‘Song For Jeremy’ / Dave Valentin ‘Pied Piper’ / Harvey Mason ‘Spell’, while due this week on 12in are One Way ‘Push’, Bill Summers ‘Summer Fun’, Robert Winters ‘Magic Man’ . . . Keith Diamond Band ‘The Dip‘ isn’t dueted by Chaka Khan but by soundalike Toni Smith, who also sang on ‘Funkin’ For Jamaica’ . . . Donald Byrd’s newie was produced by Isaac Hayes . . . Herb Alpert’s typical slow 48/96-0bpm ‘This One’s For Me’ from his new album has been circulated on promo 12in, packaged like his concurrent official release in clear polythene . . . US dollars are doing so well in the exchange rates that imports are now costing record shops almost as much as they’ve previously been selling them for, an untenable situation which means prices are sadly shooting up – however, despite stories elsewhere of £6.25 albums, Soho’s Groove by stopping their discount and making the minimum per sale are still managing to do LPs at £5.50, 12in £3.25 . . . Barry Brown of Barry’s Disco Centre, 56/58 Barton Street, Gloucester (0452-421126), runs another equipment exhibition on Sunday 18th October, Discomart ’81 at Gloucester Leisure Centre’s Cambridge Suite with much more stand space (at reasonable rates) and the promise of punters from the Mid West, Welsh Borders and South Midlands . . . BADEM’s Discotek ’81 on September 13-16 at London’s Bloomsbury Centre Hotel still has some space available on the exhibition “fringe”, details Derek Power on Caterham 48471 . . . Tony Jenkins, now doing London’s Playboy Club on Sun/Mon/Wednesdays and Denham Country Club on Tuesdays (Sats too till end Aug), has formed a new Main Event company (including a record label) which promotes one-off jazz-funk specials at luxury venues, all featuring dance groups and star appearances as well as the best in black music, and in typical style his next event at a secret location on 5th September has already sold out with no advertising other than word of mouth – the aim being to keep out wallys . . . Stuart Hamilton at Liverpool’s Coconut Grove (“Merseyside’s most exclusive disco”) this Monday starts a ‘Fantasy Island Fun Night’ based on the TV series, at which he intends arriving by horse! . . . Whitehaven’s Whitehouse, a cool oasis in the farthest reaches of Cumbria, has installed a big video system (including cameras) and could now do with promo material – pluggers contact Phil Haslehurst on Whitehaven 2215 . . . Terry Hooper’s Reflections club in Stratford (East London) has indeed now finally opened . . . Wallaby’s should soon be moving from Sutton to Staines, according to resident jock Anthony Barnacle’s brother Chris . . . Clive Clarke won Watford Bailey’s Trust House Forte/Honda-sponsored freestyle disco dancing final . . . Botley’s Blades near Oxford is advertised as playing Jazz Junk on Tuesdays – maybe that’s why Tony Hodges quit the gig! . . . Julian Wood (Oxford Belfry Hotel) sent in the newspaper clipping . . . Frenchie (Blackpool JR’s) raves about the Fania All-Stars ‘Going Back To My Roots‘ while Kev Hill (Basildon Sweeneys) says the similarly Latin/Salsa-style Mongo Santamaria ‘The Promised Land‘ is worth finding – the B-side of 1975’s Lady Marmalade’ on US Vaya . . . Salsa unfortunately seems to be becoming the latest fad for jaded sensation seeking posers, the sure kiss of death . . . Funkapolitan, as it’s difficult not to notice, also appear to be the posing set’s latest flavour of the month . . . Mayfair Gullivers Graham Gold looks so athletic in singlet and shorts that he only need grow a moustache to be mistaken for one of the Boys Town Gang! . . . I eavesdropped from over the road in my favourite watering hole, L’Escargot, on the loudspeaker outside Soho’s Le Beat Route to young Alan Coulthard’s slick mixing, and it must be said the kid is good – Rudi G had better look to his laurels! . . . phew, wot a scorcher: last week was certainly well timed for me to grab three sun drenched days in Somerset and Dorset . . . KEEP IT COOL!

JOE COCKER: Sheffield’s own, poses with Joe Sample, Wilton Felder and Stix Hooper of the Crusaders, for it is indeed he who sings on the jazz group’s latest 7in slowie, ‘I’m Standing Here Today‘. The Crusaders appear along with BB King and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra at London’s Royal Festival for five nights early next month. With friends like these, who needs a little help?

A POEM

PAUL MAJOR, resident jock at Great Yarmouth’s Tiffany’s, while musing in an English Churchyard suddenly beheld a sea of gold nightingales and felt inspired to commit his feelings on being a disc-jockey to verse . . . blank verse, at that, appropriately. Look on his works, ye mighty, and despair! Paul’s ode is entitled ‘DJ’.

Something different.
Something similar, but not the same.
Many moods.
Many faces.
Different times, different places.
Fashionable, but anti-fashion.
Free, but not free.
Tied in bondage.
By music and passion.
Love of plastic.
Vinyl worship.
Longs for attention.
Another member of the league.
No distraction, no rejection.
Happy, perhaps mad.
Depressed, perhaps sad.
Always different.
A mood to match a face.
No member of the rat race.
A forever search.
Maybe found.
A dream, a memory, a face in the crowd.
I am what I am.
Remember me this way.
I am your DJ.

Hmm, personally, I’ve got different ways on different days and different sights on different nights.
The real beat, my feet under the seat, and I’m smelling sweet!
Paul narrowly misses winning a subscription to the Poetry Circle’s Yearbook. Further poems are not invited.

UK NEWIES

RICHARD ‘DIMPLES’ FIELDS: ‘I Like Your Loving’ (Epic EPC A1554).
Simply sensational smash-sound lazily jogging 100bpm swayer, sadly only on 7in (so far), sweetly scattered with an ultra-catchy “oooh, shu du du bup ba ba” hookline that’s been packing dancefloors for ages on import. If the summer weather holds there should now be no stopping it.

LINX: ‘So This Is Romance’ (Chrysalis CHS 12-2546).
Now about on white label, this unhurriedly bounding gradually building jaunty 117bpm 12in loper has neat lyrics and nice noises, the latter being brought out more on the instrumental flip (subtitled ‘The Rio Mix’), all of it with the now recognisable stamp of Linx’s usual quality.

CHRIS RAINBOW: ‘Body Music’ (EMI 12EMI 5215).
Forget that Chris has previously been associated with ultrabrite pure pop, this gorgeous lushly atmospheric 103/51-0bpm 12in sleazy slinker has superb muted trumpet and quietly doodling sax (surely digitally recorded to be so delicately clear?), vari-mixing like a dream out of ‘Rise’ before the ever so slightly Bee Gee-ish vocals begin (for which he can be forgiven). Hear it!

I was late again this week, so you can’t have all the UK Newies until next week. Sorry.  Continue reading “August 22, 1981: Richard ‘Dimples’ Fields, Linx, Chris Rainbow, Keni Burke, Aretha Franklin”

