James Hamilton's Disco Page

Odds ‘N Bods

Cool Yule y’all, and many thanks for all your pretty cards . . . Players Association’s new ‘We Got The Groove’ LP has been circulating to some lucky jocks on white label promo a month ahead of US release, the title track being a 130bpm blazer that vari-mixes nicely out of Isley Bros, while the 126bpm ‘Dance’ and 117bpm ‘We’re Almost There’ are OK too . . . David Bowie ‘John I’m Only Dancing (Again) (1975)’ (RCA 12in) is 120-126bpm . . . Millie Jackson’s ‘Live & Uncensored’ US LP is causing a stir with lovers of dirty language, one chanted bit actually being called ‘Phuck U Symphony’! . . . France Joli’s chart position is being defended as accurate by several contributing jocks, well aware of the justified suspicion of hype – however, it’s being promoted by three different companies and not just the one naughty plugger . . . Froggy didn’t turn up in Erith last week after all the nice things I’d said about his mixing, he’d forgotten a prior booking . . . Tom Myles of the Wirral’s mobile City Discos (051-677 7500) would like to know about any local DJ association, or from other jocks interested in forming one . . . Hemel Hempstead sees a new Wednesday jazz-funk club opening at Hustler’s in the Heath Park Hotel, Cotterells Road, on Wednesday 2nd January 1980, with Chris Brown, Sean French & Brother Louie joining resident Mike Allin . . . Sammy De Havilland, back from globetrotting for Bacchus, has landed at luxurious new Liberty’s in Dudley Road, Halesowen . . . Phil Black spins funk-soul imports at Pontypridd’s Georgian Club in Taft Street on Thurs/Fri/Saturdays now . . . Tommy Gunn, recovered from a leg injury – caused year’s layoff, is at Tipton Galaxy on Mondays and Stourbridge Hagley Road YWCA on Fridays . . . Paul Anthony’s RGS Records shop in Walsall serves up free wine all day on Xmas Eve . . . Graeme Bilton leaves the Thames riverboats on January 28th to move into the Royston/Cambridge area and wonders if there’s any vacancy for a funk lover who’s versatile (call 01-686 2303) . . . Andy Davison meanwhile has been developing that area’s funk scene with his Cambridgeshire Jazz-Funk & Soul Club, whose monthly meetings at Sawston Catholic go fortnightly next month . . . Ian “Appalling” Moore, the Revolta dancer, resurfaced at Erith 2001 last week and threatens to be back this Thursday – his agent for bookings is Ms Carol Smith on Gravesend 66914 . . . Havering DJ Assn announce their continued rapid growth and good reputation, inviting enquiries via PRO Mark Francis on Brentwood 215385 . . . Steve Wiggins (Barry Rugby Club) amuses his crowd by getting three would-be Wonder Mikes to try their rapping to Kurtis Blow’s B-side instrumental, blasting ‘em with a raspberry-blowing horn if they’re rotten, while three people miming to ‘The Laughing Policeman’ can also be a hoot . . . Andy & Geoff of the Utopia mobile, doing lots of gigs for the Ipswich area Scouts and Venture/Ranger Units, find this page very helpful – especially the BPM’s . . . Alan Donald (Rothesay) hears Margaret Trudeau phoned Pierre from Studio 54 to say that Teddy Kennedy was making a pass at her – “That’s OK,” came the reply. “Just make sure he drives you home!” . . . POP FIFTEEN (it being Xmas an’ all): 1 Pink Floyd, 2 Police, 3 Queen, 4 Tourists, 5 KC, 6 ELO. 7 The Beat, 8 M, 9 Jam, 10 Barry Biggs, 11 Dooleys, 12 Moody Blues, 13 Matchbox, 14 Billy Preston & Syreeta, 15 Blondie . . . HAPPY NEW YEAR!

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UK Newies

AZYMUTH: ‘Jazz Carnival’ (Milestone MRC 101)
Amazingly huge considering its frantically fast and seemingly specialist appeal, this excitingly synthesized 135-134-135-140-136-0bpm Brazilian instrumental jazz-funk flier is now on UK-only 12in, fractionally faster than the much-imported LP version. Without necessarily crossing-over to pop tastes it’ll probably be a big seller.

PRINCE: ‘I Wanna Be Your Lover’ / ‘Just As Long As We’re Together’ (Warner Bros. K 17537T) (BNDA debut 11/10/79)
Reviewed on 7in last week, the 12in version clocks in at 119-117bpm, the whole second half being a great electronically booming, buzzing, burbling and bumping instrumental, while the older full-length flip is a jerkily lurching 124bpm falsetto chugger with a rattling and bubbling instrumental last part that I always used on its own as a mixer.

FAT LARRY’S BAND: ‘Center City’ (from LP ‘Bright City Lights – The Best Of Fat Larry’s Band Plus’, Fantasy FT 584)
With a short 114bpm intro to the Band added, this is the notoriously hard to find full 125-124-123bpm promo US 12in version of the now surprisingly slow-seeming funk smash from Larry’s WMOT days in ‘76. Although ‘Lookin’ For Love Tonight’ and ‘Boogie Town’ are included, it’ll be the big attraction.  Continue reading “December 22, 1979: Azymuth, Prince, Fat Larry’s Band, Edgar Winter, Gap Band”

