The Playlist for Remember the Party 5!

[Eman]

I have to appologize for spelling your name wrong last post Keefelc. You know there aren't really any good clubs down here in San Diego, that play good Disco music. My other half said I would do well in San Francisco...but you know how it is you go where your job is....

So do you know of any good records stores there that I can order some disco vinyls from or any other good clubs to check out. I might be able to go to S.F. on the next long weekend that's Nov 10th.

[keefelc]

Not a problem with the spelling, Eman. I've seen much much worst. :razz:

As for stores that still have vinyl here in SF. Unfortunately, most of them have been long picked over by the many collectors in SF. Amoeba and Streetlight USED to be good as well as some of the thrift stores catering to the GLBT community. JeffH might know of some other stores, but when I'm looking for vinyl these days, I usually just head over to Ebay or GEMM.

As for clubs in SF, I would say check out the ads in Gloss Magazine (I think it's www.sfgloss.com ) or Odyssey Magazine (the SF edition is at www.odysseymagazine.net ) to see what's coming up when you'll be here. Of course, Moby Dick bar will still play the classics and you can find John Hedges spinning at I believe it's now called 4140 (formerly Daddy's) - both in the Castro. :razz:

Here's the latest chapter in my recap.

One of the mass Emails that went out publicizing RtP 5 described the theme of Jerry’s set for the evening,

“Get ready to tear the roof off the muthasucka' as this time the night will feature the hot underground sounds of Groove Disco - soulful, funky, deep, sexy with soaring vocals that merge the sacred and the secular into one steamy dancefloor destined to make you move your body.”

That was so evident as Jerry built up the intensity from Phyllis to Gene Dunlap’s energetic “Take My Love.” Female vocalists wailing the catchy chorus, bass & guitars pounding – why wasn’t this song a big hit back in the day?? The dance floor started to get much more crowded. Cheers and whoops went up as Jerry smoothly mixed into the theme song for the evening “Behind The Groove.”

Note that “smooth” is the best word to describe Jerry’s mixes for the evening. Those of you familiar with his sets from the last two RtPs know he has that talent for smoothly gliding out of one song into another, like the songs were created to match one another. Nothing harsh or jarring – just smooth, smooth, smooth, smooth, SMOOTH!

I later found out the color of the lights were also chosen to give a smooth, warm, happy glow – lots of magentas, bright reds, turquoise blues, greens and golds were used to convey the “soulful” feeling of the evening. A reverse of the dark, sexy feel of last year’s Black Party themed event where there were lots of dark blues and purples.

Also, the club had added “Mayan” themed set pieces throughout the dancefloor (a flat styrofoam pyramid on the wall behind the stage, columns covered with a faux stone brick look, fake tropical flowers). When the overhead lights were on, these touches looked just downright tacky! However, our lighting crew did their best to have the lighting effects integrated to make the club’s “embellishments” look halfway decent.

Back to the music, I was a little surprised when the dancers cheered to Keith Barrows’s “Turn Me Up.” I didn’t recall the song getting much San Francisco club play back when it was released, and very little at Troc. However, it sounded great Sunday night and was a great buildup to Bionic Boogie’s “Chains”! At this point, people were starting to arrive at the party in earnest and this glorious song inspired them to get on the dancefloor.

Next came Jerry’s redit of The Quick’s “Zulu” – Barry Walters and I think he must have mixed up the instrumental with the vocals. Sounded GOOD, especially when mixed with “The Natives Are Restless Tonight” – another great Ray Martinez song that was a HUGE favorite at Trocadero.

Other Troc favorites, George Duke’s “I Want You For Myself” and one of my favorite Change songs, “Paradise” followed, and the dancefloor kept getting more and more crowded. Then the first major peak of the evening hit when Jerry brought in those infamous bass notes from “Boogie Oogie Oogie.” The room erupted in cheers and people rushed to the dancefloor. Now some of you might be thinking “Why? You can still hear that song played on the radio.” However, Jerry made the song fresh again with a little reediting. I also think much of the crowd was ecstatic to hear the song played in the correct environment again – on a big sound system with wonderful lighting effects and, as Barry called it, “an appreciative crowd.” We would see that happen many more times during the night! :razz: :razz:

[Eman]

Thanks! I'll definately check those clubs out and those stores...They have Amoeba in LA and I have to drive up there...but you never know what you'll find, right! Keep us posted if the cd for the playlist comes out....I just called my other (he's in Spain for awhile) and told him and he got a little jealous when I told him what I plan to do this long weekend...oh well he gets to party in Ibiza...LOL...but in the end as long as we're together is what counts...ain't love grand!!! He's 62 and loves disco/dance and remembers Troc parties from the 80's in the Bay Area...He might have even gone to some...

[nrgbeat]

Here's a little Troc treat. (25 seconds worth)

http://download.yousendit.com/B81CB4BE5949436E

[keefelc]

More of my recap...

We were now about 2 hours into the party. Although the club was pretty full, we still had not yet reached the level of the crowd of last year’s party. I wondered if that would be it? Did interest in this great music dissipate in a year’s time? Would this be the last RtP event because of insufficient support? I was about to find out that I was worrying needlessly.

