Disco Delivery #52: Stainless Steal - Can-Can (1978, Warner Bros.)

Stainless Steal - More Than Meets The Eye
Stainless Steal - Messing With You (Is Like Messing With The Devil)
Stainless Steal - It All Comes Down To Love
Stainless Steal - Can-Can

These days, Giorgio Moroder's well deserved reputation as an innovator and pioneer in disco and in electronic music has become quite firmly established (and well-explored on a few of my previous entries). However, the contributions of his frequent right-hand man/ co-producer, (particularly with their material for Donna Summer and Roberta Kelly), Pete Bellotte seems to have been somewhat overlooked in comparison. With so much of the focus being on Moroder's innovations, often times on the albums where they're both credited as producers, it's not always clear where one's contributions ended and the other's began..

In listening to some of Bellotte's productions outside of his partnership with Moroder, the easy way to describe Bellotte's style (in relation to the Moroder/Bellotte productions) would probably be to envision a heightened emphasis on the rhythm section. While that's obviously an oversimplification, in comparison to a lot of the Moroder or Moroder/Bellotte records, the synthesized element, while still prominent, rarely seemed to go beyond sweetening or colouring on most of Bellotte's productions.. More specifically though, Bellotte's productions seemed to have a distinct emphasis and style particularly on the guitars and horns, which is especially evident on this album and is perhaps Bellotte's most obvious stylistic stamp.

Comparing the output of Moroder & Bellotte individually, I'd say Moroder's own productions were generally much more consistent and distinctive, not to mention more prolific than Bellotte's. I'd give him that distinction even just for the excellent Suzi Lane and Battlestar Galactica records he did. Bellotte's output, on the other hand, while not without it's high points, was obviously less so. Case in point, Elton John's "Victim Of Love" (1979, MCA) album, evidently Bellotte's most prominent effort as a solo producer, it would give him the dubious distinction of having produced what is likely the most discredited effort of Elton John's career. It's a record that's been so widely maligned by fans and critics alike that even the artist himself has since disowned it. Then again, to be fair, Giorgio also gave us The Sylvers' lamentable effort (or non-effort as it were) "Disco Fever" (1979, Casablanca), so I suppose it goes without saying that Moroder certainly had his share as well...

Anyway, point is - duds aside, Bellotte still managed to deliver some rather underrated work in his own right. This album in particular, evidently one of his lesser known productions has some of my favourite work of his. Produced of course by Bellotte, arranged by frequent collaborator Geoff Bastow, I'd assume some of the usual Munich Machine suspects (Keith Forsey, Gary Unwin, Thor Baldursson etc.. ) also had a hand in this, but with the back cover giving out no musican credits and little else aside from bum of an anonymous model, there's really no telling for sure.. The one name that does stand out in the brief credits is Jimmy Simpson, who mixed the entire album and is also likely responsible for a good deal of it's excellence as well. Prolific as Simpson was, this is seems to be the first (and so far the only) time I've seen his name attached to anything associated with Moroder or Bellotte or any of their circle of collaborators.

Taking up all of side one, the main attraction on the record seems to have been the bombastic 14 minute disco version of the Can-Can (AKA Jacques Offenbach's "Galop Infernal"). Straight out of the "do a disco version of anything and it'll sell" school of thought, as an idea, it's as derivative as it gets.. With it being a classical piece associated with dancing, I suppose someone would have done it eventually.. That said, as much as something like this isn't really supposed to be any good, it's redeemed quite wonderfully by some great arrangements and improvisation, which keep things exciting and engaging. Certainly no small feat with 14 minutes at one's disposal. The sections at the 3 minute and the 11 minute marks are especially nice, with the arrangements at both points putting an unmistakable 'Munich Machine' stamp on things. In some ways this reminds me somewhat of the disco remake of Handel's Messiah, AKA "Hallelujah 2000" by Hallelujah 2000, particularly at the start and the finish, so fans of that might enjoy this one as well. Granted, this track's perhaps a bit too twee and bombastic to sway any disco cynics, and while I wouldn't exactly consider it a highly inspired moment myself, it definitely comes across much better than one might expect it to..