Odds ‘N Bods

MCA’s promo EP featuring the Crusaders’ solo stars is now ¡n circulation to just 1000 lucky jocks – conceived and segued by Sally “Minimix” Ormsby, it features Wilton Felder ‘Let’s Dance Together’ into Joe Sample ‘There Are Many Stops Along The Way’ and Stix Hooper ‘Cordon Bleu’ into Joe Sample ‘Carmel’ (the first pair being brill!) . . . Sheila B. Devotion’s 12in turns out to be 133-134-135bpm and mixes (minus intro) perfectly out of Isley Bros. while the instrumental break is long enough to take the Streisand/Summer slow intro through it . . . Peaches & Herb ‘I Pledge My Love’ / ‘Roller Skatin’ Mate’ is now on 12in (Polydor POSPX 86) . . . Pye have picked up Tony Rallo, not normally licensed to them for UK . . . Orville Sweeney, ex-RCA/ABC disco plugger, now heads DPC – Dancemusic Production Company (the chickens, why not call it Disco still?) – for Record Sales of 72 Newman Street, London W1 P3LA, and is working on Symarip ‘Skinhead Moonstomp’ . . . Hammersmith Palais this Sunday (16) hosts the Polydor/RSO sponsored National Association of Youth Clubs’ Steppin’ Out With Polydor Disco Dance Championship, the young teams having to dance to – surprise, surprise – Polydor product . . . Sunday (16) also sees Thames Valley DJ Assn members staging a DJ panto at their meeting in Chippenham Alexandras (nee Blues), starting around lunchtime . . . Chris Browne (with an “e”) has, together with Chris Brown (no “e”), become so fed up with smart alec promoters billing events as starring their namesake (real or otherwise) that he’s now changed his stage name to Chris Britton – but appears to be doing Purley! . . . Kris Hill, Robin Vincent, Shaun French, Thom Holland, Geoff Young, where are you? A fortune (all of two and sixpence) could be yours! . . . Froggy’s mixing really is mind-blowing these days so do try and catch him somewhere; this Thursday (13) at Erith he and I are going to end up with an alternating “follow that then” mixing battle! . . . I did Pirbright Guards Depot’s Captains & Subalterns dance last week, which had a fancydress Pimps & Tarts theme (wot, no Arabs!), and amongst the rock ‘n pop I introduced Lowrell with “if you go to a club full of real pimps and tarts, this is what you’ll find them dancing to” – to which a voice behind me remarked “that’s very true”! . . . 12in imports are in noticeably short supply these days following the US death of disco . . . 8 only out of the US Disco Top 30 are crossover pop hits, while here last week the ratio was 21 out of 30 . . . Craig Dawson (Edinburgh) infos that his 12in of Diana Ross’s ‘Love Hangover’ is a Dutch Motown import . . . Pop Ten (hit titles outside the Disco 90): 1. Police, 2. Queen, 3. Dooleys, 4. Tourists, 5. Jam, 6. KC, 7. Amii Stewart, 8. Matchbox, 9. Lori & Chameleons, 10. Pink Floyd.

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UK Newies

PRINCE: ‘I Wanna Be Your Lover’ (Warner Bros. K 175371) (BNDA debut 11/10/79)
Michael Jackson/Emotions-like squeaky jolter, 119-116bpm on 7in but due on full length 12in with his exciting old ‘Just As Long As We’re Together’ as flip (full review when received).

CHIC: ‘Les Plus Grands Succes De Chic / Chic’s Greatest Hits’ LP (Atlantic K 50686)
Useful collection but subtly altered BPM ratings, this (long version) ‘Good Times’ being 111bpm (compared with the ‘Risque’ LP/US 12in at 113bpm and UK 12in at 118bpm) while the (short) ‘Dance Dance Dance’ at 125(intro)-124bpm and (long) ‘Everybody Dance’ at 129-128-129-131-132-130bpm are both 1bpm faster. The latter at least now gets within range of Isley Bros. ‘Disco Night’ for mixers, and ‘Good Times’ is enough for Sugarhill Gang. The other hits are ‘Le Freak’ (121bpm), ‘I Want Your Love’ (115bpm), ‘My Forbidden Lover’ (105bpm) and ‘My Feet Keep Dancing’ (109bpm) – this last again being a noticeable amount slower.

RISCO CONNECTION & JOE ISAACS: ‘Good Times’ (Sound City SCD 003)
Great pitter-pattering new 116(intro)-114-115-114bpm 12in version starts off by echoing their ‘Ain’t No Stoppin’ Us Now’ melodically and then does a modified Charanga 79 while all the time ringing interesting changes on the still perfectly recognisable Chic smash.  Continue reading “December 15, 1979: Prince, Chic, Risco Connection & Joe Isaacs, Diana Ross, Dandy Livingstone”

Ginger & Eddie were sadly missing in Oldham on Sunday when the Funk Mafia family descended on Romeo & Juliet’s for an alldayer, so my social notes will have to be incomplete.

However, despite a less well attended rival event in Liverpool, this experimental showcase for star Southern DJs Chris Hill, Sean French, Chris Brown, Tom Holland, Jeff Young and Froggy managed to attract a good crowd of rather serious funk fans who have yet to learn how to silly like the Southerners do.

Few (apart from the jocks) were in the intended Cowboys & Indians fancy dress, and – despite a piggyback “horse” race the only real silly was a traditional finale of ‘Mulberry Bush’, ‘Shout’ and ‘Bring The Family Back’ culminating in a massive hand-holding human chain forming a complete link as it raced around the entire club.

Oddly enough there was nobody actually from Oldham, the locals being from Manchester, with coaches coming from Liverpool and Doncaster, while the Champers and Frenchies tribes from West London and Camberley had also come up in coaches.

Froggy’s flawless mixing proved that he’s now as good as any top New York jock, and in fact I was surprised at the amount of mixing all the others were doing too. Reaction from the Northerners seemed to be a surprise at the DJ’s playing what the dancers wanted to hear instead of obscurities just to please themselves, and awe at the solid sound from Froggy’s roadshow equipment.

It was certainly a jazz-orientated day, with many of the hot sounds being oldies that were new to the Northerners, whose nostalgia for jazz-funk is necessarily limited by the recent emergence of the music locally. It seems that when Northern Soul switched from oldies to the then current fast New York material and Esther Phillips/George Benson jazz hits of the mid-70’s, the DJ’s missed out on the funkier hits that were big in the South.

Consequently while the music was a nostalgia trip for us it was a voyage of discovery for those new to it. Finally though the Southerners had the biggest shock of the day when, going against all the stories of how ahead the Northern jazz-funk scene is meant to be, the biggest floor-filler turned out to be Atmosfear!