Turns out people just decided to come a little later so they could last a little longer. “Boogie Oogie Oogie” seemed to be the song that migrated everyone in the club onto the dance floor. We also noticed you could hear the dancers loudly singing along.

As Jerry weaved in the big classics “Put Your Body In It” and “You Can Do It,” people were arriving in droves and were ready to GROOVE! Just a little while ago, there was room so you could maneuver through the dance floor without bumping into other people. The empty spaces suddenly disappeared and the roars of approval grew louder and louder. The cheers as Jerry surprised us with “Whistle Bump” surprised me. Same thing with “Dreaming A Dream” – I didn’t know if the crowd would remember this song since it was from 1975 and an instrumental to boot. They did!

Jerry caught the crowd off guard when he followed with “Heaven Must Be Missing An Angel” and the roar that filled the room was deafening. Now Robbie Leslie played this song at the first RtP. There was a huge response to the song then (remember, Marky?). The response was even louder this evening.

The crowd was in the mood for the classics and Jerry was giving it to them. I think you can imagine the cheering that went on when he followed with “The Hustle”! I happened to be in the booth at this time and I commented to Jerry, “Can you see anybody doing the Hustle?” He responded, “There’s no room!” Yes, the dance floor was wall to wall people. I don’t believe I’ve ever seen this large of a crowd at any of the prior RtPs. The dancers were cheering all through the song. Their shouts of approval continued through Silvetti’s “Spring Rain.” Once again, I was surprised at how many people remembered this lovely instrumental.

Another thing I really noticed was the sound quality of these songs from way back in the 70s on a big modern club sound system. I know that when Jerry prepares the CDs of each song he’ll be using for the RtPs, he’ll do his best to tweak the sound quality. He did the same for this party. He will also take the time to visit the club about a week earlier to go over the sound system with the club’s sound tech. Before RtP 5, he commented that except for the strange positioning of some speakers and some other easily correctible problems, the Glas Kat’s sound system sounded GOOD.

On this system, the pure, rich and BIG sound of tunes with REAL instruments and orchestras, like “The Hustle,” “Spring Rain,” the Ritchie Family’s “Quiet Village,” Musique’s “Summer Love Theme” and John Davis’s “Love Magic,” made listening and dancing to these songs again SO joyful!

Next, the crowd goes nuts!

[the disco kid]

Keefe

thanks for making the evening fresh all over again!

i love reading your recap of the party.

thank you

[keefelc]

You're very welcome, TDK!! :D

Eman, I wish you and your half could have come to RtP 5. The wonderful thing about the RtP events is that they are designed so people of all generations feel comfortable. Of course, those of us who went to Troc during it's heyday, feel like we're home again!!!

I always have to ask, does he remember Aloha Records in SF (where Marky and I worked) or Remicks at the record store in the Stonestown Shopping Center - all back in the early 80s of course!

I'm happy to report the CD sets are now in the midst of being manufactured!

Oh, I forgot, here's the link to the first of some little clips from RtP 5 to coincide with the latest recap! A little "Love Magic"...

YouTube - A moment from Remember the Party 5 disco event

[Eman]

Hey Keefelc!
I'll have to ask him...although we weren't together during that time... He does remember Moby Dick's and Daddy's. LOL...I can't wait to order the cd keep us posted and great little video!!!

[Energyguy]

Originally Posted by the disco kid

You are correct, it's an Ian Levine production, the 12" features a beautiful instrumental on the B side.

there is also a disconet version that features the percussion break passages in the 12" very nicely

This is one of my favourite Levine disco tracks - very well produced/arranged. I was lucky enough to find a 12" copy a few years ago

[keefelc]

I had time to write a little more of my recap for you. Hope you're enjoying!


Now that Jerry‘s audience was here, he really started to have fun with us. Time to break out the surprises but first another Troc classic as he brought in “True Love Is My Destiny.” Always a crowd pleaser and the start of a nice set of r&b disco. I had to shout “Hooray!” when Jerry followed with Gayle Adams’s “Your Love Is A Lifesaver.” I love this song! The vocals, the music – all have such a happy, uplifting feel. Gayle matched so well with D-Train’s “You’re The One For Me.”

Then Jerry started to really tease us with just a bit of “Baby Baba Boogie” – repeating the interlude with a bit of music and then the shout of “Boogie!” over and over. Then what’s this faint vocodered vocals we hear fading in? Why it’s Earth Wind and Fire’s “Let’s Groove!” “Let’s groove tonight, try the spice of life,” never sounded so good or so appropriate.

As EWF approached the end, the percussiony sounds of a very familiar song started sneaking in but since it was an instrumental segment not many recognized just yet. A few people started to catch on as you heard more and more “Woo’s!” and “Whoop’s!” Finally, the vocal let loose “I used to go out to paaaarrties, and stand around” - the CHEER the crowd let loose as they all recognized Marvin Gaye probably could be heard a block away!!! I thought it was cool that the crowd party noises on the record blended perfectly with real life.

