What Disco songs are you listening to right now?

[zeca azevedo]

Originally Posted by markydefad

Zeca,

Now this is interesting!!! So, when the Elton John sessions were recorded, Phillipe Wynne was gone from the Spinners and John Edwards had replaced him? This astounds me, cause the Elton /Spinners version is sooooo great-- that when I heard the Spinners version, I was disappointed. :( Same song, same producer (Thom Bell), ....I assumed it was the absence of the former lead singer...who starts singing with Elton in the second verse and just tears it up til the end of the record. :D :D :D :D

So John Edwards sang with Elton and also did the lead on the Spinners version? :o

Don't you agree that the EJ/Spinners version is vastly superior? I think that the Spinners' vocals were eliminated in the re-release of the EJ version that was a hit in Europe last year, right? I asked the question here several times in the past--but nobody seemed to understand what I was asking, I guess. :(

Anyway, thanks for the info. I looooves this tune.

Hi Marky,

yes, when Elton recorded with Thom Bell and The Spinners, Phillipe Wynne was out of the group. About the THOM BELL SESSIONS, I agree with you a 100%: THOM is a genius, and the recorded songs are pure gold, truly pop/soul ear candy. I simply can't understand why Elton decided not to release those recordings at the time, they are FAR better than the disco album he put on the streets (Victim Of Love, does anybody here remember this one? It was produced by Pete Belotte and, for me, it marks the nadir of Elton's musical career). I can't understand part 2: why Elton released an edited version of the song without THE SPINNERS' wonderful lead vocals? The record could have been trimmed for a single release, but I will never understand why they removed John Edwards voice from the record. It is a shame, a complete mistake, since the original duet is PERFECT - I listen to this record on and on and on and on these days. Since I heard the ELTON/SPINNERS duet version I don't want no other version of this song. Simply saying, this is one of my favorite ELTON JOHN records ever (and I really like ELTON's music, I have tons of his albums at home).

Another curiosity about THE THOM BELL SESSIONS: the song THREE WAY LOVE AFFAIR was also recorded by BELL & JAMES after ELTON's recording of the song. Bell & James (who recorded the classic floor-filler LIVIN' IT UP (FRIDAY NIGHT) are the composers of the song. They also wrote MAMA CAN'T BUY YOU LOVE (another pop/soul gem produced by THOM BELL/ELTON JOHN partnership).

I can't remember THE SPINNERS version of ARE YOU READY FOR LOVE (I have 8 original albums by THE SPINNERS on CD, minus the one which contains ARE YOU READY...). In fact, I can't even remember the name of THE SPINNERS album which contains the song...

Peace,

zeca azevedo, yes I am, yes I am, yes I am

[sirius]

Dear Friends!
Some tracks I enjoy listening this week:

JACKSON SISTERS"I Believe In Miracles"(12"/Remix/
Re-Issue)
DAVE GRUSIN"Electro-Phantasma"(LP/OST/"The Electric
Horseman"/1979)
DAVID CHRISTIE"Back Fire"(LP/A Tom Moulton Mix/1978/
Salsoul)
SHIRLEY BROWN"A Mighty Good Feeling"(LP/1977)

Some 80ies:
BORGHESIA"She Is Not Alone"(12"/Driller Lover Mix/1989)
SHERYL LEE RALPH"In The Evening"(12"/Orig.Version/1984)
NASH THE SLASH"1984"(12"/East Side Dance V./1984)
EURYTHMICS"Paint A Rumour"(LP/"Touch"/1983)
HUMAN LEAGUE"(Keep Feeling)Fascination"(12"/Impro-
visation/1983)
TECHNOS"Nightime Heaven"(12"/Long V./1984)
Cosmic Love & Kisses From SIRIUS & DARKTUNES...

[markydefad]

Thanks for the info, Zeca.

I bought the Spinners' box set "Chrome" just cause I saw their version of "Are You ready for Love" was on it. I already had their 2 cd set. But then I discovered the short version was on the box set. So I found an old vinyl copy of the original LP "From Here to Eternally" with the long version. It's OK, but nowhere near the original with EJ.

