Bionic Boogie
Bionic Boogie (CD)
Funkytowngrooves (UK) / Original album release: 1977; CD reissue: 2010 / FTG-219
CD in jewel case with liner notes
Producer: Gregg Diamond for Diamond Touch Productions Ltd.
All Songs Written and Arranged by Gregg Diamond / Diamond Touch Publishing ASCAP
Engineer: Godfrey Diamond
Bionic Boogie are:
Players:
Acoustic piano, Fender Rhodes Piano, Wurlitzer: Gregg Diamond
Guitar: Lance Quinn
Guitar: Steve Love
Bass: Jim Gregory
Drums: Alan Schwartzberg
Percussion: Jimmy Maeleu
Strings:
Gene Orloff
Lony Loniere
Hary Lookovsky
Sanford Allen
Jesse Levy
Kermit Moore
Horns:
Peter Eckland: Trumpet
Charley Miller: Trumpet
Joe Ferguson: Sax
John Kelly: Trombone
Arranger: Brad Baker
Special production assistant: Godfrey Diamond
Recorded at Media Sound
Recording Assistants: Michael Browner, Phil Shrago, Ramona, Bill Stein
(The Group): Gwen Guthrie, Ullanda McCullough, Zach Sanders
Merci: Paul Schindler, Rick Stevens
Special thanks: Phyllis Hill, Brad Baker, James Gregory
Cover design by Thormahlen / Rock
Artwork: Ernest Thormahlen
Photography: Mick Rock
CD Reissue producers: Tony Calvert, Donald Cleveland
Production manager: Matt Murphy
Package design: Anna Forrester (Almac Design)
for Funkytowngrooves Ltd. 2010
A Tom Moulton remaster
Liner notes: Brian Chin
Special limited edition
(Bionic Boogie CD) Special thanks to:
Harry Weinger, Kathleen Basart, Allison Arias, Paul Hall, Gene Zacherewicz, Charlie Grappone, Andy Skurow, Vince Aletti, Bernie @ DiscoMusic.com and all the staff at Universal Special Markets, also a big thanks to Tom Moulton for his remastering.
- Dance Little Dreamer 3:48 Bionic Boogie
- Risky Changes 6:21 Bionic Boogie
- Don't Lose That Number (Mumbo Jumbo) 4:55 Bionic Boogie
- Boogie Boo 5:22 Bionic Boogie
- We Must Believe In Magic 5:00 Bionic Boogie
- Stop The Music 4:56 Bionic Boogie
- Feel Like Dancing 4:01 Bionic Boogie
- Big West 4:58 Bionic Boogie
- Dance Little Dreamer (12" Extended) 5:16 Bionic Boogie
- Risky Changes (12" Extended) 7:17 Bionic Boogie
Bionic Boogie Origins
Bionic Boogie is the studio group founded by producer and song writer Gregg Diamond in 1977. It's not clear how the name Bionic Boogie came about, but the term bionic was very popular in the mid-1970s perhaps owing to the popular ABC television shows, Six Million Dollar Man and The Bionic Woman which aired from about 1973 to 1978. Bionic Boogie released two albums: Bionic Boogie (1977) and Hot Butterfly (1978) as well as a number of twelve inch singles. Bionic Boogie however was not Gregg Diamond's first foray into music as Diamond had started much earlier in the 1970s as part of a rock act known as Jobriath and of course being the producer to The Andrea True Connection's Disco classic More, More, More in 1975 as well as producing albums for label mates Gloria Gaynor on Polydor and George McCrae on TK Records.
Bionic Boogie's self titled debut album was released on Polydor Records in the United States in 1977 as PD-1-6123 and 2391-322 in England and consisted of a hand picked group of musicians and singers that just seemed perfect together. The singers on this album are Gwen Guthrie, Ullanda McCullough and Zach Sanders. The late Luther Vandross was tapped for the second album for his smooth vocals after he had just come off working on David Bowie's Young Americans. The role of concertmaster and the strings were handled by Gene Orloff who had previously worked on Vickie Sue Robinson's Turn the Beat Around and several other New York based Disco productions. Cissy Houston, best known for her Disco hit, Think It Over on Private Stock Records was also tapped for her vocals. The lineup varied slightly between the two albums, but the result was always blissful Disco music. A rare synergy of talent coming together under the auspices of Gregg Diamond who knew which direction to take his cast.
Album Observations
The first Bionic Boogie album originally contained eight tracks yet several commercial and promotional singles were released that contained special remixes done by such legendary Disco mixers as the late Jim Burgess. These additional and sometimes hard to find singles really kept the music from this album in rotation by major Disco DJs for some time after the original release. In other words, this Bionic Boogie album enjoyed an extended shelf life thanks to the quality and remixes offered.
The two biggest cuts from the Bionic Boogie album are Risky Changes and Dance Little Dreamer yet most of the other tracks enjoyed play on the club level as well.
The music on this debut album is beautifully produced and performed. The wealth of textures brought about by the skillful weaving of symphonic elements, soulful vocals, percussive intensity and driving beat is evident from the first listen. Other Disco producers and records tried this formula, but Gregg Diamond really hit the mark on this album. Everything just clicked and the fact that this album has remained in high demand by Disco aficionados for the last four decades is a testament to Bionic Boogie's staying power. There is no denying brilliance when one hears it.
The Original Bionic Boogie Album Had a Flaw!
