Roberta Kelly ZODIACS

[remicks]

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It’s disco …..who cares about the lyrics ?
Say some …..

But I’m listening to Roberta Kelley’s ZODIACS ..... what a shame those dreadful “lyrics” were allowed to sully that nice breezy tune . Piano, tambourine, & bass driven (with occasional swirls of strings/horns ) …. in arrangement and vocal delivery this is very complementary to Grace Jones SORRY …. some thoughfully applied lyrics could have elevated this to Donna Summer leagued Giorgio .....but no ....instead we have to endure this pleasing vocal simply reviewing .... each and every sign of the zodiac !! ….:roll::roll::roll:

Pisceans , Aquarians , Sagittarians , etc. …..

All searchin’ for the sign …. that goes with their own sign …..of the Zo-di-AAAC
of the Zo-di-ac
oh, of the Zo-di-AAC ..
Do do do do do do do do do do do ……

And then if not tenuously calling out each sign isn’t enough …. there’s then the mundane listing of every planet that affects the Zodiac
Jupiter, Mars. Uranus . Pluto …..

Somebody spare me !:roll::razz:




Beautiful music ….ruined by lame lyrics …..I almost can’t listen ….. never would have danced to it ….

and you ???


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[Bernie]

Agree with you wholeheartedly! I think it is so silly and can't understand why some go nuts over this. Oh well...

[keefelc]

Ohhh boys, I liked the album! I thought it was fun and I danced to it at Troc. Don't forget astrology was big at the time and the record was obviously Casablanca trying to cash in on the craze.

BTW, just because I liked the record, I never ever asked anybody, "What's your sign?" :-P

[Disco Funk]

Ohhh boys, I liked the album! I thought it was fun and I danced to it at Troc. Don't forget astrology was big at the time and the record was obviously Casablanca trying to cash in on the craze.

Yeah, a lot of those funk albums from the late 70s used to have the band members listed on the back with their zodiac signs.

Disco Funk

[needlefingers]

And who can forget The Floaters, Float On?

from allmusic.com:

"Float On" was 11 minutes and 46 seconds of pure magic; the tune echoed the group's name, for it just floated on a bed of rhythm and harmony as the guys introduced themselves and gave their astrological signs. Disc jockeys loved "Float On," they could pair it with Issac Hayes' "By the Time I Get to Phoenix," make a munchie run, and be back before Ike sings "she'll be rising." "Float On" aced Billboard's R&B chart and Great Britain's pop chart.

[Paulo]

It’s disco …..who cares about the lyrics ?
But I’m listening to Roberta Kelley’s ZODIACS.... what a shame those dreadful “lyrics”..............
Somebody spare me !
Beautiful music ….ruined by lame lyrics …..I almost can’t listen ….. never would have danced to it ….

As you said:
It's disco... who cares about the lyrics ??

I never pay attention to lyrics. Musically, I think that song is good and the whole album is great.

That album was big in Brazil.
The second song on side 1 (I can't remember the name) played a lot on the radio and on the clubs... along with track 1 from side 2 (I'm Sagitarius)..... again the astrology business.

I recall the whole side 1 being played in its entirety in Ziig-Zaag club.
Sotão Disco Club also played in its entirety the side 1 of the second Voyage album.

In 1978 Roberta Kelly came to play in Brazil in a small town called Petropolis. By coincidence, I lived there (at the time) from monday to friday.... leaving town to spend the weekends in Rio De Janeiro (I was 18 and was studying engineering at Petropolis University).

It was advertised on the radio that Roberta Kelly would sign autographs in a Petropolis big record store around 3:00 o'clock PM. It was a friday, I was still in town. I went there, waited for hours, but she didn't show up.

I also missed her saturday night concert at Clube Petropolitano.

[remicks]

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Well, since the witch didn't show up for her signing.... keeping you all waiting for hours .... I guess I can throw this in too .....how much better this whole project would be with Donna's richer voice on it instead .

