Episodes
Thursday Feb 25, 2021
Pearl Necklace
Thursday Feb 25, 2021
Thursday Feb 25, 2021
This is a string of disco dollops taken from 45 rpms, many from one (or no) hit wonders, most of which have the manic, go-for-it excitement of giving one’s all for that only chance at a money shot. (If you aren’t giddy after Highwire/I’ll See You in My Dreams/I’ll Be Seeing You/I Fall in Love Everyday, then you aren’t giddyable.)
Uncle Vic was an Ohio deejay who had a semi-hit with a song about a video game craze, Space Invaders, and a much lesser known b-side slice of frat boy party rock that may well have introduced many to the term “Par-Tay!” Crown Height Affair delivered an aural cream pie with French Way, lyrics drawn from TV jingles that add up to a saucy little amuse bouche. Dutch model Hansie (also Hansje also Hansie Ravesteijn)—who in her heyday pulled off a decent platinum blonde Liza as Sally Bowles look—offers a cult fave of auto-erotica that belongs on a mix tape with I’m in Love with My Car and Warm Leatherette, heady company indeed. Sure, it’s a gag track, but it’s easier to swallow than the other car tune in this mix, Murder in the Gas Line, that gets by on Randy Pump (oh, please!) and the Gas-o-lettes’ funky determination. Tick Tack is an early bit of electronica that sports an increasingly overheated bit of vocalese. I went with the longer Part II pressing of Spread It On because it features more of what makes it memorable—the vocal climax between the spreader/spreadee.
1974 was a great year for the Downings, both of whom enjoyed resurrections from nifty disco mixes when their initial singles stiffed. I’m Not Loving was an early stirring from remixmaster Tom Moulton. I’ll Be Holding On is blessed with one of the great disco banjo (!) breaks at its climax. You don’t get much of a heads up, but you’re thrilled when it comes.
Jaisún is a little known jazz singer whose sole album contribution shares two cuts (I Fall in Love Every Day and Closet Man) with Jaye P. Morgan’s self-released (and lately quite fashionable) 1976 foray into disco and housewife funk. I don’t know who took the first shot at this. We also get two spurts from the Richard Hewson Orchestra; Hewson was a UK bandleader whose arrangements brought the kiss of excitement to everyone from the Beatles to the Bee Gees to James Taylor and Carly Simon to Fleetwood Mac. In the early- and mid-70s, Hewson and his orchestra released a series of disco 45s with toothsome titles such as Love Bite and Shark Bite that betrayed a weird oral fixation. His work has, to my knowledge, never been collected, and that sucks.
Partay—Uncle Vic ’81 (Do It the) French Way—Crown Heights Affair ’76 Automobile—Hansie ’79 Superman, Superman—Les Variations ’75 Tick Tack—Alarm Clock ’74 Huff & Puff—Rare Essence ’78 Spread It On, Part 2—Shortnin’ ’78 I’ll Be Holding On—Al Downing ’74 I’m Not Lovin’—Don Downing ’74 Have a Little Mercy—Southside Movement ’72 Hipit—Hosanna ’75 That’s the Way That the Cookie Crumbles—Odia Coates ’78 Hammerhead—Richard Hewson Orchestra ’76 Porto Rico—Pinkies ’75 Murder in the Gas Line—Randy Pump & the Gas-o-lettes ’79 Highwire—Linda Carr & the Love Squad ’75 I’ll See You in My Dreams—the Pearls ’76 I’ll Be Seeing You—Jeff Evans ’76 I Fall in Love Everyday—Jaisún ’77 Boom Bam Bump—Freeman-Nehls & the Other Brothers ’75 Love for Hire—Richard Hewson Orchestra ’76
Monday Feb 01, 2021
I Know Who You Are and I Saw What You Did
Monday Feb 01, 2021
Monday Feb 01, 2021
“Funky Town,” arriving a year too late, was so undeniable it still managed to be the last great hit of the disco era. But Lipps, Inc. were far from a one-horse town. “Gossip Song,” “Designer Music,” “Choir Practice” and their swell cover of “How Long” all are worth your time. They were label mates with Crazy Joe and the Variable Speed Band. That record was among the last issued during the first Casablanca era, and pretty much defies categorization outside of “inept,” likely seeing the light of day only because at least one member of KISS was part of the VSB. Eugene is on that album, but he didn’t go to school until this post-album disco one-off that’s far better than anything on. Eugene seems to me to be inspired by Jimmy Castor’s Leroy. JC is here without the bunch delivering his ode to DJT. And speaking of that former (THANK YOU JESUS!) PO(tu)S, he and his family’s cocaine-fueled associations with Laura Brannigan’s uber-annoying “Gloria” annoyed me to no end. Never cared for the singer or the song, yet I find myself lightly smitten with its Italian origins by Umberto Tozzi. Which goes nicely with Andy and Anna. I spared you Plastic Bertrand’s reading of Peter Schilling’s “Major Tom,” mostly because I misfiled it and was entirely too lazy to do a deep dive for it. It’s not that good anyway. Unlike Lipps, Inc., PB is pretty much a one horse town.
