(re) Disco-very # 007: Eighties Ladies: The Ladies of the 80’s (1980)

[fabio]

Definitely a discovery I "found" this on iTunes.
I know this is not very disco and it never entered the Hot Dance /Disco book but I am always enjoyed listening to “Turned On To You” and the sound of Roy Ayers.
The most surprising thing about this album is the time it took me to “get it”.
Let’s start from the beginning:
I found very little information about this group searching on the net, does anybody knows more about them? Like how they got together? Where they already singing maybe as back vocalists for Mr Ayers?
The group was a quintet of vocalists featuring Sylvia Striplin, Marva Hicks, Susan Beaubian, Vivian D. Prince, and Denie Corbett.
Their first, and last album, Ladies of the '80s was written and produced by Roy Ayers, whose smooth but slightly edgy style elevates the project into something more interesting than just a would-be supergroup.

The album released on Uno Melodic in 1980, failed to do much sales-wise, but two cuts off the fine album, "Turned on to You" and "I Knew That Love," continue to be favorites of those into the rare groove scene and Turned On To You was featured in on volume of the Mastercuts compilation.
Ladies of the '80s comprise a set of funky disco and urban songs, including the title track, which, according to All Music Guide, is a feminist rallying cry along the lines of Sister Sledge's "We Are Family," and groove-based tracks like "It's Easy to Move" and "I Knew That Love." Ayers' arrangements and productions really stand out on the instrumental version of "Ladies of the Eighties" and "Turned on to You," which mixes lightly strummed guitars, brass, Latin-tinged percussion, and the Ladies' voices into a soft, sleekly sexy album-closer.

As written above I think the beauty of this album is in the Roy Ayers’ production. Turned on to you is by far the best track on it.
The combination of their voices reminded me sometime of the raw energy of Labelle (tracks like “It’s your move” and “Tell Him”) and sometime the smooth sweetness of The Emotions (“Sing Me” and “He is mine Forever”) and I am very much surprised that they never recorded a follow up.

Vocalist Sylvia Striplin joined Aquarian Dream for the jazz-funk/disco group's second album and stayed with them through their early-'80s breakup. Shortly after that, she became associated with Roy Ayers and his Uno Melodic label; she also released some solo material with significant help from the jazz-funk legend. An excellent single with "Give Me Your Love" as the A-side and "You Can't Turn Me Away" was released by 1980 on Uno Melodic. A follow-up album was released roughly a year after the single. Though Striplin never attained mainstream success, her sweet voice is instantly recognized by devout fans of jazzy R&B and those who made up England's "rare groove" scene of the early '90s.
Incidentally I saw one copy of her original album on sale for £ 150.00 in a record fair in London recently.

Marva Hicks' early career was as a gospel singer in Petersburg, Virginia. After taking a trip to New York, Hicks was attracted to theatre and later took acting classes in Washington, D.C. She recorded several demos, and then cut "Looking Over My Shoulder" for Infinity in 1981. When the label folded, Hicks wound up singing in Lena Horne's Broadway show for nearly three years. During a London tour Hicks met Stevie Wonder. She began touring with him in the mid-'80s, and did background vocals on his LP Characters. She signed with Polydor in the late '80s and her debut LP, Marva Hicks, got decent critical notices in 1991, but had a lackluster commercial reception.

Denie Corbett (& Station Break) released a track called “Be What You Are / You Put The Music In Me” in 1979 produced by Joe Bataan and “What you won’t do for Love” also in 1979. Does anybody know if this is the same “What you won’t do for Love” by Bobby Caldwell ?

The only information I found on Susan Beaubian is related to an actress. Is she the same person?

No information on Vivian D. Prince

Thanks to Andy Kellman, All Music Guide and Discogs

[boogyjuice]

As written above I think the beauty of this album is in the Roy Ayers’ production. Turned on to you is by far the best track on it.
The combination of their voices reminded me sometime of the raw energy of Labelle (tracks like “It’s your move” and “Tell Him”)...

"Tell Him" is my kinda jam ... the UK-dance act called BB Boogie re-recorded this track with drum-overdubs, a few years ago :

http://jukebox.giantstep.net/player?type=track&id=125

Vocalist Sylvia Striplin joined Aquarian Dream for the jazz-funk/disco group's second album and stayed with them through their early-'80s breakup. Shortly after that, she became associated with Roy Ayers and his Uno Melodic label; she also released some solo material with significant help from the jazz-funk legend. An excellent single with "Give Me Your Love" as the A-side and "You Can't Turn Me Away" was released by 1980 on Uno Melodic. A follow-up album was released roughly a year after the single. Though Striplin never attained mainstream success, her sweet voice is instantly recognized by devout fans of jazzy R&B and those who made up England's "rare groove" scene of the early '90s.
Incidentally I saw one copy of her original album on sale for £ 150.00 in a record fair in London recently.

After that album, she recorded one more single in 1982 on the independent Rissa Chrissa-label :


Soul Funk Vinyl: Sylvia Striplin - Keep Pushing

No information on Vivian D. Prince

There are a number of Vivian D. Prince's listed in the link below :

Vivian Prince : Veromi's People Search and Business Directory

On the other hand ... she could've gotten married and changed her second name.

[Zef]

Wow
Turned onto you is one of my favourite tracks from the 80's. I wore out two 12"s back in the day. Like ladies of the 80's but of course it seems a bit dated now lyrically. I also remember the anticipation amongst my circle when the 12" of Sylvia's Give me your love/Turn me away got a UK release through CBS on the Champaign imprint. Until that time I only had access to an American 7" so was very happy that both tracks were extended on the 12". Funnily enough during the Rare Groove revival at the end of the 80's a friend of my Brother who was a DJ in London at the time paid me many pounds for my original 7" which I gladly sold to him. I got the Sylvia Striplin album on CD a few years ago (not great quality), but never did get to hear all of the 80's Ladies album apart from the afore mentioned 3 tracks and another which was on a UK compilation a track which I think was called Tell him.

[Zef]

[quote=boogyjuice;141309]"Tell Him" is my kinda jam ... the UK-dance act called BB Boogie re-recorded this track with drum-overdubs, a few years ago :


Funny you have posted this just as I was writing mine.

weird synchronicity

[boogyjuice]

LL

[fabio]

Ta Boogyjuice!
Is that Sylvia Striplin 82 track any good? I really love her voice and I think it's such a shame that she never recorded anything else. I also think it's telling that only people based in UK responded....~(so far)