Voyage

[SandraDee]

Sorry to bring up the zillionth thread about this group (I do love'em but I have played 'em to death in recent years!) but I'm doing my own CD compilations at the moment & trying to do everything chronologically (as I'm tres anal! :roll: :lol: ) & i'm wondering whether to put 'From East to West' in '77 or '78? Many sources say this is a '77 record but I'm sure it was a hit here in the summer of '78. Likewise for 'Souvenirs' - '78 or '79? This self-imposed task has revealed just how some records took literally months to actually reach the charts after they were originally released (of course many brilliant records didn't cross over to the pop charts at all & many more didn't even get UK releases! :evil: )

[DISCODISK]

SANDRADEE youve been away? i thought youd left after you shouted at the q ooh that language :o 8)
from east to west charted here in june 78 and from my memory it was pretty instant after release,souveniers was nov 78 on charts

[SandraDee]

Thanx DD. How's it hangin'? No I haven't been away (unfortunately), I've just not been visiting here much lately for various reasons, mainly because I spend too much money on the internet! :lol: :o Looks like I've joined the ranks of Boody, Jazz pilgrim, Marten, Jeff etc. in that I just pay an occasional visit. :cry: As the saying goes 'you can get too much of a good thing'!

[jam master jay]

I would agree with From East To West as 1978, and I would place Souveniers in 1979 - though it was indeed an immediate hit on release in late 1978. I recall listening to that album much more in 1979...two absolute classics.

[SandraDee]

Oh right, so Souvenirs is probably more '79. It was probably one of those records like Saint Tropez's 'One More Minute' that came out in '78 but was really big in '79. Thankyou.

[Mixmachine]

the original "Voyage "LP with "east to west" was released in '77, the Marlin/TK release came later in '78, I don't know the exact dates but by the time the Marlin release hit general retail stores in my area this song/LP was already a hit in Miami with Hustle Dancers. The original French version was a hot item in local shops then, I remember Djs begging for the store copy.

http://bellsouthpwp.net/m/i/mixmach/Voyage_Lp.jpg

I find it interesting that this record made it all the way to Miami and the USA before the UK since it was produced just across the Channel from you :-? I was also under the wrong impression that this music didn't fly in the UK according to some obviously questionable testimonies around here. :roll:

[SandraDee]

Originally Posted by Mixmachine

I find it interesting that this record made it all the way to Miami and the USA before the UK since it was produced just across the Channel from you :-? I was also under the wrong impression that this music didn't fly in the UK according to some obviously questionable testimonies around here. :roll:

It's not at all surprising to me, given UK DJs' total contempt for Eurodisco. The club scene in the UK was always run by a soul/funk/jazz 'mafia' (their description, not mine) & the UK gay scene (which supported Eurodisco far more) hadn't got fully into its stride until the early 80s. The main surprise to me was that 'From East to West' achieved any commercial success at all here as I don't recall radio playing it much until it actually made the pop charts. 'Souvenirs' didn't sell as well only reaching #56; 'Lets Fly Away' did better as it did get the radio play. I don't know for sure how much play Voyage actually received in UK clubs as I was too young to go dancing then but I'd like to guess that the people on this site who said it didn't get played worked on the funk/soul scene at that time. I remember being pleasantly surprised when I first looked at the US dance charts in '78/'79 to see how well Eurodisco did over there considering how strong much of the North American-based talent was. It always irritated me that brilliant records by the likes of Space, Rosebud, Voyage & Beautiful Bend got so shamefully ignored here when I know that given the right exposure to them the British public would've bought them as most UK people like to have a good time to uplifting joyous music like this. OK, some Eurodisco was a bit trite but there's good & bad stuff in all genres isn't there? There are also many awful funk or rock or jazz records in my experience. :-?