August 15, 1981: Donald Byrd, Cameo, Bunny Mack, The Time, Herbie Hancock

ODDS ‘N’ BODS

DAVID GRANT of Linx celebrated his birthday last Friday (21 again!) at Mayfair’s Gullivers, unveiling the group’s up-coming ‘So This Is Romance‘ 12in which, by reverting to their earlier easily recognizable sound, is an excellent slickly bounding 118bpm jaunty loper with neat lyrics and nice noises erupting into a great musically exciting instrumental outro with squealing sax, while the instrumental flip (subtitled ‘The Rio Mix‘) brings out all the lovely twiddly bits behind the smoothly booming beat . . . Star Sound’s next at the end of the month will be (yawn) a Supremes medley – but in this case there’s actually a real one out ahead of it . . . Portsmouth Symphonia (remember they’re the ones what can’t play proper) are attempting a discordant send-up of ‘Hooked On Classics’! . . . Quincy Jones is rumoured to be producing Donna Summer’s next album in the hopes of giving her a hit as Giorgio Moroder’s recently delivered new efforts got nixxed by her label . . . Chrysalis held a lavish bash for Debbie Harry (Greenie rather than Blondie on the night) at Covent Garden’s normally ladies-only Sanctuary – all plants, pools of water, dangerous drops and steam heat – with Kurtis Blow plus spinning pals Russell Simmons and David Reeves jetted in from New York to handle the jocking alongside our own Fatman Graham Canter and Alan Jewell, while Chic’s Bernard and Nile also put in an appearance (boy, was this a gig that Froggy shoulda been at!), the main point being that despite all this not a single Debbie Harry track got played all night! . . . Alan Jewell actually gave himself a fright discovering how perfectly bits of the Human League instrumental B-side mix backwards and forwards in and out of Cerrone ‘Supernature’ . . . Landscape’s Spandau-producing Richard James Burgess tells me he’s just finished work on Hot Gossip’s new album with unbelievably Harvey Mason, David Sanborn, Airto, Neil Studenhaus, and even on one cut veteran Gil Evans! . . . Motown have now (maybe because it didn’t as anticipated leap to the top) put Stevie Wonder on commercial extended 12in in the new disco mix with instrumental flip, and Eddy Grant is also now on 12in too . . . Lobo on 12in appears to be 125bpm, Stephanie Mills 116bpm, Winston Groovy 89bpm . . . Dr York ‘Shake-n-Skate’ has been picked up by Groove Production . . . Was (Not Was) ‘Wheel Me Out’ will finally be on 12in here, as flip to their next release . . . Nick Straker ‘A Little Bit Of Jazz’ is the latest UK oldie to do well in the States hard on the heels of Billy Ocean ‘Nights (Feel Like Getting Down)’, which later in a new remix with added instrumentation will be out here again in September . . . Richard ‘Dimples’ Fields ‘I Like Your Lovin’, also now moving Stateside, is due here this week while Strikers ‘Inch By Inch’ should be out soon . . . Billboard’s UK Disco chart has been reduced to a Top 80 . . . 40 of last week’s UK Top 75 pop hits were issued on 12in . . . TK Records in the States are in debt to the tune of more than four million dollars but reckon that one hit record would put them back in profit – first, ya gotta get a hit . . . Phonogram’s John Waller finally got married off last weekend (how long before someone’s daddy points a shotgun at Orin Cozier?!) . . . Jeff ‘Boy Wonder’ Young sits in for Robbie Vincent on Radio London for the next three Saturdays (11.30am-2.00pm), with guests this week David Grant, then successively Patti Austin, Donald Byrd . . . Tricky Dicky’s record shop opposite Mile End tube station, Disco Music at 391c Mile End Road, London E3 (01-981 4531), is only open Thurs/Fri/Saturdays but gives good DJ discounts (US 12in £3, UK 12in £1.90) and stocks all the old 12in classics . . . Lee Taylor, jock at Mayfair’s swank Tokyo Joe’s, gives us the hot gossip that HRH Prince Andrew was dancing to Rah Band ‘Rock Me Down To Rio‘ when Lee chopped into ‘In The Navy’ – “V. funny” was the royal comment! . . . ‘Rio’ is in fact definitely the hot side of the Rah Band, despite being the same BPM as all their others . . . Robin & Paul Wheeler, of Frenchies and now Jacksons fame, are opening another up-market new club on the first Monday in September at Henley-on-Thames, appropriately called Wheeler’s – jocks will include Sean French, Chris Brown, Dave Collins, Mike Sefton . . . Terry Hooper’s new Reflections club in Stratford did not in fact open as planned but should do so soon, and his replacement at Ilford Room At The Top is now John Osbourne . . . John Tracy’s futurist ‘Hollywood’ Wednesdays at Sheffield Penny’s are doing so well that he and Paul St James open up on Mondays too for a ‘Tropical Heatwave’, while meanwhile at Manchester Legend the ‘Dancematic’ Thursdays are chock-a-block for Ralph Randell & Paul Rae . . . Wigan Casino’s 8th anniversary Northern all-niter has had to be brought forward to Saturday 29th August to beat the end of their lease – jocks will be Russ Winstanley, Richard Searling, Dave Evison, Keith Minshull, Gary Rushbrook, Brian Rae, Pat Brady . . . Mad Marx hopefully didn’t lose his pants when with Uncle Merv he jazz-funked Southend Rascals this Wednesday (12), as he certainly did in publicity pix! . . . Anthony Bernards is organizing a coach from Sutton Wallabys for the Dimlo’s reunion at Well Pond Green Candles, where DJ Wally promises such Jap-jazz greats as Kanu Sukalagwun . . . Teesvalley Roadshow’s Graham Bond (Middlesbrough 325112) has offshore radio recordings to swap . . . Alan Coulthard, until recently a relatively unknown wine bar DJ in South Wales, is now writing regularly for Record Mirror and has just taken over as warm-up jock at Soho’s Le Beat Route – all because he sent very intelligent letters with all his chart returns (being able to spell and about to start university in London helped as well, but he could have been YOU) . . . I can’t help people I don’t hear from, so think about it . . . OINK!

JEANIE TRACY, sounding less coy than she looks, does most of the singing on Sylvester’s great ‘Give It Up (Don’t Make Me Wait)‘ and is his duetting partner on the ‘Here Is My Love‘ official A-side. From a gospel family background, Jeanie also appears on the imminent new Herbie Hancock and Freddie Hubbard sets (the latter like Sylvester on Fantasy).

UK NEWIES

DONALD BYRD: ‘Love Has Come Around’ (Elektra K 12559T).
Although not even slightly jazzy this hypnotically rolling 0-113bpm 12in slinky smacker sets up a Sylvester-style groove with a nice jangly piano figure, harmonious ethereal chanting, and soulful chick ‘n’ chap emerging to swap a few lines, the whole being beautifully produced and a brilliant mix with Central Line amongst others (thanx Gareth!), while for extra value the flip is his old chix-cooed jogging 109bpm ‘Loving You‘ – virtually the A-side’s 1978 forerunner in format if not in sound.

CAMEO: ‘Freaky Dancin’ (Casablanca CANXX 1004).
Although only added as a single-sided extra to make the 12in issue a twin-pack, this staccato powerful 121bpm brittle funk snapper is the one everyone’s been dancing to for some time and it’s still strong now (try mixing out of Commodores or Rick James), the other 3-tracker’s official plug side being the sparsely smacking 114bpm ‘Don’t Be So Cool‘ with a conversationally bragging rap by Nona Hendryx, flipped by the jazzy 133bpm ‘The Sound Table‘ and last year’s “whoa-oh” filled 115bpm ‘On The One‘.

BUNNY MACK: ‘Supafrico’ (white label MACK-12-3).
Literally on white label with no name or affiliation decided yet. Akie Dean’s latest Afro-disco production is a happily skipping 125-126bpm 12in bubbler that has ‘D.I.S.C.O.’- type tinges and Gibsons-style crossover appeal, but in fact the mainly instrumental 127-128bpm B-side version is much stronger (once again) for the hard core disco crowd, with extra percussion and some great dub-like rhythm gaps making it the one to use. Naturally it’s already monstrous for us at Gullivers!  Continue reading “August 15, 1981: Donald Byrd, Cameo, Bunny Mack, The Time, Herbie Hancock”

August 8, 1981: Rafael Cameron, Imagination, Nina DeCosta, Sylvester, Impressions