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Odds ‘N Bods

This Thursday (6) Froggy the Master Blender & Megamix the Mighty Chopper (that’s me!) start a major new mixing night at Erith 2001, which’ll be as funky as they’ll let us be . . . UK Disco chart this week sees an exceptionally strong Top 20, in which even most of the titles now slipping have in fact increased support . . . Music Week’s trade-aimed disco chart has been showing several alarming discrepancies from our own recently, thanks to the activity of a certain independent disco plugger whose promotion methods have cast doubt on several possibly legitimate chart titles – however, words have been had and hopefully the situation is now normal . . . Wilson Pickett ‘Groove City’ (EMI America 12EA 104) and Janis Ian ‘Fly Too High’ (CBS 12-7935) are now on 12in, the latter up a notch at 128bpm . . . Azymuth ‘Jazz Carnival’ and Prince ‘I Wanna Be Your Lover’ are due imminently on 12in, followed by Sonny Rollins ‘Harlem Boys’, Kinsman Dazz ‘Keep On Rockin’’, while Prince’s even more commercial ‘Sexy Dancer’ LP track is being kept back in case of a later US 12m remix . . . Ilford’s Room At The Top has made its £3 membership a once and for always life-time payment . . . Walsall’s well-fitted new Max’s club in Bridge Street should be just about open now, with Paul Anthony and Paul Reeves jocking . . . DMF Studio Sound at 9 Tournerbury Lane, Hayling Island, Hampshire PO11 9DH (Portsmouth 23798) make personalised DJ jingles to individual requirements, from scratch . . . Chris Dinnis, although still busy around South Devon, wants more soul/funk/jazz gigs, with or without roadshows, in any area – Sean French says his heart is in the right place, so call Chris on 06476-271 . . . Infinity Records has already gone and Electric/Cube are going, so grab their product while you can . . . Rokotto, old touring partners of Brass Construction, have been playing much of BC’s new material for months, and even did ‘Shakit’ on roadshow Disco . . . Showaddywaddy’s inclusion on a supposedly disco bill may seem to widen the event’s appeal but may I fear put off more than it attracts . . . Chart File’s Alan Jones is busily compiling a year-end 1979 Disco chart, so there’s no need for others to bother (as some so kindly have in the past) – thank you Keith Howie (Londonderry) for your early effort, with ‘Boogie Wonderland’ at number one . . . Bob Jones (Chelmsford) wonders whether Sir John Roberts is the same John Roberts wot dun ‘Sockin’ 1-2-3-4’ in the ‘60s? . . . POP TEN (titles outside UK Disco 90): 1 Specials, 2 Dr Hook, 3 Dooleys, 4 Janis Ian, 5 Police ‘Message’, 6 Buggles, 7 Queen, 8 Jam, 9 Specials ‘Gangsters’, 10 Sparks.

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UK Newies

GEORGE DUKE: ‘I Want You For Myself’ (from LP ‘Master Of The Game’, Epic EPC 83951) (BNDA debut 12/15/79)
Lovely smoothly pushing 121bpm oogie chugger with tootling flute, squeaky chix and pretty piano is a current jazz-funk biggie, while the Funkadelic-type 116bpm ‘Games’ mixes perfectly (minus intro) out of ‘Knee Deep’. Other cuts were reviewed in depth on import.

BILLY OCEAN: ‘Are You Ready’ (GTO GT 12-259) (BNDA debut 12/13/80)
Michael Jackson meets KC on a totally derivative but bright sounding and obviously powerful 118bpm 12in smacker that should mix well between ‘Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough’ and Rose Royce.

LAKESIDE: ‘Pull My Strings’ (from LP ‘Rough Riders’, Solar FL 13490) (BNDA debut 5/24/80)
Isleys-inspired group with a staccato changed bass-snapping 123bpm “rock” clapper, while after a galloping hooves intro the smacking 133-134bpm title track is very like ‘It’s A Disco Night’ and ‘From 9:00 Until’ is a 114bpm funk chugger.  Continue reading “December 8, 1979: George Duke, Billy Ocean, Lakeside, War, Herbie Hancock”

Odds ‘N Bods

Funk Mafia “family” members Chris Hill, Sean French, Chris Brown, Jeff Young, Tom Holland & Froggy head North on Sunday (2) to steal the bread out of local jocks’ mouths at an all-dayer in Oldham Romeo & Juliets – resentment seems to be running high amongst provincial DJs unable to make a national name for themselves! . . . Elton John ‘Johnny B. Goode’ (Rocket XPRES 2412) and Village People ‘Ready For The 80s’ (Mercury 9198505) are on 12in, the latter also on promo only 12in remix with overdubbed simple Xmas message from VP Ray Simpson . . . O’Jays ‘Sing A Happy Song’, Deniece Williams ‘I Found Love’ are now on US 12in . . . Pye’s R&B Division have done a promo only strawberry shaped and scented 7in of Rufus & Chaka . . . Mecca needs a dozen DJ’s for European work from February onwards using their own records – send demo tape and photo to Paul Casson, Mecca Agency, 14 Oxford Street, London W1N OHL . . . Honey Bee Benson awarded a six month £3,500 IDEA contract for Norwegian work to Jeff Slater (Chesham), who came third in the recent Gloucester Tiffanys mobile disco competition organized by Barry’s Disco Shop, which was won by lively newcomers Paul & Sam of Atmosphere II, Little Ian’s Creation Roadshow being 2nd . . . Billboard’s Disco International Forum in Monaco has been postponed until next autumn due to poor response . . . Radio London’s charity marathon in aid of Caribbean relief this Saturday will include a live link up with Mayfair Gullivers – I hope Fatman stays sober! . . . Greg Lynn has been promoted to product manager at CBS, prompting Mark Clark (Wokingham King Of Clubs) to comment “now that CBS is almost the same size as the Civil Service presumably they’re starting to copy their practice of pushing troublesome people upstairs!” . . . Lorraine Trent is now CBS Disco Pool chief, while at Phonogram with John Waller also promoted like Greg the disco plugger is Orin “Ladies Man” Cozier . . . Newcastle upon Tyne’s swank new Reflexions 2 in the Cloth Market (the old Inn Cognito site) is funkily import-orientated with regular jocks being Martin Urwin, Akin Oni, David Emery . . . Sunday next (9) Pete Tong, Tony Monson & Bob Jones funk the Thames with a riverboat all-niter leaving Westminster Bridge at 12:30am, £5 tickets from the jocks’ gigs or Disc Empire and Blues & Soul record shops . . . Chris Dinnis’s recent Perrin Sands Reunion at Sidmouth Winter Garden upped his funk nights’ normal prices, attracted fewer punters and thus lost the venue as a gig – which shows how much into the music South Devon fans are! . . . Ernie Priestman, partner/DJ at Whitehaven’s Whitehouse and a secret Genesis fan, restricts the club’s capacity to just 500 regardless of queues left outside so that there’s still a comfortable space to move and groove in – an enlightened policy surely? . . . Gary Allan (Liverpool McMillans) reports the amazing fact that Liverpool currently lacks an import-stocking record shop despite the local DJ demand for one . . . Lowrell, a top seller in London, is still evidently not suitable for Capital Radio’s playlist . . . Steve Wiggins (Barry Rugby Club), recovering from a “Welcome Back The Mini” party, wants my remedy for cold-suffering jocks – well, my own cure is to OD on Vitamin C and go to bed with some sleeping pills, which sometimes is enough to dry me up for the following night . . . Chris Hill, who taught ‘em how to “silly” (not Philly) has a nifty mix of One Way ‘Music’ into George Duke ‘I Want You For Myself’ into Detroit Spinners ‘Body Language’, as well as Dazzle ‘You Dazzle Me’ into Patrice Rushen ‘Haven’t You Heard’.