The Gossip Song—Lipps, Inc. ’80 Ϙ Andy—Les Rita Mitsouka ’86 Ϙ Amos Moses—Jerry Reed ’70 Ϙ Eugene Goes to School—Crazy Joe and the Variable Speed Band ’82 Ϙ A Spy in the House of Love—the dBs ’84 Ϙ Casanova Brown—Gloria Gaynor ’75 Ϙ Casanova—Coffee ’80 Ϙ Guess What Mary Jones Did—First Choice ’74 Ϙ Bernadette—J.T. Connection’79 Ϙ Work Song—Pat Lundy’76 Ϙ Con Man—Jimmy Castor ’80 Ϙ Gloria—Umberto Tozzi ’79 Ϙ Secret Agent Love—Carolyne Bernier ’78 Ϙ Suzy Q—Easy Going ’78 Ϙ The Days of Pearly Spencer—Trademark ’78 Ϙ Anna Perchè—Nicola di Bari ’76
Saturday Jan 16, 2021
Choir Practice
Saturday Jan 16, 2021
Saturday Jan 16, 2021
Not many notes this time. I thought 2021 could use a dose of the Holy Ghost, so here it is. The Inez Andrews cut was written by Carole King, and “Stand on the Word” is the Larry Levan remix that was recently named the second best 12" single of all time by the UK’s influential NME. (It came in second to Donna Summer’s “I Feel Love.” Well, duh!)
Dancing Queen – The Real Group ’99 Ϟ Credo – Missa Disco ’79 Ϟ Sadness – Enigma ’90 Ϟ Have a Good Time – New York Community Choir ’77 Ϟ I’m Going On – Mildred Clark and the Melodyaires ’76 Ϟ Stand on the Word – The Joubert Singers ’85 Ϟ Who Is He? – The St. Marks Choir ’74 Ϟ Believe in Humanity – Inez Andrews ’75 Ϟ The World Is Waiting for a Change – New York Community Choir ’78 Ϟ Thank You Jesus – Gospel Ambassadors ’77 Ϟ Choir Practice – Lipps Inc. ’83 Ϟ I Need You – Christian Essence ’83 Ϟ Hallelujah 2000 – Hallelujah 2000 ’78
Wednesday Dec 02, 2020
À la recherche du temps perdu
Wednesday Dec 02, 2020
Wednesday Dec 02, 2020
Nostalgia is baked into the origin of disco. Discothèques came to be in 1940s Europe when the vicissitudes of war meant that live bands playing in dancehalls and glittering cabaret performances gave way to small gatherings in darkened pubs and watering holes. People would dance and socialize to deejays spinning records. When disco blossomed as a music and lifestyle, it began to look back with longing to and to receive inspiration from the era of big band swing; it also tapped into a cultural craze for hip nostalgia that dated as far back as the Beatles’ “When I’m 64” (an ideal candidate for a disco update by The Average Disco Band). In looking back, disco is more or less just lovingly gazing at itself in the mirror. Disco has always been with us, as the extraordinary fan-art video for Kylie Minogue’s “Step Back in Time” so beautifully demonstrates. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V3W71KwsXrc
That Kylie tune and video inspired this set. I was somewhat late to the Kylie party and even later to the Stock Aikman Waterman bash. I thought of SAW as nothing more than a Hitsville version of a meat grinder, but I came around thanks to choice cuts such as Donna Summer’s “This Time I Know It’s for Real” and “Step Back in Time.” “Step” is at once the essence of simplicity and surprisingly well wrought, evoking as it does “Walking in Rhythm,” the Bus Stop, “Love Train,” all modes of transportation to take you back in time; and is there better line enjambment than “Ball of Confusion/where nothing is new and/There’s nothing to it/step back in time.” A musical setting that’s both retro and futuristic. I could listen to this forever.
