Bob Esty

[EricHG23]

I've loved nearly allt he disco work I've heard of Bob Esty. Cher's take Me Home is an all time fave. I love the three songs I know of his with DC Larue (Hot Jungle Drums, Do You Want the Real and Let them Dance) I mean I even enjoy his Beach Boys tune. S o what's the story on him? Where is he now?

This site http://www.angelfire.com/de/moroder/esty.html http://www.angelfire.com/de/moroder/esty.html

makes your ealize how genius he was--essentially the production of Last Dance and all of Once Upona time except for the (admittedly incredible) Act 2 synth side, was produced by Esty.

I'd kill to hear Roller Boogie.

E

[Marcio**]

hi EricHG23,

Bob Esty also worked with Billy Preston on the song "Hope" by Billy Preston (In Brazil, Motown, 1981), arranged by Bob Esty, written and produced by Bob Esty & Paul Jabara.


marcio

[EricHG23]

I was going to start a new thread on Bob but realized I did years ago lol

I guess thigns come in waves for me--recently I've been really enjoying Esty's disco productions again, especially after hearing the "really grows on you" Roller Boogie soundtrack...

Yet despite his huge amount of work on Donna Summer's Time and Last Dance as I mention above, and other classics liek Cher's Take Me Home he seems to never have gotten the respect he deserves. I guess it's cuz he was more a craftman than an innovator like Moroder or Cerrone but his work--even on tracks that deserved to be awful like Andy Williams Love Story or Beach Boys Here Comes the Night were really above average euro styleproductions... And he even went into the 80s working on Raining Men, etc. Other times he elavated talented artists--liek the side long Confessions medley for DC LaRue which is a masterpiece IMHO

I know about some of his other lesser projects (co producign the surprisingly good DIsco Gospel album for Roberta Kelly with Moroder--which ahs a very Once Upon a Time sound, the great Jean Shy track Night Dancer) but what are people's favorites of his?

Anyone heard this album Ava Cherry - Streetcar Named Desire he did for Ava Cherry of Bowie fame?

Hope to start up some discussion :)

E

[kdavid13]

Let's not forget his involvement in RAQUEL WELCH's THIS GIRL'S BACK IN TOWN.

How over the top was that ?? Still a guilty pleasure though...

[EricHG23]

Love it--I didn't know he did it. the original mix and 12" are vastly different though

[FrontPage22]

did he not also lend his flourish to The Main Event also?

[remicks]

Originally Posted by EricHG23

Anyone heard this album Ava Cherry - Streetcar Named Desire he did for Ava Cherry of Bowie fame?

Hope to start up some discussion :)

Here's my gentle summation that I posted elsewhere:

remicks :

Just came upon and bought for a buck :

Ava Cherry
STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE
1982 Capitol

Outside:
Hate the look
Hate the clothes
Hate the hair
Hate the make up
Hate the nails

Inside :
Hate the music

Produced by Bob Esty too ............................this suckered me in

a p-u production

being a big Bob Esty fan myself ..... it pained me to have to conclude this .... but the evidence was surmounting....


I guess this LP had two covers:



(hate them both )




hate the couch too !

*****

[EricHG23]

I still wanna hear it :( Is it anything liek his other 80s productions?

And yep he did do Main Event (FIGHT!)

E

[remicks]

Originally Posted by EricHG23

I still wanna hear it :( Is it anything liek his other 80s productions?

E

As well you should Eric , being a Bob Esty fan. .... I predict you'll be greatly disappointed , but it'd be interesting to one day learn what you do think. . I'm not sure of Esty's "80's" sound??? ...but on this Ava Cherry project ... it's not really any one sound ....its sort of experimental in a directionless sort of way ...very stripped down... missing the string drenched orchestrated sound that I associate with him ..i.e. Esty without the Esty .
This is clangy , bangy techno pop typical of the era ...
Ava sounds at times like Teena Marie or Irene Cara .... & is vocally adequate , but never moving .

I think much more (ten minutes plus!) Bob Esty satisfaction can be found in :




if you don't have it already *




*****

* which in rereading... I see you have. Oh well, I'll leave this posted as is .... nice image ....

[EricHG23]

I love Night Dancer and its bside cover of Black Magic

I guess by 80s Esty I meant yeah--losing much of the strings and a bit more synth based--think of It's Raining Men (or some of the rest of the fun De La Noche album he did with Jabara)--whose production, while I miss that strings and synth 70s sheen, is pretty great (funny how nearly ALL dance music abruptly dropped live strings by the 80s--Esty's later 79 work like Prisoner for Cher and some of Roller Boogie did too)

[neonlights]

I just remembered.. Apparently in the early 80's Bob Esty produced an album for Chaka Khan's sister Taka Boom called "Boomerang".. The lead single "To Hell With Him" is Hi-NRG and campy as hell (apparently Taka doesn't care much for it), but I really enjoy the album (just wish I could find a copy of it)... Evidently Moroder associate Juergen Koppers was also involved with the mixing..

As far as Ava's "Streetcar.." is concerned, I remember enjoying the title track. I remember buying it several years back and accidentally dropping the disc or something and badly scratching it. All this just after I bought it and played it a few times. I was so pissed at myself..

[kdavid13]

Yes that's true I loved TO HELL WITH HIM but never heard anything else from that album...

[EricHG23]

The funny thing is Taka says Esty did Enough is Enough with Babs and Donna--he didn't. He did do Main Event with babs and msot of Once Upon a time and Last Dance with Donna...

K can youhelp me hear it?

[kdavid13]

Wish I could my friend.

The song was played a lot on the "dance shows" on radio during the 80's.
Especially on CKOI during the PARTY hosted by MariThé. ???

I just never picked it up...Now I'm biting myself.

[remicks]

Originally Posted by EricHG23

I was going to start a new thread on Bob but realized I did years ago lol

I guess things come in waves for me--recently I've been really enjoying Esty's disco productions again, especially after hearing the "really grows on you" Roller Boogie soundtrack...

The " really grows on you " summation is exactly right . I only half-heartedly picked up this soundtrack recently -- "oh what the hell" -- because I figured if this were good Esty stuff ....surely it would have done far better during its initial release.

Pleasantly surprised !!!!!

You have to hunt and peck because there is crap on this four sided composite ....or just go to side four where there's three wonderful full-bodied disco numbers and let them play through ... as Eric says it really grows on you....


QUESTION:

The Soundtrack includes BOOGIE WONDERLAND by Earth Wind & Fire ....the one odd ball cut on here performed by a big name ( besides Cher)

The LP says music by Bob Esty . Period. No asterisks saying ..."except"

So is BOOGIE WONDERLAND a Bob Esty song???? Was he involved in its making??

Written and/or produced (12" label says otherwise) ...arranged ?? .... by ???


******