Episodes
Tuesday Nov 17, 2015
Rare Gems
Tuesday Nov 17, 2015
Tuesday Nov 17, 2015
Starting point: the story of disco kingpin Mel Cheren’s early days as a rep at NYC’s Wand records. A 1972 Wand single by the Independents—the ballad “Leaving Me”—had fallen off the radio charts but was enjoying an inexplicable increase in sales nevertheless. A devoted nightclub habitué, Cheren uncovered the mystery: disco deejays had flipped the disc to get the crowds moving to its b-side, “I Love You, Yes I Do.” It was the industry’s first indication that discotheque jocks could “make” a record as effectively as radio jocks. A year later, radio would make a super-smash of “Love’s Theme” via initial exposure on the dance floor, and the world would never be the same.
Disco enthusiasts still place a premium on rare gems—b-sides, buried album cuts, under-promoted/distributed artists and self-released vanity projects—as there’s a perceived purity to cuts discovered and/or made by the clubs, the jocks, and the dancers themselves. The selections in this podcast mostly fit this bill, to the extent that they received any floor action or airplay at all.
A few notes: Nanette Workman is a Brooklyn-born singer who found steady gigs as a backup singer (she’s all over early/mid-70s Rolling Stones stuff) and made a name for herself in Quebec recording in French. She’s still revered there to this day. Check out this 2009 concert footage of a surprise guest star duet on “Lady Marmalade.” You tell me who’s the star and who’s the back-up: www.youtube.com/watch?v=19Iltyefd-A
The Jim Gilstrap cut is from the 3 Days of the Condor soundtrack (never seen it—do Redford and Dunaway get down at a disco?). It was written by soundtrack composer Dave Grusin, and while it doesn’t boast the greatest set of hooks or lyrics, it is beautifully produced, and—as always—Gilstrap shines. Gordon Grody had ties to Vicki Sue Robinson and was promoted in tandem with her. He failed to ignite, likely because he never had anything as strong as “Turn the Beat Around.” That said, “Get Thru It” gets by quite nicely on a killer guitar lick. Sunny Gale scored a few modest jazz hits in the ’50s; in 1975 she worked with Vince Montana and musicians from the Salsoul Orchestra (one assumes) to cut the smokin’ “I Wanna Know.” You won’t find it on many (or any?) discographies, but obviously it exists….
Lastly, our namesakes for this episode Rare Gems and Rare Gems Odyssey are one and the same. They recorded their debut for Casablanca as RGO, but they dropped the last bit after the group Odyssey had a giant hit with “Native New Yorker.” The band, in turn, was dropped by Casablanca, and released their next album (Million Dollar Disco) as Rare Gems on the tiny California Gold label. The album cover—which appears to be hand scrawled—is among the cruddiest ever delivered; call it million-dollar disco in a ten-cent jacket. They never topped “What Is Funk?” which may, at first, seem like a throwaway, but careful listen reveals some interesting gender and racial politics going on. The chanted refrain of “Hey fellas!” is called into paternalistic question by the group’s sole female member Debra Givings (sadly by citing her measurements). On the next go-round, the band calls out to “Men, lady … and Johnny.” Group member Johnny Ross rises to the challenge and defines funk as that moment when you see your bride-to-be coming down the aisle and have “second … and third” thoughts, suggesting that Johnny is as bothered by a hetero-normative assumption as Debra is by gender dismissal. In the next round, the lead voice calls out “Hey men … and boys” to which the group quickly shoots back with “ain’t no boys shinin’ shoes in this group,” clearly taking offense at “boy” as a racially pejorative term.
Now’s the Time (Give It Up) – Solar Source ’81; The Tease – G-String Orchestra ’74; Don’t You Have Any Love in Your Heart? – Margo Thunder ’75; Lady Marmalade – Nanette Workman ’75; What Is Funk? – Rare Gems Odyssey ’77; Get Thru It – Gordon Grody ’77; It Must Be Love – Alton McClain & Destiny ’78; I Love You, Yes I Do – the Independents ’72; Do It to the Music – Raw Silk ’82; I Got a Thing – Silver, Platinum & Gold ’76; I’ve Got You Where I Want You – Jim Gilstrap ’75; Bahia – Alice Street Gang ’76; Burning Alive – Tony Rallo & the Midnite Band ’79; Saturday Night Steppin’ Out – Webster Lewis & the Post-Pop Space-Rock Be-Bop Gospel Tabernacle Orchestra and Chorus ’76; Music Is for Dancing – Rare Gems ’78; I Wanna Know – Sunny Gale ’75; Don’t Hold Back – Chanson ’78
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