James Hamilton's Disco Page

Disco News

This Sunday (30) Greg James of London’s US-style Embassy Club teaches American mixing to the South-Eastern Disco Assn at the Robin Hood pub in Tunbridge Wells. Prospective members are welcome at this lunchtime meeting. Meanwhile, without any ballyhoo, Paul Nice continues his own American-style mixing counting the Beats-Per-Minute at Chadwell Heath’s Regency Suite . . . Heatwave are so impressed by Tyrone David’s great reggaefication of their ‘Mind Blowing Decisions’ (D-Roy FORCE 2012, 12in) that they’ve copied his version for US release! . . . Karen Young’s sizzling ‘Hot Shot’ will be out here next week on Atlantic 7in and 12in, but both will be different edits from the US hit. Other hotsies: Lenny Williams ‘You Got Me Running’ will be on ABC 12in on August 11th, Gilla ‘Bend Me Shape Me’ is due on Ariola Hansa 12in any day, Gary Criss ‘Rio De Janeiro’ is on UK Carrere 12in now, Crown Heights Affair ‘Galaxy Of Love’ (De-Lite), Hamilton Bohannon ‘Let’s Start The Dance’ and Charles Earland ‘Let The Music Play’ (Mercury), Frankie Valli ‘Grease’ (RSO) are all due on 45 within a week, while after heavy plugs on Kenny Everett’s TV show (those dancers – wow!) Cerrone’s ‘Supernature’ is revived on commercial Atlantic 12in now! . . . WEA’s Fred Dove points out to his mailing list DJs that he still has over a hundred copies of the US 12in remix ‘Whistle Bump’ that some jocks would ransom their grannies for!

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New Spins

BROTHERS JOHNSON: ‘Blam!!’ LP (A&M AMLH 64714)
Dynamite funky album full of goodies like the chugging 5:36 ‘Ain’t We Funkin’ Now’ with amazing beefy bass, jaunty ‘Ride-O-Rocket’, snappy ‘Mista Cool’, lurching slow ‘It’s You Girl’, jazzy ‘Streetwave’ and P-funky title track. Looks like another ‘All ‘N All’ in the making.

FOXY: ‘Get Off’ (TK TKR 8040) (BNDA debut 5/6/78)
Long-awaited “whoop-whoop” filled exciting sparse bumper on 3:30 7in, should now be huge (if not too late).

CISSY HOUSTON: ‘Think It Over’ (Private Stock PVDD 6) (BNDA debut 7/22/78)
Already big on import, the fast Michael Zager-produced flier’s on full 12in, or edited 7in (PVT 166).  Continue reading “July 29, 1978: Brothers Johnson, Foxy, Cissy Houston, Nigel Martinez, Michael Zager”

Revolta Rules OK?

Ian Moore, the appalling Revolta dancer, is preparing for superstardom! I went out to Gravesend Wings in Shears Green to check out his action last Tuesday, and was suitably impressed. Under the guiding hand of his DJ/agent Colin Hudd (Grays Thurrock 30972 for bookings), Ian practices his atrocious moves in front of two mirrors so that he can see himself properly while doing spins. Well, he calls them spins. A 20-year-old warehouseman, he only began dancing on April 18th when he entered a Travolta competition at Wings, where he so electrified the audience that he became a local celebrity overnight. He even has some tricks that Arthur Murray might envy, like his funky shirt-collar flick, while the crowd pleaser when I was there was the audience-participating white waistcoat-shredding step. This lad could become a legend . . . he’s far worse than anyone who’s consciously trying to be bad! Look out for him at Purley on August 28th, at Robbie Vincent’s next Southgate Royalty gig on August 26th, and in the West End soon!

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Disco News

This Saturday (22) ITV screens the first proper ‘Revolver’ show, with Hi-Tension and of course Chris Hill as “king of the kids” (check for transmission time) . . . Thames Valley DJ Assn meets on Sunday (23) at noon in Wokingham’s King of Clubs on Wellington Road, with a talk on music publishing from Famous-Chappel’s Ivan Chandler and freebies from Decca, Mountain and Response reps. For TVDJA membership details, contact Mark Anthony at 2 Stratford Drive, Wooburn Green, Bucks (Bourne End 24171). Likewise, for details about the equally flourishing Sussex DJ Assn, contact either Nigel Paterson (Littlehampton 22484) or Johnny Diamond (Brighton 202274) . . . Now on commercial UK 12in are Rick James ‘You And I’ (Motown), Donna Summer ‘Last Dance’ (Casablanca) and Jimmy Bo Horne ‘Dance Across The Floor’ (TK), while due next week is Sylvester ‘You Make Me Feel’ (Fantasy) and – on 7in – the Commodores ‘Three Times A Lady’ (Motown) . . . Phil Upchurch’s hot import LP is due on TK in a fortnight . . . The French magazine Discobox currently features as top foreign hit ‘Saturday Night Fever’ by Bee Gees B.O. – could be right, but actually means Bande Originale (original soundtrack) . . . Working a Julianas unit on board the Hamburg-based Wappen Von Hamberg ship, Ian Jason charts amongst the usual biggies La Bionda ‘One For You, One For Me’ (German Ariola), also hot is Discobox – could be worth checking by pop jox.

