Cher Disco

[EricHG23]

I know many disco fans are not fans of Cher's period at Casablanca but I'd love to hear some thoughts on her records. Personally I think any eurodisco fan who doesn't think Take Me Home is one of the top 20 disco songs of all time is insane.

Hey I'd love to get some opinions on Cher's two Casablanca 1979 albums. I knwo these albusm often seem to get ignored--or else released in awful edited form (liek that Take Me Home cheap release with some odl songs tacked on).

I'm a huge disco guy--for example even above Cher for me is Donna Summer especially her classic 70s Casablanca albums.

I own The Casablanca Years which I think is the only way to get Take Me Home and Prisoner complete on CD (too bad there's no room for the 12" mix of Take me Home which is slightly different or the rarer 12" mix of Wasn't it good). I love the Take me Home album. I think the title song is one of the most flawless disco songs ever, in its full album form or the minute longer 12" (the radi o edit is atrocious). Tight strings, arrangements, vocals, everything. Bob Esty who cowrote it and produced it , is one of the unheralded disco production geniuses. He was largely responsible for two Donna Summer classics, Last Dance (which Moroder just "supervised", Bob arranged and produced) and the entire Once Upon a Time album, as well as other Eurodisco classics like Let Them Dance by DC Larue.

It took me longer to appreciate the rest of the Take me Home album but I find all the disco songs to be great fun--and side 2 I think has three of Cher's all time best ballads. His Song, which I can't help thinking Cher wrote for her bf at the time, is particularly amazing.

Prisoner I think is a weaker album. It reminds me again of Donna Summer cuz in 1978 she released Once Upona Time which was all about strings and swirling disco, then in 79 she went all rock disco with Bad girls--Prisonder is much more rock than take me Home. However I think the material isn't too strong. It's not bad, and has REALLy gorwn on me. Shopping and OUtrageous are campy fun, Prisoner is a good opening track, the single Hell on Wheels is a lot of fun and I think Holdin Out for Love is the highlight. I don't think this album did very well--I can't find any official reviews of it and it does feel almost like an afterthought--I'd liek to knwo the story behind it.

One more song deserves mention and that's Bad Love from Giorgio Moroder's Foxes soundtrack. Whata great tune! It musta been overshadowed by Donna Summer's On the Radio which is from the same soundtrack, becaus eit deserves rediscovering. Risque lyrics, etc--this song is musicallya nd lyrically Cher's answer to the Donna Summer song Hot Stuff (which is rumoured ot have been offered to Cher first) but also stands on its own. I'm glad it's finally ona few Cher collections.

Any thoughts? And can anyone let meknow what the reaction to these songs was at the time?

It makes sense that for me when i saw Cher last week in Vancouver the highlight was Take Me Home. Wow

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[Boogie Child]

I adore both Cher Casablanca LP's - the whole packaging is sensational - the front and back covers are Seventies' classics.

"Take Me Home" is the ultimate Disco song - the strings are particularly striking. I don't understand why the follow-up "Wasn't It Good" didn't fare as well. The 12" version is the way to go, and I would love to have the longer version on CD.

I thought "Hell on Wheels" was a good lead-off from "Prisoner" - a little more of an edge as we closed-out 1979. I agree, the album is less consistent.

I think that "Bad Love" would have done better had it not been eclipsed by "On the Radio" (as you said).

[Boogie Child]

And, don't forget the video for "Hell on Wheels" - Cher being chased by men while rollerskating (her favorite hobby at the time). I wonder if there was a video for "Take Me Home"? If so, I hope that it's included on her video DVD compilation in October. She tends to ignore "Hell on Wheels".

[Mixmachine]

The new Cher "Farewell tour" DVD features the Diva doing "Take me home" in a beatiful production, the band plays the long version with 'disco' dancers and all. Good stuff

[EricHG23]

Ya seeing her perform Take Me Home--the highlight for me--at her concert in van last week is what made me drag out these albums and make this post.

Agreed about how stirking those strings are on Take Me Home (a Bob Esty trademark is his masterful string use IMHO).

Have you compared the 12" and the album version of TMHome? they're different by 50 seconds in timing--but there are some subtle differences.

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[DJ Jimmy M]

The 12" for "take me home" is a different mix is really the only difference. It's better for mixing out of with the break in it being nothing but the percusion. But aside from that I feel the 12" mix lacks alot and almost sounds like a demo version of the track. The LP mix has much more kick and energy to it. Was more likley to hear the LP version at the 8th Floor Disco in Philadelphia than the 12". As for Cher's Casablanca stuff..I really only like a few songs. Take Me Home and Say The Word/Happy Was The Day We Met off the first one and then Hell On Wheels on the 2nd. The rest of it was more rock/popish. Although I think there was a good idea on the track "Outragous" where she breaks into the disco sound briefly on the somewhat of a bridge type section. If only it woulda stayed that way. All around though..accept the few disco tracks I really dont care for Cher at all.

