Disco Delivery #22: Spinners - Dancin' & Lovin' (1979, Atlantic)

Spinners - Body Language
Spinners - Let's Boogie, Let's Dance
Spinners - One, One, Two, Two, Boogie Woogie Avenue (Home of the Boogie, House of the Funk)
Spinners - With My Eyes
Spinners - Medley: Working My Way Back To You/Forgive Me, Girl

A great disco album from The Spinners (AKA The Detroit Spinners in the UK), one of the soul groups of the 1970's.. It's been said (I think it was by Smokey Robinson in his autobiography, but don't quote me on that) that Motown artists who leave the label are often hard-pressed to top any success they had at Motown. That was probably true for some groups, but for others like The Spinners, Gladys Knight & The Pips and The Isley Brothers, who all often felt neglected by Motown, the opposite was actually true. The Spinners in particular wouldn't hit paydirt until they left for the Atlantic label in the early '70s and were paired with one of the masters of Philly soul, Thom Bell. However, by the late '70s, they were on their third lead singer (John Edwards) and in something of a commercial slump. Apparently this was the second album the group released in 1979, the first being "From Here To Eternally," their final album with Thom Bell. "From Here To Eternally" would be one of their lowest charting albums up until that time, which seemed to prompt a new association for their next album with producer Michael Zager. With "Dancin' & Lovin' ," they would manage to reverse the slump (at least for a little while) starting with the big hit single from the album, "Working My Way Back To You/Forgive Me Girl." Essentially a medley consisting of a cover of the 1966 Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons hit with an original tune ("Forgive Me Girl"), it's an exceptional piece of soulful disco. It was also a bona-fide cross over hit topping the US Pop, R&B, Adult Contemporary and Disco charts.

In all honesty, before I came across this album, I had only heard of the Spinners but wasn't really familiar with their work (in a way I'm still not really familiar with their full body of work yet). I first came across the LP about a year ago in the new arrivals of a used record shop and picked it up purely out of curiosity. I wasn't really expecting the album to really impress me as much as it did. For me, there really isn't a bad track on this album, which really made it a bit hard to choose which tracks to put up. Despite not being familiar with The Spinners' work, I was however familiar with producer Michael Zager's work, mostly with Cissy Houston, and so far nothing he had done had disappointed. So far, the tracks he did off this album are undoubtedly some of the best I have ever heard from him. Some of his best production values are especially evident on the LP, particularly those big buildups; full, meaty rhythm sections, combined with a real smooth, yet soulful edge on top of it all.

"Body Language," apparently also released as a 12" in the UK, is one of those smooth, soulful disco tracks off the album. Opening with some great guitar lines into a strong, yet silky smooth lead vocal, great background harmonies and a soft, elegant string section. They even incorporate a little bit of the lyrics from the Michael Zager Band's "Let's All Chant" in the song: "..my body, your body, everybody move your body.. let's all chant.."

"Let's Boogie, Let's Dance" continues in a similar vein. Starting out with a slow intro, gradually building into a sunny, melodic disco groove. It's the type of inoffensive, joyful disco song you'd expect your grandparents to be able to get down to at a wedding party while the younger ones sit it out, secretly humming along in their heads. Irresistably shiny and catchy, one of those songs that just effortlessly radiates happiness and joy and good vibes, because really, you just can't go wrong with that..

"One, One, Two, Two.." finds them in a slightly funkier direction. The only song on the album not produced by Michael Zager, this one was produced by sometime Detroit singer Will Hatcher co-produced with The Spinners themselves. This one chugs along with a great blend of the Spinners' smooth yet assertive vocals and some really funky guitar work, complete with a mean break two-thirds of the way through, showing off some of that great percussion and guitar work..

"With My Eyes" is another Zager-produced track, and probably one of the most dramatic on the album. Love those strings and those great, soulful vocals, neither of which are overwhelming, both have just the right amount of passion and restraint. Those lyrics are probably also the finest on the album. A beautifully poetic take on the old "love at first sight" theme.

Can't possibly do a post on this album and omit the biggest success from it. Although it's probably pretty well known by now, it's still a great tune. The guys manage to breathe some new life into "Working My Way Back To You" and manage to combine it seamlessly with their original song "Forgive Me Girl" that, dare I say it, overshadows the first part of the medley with it's sheer soulful drama. There were many artists who seemed to see Soul and Disco as somehow incompatible, but particularly on this song, the Spinners manage to flawlessly combine the best of both. One of those groups who successfully blended their genuinely soulful style with the disco sound and had a bona fide across-the-board chart hit to show for it.

The Spinners would record another two albums with Michael Zager in the producer's chair, and would manage to make lightning strike twice in 1980 with another medley "Cupid/I've Loved You For A Long Time" off their "Love Trippin'" (1980, Atlantic) album (of which some editions included edited versions of "Body Language" and "Working My Way Back To You/Forgive Me, Girl"). They'd follow that album up with "Labor Of Love" (1981, Atlantic), the last album with Zager, which would see their momentum slip considerably. After starting off the decade with a bang and something of a resurgence, sadly, it was not to continue. None of their remaining albums for Atlantic would reverse their commercial fortunes, nor would a 1989 album for the resurgent Volt label. Nevertheless, the Spinners are apparently still performing today and have a solid legacy as one of the great male vocal groups of the 1970s.

Although they may have overused the words "boogie" and "woogie" a little much, the album still stands as an excellent example of a soul group successfully (both commerically and creatively) combining both elements and sounding entirely genuine and convincing the whole time. Given the fact that one-off disco efforts were a dime-a-dozen at the time, their success in the disco arena was perhaps no small feat. Interestingly, "Dancin' & Lovin" was also one of the first Spinners albums to be given a CD reissue. Rhino Records released a no-frills budget reissue of the album in 1992, with probably one of the cheapest covers (painfully generic artwork with a bad scan of a worn out copy of the LP on the front) I've ever seen. It recently went out of print, yet it's still easy to find with cheap used, or new cut-out copies to be found almost everywhere..

**New Links: Some great new disco on the blogosphere. First Choice is a brand spanking new blog dedicated to Disco, Italo, Garage and Electro. They've only been around for some two posts and they've already got some great West End Records classics as well as a couple of early '80s italo and electro selections. Needless to say, I'll definitely be coming back for more.. Also DJ Robert Drake's Reflections of a Rock Lobster is a wonderful blog of memories from his life. From memories of New York and Philly nightlife (nights at the Paradise Garage, The Saint, The Anvil etc..) to more personal reflections, it's one of my new favourite personal blogs.. Check 'em both out sometime!

PREVIOUS RELATED ENTRIES:
DISCO DELIVERY #8: CISSY HOUSTON - THINK IT OVER (1978, PRIVATE STOCK) (FEBRUARY 24, 2006)

LINKS:
THE SPINNERS - DANCIN' & LOVIN' LP @ DISCOMUSIC.COM
THE SPINNERS - DANCIN' & LOVIN CD @ ALL MUSIC GUIDE
THE SPINNERS ALBUM REVIEWS @ ROBERTCHRISTGAU.COM
THE SPINNERS @ DISCOMUSEUM.COM
THE SPINNERS @ ALL MUSIC GUIDE
THE SPINNERS @ WIKIPEDIA
THE SPINNERS @ DISCOGS
INTERVIEW WITH MICHAEL ZAGER @ DISCO-DISCO.COM

PURCHASE:
SPINNERS - DANCIN' & LOVIN' CD @ AMAZON.COM
SPINNERS - DANCIN & LOVIN CD LISTINGS @ FROOGLE

CATEGORIES: DISCO DELIVERIES, PAST REISSUES

Disco Delivery #21: Beautiful Bend - Make That Feeling Come Again! (1978, Marlin/TK)

Beautiful Bend - That's The Meaning
Beautiful Bend - Boogie Motion
Beautiful Bend - Make That Feeling Come Again
Beautiful Bend - Ah-Do It

I recently got an email suggesting this album, so I figured now would probably be a good time to pull this one out.. This project is probably one of my favourite things ever done by producer Boris Midney. Midney's otherwise known for other disco projects such as Festival (the name under which he released the infamous "Disco Evita" album), Caress and most prominently USA-European Connection among others. The Beautiful Bend project was to be his second disco release after the first USA-European Connection album.

