Real Thing:''Can You Feel the Force''

[Marcio**]

Probably ''Can You Feel the Force'' by UK trio Real Thing is a tribute to George Lucas' "Star Wars'' because the expression ''feel the force'' belongs to Star Wars mysticism.






:)

[SandraDee]

There were countless disco records in the late 70s that had a sci-fi/space theme weren't there? Everyone from War to Sheila B.Devotion to Constellation Orchestra to Jimmy Roma were at it! I'm sure Star Wars had alot to do with it (& Meco!).

[QUINNY]

The Amoo brothers were from Liverpool 8 (Toxteth, that would see some of the most serious race riots the UK has ever seen, some years later) and if you listen to the lyrics they are about positivity and new beginnings. Perhaps they looked around their home patch and thought things were changing....then hooked into Star Wars (2 years after the film hit BIG), but I'd like to think their song was more about empowerment and possibly what they saw as a shift towards Black music into the popular psyche.

[buckaroo]

They've always done thought provoking records "children of the ghetto" etc, but it was more likely a 'message' song which also cashed in on the Sci-Fi movie boom of the time.

[disco-disc]

AHHH....The Boys from my town....
Won a talent show called Opportunity Knocks on TV...

Made some great tunes...This was a great Disco fave...also Groovy Freak, which I think was their only Disco chart hit in USA ??..
A big in demand track is YTMAE (see below), which was also a hit for the Revelation in USA...

Here's what Greg W had to say about them in his Time Capsule::icon_arrow:
Hailing from Toxteth, the black district of Liverpool, The Real Thing had been together for 4 years before the release of 'You To Me Are Everything', originally announcing their presence via the TV talent show, 'Opportunity Knocks'. Prior to 'You To Me Are Everything', their main claim to fame was that they'd worked with David Essex, both in the studio and live, Essex being a major British Pop star at the time. Their line-up in 1976 consisted of brothers Chris and Eddie Amoo, Dave Smith and Ray Lake. Eddie had been a member of The Chants, a vocal group who The Beatles had once provided the backing for at The Cavern in Liverpool, during a gig in 1962 (following the recommendation of The Beatles, Brian Epstein would be their manager for a short period). Like many other Liverpool bands during the Merseybeat era they managed to land a record deal, signing to Pye Records. They'd sustain their career throughout the 60's, recording for a variety of labels (Fontana, Decca, Page One and RCA, as well as Pye), but never cracked the pop chart. By the early 70's there was little interest in The Chants outside of the cabaret circuit, their recording career at an end. Eddie wrote for The Real Thing, but didn't become a full-time member until the band, as with The Chants before them, signed to Pye (having previously released unsuccessful singles for Bell and EMI). As one door closes another door opens - The Chants were no more, but The Real Thing finally hit the jackpot with 'You To Me Are Everything', courtesy of songwriter, Ken Gold. Eddie Amoo described the track as 'quasi-soul', explaining that 'for a British Soul group to have a hit in England in the 70s, it had to be a quasi-soul record. It had to sound like a Soul record but have a very very strong pop overtone'. In this case, the balance between Soul and Pop was perfect, and 'You To Me Are Everything' not only took off in the clubs, but, most crucially, on radio - the record quickly making its way to the UK number 1 slot.

[RetroRuss]

I was in North Yorkshire last week and saw a flyer for The Real Thing who were perfoming at the Bridlington Leisure Centre that weekend, so clearly still going!!

[disco-disc]

Yes H, they are still touring,......apparently the gigs go down a storm with young and old, and it's NOT flares and gimmicks...the gigs even get a (good)mention in Dave Haslams book 'Not Abba'..The real story of the 70's'...

[White Raven]

Firstly listening, I hadn’t any doubts that the project is from UK, because I felt the deep breathe of the UK-beat of the 60’s and “poly-voice” and chorus manner of sinning and not enough mighty from real black-soul sound: it’s too much light and impetuous to be the real funky thing. The guitar solo something makes me feel the atmosphere of R’n’B-psycho from the beginning of the 70’s – sounds not so usual to any poppy project from those times.
To my mind thing is not any tribute to the Star Wars too.

[disco-disc]

Thanks (Not) 4 youre POSITIVE contribution :icon_evil:

[remicks]

:icon_lol::icon_lol::icon_lol::icon_lol:
It's sure rough to have an actual opinion around here!:icon_lol:

[Videoskooter]

We played that track til' the vinyl was worn out. It's a great Disco standard.

The 12" with the Starwarsian :icon_eek: bleeps, the jazzy intro, the echoed voice and, sorry White Raven, the guitar solo who pumped the track to a high, it's a damn fine record. And yes, it has the British sound all over it, but that ain't a bad thing per se!

And didn't we all go Space-crazy at the end of the 70's???? BITD, at the Video-Skooter (then still named Disco-Skooter), all the deco was revamped with spaceships and intergalactic themes (1979), so that stuff was big back then. Even the bumpercar manufacturer called his new model "Space".

"Oh, D. D. Jackson, where art thou????"

[Simon White]

Jumping in here, but have to agree..the record definatly came out of the whole Star Wars/Close Encounters /Space thing that was going on at the time. It was massive at the clubs I went to, and if memory serves me there was a great remix too which I either had at one time or desired to have.

Label scan here -

http://www.discomusic.com/records-more/9007_0_2_0_C/

[remicks]

*****

Can you feel the force?

You can feel the pressure lifting off your head
People who make war are making love instead
This could be the dawning of another time
Hatred is a stranger we can see the sign

Whoo oo oo ooo Can you feel the force?
Can you feel the force?
Whoo oo oo ooo Can you feel the force?
Can you feel the force?

Ah yes .... the spacey... cosmic .... brotherly attitudes of the disco era .... such a better time down on ol' planet earth ....


******

[disco-disc]

Hey Remixs - Sorry if I was abrupt...How would U feel if a fella knocked the guys from your home town ??? ...and anyway sounds too much like a Rock name - white raven ...:icon_lol: ROCK SUCKS :icon_lol:

Anyway...does anyone know if the track in the States from 1980 Groovy Freaks is the same as the UK track She's a Groovy Freak ??? Bernie has the former scan, but not the latter. I suspect it is the same track but titled differently in USA ?:icon_question:

Simon W - I think you mean the John Luongo mix of CYFTF ???
:icon_biggrin:

[Videoskooter]

does anyone know if the track in the States from 1980 Groovy Freaks is the same as the UK track She's a Groovy Freak ??? Bernie has the former scan, but not the latter. I suspect it is the same track but titled differently in USA?

Yes, but....is it the same as their track "She's A Groovy Thing"???? Mmmh?

[lagirl4music]

thats pretty cool, gotta love star wars