... if you love Alec R Costandinos or Cerrone, read this ..

[Graham_Start]

Originally Posted by DJ Jimmy M

I do know though that "How Much How Much I Love You" got a legit CD release back in 1989 on Unidisc..but it is VERY near impossible to find.

It's not the full album and it's not worth the money or effort. The material was dubbed from cassette.

[Videoskooter]

Ashley, like Graham points out: the Russian CD's are rip-offs! It's Grand Theft Costandinos!

The only legal output on CD is:

Alec Costandinos and The Syncophonic Orchestra Love and Kisses / Alec R. Costandinos and The Syncophonic Orchestra Greatest Hits DiscoMusic.com

AND THAT ONE IS RARE, VERY RARE!

And I doubt very much that the "How Much I Love You" CD is genuine. As far as I know Alec does not want to re-release his music! Didn't, doesn't, hasn't!

And that's a sad thing coz' I'm looking for this one: Tony Rallo "Holdin'On" and I've contacted Tony and even he is looking for a mint copy!!!!!!!

[Graham_Start]

Originally Posted by Videoskooter

And that's a sad thing coz' I'm looking for this one: Tony Rallo "Holdin'On" and I've contacted Tony and even he is looking for a mint copy!!!!!!!

I have two copies of this although neither are mint. I might be able to provide Tony with the next best thing though...

[Videoskooter]

Thx Graham, give me a few days to contact Tony again since he's still a very busy man. BTW, I know you're Canadian: do you speak French? Tony does (not a big deal but it would be easier )

[Graham_Start]

Originally Posted by Videoskooter

Thx Graham, give me a few days to contact Tony again since he's still a very busy man. BTW, I know you're Canadian: do you speak French? Tony does (not a big deal but it would be easier )

Nope. I only know one language. :(

[Videoskooter]

Oh yes,I forgot, it's probably only Québec. No problem, I'll manage.

But...getting back to Costandinos, our Jimmy M has made a little rmx of this 1,
The Pennine Radio Band Theme, anybody who has more info on that?

[DJ Jimmy M]

This isnt Alec's stuff. I just included his name in the search cause it has simmaler sounds and folks who like Alec would apreciate this. It was made for a UK radio jingle promo package cart tape for Pennine Radio in the late 70s.

[Dr. Disco]

Originally Posted by Graham_Start

It's not the full album and it's not worth the money or effort. The material was dubbed from cassette.

Hi Graham,
I enjoy reading your posts and was curious if you knew any further details regarding Unidisc and their source material, specifically about the Costandinos Greatest Hits CD Unidisc had issued many years ago. I have that CD and it's okay but flawed. There isn't tape hiss, though I noticed on Romeo and Juliet that the hi-hat cymbals sound "dampened". On the other hand, I have a Carrie Lucas CD (Portrait of Carrie) from Unidisc which truly sounds like a crappy tape dub, complete with tape hiss and a very 'thin' sound.

(NOTE: I retracted my statement about the Unidisc Costandinos CD sounding pretty good. I just had a listen and forgot how weak "How Much How Much I Love You" sounds, as well as the distortion on "Accidental Lover".)

[Videoskooter]

Originally Posted by DJ Jimmy M

This isnt Alec's stuff

LOL, that's why I wanted some more info. I was reluctant to make the Costandinos connection here because of the...voices. They sound different. But the rmx is excellent like always. I think it's about time the starZ DISCOver your talents

[ashley]

.. hello Graham & Videoskooter .. you have certainly given me plenty to think about .. firstly, I had always presumed Tony Rallo & Costandinos were the same person .. just different pseudonyms .. by 1980 interest in the string driven LP length operatic disco epics was fading .. the last of the large-scale Costandinos productions had not sold well .. .. "Holding on" was deliberately different to the Love & Kisses / Romeo & Juliet projects .. a new name was created for a new sound .. even during his time at the disco peak Costandinos worked under a number of different names .. so tell me if I'm wrong .. I'd love to know .. .. and how can you be sure these CDs from Russia are counterfeit? The discs & sleeves look very professional .. and even arrive in celophane wrapping .. Could a Russian label have obtained the copyright to some of this rare material? Could the copyright have been obtained at reduced cost in the knowledge these discs were only intended for sale in the east? The sound quality is superb .. sounding much better than many legitimate CD releases on Hot, Get Disconnected or Unidisc .. How is the casual record buyer expected to know the difference? Especially when the so-called offical releases often sound so poor in quality? Is there a small chance these Mexican / Russian discs are not bootlegs? I wouldn't want a charge of defamation & libel thrown at me .. those poor Russians get blamed for everything .. .. and Videoskooter, you show us the 1 apparent legitimate CD of Costandinos material ( which I suspect consists of edited bits ) .. then tell us it's impossible to find .. out of print .. completely unavailable .. worth thousands of dollars .. ho hum .. small wonder buyers look to other sources to complete their CD collections .. .. what choice do we have?