This party was now on FIRE so what better song to segue in than “Keep The Fire Burning?”

YouTube - A second moment from 2006's Trocadero Transfer reunion party

Gino Soccio’s “Turn It Around” with it’s beautiful trumpet solo filling the room came on next. Then another big Trocadero hit, Jackie Moore’s “This Time Baby,” but wait, what was different? Why everybody was singing along, and LOUDLY! I felt like it was karaoke night at the Troc!

Then my very favorite Gladys Knight and the Pips record, the Walter Gibbons remix of “It’s A Better Than Good Time!!!!” Now Jerry had previously told me that he thought the sound quality and the editing of the commercial twelve of this remix were not done very well So, remember I told you he strived to give us the best sound possible? Well, for Gladys, Jerry reedited the song moving a little bit of the end towards the front and a little bit of the beginning towards the end. Plus he overlayed some parts to smooth out the transitions. It worked and the crowd appreciated the record! Another accomplishment is that Jerry played the song during the peak period of the party. I could only recall this song being played during the morning hours at Trocadero, back in it’s heyday. How cool to find out so many other people loved this song!

The transition into “It Must Be Love” was smooth as silk with it’s quiet intensity. Modern Romance’s “Can you move, can you move, can you shake to the rhythm of the latin beat?” broke that quiet. Patrick Cowley’s “Get A Little” was a good intro to Jerry’s reedit of “Funkytown.” Jerry extended the intro with a long instrumental filled with plenty of “beep beep.” The crowd was getting rowdy with excitement again. “Stomp!” had them shouting with enthusiasm, then the absolute HIGH, HIGH, HIGH point of the evening hit. Jerry broke into The Jackson’s “Can You Feel It” – the crowd didn’t take any time at all to recognize and they ROARED their appreciation. Hands in the air, whistles blowing, people jumping up and down (I wonder how many toes were crushed???), fan and flag dancers twirling. Michael and his brothers at their very best!!

But wait! There’s more. About a minute into the song, we started seeing a growing number of sparkly mylar pom poms being raised into the air. All of the sudden, the dancefloor was a beautiful sea of the pom poms reflecting the twinkling lights from the mirror balls! Everyone started cheering to see the magical sight, even Jerry! IT WAS INCREDIBLE!!! A goosebump moment.

How do you react to something this wonderful? Well, this crowd responded by singing along with the Jacksons! Robert, who was in the box office at the front of the club and behind a heavy closed door, later told us he could hear everyone cheering and singing just as if was right by the dance floor.

We later found out our Producers enlisted the help of DJ Rotten Robbie, who made all of the pom poms by hand, to surprise Jerry. I’ve mentioned in the past that these RtP events are labors of love. Isn’t that gesture from the Producers to their DJ additional proof?? :-D

[Eman]

Hey Keefelc!
Great recaps and video. Makes me really really want to go...hopefully the next one happens after Sept 07...cuz that's when my other half is back for good from Spain. Hopefully we'll get to go!!! Mostly hopefully we get to meet you and everyone else who goes from the board!!! I can't wait until the cd's are out for sale...the mix sounds really good in the videos. Hopefully you can post more videos that we can check out!!!

[keefelc]

Thank you, Eman! I hope you guys will be able to attend the next RtP event also. I've met a few of the gang from discomusic.com at the parties and we've become very good friends!!

No dates set for the next one yet, we're all still on the high from this past party! :D However, the producers have found the Columbus Day holiday weekend has been good because it's out of the way of the Folsom and Castro Street Fairs. Plus, it's not a major holiday where we would be competing with the big holiday dances. So, let's cross our fingers.

As for the CD sets, chances are very good that they will be at Medium Rare Music if you visit SF during the Veteran's Day holiday weekend. Per Jerry, probably sooner! :D I understand MRM will be the exclusive site to purchase in person or by mail order.

As for video clips, I was filming with both a digital camcorder and with my digital camera. The clips from the camera are easy to download to YouTube. There are about a half a dozen of these clips, which will soon be on the RtP website. As for the other footage, I'm not sure how to download little snippets from the 4 hours I filmed. I'm now trying to find out. Can anybody here offer some suggestions???

[Eman]

Looking forward to more of your vids Keefelc! Hopefully you are in some? :) Everyone seems to be having a ball. Oh by the way is there a web address for Medium Rare Records. Can't wait to check it out to see if I can order now!!!

[dvdjamm]

This really looked like it was fun...Jerry Bonham is one of the best DJs in the world...I wish that I could afford to get the CDs since the song selection is good and i'm sure it was flawlessly mixed....I have the 1st RtP CD set with Robbie Leslie.....Great description of the party,Keefe...U should be a writer :)

[remicks]

*****

Thanks for the GOT TO GIVE IT UP vid Keefelc !! Enjoyed it .
Most kind of you .....would love to hear the crowd's reaction when it first kicks in :roll::roll:





(oh remicks .... it's never enough with you is it !!! :oops::oops:)



:roll:*****