And probably ..... Donna would've said, "These #$*@ lyrics !! You must be kidding! .... Moroder!!!, where's my pen ?? ".... :lol:...:lol:...


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[Salsoul1975]

Roberta Kelly's Zodiacs is a great song; I hear it sometimes on the local disco station here in NYC on Sunday nights (they do a classic disco show). I have Side A of Zodiac Lady on CD, along with the aforementioned I'm Sagittarius, which is also a great song. I also like Kelly's Trouble Maker and Love Power, which are from her previous album.

[rhessel]

...
That album was big in Brazil.
The second song on side 1 (I can't remember the name) played a lot on the radio and on the clubs... along with track 1 from side 2 (I'm Sagitarius)..... again the astrology business.
...

Hi Paulo:

I have the Trouble Maker + Zodiacs in CD, which was released in 1996 by BUD Music, Germany.

Side A: Zodiacs [5:09], Love-Sign [5:43] and Funky Stardust [4:21]
Side B: I'm Sagittarius [4:58], Sunburst [4:39] and Moondreaming [3:58].

Cheers,

Hessel

[Mixmachine]

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Well, since the witch didn't show up for her signing.... keeping you all waiting for hours .... I guess I can throw this in too .....how much better this whole project would be with Donna's richer voice on it instead .

*****

how about a French vocal version by Eveline John, :lol: at least this 7" single one has an instrumental version only;-), don't know it this version was done before or after Kelly's, is not as good anyways.

[JussiK]

Please remember when judging the lyrical qualities of tracks like "Zodiacs" that these records are eurodisco - we didn't really care about evocative rhapsodising in the terraces, gardens, patios, bars cars and clubs we listened to music like that. And take the spanking new "Discodare" by Alcazar lead vocalist Magnus Carlsson, doesn't capture the literary spirit of Marguerite Duras in miniature, yet it's great. The sun is shining so just give us a stomping beat, the violins and a few vocals all of us can understand! :-)

[the disco kid]

Yes, I agree with Jussi...it's all about having fun. the music on the Zodiacs Lp is fantastic and bubbling with happiness. I have fond memories of dancing to this and all of my friends pointing to each other as their signs were mentioned in the song. Some music is not meant to be taken seriously, but simply enjoyed at the moment.

[remicks]

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Jussik : Please remember when judging the lyrical qualities of tracks like "Zodiacs" that these records are eurodisco

We can forgive the Europeans such complacency .....BUT Roberta Kelly was American .... SHE should've known better ! ;-)

Yes, I agree with Jussi...it's all about having fun. the music on the Zodiacs Lp is fantastic and bubbling with happiness. . Some music is not meant to be taken seriously, but simply enjoyed at the moment.

Good ! .... 'cause I'm the DJ and I'm about to mix ZODIACS into : The Village People's SLEAZY !!!:p:p:p




----- This was exactly why a caring DJ was so important .....
.... it was his job to rescue you indiscriminate types from consuming your night on the dance floor, knee deep in disco doo doo!!! :p:lol:

I have fond memories of dancing to this and all of my friends pointing to each other as their signs were mentioned in the song

.... :roll: :o :-o

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[Mixmachine]

“Zodiac” was a absolute “Floor magnet ” in every club I remember because of the overall fun vibe this song brought to the dance floor, no one I know of ever followed any lyrics in a club setting at all anyways (maybe hooks ?), and even after purchasing the Album and after carefully listening to the lyrics (if then) they couldn’t care less, the purpose was to relive last night's club experience at home (or car)not to analyze every aspect of the song.:icon_mrgreen:

[remicks]

*****

“Zodiac” was a absolute “Floor magnet ” in every club I remember because of the overall fun vibe this song brought to the dance floor,

My experience was exactly the opposite Mixmachine. I don't ever remember hearing the song. Either that's because the clubs I frequented didn't play it much .....or else even at that time I found it so crappy I didn't pay any attention to it :-P:roll:
Of course different regions as well as different clubs within a region featured different song choices .…(one reason why bar hopping was so much fun) I find it eye opening that this song was apparently so widely well received ...
But , because I personally don't recall it from back then , I have to base my reaction to it from as I hear the song today ....thirty years later .
And as I've already stated .... I find it a pretty tune, but a pretty tune burdened with stupid lyrics :-P:-P .

no one I know of ever followed any lyrics in a club setting at all anyways (maybe hooks ?), and even after purchasing the Album and after carefully listening to the lyrics (if then) they couldn’t care less, the purpose was to relive last night's club experience at home (or car)not to analyze every aspect of the song.?

