Loretta Stokes

[Energyguy]

can anyone tell me about a disco artist from the 70s called Loretta Stokes..? I know very little about her but i believe she did an album with UK Producer ian Levine. I believe a couple of her unreleased tracks were finally pressed in the mid 80s on the Nightmare gold label but never come across them. Were any of her recordings released on CD ?

[discosavvy]

Yeah, she's really obscure! I have had problems finding details about her too. What you say seems to confirm that the 1987 release from Nightmare of Loretta Stokes's album was the first release. Not a year one would expect that to happen.

Her song "Kidnap Me" is part of the compilation CD "The Best Disco in Town" from Empire Music Werks
http://www.empiremusicwerks.com/disco.html

Hot Productions released a whole album of hers in CD form, with 5 of her songs, on February 20, 1996
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/AS...rniesdiscomusi

[Energyguy]

hey
Thanks for the links/info - I will have to try & get hold of that CD

[Energyguy]

RESULT !
Ordered a copy of her CD from Amazon...

[discosavvy]

Awesome! Let us know if there's anything interesting in the liner notes, such as any reason why the LP wasn't released sooner than 1987, if that's what the case was, and when the songs were recorded.

[Energyguy]

Awesome! Let us know if there's anything interesting in the liner notes, such as any reason why the LP wasn't released sooner than 1987, if that's what the case was, and when the songs were recorded.

Found out some more info...
The person on the front cover of the CD is not Loretta ! Not sure what she actutally looks like ?
I have found out that the album she recorded in the 1970s got shelved due to a change in record company personnel who wanted to take the label in a different direction. The same thing happened with an album recorded by Susan Wells.
When the CD arrives I will provide more details and let you know what the tracks are like.

[discosavvy]

Hmm.. Thanks for the details. I just saw some great info at http://rateyourmusic.com/artist/loretta_stokes

she was discovered by DJ Rick Gianatos in Chicago, 1979, ... By 1987, [Ian] Levine... decided to create the sublabel Nightmare Gold to release a series of 34 12"s with all his lost disco material from the late 70s. All 5 tracks from Loretta's album had been scheduled for individual 12" releases, and although four of them were actually pressed, only "You'll Never Escape My Love" eventually came out to minimal attention.

So... recorded in 1979, with this one song released in 1987, and the other four in February 1996.

[Energyguy]

Hmm.. Thanks for the details. I just saw some great info at http://rateyourmusic.com/artist/loretta_stokes

she was discovered by DJ Rick Gianatos in Chicago, 1979, ... By 1987, [Ian] Levine... decided to create the sublabel Nightmare Gold to release a series of 34 12"s with all his lost disco material from the late 70s. All 5 tracks from Loretta's album had been scheduled for individual 12" releases, and although four of them were actually pressed, only "You'll Never Escape My Love" eventually came out to minimal attention.

So... recorded in 1979, with this one song released in 1987, and the other four in February 1996.

Well, between us we seem to be coming up with some good info. Looking forward to listening to this album (heard some samplers on the amazon site). I love all the early 70s disco stuff by Barbara pennington/Susan Wells/croisette/Eastbound expressway

[remicks]

*****

The person on the front cover of the CD is not Loretta ! Not sure what she actutally looks like ?

Hmmmm.... Maybe Loretta is actuallty Martha Wash !!
Who is it on the cover if not the artist ???

I have found out that the album she recorded in the 1970s got shelved due to a change in record company personnel who wanted to take the label in a different direction.

Oh. Oh That's code for ... the project was so bad they didn't want to put any money into it . Still it was 1979 ....maybe the glut made them nervous ....What label was it ?

When the CD arrives I will provide more details [

Please do Energyguy .... the whole thing is most curious !!


*****

[discosavvy]

I did some more research about Ian Levine's projects at rateyourmusic.com and it turns out the same thing happened to some of his other artists like Moonstone, Pearly Gates, and Susan Wells. The disco backlash of 1979 caused a lot of his work to get stored in the vaults and not to be released until 1987 or the mid-1990s. In Susan Wells's case, "Nightmare" was a 12" release in 1987 but the other four tracks weren't released until 1995 (again a Hot Productions CD).

They say Levine had disappointing response to his Nightmare Gold Records concept in 1987, causing some of the singles to get pressed and then not released! And the ones he didn't press yet he didn't ever release.

