Paradise Garage book

[maarten]

So who has read "Keep on dancin", the book written by the founder of West End Records and described as:



"KEEP ON DANCIN' is the story of a romance between two men that would inspire two music legends -- the dance palace, the Paradise Garage, and West End Records."



I saw this advertised on the West End records website and it sounds pretty good. One interesting aspect is that it apparently includes "Special appendices to the book include the complete discography of West End Records, of Scepter's contribution to the start of the Disco era, and of songs produced and remixed by Larry Levan; as well as a list of Top 500 Disco Songs."



A Top 500? Ours? Another one? Who knows more about this book?

[JussiK]

Buy it. Though the book does go on a bit about men with big moustaches it's still a fascinating read.

[NickNack]

Hi Maarten,



I finished this book a few months ago. You should pick it up. I think you'd enjoy it. Mel Cheren takes you back to his beginnings in the industry (1959) at ABC Records. He walks you through the onset of 'disco', his input and dogged fights to get 'club music' accepted as a legitimate format, his links to Larry Levan and the Paradise Garage and how he started and eventually left West End Records. You being the 'factoid guru', this will add some more to your coffers.



The '500 List' is interesting. Their # 1 is "Shame" by Evelyn King, a song that really gets beat up on this board. I couldn't find Voyage on the list but I was scanning it, not reading. Here's the top 25 to peak your interest:



1. SHAME - EVELYN KING

2. LE FREAK - CHIC

3. TRY ME I KNOW WE CAN MAKE IT - DONNA SUMMER

4. SAN FRANCISCO / HOLLYWOOD - VILLAGE PEOPLE

5. HONEY BEE / NEVER CAN SAY GOODBYE / REACH OUT - GLORIA GAYNOR

6. BOOGIE OOGIE OOGIE - TASTE OF HONEY

7. I FOUND LOVE - LOVE & KISSES

8. I WILL SURVIVE - GLORIA GAYNOR

9. LOVE HANGOVER - DIANA ROSS

10. DISCO INFERNO / WHERE THE HAPPY PEOPLE GO - THE TRAAMPS

11. DON'T LEAVE ME THIS WAY - THELMA HOUSTON

12. BORN TO BE ALIVE - PATRICK HERNANDEZ

13. I'LL ALWAYS LOVE MY MAMA - THE INTRUDERS

14. MIGHTY REAL / DANCE (DISCO HEAT) - SYLVESTER

15. DATE WITH THE RAIN / GIRL YOU NEED A CHANGE OF MIND - EDDIE KENDRICKS

16. CONTACT - EDWIN STARR

17. THIS TIME BABY - JACKIE MOORE

18. DEVIL'S GUN - C.J. & CO.

19. LAST DANCE - DONNA SUMMER

20. WOMAN / WILD SAFARI - BARRABAS

21. MACH MAN - VILLAGE PEOPLE

22. WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE - THE TRAAMPS

23. LET'S ALL CHANT - MICHAEL ZAGER

24. ASK ME / GOOD THINGS DON'T LAST FOREVER - ECSTASY, PASSION & PAIN

25. STAYIN' ALIVE / NIGHT FEVER - THE BEE GEES



The credits for the list go to Ed Rothschild with assistance from Johnny Tripp and Chipper McKearnin. I don't know these names, maybe you do.



Like I said, pick it up and in between all this history you can count the number of Mel's sex partners which he's so eager to describe.



_________________

Dancin' All Over It!

Nicky

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: NickNack on 2001-11-01 14:42 ]</font>

[Leanmean]

Hmmmm.... I posted a bunch of wtuff about this book before Nicky's post and now it's gone. Where did it go?!

[Giovanni]

Hello Maarten,

This book is probably one of the best about the disco movement in the 70s. Read it. You will know a lot about the music we like (and the gay world too).