ODDS ‘N’ BODS

Jay Hoggard makes an exclusive UK appearance next Saturday (15) at Jaffa’s in London’s Tottenham Court Road Horseshoe, while the double-billed Crusaders and BB King for five nights from September 9th at the Royal Festival Hall sounds like another not to miss, too . . . Diana Ross & The Supremes ‘Supremes Medley’ (Tamla Motown 12TMG 1180) has been reissued to capitalize on the current medleymania (surely 1981’s equivalent of Boney M? – now there’s an idea for a medley!), the next in the pipeline to follow the easy hit formula unbelievably being ‘Stars on ’78’ – really! – made up of Glen Miller-type big band nostalgia classics . . . Donald Byrd has an un-jazzy acetate of new material in very limited circulation, the bland 114bpm ‘Love Has Come Around’ being set as his next single although the much beefier 120bpm ‘Love For Sale’ mixes nicely out of Commodores ‘Lady’ . . . Margo Michaels Atco-distributed US LP was released before producers Holland-Dozier-Holland had approved the mix and indeed it has been withdrawn in the States for an imminent remixed relaunch, but too late to prevent naff copies hitting these shores . . . Linda Taylor got credited with being the artiste instead of Cayenne in my review of ‘Roberto Who..?’ thanks to the confusing label design and my haste in typing . . . Chris Palmer confesses to being so upset at the Beeb only having an 8-track studio mixer when he recorded Cayenne for the Peter Powell/Froggy soul show that with his mind on other things he accidentally smashed a drumkit case through a glass front door at BBC’s Langham House . . . Soho’s Groove Records gets glimpsed in the street scene background of Spandau’s great Le Beat Route video . . . Robert and L.A. – once the main attraction in Shock, turned up on Top Of The Pops as Tight Fit . . . Debbie Harry has really blown it, her harsh voice being totally at odds with the Chic-produced material on her new LP, all of it sounding incredibly ugly . . . Excaliber’s hurriedly botched Wish ‘Nice And Soft’ remix has caused the ludicrous spectacle of people queuing for copies of the original US 12in, muttering that they don’t want the remix even if it is copied with both US versions! . . . EMI’s David Rose has re-opened his DJ mailing list and will send application forms on receipt of an SAE (David Rose, EMI Records (UK), 20 Manchester Square, London W1A 1ES) – he’s especially interested in clubs with video facilities – plus Stiff’s Sonnie Rae is attempting to compile a list for obviously more rock-orientated product, so send full DJ work details to her at Stiff Records, 9-11 Woodfield Road, London, W9 . . . Anthony Bernach, jock at Sutton Wallaby’s, says this “hideaway club for secret people” is putting out 500 copies of a silly 7in recorded live at the club. ‘I’m A Marsupial’ on (surprise, surprise!) the Pouch label, sung (if that’s not an exaggeration) by all the regulars . . . Flash Gordon (Bristol Sinatra’s) adds that Talisman’s recently mentioned reggae single is on Recreation (SPORT 14), produced in France by Bristol’s Revolver record shop . . . Graham Gold (01-908 2224) is looking for a good experienced MoR mobile to do a friend’s wedding party in Richmond on Friday 4th September . . . Southend and Bognor Regis are both seaside towns but maybe Sean French needs a road map to tell them apart? . . . Southampton Barbarella’s is getting good and funky again following the arrival of a new manager who’s actually into jazz-funk . . . Bristol based Superfly moans that the scene in the West is dead – but maybe Ray Edwards can help rejuvenate things when he joins Dave Cash at the up-coming Radio West? . . . David Rodigan adds so many “oink” and other great effects off cartridge to the records on his Capital reggae show that shops complain they can’t sell the unadorned originals! . . . Marshal King (Sunderland Mayfair) finds the digital mix on SOS Band ‘Do It Now’ too shrill to be subdued by the normal treble controls at the venues he works . . . Frenchie (Blackpool) says Prince ‘Sexy Dancer’ synchs sensationally over Modern Romance . . . Soft Cell turns out to be a duo led by Marc Almond, who in the early ’70s had an eponymously named group playing rather nice jazzy rock in the Steely Dan style . . . ITV won the battle of The Wedding, but then anything that didn’t have Angela Rippon looking pleased with herself had to be better . . . Barry Dean (0733-43931), currently at Peterborough’s La Scala most nights with Kris Stevens (I went to the opening of that place), has a complete mobile disco and one ton trailer to sell . . . Gerry Cullen (Glasgow French Quarter), reckons his area’s punters will be straining at the leash when they hear that the Flirtations 1975 ‘Mr Universe‘ will be reissued in November on RCA Golden Grooves . . . Alan Costa (Brighton Kings Club/Kings II) reckons UA could reissue the Marvels ‘Sh-Boom‘ judging from current reaction to it . . . Donna Summer’s old ‘I Remember Yesterday’ was inspired by Kid Creole’s earlier brainchild Dr Buzzard’s Original Savannah Band-remember?! . . . Funktion’s current London club venues are Clowns (Mon), Heaven (Tues), Bennett (Wed/Thurs), Barracuda (Fri/Sat), Embassy (Sun), but I can’t vouch for the music actually played on those nights (details 01-946 2433) . . . Fatman Graham Canter (Soho Le Beat Route) wonders whether you heard the one about the Irish rock ‘n’ roll band – Shillelagh & His Comets?! . . . Polydor’s Theo Loyla has been spreading scandal recently alleging that amongst his fellow disco pluggers Loraine Trent wears falsies, Morgan Kahn strangles moles, Orin Cozier is a pervert, David Rose is deaf, Ian Titchener is an illegal immigrant, David Yeats won’t give records to girls, and Noreen Allen has athletes foot . . . Morgan who? . . . OINK!

STUNNING SOULSTRESS Phyllis Hyman has her recently reviewed ‘Can’t We Fall In Love Again’ album out here now (Arista SPART 1154), plus a 3-track 12in. Philadelphia born but Pittsburgh raised, she had a cameo role in the film ‘Lenny’ before Norman Connors spotted her in New York and featured her on his ‘You Are My Starship’ LP. Her subsequent solo sets are equally renowned, but possibly less well known here is her award-winning appearance on Broadway in the smash musical ‘Sophisticated Ladies’ (based on Duke Ellington’s music). Lovely to look at, Phyllis has also done extensive promotion work for such cosmetic lines as Revlon, Clairol and Fashion Fair. How long before we too can see her in the flesh?

FREEBIE JEEBIES

WEA’S MAILING list jocks responded in different ways to my recent comment that they don’t keep the records they receive in their charts for very long. Mark Clark (Bracknell) said he gets so many new records a week, bought and sent, that he can’t list them all in the Top 15 he sends us. Dennis Brynner (Southampton) hit the nail on the head with “We’re in the business of keeping our dance floors full and our charts strictly reflect this” – he sends a Top 30 plus slowies, pop and futurist Top 10’s. However, this still doesn’t resolve the problem of why certain records only appear in some DJs listings on the week of receipt. If they don’t work then at a floor level why list them, or if they do, why not keep playing them and chart them properly for as long as they last? Stargard’s album is a case in point, steaming into the chart at number 40, a position which would normally denote a monster in the making, only to drop dramatically during the following five weeks until now it’s good and gone. Neither a stinker nor a monster, but a good workable set, it deserved neither that inflatedly high debut, nor rapid descent. DJs, don’t chart stuff just because it’s been sent to you in the mail (no matter how tyrannical certain disco pluggers may sometimes seem!). It doesn’t help anyone in the long run as the reason for the chart is to reflect actual dancefloor popularity. Early indication of this, if founded on fantasy rather than fact, could lead to a record company wasting money in further promotion of something that doesn’t actually warrant it. Be hip, wise up! I’d still rather hear from jocks who buy their own material, as with a financial commitment involved, those are obviously the records they really believe in. Thanks to all though for the effort and expense of sending in charts of any type, they’re widely appreciated as I’m sure you’re aware.

UK NEWIES

RAFAEL CAMERON: ‘Funtown U.S.A.’ (Salsoul SALT 10).
Sensationally strong bass thundered synth spiked ultra happy catchy 0-118-120-121-0bpm 12in jittery funk explosion should now at last realise the full potential of the smash status its enjoyed with all who’ve used it on import, even though here it’s officially flip to the radio-aimed blander but pleasantly Shalamar-ish 0-119bpm ‘All That’s Good To Me‘, which has nice soulful ingredients strung together by a steadily tripping beat.

IMAGINATION: ‘In And Out Of Love’ (R&B RBL 202).
Widely circulated on white label although not fully available for a fortnight, this 83-84bpm 12in hypnotic swayer sounds at first to be merely lots more just like before, but then soon sounds so nice ya gotta play it twice! With the exact same structure (and BPM!), it has even prettier piano, tinkling vibes, Stylistics-style wailing, and adds up to more of a gorgeous ethereal atmosphere than an actual song.

