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”
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