I think that was so too ... as a generality .

BUT when you pinpoint some of disco's greats .....it often was very much about the lyrics . ( DON'T LEAVE ME THIS WAY ... I WILL SURVIVE ... DISCO INFERNO ... LOVE HANGOVER....WE ARE FAMILY )

There are as many other instances in disco music when minimal lyrics suit the song fine ....LE FREAK for example . Loud , sassy, and to the point . But this is what I'm not liking about ZODIACS ...this is a more complex , romantic, , full-bodied song ... and the vocals that are laid on top of it by Roberta Kelly are sung in a suitably sinuous way ...
So it becomes absurd ... then.... when one realizes what it is exactly she is passionately going on about.... .... all the signs of .... the zodiac! ...:-P... !!!
As lyrics for this song : they simply don't match ... .......IMO......



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[Mixmachine]

My experience was exactly the opposite Mixmachine. I don't ever remember hearing the song. Either that's because the clubs I frequented didn't play it much .....or else even at that time I found it so crappy I didn't pay any attention to it...

well, that explains why you have no love at all for it, you don’t know what you missed!!!!!:-o:icon_mrgreen::p:p

I used to have the original import release (Oasis???) before the Casablanca release came out in the USA , cover was a bit different similar (or same ) as the Italian version in the vaults here, and the sound quality was something to behold coming out of a good Club’s sound system, those pounding drums reverberating across the room were the stuff that Disco dreams are made of :icon_mrgreen:, who cared about lyrics when music like this was pounding your shirt off your chest, if anyone one was a club DJ at the time and didn’t play this should have been fired at the spot, this Import version I speak of has the distinction for me of been stolen not once but twice from my club record bin, after that I was never able to find this original again and settled for the Casablanca one using it into the late 80’s for ‘oldies’ sets, this copy was also stolen sometime in the late 80’s and only replaced a few years back when I found a used copy in a bin at my old specialty store just before they shut down for ever.

I guess this record had such impact on some people that out of all the “classic” one of the kind 12” available in my bin they decided to steal this one.:p:p:p

BUT when you pinpoint some of disco's greats .....it often was very much about the lyrics . ( DON'T LEAVE ME THIS WAY ... I WILL SURVIVE ... DISCO INFERNO ... LOVE HANGOVER....WE ARE FAMILY )

Sorry, but naming a few songs like this out of the tenth of thousands played in clubs your case doesn’t make!!!!:icon_mrgreen:

All this tunes were crossover records played in top forty stations every five minutes, if you didn’t recite this lyrics while sleeping there was something seriously wrong with you:razz::razz:

[markydefad]

I'm with remicks on this one--I played it recently and thought it was one of the LESSER Moroder/Bellotte projects --and that's being KIND!!!:razz::razz::razz:

I'm gonna have to spin it again---but it sounded LAME the last time!!!:icon_twisted::icon_twisted::icon_twisted:

[markydefad]

out of curiosity, I went over to AMG to see if they had an opinion:

"Though it's not as deftly intriguing as its title might suggest, disco siren Roberta Kelly's sophomore effort is worthwhile, largely thanks to her rousing, soulful vocals. The most memorable moment lies in the perpetually fun, classic single "Zodiacs," a bright, horn-infested groover replete with references to all of the astrological signs and their quest to find the right matches. Kelly applies the right amount of kitsch to the lyrics, while still sounding very believable atop the production of Giorgio Moroder and Pete Bellotte. Also notable is the ballad "Moondreaming" and the nifty "I'm Sagittarius." But the results are not nearly as far-reaching or lasting as those of the singer's post-Moroder efforts, Roots Can Be Anywhere and Tell Me, which really show off more of her vocal versatility and musicality. Still, for avid fans this will prove a fun and necessary listen, as it contains the singer's biggest dancefloor hit."