NINA DECOSTA: ‘Don’t Want To Lose You’ (Rokel ROK 16).
Akie Dean-produced simply superb infectious little 0-76bpm 12in lovers rock swayer with lovely soulful singing, a great “biya” scatting and jazzy guitar central section, pretty construction and usefully distinctive intro – in other words as you’ve probably guessed, I rate it highly! Do check this one out, and listen right through to the tensely pent-up finish.  Continue reading “August 8, 1981: Rafael Cameron, Imagination, Nina DeCosta, Sylvester, Impressions”

August 1, 1981: Teena Marie, Raydio, Real Thing, Roy Ayers, Jean Carn

ODDS ‘N’ BODS

THE SAGA OF MSO continues: This salsa orchestra turn out to be a combination from members of Cayenne, Breakfast Band and Gonzalez, assembled last year without the knowledge of Roberto Campoverde after his brain had been picked by producers Ray Singer and Arthur Louis — however, their Mainstreet label seems unable to decide whether the hot track is called ‘In The Jungle’ or ‘Colombia’ depending on the record size. It’s on the B-side anyway, shops can’t get the 12in, and until I did some sleuthing nobody knew how to order it (or indeed that it existed) — so, do they want a hit or not?! . . . Capitol plan a 3-track Maze 12in with the live ‘Joy And Pain’ / ‘Happy Feelin’s’, plus the earlier ‘Golden Time Of Day’ . . . Level 42’s album is likely to be launched during August at Mayfair’s Gullivers club in Down Street, where every night this week Mirage are playing live . . . Paul Murphy’s Jaffa’s live jazz venue inside London Tottenham Court Road’s Horseshoe is planning to follow the wildly successful Heath Brothers gigs with future appearances by Inversions, Cayenne, Roland Vasquez & Urban Ensemble, Ray Carless & Tarantula, Morrissey Mullen and, hopefully, Dave Valentin (wot, no Shakatak?!) . . . Quincy Jones could well be bringing a star-studded orchestra over here soon, following release of his Patti Austin album on Qwest . . . BADEM’s Discotek 81 at London’s Bloomsbury Centre Hotel on September 13/14/15/16th will be open all four days to DJs this year (from 11am daily) with overseas manufacturers exhibiting for the first time too, plus fringe events like a series of seminars for DJs, record company participation, and a DJF awards night . . . France’s even more massive exhibition, Discom 81 will be at Paris’s Parc Des Expositions on October 26/27/28/29th, aimed at all leisure facility users of sound and lighting equipment (UK rep: Jack Kessler, 01-499 2317) . . . Thames Valley DJ Assn are having a DJs riverboat shuffle sailing from Kingston-upon-Thames on Sunday 16th August, £5 tickets including buffet (cheques payable TVDJA) from PO Box 39, Staines, Middlesex — sounds like a nice idea . . . I had great fun last week playing nothing but ‘food” and “drink” hits (like ‘Kiss Me Honey Honey Kiss Me’, ‘Special Brew’) at a party to launch the latest Guinness Book Of British Hit Singles by Messrs Rice, Gambaccini & Read, the guest stars including everyone from Cliff ‘n’ the Shads to Shakin’ Stevens — Mud’s Les Gray in particular got going to Lonnie Donegan’s ‘Have A Drink On Me’ and ‘Does Your Chewing Gum Lose Its Flavour (On The Bed Post Overnight)’! . . . New York’s black-orientated (ie: soul/disco) WBLS radio has again come out way on top of the latest ratings, actually increasing its audience share since the winter (and they still say disco is dead) . . . Sandy Martin at Swindon Brunel Rooms got an exercise bike from the local sports shop and gets people doing speed trials in time to the records, pedalling and pulling the rowing-action handlebars, ‘Brazilian Dawn’ being hard to beat . . . Greg Davies (Bedford) gets his punters to put their requests “on tape” via a small Philips tape memo pad, which obviates scrawled scraps of paper and the danger of mispronouncing names — but presumably he has to chain the recorder to something? . . . John Mayoh (Bolton 55516) needs firm offers of work before raising a loan to buy a Philips 80-inch screen and Chromascope for video projection, so anyone interested within 50 miles of Bolton let him know.

CENTRAL LINE, formed a a sextet in ’78 from the same pool of East End funk musicians that also coughed up Light Of The World and Imagination, has shrunk down to the current foursome of Henry Defoe, Camelle Hinds, Lipson Francis, Linton Beckles, their sizzling hot ‘Walking Into Sunshine’ newie being co-written by the last two with Heatwave’s Roy Carter, who produced it (for Mercury Records & Tapes).

DISCONET

IN RESPONSE to continuous mail asking about the American DJ-only subscription service which issued remixes of amongst others Abba ‘Lay All Your Love On Me’, Donna Summer ‘I Feel Love’, Grace Jones ‘Pull Up To The Bumper’, I have no alternative but to give their address. This back-catalogue material will no longer be available from them, so please don’t go pestering them for it. General public fans of the artists concerned, don’t waste your time, as the service is strictly for DJs who are very carefully vetted before being added to the list (this is for copyright reasons as most releases are combinations of material from many different labels). Before you start, be aware that this is a Book Of The Month Club type of operation, where for a very sizeable subscription you have to receive what they send you at regular intervals (with options to purchase special extras), and that the material they send out is aimed mainly at gay orientated US disco DJs. In other words, if you think you’re going to get lots of great remixes that will be really useful here, this could be a massive waste of money which does not justify the odd UK-slanted goodie that slips through the net. Ah-hah, yes — the service is called Disconet, operated by Sugarscoop Inc, 698 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10016, USA (telephone 0101-212-687 2313). Timewasters, please do not apply. On the other hand, you could try London’s Record Shack, who have been known to get a limited number of each issue which they sell at £25 each (an indication of the cost you’ll be letting yourself in for).

UK NEWIES

TEENA MARIE: ‘Square Biz’ (Motown 12TMG 1236).
Jerkily juddering shrill 113-114bpm 12in squawker with some mumbling male help reaches a rap section. Bobby Broom ‘Saturday Night’ being a welcome mix out of it.

RAYDIO: ‘Still In The Groove’ (Arista ARIST 12392).
Bass synth punched catchy 119bpm heavy funk instrumental gets monotonous after a while but works brilliantly as a mixer for short stretches, the budget priced 3-track 12in also including his previous US smash 7in coupling of the buoyantly jogging 46/92bpm ‘A Woman Needs Love’ and slow 21bpm ‘So Into You’.

REAL THING: ‘I Believe In You’ (Calibre CABL 109).
Well produced (by themselves) bass synth bumped jogging semi-slow 108bpm 12in swayer with typical vocal sound and enough hook to catch if it’s played.  Continue reading “August 1, 1981: Teena Marie, Raydio, Real Thing, Roy Ayers, Jean Carn”