[efunk_adelic]

Originally Posted by SandraDee

Sorry to bring up the zillionth thread about this group (I do love'em but I have played 'em to death in recent years!) but I'm doing my own CD compilations at the moment & trying to do everything chronologically (as I'm tres anal! :roll: :lol: ) & i'm wondering whether to put 'From East to West' in '77 or '78? Many sources say this is a '77 record but I'm sure it was a hit here in the summer of '78. Likewise for 'Souvenirs' - '78 or '79? This self-imposed task has revealed just how some records took literally months to actually reach the charts after they were originally released (of course many brilliant records didn't cross over to the pop charts at all & many more didn't even get UK releases! :evil: )

I thought I was bad with the chronological thing... I love listing my songs in order of release and or putting the chart info on the cover if I make one... it makes it more special, eh? :lol:


I find it odd that the UK didn't embrace Voyage or Euro... but I have no problem with you guys feelin' the funk either :D

[totouk]

Originally Posted by SandraDee

It's not at all surprising to me, given UK DJs' total contempt for Eurodisco. The club scene in the UK was always run by a soul/funk/jazz 'mafia' (their description, not mine) & the UK gay scene (which supported Eurodisco far more) hadn't got fully into its stride until the early 80s. The main surprise to me was that 'From East to West' achieved any commercial success at all here as I don't recall radio playing it much until it actually made the pop charts. 'Souvenirs' didn't sell as well only reaching #56; 'Lets Fly Away' did better as it did get the radio play. I don't know for sure how much play Voyage actually received in UK clubs as I was too young to go dancing then but I'd like to guess that the people on this site who said it didn't get played worked on the funk/soul scene at that time. I remember being pleasantly surprised when I first looked at the US dance charts in '78/'79 to see how well Eurodisco did over there considering how strong much of the North American-based talent was. It always irritated me that brilliant records by the likes of Space, Rosebud, Voyage & Beautiful Bend got so shamefully ignored here when I know that given the right exposure to them the British public would've bought them as most UK people like to have a good time to uplifting joyous music like this. OK, some Eurodisco was a bit trite but there's good & bad stuff in all genres isn't there? There are also many awful funk or rock or jazz records in my experience. :-?

I agree with every word you said there. I loved the first two Voyage albums which were on the old GTO label. From East To West was first and was from the album with a picture of the Earth on the front, then the second had a sunset on the front. I only found out that a third one existed a few years ago when I found a CD of tracks (with a long version of From East To West on it) in HMV in Manchester of all places. What is even more amazing is like Cerrone and Alec R Costandinos, the albums were recorded in London and virtually ignored by the English public.

toto

[QUINNY]

Originally Posted by totouk

I agree with every word you said there. I loved the first two Voyage albums which were on the old GTO label. From East To West was first and was from the album with a picture of the Earth on the front, then the second had a sunset on the front. I only found out that a third one existed a few years ago when I found a CD of tracks (with a long version of From East To West on it) in HMV in Manchester of all places. What is even more amazing is like Cerrone and Alec R Costandinos, the albums were recorded in London and virtually ignored by the English public.

toto

Guys, we just didn't like these records a whole bunch. It has nothing to do with the Mafia DJs. I like many hundreds (thousands) of my DJ contemporaries played From East To West, Souvenirs etc, but they soon became rather monotonous and boring. I've always felt that Voyage was (a) cynical (b) rather bland (c) rather unfocused...rock attitude/ instrumentation mixed with girlie choruses and sugary sweet quasi-symphonic music just didn't work and (d) maybe tried too hard at times. I HATED the way they'd start off with a fairly funky hard groove only to surrender to the typical Eurodisco sound after a minute or so. They lost their balls, n'est-ce pas?

[remicks]

*****

Just from Quinny's description of the music ... it seems to reflect that what he says was true ... the UK DJs just didn't get it .... and therefore they didn't like it .
Might it have had something to do with a lack of complementary venues .... ones not complete with spectacular lighting and big room sound quality ..... ( :-? ? )

Sounds as though the romp rooms found there then were still more suited to the sounds of ol' funky soul tunes ...... :-?

*****

[QUINNY]

Originally Posted by remicks

*****

Just from Quinny's description of the music ... it seems to reflect that what he says was true ... the UK DJs just didn't get it .... and therefore they didn't like it .
Might it have had something to do with a lack of complementary venues .... ones not complete with spectacular lighting and big room sound quality ..... ( :-? ? )

Sounds as though the romp rooms found there then were still more suited to the sounds of ol' funky soul tunes ...... :-?