Born in Soviet-era Russia; in August of 1964 while in Tokyo, Midney and fellow musician Igor Berukshtis would leave their Soviet vaudeville-style group and defect to the U.S. Embassy. Midney and Berukshtis would then be known as the first Russian Jazz players to defect to the west. Once in the US, they would form the Russian Jazz Quartet, who would release one album, "Happiness" in 1965 on the Impulse! label. Apparently the album was passed over at the time and still remains so..

Midney would later reinvent himself in the late '70s as one of the Euro-disco auteurs. Though firmly based in the US by this time, the sound of his productions are perhaps the Euro-est of all the Euro-disco producers. Others like Costandinos and Moroder would draw from funk, rock and R&B influences from time to time; Midney, at least at his most prominent, was firmly based in classical, orchestral, and even jazz influences with a very European melodic sensibility. So much so that Midney's appeal is often completely lost, his work even reviled among many R&B disco purists. That aside, his unabashedly grand, orchestral and at times esoteric European style is a large part of his genius. Just in how he was able to approach disco with a completely, in some cases radically different perspective and make it translate. Probably one of the ultimate examples of the diversity within disco music in the late '70s..

The opening track, "That's The Meaning," is nothing short of heavenly. With those crazy string effects ushering you into a darkly dramatic build up right up until the vocals come in with those few, simple, euphoric words.. "That's the meaning, that's the feeling, that's the joy good loving brings.. It's so real I could feel, I could touch, if I could.." Nothing sums up the feeling, the almost affirmative quality of the song better than that... "That's The Meaning" later segues into "Boogie Motion," which is probably the lightest track on the album with a real playful quality to it, particularly in those vocals and instumental passages towards the end.

From what I've read on forums and such, Side One ("That's The Meaning," "Boogie Motion") was the side that got the most club play, but Side Two (or as they call it on the album, the "Continuation of Side One") is probably the favourite of many listeners of the album. Listening to "Make That Feeling Come Again" it's not hard to see why. With it's dark beginning and the gradual, epic build up to those beautiful, heavenly melodies particularly towards the middle.. That middle part is probably the best part of the song. It's not an overblown peak, but one that's understated, simple and melodic. It mostly consists of a beautiful, layered piano and string combination that can probably be described as blissful perfection.

The album ends with "Ah-Do It", a dark, hypnotic, almost paranoid track with some amazing effects and powerful passages and transitions.

While his sound was unique, there is still a definite disco aesthetic in it, the lyrical themes and minimal female vocals, layered strings, tempos etc.. The rhythmic aspect is also there, albeit not as emphasized and in a groove that is much more esoteric than straight ahead funky. Truth be told, at times it almost comes across as something that is probably easier to listen to than to dance to. There's probably no better way to really absorb it than just simply listening and appreciating the layered melodious quality of the music. That said, I'd love to hear a DJ include these songs in their live set. I can only imagine how an epic track like "That's The Meaning" or even "Make That Feeling Come Again" would have translated on to a dancefloor in one of those early morning hours.. With those larger than life swirling, sweeping orchestral passages and amazing effects on an amazing sound system, the right audience, combined with whatever the drug du jour was at the time, it must have been quite the experience...

Almost and even slightly avant-garde in places, it's no wonder there are many people who either love it or hate this album, and much of Midney's work for that matter.. Whatever the case, Midney, particularly on this album really does take the whole idea of orchestral disco to another level, one that is highly atmospheric and (at least in this case) a little less conceptual. Midney and his work are sometimes referenced as the precursors to trance. I'm probably not knowlegable enough to espound on that comparison, though Midney himself certainly seemed to acknowledge it. In 1999 he'd release an album called "Trancesetter," (so far his last album) which I haven't heard yet, but which apparently combines elements of trance with some of his classic orchestral disco style. It was released at approximately the same time in which he reissued much of his work on CD through his own label on a series called "The Boris Midney Masters" with the "Beautiful Bend" album included. "Trancesetter," the "Beautiful Bend" reissue and all the others in his "Boris Midney Masters" series have been out of print now for several years, but the CD reissue is highly recommended for anyone who likes this album. It's in somewhat high demand these days, probably the most sought-after of his "Boris Midney Masters" series, but there are still copies to be found on Amazon.com and on eBay once in a while.. I'm not sure what Midney has been up to in these last few years. He still has an official website up called MidneyMedia (www.midney.com) detailing a few projects in progress, though I'm not sure how up-to-date it is. That aside, Midney is one producer who's work I'm really looking forward to hearing more of..

LINKS:
BEAUTIFUL BEND LP @ DISCOMUSIC.COM
BEAUTIFUL BEND CD @ DISCOMUSIC.COM
BORIS MIDNEY @ ALL MUSIC GUIDE
BORIS MIDNEY @ DISCOMUSEUM.COM
THE FANTASTIC BORIS MIDNEY @ RATEYOURMUSIC.COM
J.B. SPINS - SOUNDS LIKE FREEDOM

PURCHASE:
BEAUTIFUL BEND CD @ AMAZON.COM
BORIS MIDNEY ANTHOLOGY @ CDUNIVERSE.COM

CATEGORIES: DISCO DELIVERIES, PAST REISSUES

Disco Delivery #20: Hott City - Ain't Love Grand (1979, Butterfly/MCA)

Hott City - Feelin' Love
Hott City - If All We're Gonna Do Is Dance
Hott City - Ain't Love Grand
Hott City - I Took His Money
Hott City - Peaks And Valleys

Another slab of disco from the Motor City this week.. Produced by the production team of Jeffrey Parsons and Jeffrey Steinberg and released on the LA-based Butterfly label, this album is probably one of my favourite disco gems. So far, the more I hear from the Butterfly label, the more interested I get in their output. For sure, one of the ultimate disco boutique labels. Some of you who have been following this blog since January probably remember me posting "Feelin' Love" for my third or fourth post back then. It was only this week that I finally obtained the full album, so forgive me for repeating myself a little bit. Ever since I received it, I've been listening to it like crazy, so I just had to put it up..

Four of the five tracks on the album (all except "Peaks and Valleys") were released on 12" singles. From what I gather though, the 12" versions were the same length as the album versions. All of the tracks were stellar, but the opening track "Feelin' Love" is probably the crème de la crème of this album. An exquisite blend of sexy, slow-burning, synth arrangements shooting, pulsing and surrounding those smooth, soaring vocals courtesy of Detroit singer Sherry Fox. It's probably the most atmospheric track on the album, the others being a little more forward lyrically and otherwise.