Then there’s “December, 1963.” What a specious song—a guy fondly recalls the night he lost his cherry, can’t remember his partner’s name, confesses he was pretty lousy (“as I recall it ended much too soon”), and doesn’t give a damn about the other’s satisfaction or submission. But it sounds like a million bucks, even today, bathed as it is in a golden nostalgic glow. “Don’t Make Me Wait,” the Peech Boys (who got sued by the Beach Boys for name infringement, can you believe it?) implore as they stretch the idea past the eight minute mark with a build so slow you almost don’t notice it. It’s a great joke, and you can dance to it. (Having not heard the original, Larry Levan likely was the one to do the stretching and building, so all honor to his remix.)
And, of course, disco had no issue with projecting itself into the future. Sparks and Giorgio Moroder (what a combo!) urge us to “Beat the Clock” while Eurythmics take a futuristic approach in their soundtrack look back to a piece of science fiction that predicted the very moment in which they found themselves recording it. Call it theory of relativity disco; all I know is that the film maker didn’t sufficiently get the layers or irony and rejected it for an expected Hollywood score. Sexcrime indeed. As Prince remarks, “I’ve seen the future and it will be.”
So let’s remember yesterday. If Proust ain’t your cup of tea, we end on a note of T.S. Eliot. Disco CATS is no less ridiculous than Broadway CATS as far as I’m concerned. (As for movie CATS, dear God, no.) Remember the O’Jays. Remember the old days.
Back in Time – Back in Time ’78 + Sittin’ on the Dock of the Bay – Jimmy “Bo” Horne ’91 + Don’t Make Me Wait – Peech Boys ’82 + Step Back in Time – Kylie Minogue ’90 + When I’m 64 – The Average Disco Band ’77 + December, 1963 – Four Seasons ’75 + I Remember Yesterday – Donna Summer ’77 + The Old Fashioned Way – Billy Jackson & the Citizen’s Band ’76 + Medley – Chocolat’s ’77 + Beat the Clock – Sparks ’79 + Sexcrime (Nineteen Eighty Four) – Eurythmics ’84 + Theme from Disco ’77 – Sassy ’77 + Batman – The Disco Band ’77 + The Future – Prince ’89 + Salsoul 3001 – The Salsoul Orchestra ’76 + Memory – Menage ’83
Wednesday Nov 11, 2020
I Like What I Like
Wednesday Nov 11, 2020
Wednesday Nov 11, 2020
“I like what I like ’cause I like it.” There is no better phrase to sum up 2020 than that. How else can you explain half of America supporting an amoral psychopath who openly mocks them and means them harm, or people standing in open, hostile defiance of simple, common sense measures that will save their lives? “No one’s gonna tell me what to do.”
“Like” is an important piece of disco’s history. It was released in 1971 by Canadian soul/funk collective Everyday People, and it’s often considered as one of the first disco records. LTG (Leo, Taurus, Gemini) Exchange—who are best known for their instrumental cut “Waterbed” on the Disco Gold Vol. II compilation—provided a lovely cover/update on their maiden album. Simon Said—a working name for disco producers Meco Monardo, Jay Ellis and Tony Bongiovi—put out four 45s. For this episode, the other available on 7" only cuts are by Liquid Smoke and Rock Gazers, whose “Wet Weekend” is as extraordinary as it is short.