DJ Jimmy M

[EricHG23]

The 12" sounds like a demo? I always thought it had MORE ennergy. I playe dboth mized together and the 12" is actually speeded up a bit--the beats are faster even though you can barely hear it in the vocals

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[DJ Jimmy M]

Its like they killed all the orchestration and had the levels in the mixdown too low on some tracks. They were trying to put the beat up higher to thump more and killed the mix down in the prossess is what happened. And yes, they did pitch up the 12" by +2 to make it faster like they did with most 12" disco mixes back then too. The only part of that 12" to my memory that had more energy was that break in it. I'll have to listen to em both back to back and see if I change my mind on my oppinion..i may end up agreeing with you about more energy after hearing it again..ill pull em both tomorrow and let ya know if I changed my mind or not. Its been a good probably 4 years or so since I last heard the 12" mix.

DJ Jimmy M

[EricHG23]

Ah I didn't knwo speeding up 12" mixes was standard back then. The only other mix I've noticed it with is Donna Summer's the Deep--I can't remember it with any of her other mixes.

Ya give it a listen and let me know. I'll do the same--now that I know what i'm listening for I could be completely wrong. Thanks for the discussion!

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[EricHG23]

OK I compared them--the beat is definetly emphasiszed on the 12" and the original mix is more organic, however otherwise I don't hear much of a difference or sacrifice at all. Hrmm. I don't have the vinyls--I'm listening from CD--the regular version ont he Cher CD The Casablanaca Yars and the 12" on the 4 CD set The Casablanca Story. Both have apparantly been remixed--though it's more apparant with the 12" which sounds stunning. Let me knwo waht you ehar.

Did cher have any other 12" I have the 12" of Wasn't It Good which is ok but nothign compared to Take Me Home--was that sped up too? I know Hell on Wheels was released too but I think it had just the one version.

Also can youtell me of some other 12" that were pitched up?

Thanks!

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[Keith RS]

"Take Me Home" stirs up some fond memories. In late September 1979, I purschased my first brand new car ever, A Volvo 242DL, maroon in color. When I got behind the wheel and drove it for the first time, "Take Me Home" was playing on the stereo. I liked the song before the car, but after that first ride the song took on a new meaning. 8)

[discosavvy]

EricHG23 asked:

Also can youtell me of some other 12" that were pitched up?

"Gonna Get Over You" by France Joli, from Prelude Records, was faster-paced on the 12" single compared to the album version.

[EricHG23]

I love France Joli but only own her albums made with Belotte in the 80s and her two classic Green albums (tonite and Come to Me) which didn't speed up for the 12". I'll have to look for those.

I don't think any of Donna Summer's classics, except The Deep pitched up the sound either--did they?


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[DJ Jimmy M]

Ok I listened to em both and their is a drastic difference in mix. I do agree that beat and thump wise the 12" gives more. I don't have the CD Cher - The Casablanca Years but I do know that on all of her best of CD"s they have the 12" mix edited to the same as the single version using the 12" mix. Possibly on Casablanca Years it's the mix the same as the 12" edited down? Id say the best way to compare would be to check out the original LP versionor if you dont have that the original single version that was edited from the LP mix is on (or was on if its still in print) Bilboard Top Dance Hits : 1979. As for other disco mixes that were pitched up to add to the remix here's a few off the top of my head:

Rod Stewart - Do Ya Think Im Sexy (Disco Mix 1979)
La Pregunta - Shangrila (Sax Re Mix 1978)
Crusaders - Streetlife (USA Disco Mix 1979)
Meco - Wizard Of Oz (Comercial Disco Remix 1978)
Alec R. Costandinos - Romeo And Juliet (4 Min Promo 12" Single Edit..there are 2 different 12s of these)

Rolling Stones - Miss You (Special Disco Version 1978)

theres some off the top of my head..but if ya notice too a few of them are by artists that dont do disco usualy.

DJ Jimmy M

[EricHG23]

The version on the Casablanca years matches the version on my take Me Home album--it's about 6 mins and 30 seconds (the 12" is abotu 7:30 I believe). I made mp3s of both off the cd and you can hear straight away that the 12" is a slightly high pitch and faster beats if you play a bit of each quickly (ya I'm a bit anal about all this) so you must be right.

the radio edit I never listen to as I think it ruins the song--but it's interesting it's taken from the 12"

I have the 12" of Romeo and Juliette on a CD compilation and the original full on vinyl and I did once notice the 12" seemed a bit faster--but I thought maybe it was just somethign wrong with my turntable. Thanks! i find all this interested


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