For me though the best part of the record would have to be the three tracks on side two - all written by Bellotte & Bastow. All three are similar in their feel and tempo and are fairly minimal in their lyrics, largely consisting of the repetition of the title verse (or variaton of it) by an anonymous vocal chorus. Instrumentally speaking though, I find these to be some of the best examples of Bellotte's own sound and style. Sublime, yet lively and even whimsical at times, the distinctive synth sweetening, somewhat lighter than those on a Moroder production, along with the prominence of those signature guitar riffs (which I'm guessing are courtesy of either arranger Geoff Bastow or Mats Björklund) and horns are all over these tracks.

As far as the tracks themselves go, "More Than Meets The Eye" is the wordiest (which isn't really saying much) and perhaps the strongest of the three.. Opening with a simple, funky guitar line easing into a sublime string arrangement; with those signature guitar riffs and shooting synth stabs, it manages to makes an strong impression without the bombast of the A-side. The following track, "Messing With You (Is Like Messing With The Devil)" is probably the most synth heavy, opening with a great loopy, whimsical synth, with the delicate string arrangements pretty much taking over from there. However, the sexy, blissful break in the middle of the track, laden with strings and a sly bassline is definitely one of the highlights on here, definitely my favourite part of the track. The last selection on the album, "It All Comes Down To Love," a fun little track with it's unmistakable strut and warm keys which probably make it the most identifiable with the established Munich disco sound that he and Moroder as well as the likes of Kunze/Levay had pioneered. It has to be said here as well, that the sensual break, with the wispery vocals and lush instrumentation are to die for.

For me, one of the things that I notice about the side two tracks are how spacious and, in a way, less frantic than say, the A-side and some of Belotte's other, more well-known productions like Trax's "Watch Out For The Boogie Man!" Marsha Hunt's "The Other Side Of Midnight," and Melba Moore's "Burn" to name a few of the ones I've heard so far. Perhaps that is where Jimmy Simpson's involvement may have come in... Overall though, while all three tracks seemed to rely on repeated lyrics and hooky riffs to some degree, these three tracks are mixed and arranged well enough that there's enough interesting musical variation in them to balance out the repetition (the wonderful string-laden instrumental section in the middle of "Messing With You" to name one good example).

While this is likely the most anonymous out of all the albums Pete Bellotte produced, not to mention one which seemed to come and go without a trace (perhaps even moreso than usual), this has definitely become one of my favourite Bellotte solo productions.. When I had stumbled across this album a little while back, it honestly wasn't one that I had especially high hopes for, especially given how anonymous and unknown it was (in spite of it's well-known producer). At best, I was hoping for at least something worthwhile - one track, even. At the very least, after listening to the album I would have been able to say that I'd heard all fourteen minutes of a disco version of the Can-Can and lived to tell it... Nevertheless, all that aside, this little album pretty much exceeded my initial expectations. The fact that it was a production from a recognizable which I hadn't heard or heard of before proved to be an added bonus. I guess the most rewarding finds are often the most unexpected.

Just a little side note: While Bellotte seems to have kept a rather low profile, the BBC caught up with him for a brief update/interview in 2004 just around the time he was inducted (with Giorgio Moroder and Donna Summer) into the Dance Music Hall Of Fame (which seems to be up in the air, as of this writing). The article: "In Tune With Britain's Disco King" is the most recent interview that I've found with him so far...

PREVIOUS RELATED ENTRIES:
BBC RADIO 2: CLASSIC SINGLES - I FEEL LOVE (SATURDAY DECEMBER 30, 2007)
DISCO DELIVERY #43: WARDELL PIPER (1979, MIDSONG INTERNATIONAL) (MONDAY AUGUST 27, 2007)
DISCO DELIVERY #40: MUNICH MACHINE - A WHITER SHADE OF PALE (1978, CASABLANCA) (SUNDAY APRIL 29, 2007)
DISCO DELIVERY #14: SUZI LANE - OOH LA LA (1979, ELEKTRA) (SATURDAY APRIL 8, 2006)
DISCO DELIVERY #5: GIORGIO MORODER - FROM HERE TO ETERNITY (1977, OASIS/CASABLANCA) (FRIDAY FEBRUARY 3, 2006)

LINKS:
STAINLESS STEAL - CAN-CAN LP @ DISCOGS
PETE BELLOTTE @ DISCOGS
PETE BELLOTTE @ ALL MUSIC GUIDE
BBC NEWS: IN TUNE WITH BRITAIN'S DISCO KING (BY TOM BISHOP) (WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 29, 2004)

CATEGORIES: DISCO DELIVERIES, WHAT EVER HAPPENED TO..