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New Spins

BONEY M: ‘Night Flight To Venus’ LP (Atlantic K 50496)
Jock-grabbing freaky countdown to the rhythm-rattling title track, which mixes into a different beat after seguing into ‘Rasputin’ for the set’s most exciting sequence. Many more have pop potential, and all have a Giorgio-like electronic clarity.

VILLAGE PEOPLE: ‘Just A Gigolo / I Ain’t Got Nobody / Key West’ (DJM DJS 10869) (BNDA debut 3/18/78)
Extremely catchy rousing medley with fast thudding bouncy beat and building momentum, big in gay clubs and bound to smash pop. Flip’s a fast thumper too.

BILL ANDERSON: ‘I Can’t Wait Any Longer’ (Ember EMBS 361)
Rather good gently bouncing smooth bumper with soft talking bits, hailed in US (where it’s on 12in) as the first “country disco” hit, produced by Buddy Killen of Joe Tex fame. Could smash.  Continue reading “July 22, 1978: “Ian Moore, the appalling Revolta dancer, is preparing for superstardom!””

The movie of ‘Thank God It’s Friday’ opens in London this week, and will soon be creating a ‘Fever’-type demand in discos for some of the soundtrack songs.  However, as already noted, much of the best music in the film is not actually on the soundtrack LP’s (Casablanca TGIF 100), and in any case most of the music is in such short jumbled up fragments that few tunes really register on their own.

The ones from the LP set which do stand out especially are Cameo’s ‘Find My Way’, Commodores’ ‘Too Hot Ta Trot’, Wright Brothers Flying Machine’s ‘Leatherman’s Theme’, Donna Summer’s ‘Last Dance’ and Love & Kisses’ title tune.

Of the additional material, the stand-outs are Cameo’s ‘It’s Serious’ (Casablanca), Commodores’ ‘Brick House’ / ‘Easy’ (Motown), Giorgio’s ‘From Here To Eternity’ (Oasis) and Donna Summer’s ‘Love To Love You Baby’ (GTO), while the rest not on the albums are GC Cameron & Syreeta’s ‘Let’s Make A Deal’, Fifth Dimension’s ‘You’re The Reason I Feel Like Dancing’, Cuba Gooding’s ‘Dance All Night’, Thelma Houston’s ‘I’m Here Again’, Originals’ ‘Down To Love Town’ (all on Motown), Alec R. Costandinos’s ‘Romeo & Juliet’ (Lightning), D.C. LaRue’s ‘You Can Always Tell A Lady By The Company She Keeps’ (Pye), Meco’s ‘Meco’s Theme’ (RCA), Village People’s ‘Hollywood’ / ‘I Am What I Am’ (DJM) . . . all the latter not on Motown being issued in the US by Casablanca.

It’s a very funny movie, well worth seeing, and I personally think far more entertaining than ‘Saturday Night Fever’.  However, it’s less likely to attract trendy poseurs, being aimed much more at the real disco audience, so the straight media will probably leave it alone.  Good news, huh?

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Disco News

London’s LODJ Assn invites all potential members to meet on Tuesday (18) at 7pm in Room 3305 on the 33rd floor of Euston Tower – should be worth it for the view alone! – which is next to, and NOT, Capital Radio’s entrance . . . Roger Squire’s traveling equipment exhibition winds up on Sunday (18) at Manchester’s Nocturne disco at Deansgate . . . Ian Dury’s great ‘Sex And Drugs And Rock ‘N’ Roll’ has been remixed into a 6-minute version on Italian 12in, currently reviving the tune – which, if you haven’t tried it, makes a good bridge between funk and slow rock.

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New Spins

TEDDY PENDERGRASS: ‘Only You’ (from LP ‘Life Is A Song Worth Singing’, Phil Int’l PIR 82555) (BNDA debut 10/21/78)
Although with longer versions of his singles’ two hot sides, the really hot biggie is this great 5:05 happy funky leaper’s terrific bouncily burbling beat. Make it a 45 soon, please!