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UK Newies

POSITIVE FORCE: ‘We Got The Funk’ (Sugarhill SHL 102) (BNDA debut 1/12/80)
Immensely catchy chick-sung jittery 112bpm 12in “rock” jiggler has mind-knawingly nagging guitar jangling away and has been completely restructured for UK release so that the chant part that originally came in near the end is now spliced in all over the place for added impact. Oh, it mixes superbly both into and out of Sugarhill Gang!

ROY AYERS: ‘Don’t Stop The Feeling’ (from LP ‘No Stranger To Love’, Polydor 2391438) (BNDA debut 12/22/79)
Far more UK-style disco than his last self-consciously “disco” effort, the set’s strongest cut so far (it’s also on US promo 12in) is this incredibly repetitive jiggling 114-115bpm “rock” thudder with chanting Roy and wailing chick, which actually build up power through its monotony, while the formula repeats with slightly more vocal variation on the similarly sparse 120-119bpm ‘Shack Up, Pack Up, It’s Up (When I’m Gone)’ jitterer. ‘Slyde’ is a great simple fast leaping 129-128-130bpm bounder, ‘No Stranger To Love / Want You’ a lovely gently jogging 42bpm vibes instrumental that becomes a huskily multi-tracked vocal smoocher, ‘Don’t Let Our Love Slip Away’ a pretty Sergio Mendes-type 119-123bpm easy listening duet, ‘What You Won’t Do For Love’ an emphasis-shifting gentle yet tensely tugging 114/57-116/58-117bpm tempo switcher, and just the zingy 130-132-133bpm ‘Don’t Hide Your Love’ as his sole concession this time to dreaded US-style “disco”.

KURTIS BLOW: ‘Christmas Rappin’’ (Mercury BLOW 12)
‘Rapper’s Delight – Part Two’, except the tune is original and the DJ rap gets more varied, bringing in some call-and-answer audience participation towards the end. Starting with a 14 beat acappella “it was the night before Christmas” intro, the 112-113bpm 12in (not even out in the US yet!) mixes perfectly with Sugarhill Gang, of course!  Continue reading “December 1, 1979: Positive Force, Roy Ayers, Kurtis Blow, Brass Construction, Narada Michael Walden”

Caister came to Whitehaven in Cumbria when Chris Hill showed the great crowd at the Whitehouse how to Philli on Sunday. The fancy dressers, including a large percentage of extremely pretty girls, were initiated into the “let me tell you a story” part of Chris’s act, where they all sat on the floor to hear about some Scouts and guides camping, only to keep leaping up again to be afraid of the big bad wolf or go around the mulberry bush. Of course, they loved it but the first time Chris visited the club they were undoubtedly not ready for such a radical departure from what is supposedly expected of a top funk jock. Brand new funk they got aplenty too, plus a rare ‘Brother Jack McDuff’ track for the jazz freaks, but the atmosphere really came alive with Doctor Hill’s fun through funk therapy session.

Although about as far as anywhere you can get in England, the Whitehouse attracts kids from Carlisle, Kendal, Keswick as well as the locals, many of whom were into jazz funk before as the owners were involved in other venues prior to transforming this stale cabaret club into a disco that amazingly is well equipped as any in New York – except the turntables lack slipmats, making my preliminary short mixing set a trick! Although attracting queues right down the road at the weekend, the music played on normal disco nights actually varies little from the specialist jazz/funk on Thursdays and Sundays.

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Odds ‘N Bods

Diana Ross ‘It’s My House’ WILL be on 12in, with remixed ‘The Boss’ & ‘No One Gets The Prize’ as segued flip, according to Motown’s Les Spaine (responsible for the bum steer last time!) . . . Dan-I is now evidently on 12in as (on US Columbia) is Janis Ian’s great ‘Fly Too High’ which nobody apart from radio seems to be playing . . . Booker T’s original ‘Green Onions’ is due on Atlantic 7in . . . Donna Summer’s special segued 12in sampler is delayed until the New Year (OK, Arbie?) . . . Sugarhill Gang’s Henry Jackson is nicknamed “Big Hank”, and NOT “Big Tank” (though it could have been worse!) . . . Kenny Everett on his Saturday Capital Radio show demonstrated a new machine that speeds or slows recorded sound without the original pitch altering – what a gas for vari-speed spinners! . . . Greg Davies (Stevenage Bo Jangles/Watford New Penny) got the year’s first Christmas card to me, and is planning a big (but only £2 a head) DJ forum for mid February . . . Ashley Woods (Sleaford 303531), busy enough locally, wants hipper gigs in the East Midlands where his import-orientated sounds might be more fully appreciated . . . Dave Rawlings (Basingstoke Maxwells) swapped jobs for one night to try working behind the bar, and his advice for others is not to try likewise! . . . Chris Browne (High Wycombe Tuesdays) is back in partnership with Stuart Genslan of Coard Promotions (01-586 0204) organising drink and record company promotions, with reasonable rates and package deals . . . Larry Foster has returned to Ilford Room At The Top on Thursdays as well as Fridays . . . Brighton Papillon starts another funk night on Wednesday imminently, with Laurie Page & Paul Clark jocking . . . Ken Mitchell (Cardiff Club Ty-Mawr) recommends the reasonable prices and good sounds supplied by Julian at Buffalo Records in Cardiff – how about a sales chart then? . . . Steve Walsh (London Lyceum/etc) obviously doesn’t want any more mentions – he sent me that bloody “Brill Building” chain letter from which I see Rod Stewart’s name has finally been deleted although Eric Clapton, Herb Alpert etc are still listed . . . Diana Ross’s ‘Love Hangover’ seems to be reviving on 12in, but ¡s it new? Any details, Les? . . . Scottish jocks, calm down – Stargard is bigger in Edinburgh than anywhere else! . . . Pop ten titles outside the UK Disco 90: 1 (2) Village People, 2 (82 on the main chart) Dusty Springfield, 3 (10) Specials, 4 (3) Buggles, 5 (6) Dooleys, 6 (8) Sparks, 7 (9) Umberto Tozzi, 8 (7) Police, 9 (-) Madness, 10 (-) Quick ‘Sharks Are Cool’ (Epic 12in).

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UK Newies

ROBIN BECK: ‘Sweet Talk’ (Mercury BECK 12) (BNDA debut 9/29/79)
Winsomely sung pleasant Chic-type 116(intro)-115bpm 12in jogger rolls and thuds precisely along.