Disco Delivery #40: Munich Machine - A Whiter Shade of Pale (1978, Casablanca)

Listen on Spotify:
Munich Machine - A Whiter Shade of Pale
Munich Machine - It's For You
Munich Machine - It's All Wrong (But It's Alright)
Munich Machine - La Nuit Blanche
Munich Machine - Love Fever
Munich Machine - In Love With Love

It's been a while since I've put some Giorgio Moroder up here and since this album has been a favourite of mine for a little while now and a frequent listen lately, I figure why not now?

Munich Machine was, for the most part, a moniker for the fairly regular cast of studio musicians on many of Giorgio Moroder's productions with Pete Bellotte (and others) which, at least on this album included the likes of Keith Forsey, Geoff Bastow, Mats Björklund, Dino Solera and singers Lucy Neale, Gitta Walther (AKA Jackie Robinson), and Claudia Schwarz among others. Aside from the three albums released as the Munich Machine, the "Machine" would also be anonymously credited for the "accompaniment" on a few of Donna Summer's albums, Roberta Kelly's "Trouble Maker" album and given top billing on the single Moroder produced for his sax player Dino Solera to name a few...

As well, the "Munich Machine" was not just a group of musicians, but also something of a brand for their distinct sound. In a 1978 interview with NME, Moroder branded the distinct sound of his productions and musicians as the "Munich Machine Sound" which the article characterized as their own disco-era, European equivalent of the Motown Sound. Evidently one of the common criticisms of the "Munich Machine Sound" was it's defined, formularized sound, a criticism which as the article points out, doesn't hold up quite as well when compared to the similar assembly-line, organized industrial quality of the Classic Motown sound, for example. Evidently the cover concepts on the first two Munich Machine albums with the dancing robots and the curious credit listings on this LP (musicians credited as the "Shop Floor," singers as the "Secretaries," engineer as the "Shop Steward" etc..) were, at least in part, a reply to that criticism (evidently Rinder & Lewis weren't the only disco producers with a sense of humour). Moroder himself explains it further in some key excerpts from that interview:

"Myself, I liked very much the sound of Motown in the early times, up to seven or eight years ago, but now they do not have such a recognisable feel. Mind you, the actual quality of their first recordings was not good. You know, they recorded in a little building and so on. But the music was good, so very good - and that is why they succeeded."

And quite why Moroder's work should be so disparagingly referred to in some circles as 'product' (as in production line, etc.) when Tamla (Motown) themselves formularised their songwriting - Holland, Dozier, Holland et al - and sound with similar success and without risking culpability is beyond this pair of ears. Tamla even worked out of a similarly and supposedly 'industrial' environment in Detroit.

All of which I put to Moroder, asking more specifically about the relevance of the credit listing on the 'Whiter Shade Of Pale' Munich Machine release (cf. 'shop floor, electronics foreman, mechanics foreman, shop steward, apprentice, time and motion study').

"This, you know, this is just another joke. We know people think this about what we do, so we play up to them. It is the same with the dancing robots on the covers of both Munich Machine records.

"All this talk of machines and industry make me laugh. Even if you use synthesisers and sequencers and drum machines, you have to set them up, to choose exactly what you are going to make them do. It is nonsense to say that we make all our music automatically.

"I know for myself how difficult or how easy it was to get a certain sound. Sometimes it's easy, sure, but as often as not it is at least ten times more difficult to get a good synthesiser sound than on an acoustic instrument. And of course we organise things - who does not? We have to be professional about this. There is nothing wrong with this, surely?"

Looking back today given their success and influence, the Motown comparison rings even more true. Much like Motown had been at it's height, at the time Moroder and company were at the helm of what was undoubtedly one of the most identifiable, defining sounds of the disco era.

