Village People - 80`s output

[Energyguy]

Just wondered what you guys thought about the tracks put out by the VP during the mid eighties.. I have SEX OVER THE PHONE + NEW YORK CITY on 12". Not bad at all - qiote catchy tracks, but nothing special....

[phrankie]

Those were on Record Shack weren't they? I quite liked "Sex Over The Phone", if you get my meaning, lol :lol:

[Energyguy]

Originally Posted by phrankie

Those were on Record Shack weren't they? I quite liked "Sex Over The Phone", if you get my meaning, lol :lol:

Yeah... they were licensed to Record Shack in the UK. I also like SEX OVER THE PHONE - Good track 8)

[DISCODISK]

Originally Posted by Energyguy

Just wondered what you guys thought about the tracks put out by the VP during the mid eighties.. I have SEX OVER THE PHONE ....

i heard it had sold one copy on release i was unfortunate enough enough to watch this on video the other week, i saw it through cos it was just so terrible, they did a little dance with phones in hand,embarasing really :oops:

[Eurodancemix]

Energyguy, actually I liked those tracks very much when they came out. In fact, I think their New York City album as a whole in underrated. Here's a review I wrote on Amazon back in 2001 when it was finally released on CD. Just my humble opinion...

Every so often, a quality release makes it onto store shelves and swiftly fades into oblivion, unnoticed, never to be heard from again. This is such a release. SEX OVER THE PHONE was originally issued in 1985, but only overseas. The Village People and their producer, Jacques Morali, having presumably learned their lessons with the dismal New Wave and Funk of the RENAISSANCE and IN THE STREET albums, respectively, decided to return to what they all did best: dance music. However, don't let the VP's past disco work influence your thoughts. This is well beyond disco, and light years away from a "Macho Man" or a "YMCA". Despite its sleazy title, this album is of outstanding quality on all fronts. The music is serious, solid mid-80's club music that has aged very well. The vocals are the VP's finest work to date: they know the material is their best yet and it clearly comes through.

Now that it's finally been issued domestically, 16 years after its original release, this particular CD benefits from two versions of the European hit "Sex Over The Phone": the original controversial mid-tempo version in which a man returns the phone sex call, and the faster club version in which a woman returns the call. Despite the overall theme throughout the tracks, none of the songs are vulgar or overly suggestive. I am hard-pressed to select one track as my favorite, but I do find that "Just Give Me What I Want", "Power Of The Night", and "Sensual" have that extra edge that makes them ultra-catchy.

I originally bought this release on vinyl back in 1985. I wore it out and bought the CD version the following year. It's been in my CD player ever since. The other CD's come and go, but that one stays. Yes, it's that good and it still sounds as fresh as it did 16 years ago.

It's fitting that this is the very last album of original material the VP ever released. I wish they'd come out with something new for their longtime fans, but I doubt anything could ever match the beauty and quality of this release.

[Energyguy]

Originally Posted by DISCODISK

i heard it had sold one copy on release i was unfortunate enough enough to watch this on video the other week, i saw it through cos it was just so terrible, they did a little dance with phones in hand,embarasing really :oops:

I think it sold more than one copy...

[phrankie]

"Sex Over The Phone" was big in France I seem to remember...and nobody can deny that this stuff was so much better than their dreadful "New Romantic" re-incarnation beforehand! :roll:

[Energyguy]

Originally Posted by phrankie

"Sex Over The Phone" was big in France I seem to remember...and nobody can deny that this stuff was so much better than their dreadful "New Romantic" re-incarnation beforehand! :roll:

Rich - are you the Indian or the construction worker ?

[DiscoKidd]

Originally Posted by DISCODISK

i heard it had sold one copy on release i was unfortunate enough enough to watch this on video the other week, i saw it through cos it was just so terrible, they did a little dance with phones in hand,embarasing really :oops:

What's even more embarrasing is the female who appears in the video as the voice on the phone. Weren't they singing about phone sex with a guy???

Also, the lead singer on this project is neither Victor Willis nor Ray Simpson.

[phrankie]

Neil, neither! How dare you!!! LOL!!! :D

[Energyguy]

Originally Posted by phrankie

Neil, neither! How dare you!!! LOL!!! :D

OOPS ! My mistake.. Must have been someone else... :lol:

[Eurodancemix]

Originally Posted by DiscoKidd

What's even more embarrasing is the female who appears in the video as the voice on the phone. Weren't they singing about phone sex with a guy???

Also, the lead singer on this project is neither Victor Willis nor Ray Simpson.

In the remix, it's indeed a woman who calls back, not a man like in the original version.

Ray Simpson was the lead singer on the NEW YORK CITY album. You might be thinking of the IN THE STREET album released in 1983. Both Victor Willis and Ray Simpson sang lead on this (evidence that some of this material had been recorded well before 1980) with the exception of a ballad sung by Alex Briley (the GI).

[dvdjamm]

i remember a song they did that was surprisingly soulful...it was called 5 o'clock in the morning. i always thought that could have been a hit somehow....

[Energyguy]

Originally Posted by dvdjamm

i remember a song they did that was surprisingly soulful...it was called 5 o'clock in the morning. i always thought that could have been a hit somehow....

hello !! - Never heard of that track - when did they record it ?

[SandraDee]

I always thought it was a bit annoying how they were so gay in their imagery but throughout their career they consistantly tried to pass themselves off as straight (a bit like George Michael!! :-? ). Thank goodness for the more 'open' age of sexuality when acts like Man 2 Man, Bronski Beat & Tom Robinson could be more honest re sexuality. I'm not saying I don't like VP; I love most of their records, I just don't think they were very honest.