Several years ago a DiscoMusic.com member by the name of BrunoRepublic informed me of a serious flaw he had discovered while trying to create a CD from his original U.S. vinyl record. It turned out that Polydor had narrowed the stereo imaging on the Bionic Boogie album to such a point that it was essentially in mono! Sure enough, I took a more careful listen to my vinyl copy of Bionic Boogie only to be horrified that BrunoRepublic was correct. Polydor apparently did this to cram more of the music on the limited groove space that the vinyl format permitted. While understandable to a certain extent, there really was no reason for such a brutal narrowing of the stereo image. We determined that all the U.S. pressings suffered from the same problem. However, I took a chance on buying the British Polydor pressing of the album and thankfully it contained the full stereo sound, but was rather anemic in the bass department. So a trade-off was made in each case. Which was better: a fuller sound with little stereo separation as in the American pressing or full stereo with limited impact as in the British pressing? Thankfully, this album's reissue for the first time on compact disc nullifies all those concerns.
Bionic Boogie Album Finally Reissued on CD
Funkytowngrooves Ltd is the small reissue specialist out of the United Kingdom that for the past few years has been laboriously securing the rights and master tapes to reissue a number of legendary Disco albums. When they announced late last year on the DiscoMusic.com message boards that they would be reissuing both Bionic Boogie albums, Disco collectors went nuts, but also had many questions. Would the albums contain bonus material? Would Funkytowngrooves go to the effort of using the original master tapes? Would they provide original album art and liner notes? Did they correct the stereo imaging problems that plagued the original vinyl release? The answer to all of the above is an unequivocal YES!
Bonus material = YES
In addition to the original eight tracks, Funky Town Grooves has included two bonus tracks to round out this excellent album, the hard to find extended 12 inch versions of Dance Little Dreamer and Risky Changes.
Use the original Master Tapes = YES
Here's the big news... Funkytowngrooves held out and negotiated for some time with Universal Music to acquire the original master tapes for this compact disc. This is not a vinyl rip, but a direct copy from the master tapes which was faithfully remastered by the one and only Tom Moulton. Yes, Funkytowngrooves commissioned Mr. Moulton to do the remastering on this CD.
Original album art and liner notes = YES
The original album art was reproduced for this release. Admittedly the scanning of the CD cover is a bit dull and lacking the vibrancy of the original vinyl release, but it's there. Liner notes are provided by none other than Brian Chin and gives some background info on Gregg Diamond and the making of the album.
Stereo imaging flaw corrected = YES
Since Funkytowngrooves went to the trouble of utilizing the original master tapes they were able to sidestep the stereo mastering fault that had plagued the original vinyl releases. It's the wide stereo imaging on this reissue CD that makes this new release so special. You will never want to hear your vinyl copy again after getting this CD and this is coming from a died in the wool vinyl record collector and audiophile. Listening to Bionic Boogie now seems so alive and open. Individual instruments can be more easily picked out and followed. It's almost revelatory!
If you buy only one single artist Disco album this year then you must make it Bionic Boogie's debut album. This is an out and out must have CD.
Buy from:
Amazon.com (US)
Amazon.co.uk (UK)
Listen to Risky Changes by Gregg Diamond's Bionic Boogie:
Submitted by DiscoMusic.com (3705)
Comments:
Leave a reply »
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Apr 14, 11 | 7:52 pmNo, Garry, he died of gastrointestinal bleeding in 1999 sadly. Both the reissues are great ("Hot Butterfly" is also available and is fantastic.Plus they include remixes!)
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Apr 14, 11 | 9:14 am
One more thing, that album cover. Oh my goodness! Sensual, sexy, alluring, and just plain GOOD!!! The disco era was "off the chain" as they say today relative to album covers. There was no MTV, VH1, or other video medium available so the album covers had to promote, market and sell the albums as well. When looking at the model on the cover, you get the feeling you can eat her, she looks so tasty! My hats off to Gregg Diamond. Is he still alive?
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Apr 14, 11 | 9:11 am
I purchased this album in 1978 I believe and played it over and over for two or more years after its popularity had waned. My favorite songs were Risky Changes and Dance Litlle Dreamer. The congas are out there as are the string sections (which are my favorite apart from the beat) but I am a musician and love all of the music on this album. Haven't heard the reissue but will get it soon to see what all the fuss is about. Great album, great production, and great music (which is hard to come by these days...everything is canned). Peace disco lovers!!!
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Nov 06, 10 | 7:06 am
It really is thrilling to see this album, and "Hot Butterfly" to be released on cd.I really didn't think it would happen.But it has, and I wasted no time in getting them both.The liner notes,written by Brian Chin, are quirky, yet informative, though brief.The original artwork,which is amazing, is retained.The extra tracks are 12" versions of "Risky Changes" and "Dance Little Dreamer". Because I have listened to those songs so many times before, its quite exciting to hear those little extra bits in the extended versions.I think "Risky Changes" could have been a little louder however.The overall sound is great.The material itself is typically Gregg Diamond - heaps of changes (risky or otherwise..), manic, oddball lyrics, funky bass, dramatic strings,pumping piano, sizzling percussion, and delicious black vocals from no less than Luther Vandross, Ullanda McCullough and Gwen Guthrie.This to me is what REAL disco music is.An essential purchase.Thank you for releasing this Funkytowngrooves.
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Oct 23, 10 | 9:54 pm
AGREE, AGREE, AGREED!!!
One of the Top 5 purchases this year!!!
Thanks Funkytown Grooves and everyone involed for DOING IT RIGHT!!
Hello!
compared with the Tom Moulton remastered new cd of 2010, how stands the 'mini' cd released by Unidisc in 1992?