As far as 'Munich Machine,' the recording project goes, the best known Munich Machine single would probably be the slick and sexy 15 minute disco workout "Get On The Funk Train" (which reached #7 on the Billboard Disco charts in 1977) off the first and excellent Munich Machine album. Although all three Munich Machine albums are worthwhile (the first two perhaps more so than the last, "Body Shine"), I'd say out of all three, this one has to be my personal favourite. The first album was essentially made up of sped-up, largely instrumental remakes of the so-called "soft-disco" productions from the albums he and Bellotte did for Donna Summer ("Love To Love You Baby," "Try Me I Know We Can Make It"), Roberta Kelly ("Trouble Maker"), as well as from Giorgio's own "Knights In White Satin" LP ("I Wanna Funk With You Tonite") which were all augmented with some heavy, loopy synths here and there for good measure.. This particular album, however, bears less resemblance to that earlier Munich euro-disco sound and a great deal more of the cooler, sharper and decidedly progressive electronic stamp of "I Feel Love" and "Chase" that would eventually become Moroder's most enduring trademark.

Looking back at his output, 1977 and 1978 especially seemed like banner years for Moroder and company. Between "I Feel Love," the first Donna Summer double-album "Once Upon A Time," "From Here To Eternity," the Midnight Express soundtrack and his Battlestar Galactica album which spawned the extended electro symphony that is "Evolution," Moroder seemed to be at the height of an extraordinarily fruitful period, both creatively and commercially.

In addition to all of that, last but certainly not least, I'd also include the "Whiter Shade of Pale" album in that list of notable Moroder productions from that time. Written (aside from the title track, of course) and produced by Giorgio Moroder and Pete Bellotte, this album is perhaps not as well-known as some of the other Moroder-produced works from the time, yet it's not only an excellent, cohesive album but one which seemed to perfectly bridge elements of his more conventional euro-disco/pop leanings with his more adventurous electronic ones ("Evolution," "From Here To Eternity")..

Additionally, this album also seemed like something of a springboard from which to launch vocalist and Moroder protégé, Chris Bennett, who appears beautifully and artfully photographed (along with Shusei Nagaoka's amazing dancing robot artwork, reprised from the first Munich Machine album) on both the front and back covers. Despite that and the album's subtitle ('Introducing Chris Bennett'), this wouldn't be her first release with Moroder. Prior to this, Moroder's earliest collaboration with Chris Bennett was a little-known 7'' single from 1976 called "Disco Man" produced by Giorgio & Pete and released in the UK on a label called Bradley's Records. Although this may not have been her first showcase and, in my opinion, her best vocal performances would come later on the Giorgio & Chris album and Midnight Express soundtrack; nevertheless, this album still represented the first true and full introduction to both her image and her crystal clear voice..

As far as the music goes, moreso than any of the other Munich Machine albums, this one also displayed, perhaps most boldly and beautifully, a flawless combination between that cool, forward-looking, hypnotic electro pulse and the exquisite orchestration and instrumental arrangements, which seem somewhat overlooked these days given Moroder's reputation as a pioneer in electronic music. Putting that aside for a moment, it was not just the electronics, but often the combination between the orchestral and electronic which not only set him apart as a producer, but also, generally speaking, disco as a genre.

One track which displays that combination especially well would be the second track on the album, "It's For You." The combination is evident right from the beginning, which starts off captivating the listener with a heavy robotic pulse and spacey synth, which is then quickly augmented by what sounds like a flute along with those gracefully sublime string arrangements. The beautiful juxtaposition between the two elements practically define this track, with the dreamy elegance of those strings both complimenting and contrasting the mechanical synth sounds, making this track both gentle and intense all at once.. Bennett's vocals exhibit a similar sort of juxtaposition, alternating between a calculated cool on the verses, and an almost pleading intensity on the title refrain with those echoed, multiplied vocal effects..

The title track, a cover of the Procul Harum classic "A Whiter Shade of Pale," with it's brilliant melody and elaborate lyrics (which no one really seems to understand), is perhaps the best display of Bennett's graceful vocals on the album.. Out of all the others, her vocals on this one seem to be more dynamic, expressing a greater range and seemingly hinting at things to come on future efforts.. Granted, the thought of a disco version of this track might seem a little far-fetched at first, but somehow everything seems to gel and the whole thing just seems to work (quite beautifully, I might add). Beyond their jaunty pulse on the surface, the synths, especially further down in the mix seem to have this certain airy, albeit robotic elegance to them that manages to marry elements of the original's misty ambience with the crisp energy of this electronic remake. That, combined with the classic melody of the track; Bennett's clear, unpretentious vocal affectations and the colouring from the sax and strings also give a definite warmth to this track, despite it's energetic electronic sheen. While electronic sounds are often associated with being cold and detached, the kind of electronic warmth found on this track was one especially unique quality that other excellent Moroder productions seemed to have as well (ie. Suzi Lane's "Harmony" to name one). "A Whiter Shade Of Pale" was apparently released as a single in both the US and the UK, making the lower reaches of the UK charts as well as the top 30 of the Billboard Disco Charts..

