Hot Cuisine "Whos been kissing you"

[danielmoloko]

Anybody knows this song?

i think i have it on a tape recorded in 1982. dont know for sure. where did i find this song now? its very rare right?

ciao

[Forrrce]

If I recall correctly, they were a UK band. The single you mention was released on Prelude in the 'States. They had a few others out, but I never bothered to check these out as I was never too hot on 'Who's Been Kissing You'. They had a 12" before that called 'Jamming In The Kitchen', or something silly like that. :lol:

[Bernie]

Hot Cuisine 12 inch single on Prelude Records. This song enjoyed a lot of radio play in New York at the time.

[Leatherman]

Forrrce is correct (as usual!) they were a UK act who (like many brit funkers) weren't really taken that seriously here at the time. The only song of theirs I ever remember hearing was the B side of "Kissin", called "All Fired Up", which was decent enough in a poppy way, if unexceptional.

There are loads of copies of the Prelude 12" on Gemm

[SandraDee]

Originally Posted by Leatherman

a UK act who (like many brit funkers) weren't really taken that seriously here at the time.

Can't think why? :roll:

[Leatherman]

Hang on a minute - some Brit funk was pretty good (LOTW, Atmosphere, Heatwave, Hudson People, Freeez, Hi Tension etc), but England is full of snobs who prefer to buy shrink wrapped imports. Personally, I like a record for the music, not because I should like it, or because it is "cool". I agree Hot Cuisine weren't the best example of the genre but there was some good Brittish music coming out in the late 70's/ early 80's.

[QUINNY]

Or it could have been because they weren't actually that good!!
I didn't like 'em too much 'cos they didn't sound American ( i.e. they didn't sound authentic) and they just sounded (yawn) amateur by comparison. Call me a snob if you like, but there have only ever been a few Brits that could make authentic sounding funk records. It's all in the way it swings (for want of a better word). We're just too plain, , too untogether, too tight, too loose, too.........British. Sad, but true.

[Bernie]

Regardless of what anyone says about Hot Cuisine's "Who's Been Kissing You" - I like it. Don't know about their other stuff though. As I said, they received lots of radio airplay in NYC with that song so it was good enough for us.

Why is it that we always feel the grass is greener on the other side? I think the British are best when they do what they are good at-being themselves. Imagination's "Just An Illusion" was a killer British tune and it was uniquely British compared to the other things I was listening to around 1981. Same goes for John Rocca with "Southern Freeez."

[Forrrce]

I've always found it interesting that what we over here would class as rather lightweight dance records (and occasionally ignore) would sometimes be big on America.

Level 42's 'Starchild' is a good example - it's little more than a re-tuned lick of Holland-Dozier-Holland's 'Baby, Don't Leave Me Now' with a rather wimpish vocal. It was an OK, but rather dull record when released and I still don't get why it commands so much respect in the US.

Imagination were huge here, but they certainly weren't taken too seriously (their image made sure of that). Some of their records were really good and no doubt quite influential ('Burning Up' is a blueprint for piano house if ever there was one).

I suppose the Americans just liked our quirks - the way we couldn't quite get it right most of the time. Perhaps they could appreciate our naive and earnest attempts at emulating the US sound we all looked to.

[QUINNY]

Originally Posted by Bernie

Why is it that we always feel the grass is greener on the other side? I think the British are best when they do what they are good at-being themselves. Imagination's "Just An Illusion" was a killer British tune and it was uniquely British compared to the other things I was listening to around 1981. Same goes for John Rocca with "Southern Freeez."

That's the joke though isn't it Bernie? These guys were trying their hardest to get an American sound, but failing miserably. Almost at the top of my amateur list would be Southern Freeez. The rhythm was soooo lumpy it was off putting. No two beats were the same in feel or length and the bass was soooo out of time. The intro was among the worst I've ever heard. None of that was in time. IMO: That wasn't clever at all!!
I grudgingly played it for a few weeks when it was the hipsters' choice, then dropped it like a stone. It really disappoints me that it's gained a certain amount of status over the years.

[Leatherman]

Originally Posted by QUINNY

Or it could have been because they weren't actually that good!!
I didn't like 'em too much 'cos they didn't sound American ( i.e. they didn't sound authentic) and they just sounded (yawn) amateur by comparison. Call me a snob if you like, but there have only ever been a few Brits that could make authentic sounding funk records. It's all in the way it swings (for want of a better word). We're just too plain, , too untogether, too tight, too loose, too.........British. Sad, but true.

I completly dissagree, but Q you are always dissing everything anyway - be it rare groove or any obscure record you don't know/have. Tracks like Hudson People "Take a Trip to your mind" are just as good as anything top American acts like Crown Heights Affair or Mass Production did. Hi Tension, Heatwave, LOTW did some killer tracks, sometimes it was a bit rough and ready and no it wasn't as musically accomplished or quite as well produced as the absolute BEST of the US stuff (like say Earth Wind and Fire), but personally I enjoyed it and still play it today. Of course there was plenty of shite, weedy, Brittish "jazz funk" records by acts like UK Players, Inversions, Funkapolitan (and IMO Shakatak) but we were more exposed to that stuff living here and maybe it tainted whole genre for some.

[NickNack]

Originally Posted by Leatherman

LOTW did some killer tracks, sometimes it was a bit rough and ready and no it wasn't as musically accomplished or quite as well produced as the absolute BEST of the US stuff (like say Earth Wind and Fire), but personally I enjoyed it and still play it today.

Leatherman, I'm lost. LOTW? :-?

[Forrrce]

Originally Posted by NickNack

Leatherman, I'm lost. LOTW? :-?

UK jazz-funk outfit, Light Of The World. Just to prove a point, their better stuff was actually co-produced by Augie Johnson of Side Effect/LA Boppers/At Home Productions of...the USA.

[NickNack]

Thanks, Forrrce. Couldn't get that acronym but now I know who you're talking about.

[SandraDee]

It was mainly the 'brit-funk' stuff that I wasn't impressed by but people like Incognito have subsequently gone up in my opinion with their early-90s stuff; I did like some brit-funk stuff though like Morrissey-Mullen & early Loose Ends like 'In The Sky'. I never realised at the time that alot of late 70s 'disco' like Cerrone's stuff & Love Deluxe was actually recorded in London using UK musicians & engineers - why couldn't brit-funk be that polished? Finally, let's not forget Liquid Gold were British; now there's a class disco act IMO.