More Early 80's stuff

[SandraDee]

I've been compiling more tapes (how old school/ naff I hear u all cry; I can't help it if I'm a luddite!) to play in the car to brighten up my dreary journey to work recently & thought I'd share with u some of the tracks I've selected from my stash of 12"ers & LPs to delight u or bore u depending on your taste:

'Sooner or Later' (instrumental/vocoder version) - Larry Graham ('82)
'High Hopes' - S.O.S.Band (82)
'Dyin' to be Dancin' - Empress (81)
'What Have You Got to Lose' - Jammers (82)
'I'm Glad That Youre Here' - Alphonse Mouzon (82 -a particular favourite; like a cross between Poussez & Shakatak!)
'How Do You Feel Tonight' - Bobby M featuring Keely Curtis (82)
'Hump to The Bump' - Steve Arrington (84)
'Encore' - Cheryl Lynn (84)
'You Used to Hold Me so Tight' - Thelma Houston (84)
'Alright on the Night' - Ritchie Family (82)
'Ask The Boss' - Flowchart (83- brilliant Italian disco-funk)
'Destiny' - Vivian Vee (83- that accent as strong as ever on this track!)
'Havent Been Funked Enough' - Extras (82)
'Put Our Heads Together' - O'Jays (83)
'You're # 1' - Narada Michael Walden (82)
'In The Raw' - The Whispers (83)
'The Key' (instrumental)- Wuf Ticket (83)
'Paradise' - Leroy Hutson (82)
'Love On a Summer Night' - The McCrarys (82)
'Bitch to the Boys' - Shakatak (82)
'Body Work' - Hot Streak (82)
'Close to Perfection' - Miquel Brown (84)
'On a Crowded Street' - Barbara Pennington (84)
'Activate' - Sharon Redd (83)
'Gonna Get Over You' - France Joli (82)
'Wood Beez (pray like Aretha Franklin)' - Scritti Politti (84)
'Dr.Mabuse' - Propaganda (84)

OK, that last one is more Euro power-pop than disco-funk but I love it to bits! (Can u tell that 1982 was a favourite year of mine, music-wise!)




_________________
IF THERE'S A CURE FOR THIS I DON'T WANT IT.

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Steely Dan on 2002-10-25 18:02 ]</font>

[Nano]

For me too, Steely... and "Dyin' to be dancin'" is one of my all-time favorites. I'd like to hear some others in your list...

[sfbeary]

hey steelydan,

GREAT list! i just happened to finally score that uk-only McCrarys 12" after years of listening to it from a bootleg compilation - there was a us lp, but no us 12". i don't know this particular jammers track, but "be mine tonight" was mighty fine. and i must confess i don't know the bobby m or flowchart tracks either. but there are so many favorites of mine on your list including the propaganda single! they were certainly very germanic, but very, very disco. and you're right, '82 was a great year for dance music, particularly the soulful stuff, even though much of it didn't get much exposure in america beyond nyc. but i think that's one of the reasons why it still sounds fresh today - the dance sound of that year was rarely overexposed in the mainstream, and it was a good time to hear live instrumentation and machines used together intelligently and with feeling. '82 was the first year that america started issuing dub (as opposed to simple instrumental) versions on non-reggae dance records. i think the peech boys' "don't make me wait" was the first. nowadays, dubs are overplayed and so formulaic, but soulful instrumentation mixed with studio experimentation was really peaking in '82. your list is testimony to that!

take care,
barry

[SandraDee]

Glad u like the list sfb, I'm amazed that the McCrarys track didnt get a 12" issue in the US. It seems to me that anything that remotely smacked of disco in the US at this time got shoved underground which is a pity #cos, as u say, it was a very interesting time for dance music before house & rap got a grip of everything.
This Jammers track was on the same Salsoul LP (or Rams Horn as my copy is Dutch) that 'Be Mine Tonight' was on. Every track is a killer disco-funk track; no ballad 'fillers'!

Nano & Sfb, if u dont know any of these tracks I totally recommend them 2 u as I can't begin to tell u how they've enriched my life over the last 2 decades! I know some people would say its only music but I personally think that music has powerful, even mystical qualities that nobody fully understands. Sorry if that sounds pretentious but there's no other way I can express it.