I could do with some more “Cookies” as well. This also started as a 45-only, but it ended up on the RCA Disco Funk compilation. Minacelentano is a collaboration of Italian pop legends Mina Mazzini and Adriano Celentano. The techno update of Prisencol… is interesting, but it really needs to be seen. The video is a glorious celebration of the male buttocks, thanks to the participation of Italian ballet dancer. Roberto Bolle https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xn_OLnMriRg . Glutei spettacolari!
Notorious Freak is my own portmanteau for what was uninspiringly titled “Notorious/Le Freak Medley." It may be my favorite of the mid-’80s proto mash-ups that include “Billie Jean/Do It Again” and “Superstition/Good Times.” I should put all of those in the same episode some time….
Ice T (not the rapper) offers a rather vulgar remake of “From New York to L.A.” Its original version is one of the great pieces of disco elegante as performed by French Canadian singer Patsy Gallant. The Ice T version was only available to club deejays, I believe. “Moving Like a Superstar” is best known in a tepid cover version that was a hit for UK singer Jackie Robinson (not the baseball player). It’s so much funkier and wilder in its original version by Amadeo (who?), especially in the extended 12" mix included here. I used to not care for Divine records. Now I can’t get enough of ’em. 2020 will do that to you.
I Like What I Like—LTG Exchange ’74 ﺽ Smile—Simon Said ’75 ﺽ Cookies—Brother Soul ’74 ﺽ Bahia Blue—Demis Roussos ’76ﺽ P Prisencolinensilnainciusol—Minacelentano ’16 ﺽ Mr. Groovy—Liquid Gold ’79 ﺽ Notorious Freak—P4F ’87 ﺽ Zeke the Freak—Isaac Hayes ’78 ﺽ Race Babbling—Stevie Wonder ’79 ﺽ From New York to L.A.—Ice T ’80 ﺽ Get Off—Dyan Buckelew ’87 ﺽ Psychedelic Shack—Divine ’85 ﺽ Moving Like a Superstar—Amadeo ’77 ﺽ Wet Weekend—Rock Gazers ’76 ﺽ It Takes Me Higher—Ganymed ’78 ﺽ Dance Dance Dance—Liquid Smoke ’75 ﺽ Never Turn My Back on You—UPP ’76
Wednesday Oct 21, 2020
Say What?
Wednesday Oct 21, 2020
Wednesday Oct 21, 2020
Adriano Celentano has said that the nonsense lyrics of his Prisencólinensináinciúsol were an attempt to emulate what spoken American English sounded like to people who don’t comprehend it. I discovered that he updated the song a few years back, and I have it on order. I liked how well the ’72 version worked with Larry Levan’s breakdown from Got My Mind Made Up that I decided I’ll save the Celentano redo for an upcoming episode. I Zimbra, another made-up tongue classic, has hit the podcast in its lp and very rare remixed version. I couldn’t not include it here, however, so this is from The Name of This Band Is Talking Heads live album. One of the great live albums, IMHO.
Two tracks here floored me when I heard them for the first time recently. Aside from a truly club-footed cover of Bowie’s All the Young Dudes, there’s nothing to recommend UK’s the Chanter Sisters until you get to their music-hall-meets-Studio-54 makeover of the Freda Payne classic, which begs the question “Why did it take someone so long to play this for all the inherent camp that it’s worth?” Someone needs to lipsync this for their life. And I was gobsmacked by Modern Romance’s Queen of the Rapping Scene (a/k/a Nothing Ever Goes the Way You Plan), not only for the stiff proto-UK rapping or fish ’n’ chips shop bird Bev Sage’s ludicrous put-on French accent, but also (and mostly) for John Du Prez’s hypnotic accordion riff and that stunning bass line. (I may be stretching things a bit here, but I don’t think Don’t You Want Me Baby or West End Girls could exist without it.) Du Prez also blows a mean trumpet on Modern Romance’s pointless disco cover of Cherry Pink and Apple Blossom White. Check out the live video of that where the band manages to come off like the Village People as imagined by Jean Genet.
Another stunning find was RCA’s 1975 disco compilation Disco Funk that hasn’t a bad track on it and nothing you can find anywhere else. I raided it for Hudson County and Lillian Hale. Essential.