Speaking of forward, the next song on side A, also sung by Sherry Fox, "If All We're Gonna Do Is Dance" is probably one of the more ironic tracks on the album. In fact much of the album is almost dripping in a kind of defiant ironic, even sarcastic tone to it. With the same exquisite arrangement, although more melodic than synthesized, it's a song about a woman who's tired of dancing while waiting for her man to make his move. After being convinced that her man is finally going to "make it right," she goes to his place only to find more of the same.. To which she says "..If all we're gonna go is dance.. I'm going home.." I guess I don't have to have to point out the irony in this one. For me, it's really all in the juxtaposition between the theme and the delivery. It's not often you hear a woman sing so elegantly and beautifully yet so forwardly about her making the moves on her man. Even beyond that, it could even be a little *nudge nudge*, *wink wink* to the listener. Gotta wonder, if her man won't make a move, won't respond to hers and can't seem to stop dancing, perhaps he may not be all that into women.. Just a thought. In a way, it's all very Vanity 6 meets Karen Carpenter, if you know what I mean..

Opening side B is the title track, "Ain't Love Grand." This one has a more aggressive synth arrangement, faster tempo and colder vocals (by Bluejay, whoever she is). All of that, along with those lyrics, none of which seem to have anything loving in them.. "Hey.. Ain't love grand, one night stands, no demands.. Date me, rape me, crape(?) me, ain't love grand.. Bait me, mate me, hate me, ain't love grand.. Blind me, bind me, don't re-mind me, ain't love grand.."

Continuing in the same vein is "I Took His Money," this time with vocals by Ortheia Barnes and Mildred Vaney. A song that seems to be about a couple of women dabbling in and justifying a little bit desperate prostitution.. "I.. took his money.. he.. took my love... I needed money, he needed love.. " After which, one of the singers admits, "..sometimes you have to be dishonest, to make it through this life.." which seems put the ladies' whole idea of "love" under question. Kind of ironic, since really, exchanging money for sex pretty much cancels out any possibility or idea of "love". Which is perhaps one reason why the song wasn't called "He Took My Love" instead..

The next song, "Peaks and Valleys," is one that's slightly more positive and less sarcastic/ironic than the last few. Also with Ortheia and Mildred on vocals, the ladies document the ups and downs of their week, with the ever reliable relief of a Saturday night at the disco.. "Monday I got fired, Tuesday I got lucky, Wednesday someone broke in my car.. Thursday I got a new job, Friday I got evicted, Saturday night I dance like a star.." This song quite a fitting album closer and, in a way, sums up the ethos of disco quite nicely in the next lines: "..As long as I can dance, the valleys aren't so bad.. and when I'm old and grey there'll be good times, good times ahead..." Much like the Saturday nights at the end of a hard week, there's always the hope and the reminder of those good times to keep us going. That one day it'll all pay off and there'll be something better to look forward to.. "Up here.. down there.. peaks and valleys.. life is never smooth"..

One other thing that I love about this album is that decadent album cover, which looks glamorous, despite being shot either in someone's kitchen or greasy spoon cafe.. What looks like two lipstick lesbians, one standing up, the other up on the table, both sharing a drink. Right next to them, an elegantly dressed woman nonchalantly showing off her ring to what seems to be a bartender.. I wonder what, if anything, it's all supposed to say about the concept of the LP.

For whatever reason, this project was originally called Graffiti, with the first singles being released under that name. I guess the name change was done so as not to be confused with another group of the same name. The only other Parsons/Steinberg disco production that I know of were a couple of 12" singles they did (which I have yet to hear) for the 20th Century label under the moniker Cut Glass. The most well known of which was "Without Your Love" peaking in the top 20 of the disco charts in 1980. Overall, Hott City and Cut Glass aside, the two Jeffreys are something of an obscure duo. There's very little record of anything they did together or individually before (or at least in Parsons' case) after these two disco ventures. Although I have come across some information on a Jeff Steinberg who once worked for the Detroit Symphony Orchestra. Not sure if it is the same person as the one on this record, but his bio mentions that he has been in the industry for some thirty plus years and has worked in a variety of different genres. Unfortunately though, his official site (www.jeffsteinberg.com) says nothing of this record, so again, not 100% sure if it's the same guy.

One of the vocalists on the album, Sherry Fox seems to have been a fairly well known Detroit singer, most notably a part of the group RJ Fox. Fox would also appear as a backing vocalist on Aretha Franklin's rather dire 1991 album "What You See Is What You Sweat" among other things. Two of the other vocalists on this album, Ortheia Barnes and Mildred Vaney were also the vocalists on the Cut Glass project as well. Ortheia Barnes (now known as Ortheia Barnes-Kennedy), sister of soul singer J.J. Barnes is also a very well known singer in the Detroit area, having even been called one of the city's most beloved singers. Barnes would also appear as a vocalist on a few Aretha albums, namely "One Lord, One Faith, One Baptism" (1987, Arista) and her self-titled 1980 album. In 1985 she would release her one and only LP titled "Person to Person," (1985, Michigan Sattelite) with the single "Green-Eyed Monster." Later Barnes would establish her own non-denominational, non-traditional ministry in Detroit to help the homeless and those recovering from addiction. More recently in 2005 she would even make a run for Detroit City Council.

Prior to recording as Hott City and Cut Glass, Mildred Vaney, was most notably a member of a group called Quiet Elegance along with Lois Reeves (sister of Martha Reeves) and Yvonne Gearing. Quiet Elegance were quite an interesting group, recording for the Memphis Hi label and having been managed by The Temptations. Despite that though, their careers as recording artists never really took off like their performing careers. While they were active, they would tour with the likes of The Temptations, Al Green, and Tom Jones among others.. In the '80s after her disco work, Mildred Vaney would record as Millie Scott (sometimes credited as Mildred Scott) and would even do a couple of albums for the 4th & Broadway/Island label. Her first album, "Love Me Right" (1987, 4th & Broadway/Island) contained the top 20 R&B hit "Every Little Bit," which would be followed up three years later by a second LP "I Can Make It Good For You" (1990, Island). More recently she has also been one of Aretha Franklin's regular backup singers, both live and on her most recent record "So Damn Happy" (2003, Arista) as well as on some of the Four Tops' recent recordings.

Anyway, round of applause for you if you've still reading this.. In other things, I added three new music blog links: la Fin del Mundo, Plasticmusic and Rockcritics daily. Ender at la Fin del Mundo recently put up the Spanish version of Tantra's "Hills of Katmandu," which I hadn't heard until then.. So to any of you who liked the original and who haven't heard the Spanish version, go get it while it's hot!..

PREVIOUS RELATED ENTRIES:
FROM 1979, WITH LOVE... (JANUARY 11, 2006)

LINKS:
HOTT CITY - AIN'T LOVE GRAND LP @ DISCOMUSIC.COM
HOTT CITY - FEELIN' LOVE 12" @ DISCOMUSIC.COM
HOTT CITY - I TOOK HIS MONEY 12" @ DISCOMUSIC.COM
HOTT CITY @ DISCOGS
CUT GLASS (MILDRED VANEY & ORTHEIA BARNES) @ DISCOMUSEUM.COM
ORTHEIA BARNES: DETROIT'S OTHER DIVA DETROIT FREE PRESS (APRIL 19, 1987)

CATEGORIES: DISCO DELIVERIES

Disco Delivery #19: The Mike Theodore Orchestra - High On Mad Mountain (1979, Westbound/Atlantic)

The Mike Theodore Orchestra - High On Mad Mountain
The Mike Theodore Orchestra - Disco People
The Mike Theodore Orchestra - Dragons Of Midnight

Truth be told, I was planning to put up the Patrick Adams Presents Phreek album today, but when I played it, I realised my album was way too dirty and noisy to rip.. I really hope to put that one up some other time, just not until I find a way to give the record a good cleaning though..

