History Lessons

[NickNack]

I was sifting through my tape collection and ran across a series of cassettes I had made to celebrate "BLACK HISTORY MONTH". I made four sets from 1995 to 1998 while I was on the Corporate Diversity Committee at AT&T. The tapes were used throughout the month of February for different occasions: fashion shows, luncheons and other employee gatherings. I tried to create a theme, telling in the music where Black People were/are/will be. It's a mix of soul, dance, jazz. Let me know if you think I hit or missed the mark. I'll only list the first year --- more if there is an interest.

TAPE 1 - 1995

MOOD SWINGS - SPIRITUAL HIGH/STATE OF INDEPENDENCE (with Martin Luther King speech)
LUTHER VANDROSS - WHAT THE WORLD NEEDS NOW
INCOGNITO - RIVER IN MY DREAMS
INCOGNITO - TRIBAL VIBES
IMPRESSIONS - CHOICE OF COLORS
ALEX BUGNON - EARTH INTERLUDE
FEDERAL HILL - WE GOT IT GOING ON (with a background imitating "I'm Caught Up" by Inner Life)
LOVE PARADE w/ ANDREA BARKER - LOVE TRAIN (yes, THAT "Love Train")
SMOKE CITY - DREAMS (instr.)
ARETHA FRANKLIN - YOUNG, GIFTED AND BLACK (Her take on the Donny Hathaway classic)
MARIAH CAREY - THERE'S GOT TO BE A WAY
DUKE - NEW BEGINNING (I like this guy!)
PETER WHITE - WAKE UP EVERYBODY
NORMAN CONNORS/PHYLLIS HYMAN - REMEMBER WHO YOU ARE
OLATUNJI - OYA (PRIMITIVE FIRE)
ZIGGY MARLEY - TOMORROW PEOPLE
THIRD WORLD - TRY JAH LOVE
GARY BIRD & THE G.B. EXPERIENCE - THE CROWN

TAPE 2 - 1995

GEORGE DUKE - FROM THE VOID/HISTORY (I REMEMBER)
STAPLE SINGERS - I'LL TAKE YOU THERE
BOYZ II MEN - PLEASE DON'T GO (instr.)
IMPRESSIONS - WE'RE A WINNER
CANDY DULFER - MR. MARVIN
BOBBY LYLE - VIVA MANDELA/THE JOURNEY
PETER WHITE - LET'S STAY TOGETHER
SUE CHALONER - I WANNA THANK YOU (This isn't the Alicia Myers hit but a tribute to Black heros M.L. KING, MANDELA, MARCUS GARVEY and STEPHEN BIKO. It's actually a quite good piece of house/garage dance music.)
ALY-US - FOLLOW ME (No, not Amanda Lear's )
BEAT SYSTEM - TO A BRIGHTER DAY (Edwin Hawkin's "Oh, Happy Day" sampled for background)
FOURPLAY - CHANT
UNDISPUTED TRUTH - SMILING FACES
TEMPTATIONS - BALL OF CONFUSION
EN VOUGE - THANKS/PRAYER
ROBERTA FLACK - GOD DON'T LIKE UGLY
RICHARD ELLIOT - JUST DO IT
MAZE/FRANKIE BEVERLY - TWILIGHT
LAST POETS - BLACK IS CHANT
EARTH, WIND & FIRE - KEEP YOUR HEAD TO THE SKY
MSFB - LOVE IS THE MESSAGE (I sampled some "Whoomp - There It Is" in and out just for fun and games. Hey, it's corporate America --- they'll get over it. :lol: )

_________________
I'm FULL OF FIRE, (Full of Fire, full of fire...)
Nicky

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: NickNack on 2002-10-21 20:51 ]</font>

[paul]

Hey Nicky. I'd be interested in seeing the rest of your mixes from the following years.

[NickNack]

OK, Paul, I'll lay down 1996.