QUINCY JONES: ‘Stuff Like That’ (A&M AMS 7367)
Smash funk-jazz jumper, now edited to 3:30 for 45.

SAMONA COOKE: ‘One Night Affair’ (Mercury 6167670)
Sam Cooke’s cousin revives Jerry Butler’s oldie with ‘Boogie Oogie Oogie’-type bass, huge already on import and promo 12in.  Continue reading “July 15, 1978: Thank God It’s Friday: “less likely to attract trendy poseurs””

Disco News

Calendar Records (currently hot with the Ashantis) need more top jocks for their mailing list, so apply to Liz Cruickshanks at Calendar, 59 Chiswick High Road, London W4 . . . The appalling Revolta-dancing Ian Moore now has an agent and is accepting bookings via Colin Hudson on Gray Thurrock 30973 – but hurry, he’ll soon be getting better if he does a lot of gigs! . . . There’s a “Mr. & Mrs. Revolta” competition each night at 10pm at Eccles’ re-opened Rainbow in Liverpool Road, along with two proper dance troupes, go-go girls and Disco Dave Singleton . . . Dave Jay’s new record and disco equipment shop, Apollo Records at 47 Clive Street, Grangetown, Cardiff, specialises in Jamaican imports and disco hits, with hefty discounts for bona fide DJ’s . . . Tim Smithers (16) of Bournemouth complains that he and many Northern-dancing kids in his area are too young for the Northern all-nighters/dayers, and wonders if anyone knows of events catering for younger crowds: I never knew that under-18’s were barred, but can anyone help?

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New Spins

QUINCY JONES: ‘Stuff Like That’ (from LP ‘Sounds . . . And Stuff Like That!’, A&M AMLH 64635)
Beautiful LP for jazz-funk fans, with the hot and huge track being a compulsive happy 6:15 jumper sung by Ashford & Simpson with Chaka Khan.  Could be the next ‘Boogie Oogie Oogie’.

HERBIE HANCOCK: ‘I Thought It Was You’ (from LP ‘Sunlight’, CBS 82240)
Avant-garde jazz keyboardist goes funky for an infectiously pounding 8:54 slab of incredible inventiveness with beautiful electronically-treated vocal sounds, currently wowing jazz-funk jocks and due on 12in soon.

DAVID BOYDELL: ‘Wish It Were Me (Dub Dancing)’ / ‘En Afrique’ (Electric LWOT 24)
Terrific bubbling happy 12in pop romper in a madly jaunty Paul Nicholas/Bee Gees bag, with such wide appeal it deserves to smash both radio and disco.  Check the ultra-fast jazz-funk flip too!  Continue reading “July 8, 1978: Quincy Jones, Herbie Hancock, David Boydell, Crown Heights Affair, Kennie Delt & Prana”

Disco News

Les Spaine sez Motown still need a few more top club jocks for their mailing list, so if you’re resident at least three nights a week write to Les at Motown Records, Heron Place, 9 Thayer Street, London W1 . . . Following some changes within the DJ Federation, temporary acting officers have had to be elected until the AGM on Aug 15, the well-known names involved being (you guessed?) Theo Loyla, Chris Archer and Dougall DJ . . . Power Exchange have 12-inched 5,000 copies of Sugar ‘Manhattan Fever’ (APX 265) . . . Some DJ moves: Mark Rymann has left Swansea Cinderellas for three months with Bacchus at Goteborg’s Restaurant Henriksberg in Sweden, Sterling Vann has moved from Stepney Green’s Old Globe to soccer star Bobby Moore’s new Tipples pub in Bethnal Green (near the tube), and the Titchener brothers’ Rock Street Roadshow has switched bases from South Wimbledon to Wallington in Surrey (01-669 0327) . . . Some excuses from Scottish jocks for not getting to Dundee include Tom Wilson (Edinburgh Rutland) taking his baby daughter to the hospital with a skull fracture, Alan Donald (Rothesay Royal) having the room above the disco catch fire, and Alan Farmer (Edinburgh Murrayfield Rink) being in London – nothing heavy, though Mr Farmer could have done better . . . Finally, the revolting Travolta-type dancer Ian Moore seems to be gaining in fame, having appalled most of North Kent and South Essex with his evidently totally sincere but staggeringly inept attempt at Fever posturing – catch him if you can, as everyone who’s seen him says he’s a gas!

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New Spins

SATURDAY NIGHT BAND: ‘Come On Dance Dance’ LP (CBS 82887) (BNDA debut 4/15/78)
Here it is, the dynamite full-length 12:48 side-long pounder with all its zingy but madly catchy changes intact!