Prisencólinensináinciúsol—Adriano Celentano ’72 Ȝ I Zimbra (live)—Talking Heads ’82 Ȝ Aow Tou Dou Zat—Jean Paul Gaultier ’89 Ȝ All My Dreams—Prince ’86 Ȝ Sofia Sound Machine— Le Mystère Des Voix Bulgares ’92 Ȝ Gloria—Missa Disco ’79 Ȝ Sleepy Maggie—Ashley MacIsaac ’96 Ȝ Theme from The Godfather—Gene Ferrari & the Disco Roma Band ’78 Ȝ I Got My Mind Made Up—Instant Funk ’78 Ȝ Wan Tu Wah Zuree—George Tindley ’75 Ȝ Bim Sala Bim—Hudson County ’75 Ȝ Band of Gold—Chanter Sisters ’76 Ȝ Queen of the Rapping Scene—Modern Romance ’81 Ȝ Ding Dang Dong—Les Rita Mitsouko ’07 Ȝ Dschinghis Khan—Dschinghis Khan ’79 Ȝ Don’t Boom Boom—Lillian Hale ’74
Wednesday Sep 30, 2020
Swamp Gas
Wednesday Sep 30, 2020
Wednesday Sep 30, 2020
The Wild Tchoupitoulas are the Mardi Gras Indian Band you’ve heard of because of their association with the Neville Brothers, but the Wild Magnolias were the realer deal, and their 1974 album in association with funk soul brother Willie T is relentlessly funky from start to finish. Herb anthem “Smoke My Peace Pipe” is joined here by their incredibly cooking deconstruction of “When the Saints Go Marching In.” And while Timmy Thomas and Donna Summer are known quantities, their contributions aren’t. Divine Donna’s bit of swampy burp is from her excellent if under-heard final album Crayons (perhaps undone by the title—especially following on the heels of I’m a Rainbow).
Many of these cuts are as obscure as the darkest recesses of the Okefenokee. Blackie Guidry is a hunk of Cajun spiciness whose lone vanity-release album is unremarkable except for the cover pictures of Blackie as prime gator bait and the final cut that lets roll the bon temps ala discotheque. Ron Steele’s contribution is also from a vanity pressing, although because he’s a top record producer and a session ace, his cut sounds like a million bucks even though it lacks true dancefloor sizzle. The Dr. Exx band is so far off the grid, it doesn’t even merit a discogs entry. Nothing is known about Venus either; their (her? his? its?) only known track—the glorious “Toke Monster”—is from a radio station comp of local bands, although you don’t get far into the song before you realize it would have never made it on air in ’78. Hot Posse’s “Ride It”—an adaptation of their take on “Apache”—was never really officially released other than to deejays.
Speaking of Native Americans, Ban Deeto’s somewhat un-PC reworking of already un-PC “Keem-O-Sabe” is the flip of an utterly un-PC track called “Cisco’s Disco.” Ron Steele wins this one hands down. And while some might also be taken aback by Orlando Riva (he of “Moonboots” fame) Sound’s wack-ass disco take on “Indian Reservation” (who comes up with these ideas?), I find its oppressive sense of doom serves this telling of the trail of tears far better that Paul Revere and the Raiders hit cover ever did.
Night People – Allen Toussaint ’78 ۵ Soul Hoe Down – Bad Bascomb ’73 ۵ Dudley Doright – Timmy Thomas ’77۵ Cisco Disco – Ron Steele ’76۵ Southern Nights – Glen Campbell ’77۵ Disco Dobro – The Bottom Line ’76 ۵ Swamp Rap – Tony Joe White ’80۵ The Toke Monster – Venus ’78 ۵ Smoke My Peace Pipe (Smoke It Right) – The Wild Magnolias ’74 ۵ Mountain Funk – Dr. Exx Band ’78 ۵ I Will Survive – Billie Jo Spears ’79 ۵ Slide Over Backwards – Donna Summer ’08 ۵ Ride It – Hot Posse ’80 ۵ Kem-O-Sabe – Ban Deeto ’78 ۵ Indian Reservation – Orlando Riva Sound ’79 ۵ Nashville Express – Travis Biggs ’79 ۵ Why Have You Left the One You Left Me For – Crystal Gayle ’78 ۵ Saints – The Wild Magnolias ’74 ۵ Sanford & Son – Boots Randolph ’78 ۵ Disco on the Bayou – Blackie Guidry ’7?