This year the local committee (I was on three. The tapes were for my AT&T building, not Corporate-wide.) went into heavy 'RELAX MODE'. They opted out of the more formal end-of-month luncheon for an afternoon get-together. They called it STRESS DOWN DAY. We took control of the building's auditorium (more an oversized conference room), set up the food buffet style, lined the chairs around the walls and created this huge dance space. They had asked me to play 'live' but I told them that wasn't going to happen. I had promised myself back in the '80's that I would NEVER do an AT&T gig. What I did do was mix a three-hour reel-to-reel and let them have fun. What they hadn't expected was people coming in BEFORE lunchtime just to sit and chill. Luckily I had some jazz-edged cassettes I'd put together. So, I'll give you the AM & PM breakdown:

MORNING 1996 / 9:30 - 12:30

RAMSEY LEWIS - MY LOVE WILL LEAD YOU HOME
PATTI AUSTIN - I JUST CAN'T LET GO (Background credits read "The Trinity": Michael McDonald, James Ingram, David Pack. Ouch!!)
RODNEY FRANKLIN - MAN IN THE MIRROR/LOVE DANCIN'
FOURPLAY - CHANT
STING - IT'S PROBABLY ME
ROSE ROYCE - STILL IN LOVE
BOBBY LYLE - IVORY DREAMS
REGINA BELLE - QUIET TIME
SHAKATAK - FLY AWAY
SADE - KISS OF LIFE
TONI BRAXTON - ANOTHER SAD LOVE SONG
ALEX BUGNON - I WILL ALWAYS LOVE YOU
HERBIE HANCOCK - STARS IN YOUR EYES
HUBERT LAWS - MOONLIGHT SONATA
RICHARD ELLIOT - SWEAT
CANDY DULFER - PICK UP THE PIECES
DAVID SANBORN - BANG BANG (Who did this first??)
BLUES BROTHERS - PETER GUNN
THELMA HOUSTON - MOONLIGHT SERENADE
MAIN INGREDIENT - ROLLING DOWN A MOUNTAINSIDE
PRIDE 'N POLITIX - HOLD ON
INCOGNITO - GIVIN' IT UP
GEORGE BENSON - LOVE REMEMBERS
MFSB - TOUCH ME IN THE MORNING
RACHELLE FARRELL - WITH OPEN ARMS
RICHARD ELLIOT - JUST DO IT
KIMIKO ITOH - NEW YORK STATE OF MIND
SHAKATAK - YOU'LL NEVER KNOW
SERGIO MENDES - MAS QUE NADA (remix)

AFTERNOON 1996 / 1:00 - 4:00

CHERELLE - YOU LOOK GOOD TO ME
KWS/GWEN DICKEY - AIN'T NOBODY (Nice cover of Chaka's song)
PATTI LABELLE - THE RIGHT KINDA LOVER
MAYSA - WHAT ABOUT OUR LOVE
AFTER 7 - CAN'T STOP
ROBIN S - I WANT TO THANK YOU
N-JOI - NEW ANTHEM/ANTHEM
PAUL HARDCASTLE - RAINFOREST (remix)
DEE CLARK - RAINDROPS (Remember this guy?)
ERUPTION - I CAN'T STAND THE RAIN
INDEEP - LAST NIGHT A DJ SAVED MY LIFE
ALEXANDER O'NEAL - FAKE
ALANNAH MYLES - BLACK VELVET (This was a fave of mine. The crowd didn't get it or, maybe they did but, like me, they weren't Elvis fans )
FEDERAL HILL - WE GOT IT GOING ON
SOUND SET - SO IN LOVE WITH YOU (This samples a Colonel Abrams track which now I can't remember.)
C+C MUSIC FACTORY - GONNA MAKE YOU SWEAT
JANET JACKSON - RUNAWAY
MARCIA GRIFFITH - ELECTRIC SLIDE (ARRRRGH! )
HITCH HIKE - MARVIN GAYE
THE CAPITOLS - COOL JERK
LES COOPER & THE SOUL ROCKERS - WIGGLE WOBBLE (You can hear 'My Baby', Bill, on the keyboards. When we met he didn't believe I owned this 45. I took him home to Mom one day just to prove it. )
JUICY - NOBODY BUT YOU
DENNIS EDWARDS - DON'T LOOK ANY FURTHER
S.O.U.L. S.Y.S.T.E.M. - IT'S GONNA BE A LOVELY DAY
CECE PENISTON - FINALLY
ROBIN S - LOVE FOR LOVE
BEAT SYSTEM - TO A BRIGHTER DAY (O' HAPPY DAY)
WHITNEY HOUSTON - SO EMOTIONAL (The Disconet remix with the 'hold that note forever' remix. Whooopee.)
CHI-LITES - YOU GOT TO BE THE ONE
FREDDIE JACKSON - JAM TONIGHT
AL GREEN - LET'S STAY TOGETHER
MARIAH CAREY - FANTASY
TASTE OF HONEY - BOOGIE OOGIE OOGIE
EVELYN 'CHAMPAGNE' KING - SHAME
AZIZI - DON'T SAY THAT IT'S OVER