I assumed the difference was the change in the Spinners vocalist.

I knew that Phillipe Wynne left in 1977, the EJ collaboration was recorded in 1977....but assumed he was still there when this was done.

Why is John Edwards' vocal less than dynamic on his solo lead than his duet with Elton? That is my question. :o :o :o

[ComputerDisco]

From the last two weeks:

El Coco - Dancing in Paradise - I bought the LP last week and liked it. It's a bit too slow and orchestral for my usual tastes but this is a nice overall package. "Afrodesia" is one of my favorite tracks, along with the title track and "Last chance."

Yellow Magic Orchestra - Solid State Survivor - An awesome display of synth power from 1979, often overlooked because YMO wasn't really a disco act or a rock act. Contains at least three stonking great danceable tunes - "Technopolis," "Rydeen," and "Solid State Survivor" with two great medium-pace listening tracks "Insomnia" and "Behind the mask." The other three songs, includiung a very wierd cover of the Beatles' "Day Tripper" aren't really that great but do fill out the record nicely with a certain Japanese wackiness.

Munich Machine - Body Shine - I love Munich Machine and having listened to their other two full-length LP's extensively I really had high hopes for this one. It's a mediocre record. "Party Light" and "Space Warrior" are good but you can see how the MM project went awry when Pete Bellotte left. Not as good as their other albums but still a decent record.

Songs:

Strawberry Letter 23 - the Brothers Johnson - always a favorite of mine. A nice slow roller with an unforgettable hook.

All Night Long - the Mary Jane Girls - Another slow groove that's great and ageless.

Sometimes - Yello - Wierd Carousel tones in the middle, but a nice song from a band I don't know that well - it sounds alot like they were using the same synthesizers that Skinny Puppy used on "Bites." Like a light version of Skinny Puppy's "Atmosphere."

Life in Tokyo (long version) - Japan - a Classic Moroder produced tune that takes the slow concept of the Brothers Johnson and Rick James and makes it all Moroder/Munich Machine/Kraftwerk like. But with Japan's usual vocalist and it's unique guitar.

Bound too long - The Crystal Method - Proof that electro-disco is alive. A slow but steady groove with heavy, haunting synths, it sounds alot like Joy Division gone Giorgio Moroder with a little Groove Armada mixed in. I've never liked Crystal Method before but I may buy the album that this came off of.

It's for you - Munich Machine - one of their better tracks off of their best LP - Whiter Shade of Pale. Chris Bennet on vocals, Giorgio, Bellotte, Forsey, Koeppers and the usual crew running the show. This comes from a great album so I listen to basically all of it every now and then but especially lately since buying a better copy of the LP. I wish I could get Munich Machine on CD but the CD's are very rare.

[DJDiscoBalls]

Can't stop listening to:

Venus Dodson "Night rider"

Scherrie Payne "I'm Not In Love/Girl. You're In Love"

[judydoggie]

I've been doing so much talking around here, I'm certain some folks are wondering if I ever get the chance to listen. The answer is a resounding YES! [Don't all throw-up at once, but I've got a new Linda Ronstadt album of Jazz Standards in the player that I have to review -- the album's release date is Nov. 9 -- but Jazz doesn't count here in Disco-Land, then, does it?]

Currently working on a folly re-mix of "Dr. Love" - First Choice - with a whole lot of little spoken-word and sound effects mixed in from movies, etc. 'cause I've been thinking about Jim Burgess -

Mixed Quincy Jones' "Soul Bossa Nova" -- okay, not Disco, per se; but danceable nonetheless (for those of you who don't know the tune, it's the theme from "Austin Powers, International Man of Mystery" -- with the theme from TV show "I Dream of Jeannie," clips from the soundtrack of the movie "The Valley of The Dolls," a little bit of Sinatra and Astrud Gilberto singing songs by Antonio Carlos Jobim, and a 1960 Studebaker Lark radio commercial.