With that little dilemma, I had to find something else that grabbed me enough to replace it, and this was it. So far this is my first orchestra posting and of all the disco orchestras I've come across, this one of my favourites. The Salsoul Orchestra was probably the most prominent and well known disco orchestra, but aside from them, studio groups calling themselves "orchestras" were a dime a dozen. Naming yourself an "orchestra" was at times an easy way to give an anonymous assemblage of studio musicians a level of grandeur, but there many during the disco era who were quite true to the term. While, in all cases, these "orchestras" were basically ensembles of studio musicians that rarely toured, many often had that characteristic "big" sound with large numbers of musicians (and specialized musicians) involved in the recording. This one in particular had at least fifty musicians involved, including a large string, horn and wind sections, not to mention the vocal chorus, percussion players and so on..

The producer behind this project, Mike Theodore was a Detroit-based producer/arranger who had worked quite frequently with another prominent Detroit musician, Dennis Coffey (best known for his classic track "Scorpio"). Together they would become one of the most prolific production teams out of Detroit during this time. Starting their partnership in the late '60s they would, among others, produce various acts largely for the Sussex and later the Westbound labels in the 70s. One of their biggest successes during the disco era was "Devil's Gun," (1978, Westbound) a classic disco hit for the group C.J. & Co. (of whom a couple of members appear on this record). Aside from that they would also produce records for the likes of King Errisson and the Tempest Trio during this time. In the late '70s, along with their work together they would branch out into their own solo productions. Coffey would release his own Dennis Coffey Band LP called "A Sweet Taste of Sin," (1978, Westbound) and Theodore would do two albums as The Mike Theodore Orchestra, the first being "Cosmic Wind" (1977, Westbound) spawning the disco hit "The Bull" and this album, "High On Mad Mountain" following in 1979.

True to the "orchestra" moniker, the album has that big, grand sound throughout. Full of funky, meaty guitars along with sweeping, graceful strings and punctuated drums and percussion. There are even some light synths in places to add that little bit of atmosphere. The incredible arrangements and musicianship involved in a record like this one is one of the things which astounds me about the disco era. Never again (or at least not since), at least in dance music, would there be productions with this level of careful detail and diversity. While there's something to be said for the emergence of electronic disco and some of the more laid-back, minimal productions from the likes of Chic, you can't help but admire the effort that went into orchestra-style productions such as this one. Alec R. Costandinos was one of those who championed the art of orchestral disco. While the European sensibility and conceptual works of Costandinos were completely different to the more American, rhythmic, even funk influenced sound of this album; his sound and that of this album could, in some ways, be put in a similar category. Both had high levels of musicianship for starters as well as grand, powerful, intricate orchestral production values/arrangements. In other words, both great examples, albeit in different ways, of an orchestral disco sound.

Aside from "Disco People," "Dragons of Midnight" and the title track both had a dark, ominous even aggressive sound to them, with deep punctuated horns and clouded, distorted vocal effects.. "High On Mad Mountain" is a particularly escapist track, with lyrics about "..freaky scenes of pure delight" and flying into "..a night of fantasy.." complete with blissful buildups and wild synth workouts. "Disco People" is slightly less dark than the other two, with somewhat livelier vocals and a somewhat playful arrangement to it. "Disco People" later segues into the album closer "Dragons of Midnight" with goes back into darker territory with those aggressive horns and a chanting, growling vocal chorus (which may either be menacing or somewhat hilarious, or both). All of the cuts on the album would end up peaking at #23 on the Billboard disco chart..

After the disco era, Mike Theodore would continue as a producer and also as an engineer on records such as Freeez's "Gonna Get You" LP (1983, Beggars Banquet) and the group Unlimited Touch as well as some other records like "Jungle Love" by Westside and "Hellfire" under his own name - both tracks mixed by Morales/Munzibai. This album along with the first Mike Theodore Orchestra album were put on a 2 LPs on 1 CD set by Ace Records (Westbound's UK licencees) in the '90s, which so far is still in print. I don't have that one quite yet, but I hope to soon. I'll probably review it on here when I do get it.

PURCHASE:
THE MIKE THEODORE ORCHESTRA - COSMIC WIND/HIGH ON MAD MOUNTAIN CD @ CDUNIVERSE.COM
THE MIKE THEODORE ORCHESTRA - COSMIC WIND/HIGH ON MAD MOUNTAIN CD @ AMAZON.COM

LINKS:
THE MIKE THEODORE ORCHESTRA - COSMIC WIND/HIGH ON MAD MOUNTAIN CD @ DISCOMUSIC.COM
THE MIKE THEODORE ORCHESTRA - HIGH ON MAD MOUNTAIN LP @ DISCOMUSIC.COM
THE MIKE THEODORE ORCHESTRA - HIGH ON MAD MOUNTAIN/DISCO PEOPLE 12" @ DISCOMUSIC.COM
THE MIKE THEODORE & DENNIS COFFEY @ DISCOMUSEUM.COM
THE MIKE THEODORE ORCHESTRA @ DISCOGS
MIKE THEODORE @ DISCOGS

CATEGORIES: DISCO DELIVERIES, PAST REISSUES

Even More Disco Fun with YouTube

I got an email last week from a kind reader tipping me off to some disco videos on that I haven't put up here yet. The embedded YouTube videos never worked with Opera (my browser) which is why I never put them up before. They're up now though, as well as the direct links..

Anyway, enjoy..



Karen Cheryl - Show Me You're Man Enough

I hope you're ready for a big slice of euro-disco fromage, because I don't know if I was when I saw this.. Honestly, I had no idea who Karen Cheryl (link in French) was until I got this email, but check out those dance moves! I want to know who choreographed this shit.. I damn near spit out my drink laughing! Quite possibly some of the campiest dance moves I've ever seen! The song is sort of lame, but gotta love that video though; those clothes, the dancing, the lights.. the dry ice! Not to mention those dancers..



Karen Cheryl - Sing To Me Mama

If that wasn't enough for you, here's more Karen Cheryl.. Not quite the over-the-top spectacle that the last one was, but hell, it looks like it must have been the same choreographer..



Three Degrees - Giving Up, Giving In

A live performance (yes, live!) by the Three Degrees during their Giorgio Moroder-produced Euro-disco period. I believe that's Sheila Ferguson on lead looking fab in those blinding sequins.. A pretty good performance, If I do say so myself..



Roberta Kelly - Zodiacs

Speaking of Giorgio Moroder, here's another live vocal performance this time from Roberta Kelly, the other female singer produced by Giorgio Moroder and Pete Bellotte. Apparently this was a big hit in Italy. Believe it or not, I remember hearing this song at the opening ceremony of the last Winter Olympics in Torino.. Just what IS up with that hideous yellow outfit though? Yikes!



Andrea True Connection - More, More, More

Okay I know this song is on almost every other disco compilation out there and is pretty much synonymous with everything disco, but I still haven't gotten tired of it. Produced by Gregg Diamond and mixed by Tom Moulton, this one is probably one of my favourite disco songs of all time. I honestly love Andrea's thin, porn-ish vocals on this song, it just doesn't sound right without it.. Music Is My Boyfriend has the backstory behind it, very interesting stuff.



Cheryl Lynn - Got To Be Real (on Soul Train)

Same as the last one. This one is on almost every mainstream disco compilation, not to mention on TV commercials and everything, but I still can't get enough of it. Such a great song. Even if she is lip-syncing, Cheryl gives an amusing performance to say the least. Just check out those facial expressions..