*****

Nothing to do with rooms, sound systems or lights, but everything to do with music and feel. Voyage just didn't feel right. Disco music (in its purest form) was very much an American thing, made to suit the then American tastes. You guys have always had a certain way with music, most which was embraced by the world at different times throughout the 20th century. After the gritty funk and soul offerings of the early/mid '60s through to the mid '70s, Disco music just sounded like a wee backward step, especially the symphonic, Eurotrash which tried to emulate American music and style, but failed miserably.

You guys liked it.....fine by me, but don't expect a zillion guys to suddenly agree with you, or not put the opposing view.

[remicks]

Originally Posted by QUINNY

Nothing to do with rooms, sound systems or lights, but everything to do with music and feel. Voyage just didn't feel right. Disco music (in its purest form) was very much an American thing, made to suit the then American tastes. You guys have always had a certain way with music, most which was embraced by the world at different times throughout the 20th century. After the gritty funk and soul offerings of the early/mid '60s through to the mid '70s, Disco music just sounded like a wee backward step, especially the symphonic, Eurotrash which tried to emulate American music and style, but failed miserably.

You guys liked it.....fine by me, but don't expect a zillion guys to suddenly agree with you, or not put the opposing view.

I personally welcome opposing views ........

So what were the clubs there like ??..... I was going to clubs where a full time person was working the lights interweaving their effects to the particulars of the songs and sound technicians were always at hand ...because if the sound was compromised .... the evening was over ........ and yes !!
all this had a lot to do with the whole schtick .... the groove .... the vibe ....the atmosphere ....the way this music was experienced ....

( if it didn't matter ..... they wouldn't have bothered )

What you are calling a throw back Quinny .... I'd rather call the final culmination ...when all the previous sounds jelled into one big awesome orgasmic dance party groove 8) .... all the previous influences ..... big band ....rock ... jazz .... funk .... soul ......latin .... african .... classical ....all converged to become disco : the pinnacle of music ....
It can't and won't ever be topped .....

because .... once the pinnacle is reached .... there's just nowhere higher to go ...... :) :P


_________

I still fail to understand this "disco (in its purest form) " terminology ??? ... What is this ???

*****

[QUINNY]

Remicks: I agree that good sound systems and lights can add to a vibe, BUT they cannot replace a good basic music vibe. The longer I was a DJ, the more I lamented the basic earthy feel of my early clubs, where people came for the right reasons, rather than the fixtures and fittings. The management, who put the later day Disco palaces together, probably lost a lot of the American vibe in translation, so to speak.

To be honest, until 1979/80 nearly all UK clubs were run on very low key lines, without any of the slickness to be found in the U.S. and even after that date there were very few that would have stood any sort of direct comparison. That's the whole point....we were different and so a different music suited. However, the holiday hotspots around the Mediterranean had classy, hi tech discos long before any American ones were ever thought about, but of course, many of these catered only to the holiday trade for a few months in the summer months. Even so, Black American R&B, Soul and Funk were the major part of their playlists, along with the latest singalong holiday specials.

It's interesting to note that the US had a sudden explosion of discos, whereas Europe and the UK had had a much more gradual acceptance of discotheques over a relatively long period (from the early to mid '60s. We didn't have the same stifling labour relations laws that you had in the U.S. regarding musicians and live music and so it was much easier for discotheques to legally trade and subsequently they were much more the 'done thing' by the time Disco happened. Our dancing patterns (even among hetero white guys) were much more established compared to the U.S. Fridays and Saturdays at the local disco were very much a way of life for countless numbers of people.

[remicks]

*****

Originally Posted by QUINNY

That's the whole point....we were different and so a different music suited.

.

That's a good point ..... 8) So I'm suggesting that
a strong element that made you different was your style of clubbing and the type of atmosphere found within them ....

Funkier low key joints were better suited for funkier music .
It's hard to pulll off the glitz of ballroom dancing or hustling in a casual corner bar .
Disco brought a certain glamour to the dance floor ...orchestration ... thoughtful dancing ..... and more style to the clubs .....
Put it this way ..... Nile and Bernard didn't come up with the name CHIC for lack of reason .... we're talkin' clams on the half shell here ...... oh ya ... and roller skates ! :lol: .... It wasn't all "high class" ( real or imagined ) .... :lol:
8)

*****