The one I love takes me down, takes me there..

Linda G. Thompson - Flight To Fantasy (1980, Ariola)
Linda G. Thompson - Midnight Rendezvous (1980, Ariola)

*Special thanks to DungeonDJ for the beautifully retouched photo.

A little something I'd picked up in Vancouver earlier in the year, there are a couple of pretty fabulous sides on this single, courtesy of the German singer Linda G. Thompson (AKA Linda Übelherr/Uebelherr). Thompson had performed in groups such as the Les Humphrey Singers, The Hornettes (which featured a few prolific session singers from many a German disco production) and perhaps most prominently (albeit somewhat briefly) in the first lineup of Silver Convention, having appeared on their first two albums, but having sung on only their second. After leaving Silver Convention in 1976, Thompson would release a few solo singles (as well as a few with Jerry Rix), including this one in 1980, produced by Krautrock veteran Uve Schikora.

In the early 70's, Schikora and his group, having released an album, "Das Gewitter" (1972, Amiga) (their first and only which, I believe, translates into "The Thunderstorm") and having backed artists like Frank Schöbel, were apparently one of the leading figures in the East German (DDR) rock scene (at least judging from some of the websites and message board postings out there). After defecting to West Germany in 1976, Schikora would go on to become a pretty prolific producer and arranger having gone on to work with German super-producer Jack White (no relation to he of The White Stripes) along with the likes of Placido Domingo, Engelbert Humperdinck, Al Martino, Paul Anka and yes, even The Hoff himself..

As far as this single is concerned though, both sides are excellent, with each track taking the singer into two different styles. The A-side "Flight To Fantasy," opening with grand, spacious synths, captivating chord progressions, clean electric guitars and an excellent hooky chorus, "Flight.." is a stellar piece of big, epic, Euro-pop.. The beautiful piano sound on here is the probably the key element of this song. Those grand glissandos, and especally the combination of the gliding piano scale and guitars right after the chorus, along with Thompson's processed vocals, despite being muffled with reverb (I believe that's the term) and almost incomprehensible in places, all add a great deal to the big, epic feel of this track...

Even though the spindle marks on the B-side seem to indicate how well-loved the A-side was, the B-side "Midnight Rendezvous," is nothing to sleep on either.. Somewhat shorter than the A-side, "..Rendezvous" is like the Euro-funk flip side to the textbook Euro-pop of the A-side.. Dominated by guitars, horns, handclaps, and that unmistakable funky strut right at the top of the mix, which seemed to be a signature element in some of the earlier German disco (see Silver Convention's "Get Up And Boogie"), this track cuts a pretty sharp groove.. In fact, the production in general seemed, in a way, to reference that earlier Silver Convention sound, having more in common with the feel of the classic German disco (albeit with a slightly harder edge), than that of the A-side..

For me, the peak of this track would have to be right at the break at around the 2.30 mark. With it's jagged guitar lead-in and those drums and horns, it's a pity that it's so short. Although ripe for a little extension, it's definitely my favourite part of the track..

Apparently, judging from the Linda G. Thompson fan site at the Girl Groups Fan Club, this appeared to be the final solo single she had released. Schikora had evidently produced a couple of sides for Thompson prior to this, "Never Get Over You/Harmony," which I'm now curious to hear..

Although she evidently never released an album under her own name, so far, this is definitely one of the better singles that I've heard from any of the former Silver Convention ladies.. Having performed with the Hornettes throughout the 80s, these days, Thompson reportedly makes her living as an interior designer.

LINKS:
LINDA G. THOMPSON - FLIGHT TO FANTASY/MIDNIGHT RENDEZVOUS 12'' @ DISCOGS
LINDA G. THOMPSON @ THE GIRL GROUPS FAN CLUB
LINDA G. THOMPSON @ WIKIPEDIA (IN GERMAN)
LINDA G. THOMPSON @ DISCOGS
LINDA UEBELHERR @ DISCOGS (SEPARATE ENTRY)
THE SILVER CONVENTION STORY @ THE GIRL GROUPS FAN CLUB
SILVER CONVENTION @ WIKIPEDIA
SILVER CONVENTION @ THE ALL MUSIC GUIDE
UVE SCHIKORA @ DISCOGS
EASTERN ROCK: UVE SCHIKORA UND SEINE GRUPPE (IN GERMAN)

CATEGORIES: MINI DELIVERIES

get up and boo-gie!

