They Fall Into The Category Of WHAT WERE THEY THINKING!??!

**Blooeyz2001** · November 7th, 2005, 10:14 AM

There's plenty of music out there that never should have been recorded. It's misguided, unfocused, over-produced, ridiculous, etc. I'm going to start with the 12" single of "Got A Date" By Dionne Warwick: When I bought this record in 1983, I thought it was a great dance track (even though it was never played in any of the clubs I frequented). I listened to it recently, & it sounds ridiculous (it should have sounded ridiculous back then too). It sounds like a Stacy Lattisaw reject. I don't know why a forty-three year old woman would choose to record this over-produced mess, with juvenile lyrics, in the first place. It definitely falls into the category of "What were they thinking?".

**remicks** · November 7th, 2005, 02:42 PM

Originally Written by Blooeyz2001

I thought it was a great dance track (even though it was never played in any of the clubs I frequented). I listened to it recently, & it sounds ridiculous (it should have sounded ridiculous back then too). It sounds like a Stacy Lattisaw reject. I don't know why a forty-three year old woman would choose to record this over-produced mess, with juvenile lyrics, in the first place. It definitely falls into the category of "What were they thinking?".[/b]

Ha Ha :lol: :lol: ...for a second I thought I wrote this post !! :lol:

But I've never even heard of this record ....
( it sounds like I'd agree with your assessment though ..... :)

)

There are many records that I find hard to listen to now .... with them out of their original context .... many weren't meant to be anything more than flash-in-the-pan dancefloor music .... sounding great blasting at 12 :15 am ... couched between specific other songs . When I ask myself ..."what were they thinking?" sometimes I have to remember that many records got hot because they mixed so well with other hotter songs at the time .... Or captured a certain trendy sound .

Much of what made a successful DJ was the ability to pace .... which meant not just playing the obvious ones, one after another. ( too easy and boring) . There needed to be those bridge songs that created distances between the big stuff.
Keep 'em waiting and wanting ....

So today there is a bunch of that music that I find it hard to play through ....but I remember their validity at their time .

Now I'm seeking the disco that is more rewarding to really specifically listen to.....and a lot of it is the early stuff ...... packed with lush orchestration and hard working musicians .... when you mention "over produced" that's exactly what I seek out most ..... so give me a good Paul Jabara ..... where great effort was made to enhance the production with every little subtle bell and whistle and added layer of string and horn ....... "over produced" is my favorite style .... :D :D

Well... that went off topic a little I think . .... sorry BE .....Other examples of "what were they thinking" ... I'm sure I can come up with many .... I'll have to return ..... :)

*****
i.e. Freddie James "GET UP AND BOOGIE " or Mantus "ROCK YOUR BODY " might be examples.....

**markydefad** · November 7th, 2005, 02:57 PM

It's amusing that this should come up today...cause just yesterday I was chatting with Svend and I asked why Dionne Warwick never followed up "Take It From Me" with another cool dance track (OK, there's "Track of the Cat" & "Once You Hit The Road")....but I mean, later...and he said "There's something in Joel Whitburn's book called "Got A Date" and I said...."But that sucked." I don't even recall how this song went--I just know it was pretty crappy --even though it reached #15 on the Billboard Dance chart in Jan. 1984.

Dionne didn't do the dance stuff....even though "Then Came You" and "Take It From Me" sound GRRRRRREAAAT today!!! :D

**keefelc** · November 7th, 2005, 03:18 PM

"Got A Date" was from the album Luther Vandross produced for Dionne. Obviously, he and Clive Davis (head of Arista Records at the time) were attempting to broaden her market. I don't mind the cut. I thought it was typical Luther but it wasn't one of his better efforts. I think I read at the time the album was being made, Luther had way too many projects going on. The entire album as a whole is disappointing.

**Blooeyz2001** · November 11th, 2005, 08:48 PM

"Dr. Ruth" (1982) by Pattie Brooks. (When I lived in NYC, I bought a promo copy of this at St. Mark's Sounds for 25 cents. Anybody remember this oddity?? By 1982, she was attempting something different from her Casablanca releases, but this just didn't work). :lol:

**Blooeyz2001** · November 11th, 2005, 08:54 PM

"Bam, Bam, Bam (I Came Here To Jam)" (1987) by Left Lane. (Horrible answer song to Paul Lekakis' "Boom, Boom, Boom").

**Blooeyz2001** · November 11th, 2005, 09:00 PM

"Baby I'm Burnin'" (1978) by Dolly Parton. (Dolly's attempt at disco on a pink vinyl 12" single. Not good). :-?

**K-Bee** · November 12th, 2005, 01:10 AM

Originally Written by keefelc

"Got A Date" was from the album Luther Vandross produced for Dionne. Obviously, he and Clive Davis (head of Arista Records at the time) were attempting to broaden her market. I don't mind the cut. I thought it was typical Luther but it wasn't one of his better efforts. I think I read at the time the album was being made, Luther had way too many projects going on. The entire album as a whole is disappointing.

Yes the Luther/Dionne team didn't really work out. It seems to me Luther used all his creativity on Aretha's "Jump To It / Get It Right" LP's from the same period. The Dionne album suffers from uninspired songwriting, and its no surprise that he chose to include the only worthwhile cut from Dionne's LP on he's own "BusyBody" set as well (the duet).

**Davicillo** · November 13th, 2005, 12:39 PM

There was another answer to Paul Lekakis.
'No more Mr Boom Boom' by Bodyheat. Dire!

**djsonic** · November 13th, 2005, 02:35 PM

Yes Sir, I Can Boogie...a Putrid Song.
sonic.

**Davicillo** · November 13th, 2005, 02:37 PM

:lol: agree

**DiscoBall** · November 14th, 2005, 08:12 AM

Designer Music by Lipps Inc. Yuck

**pepper1dancer** · November 14th, 2005, 09:27 PM

"The Main Event" by B. Streisand. GROSS!!!!

**jackin** · November 18th, 2005, 01:52 PM

ashford&simpson- SOLID!!!!
(nicholas ashfords suit + haircut during the period, was awful as well)

am i the only one??? can´t believe it became a hit!

(i still think ashford&simpson are among the top 15 producers....)

why didin´t "it seems to hang on" become a hit ?

**eddie** · November 19th, 2005, 12:22 AM

That was the era when labels would hold one cut back-to sell the album. Atlantic Starr always fell victim of this in the early 1980's. It's possibly the Same with Ashford and Simpson. Typically a solid soul cut would not be released as a 45 but would be played heavily on Black radio and possibly released as a 12".
Instrumentals or rare non-Lp tracks would make up the b-sides of these 45's. The labels wanted everything that they released to sell very well and have something exclusive or else a lesser cut would rank higher because of the rare b-side.
"I'll take the whole world on" and "Nobody knows the inside" are 2 other great underrated tracks by them.

**SandraDee** · November 19th, 2005, 02:59 PM

Originally Written by DiscoBall

Designer Music by Lipps Inc. Yuck

I so agree; almost anything by Lipps Inc! I got the 'best of' CD - big mistake! Other than 'Funkytown' they had very little to offer disco fans IMO. :-?