ROSE ROYCE: ‘Is It Love You’re After’ (Whitfield K 17456T)
Full length 12in version has a much longer moodily pulsating and stabbing 118bpm intro before flowing through 121-122-123-118-122-123bpm.

SYLVESTER: ‘Can’t Stop Dancing’ (Fantasy 12FTC 183) (BNDA debut 11/17/79)
Strongly structured and powerfully galloping 132-130-132bpm 12in finally finds the fat boy back on form but may now be too frantic for today’s tastes.  Continue reading “November 24, 1979: Robin Beck, Rose Royce, Sylvester, Slave, Native Son”

Odds ‘N Bods

Lake District look out – Chris Hill plus a carload including myself will be at Whitehaven’s Whitehouse in Strand Street this Sunday for a “Cartoon Characters & Monsters” fancydress funkathon! . . . Rose Royce is due on 12in after all, Fern Kinney is now on UK-issued German import 12in (K 79101T), Ritchie Family 12in is out next week, Stargard will only be on 7in . . . Village People ‘Sleazy’ is deleted as of this weekend to be replaced by ‘Ready For The 80s’ . . . Nature’s Divine ‘Nature Divine’ / ‘I Just Can’t Control Myself’ is due on 12in . . . Positive Force has been delayed until early December . . . Brick and the Bang label evidently are no longer Phonogram’s . . . Sunday’s Disco Forum at the Victoria Venue in London saw all the usual faces plus some new ones but fewer in total than last year, and while some of the panel discussions spluttered into controversial life the main value as usual was in being able to meet people – for instance, London’s Steve Walsh discovered he was born a few doors down from Paul Anthony’s RGS Records shop in Lichfield Street, Walsall, while I established that Gloucester’s Honey Bee Benson looks even better than her photos! . . . Fatman Graham Canter fills the 3 to 4:30 mid-afternoon MoR slot on BBC Radio London this week . . . Chris Browne (High Wycombe Tuesdays) says that Wednesdays & Saturdays have finally become funky with big crowds, Thursdays being decidedly Wally night, and that despite misleading advertising he has no dates at Maidenhead Alexandras (nor does Chris Browne) . . . Teesvalley Roadshow of 7 Crossbeck Way, Ormesby, Middlesbrough, Cleveland (Redcar 475854) would like info about good hotels to stay at while touring Germany next Whitsun . . . Manor Park’s ‘Ere For Music at 826 Romford Road, London E12 5AD, have some nifty “Jazz-Funk” T-shirts for sale, cream/brown or sky/navy, at £3 by post (state size, colour and inside leg measurement) . . . £275 could buy you a D-registration Mini Traveller, ideal for compact mobile gear, which runs beautifully but needs body repairs and new locks – I can recommend it as I’m currently driving it while my Transit’s at Mini owner Sparrow’s garage (01-589 6800) . . . Pop Ten (titles outside UK Disco 90): 1 (1) Dr. Hook, 2 (3) Village People, 3 (2) Buggles, 4 (7) Selecter, 5 (8) Freda Payne ‘Band Of Gold’, 6 (4) Dooleys, 7 (6) Police, 8 (-) Sparks, 9 (-) Umberto Tozzi ‘Gloria’ (CBS 12”), 10 (-) Specials . . . Chart contributors, please do your utmost to get ‘em here by Wednesday each week – some South Coast, North Wales, North West, Northern Scottish and even London jocks are consistently late (though they’re gratefully received of course!).

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UK Newies

SUGARHILL GANG: ‘Rapper’s Delight’ (Sugarhill SHL 101) (BNDA debut 10/13/79)
Try riding the rhythm of a 15 minute 112bpm 12in instrumental version of ‘Good Times’ by rapping “I said a hip-hop, the hibbit, the hippidibby hip hip hoppa you don’t stop the rock and do the bad man boogie say up jumped the boogie to the rhythm of the boogie da beat”.

STIX HOOPER: ‘Cordon Bleu’ (MCA MCAT 536)
Madly jaunty accordion jitterer by the Crusaders’ drummer still accelerates through 109-111-113-114-115bpm on “remixed” 12in.

SHALAMAR: ‘The Second Time Around’ (Solar FC 1709) (BNDA debut 3/22/80)
Shuffling “rock” chugger with syndrums and real grow-on-you appeal is sadly only 115bpm on UK 12in, as the US version synchs perfectly between Al Hudson ‘You Can Do It’ and Deborah Washington ‘Rock It’.  Continue reading “November 17, 1979: Sugarhill Gang, Stix Hooper, Shalamar, Phyllis Hyman, Chuck Cissel”

Caister Concluded [Again?]

At the recent Caister weekender, Sean French & Chris Brown’s Children’s Party featured such funk hits as ‘Here We Go Round The Mulberry Bush’, ‘Robin Hood’, ‘Who’s Afraid Of The Big Bad Wolf?’ and a Sooty show to amuse the kiddywinks. Chris Hill’s opening night fairy story, with everyone sitting on the floor doing sillies linked in with the narrative, was about the triumph of music over evil oppression, while the ‘Shout’ call-and-response chant was accompanied by an arms up-stretched, wrist-twisting cupped hands salute (like unscrewing an imaginary lightbulb). But what has all this got to do with soul music, some sour-faced stick in the muds are asking? Not a lot, but does it matter? The music was there too, as a rallying point and reason for everyone to identify with each other. The current material being played has already worked its way up the disco chart now, but other oldies apart from Brass Construction that were heavily featured included Grover Washington ‘Sausalito’, Roy Ayers ‘Running Away’, Crown Heights Affair ‘Far Out’, Charles Earland ‘Let The Music Play’, Deodato ‘Whistle Bump’, El Coco ‘Let’s Get It Together’, Joe Sample ‘There Are Many Stops’, Miroslav Vitous ‘New York City’ and of course the O’Jays ‘I Love Music’. Of the newies, Positive Force proved to be too late an arrival on import in sufficient numbers, but has more than made up for it since! Anyway, by Caister’s end everyone was singing over Al Hudson the revised lyrics “you know you have done it”, and once again the tribes were able to feel as if they’d achieved something significant, the final Finale on Sunday evening with Billy Paul’s ‘Bring The Family Back’ and huge ‘Auld Lang Syne’ circles.