Just a little side delivery before Friday.. I got some email requests recently and thought I would post a couple of them up here, plus one other great track that I just came across..



ABBA - If It Wasn't For The Nights (1979, Polar/Atlantic)

One of my personal favourite ABBA songs. This one was taken from their 1979 "Voulez-Vous" album, their most disco-influenced album and possibly the best single of theirs that never was. Many disco purists outright deny ABBA's "serious" disco viability. Too commercial, too campy, too white/european (ie. soulless) and so on.. Often put in the same category as the Bee Gees, Boney M etc.. Usually by the same people who would be biased against euro-disco in general. I'd certainly disagree with them, even though I'll admit they were more pop than disco, I'd say they still had legitimate disco credentials. Aside from the obvious (their hit "Dancing Queen"), "Voulez-Vous," "Summer Night City," "Gimme Gimme Gimme" (as sampled by Madonna recently) and "Lay All Your Love On Me" (which had a lot of club play back in the day) to name a few are all excellent disco songs with great pop-appeal. This one probably isn't straight-ahead disco but definitely disco-influenced with those guitars, that wonderful string section and a great melody as per many of ABBA's best..



Silver Convention - Get Up And Boogie (12" Version) (1976, Midland International)

A great slice of early euro-disco from their self-titled second album. They were probably best known for their 1975 hit "Fly Robin Fly" which hit #1 in the US and I'd imagine would be something of an early disco cross-over hit. This one follows in a similar vein, short on lyrics for sure, but with a great string section and a funky groove, not to mention also a big hit in the US (peaking at #2 in the Hot 100 in 1976). Silver Convention were a group put together by Munich-based producers Sylvester Levay and Michael Kunze, part of a group of Munich-based producers like Jürgen Korduletsch (Claudja Barry, Ronnie Jones) and not to mention Giorgio Moroder and Pete Bellotte (behind none other than Donna Summer) to name a few who were making waves in the US at this time. Many of the earlier disco productions by these producers were similar to this, with a very dominant US funk/R&B influence but with a certain European pop aesthetic, creating something of a distinct "Munich Sound," which, at least in the case of Moroder/Bellotte and Korduletsch, became more electronic and rock-influenced towards the late '70s..



Brenda & The Tabulations - Let's Go All The Way (Down) (1976, Chocolate City/Casablanca)

Some great Philly disco that I've come across lately by the late Brenda Payton, who with the Tabulations had hits in the '60s and early '70s with songs like "Dry Your Eyes" and "Right On The Tip of My Tongue." This is from one of their later albums from 1976 on the Casablanca subsidiary label Chocolate City. Love those ad-libs, that signature Philly-style beat and that long breakdown. Apparently something of a classic in New York back in the day. After hearing this, I'm definitely on the look out for the LP this came from -"I Keep Coming Back For More," there were some real great producers on hand like John Davis, Norman Harris and Bobby Eli, who all have impressive disco credentials in their own right. I found an interesting thread on the wonderful Soulful Detroit forum where Bobby Eli, the producer & arranger of this song talks about working with Brenda & The Tabulations and how this track came about:

"Brenda and Gilda loved the song and thought that it would be a nice change of pace for Brenda.
I had no idea that it was an NYC Disco Classic.
We were just "piddling around" one day ane Brenda was trying those ad libs and hey...it worked.
I loved Brenda.She was such a sweet person, and left us much too soon."

(source: Soulful Detroit: Brenda & The Tabulations - A Fine Philly Soul Act)

'til next time...

LINKS:
ABBA - THE RELEASES (great discography site)
SILVER CONVENTION - GET UP AND BOOGIE 12" @ DISCOMUSIC.COM
SILVER CONVENTION @ DISCOMUSEUM.COM
BRENDA & THE TABULATIONS @ DISCO-FUNK.CO.UK

PURCHASE:
ABBA - VOULEZ-VOUS (REMASTERED CD) @ AMAZON.COM
SILVER CONVENTION - GREATEST HITS CD LISTINGS @ FROOGLE

CATEGORIES: MINI DELIVERIES