Turned on "Love Hangover" on the restaurant's house sound system the other day, just 'cause I felt like dancing, and my waitstaff had never heard it, and they asked me, in their language, to "play the part with the sexy woman panting and getting laid" again.

Re-visiting Chaka Khan's "Chanson Papillon" from the album "Nasty" and loving every single funky drop of THAT; and, looking forward to purchasing a copy of HER recording of American Jazz Standards [you heard it here FIRST]. (And if you're at all into jazz, or think you are, pick up Queen Latifah's new Standards album - she is a very, very talented young woman.)

[markydefad]

I saw a Chaka's cd of jazz standards at Amoeba last Saturday: "ClassiKhan" !! Said it was recorded with the London Symphony Orchestra.

AMG says:

Although the misleading title doesn't indicate it, Classikhan can be seen as a follow-up to the Echoes of an Era album she made with her all-star cast of jazz musicians in 1982. The disc is neither a best-of nor a bunch of re-recordings. Instead, it's a set of jazz standards and traditional pop that she recorded with the London Symphony Orchestra, with a little additional help on a handful of cuts from pianist Joe Sample and percussionist Sheila E. Followers of Khan who know the singer's work well beyond the chart hits know that something like this is hardly out of character for her. While it's true that many of these songs — such as "The Best Is Yet to Come," "To Sir With Love," "Crazy," "Round Midnight" — have been worn out by so many other renditions of varying quality, Khan injects plenty of her tirelessly singular personality. Most thrilling of all is a pair of nods to Shirley Bassey, John Barry, and James Bond. Weighty versions of "Diamonds Are Forever" and "Goldfinger" come near the tail end and steal the show, indicating that Khan would be a natural Bond-theme successor to the likes of Bassey, Carly Simon, Gladys Knight, and Tina Turner. The only obvious problem with the disc is its title. Longtime Khan fans are likely to glance at the cover of the disc and see it as a another career retrospective — or, at most, re-recordings of the singer's old material — that they don't need to hear. That's clearly not the case here.
_______________________________________________
Regarding the Queen Latifah "Dana Owens Project"...she sang two of the tunes on the season premiere of SNL.

Wonderfully obscure choices: Bill Withers' "The Same Love That Made Me Laugh" (also covered by Miss Ross on her "Baby, It's Me" LP) and "Hard Times" from the Dr. Buzzard's Original Savannah Band first LP. Actually this "Hard Times" is on a compilation I've had for awhile now called "Ain't Nuthin" But a She Thing" or sumthin' like that.

Thankfully, she didn't hip-hop 'em up. She sang 'em like it was the mid-Seventies once again. "Just like before, it's yesterday once more." :D :D :D

Latifah can
SANG!!!! :lol: I was impressed.

[judydoggie]

Marky:

We were talking about Dr. Buzzard... I wonder what happened to those cats, four albums and puff! Gone!

My very favorite was "Dr. Buzzard meets King Penett" -- the album was way far ahead of its time; I think that it's available on CD but I haven't looked; It should be re-released NOW whilst all of this Pop-singers-do-Standards stuff is happening... In just this year, all the players on "Playin' With My Friends" by Tony Bennett; Rod Stewart's three; Queen Latifah and now Chaka --

If they keep this up, I'm gonna have to buy me a vintage 1940 Roadster and a Zoot Suit and turn my restaurant's name into "The Stork Club."

Warmly,

Paul a.k.a. JudyDoggie

[Salsoul1975]

Right now I'm listening to the Salsoul Disco Boogie compilation album from 1977 on CD.

[JussiK]

Originally Posted by judydoggie

Marky:

We were talking about Dr. Buzzard... I wonder what happened to those cats, four albums and puff! Gone!

Last month in GQ magazine's "what are you listening right now" column a singer enthused about Dr Buzzard's Original Savannah Band, calling it disco with a sense of jazz. Well put don't you think!