A TASTE OF HONEY: ‘Boogie Oogie Oogie’ (Capitol 12 CL 15988) (BNDA 5/27/78)
And the full LP length version, with that great searing guitar, on 12in!

FATBACK: ‘I’m Fired Up’ (from LP ‘Fired Up ‘N Kickin’’, Spring/Polydor 2391351)
Terrific fast funky rhythm-rattling leaper and an even jazzier Latin-type ‘Snake’, while the rather deliberate medium-tempo ‘Get Out On The Dance Floor’ is also flip to the dull and so far not particularly popular ‘I Like Girls’ on 45 (2066923) . . . boy, did someone goof!  Continue reading “July 1, 1978: Saturday Night Band, A Taste Of Honey, Fatback, Norman Connors, Raydio”

Disco News

Thames Valley DJ Assn members meet Phonogram’s John Weller and learn about disco administration on Sunday (25) at noon in Abingdon’s Railway Inn, Old Station Yard . . . CBS Disco Department’s new contact lady for DJ’s is lovely Loraine Trent, at 73 Newman Street, London W1 (01-580 8667), which will soon be Greg Lynn’s office too . . . Chrysalis northern area’s Ken Grunbaum needs more North-West DJ’s as they plan much more sustainable product: catch Ken at 74 Moss Lane, Bramhall, Cheshire (061-439 2134) . . . RCA’s Sally Ormsby has started a serious search for the best looking DJ – the winner will find out what the prize is! – so send photos and measurements to Sal at RCA House, 50 Curzon Street, London W1X 8EU . . . Colin Wheeler of 7 Robert Street, North Woolwich, London E16 2LZ (01-476 2794), compiles a weekly DJ Top 40 chart based on requests sent in from a panel of 37 other DJ’s, who then receive the completed chart to display at gigs: if you’d like to join in, let him know . . . Donald Murray, Glasgow winner of the last Tea Council DJ Search heat, had such strong competition from runners-up Forbes Robertson and Jay Jay Sawers that BBC Radio Scotland has awarded not only them, but all six competitors studio time to make audition tapes, useable anywhere . . . Hull University’s Phil Mitchell runs a thoroughly good University Soul Club with a newsletter, record offers, reviews and trips to soul shows in far-flung places like Manchester, so if you’ve passed your exams you could do worse than get a place at Hull!

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New Spins

SUGAR: ‘Manhattan Fever’ (Power Exchange PX 275)
Deceptively simple purpose-built fast polyrhythmic funky pounder with lots of potential, should be big.

UBIQUITY: ‘Midnight After Dark’ / ‘Starbooty’ (Elektra K 12305)
Rose Royce-type choppy funky burbler on remixed 6:08 12in or 3:40 7in, already bigger than the trickier official 3:09 A-side.

LIMMIE: ‘Saturday Night’s The Night’ (Psycho P 2004)
Terrific unexpectedly sophisticated smooth bouncy rhythm ticker with an almost Friends Of Distinction vocal finesse – truly a surprise worth finding.  Continue reading “June 24, 1978: Sugar, Ubiquity, Limmie, Michael Zager, Boney M”

Disco News

EMI Records’ Licensed Repertoire Division, representing Salsoul/Stax/Fantasy/EMI Int’l, have launched a big “Disco Dancin’” promotion campaign via radio, press, dealers and discos to push a clutch of their recent soul-type LP releases, and a few current hot hits. Sadly most of the material already looks rather dated tor disco freaks, but of course the actual music remains good . . . John Gibbs ‘Trinidad’ is due on EMI Int’l 12in, while Kellee Patterson’s full-length ‘If It Don’t Fit’ is the flip to her 7:45 ‘Turn On The Lights’ on another EMI Int’l 12in . . . USA-European Connection is now not on 12in, but Rokotto and Al Matthews are, while Motown have issued a promo 12in of Rare Earth ‘Warm Ride’ featuring their “Disco Eye-Cued” banding system which shows virtually where to cut in at rhythm breaks, etc . . . Niels Birk (Langaa) infos that the ‘Thank God It’s Friday’ LP set costs £11.50 in Denmark, where the chart-topping ‘Saturday Night Fever’ is £9.50 . . . that’s a lot of bacon!

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New Spins

SATURDAY NIGHT BAND: ‘Come On Dance Dance’ (CBS 0341) (BNDA debut 4/15/78)
Crazy, but the smash side-long LP version won’t be out until July, when everyone will already have this edited 5:48 12in (or the 3:59 7in) as the fast changes-filled rhythm rattling flier is just too hot to stop! Similarly zingy flip.