July 25, 1981: Central Line, Level 42, Black Slate, Brick, The Strikers

ODDS ‘N’ BODS

RCA RECORDS cap their sustained hit streak with the top three places in this week’s disco chart all on the actual RCA label . . . Lobo, now on 12in, is not the ‘Dog Named Boo’ singer but a Dutchman . . . Commodores is also now on 12in, Teena Marie ‘Square Biz’ is on US promo 12in flipped by the old Ozone ‘Mighty-Mighty’, and Marcia Hines is on extended 121½bpm 12in promo (Logo obviously mean business) . . . David Sanborn has a 4-track 12in LV due imminently . . . MSO ‘In The Jungle’ (confusingly titled ‘Colombia’ on 7in) is at least now being stocked by Soho’s Groove Records in Greek Street, who managed to track down the elusive Mainstreet label and order this sizzling slab of pure Latin excitement . . . Robbie Vincent’s VE Night at Dartford Flicks last Thursday was good fun, my reference to Louis Jordan ‘Caldonia‘ as “the week’s hottest new import” (which it would have been in May 1945!) creating a lot of interest, while a confetti cannon detonated up in the lighting gantry destroyed a couple of hundred quids worth of neon tubes! . . . Capital Radio’s jazz session producer Jeremy Lloyd (of Incognito fame) wonders whether Spaces named their ‘Song For Jeremy’ with him in mind! . . . Paul Dower of Waterford’s Suirside Radio is persevering with his disco show and still needs the big disco hits that don’t go Top 40 Pop as these are hard to get in his part of Eire — maybe friendly pluggers could contact him at Suirside, 7 The Mall, Waterford, Ireland . . . Derek ‘Greg’ Lawrence (01 571 4528), well experienced at mixing up futurist and dance music, is angling after a Saturday matinee-style disco gig or any other West London DJ work . . . Nick Davies is going futurist on Sundays at Watford New Penny, with half-price drinks from 8-10pm . . . Kev Hill (Basildon Sweeneys) reports his fave local band Elixia have jazzed up their basic funk sound with more than a hint of Latin influence . . . Preston’s Keith Richard won the £1,000 Carling Lager amateur disco dancing final at Sheffield Top Rank Suite recently . . . Paul ‘Wiggy’ Wignall & Tony Riding, resident at Liverpool’s Wynners in Peters Lane for smart over-22s, will pay anything for a mint condition Johnny Bristol ‘Bristol’s Cream’ LP . . . Don Covey has reunited 1968’s Soul Clan supergroup for live USA appearances, with himself, Solomon Burke, Ben E King, Joe Tex, plus new member Wilson Pickett as replacement for Arthur Conley (and not Ben E King for Otis Redding, as printed by another paper which should have known better) — the original line-up’s ‘Soul Meeting’ single by coincidence having hit the US soul chart exactly 13 years ago last week . . . Carl Carlton, also exactly 13 years ago, had his first minor success with ‘Competition Ain’t Nothing’ as by Little Carl Carlton, “14 Year Old Sensation” . . . Roger Scott’s new Wednesday 6pm ‘Soul Cruising’ on Capital Radio has already done the Soul Clan and probably Carl too by the time you read this, so don’t miss it as every week there’s something among the soul oldies of relevance to today! . . . Barbara Acklin’s 1968 ‘Love Makes A Woman‘ at 118bpm does indeed vari-synch superbly out of Carol Jiani ‘The Woman In Me‘ . . . War ‘Cinco De Mayo’ is the background basis for the latest of Chris Hill’s legendary raps . . . Flash Gordon (Bristol Sinatras) recommends local reggae group Talisman ‘Dole Age‘ / ‘Free Speech‘ — but what’s the label? . . . Froggy’s hot for Hi-Tension ‘There’s A Reason‘, Martin Platts (Blackburn) gets strong reaction to Gap Band ‘When I Look In Your Eyes‘, Marshal ‘Woolie’ King (Sunderland Mayfair Roller Disco) gets ’em skating to Incredible Bongo Band ‘Bongo Rock ’73‘, Frenchie is amongst North-Western jazz jocks on Alphonse Mouzon ‘Funk Transplant‘ (US Metronome LP) from ’79 . . . Edgar Winter ‘Above And Beyond‘ (the exciting bit after the guitar two-thirds through) is terrific out of Sharon Redd’s remix . . . Zenith ‘People Of The Sun‘ (US Lynx 12in) and, now belatedly breaking in US discos, Suzy Q ‘Get On Up And Do It Again‘ (Canadian JC 12in) both got zilch response following my reviews but work really well for me, the latter especially out of the Graingers . . . Mike Morgan, still doing Chelmsford YMCA Saturday roller disco, is now at the Angel in Bocking near Braintree every Tues/Fri/Sunday . . . Ronnie Symonds (or is it Simons?) has joined Larry Foster at Ilford’s Room At The Top to replace Terry Hooper, who as manager opened Stratford’s new Revelations club last week . . . Mark Southall of Newport’s Flashback Records reputedly appears in the cover photo on Cheryl Lynn’s LP, but whether as the extra weight inside her sack or as the stereo-totin’ kid is unclear! . . . Mike Heaney (Southgate), thanx for the support . . . Richie Rome’s album, which first appeared early last August eventually to be dominated by the ‘Remember Me‘ track, merely managed to crack the Disco 90 for four weeks peaking at 81 shortly before Xmas yet nevertheless has only just dropped right out of the survey after a colossal eleven months bubbling under — surely an all-time “sleeper that never was”? . . . Neil Fincham (Dunbar Goldenstones) observes that saying a record “caused a riot” takes on a whole new meaning these days . . . KEEP COOL!

GLENN GRAINGER of the Graingers, whose ‘Shine Your Light‘ (US BC 12in) has yet to do as well here as it deserves, turns out to have toured extensively as musical director and trumpeter with Odyssey, who not surprisingly call him “Grainger the Arranger”!

UK NEWIES

CENTRAL LINE: ‘Walking Into Sunshine’ (Mercury MERX 78).
Sensationally strong simple sleazily chugging 112bpm 12in tripper produced by ex-Heatwave bassist Roy Carter sounds really great out on the floor, the 129-128bpm ‘That’s No Way To Treat My (Love)‘ flip being Eddy Grant-type vocals with Change ‘Searching’ beat as backing.

LEVEL 42: ‘Turn It On’ (Polydor POSPX 286).
Excellent bass synth pushed cool steady 117bpm ticker with a gorgeous atmosphere and beautifully controlled smooth vocals slotting into the powerful unhurried beat, the acappella scat introed 143bpm ‘Beezer One‘ flip being very jazzy.

BLACK SLATE: ‘Live A Life’ (Ensign ENYT 215).
Without the over-obvious gimmicky hook of ‘Amigo’ but aided no end by the catchy vocoder-continued vocal pattern and superb chunky playing, this lovely 65/130(intro)-63½/127-63-126bpm 12in reggae roller is actually even more powerful as a whole and should be huge, while the 0/64(intro)-65bpm ‘Reggae Feeling‘ flip is good too.  Continue reading “July 25, 1981: Central Line, Level 42, Black Slate, Brick, The Strikers”

July 18, 1981: Modern Romance, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Bobby Broom, Genji Sawai & Bacon Egg, Spaces

ODDS ‘N’ BODS

CLUB ATTENDANCES are slumping yet the pop chart has never been fuller of disco / black material, and with fewer opportunities for DJs to play it there is a frustratingly large amount of strong new product about . . . Erskine T it can now be announced has rejoined his old Arista colleagues who now work at WEA, where as assistant to the head of A&R he will be responsible for WEA’s black product . . . Abba’s 12in, as you’ve probably heard.. is not 7in at all . . . Commodores ‘Lady (You Bring Me Up)’ will eventually be sneaked out on 12in (evidently US Motown don’t approve of 12in versions here as they don’t release them in the States) . . . ‘Square Biz’ will be Teena Marie’s single, imminently . . . Boystown Gang ‘Remember Me/Suite’ will be out here via WEA, but ‘Cruisin’ The Streets’ is considered too hot for British release (at least in unabridged form!) . . . Cayenne have recorded a Spanish version of ‘Roberto Who’ for foreign release . . . Ze’s ‘Mutant Disco’ album in the States is called ‘SeiZE The BEAT’, with Cristina ‘Drive My Car’ (which ran into a copyright ban here) replacing the Kid Creole cut . . . Staple Singers, who played London’s Venue on Sunday, have returned to recording with an album for 20th Century-Fox . . . Evelyn King was due to have made a quick visit here on Tuesday/Wednesday this week . . . Stevie Wonder’s 7in of ‘Happy Birthday’ is a digitally mixed new version specially done while he was here in London . . . Mainstreet, the elusive label for the dynamite MSO ‘In The Jungle’, appears to be distributed by Stage One . . . Froggy can’t tell his Morrissey Who? from Roberto Mullen, and obviously missed ‘Wade In The Water’ when it first came out! . . . ‘Wikka Wrap’ is impossible to avoid on New York’s WBLS radio station, and steamed into the US Disco chart . . . US Club owners who jumped on the ‘Urban Cowboy’ bandwagon are now moaning that the country music disco format isn’t working anymore — meanwhile, UK club owners reeling from the ‘Urban Violence’ bandwagon are moaning that the country isn’t working anymore . . . ‘Bits & Pieces III’ the bootleg original version of ‘Stars On 45’, has finally dropped out of our disco chart after nearly eight months . . . Rob Harknett (Harlow), horror of horrors, wonders when Jonathan King will make a mixer out of his hits (he must be Jo King!) . . .

HINES SIGHT

DOE-EYED dolly with the braided hair, Marcia Hines evidently became the most successful female singing star ever in Australia during the late ’70s. American born, she moved down under from Boston to appear in the local productions of ‘Hair’ and then ‘Jesus Christ Superstar’ (yup, she’s one of them) before starting her hit streak in ’75, and now, after a two year recording lay-off, she’s returned with a cantering catchy pop-aimed 121bpm 7in revival of Dusty Springfield’s ‘Your Love Still Brings Me To My Knees’ (Logo GO 403). With looks like hers, who needs a voice?

UK NEWIES

MODERN ROMANCE: ‘Everybody Salsa/Salsa Rappsody’ (WEA K 18815T).
Sensational “new dance music” fusion of authentic-type happy Latin salsa and then a rap section in rather futurist style on 124-123-122-124bpm 12in, although in fact the two-part 7in version can be made to flow in reverse order, the rap flip being 123½-124f and then the A-side picks up at 124-123-124c. Like Spandau’s ‘Chant’ this is a crossover smash.