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Odds ‘N Bods

Sugarhill Gang and Positive Force have been snapped up for rush release by Pye . . . Storm ‘It’s My House’ is now on Scope 12in too (SC 10T), and it seems Viola Wills is also on 12in (where’s mine?) . . . Robin Beck ‘Sweet Talk’ 12in and Wayne Henderson ‘Dancing Love Affair’ 7in are due this week . . . Kool’s ‘Too Hot’ has been pulled off the B-side for use as a follow-up, while Phonogram’s John Waller intimates that jocks unable to break ‘Ladies’ Night’ (and there are some!) have been chopped from his mailing list . . . Patrick Juvet ‘Swiss Kiss’ is hitting almost exclusively just Scotland and the South Coast . . . Hudson People ‘Boogie On Downtown’ heavily features Light Of The World . . . Cory Daye (pictured last week) was indeed the leading lady in Dr Buzzard’s Original Savannah Band, but has yet to pick up DJ interest here for her current US disco smash . . . Island, with the imminent redundancy of plugger Eon, seem to be reducing their disco output . . . Allen & Blewitt, disco-cabaret duo from Hinckley Bubbles, were planning to blow up Broadcasting House on Guy Fawkes Day as a sponsored stunt in aid of the Variety Club of Great Britain – anyone hear the bang? . . . Capital Radio’s Mike Allen actually warmed up for me at Erith 2001, while at the Daily Star’s 1st birthday party last week I proved that the (jolly nice) people who like Streisand/Summer and similar fast tempos are indeed those who can’t dance – in other words, the majority of the population! . . . Streisand/Summer’s tempo-less intro actually mixes nicely through Herb Alpert and Kat Mandu . . . DJF (GB) Secretary Tony Holden and Press/PRO Mike McLean have both resigned due to other commitments, acting officers elected in their place being LODJ’s Bill Forrester and Clyde Coast DJA’s James “Fish” Heron . . . North Midlands DJ Assn’s next monthly meetings will be at Kirk Sandall Glassmakers Hotel (Doncaster), details from Chris Watts or Derek Dane on Sheffield 686414 or 874280 . . . Ilford Room At The Top jubilantly won their court case, there now being no police objection to their new licence . . . Greg Davies is looking for the “worst singer in the world” at Watford New Penny every Wednesday until Xmas! . . . Steve Dee (High Wycombe) says local band Match agreed with my constructively critical review of their current ‘Mister Dee Jay’ . . . Scott Wilson (Edinburgh) is delighted his local Asylum record shop at last is getting US 12in imports . . . Gary Allen (Liverpool McMillans) sent me the necessary quid with which to celebrate his 21st, so cheers (hic)! . . . Phil Black (Cardiff) sez thanx to Sammy Southall, Gin (a bird) and Oxo for giving him a good time in Jersey . . . Elton John must wonder what happened – his ‘Victim Of Love’ didn’t even hit Scotland! . . . Pop Ten this week (titles outside UK Disco 90) are: 1(4) Dr Hook, 2(1) Buggles, 3 (-) Village People ‘Sleazy’, 4 (6) Dooleys, 5 (2) Blondie, 6 (9) Police, 7 (-) Selecter, 8 (-) Freda Payne ‘Band Of Gold’, 9 (-) Madness ‘The Prince’, 10 (-) Suzi Quatro.

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UK Newies

LOWRELL: ‘Mellow Mellow Right On’ (AVI AVISL 108)
Dynamite hit-bound import smash gently thudding 88bpm 12in swayer like a huskier Marvin Gaye singing ‘Float On’, with for some reason a fractionally faster 91bpm version as flip.

ROSE ROYCE: ‘Is It Love You’re After’ (Whitfield K 17456)
Dramatic synthesizer, brass and syndrums intro to a happily romping 119-121bpm 7in with wide appeal.

RAMSEY LEWIS: ‘Spring High’ (CBS 12-8007)
Immensely catchy synthesiser (by Stevie Wonder) and piano 115bpm jazz-funk skipper leads off a 4-track £1.59 12in oldies EP, also including the 41/82bpm ‘That’s The Way Of The World’ slowie, excitingly complex 110-107bpm ‘Tequila Mockingbird’ rhythm chatterer and tootling, tinkling and buzzing 121-122bpm ‘All The Way Live’ loper – all his recent classics!  Continue reading “November 10, 1979: Lowrell, Rose Royce, Ramsey Lewis, Spoonin’ Gee, George Duke”

Caister Concluded

Last week’s piece continued . . . The party atmosphere was everywhere, especially at the children’s party hosted by Sean (Rasta jacket) French and Chris (“anyone got a fag?”) Brown. Chris Hill on the opening night had set the tone with his Max Bygraves “let me tell you a story” routine, where everyone sits on the floor between doing sillies listening to a particularly moving fairy story. Then there were the anthems, ‘There’ll Always Be A Caister’ and a ‘Dad’s Army’ – like “Who do you think you’re kidding, John Travolta, if you think soul music’s dead?” – plus the now obligatory ‘Shout’ chant. After it was all over, a show of hands produced a Caister playlist, topped by Michael Jackson’s ‘Off The Wall’, Kool’s ‘Ladies’ Night’ and Brass Construction’s ‘Movin’’.

By Caister’s end everyone felt as if they’d achieved something significant. Till next time, “rock” on! PS: Southgate Royalty this Friday (2) have a Weekender Awards fancydress party when prize-winners from both Caister and Cornwall will get their goodies, while next Saturday (10) Sidmouth Winter Garden stars Chris Brown & Sean French for the first Perranporth Reunion fancydress party!

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Odds ‘N Bods

MCA Records have acquired Atmosfear ‘Dancing In Outer Space’ for imminent 12in reissue (MCAT 543), to be followed by Stix Hooper ‘Cordon Bleu’ (MCAT 536) . . . Shalamar ‘The Second Time Around’ 12in has risen in my estimation since discovering it synchs perfectly with Al Hudson! . . . Robert Zohn last week was misprinted as Robert John in Imports . . . Chris Hill made a cameo appearance in Sunday’s ‘It’ll Be Alright On The Night’ TV show, followed on Monday by his ‘Roadshow Disco’ spot . . . Southampton University’s Friday night Bootsies soul disco now pulls more than the Saturday rock night and is claimed to shatter the stereotyped image of university students only liking one thing . . . Dave Middleton, ex-Peaches, has teamed up with the Bletchley Soul Club to run import-orientated funk nights, the first at Bletchley Sycamore Club on Nov 19 . . . Paul Anthony’s RGS Records at 37 Lichfield Street, Walsall, seems to be attracting all the jocks who are anyone within the Brum area . . . Pop 10 this week (titles outside the UK Disco 90) features: 1(1) Buggles, 2 (2) Blondie, 3 (-) ABBA, 4 (10) Dr Hook, 5 (-) Dusty Springfield, 6 (-) Dooleys, 7 (-) Barbra Streisand ‘Main Event’, 8 (-) Sparks, 9 (7) Police, 10 (3) Specials ‘Gangsters’ . . . Chart contributors: please include slowies too if they’re popular.