Kelly Marie - Feels Like I'm In Love

Mind you, I used to find this song quite grating, with Kelly's screechy voice and those Lady Bump-ish bloodcurdling screams towards the end. Somehow, this damn song has actually grown on me.. This the official video, which mostly consists of Kelly going around town with a couple of dancing sailors.. Basically, your typical low-budget, often cheesy (but fun) early music video..

CATEGORIES: VISUAL DISCO

Disco Delivery #18: Claudja Barry - Sweet Dynamite (1977, Lollipop/Salsoul)

Claudja Barry - Love For The Sake Of Love (A Tom Moulton Mix)
Claudja Barry - Sweet Dynamite (A Tom Moulton Mix)
Claudja Barry - Dance, Dance, Dance (A Tom Moulton Mix)
Claudja Barry - Live A Little Bit (A Tom Moulton Mix)
Claudja Barry - Why Must A Girl Like Me (A Tom Moulton Mix)
Claudja Barry - Love For The Sake Of Love (Original Version)

One of my favourite disco divas this week.. Claudja Barry's probably best known for her hit "Boogie Woogie Dancing Shoes," but this album from '76 (released 1977 in the US) was her first and probably her best among her '70s albums. Overall her other '70s albums were a little bit on the inconsistent side, although there were classics on each of them. For me though, she wouldn't top this album until her "Made In Hong Kong" (1981, Lollipop/Polydor) LP some five years later.. Claudja, in my opinion, had one of the more unique voices in the disco era. A classically trained vocalist, she never really fit the typical mould of a black disco singer, that of the gospel/R&B inflected vocal style, but instead one that was perhaps more torchy than conventionally soulful. Although apparently a huge fan of classic blues and soul (she recently hosted a radio program dedicated to it), her voice was often in another category altogether.

In some ways, you could probably consider Claudja the Canadian Donna Summer, if you will. As much as that may be an unfair comparison, there are some parallels. Born in Jamaica and raised in Toronto, Canada; Claudja's career, much like Donna Summer's, would take off in Germany where she was working as a stage actor in various musicals. While in Germany she would become, albeit briefly, an early member of Boney M. Shortly after her brief association with the group, she would start an association with Jürgen S. Korduletsch, who would go on to become her long time producer, collaborator and later on, her husband. Like Moroder/Bellotte and Kunze/Levay, Korduletsch's sound was another part of that Munich disco sound that was riding pretty high at the time. That Munich sound, at least to me, was something of a hybrid of American elements of funk and soul, filtered through a distinctly European pop aesthetic. Claudja's "Sweet Dynamite" album is one of the greatest examples of it, undeniably influenced by funk and R&B, yet sounding totally different from anything that came from the US. It's interesting to note that many of the players and personnel on this record like Keith Forsey, Gary Unwin, Thor Baldursson, Pepe Solera, Roberta Kelly, Jürgen Koppers etc.. were ubiquitous on many of the disco records out of Munich..

The original issue of Claudja's album contained ten tracks, most of which were under five minutes. For the most part the album was still disco, yet somewhat more diverse than the US release. There was not only the disco tracks, but others showing a slower, smoother side like her take on Gershwin's "Do It Again" and "This Taste Of Love," as well as "Nobody Loves Me Like You Do Do" (originally done by a singer named Jeanne Burton) really showing off her torchy side. This version was originally released in much of Europe and in Canada on Lollipop/Philips among other labels. It wasn't until the following year when the album was licensed for the US by the legendary Salsoul label that it was disco-fied in a big way. For their stateside release, Salsoul would commission mix master Tom Moulton to re-mix the album. Even though the album was cut down to five tracks, the results, like many Tom Moulton mixes, are significant improvements on the originals. Speaking of Tom Moulton Mixes, I just have to say that I think it's a bit unfortunate that the classic extended mix seems to have fell out of favour in, say, the past fifteen years or so. While there's something to be said about the creativity in remixing today, taking a song out of it's original context and putting a competely different backing on it; as far as I'm concerned, you can't lose by extending and building on the elements of an already great song. Taking apart the layers and bringing them up front, zeroing in it's best elements and extending them, it's exactly the sort of thing Moulton did so well.

One of the most well known songs on this album, and one that exemplifies Tom Moulton's mixing style so well is "Love For The Sake Of Love," a slow, smouldering, sensual groove with a sly guitar and a sexy vocal. Takes you up and takes you down and back again during it's nearly eight minute span.. A simple groove, lyric and melody that manages to work so well. The Moulton mix brings up the tempo a little from the original, taking some of those great background vocals up front and not to mention adding those wonderful breaks. One of those songs that seem to embody sexy when "sexy" was an art form.. Several years back it seems the breaks on this song were pretty popular. "Love For The Sake Of Love" was most recently and successfully sampled on Montell Jordan's "Get It On Tonite" from 2000 (a top 5 hit in the US), and less successfully (in my opinion, anyway) on Da Brat's "What'chu Like" also from 2000. Now speaking of sexy as an art form, despite Brat's sexual "confessions," there was just something so decidedly un-sexy about her delivery on that track. Amusing, yes. Sexy? No.. But I digress.

On to the next song... "Dance, Dance, Dance" (no relation to the Chic song of the same name) is probably my favourite track on the album right now. A fabulous song about dancing your tears, fears and troubles away.. Can't get enough of those big-band horns and Claudja's tremendous vocal, complete with funky guitar in the background to keep things swinging. There's also a great bass solo and some hot percussion on the break as well.

The title track "Sweet Dynamite" follows in much the same vein as "Dance, Dance, Dance." Albeit this time with a fuller arrangement, faster tempo and a suitably dynamic, almost ferocious vocal from Claudja. Got to mention that great horn and string section as well. There are also some really funky bass and synth sounds in the background which really get to shine on the break.. Like the lyrics say, it's "like a burning fire.."

Claudja would go on to release even more great records after this album. Even if some of her subsequent albums wouldn't top this one, she'd manage to build a excellent canon of disco and dance classics well into the 1980's. The original version of this album was released on CD in 1993 by Hot Productions. As far as I know, it's out of print, but well worth tracking down, as the album is great and the sound quality on the CD is excellent. These days her producer/husband(?) Jürgen Korduletsch runs the Radikal Records label. Also, Claudja herself has been making something of a comeback lately after effectively retiring from music during the 1990s. Her latest single "I Will Stand" was released last month on her own label Donna Jean Records. It also seems to be her first record without the involvement of Jürgen, which leads me to wonder if they are even still married. In any case, I hope to do a post about her new single very soon.

If you've gotten this far, I'd just like to add that I probably won't be doing the Disco Delivery posts on a set schedule anymore. Some of you have probably noticed I'm no longer sticking to Fridays. It seems my "holidays" will be more busy than my school days, so time will be a little tighter for me in the next little while. I'll still try to bring the "Deliveries" at the end of every week, but that could be anytime from Friday to Sunday.

Anyway, with that out of the way, I just added a couple great new music blogs this week. Music Is My Boyfriend and Milk Carton Pop Stars.. Check 'em out!