That column made me listen to Doctor's Sour And Sweet, plus
Dino Lenny: King Kong Five, original mix - irresistible rumbling and rolling disco from 2004
Medley from Cinque Bambole Per Luna D'Agosto/Five Dolls For An August Moon - arranging parties will be easy with this, an evolving montage of bossa, bongo, earliest possible disco and funky tropicalia

[Videoskooter]

Another week gone by and still bumpin' with:

- Jeanne Napoli: "Let's make love"
- Santa Esmeralda: "Sevilla nights"
- Linda Carr: "Highwire"
- Keith Barrow: "Turn me up"
- Jesse Gould: "Out of work"
- JB's: "Doin' it to death"
- Hugh Masekela: "Don't go lose it baby"
- Roy Ayers: "Hot"
- Bruce Johnston: "Pipeline"
- Amanda Lear: "Fashion pack"
- People's Choice: "Jam all night long"
- Cerrone: "Cerrone's paradise"
- El Coco: "Dance man"
- Love Unlimited Orchestra: "My sweet summer suite"
- Gino Soccio: "S-beat"

If you got the time, I got the ride
:D

[neonlights]

Originally Posted by markydefad

I saw a Chaka's cd of jazz standards at Amoeba last Saturday: "ClassiKhan" !! Said it was recorded with the London Symphony Orchestra.

I'm totally loving Chaka's new one.. I must admit, standards are not really my thing, but she won me over with this one..

anyways here are my fav. tunes of the week:

Isaac Hayes - Groove-a-thon
Mary Wilson - Red Hot (12'' Disco Version) just heard this for the first time yesterday, love it! 8)
Bohannon - Me and the Gang
Cory Daye - Pow Wow
The Undisputed Truth - You+Me=Love
Syreeta - Move it, Do it
Charo & The Salsoul Orchestra - Cuchi-Cuchi! 8)
LaToya Jackson - If You Feel The Funk (i know, i know :oops:)
Kylie Minogue - I Believe In You (her new one, quite possibly one of the best Giorgio Moroder imitations I've ever heard)
Loleatta Holloway - All About The Paper
Stargard - Wear it Out

[Mixmachine]

Originally Posted by markydefad

THREE STEPS FROM TRUE LOVE - the Reflections (I remember this song from back in tha day...but didn't know who did it. I have the 1980s cover version by Margaret Ryenolds. Found the LP at Amoeba last week. Just my style.)

This song was also recorded in 1975 by Billy Davis on the ABC label, very powerful R&B vocals, more so than the Reflection's version which is the first version I ever knew..

[sirius]

Dear Friends!
Here some tracks I´m listening this week:

BUMBLEBEE UNLIMITED"Space Shuttle Ride"(LP/"Sting
Like A Bee"/1978)
CHRIS CRAFT"Twinkle Twinkle Little Discostar"(LP/
"Discosmic Dance"/1977)
CROWN HEIGHTS AFFAIR"Love Me"(LP/"Do It Your Way"/
1976/De-Lite)
KOOL & THE GANG"Koolin´Out"(12"/Megamix By Alan
Koolthard/DMC)
VC-PEOPLE"E-L-I-Z-A"(LP/"Galactic Classics"/1978)
PIERO"Fly Away"(LP/"Welcome Piero"/1978)
Cosmic Love & Kisses From O´SIRIUS & DARKTUNES...

[Videoskooter]

We are doing a theme-weekend here. Our employees on the bumpercar-track are dressed as monks, and the soundsignal for the beginning and the end of the rides has changed into a "laughing witch". "Soul dracula" from Hot Blood is the most played tune but others are:

- Patrick Cowley: "Megatron man" (very succesfull)
- Don Ray: "Midnight madness"
- Amanda Lear: "Sweet revenge" album
- Cerrone: "Supernature/In the smoke"
- Michael Jackson: "Thriller"
- Bar Kays: "Holy ghost"
- David Shire: "Night on disco mountain"
- Tony Baxter: "Screamin'"
- Rockwell: "Somebody's watching me"
- CJ & Co: "Devil's gun"
- Tantra: "Hills of Kat Mandu"
- Marilyn Mc Coo:" Shine on silver moon"

By popular demand : Da Boy Tommy: "Halloween"

And now I'm gonna scare my customers to the x-treme!