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UK Newies

JUPITER BEYOND: ‘The River Drive’ (Pye 12P 5012)
Terrifically exciting rattling 126bpm rhythm intro gives way to more smoothly zapping 125bpm melodic chix ‘n strings before the import smash 12in builds back through synthesizer to a rattling 126bpm finale.

SHALAMAR: ‘Right In The Socket’ (from LP ‘Big Fun’, Solar FL 13479) (BNDA debut 3/22/80)
Monster happily rattling and skittering 123bpm “rock” sizzler goes beautifully out of so many other disco hits of the moment (and chops perfectly into Stargard!), while ‘The Right Time For Us’ is a more smoothly “rocking” 125bpm, ‘The Second Time Around’ is the un-remixed 113bpm original version of the now very different 12in, ‘I Owe You One’ is an attractive 112bpm jogger, and ‘Girl’ is almost ‘Shame’-like at 131-130bpm.

BARBRA STREISAND & DONNA SUMMER: ‘No More Tears (Enough Is Enough)’ (CBS 13-8000) (BNDA debut 10/27/79)
Barbra’s snail-paced intro seems short now in comparison with the full 11:44 of this the 12in version, which Donna paces at a frantic pop-orientated 136bpm.  Continue reading “November 3, 1979: Jupiter Beyond, Shalamar, Barbra Streisand & Donna Summer, Prince, Sonny Rollins”

Caister Continued

Beefcake Corner this week shows debonair drag artistes Robbie Vincent and Chris Hill in matching colour co-ordinated cerise tracksuits while Showstopper Promotions’ John Morris points in alarm at approaching hordes of hooligans! The 2nd Caister Soul Weekender resulted in over £10,000-worth of damage at the Ladbrokes chalet camp (the caravans coming out practically unscathed), caused mainly during the high-jinks of the first few hours’ flush of excitement, with later malicious damage being the evident work of a small organised gang. However, far from this being a shock-horror-gasp story, the vast majority of holidaying funksters were completely unaware of any underlying tension. Next April’s Caister Weekender, though, will revert to a more manageable number of carefully vetted ticket holders. There really were too many people everywhere, queuing for everything . . . often in fancy dress. The best that I saw were two guys dressed up to appear as if they were each riding astride an Emu, with false legs dangling and reins controlling the long Emu neck (they went around nicking peoples’ chips – or attacking Greg Edwards – with their beaks!), while Canvey Goldmine-owning Stan and Jane Barrett looked glittery in completely “gold” miners gear.

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Odds ‘N Bods

EMI merge both GRD and LRD Disco Departments under plugger Gof Abbey . . . Umberto Tozzi ‘Gloria’ is now on 12in (Epic PC 12-7415) with the original Italian version on 2-track flip . . . Donna Summer’s Casablanca ‘Greatest Hits’ double LP will be promoed with a specially segued 12in medley for jocks . . . Disco Dates was somehow missing last week so my Friday gig at Tony Valence’s Leysdown Island club was under-publicised –  though Nikki Peck plugged it in his Kent Evening Post column and who should be at the Island but Zoot Money, filming with bike stunter Eddie Kidd! . . . Megamix The Mighty Chopper (that’s me!) will Thursday (25) be opening Catford’s Checquers record shop at 4 pm and funking Erith 2001 club at 10:30 pm . . . Brass Construction ‘Movin’’ is of course 120-123bpm (not as printed last week), with a quiet 20 beat intro which can mix spectacularly through something else at 120bpm (like ‘Whistle Bump’!), while other oldies currently reviving include Dennis Coffey ‘Wings Of Fire’ (US Westbound 12in) at 123(intro)-121-120(break onwards)-121(final part)bpm, Crown Heights Affair ‘Far Out’ (‘Do It Your Way’ US De-Lite LP) at 123-126bpm, Roy Ayers ‘Running Away’ (US Polydor 12in) at 116bpm . . . Larry Foster (Ilford Room At The Top etc), being very droll, wants the BPM for ‘March Of The Mods’ (ho ho ho!) – it’s 144bpm if you use Joe Loss’s old 7in (HMV POP 1351) . . . Pye’s R&B Division are holding auditions in Britain’s six major centres starting at Manchester City Supporters Club Hall on November 7/8, prospective singers/groups being asked by radio jocks Mike Shaft and Terry Lennaine to send preliminary audition tapes to Pye first . . . Steve Walsh (London Lyceum etc) now manages new young black jazz-funkers Earthline Connection, with a record already cut (enquiries on 01-724-1559) . . . Chris Dinnis never stays still down in Devon, he’s now solo on Saturdays and Andy Pinney does Tuesdays at funky Sidmouth Winter Garden . . . Alf Campbell wishes his Thurs/Friday punters at Balloch Roundabout Inn, Loch Lomond, would wake up to the fact that the records he’s playing now are what they subsequently request in two months’ time after radio’s played ‘em . . . Mike O’Brien does Mon thru Thursday at Southampton Fridays, which seems contrary somehow! . . . Ashley Woods (Sleaford) wants details of his local Lincolnshire DJ association – can anyone help? . . . Herb Alpert’s ‘Rise’ was impossible to avoid on New York radio in mid-July yet it’s taken this long to hit US number 1 . . . Lonnie Liston Smith must appreciate RCA’s efforts on his behalf, but what about his current label, CBS? . . . Earth, Wind & Fire appeared on at least three LPs prior to the reissued ‘Last Days And Time’, their first eponymously-titled solo set being on Warner Bros. in 1971 . . . Memo to certain disco pluggers “Blacks, whores, pimps, pushers and Arabs” buy records too, and many of them probably have more money to spend than most!

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UK Newies

DAN HARTMAN: ‘Hands Down’ (Blue Sky SKY 13-7896) (BNDA debut 8/18/79)
Gas of a happily romping, stomping and clapping 124bpm 12in reruns his past hit ideas with added Wonder-ful harmonica to make an incredibly exhilarating stormer that leaps along surprisingly at a slower lick than his oldies but should be just as big.

LEE MOORE: ‘Reachin’ Out (For Your Love)’ (Source 12SRC 100)
Past its peak on import though now finally out here through EMI, the great happily jiggling but smoothly stamping 125-126bpm brassy 12in sould smacker has a brief rhythm lull and wheezling synthesizer between bursts of buoyantly bubbling bass.