hmmmm....:???::???::-o guess I'll spin this tonight after I've had my Mike's Hard Lemonade!!!!:D:D:D

[VINYLLIFE]

Hey Remicks when I saw you with the record I thought the same thing about the song. I never really cared for it too much. My friends request it from time to time. I hear a little bit of Ethal in Roberta's voice in some parts of the song:-? . But I must say, other than this song, Roberta works for me:-P .

Disco lives in L.A!!!!!!

[ol'skinflint]

I had a similar experience when I listened to "Inner Life 2". Wonderful music but lyrics so inane they're painful to try to listen to. Someone on here wrote "It's disco, who cares about the lyrics?" but when they're so bad they hurt it's hard not to care. On the other hand, good lyrics can only make a good song better. I love this line from St. Tropez's "Hold on to Love": "Come, my love thief, and steal my poor heart away...."

[remicks]

well, that explains why you have no love at all for it, you don’t know what you missed!!!!!:-o:icon_mrgreen::p:p

:icon_exclaim::cry:

You know :-P ..... you're right !! .....

I am at a sorry disadvantage because I didn't experience it back then :cry::cry::cry: ... But you did ... and I can tell by your recountings that this song did indeed move people back then when it mattered.

Your point is exactly right Mixmachine . All I am able to do is listen to it as a 2006 experience....which can never match "the real thing " i.e. hearing it fresh and within its rightful setting : amongst a receptive crowd in a crowded club with the song "pounding my shirt off my chest " 8-)

I'm in a similar situation that I always wonder about here .... how is it possible for the latter days to listen to this music now ... so far removed from its intended context ... and possibly react to this music in a way anywhere near resembling how it was back then?

???

I'm declaring you the winner ( on this one :-P ) Mixmachine .....

because of your convincing testimonial .... I now have a more insightful perspective about ZODIACS .... and a bit more respect for this song .

Thanks for wanting to shed some light on it.
.........8-)....
*****

[markydefad]

Listened last night--AFTER drinking a Mike's Hard Lemonade and it really does SUCK!!!! I made it through side one and then Jon Stewart came on and I had to lift the needle off the disk (which was the German pressing that I payed $1.00 for...so I CAN'T COMPLAIN TOO MUCH):lol:

Billboard shows this LP peaking at #25--so it wasn't that big a hit....I find it very disappointing after "Trouble-maker"...which is Not in Donna's league but a respectable try ("Think I'm Gonna Break Someone's Heart Tonight" is my fave, followed by 'Innocent"--then "Trouble-maker (love the strings) and "Love Power"; then "Gettin' The Spirit" was another good one (title track was a TROC CLASSIK!!!) ...but I think "Zodiac Lady" jumped the shark. I guess ya had to be there--wait--I was-- and I still don't get it.

[remicks]

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well no wonder .....
you were half ****-faced and John Stewart wasn't that funny last night !!:p:p:p

Now ..while you've got it handy Marky ....you must give LOVE SIGNS another chance. I 'm referring to the song after ZODIACS on the LP ...LOVE SIGNS I think is it ...
Drop the needle just past half way and pretend you are finally listening to a long lost song never included on Donna's TRY ME I KNOW WE CAN MAKE IT LP.
You'll love it ( if you loved TMIKWCMI;-) ) guaranteed !!:D

*****

[markydefad]

One Mike's HL doesn't contitute "****-faced"!!! in my book!!! I can hardly believe that Morodor/Bellotte put their names on this LP. Yet it does say "Conceived & Produced by GM & PB"....a low point in their careers.:???::???::???:

[remicks]

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***** ZODIACS *****


Here it is! :D
Here is the song in question....

Not only hear it .....but view it for yourself !!!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HwPKz8WfbWk


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