Other books worth reading are (in no special order):



- Anthony Haden Guest: The last party. Studio 54, Disco and the culture of night

- Sarah Thornton: Club cultures. Music, media and subcultural Capital

- Albert Goldman: Disco!

- Ulf Poschardt: DJ Culture

- Kai Fikentscher: You better work! Underground dance music in New York City

- Bill Brewster / Frank Broughton: Last night a dj saved my life. The history of the dj

- Nelson George: The death of R&B

- Alan Jones / Jussi Kantonen: Saturday Night Forever. The story of disco

- Rickey Vincent: Funk. The music, the people and the rhythm of the one

-Nelson George: Hip hop America





Good reading!!!!

[maarten]

Thank you all for the responses. I will put this book, and perhaps a few from Dr. Giovanni's list on my Xmas wish list. I have already quite a few books on the subject (mostly bought from second hand or bulk sale book stores - I am always amazed at what you can find there) and the nice thing about reading is that you can listen to music at the same time...

[NickNack]

On 2001-11-01 18:01, Giovanni wrote:

Hello Maarten,

This book is probably one of the best about the disco movement in the 70s. Read it. You will know a lot about the music we like (and the gay world too).



Other books worth reading are (in no special order):



- Anthony Haden Guest: The last party. Studio 54, Disco and the culture of night

- Sarah Thornton: Club cultures. Music, media and subcultural Capital

- Albert Goldman: Disco!

- Ulf Poschardt: DJ Culture

- Kai Fikentscher: You better work! Underground dance music in New York City

- Bill Brewster / Frank Broughton: Last night a dj saved my life. The history of the dj

- Nelson George: The death of R&B

- Alan Jones / Jussi Kantonen: Saturday Night Forever. The story of disco

- Rickey Vincent: Funk. The music, the people and the rhythm of the one

-Nelson George: Hip hop America





Good reading!!!!

Giovanni,



Thanks for this list. I see I have a couple of more to get my hands on. I'm still reading "Last Night... " by Brewster & Broughton but I keep putting it down to go back to a Dean Koontz, Steve King, or Clive Cussler novel I'm in the middle of also.

[JussiK]

Some more books here.



”THE CLUB – A Novel Of Glamor, Gossip And Scandal By Steven Gaines And Robert Jon Cohen” (Bantam Books) was written during 1979 while Steven Gaines was working for the soon-to-open and soon-to-close Broadway musical GOT TU GO DISCO. The novel is an okayish sub-Jackie Collins airport lounge timewaster. It describes the mostly identifiable characters as: ”JACKY MELLON – She’s a dazzling star like her mother. And speding on the same downhill skid to self-destruction. EDDIE BERNANDO – Jacky’s sexy Italian live-in director. He’s man enough for ten women. Almost enough for Jacky. ELLISON – America’s coked-up king of fashion. GLESNEROVSKY – The Russian ballet stud. STUART SHORTER – The beautiful people let him play with them. Because he decides who gets into The Club.”



Resembling William Friedkins film CRUISING, Felix Picano’s serial crime novel THE LURE is set in the leather &s/m scene. The text doesn’t kick you hard enough if you have been introduced to Andrew Vachs or such but one can fast-foward to the disco bits. Both this and THE CLUB are naturally long out of print but if I can discover used copies in Helsinki so should you wherever you are.



Far better is A LOW LIFE IN HIGH HEELS – THE HOLLY WOODLAWN STORY by Jeff Copeland and Holly Woodlawn (Harpers) . This should still be available. The text is a bittersweet and extremely funny account of Warhol Superstar’s rise and several falls in New York during the 60’s and the 70’s, with colorful descriptions of the disco era. There are several pictures of legendary figures in full party regalia. This is essential to anyone into pop art and a good companion to THE ANDY WARHOL DIARIES.



Anyone know more stuff like the above?

[Giovanni]

I refferred only to essay writings, but when talking of novels the must read is "Dancer from the dance" by Andrew Holleran (too many gay people but lot of disco too!!!)