GONZALEZ: ‘Move It To The Music’ (Sidewalk 12SID 114)
Remorselessly pounding brassy fast 134bpm 12in flier now seems overly frantic for current dance steps, but the Dr Buzzard-influenced jittery 118(intro)-117bpm ‘Peoples Party’ B-side “rock” clapper is indeed just right!  Continue reading “October 27, 1979: Dan Hartman, Lee Moore, Gonzalez, Vernon Burch, Love Unlimited”

Cheesecake Corner – or something! – kicks off the Caister report with a stunning action shot of Primrose Hill in action as one half of the Doris Vincent-partnered “Ladies’ Night” duo, who swished from ballroom to ballroom to lead the sweaty throngs in the 2nd National Soul Weekender’s official anthem, ‘There’ll Always Be A Caister’.

Yes, last Friday the funky hordes descended once again on Ladbrokes’ holiday camp on the Norfolk shore, except this time there were over 5,000 of them spread over not only the chalet camp but also the Silver Sands caravan camp next door . . . and although there were three music venues in the main camp it was the Silver Sands ballroom that came to be considered the best. All the main DJs – Chris Hill, Robbie Vincent, Greg Edwards, Sean French, Chris Brown, Jeff Young, Froggy, Tom Holland, Brother Louis, Les Knott – moved about between the different venues so that they all shared the load (none was big enough for everyone), but the final Finale of the day always ended up amongst the caravanners.

Even more than that before the accent was on anything goes, and with such a large crowd of hell-bent kids it was likely that something would give. Mainly it was chalet windows that did, though they weren’t necessarily broken on purpose. The fun went in waves: Friday night it was pillow fights, Saturday it was water attacks. Not just water pistols, but dustbins, with people lying in ambush to give others a soaking. Chris Hill, his assistant Snell, promoter Adrian Webb and others were charged at by a hundred egg and flour-hurling kids, who then emptied water through their fleeing Range Rover’s open sunroof! It wasn’t meant viciously, although they weren’t to know that the “stars” were staying in a hotel with only one bathroom between 12 people, so the clean-up would take time.

When everyone had gone and only the “stars” remained, there was an exclusive buffet on Sunday night when the Jocks (and their ladies) behaved in remarkably similar and silly fashion, with Greg Edwards pushing a chocolate cake into Snell’s face and Robbie’s wife getting Greg back in turn! At this event also it was tried to establish just what “THE” Caister record had been (in April it was McFadden & Whitehead), and although it seemed as ¡f Kool & The Gang had dominated the weekend the voting came out in favour of Michael Jackson’s ‘Off The Wall’.

Full details of the other contenders and a more complete account of the silliness next week, but don’t forget that all this is happening again at Showstopper Promotions’ other overflow weekender in Cornwall at Perrin Sands next weekend too, October 26-28. Reckon the Jocks’ll wear raincoats and sou’westers for that!

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Odds ‘N Bods

Sugarhill Gang ‘Rapper’s Delight’ has already won a US gold disc for New York sales alone, DJ rapping being the new craze – and last Thursday at Mayfair Gullivers the members of FLB took turns to rap along over the record as if it was their own! . . . Shalamar ‘The Second Time Around’ has been remixed for 12in instead of ‘Right In The Socket’ (which remains much better) . . . Jupiter Beyond and Lowrell are on UK 12in early November, Millie & Ike’s ‘Feels Like The First Time’ 12in is due next week, and Dusty Springfield ‘Baby Blue’ will be on limited 12in after all . . . Sylvester’s next is ‘Can’t Stop Dancin’’, a shrieking 131-128bpm pounder, more coherent than of late . . . Brass Construction’s currently reviving ‘Movin’’ oldie is 120-131 bpm, with a 20 bpm soft intro from first noise to main rhythm (if you want to be clever!) . . . Caister jocks kept telling me how Atmosfear and ‘Expansions’ mix together perfectly, evidently forgetting who told them! . . . Sally Ormsby is back at RCA, filling in as disco plugger just one day a week . . . Bill Grainger has set up Fire Island Disco Promotions based at 29 Waterloo Street, Glasgow G2 6BZ (041-221 7282), to service Scottish jocks with all aspects of disco promotion, and is even mentioning a possible Scottish DJ convention (undeterred by his visit to Frenchies!) . . . Northern Soul is alive and well in London, the Southgate Rhythm & Soul Society start a new venue this Friday (19) at the old Klooks Kleek location, the West Hampstead Railway Hotel, free members – hip with an SAE from Randy Cozens, 273 Chase Road, London N14 . . . Frenchies open a new up-market over 21’s weekly Thursday venue next Thursday (25), The Apartment, at Farnborough Recreation Centre, with prizes including a Paris weekend for two . . . 15-year-old Jo Field, whose big sisters Sally and Jude were wearing nappies at Caister, is frustrated by being too young for most clubs but raves about the upfront funk of DJ Chris Green at the no age limit Oracle Club in Watford . . . Jon Taylor started an under 18’s night this last Monday at Norwich Cromwells . . . Graham Thornton, Tea Council Young DJ winner, has now landed the 2 to 6am early morning DJ slot daily on Birmingham’s BRMB commercial station, starting in December . . . Sonny Rollins, veteran avant garde Jazz saxist, is in line for a 12in soon, while his contemporary (now of ‘Dr Jackyll And Mr Funk’ fame), Jackie McLean plays Chalk Farm Round House next Friday (26) as part of the 9th Camden Jazz Week – but don’t go expecting disco!

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UK Newies

HUDSON PEOPLE: ‘Boogie On Downtown’ (Virgin VS 30112)
Totally exhilarating brassy instrumental bounder (forget the awful chix on the vocal A-side) winds along in Brass Construction style through 126-131-127-130-127-130-133 bpm until the 12in practically takes off at the end! Easily the biggest newie at Caister, it has immediate impact and will obviously be huge.

ISLEY BROTHERS: ‘It’s A Disco Night (Rock Don’t Stop) (Parts 1 & 2)’ (Epic EPC 13-7911) (BNDA debut 8/25/79)
Emphatically clapping fast 133 bpm jittery funker, finally on UK 12in, really got ’em “rocking” at Caister!

ANITA WARD: ‘Don’t Drop My Love’ (TK TKR 13-7562) (BNDA debut 10/20/79)
Clonking 126 bpm cowbell intro becomes a bass and backbeat driven 125 bpm 12in pop churner with Anita’s shrill wailing cutting through the smoother support.  Continue reading “October 20, 1979: Hudson People, Isley Brothers, Anita Ward, One Way ft Al Hudson, Herbie Mann”