USA-EUROPEAN CONNECTION: ‘Come Into My Heart’ LP (TK TKR 82532) (BNDA debut 2/11/78)
Instead of a shorter 12in, this side-long 14:28 zingy thumper stays on LP and comes out in time to sell! For some reason bigger gay and pop than funk, unlike Saturday Night Band, it however goes through similar changes.

LOVE COMMITTEE: ‘Law And Order’ (Salsoul SSOL 109) (BNDA debut 6/24/78)
Creamily churning old Temptations-type smooth stamper, hitting funk now and bound to be big pop . . . and with Tories? Pity it’s only 2:59 though.  Continue reading “June 17, 1978: Saturday Night Band, USA-European Connection, Love Committee, Black Ivory, Trade Mark”

New Spins

A TASTE OF HONEY: ‘Boogie Oogie Oogie’ (from LP ‘A Taste Of Honey’, Tower ES 11754) (BNDA 5/27/78)
Forget the 45, here’s the funky DJ-favoured full length, 5:37 disco mix of the ridiculously catchy hit-bound girlie group hot flier!

LOLEATTA HOLLOWAY: ‘Hit And Run’ (Salsoul SSOL 108) (BNDA debut 5/7/77)
Finally out here on dynamite full 11:00 12in, last year’s US disco hit develops into a powerhouse hypnotically chugging gospel-type wailer with an exciting intensity that’s totally lacking on 7in.

MELODIANS: ‘Rivers Of Babylon’ (Island WIP 6447)
Hurrah, it’s the far more subtle reggae original . . . and about time, too!  Continue reading “June 10, 1978: A Taste Of Honey, Loleatta Holloway, Melodians, Commodores, Linda Clifford”

Disco News

London’s LODJ Assn invites all local DJ’s to an inaugural meeting next Wednesday (7) at 7pm in the Baronial Hall at River Plate House, 1-6 Finsbury Circus, near Moorgate Tube, where there’s lots of room and a bar – so do go! . . . Manchester’s DJ Assn, acting mainly as a record pool for club jocks, meets weekly every Monday at 6:15pm in Kilties Disco, below the Swinging Sporran pub in Sackville Street, where all jocks in kilts are welcome! . . . Yvonne Marvill, ex-Phonogram, has surfaced at Shaboodle Promotions doing some independent pushing as a one off on Love Machine’s ‘Desperately’.

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New Spins

DONNA SUMMER: ‘Last Dance’ / ‘With Your Love’ (Casablanca TGIFS 2) (BNDA debut 4/29/78)
Zingy cymbal schlurpers, topside slow starting, from ‘Thank God It’s Friday’.

BIONIC BOOGIE: ‘Risky Changes’ (Polydor 2066895) (BNDA debut 12/17/77)
Fast funky jumper huge on import for ages.

JAMES BROWN: ‘Eyesight’ (Polydor 2066915)
Buoyant sparse funky bounder, big on import.  Continue reading “June 3, 1978: Donna Summer, Bionic Boogie, James Brown, Platters, Robert Gordon”

Disco News

Joe Gibbs’s reggae labels are now being serviced to suitable jocks (some breakthrough, huh?!), so if you feature much reggae send your work details to Winston Edwards or Ann Leid at Joe Gibbs Record City, 29 Lewisham Way, New Cross, London SE 14 (01-691 0070) . . . National Association of Youth Clubs, in conjunction with guess which over-promoted movie are scouring their 5,000 youth clubs for a big competition to find the top disco dancing teams of three to six kids, local round winners working towards regional and then national finals in October and December . . . Norwich Cromwells start a big East of England Group Competition in a month’s time to find quality musicianship worthy of recording by Arista and a £1,000 first prize: groups from Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex, Lincs, Notts, Leics, Cambs and Beds can apply for forms to Mr. Tartt, Cromwells, Edwards Street, Norwich.

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New Spins

RICK JAMES: ‘You And I’ (Motown TMG 1110) (BNDA debut 5/13/78)
Powerhouse smash funky whomper stamper, edited to 3:08 for UK 7in but bound to be huge.

IDRIS MUHAMMAD: ‘Boogie To The Top’ LP (Kudu KU 38) (BNDA debut 5/6/78)
Relentless jazz-funk thumping title-track smash leaps along for 10:25 of musical shifts within an almost afro rhythm. ‘One With A Star’ and ‘S-E-X’ are hot, too.

A TASTE OF HONEY: ‘Boogie Oogie Oogie’ (Capitol CL 15988) (BNDA 5/27/78)
Slow starting funky flyer that’s totally irresistible in its simple-seeming combination of winsome chix, cheerful claps, and dynamite bass-driven beat.  Continue reading “May 27, 1978: Rick James, Idris Muhammad, A Taste Of Honey, Side Effect, O’Jays”