That's all for today, my brother.

_________________
I'm FULL OF FIRE, (Full of Fire, full of fire...)
Nicky

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: NickNack on 2002-10-22 21:07 ]</font>

[nrgbeat]

The only "Electric Slide" I know is by Marcia Griffith.

Did you type Margie Joseph by mistake or is there another version I don't know about?

[NickNack]

On 2002-10-22 21:05, nrgbeat wrote:
The only "Electric Slide" I know is by Marcia Griffith.

Did you type Margie Joseph by mistake or is there another version I don't know about?

Yes, a mistake on my part. I just dislike the song so much I thought I had blanked out while typing. Then I looked at what I have on the reel --- Margie Joseph. Where the **** was my head?? :lol:

[paul]

Thanks for sharing half of your work so far Nicky
I asked to see the rest of your mixes to see if you stuck with the same theme. So far I get the sense that your first year had more of a message in terms of the feelings and aspirations of African-Americans. I guess the requirement for a relaxed theme cut into the more serious "message" heard in your '95 mix?

[nrgbeat]

I'd like to see a sleaze playlist from The Anvil if you have one.

[NickNack]

On 2002-10-23 00:19, paul wrote:
Thanks for sharing half of your work so far Nicky
I asked to see the rest of your mixes to see if you stuck with the same theme. So far I get the sense that your first year had more of a message in terms of the feelings and aspirations of African-Americans. I guess the requirement for a relaxed theme cut into the more serious "message" heard in your '95 mix?

You're very welcome and you're right on point. I checked out the playlists for the next two years and it's mostly music put together so they can either eat in peace or 'vogue' on the catwalk. (They had a fashion show every year.) As the committees became more political and all about joining one to put yourself in line for a promotion, the focus was totally lost. It showed in the music I was putting together. It became a chore, not a contribution. :sad:

[NickNack]

On 2002-10-23 09:21, nrgbeat wrote:
I'd like to see a sleaze playlist from The Anvil if you have one.

OK --- I'll breakdown and share. Probably post it tomorrow. To be honest, I'm playing the tapes and can't remember if it's morning music from The Anvil or a "tea dance" from Alex's. Whatever, the sleaze tempo is there. Except for a few imports where I can remember the titles but not the artists, it should be pretty complete. Hope it interests you --- I'm not really excited about this set.

[paul]

[quote]
On 2002-10-23 20:58, NickNack wrote:

As the committees became more political and all about joining one to put yourself in line for a promotion, the focus was totally lost. It showed in the music I was putting together. It became a chore, not a contribution. :sad:

Sadly Nicky, this metaphorically occurs too often to many of our well intentioned endeavors.