While the tracks on side one showcased a more conventional vocal style along with a more balanced electronic approach, side two on the other hand (with the exception of "Love Fever") seemed to take things to another level altogether. Opening with "La Nuit Blanche," Moroder's propulsive electronic interpretation of (part of) Richard Strauss'' "Also sprach Zarathustra" (as popularized by "2001: A Space Odyssey") and ending with "In Love With Love," which appears to have been a vinyl-era equivalent of a hidden bonus track (not listed on the back sleeve, but very much in the grooves and printed on the label), side two on the other hand seemed to be more of a showcase for Giorgio's more ambitious, electronic instrumentals.. Overall for me, "In Love With Love" with it's heavily vocodered vocals and beautiful, entrancing variety of shiny synth sounds and changes is the definite standout on side two. One of the things I love is how the track builds in the beginning with those beautiful, blissful synth textures and later seamlessly segues into this intense trance towards the end, with those darker synth sounds replacing the electro-sparkles of the first part. The sounds that they used along with the vocodered vocals on the track seemed to foreshadow (among other things) the direction he would take on both "Chase" and his own "E=mc²" (1979, Casablanca) album, not to mention a certain synth passage (at around 2.11) which bears an uncanny resemblance to something I've heard on a Eurythmics record at some point. Either way, the intricate electronics of "In Love With Love" certainly made a great ending for the album, almost like a kind of musical cliff-hanger ending things on a high point, leaving the listener with an expectation, an exciting glimpse of the future..

Despite the fact that Moroder gets a great deal of credit as an innovator these days (and rightfully so), some of his close collaborators like Pete Bellotte for example, seem to get lost in the shuffle, so to speak. Judging from interviews and the division of credits on his productions, Moroder seems to fall into that category of producers with a 'hands-off' production style, those who prefer to work with a team, leaving some of the details of their vision to an able, ensemble cast of musicians. As opposed to a hands-on producer putting their hands in practically every aspect of the recording, Moroder, judging in part from a 1996 interview with Future Music admitted: "I`ve rarely done a whole recording by myself." Despite the hands-off style, it certainly seems to speak to his ideas and his abilities as a producer that the sound of most of his productions still clearly bear his stamp more than anything else. Although as a result, it may be difficult at times to know just where Moroder's input ended and his co-producers' came in, it at least seems to explain the equal credit given to his co producers (usually Pete Bellotte or Harold Faltermeyer) on albums like this one and others.

Aside from the lyrics where Bellotte's contribution is much more clear, judging from Bellotte's style on his own solo productions (ie. Melba Moore's "Burn" LP, Marsha Hunt, Trax etc..), I can only speculate that his input also seemed to be pretty strong on the more acoustic, instrumental elements when it came to his productions with Moroder. Given that, Bellotte's stamp on this record is perhaps most evident on the two most instrumentally elaborate tracks on the album: "It's All Wrong (But It's Alright)" on side one with it's lyrical narrative and dramatic Spanish-inspired horn section, and "Love Fever" on side two. Although perhaps debatable on "It's All Wrong..," "Love Fever" seems to bear the closest resemblance to his solo productions with the quick intricacy of those background guitars and the dynamic, prominent horn arrangements, all of which seem to bear Bellotte's signature style.

This album would probably the last actual Munich Machine album that could be considered a guise for Moroder's backup band. The final Munich Machine album "Body Shine" (1979, Casablanca) seemed to move away from the original more anonymous concept of the first two albums and and into more of a conventional "band" formula. By that point, the 'band' officially consisted of Günter Moll, Stefan Wissnet along with singers Judith Jones and Yolande Howard with all four actually pictured on the back cover. With Moll and Wissnet also having production credit alongside Moroder, that record also had a significantly different sound to this one as well as to many of the other things Moroder was putting out at the time. In 1996, all the tracks from the first Munich Machine album along with this one were released on a CD compilation called "Get On The Funk Train," (1996, Oasis/Bud Music). Long out of print, it's not one which shows up often, in fact I've only ever seen the CD once on eBay. Needless to say, it was completely out of my price range at the time but I did manage to save a picture of it, in case anyone's curious about what it looks like. Luckily, I'd also acquired a CD rip of the compilation later on which is the next best thing, I suppose (and is where all the tracks up here come from)..