Saturday Aug 29, 2020
After Dark
Saturday Aug 29, 2020
Saturday Aug 29, 2020
My podcasts often start with a single record, and I build out from there. For this episode, it was “Am I Losing You?” It’s credited to S.O.N.N.Y. (the Sound Of New New York) featuring Dooley Silverspoon and Jeanne Burton (sometimes spelled Geanne, later listed as Jenny, although I think that’s an error). I know Dooley and have his lone album. He was a blink-and-you’ll-miss-him early disco act on the tiny, independent Cotton label (also the label for “Losing”). Dooley’s records sound as if they were recorded on a non-existent budget, as does “Losing.” He was paired for a couple of singles with Burton, who had one single of her own on Cotton.
I got turned on to it by reading Vince Aletti’s glowing appraisal. The only other thing I’ve found was a tiny, one-paragraph review that notes, “Melodically it’s all very obvious and predictable but there is a hidden quality about it all that cannot be denied. The more I hear it the more I get into it.” (The reviewer would go on to study commas in a second semester.) I don’t think the quality is hidden in the least. It’s the killer cello line that sure sounds as if it’s being played by Arthur Russell, as well as the way “Losing” builds from a quiet simmer to a furious boil, not unlike Russell’s masterpiece “Kiss Me Again.” And then Burton cuts loose to bring it all home. Aletti thinks she was told to go “full Donna Summer.” I love Donna, but I always thought the real magic in “Love to Love You Baby,” er um, comes because she’s so clearly faking it. I’m not so sure here.
Rumors surface from time-to-time of an extended mix of David Bowie’s theme from Cat People, released only in Australia. I disbelieved for a long time, but I did recently find a bootleg of it. This may be a con job—some repeated riffing with a pointless sax solo thrown in. (But then again, isn’t that often what an extended remix entails?) With Bowie demand being at an all-time high, if this were for real you’d think it would resurface legitimately. I was listening to this while the Republican convention shitshow was grinding away in the background. Bowie sings, “Putting out the fire—with GASOLINE!” and I think “There! There’s your RNC platform.” Idiots. And the Dame will always be prescient, God love him. He knew when to get out.
“Lady Bump” is one of those novelty discs that seems predicated on a dated gimmick, McLean’s absolutely feral caterwauling at the end of each line. (McLean was the lead singer on Silver Convention's “Fly, Robin, Fly.”) After “Lady Bump” hit, it was released with a different B-side, “The Lady Bumps On,” that was supplied for jocks to make an extended jam out of it, and I must say the repeated “Look at Me!” transforms it from novelty to perfect disco-era mantra. The extension didn’t end up on the lp, and I don’t think “Lady” was released as a 12". This makes it perfect for the seven-inch only series I did several years back.
And had I known “J-E-A-L-O-U-S” before now, it would have been ideal for my disco spelling bee podcast (as would have Jermaine Jackson’s S-E-R-I-O-U-S. Where was my head at the time?) By the time of this single, the Originals had moved from Motown to the San Francisco/Oakland–based Fantasy, a label notorious for releasing sonically brutal mixes. This one banged so hot that it all but fried the speakers on my laptop. It sounded so awful, I had to re-record it and tamp down the highs and the lows. It’s a shame. What you hear here gives little indication of how fierce this record truly is. If you want to rattle the foundations of your house, seek it out.
Sarah Brightman’s second act was to be in the original cast of the West End staging of Cats and then marry Andrew Lloyd Webber. I find all of it to be of a perfectly tacky piece.
I can find nothing on Martinique or “Bedtime Story”—not even a Discogs listing—but there it sits on my record table, waiting to be re-shelved. It’s on Elektra, so it can’t be that obscure. A disco take on Braham’s Lullaby, it’s charmingly ridiculous and the ideal way to close this episode. Sleep tight!
