Marlena Shaw - Love Dancin'

**FrontPage22** · December 4th, 2005, 10:25 AM

Saw this included in someone's "10 Tracks This Week" and was going to comment I never took a shine to this song...the piano is great, but the rest of the production seems to have dated soooo quickly. I can't say I am a fan of where Marlena went when she did disco...her voice is so terrific but it seems wasted on the lyrics. She may have fared better with more Linda Clifford-esque numbers. Sassy..soulful stuff. Not this sort of meh...my opinion. I'm open to people pointing out some other disco stuff of Ms.Shaw's that I may have overlooked.

**Billyno** · December 4th, 2005, 11:23 AM

I love the whole "It Was A Very Good Year" medley from Marlena's "Take A Bite" album and it's something I still play regularly today. Sure it's dated/nostagic, but for me that's half the fun! I do agree with your other comments, though - It would've been great to have heard her record some of the Linda Clifford style songs. Maybe something like "Runaway Love" or "Don't Give It Up". Like yourself, I don't know much else by Marlena, apart from the sublime "California Soul", that is!

**FrontPage22** · December 4th, 2005, 11:32 AM

Her song "Woman Of The Ghetto" is very powerful (from her "Spice Of Life" LP...). Her "Go Away Little Boy" was also a signature tune of hers. But this is way before her disco diva days.

**mrbmarco** · December 4th, 2005, 12:40 PM

The GOLD here was the special 12" white label copy of TOUCH ME IN THE MORNING --Back in the day very few DJ's had this and it would always pack the floor.
I'm happy you can now find it on CD.

**Videoskooter** · December 4th, 2005, 12:43 PM

Originally Written by Billyno

I love the whole "It Was A Very Good Year" medley from Marlena's "Take A Bite" album and it's something I still play regularly today. Sure it's dated/nostagic

Hell no :lol: it's still great stuff. In fact it's extremely well done. Marlena's superb Jazz vocals spread over a bed of sweet Disco arrangements. I can listen to that album day after day.

She's one of those very underrated Disco stars.

**jackin** · December 4th, 2005, 02:28 PM

"Touch me in the morning" and "love dancin" are both underrated disco classics!

I think "touch me in the morning" was the closing tune, on the Saint´s (the famous gay club in NYC) final night !

**SandraDee** · December 17th, 2005, 07:01 PM

I find the LP version of 'TMITM' in the Suite 17 medley a bit puny. I think the 12" was beefier; I must get that version.

**swerzer** · December 17th, 2005, 07:09 PM

Originally Written by jackin

I think "touch me in the morning" was the closing tune, on the Saint´s (the famous gay club in NYC) final night !

"Hold On To My Love' by Jimmy Ruffin was the closing tune on the Saint's last night. The DJ was Robbie Leslie.

swerzer

**Westwood** · December 18th, 2005, 11:26 AM

Hey guys is this "Touch Me In The Morning" a diva vocal track à la Loleatta Holloway? I have heard a song in a movie (Broadway Damage) that could be this one but haven't been able to hear a snippet and I thouht that if it's the same some Diana Ross sang then it could not be what I heard, but if this is not that song then I don't know.
On what cd can this rare 12" version be found?
Thanks

**remicks** · December 18th, 2005, 01:40 PM

*****

Boy , when Meco got it right ... he did some of the best !!! The "TAKE A BITE " album ... I can imagine listeners who have never had the pleasure of being on a dancefloor giving this record some play .... and not even noticing or caring it's from the dreaded land of "disco" . Superb composition and vocal performance.

Marlena Shaw had a cheerfully spry early disco release which I bet is to soon debut on Marky's 1976 chart. "IT'S BETTER THAN WALKING OUT " ... If one likes the Supremes of this same era ...it's very " I'm GOING TO LET MY HEART DO THE WALKING " which I just noticed for the first time :roll: has a suspiciously similar theme. ....
Hmm :-? ..... was Marlena's sort of an answer song to the Supreme's tune ???..... :-?

*****

**neonlights** · December 18th, 2005, 03:23 PM

I enjoyed the "Take A Bite" album.. Managed to track down the CD about a year ago.. Very good album, though IMO, probably just short of being a classic or among my all time favourites. "It Was A Very Good Year," "Love Dancin'," "Touch Me In The Morning" and "I'll Be Your Friend" are the highlights for me.. I love how she brings a bit of a jazz attitude into the whole thing, especially on the 2nd half of the LP..

Originally Written by remicks

Marlena Shaw had a cheerfully spry early disco release which I bet is to soon debut on Marky's 1976 chart. "IT'S BETTER THAN WALKING OUT " ... If one likes the Supremes of this same era ...it's very " I'm GOING TO LET MY HEART DO THE WALKING " which I just noticed for the first time :roll: has a suspiciously similar theme. ....
Hmm :-? ..... was Marlena's sort of an answer song to the Supreme's tune ???..... :-?

*****

lol.. That's interesting! wow.. Love the disco Supremes, another something I've got to track down! I've always been curious about Marlena's other Columbia albums and how they compare.. Another thing I like about Marlena is that she doesn't seem to disown her disco material, which is pretty refreshing for someone with her jazz credentials...

**discokicks** · December 18th, 2005, 03:30 PM

Originally Written by Westwood

Hey guys is this "Touch Me In The Morning" a diva vocal track à la Loleatta Holloway? I have heard a song in a movie (Broadway Damage) that could be this one but haven't been able to hear a snippet and I thouht that if it's the same some Diana Ross sang then it could not be what I heard, but if this is not that song then I don't know.
On what cd can this rare 12" version be found?
Thanks

The best cd to get the 12" version of Touch Me In The Morning would be on the wonderful Let's Dance, a collection of Columbia dance releases from the late 70's. So many treasures on this album, you just won't know which cut to play first. The only flaw, if I'm remembering it correctly according to a friend's cd copy years ago, is that Touch Me actually fades out a little too soon. I opted for the double vinyl set at the time in order to have the full version.

**neonlights** · December 18th, 2005, 03:49 PM

In addition to the Let's Dance CD (looks like something else I have to buy), I just found out on allmusic.com that her Columbia greatest hits CD "Go Away Little Boy" (allmusic.com | amazon.com) seems to have the 12" versions of both "Love Dancin'" (runs 7.55) and "Touch Me.." (runs 7.19). The album versions I have here run 4.34 and 5.57 respectively..

**markydefad** · December 18th, 2005, 07:35 PM

I noticed that the LET'S DANCE cd version shortens a lot of the tracks to make them fit on the cd; luckily I also have the 2 disc vinyl set; when I went to tape something recently, I noticed the timing differences. Most tracks were shortened for the cd as I recall. :evil: :evil: :evil:

This was also a problem with the CD compilations of Greatest Hits for various artists on Hot Productions cds...they faded nearly every song after around 5:15 and then advertised that the cd included the long 12" versions!!! Yeah edited down to 5:15!!!!!!--by your fader-happy engineer to fit some lame remix-medley on the end. :P :P :P

You know what I'm talkin' about!!! :lol: :P :roll: :o :x :evil:

**Westwood** · January 18th, 2006, 06:21 PM

Ok I finally got both the Let's Dance 2LP set (mint thank you) and the collection cd of Marlena, and both have the 7min+ version of TMITM (which indeed is the Loleatta-ish track in that movie). Did I read incorrectly or is it another song that there is a longer version on?