PREVIOUS RELATED ENTRIES:
GET UP AND BOO-GIE! (FEBRUARY 1, 2006)

LINKS:
CLAUDJA BARRY - SWEET DYNAMITE (US LP) REVIEW @ ALLMUSIC.COM
CLAUDJA BARRY - SWEET DYNAMITE (US LP) @ DISCOMUSIC.COM
CANCONROX - CLAUDJA BARRY
CLAUDJA BARRY @ DISCOMUSEUM.COM
CLAUDJA BARRY @ ALLMUSIC.COM
CLAUDJA BARRY @ DISCOGS
CLAUDJA BARRY @ WIKIPEDIA
CLAUDJA BARRY BIO (circa. 2002)

PURCHASE:
CLAUDJA BARRY - SWEET DYNAMITE CD @ AMAZON.COM

CATEGORIES: DISCO DELIVERIES, CAN-CON DISCO, PAST REISSUES, WHAT EVER HAPPENED TO..

Liza does Donna

Yes! Believe it.. Just stumbled across this goodie on YouTube

Liza Minnelli does "Bad Girls"


From the 1980 CBS special "Goldie & Liza Together"

Love that ending... "Yes?.. Bad!"

CATEGORIES: VISUAL DISCO

Disco Delivery #17: Tantra - Mother Africa (1981, Unidisc)

Tantra - Get Ready To Go
Tantra - Top Shot
Tantra - Side A Medley: (Su-Ku-Leu, Mother Africa, Hallelujah)

Some more Tantra, as promised last week.. This album was originally released in much of Europe by Philips, but licensed here in Canada to Unidisc. From what I've come across, Unidisc seemed to do that quite often, licensing in-demand product from Europe, sometimes before it reached the US (though not in this case). In the US, this album was released 1980 by the Importe/12 label on their 2 LP Tantra compilation called "The Double Album" combining the contents of this album with the "Hills of Katmandu" 12".

Continuing in the travelling theme, but without the dark, eerie sounds of "Hills of Katmandu," this LP opens with "Su-Ku-Leu" an intro track of spirited African chants, which segues into the sunny title track, "Mother Africa." The final part of the medley is another uplifting track, "Hallelujah, which, along with "Mother Africa" contain very prominent, soul-styled vocals which seem to contrast the relatively anonymous vocals on the flipside.. Side A as a whole seemed to have a brighter sound to it, from the title track to the closer, "Get Happy," which would seem to summarize things pretty well.

As opposed to side A, it's only on side B where things start to resemble the dark, menacing sound that began with "Hills.." In fact, side B doesn't really seem to have any connection to the "Mother Africa" concept on side A. Case in point being "Top Shot," one of my favourite Tantra tracks, opening with a crunchy electric guitar and subdued, yet eerie vocals and synth arrangements. There are even some light string arrangements on the track, as well as a prominent guitar and bass solo break in the middle of the song. The dark themes continue into the lyrics, though I can't make all of them out, they seem to contain references to both suicide and drug use if you can believe it..

Also on side B was the track "Get Ready To Go." One of my favourite things about this one are those dark, exotic synths that open the track. Also check out that great break two-thirds of the way through; great string and horn arrangements and a great bass. One other interesting thing about this song are the lyrics:

"As high as the Seagull that's far from land
the spirit that moves in the night
his muscles are bursting, his breath is long..
And there's no place to hide
the capture is near
like a light in my mind
the pain in my heart
never hears what they say..

A man should be born with the right to see
and not with his face to the wall..
You feel like a man that has lost his way.."

As with some of the other lyrics on the album (like those in "Top Shot"), they're undeniably intriguing, yet completely perplexing. In other words, they're great, but just what the hell is it all supposed to mean (if anything at all)? I'm almost tempted to say it's another song about escapist drug use, but that would just be me guessing again. Given how esoteric and impenetrable some of them are, those lyrics almost bring much of the material into prog-rock territory. As the critic of critics, Robert Christgau says in his review, "...Travelogue esoterica, Africanisms to shame Brian Eno, guitarisms to shame Earl Slick....plus a whole side (or maybe two) of meaningless, enervating throb."

As mentioned last time, Tantra was a product of producer Celso Valli, who went under the alias Quelli Del Castello-La Drogueria di Drugolo. Valli would later go on to be a pretty prominent producer, arranger, conductor and musician working with the likes of Andrea Bocelli, Eros Ramazzotti, Laura Pausini and Filippa Giordano. Aside from Tantra, around this time he was also involved with other disco records like Azoto's "San Salvador" and Macho's second album, "Roll" (or "Macho II"), which also involved super-producers Jacques-Fred Petrus and Mauro Malavasi. Along with Petrus/Malavasi, Claudio Simonetti and La Bionda, Valli was probably one of the pioneers of "Italo Disco" before it was even branded as such..

After this LP, there was at least one more 12" of Tantra material; Importe/12 in the US released a collection in 1982 called "The Journey Continues" containing "The Ma-Cum-Ba Suite" and "The Tarot Suite," both of which I haven't heard yet. Also, as a commenter on my previous Tantra post had brought up, there was a Spanish Tantra 12" called "Tantra en Español," also on Importe/12 containing Spanish versions of "Hills of Katmandu" ("Las Colinas de Katmandu") and "Wishbone" ("Camino Al Destino"). With how sought after Tantra's material is these days, and the fact that all of it remains out of print, it's too bad no one's managed to do a comprehensive CD collection of their material yet. Apparently, in an interview with DJ Danny Howells (who included "Hills of Katmandu" in one of his compilations), it was mentioned that the present copyright holders are almost impossible to track down, which would probably explain why. In any case, enjoy these files for now; I hope to put up some more Tantra material in the future..

PREVIOUS RELATED ENTRIES:
FLY WITH YOU TO THE MISTY HILLS OF KATMANDU.. (APRIL 21, 2006)

LINKS:
TANTRA - "MOTHER AFRICA" LYRICS
TANTRA @ DISCOGS
CELSO VALLI @ DISCOGS
CELSO VALLI CREDITS @ ALLMUSIC.COM
TANTRA - THE DOUBLE ALBUM (2 LP) @ DISCOMUSIC.COM
ROBERT CHRISTGAU REVIEW: TANTRA - THE DOUBLE ALBUM

CATEGORIES: DISCO DELIVERIES

Disco Delivery #16: Brenda & The Tabulations - I Keep Coming Back For More (1977, Chocolate City/Casablanca)

Brenda & The Tabulations - I Keep Coming Back For More
Brenda & The Tabulations - Superstar
Brenda & The Tabulations - Everybody's Fool
Brenda & The Tabulations - Let's Go All The Way (Down) (Album Version)

I've only had this album for about a week now, but it's quickly become a favourite of mine. From the grooves, to that great cover shot, with Brenda looking fabulous (mink by Halston, no less).. But really, as far as the music goes, I wouldn't have expected anything less; with a great lineup of top-flight producers, namely John Davis, Norman Harris and Bobby Eli, who have all been a part of many a disco classic. Some of you might remember a few months back, when I put up an extended mix of "Let's Go All The Way (Down)" in one of my random track postings. That was probably the biggest hit off the LP, but since obtaining the actual album, my personal favourite would probably be the title track, "I Keep Coming Back For More." It's got an unmistakable Philly/Salsoul flavour to it, with those kickin' drums, the unique Philly style horn and string orchestral combo, just an all around excellent rhythm section behind it. Lately I've even found myself spontaneously humming that melody, singing those lyrics to myself (Yes, I love it that much).. For the most part, it sounds like a Norman Harris production, but is actually produced by Bobby Eli, who, I have to say has been behind quite a few great disco records that I've been discovering lately. Namely many of Jackie Moore's disco classics like "This Time Baby," "Take A Stand," "How's Your Love Life, Baby," and also "Just Can't Shake The Feeling" for Ava Cherry just to name a few..