Love Is More Than Making Love—Lenore O’Malley ’80 ۴ Don’t Stop/You Make Lovin’ Fun—The Disco-Dance Band ’78 ۴ Rock and Roll Part 2/Some Kinda Wonderful—Joel Diamond ’83 ۴ Cat People (Australian Extended Mix)—David Bowie ’82 ۴ General Suarez—Tchou Tchou Combo ’75 ۴ I Lost My Heart to a Starship Trooper—Sarah Brightman & Hot Gossip ’78 ۴ Sexy Thrills—Extensive Care ’80 ۴ J-E-A-L-O-U-S—The Originals ’79 ۴ Party Bump Part 1—Gentlemen & Their Ladies ’73 ۴ Lady Bump/The Lady Bumps On—Penny McLean ’75 ۴ Party Bump Part 2—Gentlemen & Their Ladies ’73 ۴ Love Starts After Dark—Gene Page ’80 ۴ Superslick—Wham ’78 ۴ Am I Losing You?—Dooley Silverspoon and Jeanne Burton ’76 ۴ Bed Time Story—Martinique
Thursday Jul 23, 2020
Treasure Chest
Thursday Jul 23, 2020
Thursday Jul 23, 2020
No theme this go ’round, merely a collection of oddballs and end runs that have been hanging out near my turntable in the past days. We’ll start with a recent discovery, Robert (a/k/a Bobby) Callender, a Boston-based soul man who had a near hit in the 1960s with his cover of Smokey Robinson’s “You’ve Really Got a Hold on Me.” On that, Callender sings in an almost childlike falsetto that really gets under your skin. It did well enough to land him a major label deal, and he produced a couple of remarkable psychedelic soul albums. His final issue, Musee De L’Impressionisme, came in 1972 and no one seems to know what became of him after. A song suite about French impressionism, Musee received an extremely limited release in Holland. It’s completely sui generis; if you’re lucky enough to hear it, you’ll be at a loss to explain it to others. “Renoir” will give you a taste.
The Pacific Blue and Johnny King Band cuts are b-sides that outshine their As. I heard “Zulu” as a track being played in a UK club (Heaven?) during a BBC report on the emerging gay lifestyle. Heinsight is a local Chicago disco duo who issued an album on a local label. Several cuts pass muster. Tod Foster’s “Dancin’” is an early Bobby O remix, and Arni Egilsson is a jazz bassist who released one album in a vanity pressing. “Howduz Disco” has really grown on me.
Lastly, stop me if I’ve told this before: allegedly Atlantic handed the master tape of ABBA’s “Dancing Queen” to Tom Moulton for a remix. Moulton handed it back and said, “There’s nothing I can do to this to make it better. It’s perfect as is.” Indeed, but Mexican band La Santa Cecilia’s retool with donkey clip-clop percussion and accordion for days is killer. It’s on a 2014 disc Dancing Queens that has any number of great ABBA remakes by Latin artists. It’s worth hunting down.
Disco Extraordinaire—Juggy Murray Jones ’76 ۩ Gotta Dance—Pacific Blue ’78 ۩ Dancing Queen—La Santa Cecilia ’14 ۩ Pierre Auguste Renoir—Robert Callender ’72 ۩ Zulu—The Quick ’82 ۩ Dancin’—Tod Foster ’78 ۩ Keep on Rollin’—Hokis Pokis ’75 ۩ Let Me Dance—Ronn Matlock ’79 ۩ Treasure Chest—Rising Love featuring Karen Braxton ’79 ۩ I’m Happy, Thank God, I’m Happy—Johnny King Band ’77 ۩ Time Bomb—Jeanie Tracy ’84 ۩ Howduz Disco—Arni Egilsson ’80 ۩ Disco Break—Hemlock ’79 ۩ Cryin’ Wind—Tender Aggression ’76
Saturday Jun 20, 2020
Let's All Chant: FTP
Saturday Jun 20, 2020
Saturday Jun 20, 2020
The Chi-Lites, The Coup; The Isley Brothers; LCD Sound System; Curtis Mayfield; Eugene McDaniels; Prince; The Rolling Stones; Gil Scott-Heron; Sly and the Family Stone; Staple Singers, Swamp Dogg; Wondaland; Stevie Wonder