On future albums Chris Bennett would go on to be one of Moroder's most frequent collaborators, not only as a singer but as a songwriter, contributing lyrics and vocals for quite a few of his projects, most notably the Midnight Express soundtrack for which she'd share in it's Academy Award nomination. Another notable collaboration would be the duet album they'd do together as Giorgio & Chris, "Love's In You, Love's In Me" (1978, Casablanca), which given the romantic tone of much of it, makes me wonder if they were more than just creative collaborators at the time.. Based in Los Angeles these days, Bennett had reinvented herself as a contemporary jazz chanteuse in the 1990's, having recorded some seven albums since then in addition to her disco work. If anything, I'd say that the lady still looks and sounds great today. You can see and hear for yourself on her Myspace page and on her official website.

Given not only Moroder's legacy but the excellence of much of his disco output, hopefully this along with the other Munich Machine albums (and other out of print Moroder-produced records) will be revisited for future reissue at some point. Although like many disco producers at the time, Moroder seemed to be putting out records with such frequency, it seems inevitable that a few would have gotten lost in the shuffle, which probably explains why this one doesn't seem to be talked about or cited too often these days. While this album may not be among his more iconic productions, it was nonetheless an excellent record showing one of disco's greatest producers and production teams at the top of their game.

PREVIOUS RELATED ENTRIES:
DISCO DELIVERY #14: SUZI LANE - OOH LA LA (1979, ELEKTRA) (SATURDAY APRIL 8, 2006)
DISCO DELIVERY #5: GIORGIO MORODER - FROM HERE TO ETERNITY (1977, OASIS/CASABLANCA) (FRIDAY FEBRUARY 3, 2006)

LINKS:
MUNICH MACHINE @ DISCOGS
MUNICH MACHINE - A WHITER SHADE OF PALE LP (REVIEW) @ ALL MUSIC GUIDE
MUNICH MACHINE - A WHITER SHADE OF PALE LP @ DISCOGS
MUNICH MACHINE - A WHITER SHADE OF PALE LP @ DISCOMUSIC.COM
GIORGIO MORODER @ ALL MUSIC GUIDE
GIORGIO MORODER @ DISCOGS
GIORGIO MORODER @ WIKIPEDIA
GIORGIO MORODER @ JAHSONIC
MORODER'S MUSIC
GIORGIO MORODER: FATHER OF COMPUTER DISCO
MORODER-SUMMER TRIBUTE
GIORGIO MORODER COVER GALLERY
GIORGIO MORODER INTERVIEW WITH FUTURE MUSIC (1996)
MORODER'S MUSIC: GIORGIO MORODER INTERVIEW WITH NME (DECEMBER 9, 1978)
PETE BELLOTTE @ ALL MUSIC GUIDE
PETE BELLOTTE @ DISCOGS
BBC NEWS: IN TUNE WITH BRITAIN'S DISCO KING (PETE BELLOTTE INTERVIEW) (SEPTEMBER 19, 2004)
CHRIS BENNETT @ DISCOGS
CHRIS BENNETT @ WIKIPEDIA
CHRIS BENNETT @ ALL MUSIC GUIDE
CHRIS BENNETT'S OFFICIAL WEBSITE
CHRIS BENNETT'S OFFICIAL MYSPACE

PROCUL HARUM - BEYOND THE PALE: MEANINGS IN "A WHITER SHADE OF PALE"
PROCUL HARUM - BEYOND THE PALE: COVER VERSIONS OF "A WHITER SHADE OF PALE"
SONGFACTS: A WHITER SHADE OF PALE BY PROCUL HARUM
BBC NEWS: WHAT IS THE LIGHT FANDANGO? (NOVEMBER 14, 2006)
"A WHITER SHADE OF PALE" @ WIKIPEDIA
SHUSEI NAGAOKA GALLERY

CATEGORIES: DISCO DELIVERIES, WHAT EVER HAPPENED TO..