The detailed are linked from
http://rateyourmusic.com/list/tiger_...dance_producer

[Energyguy]

I did some more research about Ian Levine's projects at rateyourmusic.com and it turns out the same thing happened to some of his other artists like Moonstone, Pearly Gates, and Susan Wells. The disco backlash of 1979 caused a lot of his work to get stored in the vaults and not to be released until 1987 or the mid-1990s. In Susan Wells's case, "Nightmare" was a 12" release in 1987 but the other four tracks weren't released until 1995 (again a Hot Productions CD).

They say Levine had disappointing response to his Nightmare Gold Records concept in 1987, causing some of the singles to get pressed and then not released! And the ones he didn't press yet he didn't ever release.

The detailed are linked from
http://rateyourmusic.com/list/tiger_...dance_producer

Hey - thanks for the additional link/info.

[markydefad]

*****


Hmmmm.... Maybe Loretta is actuallty Martha Wash !!
Who is it on the cover if not the artist ???
*****

Remember that skanky blonde in silver lame' seen shakin' her groove thang on the cover of Lorraine Johnson's 2nd Lp with "Feed The Flame" on it???? Joel Whitburn's book actually says--supposedly based on that cover--that Lorraine Johnson was a "white disco singer." Only on the cover of her LP, Joel, only on the cover. :roll::-o:oops: And shame on Prelude for doing that to Miss Lorraine. I suppose they wanted to make her more "marketable"--but puh-leeze, when she does her personal appearances, how do they explain the large black girl on stage and not the skanky blonde they expected??? Unless they hired the blonde to do the p.a.'s also???!!! Early shades of C&C's shameful misrepresentation of Martha Wash's vocals as lip-synched by a slender model. :evil::evil::evil:

[SandraDee]

It can work the other way around though can't it? Madonna's early singles didn't feature her on the cover so she could be broken in the black/dance charts if people thought she was black apparently.:-?

[markydefad]

yes, and that was the same case with KC-- based on the early records, most people thought he was black--until they saw the photos of the white boy he actually was.;)

[Energyguy]

My Loretta Stokes CD finally arrived this morning... Guess what I`m gonna be listening to today... :icon_mrgreen:

[Energyguy]

Info from the CD sleeve..

Tracklisting -:

KIDNAP ME (9:02)
YOU`LL NEVER ESCAPE MY LOVE (9:05)
RESTLESS FOR YOU (10:05)
MY CONSCIENCE WON`T LET ME (4:55)
FALLING OFF THE EDGE OF THE WORLD (8:38)

All the tracks are written by Ian levine & Fiachra Trench.
Arrangements by - John Mealing
Recorded at Trident Studios, London

*The album was originally recorded & scheduled for release in November 1979 on A.M.E records.

I`m not sure if the woman on the front cover IS Loretta Stokes as I have no idea what she looks like anyway... I can`t say it looks particularly like a guy dressed as a woman tho !
Just listening to the tracks and the string arrangements are very good and the vocal is excellent. I know Mr levine has his critics but the work he did in the 70s (such as this) is very good and deserved more widespread success.
Im not really sure how successful his disco work was in the States.. (apart from his big hits with Barbara Pennington & James Wells...)
I got this CD from Amazon.. with postage it only cost me £6.00 - a great bargain !!

Hope this info is useful !

neil
ENERGYGUY

[Bernie]

Info from the CD sleeve..

Tracklisting -:

KIDNAP ME (9:02)
YOU`LL NEVER ESCAPE MY LOVE (9:05)
RESTLESS FOR YOU (10:05)
MY CONSCIENCE WON`T LET ME (4:55)
FALLING OFF THE EDGE OF THE WORLD (8:38)

All the tracks are written by Ian levine & Fiachra Trench.
Arrangements by - John Mealing
Recorded at Trident Studios, London

*The album was originally recorded & scheduled for release in November 1979 on A.M.E records.

I`m not sure if the woman on the front cover IS Loretta Stokes as I have no idea what she looks like anyway... I can`t say it looks particularly like a guy dressed as a woman tho !
Just listening to the tracks and the string arrangements are very good and the vocal is excellent. I know Mr levine has his critics but the work he did in the 70s (such as this) is very good and deserved more widespread success.
Im not really sure how successful his disco work was in the States.. (apart from his big hits with Barbara Pennington & James Wells...)
I got this CD from Amazon.. with postage it only cost me £6.00 - a great bargain !!

Hope this info is useful !

neil
ENERGYGUY

Energyguy,

Would you mind adding this CD to the main site?
http://www.discomusic.com/cds-submit
Thanks!

[Energyguy]

yep - no probs Bernie..