THE ROYAL PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA: ‘Hooked On Classics’ (RCA RCAT 109).
After Stars On 45, now Classics on 45! All your fave Hundred Best Toons segued together on 0-131bpm 12in and headed straight for the top of the pop charts. In fact the treatment is surprisingly similar to an old 1960 Golden Guinea LP by 101 Strings, called ‘Back Beat Symphony‘, which put a “rock & roll” beat behind much the same material but minus the mixes.  Continue reading “July 18, 1981: Modern Romance, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Bobby Broom, Genji Sawai & Bacon Egg, Spaces”

July 11, 1981: Abba, Stevie Wonder, Manhattan Transfer, Commodores, Avonn

ODDS ‘N’ BODS

SHOWSTOPPERS CORNISH weekender at Perran Sands (October 2/3/4) will star Froggy, Jeff Young, Chris Brown, Sean French, Tom Holland, Martin Collins and Chris Dinnis – “traitors”, to quote a well known opinionated jock conspicuous by his absence from the bill! . . . I won’t give you booking details because presumably tickets are only being sold to punters in the clubs . . . ‘Wikka Wrap’ in its US 12in version (SAM S-12339) is much edited, and minus the risque “twelve inch (ooh) disc” reference . . . Black Slate have a good new untitled red label Ensign 12in promo currently circulating, guesstimatedly called ‘Are You Ready Now’ 65/130(intro)-63½/127-63/126bpm / ‘I’ve Got To Feel It (Reggae Music)’ 0/64(intro)-65bpm . . . WEA’s Fred Dove has serviced a ‘Going Back To My Roots’ promo 3-track 12in, featuring two different lengths of Lamont Dozier’s original plus the faster 119bpm Richie Havens version . . . ‘Rainy Night In Georgia’ will indeed be Randy Crawford’s follow-up, a cert to smash . . . Heaven & Earth ‘I Really Love You’ is now on US WMOT 12in with an instrumental flip . . . Spandau Ballet, wickedly wondering which way Duran Duran will jump now, last week filmed an elaborate video at Soho’s Le Beat Route (mentioned in the rap part of ‘Chant No.1’) . . . Robbie Collins starts another new futurist night next Wednesday (15) at Ilford’s Lords, in Cranbrook Road . . . MSO ‘In The Jungle‘, recently reviewed killer pure Latin rave-up, is proving too elusive for shops to order on the unheard of Mainstreet label – does anyone know who distributes it (or indeed who sent it to me)? . . . Richard ‘Dimples’ Fields dynamite ‘I Like Your Lovin‘ (reminiscent somewhat of Lenny Williams ‘Shoo Doo Fu Fu Ooh’) causes a stampede every time its played by us at Mayfair Gullivers (where Graham Gold never let up telling everyone it was his birthday last Saturday night) . . . Rick James’ absence from the UK chart was obviously too great an embarrassment for Motown to bear . . . Gap Band appears to be selling mainly for the ‘Oops Up Side Your Head’ flip, again . . . WEA’s mailing list DJs seem to lack consistent staying power, charting everything as they get it and then dropping it for the next batch the following week, which surely is not what Fred finds most effective? . . . See Bees T-shirt printers (you see their wares on sale at all the best gigs) have a nifty new design, an ‘All American Jazz Funk Giants’ eagle logo on grey fabric . . . Greg Davies (Bedford) got in the year’s first Xmas card on his return from the States and an exploration of Dallas’s flourishing jazz clubs, the ‘Strictly Tabu’ apparently being best of seven he visited . . . Paul James (Halesowen Elite mobile) hosted the entertainment at Birmingham’s Strathallen Hotel recently for the Miss Europe contestants – lucky dog! . . . Chris Ellis sez the next Staines Fusion Few naughty Caister magazine is now in production, and adds a belated happy 21st to Kathryn Peatfield, who’s “blonde, beautiful, and ultra-wow!” . . . Andrew Worthington-Jones, pop jock at North Wales Bodelwyddan Poppeys Country Club, helped car-troubled disco DJ colleague Alan Taylor by giving a lift to a friend of his only to break down himself – his kind gesture costing a £40 repair bill and no sleep for 24 hours (still, £40 wouldn’t get a fan belt fitted in London!) . . . Liverpool Gnome (or is it Pixie?) Alan Cody must have an interesting trick to have earned the nickname ‘Nutcracker’ . . . ‘Clash Of The Titans’ has such dodgy special effects you’ll believe a horse CAN’T fly, ‘For Your Eyes Only’ is OK but not as good as the last one, while the mega-monster will be ‘Raiders Of The Lost Ark’, which leaves you like a wrung-out rag within the first five minutes and then gets even more exciting, funny, and visually stunning – the best film since ‘Stars Wars’, see it, see it, see it! . . . UK Disco 90’s upper reaches are especially tough to crack right now, with so much strong product stacked up and trying to climb . . . DJ contributors, for goodness sakes get your gig details in early (Paul Clark, that means you especially!) as it’s a shame when they keep arriving a week too late – the deadline is Wednesday of the week before the week of publication, and remember that the post is awfully slow at present . . . MAKE IT MELLOW, KEEP IT FUNKY, YO HO HO!

RAY PARKER Jr. of Raydio is in the States a bigger star than you might suppose,owning a two million dollar house right at the top of Beverly Hills (above Frank Sinatra’s) which, he told recent visitor Chris Hill, he paid for all by himself . . . unlike some stars whose homes are owned by their record companies.

SUMMER GROOVE starts this Friday (10) on BBC Radio One between 4.30-5.30pm with Froggy and Peter Powell presenting a mixture of hot new soul sounds and some session tapes. Froggy feels that the Beeb’s top brass remain unconvinced that there’s an audience for our kind of music and reckons that feedback in the form of constructive letters to them could be helpful – so get writing. And, PP make it funky!

UK NEWIES

ABBA: ‘Lay All Your Love On Me’ (Epic EPC A13-1456).
Now sounding really strong on unremixed but beefily cut 12in, their galloping 0-133-134bpm disco pounder has a spacious choral sound lined to a Sylvester / Tantra-type beat and will obviously be huge pop – plus it’s flipped by the almost Quo-like powerfully trucking 127-128-127bpm ‘On And On And On‘!

STEVIE WONDER: ‘Happy Birthday’ (Motown TMG 1235).
There can hardly be a jock that hasn’t used this languidly bubbling but madly infectious 117bpm loping swayer, even if only trotting it out now on the title’s occasion (ie: someone has a birthday every night!), and now it’s finally on single – but only 7in commercially with an instrumental flip, lucky mailing list DJs getting the long prepared promo 12in flipped by Martin Luther King’s ‘I Have A Dream’ sermon.

MANHATTAN TRANSFER: ‘(Wanted) Dead Or Alive’ (Atlantic K11668).
Great – their dynamite happy jump-up 121bpm version of the Mighty Sparrow’s terrifically worded calypso is now on 7in and should add lotsa fun to those party moments when the tempo varies.  Continue reading “July 11, 1981: Abba, Stevie Wonder, Manhattan Transfer, Commodores, Avonn”

July 4, 1981: Spandau Ballet, Hi-Gloss, Mighty Fire, Richard ‘Dimples’ Fields, Cheryl Lynn