[ashley]

.. and just a quick question for DJ Jimmy M .. how on earth do folks in Arizona listen to Pennine Radio? ( .. it was difficult enough getting a reception in the Pennine region of England !! )

[Graham_Start]

Originally Posted by ashley

I'd love to know .. .. and how can you be sure these CDs from Russia are counterfeit? The discs & sleeves look very professional .. and even arrive in celophane wrapping ..

The fact that they are from Russia guarantees that they are bootlegs. Russia is a no-mans-land in terms of copyright enforcement.

Originally Posted by ashley

Could a Russian label have obtained the copyright to some of this rare material? Could the copyright have been obtained at reduced cost in the knowledge these discs were only intended for sale in the east?

Why would they bother? Then they'd have to pay royalties, and why do that? There's effectively no penalty for copyright violation in Russia. Alec himself apparently has no interest in re-releasing this material in the West, why would he agree to license it to a territory that is notorious for piracy, and where few people have any money to spend anyway?

Originally Posted by ashley

The sound quality is superb .. sounding much better than many legitimate CD releases on Hot, Get Disconnected or Unidisc ..

Experience with audio restoration software, as well as some patience and half-decent equipment, can yield excellent results from needle-drops. Like I said, I wouldn't be suprised if the Love & Kisses one was done from the 320kbps MP3 that I made that got into the wild.

Originally Posted by ashley

How is the casual record buyer expected to know the difference?

Well, you'd never find them from proper channels, for one thing. Secondly, Russian-made CDs is a major warning in and of itself, like getting a fax or e-mail from a company in Nigeria who need your assistance in laundering an overpayment from their government.

Originally Posted by ashley

Especially when the so-called offical releases often sound so poor in quality?

Releases? There has only been one official Costandinos CD, done from poor tapes years ago, before audio restoration from a needle drop was feasible. Oh, and supposedly Romeo & Juliet got a legit release in Japan several years ago, but that's long OOP too.

Originally Posted by ashley

Is there a small chance these Mexican / Russian discs are not bootlegs?

No, none at all. There would be even less demand in those places for these albums than over here. They're made for export, from the safety of a territory where piracy goes unpunished.

Originally Posted by ashley

.. then tell us it's impossible to find .. out of print .. completely unavailable .. worth thousands of dollars .. ho hum .. small wonder buyers look to other sources to complete their CD collections .. .. what choice do we have?

Make your own needle drops (most of the LPs aren't hard to find at all). If you're going to go illegal routes, download it off a P2P network. But don't give your money to thieves.

[Videoskooter]

Originally Posted by ashley

I had always presumed Tony Rallo & Costandinos were the same person .. just different pseudonyms

No no no, Tony is a real French composer! He also worked for Madleen Kane.

MySpace.com - Tony Rallo - FR - French pop - www.myspace.com/tonyrallo

And I feel your pain about the Costandinos stuff not being available (we all do BTW) but do trust Graham Start on this all!! But Graham, as Jimmy M points out that there have been 4 official releases: "Greatest Hits", "Romeo & Juliet" (on Phillips Records out of Japan), "How Much How Much I Love You" (from Unidisc), and "I Found Love" (from Unidisc). Are they tracable?

BTW, all the recent Russian stuff is done by a "Russian Disco Fan Club" (whatever that means-Boris Bootlegski would be a better name) and they even sell their stuff on Amazon!

BTW2, the Videoskooter is touring in Russia at this very moment and I get feedback of all Disco that's available over there. You might get an (illegal) orgaZm-LOL!

[Graham_Start]

Originally Posted by Videoskooter

! But Graham, as Jimmy M points out that there have been 4 official releases: "Greatest Hits", "Romeo & Juliet" (on Phillips Records out of Japan), "How Much How Much I Love You" (from Unidisc), and "I Found Love" (from Unidisc). Are they tracable?

The only Unidisc Costandinos release I know of is the Greatest Hits, which includes all of "Romeo and Juliet", side one of "How Much, How Much I Love You, an edit of "Accidental Lover", and "I've Found Love".

Just because Amazon lists the Russian CDs (through an affiliate seller, I assume) does not make them legit.

[Dr. Disco]

In the early 1990's I was able to order from Unidisc a brand new vinyl copy of the LP "How Much, How Much, I Love You" (complete with 'Beauty and the Beast' and 'Maybe'). The Unidisc catalogue # for the vinyl album is SPLP-8001. The sound quality is better than the Greatest Hits CD, but I think the RCA IBIS-7091 LP is superior to the Unidisc LP. Unfortunately I don't have the Casablanca issue of this LP for further comparison. Unidisc also had available the complete Romeo & Juliet on vinyl LP, but unfortunately I was unable to order it (this was around 1992 - guess I was too late).