Sidney Barnes - Sleaze Side/Peak Side?

[sfbeary]

today i found a 12" from 1978 on one of Casablanca's offshoot labels, Parachute. it's by Sidney Barnes and one side, the "Peak Side," as it says on the label, is "Get Up and Dance to the Boogie." the flip side, known as the "Sleaze Side," is "Disco Queen Dance With Me."

i put it on my hold bag, so i haven't heard it yet, and i'm curious about a couple of things.

firstly, what does this thing sound like? i'm suspicious of a disco record by somebody named Sidney - that's such a nondisco name. who is Sidney Barnes?

secondly, i had no idea that "sleaze" as a disco subgenre goes as far back as 1978.

when did djs and dancers start using the word "sleaze" to describe early-morning/sexy/downtempo disco?

[NickNack]

Originally Posted by sfbeary

firstly, what does this thing sound like? i'm suspicious of a disco record by somebody named Sidney - that's such a nondisco name. who is Sidney Barnes?

Don't have any background on the man but the music is 'funk-lite' disco. Mr. Barnes is Joe Tex without the clown and Joe Simon without the emotion. It's not bad, but I think you'll put it on and say, "OK, whatever". They keep all the Casablanca frills, lots of girls in the background sometimes sounding like Saturday Night Band, fully orchestrated. The peak side is a high-120s BPM stomper, the sleaze side (all male background) runs in the 'teens'. For me though, when I call something "sleaze" it has to have a certain attitude that this doesn't. It's a low-energy dance record.

secondly, i had no idea that "sleaze" as a disco subgenre goes as far back as 1978.

when did djs and dancers start using the word "sleaze" to describe early-morning/sexy/downtempo disco?

Wish I could remember. I know at the Gallery it wasn't called that yet, we would just say he's 'bringing it down'. I know by '77 when I was running around with Larry Rossiello, 'sleaze' was in his vocabulary. He's the one that started me using the word.

BTW - I had to pull the lp, don't have a 12". Here's the title and track list: FOOT STOMPIN' MUSIC

SIDE 1
1. FOOT STOMP'N MUSIC 3:46 (And yes, they spell it differently here :) )
2. LOVE IN THE MOONLIGHT 3:42
3. GET ON UP AND DANCE TO THE BOOGIE (OR THE BOOGIE MAN WILL GET CHA) 5:11
4. DISCO QUEEN DANCE WITH ME 6:15

SIDE 2
1. HOLD ON, I'M COMING 5:20 (A cover of Sam & Dave's hit that comes off today as 'jazz-house'. Oddly different.)
2. GONNA MAKE YOU MY WIFE 3:09
3. YOUR LOVE IS SO GOOD 6:11
4. SUMMER SUNSHINE 3:15

Mr. Barnes wrote/co-wrote all but the Hayes/Porter number.

[sfbeary]

thanks, nicky, for the info/description/warning. i had a feeling this record would be as you described it - it seems to me that i'd come across it years ago at a store with a turntable and got all excited when i saw that side actually labeled "sleaze," then promptly lost all excitement when i heard it. i've certainly made all sorts of re-evaluations over the years, but this one doesn't seem to warrant one.

[NickNack]

Originally Posted by sfbeary

it seems to me that i'd come across it years ago at a store with a turntable and got all excited when i saw that side actually labeled "sleaze," then promptly lost all excitement when i heard it.

And you weren't the only one, believe me. Most of us knew from this 12" that people who didn't understand the term shouldn't use it. Sleaze, it ain't.

[DISCODISK]

Originally Posted by sfbeary

i'm suspicious of a disco record by somebody named Sidney - that's such a nondisco name. who is Sidney Barnes?

HEY SFBEARY im gonna report you to the moderator i think thats 'SIDIST' :lol:
sid goes back a long way to the late 50s even :o recording lots of tracks and a big [and very expensive]favourite of mine is 'i hurt on the other side' on red bird :P he roomed in the early days with george clinton then wrote one of the best ever golden world singles in detroit 'heart trouble' for the parliments,so check all those parliment/funkadelic albums for sid playing music, background vocals handclaps!hes worked with lots of people too many to mention,he was in on appregios 'love and desire with soussan taking the words of the old flirtations stronger than her love and changing them to love and desire.
sidney owned parachute and there was an album too which i remember as not being outstanding,but youve wet my juices barry i want to find one and give it another go :P
in the mean time if you want a parachute go for randy browns 'always in the mood' :P
sidney has been here a couple of times this new decade and hes then discovered there was another version of the song he wrote, mentioned earlier 'i hurt on the other side' by jerry cook on capitol [wot no royalties then] which i think is kinda funny, maybee simon soussan forgot to tell him that as they were passing time in the studio with appregio,as it was only a few years before soussan was sending re-presses of the jerry cook version to our shores by the shipload

[sfbeary]

discodisk, thanks for schooling us, but your humor is blatantly sidistic! :P