ODDS ‘N’ BODS

SOUTHGATE ROYALTY, home base of Showstopper Promotions, in a shock-gasp-horror move has had to knock jazz-funk on the head completely at the weekend due to early closure of the local tube station, Froggy now just jocking Wednesdays there, with Country Music taking over Fridays and the ’50s/’60s rock ‘n’ soul night moving in on Saturdays from Picketts Lock with Roger Scott and myself (starring this week) . . . Sho-Pro’s October Caister is sold out, and an additional weekender earlier in the month will now be back at Perran Sands in Cornwall on Oct 2/3/4 . . . Froggy joins Peter Powell on BBC Radio 1 for a weekly ‘Summer Groove’ soul show starting Friday 10th July 4.30–6.30pm, over nine weeks . . . Roger Scott’s ‘Cruising’ on Capital Radio switched last week on Wednesdays 6.00-6.30pm to soul oldies, all the records as usual from my own collection so you really can expect to hear some goodies! . . . John Grant, in another shock-gasp-horror announcement, intends (unless something fantastic happens in the interim) giving up his DJ activities to “pursue other interests” — “I need a break, and am continuing at Manchester Rufus up to around the end of August on Saturdays only, my very last all-dayer being on the 31st August, and no dates at all during the week” . . . Chris Britton at the end of August starts running mid-week jazz nights in Finsbury Park Rainbow’s new foyer club, with a mixture of club and radio guest jocks plus new Britfunk bands live every week, the best bands being gathered together for an all-dayer every two months or so, interested bands call Chris at the Rainbow on 01 272 9636 or outside office hours on 0494 451797 . . . Cameo’s up-coming UK release will be a double 12in pack, a 3-tracker with ‘Don’t Be So Cool’ / ‘The Sound Table’ / ‘On The One’, plus a one-sided ‘Freaky Dancin’! . . . Raydio have a 3-track 12in rushed this week with ‘Still In The Groove’ / ‘A Woman Needs Love’ / ‘So Into You’ (ARISTA 12392) — for sale at the price of a 7in! . . . CBS are releasing Abba ‘Lay All Your Love On Me’ after all (which’ll please Martin Platts of Blackburn), but only in the original LP version and not the Disconet remix — however, it’ll be a 12in . . . Stevie Wonder ‘Happy Birthday’ is on 7in right now . . . Unlimited Touch ‘Searching To Find The One’ belatedly gets UK release in three weeks, with Lamont Dozier ‘Cool Me Out’ and Cheryl Lynn scheduled soon on 12in too . . . Edit Point ‘Bright Side’ (which didn’t exactly set the chart on fire before) has been picked up by PVK, and Scandal / Lee Genesis, by Creole . . . Automatic’s Tantra 12in and 7in are completely new “definitive” versions unreleased anywhere else before, the 12in edit being an Italian remix and 7in a US Importe/12in promo version made for radio out of “everyone’s fave bits” . . . Cayenne ‘Roberto Who …?’ is being remixed for 12in . . . Nigel Martinez ‘Behind My Back’ could use a remix to cut through on the floor better . . . David Bendeth, visiting British haunts with wife Ruth, says his album is due out again soon in totally remixed, restructured and repackaged form . . . Disconet’s latest DJ subscription-only 12in twin-pack includes a dynamite remix of ‘Pull Up To The Bumper’ and a ‘1980 Top Tune Medley‘ mixer which interestingly reverses tradition by getting progressively slower, the final part being most useable here mixing ‘Celebration’ / ‘A Lover’s Holiday’ / ‘Love Sensation’ / ‘Can’t Fake The Feeling’ / ‘Rapture’ / ‘Upside Down’ / ‘Another One Bites The Dust’ (but other cuts on the set are tres gaie) . . . General Saint & Clint Eastwood’s reggae ‘Another One Bites The Dust’ (Greensleeves) in the 7in version even gets the catalogue number OINK 1! . . . Diana Ross’s new stage shows apparently won’t contain any Motown material at all — how will her fans like that? . . . ‘Wide Awake In A Dream’ was intended by arranger/producer Barry Biggs for its ’60s originator Philip James to re-record, but Philip didn’t like the basic backing track so Barry sang it instead! . . . Thames Valley DJ Assn starts marketing a range of products of use to DJs with a massively discounted Hermetite manufactured BCF fire extinguisher (good against electrical fires) at £7.50 inclusive of P&P, but with a further £1 discount to DJF members — cheques/POs (payable to TVDJA) with your orders to PO Box 39, Staines, Middlesex . . . TVDJA membership details are in a pamphlet from Steve Brandy at the same PO Box address — and Steve (Ashford, Middlesex 54714) wouldn’t mind jazz-funk gig offers . . . Kev James, resident weekday lunchtime and Thurs/Friday nights at the Raglan in City of London’s St Martins Le Grande, still does Tuesdays at Golders Green Great Expectations with live bands and invites interested bands (regular well paid work) to send an audition tape plus photos to him at 113 Bute Road, Wallington, Surrey . . . Norman Scott now runs a gay ‘Bolts’ night on Thursdays at the well-appointed Lazers in Green Lanes, Harringey (or, as Norman spells it, Harringay!) . . . Paul Rae & Ralph Randell, packing ’em in on their futurist Thursdays at Manchester’s Legend, also feature an hour of solid jazz on their popular jazz-funk Wednesdays . . . Excaliber/R&B Records reliable Morgan Khan needs more up-front club jocks (who can break new material) for his mailing list, so if you fit the bill send full work details to him at 34 Salisbury Street, London, NW8 8QE — but only If you’re in a major mainland UK town or city other than London, Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool, Leeds, Sheffield, Nottingham, Newcastle-upon-Tyne (where his quota is already filled) . . . Robbie Vincent and Jeff Young have another special VE Night at Dartford Flicks on Thursday 16th July, with last year’s searchlight plus (it’s rumoured) a tank, and a certain bearded disco journalist/DJ who will make a guest appearance playing authentic 1945 dance records while wearing his dad’s equally authentic sailor suit! . . . Colin Curtis, Frenchie & Pete Haig take to a boat on Ullswater for a jazz-funk cruise on Saturday 18th July — strictly limited £5.50 tickets from Chris Tittley, 244 Vicarage Lane, Marton, Blackpool, FY4 4NG (PO/cheque plus SAE) . . . Froggy, Jeff Young, Pete Tong & Colin Hudd the following day Sunday (19) then cruise around the Isle Of Wight — details on 01 723 1362 . . . Jacques Fred Petrus, French West Indies-born producer and Italian colleague Mauro Malavasi formed Change after first collaborating on Macho’s ‘I’m A Man’ in ’77. Petrus now producing BB&Q Band . . . Record Shack’s Jeff Shack has written to me saying “I would like to apologise to you for suggesting that you were gay. I didn’t actually mean to suggest that in my advert but it came out like that” . . . Michael McGloiry meanwhile has finally shown up in our chart, mainly it must be said as a result of gay disco play . . . Erskine T is currently secretive about an interesting new affiliation which should bring him in close contact with another somewhat lookalike disco plugger! . . . Phonogram’s John Waller implores his secretary Karin Rasborcheg, “Please don’t go – we love you too much! . . . Alan Costa (Brighton Kings Club/Kings II) has been playing Lamont Dozier ‘Going Back To My Roots’, but people keep coming up asking for the original by Odyssey — it had to happen, right?! . . . Craig Dawson (Edinburgh Road Runner Mobiles) reports currently number one in the Dutch disco chart appropriately is Frankie Smith ‘Double Dutch Bus’ — also of course finally huge Stateside, and the 119-120bpm US WMOT 12in is proving useful here again too (try Fatback ‘Kool Whip’ out of it for instance) . . . Sylvester’s eagerly sought dynamite promo 12in remix of ‘Give It Up’ is terrific out of the Sharon Redd remix – it’s 112(intro)-110(chix)-109(sax/rhythm)-110(“give it up”)-109-111(Sylvester)bpm, flipped by the nice 42/83bpm ‘Here Is My Love’ sexy duet, should you be lucky . . . Cerrone ‘Hooked On You’ is brilliant synched with Odyssey, don’t forget . . . R D Hart (Wells-Next-To-Sea) asks, “How the hell are you supposed to mix Shakatak ‘Brazilian Dawn’ with anything else — the nearest thing I can find is ‘Nut Rocker’ ” . . . like it, like it! . . . Mass Prod ‘I Got To Have Your Love’ is 119bpm, not 190bpm as printed(!) . . . Top Of The Pops two weeks ago was the most soulful ever, with something like six out of nine acts being black, while of last week’s pop Top 75 a good third was soul/disco and only an arguable six records ware futurist . . . Plan B worked then, all the no substance trendies jumping off soul and onto another bandwagon, leaving the charts wide open to people who spend money on music rather than clothes! . . . ‘Wikka Wrap’ is probably the biggest disco hit yet to go national without a major label being involved . . . Tony Clarke, jocking his way around Scandinavia, recommends Mikie Burke’s Record Shop in Grimstad, a seaside town in Southern Norway — Mikie was a jock himself and stocks current US/UK imports at reasonable prices . . .

DIONNE WARWICK —proving that good bone structure lasts a lifetime — is back with a double LP that’s great for listening, ‘Hot! Live And Otherwise’ (Arista DARTY 10), the “otherwise” being mainly some Michael Masser slowies (‘Some Changes Are For Good’ creating a US radio stir as her new single there) while the “live” majority includes a marathon medley of her hits. Nostalgic femme fans will dig.