The next track "Superstar," from what I've heard, was another relatively well-received disco track off the album. Produced by John Davis, who is probably best known for his own studio outfit, John Davis & The Monster Orchestra. For the most part, the theme is a bit on the cliché side, to quote a couple of lines.. "now I'm at the top of the world, it proves anyone can go far.. you can be a superstar just by being what you are.." etc.. etc.. On the plus side though, it's got one hell of an arrangement. Punchy in all the right places and a pretty catchy chorus to boot "look at me now, look at me now, I'm a superstar!".. Kind of reminds me of a certain Saturday Night Live skit from several years back..

"Everybody's Fool" is not exactly what I'd call a straight-ahead disco track. I'd probably call it a disco ballad, if you will. Compared to the non-disco tracks on the album, it's unmistakably disco in it's production, but probably not something I could hear a DJ spinning. One thing that I noticed when I heard it was the striking similarity it had to a Grace Jones track off her "Muse" (1979, Island) LP, the last of her disco albums. The song on Grace's album is "Don't Mess With The Messer," which pretty much recycles much of the musical portion of "Everybody's Fool," albeit with a faster BPM and cheekier, less melancholy lyrics. "Everybody's Fool" was also produced by John Davis; who also happened to be the arranger on the Grace Jones song. Oddly enough, despite the similarities and connections, the songwriting credits on both songs are completely different (things that make you go "hmm..").

In any case, while I enjoy much of John Davis' output, he did have a tendency to repeat himself at times; which reminds me, I'll have to put up more of his stuff in the future.. Overall though, if I had to compare, I'd probably prefer Grace's track. "Everybody's Fool" is pleasant and enjoyable in it's own way, but perhaps just a little bit on the pedestrian side for me..

As I mentioned earlier, "Let's Go All The Way (Down)" was the big disco hit off the album. Since I put up the extended version back in February, just to be faithful to the album, I put up the shorter 3.43 album version this time. Overall, this mix is a little tighter, but just as sexy and funky as the extended, complete with those great ad-libs.

Unfortunately one of my favourite producers, Norman Harris doesn't produce any of the disco tracks, but he does produce a couple of ballads on the album. One of them being Melissa Manchester's "Home To Myself," also done by Dusty Springfield a few years earlier. Another being "Leave Me Alone," probably my favourite among the non-disco tracks.

Gilda Woods, the woman who discovered Brenda & The Tabulations and who basically released most of their records through her labels (Dionn and Top & Bottom) is credited as a co-producer on almost all the tracks. From what I gathered though, despite that credit, her role was mostly as an executive producer, who left most of the actual producing "to the pros," so to speak. Also, I'm not sure who exactly the Tabulations were on this album. There isn't any group photo or even any credits for musicians or backup singers so it's a bit of a mystery. From what I read, Brenda & The Tabulations never really had a solid lineup. Early on they were a quartet with Brenda as the sole female, by 1970 they were a classic female girl-group trio. Judging from an interview with former member Maurice Coates, he and Brenda Payton were the principals, but even he had left by the time this album was released. I suppose the Tabulations just happened to be whomever was backing her at this point, which probably changed with every producer or something. Regardless, it's my hope that this album will get revisited sometime with a CD reissue. Hopefully Universal will pay more attention to the Casablanca catalogue one of these days. Given their prolific output, disco and otherwise, there are surely tons of rare or overlooked classics like this one just waiting to be rediscovered.

Interesting fact: Susan Munao, one time Casablanca PR chief and manager for Donna Summer is credited for Art Direction on the album..

PREVIOUS RELATED ENTRIES:
GET UP AND BOO-GIE (FEBRUARY 1, 2006)

LINKS:
BRENDA & THE TABULATIONS - I KEEP COMING BACK FOR MORE LP @ DISCOMUSIC.COM
BRENDA & THE TABULATIONS @ ALLMUSIC.COM
SOULFUL DETROIT FORUM - BRENDA & THE TABULATIONS - A FINE PHILLY SOUL ACT
SOULFUL DETROIT FORUM - BRENDA & THE TABULATIONS
SOULFUL DETROIT FORUM - THE VARIOUS ADVENTURES OF B. ELI
BOBBY ELI @ DISCOMUSIC.COM
NORMAN HARRIS @ DISCOMUSIC.COM
JOHN DAVIS @ DISCOMUSEUM.COM


CATEGORIES: DISCO DELIVERIES

Fly with you to the misty hills of Katmandu..

Tantra - Hills of Katmandu (1979, Philips) | LINK TWO

In case anyone's wondering, this week's disco delivery will be up either later tonight or sometime tomorrow, rest assured, I'm working on it.. In the meantime, I figured why not put something up, instead of leaving you all hanging. A short while ago, I got a suggestion to put up some Tantra, I figured why not just put it up now..

"Hills Of Katmandu" would easily be Tantra's biggest hit. It's one of those amazing, epic tracks that just seems to go beyond classification. An Italian production by Celso Valli (under the alias Quelli Del Castello) it could probably be described as an excellent example of European electro-disco, even an early example of both Hi-NRG and Italo Disco.. Often times it's those tracks which are in genre limbo, so to speak, that seem to be the most timeless and enduring. It was originally released in 1979, yet it would reach the States by 1980 in the early part of that oft-neglected post-disco period. Though, in my opinion, essentially a product of disco, it also seemed to encapsulate the increasingly underground direction that "disco" (as it was no longer being called) would seem to take, even foreshadowing the emergence of Hi-NRG. For me, "Hills of Katmandu" still sounds as fresh and futuristic today as it must have in 1979. It's probably no wonder why, even today, there are contemporary DJ's (Danny Howells and the Idjut Boys to name a couple) that still play this track .

Just to give an idea, at over 16 minutes, the track starts off dark and menacing; with electronic guitars; bold, layered, echoed percussion; eerie moans and those exotic synth effects. Following the intro, a female voice comes in softly, yet aggressively chanting.. "I fly with you to the misty hills of Katmandu.." The next couple of verses come in after an instrumental break.. "Packed my case, gonna leave behind this human race.. come with me, where your spirit and your mind are free.. " With a dreamy, blissful interlude following that, the drug/escapist metaphors start to become pretty obvious, particularly with those lyrics and the shifting musical themes.. After that interlude, it lapses back into it's original dark, rhythmic pattern and then back again later on. It all seems sort of symphonic in it's structure, albeit in a druggy, electronic, disco-esque sort of way.

Patrick Cowley later did a megamix of this, slightly shorter at 13 minutes (which I have yet to hear). I even heard that the hacks at Klone Records did a cover of this (for shame!). In any case, hope you enjoy this classic. Either next week, or the week after I'll have some more Tantra up on here..

LINKS:
"HILLS OF KATMANDU" (LYRICS)
TANTRA @ DISCOGS
TANTRA - THE DOUBLE ALBUM @ DISCOMUSIC.COM
DANNY HOWELLS - GLOBAL UNDERGROUND: MIAMI CD @ AMAZON.COM

CATEGORIES: MINI DELIVERIES

Upcoming Reissues & Releases (April 25 - May 30)

Another month, another list.. Kicking off with a slew of KC & The Sunshine band reissues.. To be honest, I don't have many of their albums (I think I have only one so far), but with these reissues, I just might try them out..