UK NEWIES

SPANDAU BALLET: ‘Chant No.1 (I Don’t Need This Pressure On)’ (Reformation CHS 122528).
They’ve kept saying that their music was “funk” and now for real it really is. In an absolutely amazing amalgamation with — wait for it! — the sizzling brass of Beggar & Co, creating a sensational funkily thudding and motoring 0-121-0bpm 12in groove that chantingly builds to a dynamite break. Totally compatible, it mixes well with ‘Wikka Wrap’ for instance, the vocal side’s break actually being stronger than the whole of the shorter instrumental B-side. You’re unlikely to hear anything else as astounding this week!

HI-GLOSS: ‘You’ll Never Know’ (EPC A13-1387).
Although hotly contested by other cuts on the terrific import album, this gorgeous soulful chix-sung sleazily jolting 99bpm 12in clapped jogging swayer has so far come out on top as lead track, the great value flip’s Phillip Baliou-sung lovely lazily bumping cool 113bpm ‘I’m Totally Yours‘ being the closest contender and still potential winner. Class disco at its very best.

MIGHTY FIRE: ‘Love Fantasy’ (LP ‘No Time For Masquerading’ (Elektra K 52294).
Recently reviewed in full on import but now out here, the hottest hit by far is this superb spaciously arranged unhurried 126-127-128-129bpm mellow soul trotter with lovely jazzy solos from guitar, trumpet, sax and bass that are true jazz-funk, ‘Sweet Fire‘ being an equally good Harold Melvin-ish 121-123-124bpm rolling swinger, and ‘Love Attack‘ a monotonous jittery 128bpm thudder.  Continue reading “July 4, 1981: Spandau Ballet, Hi-Gloss, Mighty Fire, Richard ‘Dimples’ Fields, Cheryl Lynn”

June 27, 1981: Carl Carlton, The Jacksons, Bob Marley & The Wailers, Carol Jiani, Sharon Redd

ODDS ‘N’ BODS

No column this week.

UK NEWIES

CARL CARLTON: ‘She’s A Bad Mama Jama (She’s Built, She’s Stacked)’ (20th Century-Fox TCD 2488).
Leon Haywood-prod/penned hit-bound infectious jauntily trucking jittery 114bpm 12in strutter with Stevie Wonder-ful vocal sound and Kool-style “yahoo” yells, rushed out here ahead of US imports and flipped by his older lovely 36½/73-36/72bpm ‘This Feeling’s Rated X-tra‘, which is quite staggeringly similar to Tyrone Davis’s ‘In The Mood’ (try synching ’em and see!).

THE JACKSONS: ‘Walk Right Now’ (Epic EPC A13-1294).
Vibrant frenetically lively 133bpm 12in galloping strutter with gimmicky noise-filled final break will like their last one alienate the soul disco crowd but doubtless pull pop fans.

BOB MARLEY & THE WAILERS: ‘No Woman, No Cry’ (Island 12WIP 6244).
1975’s London Lyceum-recorded classic 40/79-80-0bpm reggae-rock slowie now on full length 12in flipped by ‘Jamming‘ — but rather irritatingly its a Paris-recorded faster 65/130-131-0bpm live version from ’78.  Continue reading “June 27, 1981: Carl Carlton, The Jacksons, Bob Marley & The Wailers, Carol Jiani, Sharon Redd”

June 20, 1981: Gino Soccio, Change, Evelyn King, Mighty Fire, Mastermind

ODDS ‘N’ BODS

DISCO OBSERVERS doubtless join me in heaving a sigh of relief at this week’s final return to normality . . . US imports will be costing more from the next shipment on . . . Teena Marie’s LP has been withdrawn in the States for a complete remix (was it something I said?!) . . . Morgan Khan is now pleading with dealers to sell Excaliber’s ‘DJ Purposes Only’ releases to ordinary non-DJ customers too — seems some shops took the series’ title literally! . . . Excaliber’s future issues include Candido ‘Jingo’, Wish ‘Nice and Soft’, Barbara Roy ‘If You Want Me’ (with a segued mixer flip), and a remix of Firefly ‘Love’ . . . Champagne has reissued Spargo ‘You and Me’ (FIZY 1001) . . . Hi-Gloss ‘You’ll Never Know’ / ‘I’m Totally Yours’ is being rushed early June . . . Star Sound’s next project is an Abba medley . . . Lenny White’s album ‘Twennynine with Lenny White’ (Elektra K 52257) is being sold here with a free copy of the previously promo-only ‘Fancy Dancer’ 12in remix . . . Fatback and James Brown LPs reviewed last week on import are now out here (Spring 2391512 and Polydor POLS 1029 respectively) . . . Carol Jiani is evidently about on a Canadian remix . . . Eddie Russ’s much-sought ‘Zaius’-featuring old ‘See The Light’ LP is turning up in certain London stores now . . . Archie Bell’s Becket LP will be on PRT here . . . Soho’s upmarket new L’Escargot wine bar seems off to a good start, spotted sipping Californian wine there last week were Jonathan Dimbleby, Pete Townshend, Roberto Campoverde . . . Roberto Who? . . . ‘Wikka Wrap’, reportedly the hottest record in the USA with radio going crazy for it, sold 30,000 copies in one day after rush release on SAM . . . Inversions ‘Loco Moto’ / ‘Black Russian’, finished only last week, should be due on Groove Production 12in any time now . . . Paapa / Future ‘Tastes So Good When It’s Hot’, an excellently produced fast urgent happy smacker involving members of HI-Tension and Sweet Sensation, is currently only in acetate stage, but should smash when picked up for release . . . Brighton Busby’s Thursday jazz-funk night didn’t get the “right” crowd, so Paul Clark & Mick Fuller are just there Sundays now . . . Sunderland Mayfair’s Roller Disco on Thurs/Saturdays is going great, sez Marshal ‘Woolie’ King . . . Terry Hooper has left Ilford Room at the Top after eight years to become manager of the soon to open Stratford Revelations . . . Robbie Collins (01 520 7547) needs more futurist bands to gig on Thursdays at Slough Alexandra’s – where Tokyo appear tonight (18) . . . Neil Fincham is looking for a learner / assistant DJ / video op at Dunbar’s Craigengelt in Marine Road — contact him there any Thur/Fri/Sat at 7.45pm . . . Paul Mallon (Bath 0225-3319931), following closure of Halifax Tiffanys would welcome summer season work playing any kind of music on the coast or in Europe . . . London Organisation of DJs’ membership has been reduced to £16 (including insurance cover) and their meeting venues will range around the area in an effort to attract more jocks — LODJ details from Ralph Maloney (01-805 8211) . . . Radio Caroline will have a futurist format when it returns on 559m off the Essex coast sometime this month . . . Steve Strange/Rusty Egan’s ‘Club For Heroes’ is merely Funktion flying under a new flag, with Peter Byfield in pirate clothes at the Barracuda . . . I spent a staggering 15 hours just BPM-ing records over the weekend, and trust it’s appreciated . . . HO DE HUM!

UK NEWIES

GINO SOCCIO: ‘Try It Out’ (Atlantic K 115947).
Already an absolute monster as an import LP track, this strangely compulsive dead simple but oh so powerful hypnotic walking paced 113-115bpm thudder with squawking chix and tootling trumpet is slipped by the synth washed jazzy guitar doodled lovely lush 35-36bpm title track to the LP ‘Closer’, which is now also out here (K 58790), the other main attraction on it being the tightly smacking 119bpm ‘Hold Tight‘ girlie group chanter, which is very strong too.

CHANGE: ‘Paradise’ (WEA K 76196T).
Since we were so rudely interrupted, this fabulous creamily chugging 118bpm 12in girlie group-cooed subtle throbber has been a US disco chart topping smash and is widely considered to be the one that got away here. In light of all this, it’s not too late to give it the renewed shove it deserves to make it the hit it still could be – is it? Come on, we can do it!

EVELYN KING: ‘I’m In Love’ (RCA RCAT 95).
This dynamite precisely smacking bumpy little 115bpm 12in chugger has indeed exploded and sounds so strong it’s as if it’s been a disco smash for ages, instead of just a week and a half!  Continue reading “June 20, 1981: Gino Soccio, Change, Evelyn King, Mighty Fire, Mastermind”