April 25th Update: Added listing for an upcoming reissue of Sheila & B. Devotion's Chic-produced album.. Further updates to this listing on January 19, 2007

April 25th:


KC & The Sunshine Band - S/T (1975, TK / 2006, Collectors Choice)
buy @ cduniverse.com | amazon.com | dustygroove.com
Starting off this round is a reissue of their second album, containing some of their big hits like "Get Down Tonite" and "That's The Way (I Like It)." Ten years ago Rhino reissued this album as "K.C. & The Sunshine Band .. and more." That issue contains six bonus tracks, while this reissue is just the basic original album. So, even though the '95 reissue is now out of print, it's probably still the definitive one.
ALLMUSIC.COM ALBUM REVIEW


KC & The Sunshine Band - The Sound of Sunshine (1975, TK / 2006, Collectors Choice)
buy @ cduniverse.com | amazon.com | dustygroove.com
Also released 1975, this one is an instrumental album. Also included on this album is a instrumental remake of George McCrae's big hit "Rock Your Baby," which Sunshine Band principals H.W. Casey and Richard Finch originally wrote and produced. As far as I know, this is the first time this has been on CD..


KC & The Sunshine Band - Part 3 (1976, TK / 2006, Collectors Choice)
buy @ cduniverse.com | amazon.com | dustygroove.com
The All Music Guide gives this one a glowing review, with four and a half stars out of five. The review mentions this as their best and most successful album. Like their self-titled second album, this was also reissued in 1995 by Rhino, with 8 bonus tracks, most of them being solo tracks from K.C. AKA Harry Wayne Casey from the early '80s. So again, this upcoming reissue is just the basic original album. That said, if you're a stickler for the bonuses, the 1995 reissue is probably preferable to this one..


KC & The Sunshine Band - Who Do Ya Love (1978, TK, Collectors Choice)
buy @ cduniverse.com | amazon.com | dustygroove.com
Not as successful as the previous albums, even the All Music Guide seems to give it a mixed review. Just like "The Sound of Sunshine" reissue, this seems to be the first time this album has been released on CD..

May 2nd:


Dalida - Les Années Disco (2006, Barclay/Universal)
buy @ cduniverse.com | amazon.com | amazon.co.uk | amazon.fr
A long-awaited collection of the late French legend's disco work. I'm not too familiar with her output, but her strong, cult-like following is well, legendary.. Her first disco song "J'attendrai" became a hit in 1976, so apparently this was released in time for the 30th anniversary of that song's debut. I must admit, I've been curious about her "Gigi In Paradisco" album for a little while now, so I might take a chance on this collection. This CD was already released this past March in France, but May 2nd marks the international release. Lots of info about Dalida on her Wikipedia entry..

May 11th:


Sheila & B. Devotion - King Of The World (1980, Carrere / 2006, Warner UK)
buy @ cduniverse.com | amazon.com | amazon.co.uk | amazon.fr
(Added 4/25/06) I have to thank a kind reader, Maurice, for alerting me to this.. Absolutely can't wait for this one! One of my favourite Chic Organization productions (then again, I think all of them are great). In my opinion, "Spacer," the big hit off of this album, is one of Chic's greatest efforts. Some of you might remember it being the basis of Alcazar's hit "Crying At The Discotheque" from several years back.. As for the rest of the album, I'd say it's one of Chic's more interesting and somewhat experimental efforts. Songs like "Charge Plates And Credit Cards," "Cover Girls," and "King Of The World," see them introducing more new-wave elements into their signature sound. Something of a pre-cursor to the album they would do for Debbie Harry ("Koo Koo") the following year. Then again, I suppose with Sheila's charming, yet thick French accented English, they probably didn't have much choice but to experiment a little bit. In any case, I'm so glad this is being reissued now; copies of the long out of print budget CD reissue from the 90s often go for upwards of $100 US on eBay believe it or not..
Update 1/19/07: I know this is a very late update, but I just found out about the French release of this reissue, released June 12th. It has a bunch of bonus tracks (six in total) that the UK release doesn't have. Included are five bonus mixes of "Spacer," four of them from a "Spacer - Remix 1992" release. Although I'm not so crazy about early 90's "disco updates," another one of the bonus tracks is the original US 12" Mix of "Your Love Is Good," which I never even knew existed.. Anyway, that said, I just wish I had found out about this release earlier.. Oh well.
INFO @ CHIC TRIBUTE
KING OF THE WORLD LP @ DISCOGS

May 15th:


LaToya Jackson - S/T (1980, Polydor / 2006, Cherry Red)
buy @ amazon.co.uk | play.com | dustygroove.com
At last! The UK release of my favourite Jackson's debut album. I had posted a little bit about this back in the first reissues and releases post, but it seems now there's finally a definitive release date. This album contains, among other things, the dancefloor hit "If You Feel The Funk," and "Night Time Lover," a great track written and produced by Brother Jacko himself, and "Are You Ready" written by Billy Ocean.
INFO @ LA TOYA HAVEN FORUM
ALLMUSIC.COM ALBUM REVIEW

May 23rd:


Cheryl Lynn - In The Night/Instant Love (1981, 1982, Columbia / 2006, Collectables)
buy @ cduniverse.com | amazon.com | dustygroove.com
Another release from Collectables, who've really been cranking them out lately.. A two-in-one set featuring one of my favourite Cheryl albums, "In The Night" (which includes her hit "Shake It Up Tonight"), along with her 1982 album "Instant Love." I haven't heard the "Instant Love" album yet, but it seems that it was produced by the late, great Luther Vandross. After being a tool for a number of producers during the 70s, by the early 80s, Luther was starting to build a pretty impressive resumé as a producer in his own right (see Aretha Franklin's "Jump To It"). It's a pretty timely release because until now, I've been wondering how I was going to get my hands on the out of print (and expensive) Japanese CDs of those albums..
CHERYL LYNN @ ALLMUSIC.COM
CHERYL LYNN @ DISCOMUSEUM.COM

May 30th:


Salsoul Presents Disco Trance and Cosmic Flavas (2006, Salsoul/Suss'd)
buy @ dustygroove.com
Another release in the long line of attractive, comprehensive "Salsoul Flavas" compilations from Salsoul's UK licencees. Unfortunately the only place with any info on this is Dusty Groove. The Suss'd/Salsoul site (www.salsoul.co.uk) is no help either. Update: At some point the title changed from "Oddities and Electro Flavas," to the current title. While it is released, for whatever reason, Amazon US or UK don't seem to have a proper listing for the double CD version.

CATEGORIES: REISSUES & RELEASES

Housekeeping

I really should be studying for my exams, but instead I decided to procrastinate by cleaning things up around here, particularly with the category tags. The lack of category tags is probably THE main drawback of Blogger, but by the time I figured that out, it was a bit too late.. Initially, I decided to make my own tags and link them to a Google Blog Search, but that didn't work out so well; some pages showing up, others not, mostly in the wrong order etc.. I later found out about Labelr, which is a new tool especially for Blogger accounts, but alas, it's still in beta and they aren't accepting any new subscribers at this time either.. So instead, I decided to improvise a little bit and do something completely different from either of those..

So with that, feel free to try out the new and improved category tags. Here's how it breaks down..

DISCO DELIVERIES, SIDE DELIVERIES

ARTICLES & RAMBLINGS, CAN-CON DISCO, VISUAL DISCO

REISSUES & RELEASES, PAST REISSUES, DISCO CD COMPILATIONS,
CONSUMER ADVISORY, DISCO NEWS, NUDISCO

WHAT EVER HAPPENED TO.., IN MEMORIAM.., MISC. DISCO

Hopefully, this will make navigating the archives much easier..

Also, I've added a few new links in the past several days; the new ones are denoted by a white asterisk.. Check 'em out sometime..

Anyway, I'm out for now..

CATEGORIES: MISCELLANEOUS