The Time Ike & Tina Turner Went Disco

[remicks]

*****




Ever since first becoming aware of it, I have been curious about Marky's #420th disco song for the year of 1975.

420) BABY GET IT ON - Ike & Tina Turner
(United Artists) B= 2; Total points = 2
1 week on the chart (5/24/75); Peak: #39

markydefad

Ike & Tina Turner .....disco??? ..... really??

Realizing in those days the idea of "disco" had a much broader reach in its application than we allow it now ... I suspected at best this was a tune that was more typical of Ike & Tina ... sounding more like rock than disco ..... & disco -lite at best.

Well, I have finally come upon the 45 of BABY GET IT ON :icon_biggrin: :icon_cool:
.....at first glance it seems like rather ordinary Ike & Tina fare .... a 3:10 minute song on a rather neutral label .....United Artists.

But wait --- there is this label info ...

Produced by Ike Turner

AND.....

Denny Diante & Spencer Proffer w/ orchestration by Jimmie Haskell .... the same names that worked with Vernon Burch on his terrific jazz disco tune also released at this same time: CHANGES .

Reading that info was encouraging and then this ....
I flipped the 45 over and there it was :

the song's 5:30 version! ....

or as the record's label itself identifies it ... the tune's "DISCO VERSION" :icon_cool: :icon_biggrin: :icon_cool:

So, now holding this elusive 45 for the first time and reading this information , I became more eager than ever to hear this five minute 1975 disco tune from Ike & Tina Turner !!!! :icon_biggrin: :icon_biggrin: :icon_biggrin: :icon_mrgreen:

Now I have .... and ...

... from its first note on , it certainly thumps in disco fashion ..... & its not bad at all .... play it but a handful of times and you even start to look forward to hearing it some more ....

But as for the duo going disco ....well BABY GET IT ON plays much more as though the sound being sought was more in line with The Rolling Stones .... where pursed lips & guitars rule !

.... but then of course The Stones' sound found its way into the discos too ..... :icon_cool:



best lines :

can't understand them

but I like the rhyme of

got my heels a clickin' .
with something(?) ... turned chicken




Hear it for yourself .... :icon_cool: :icon_biggrin:


Ike & Tina Turner BABY GET IT ON Disco Version




******

[STEPHEN L FREEMAN]

If you're an Ike & Tina fan, it's pretty damn good!:icon_mrgreen:

Certainly much better than her 1979 Disco LP produced by Alec R. Costandinos. YIKES!
Tina's vocals are awesome, as usual.
But she can't breath life into the post-mortem material she had to work with.

Imagine this...
The leftover tracks that didn't make it onto the "Winds Of Change" LP.:icon_rolleyes:
Alec and Khnenetsky even manage to destroy The O'Jays' "Backstabbers".
"Backstabbers"!!!:icon_eek: Sung by Tina Turner!!!
It should've been brilliant! But, yuppers...it was that bad.

But I'll be looking for this great little UA 45 gem that you've unearthed, Remy!

[PierreConstantin]

Is the "Love explosion" lp disco? I saw it once but I didn't buy it becaause I couldn't imagine Turner doing disco. Is the track list accurate? A good song worth picking here?
Thanks in advance.

1 : 5:59 Love Explosion
2 : 3:25 Fool For Your Loe
3 : 3:38 Sunset On Sunset
4 : 3:54 Music Keeps Me Dancin'
5 : 5:22 I See Home
6 : 3:38 Backstabbers
7 : 3:15 Just A Little Lovin'
8 : 3:11 You Got What I'm Gonna Get
9 : 3:49 On The Radio

[the disco kid]

Ike and Tina Turner also went disco with this 12" on Fantasy Records "Shame Shame Shame" and the 1980 LP as well entitled "The Edge" billed under: Ike Turner featuring Tina Turner and Home Grown Funk.

check the link:

http://www.discomusic.com/records-more//2257_0_2_0_C/

[remicks]

Ike and Tina Turner also went disco with this 12" on Fantasy Records "Shame Shame Shame" and the 1980 LP as well entitled "The Edge" billed under: Ike Turner featuring Tina Turner and Home Grown Funk.

check the link:

Ike Turner Party Vibes b/w Shame, Shame, Shame (12") Disco Music.com

aannnddd ......here it is !! :icon_biggrin:

Ike featuring Tina Turner SHAME SHAME SHAME


the comments on youtube say this was recorded in '75 - '76 , but not released until 1980 ...........


If you don't want to go
Remember one monkey don't stop no show


*****

[STEPHEN L FREEMAN]

Is the "Love explosion" lp disco? I saw it once but I didn't buy it becaause I couldn't imagine Turner doing disco. Is the track list accurate? A good song worth picking here?
Thanks in advance.

1 : 5:59 Love Explosion
2 : 3:25 Fool For Your Loe
3 : 3:38 Sunset On Sunset
4 : 3:54 Music Keeps Me Dancin'
5 : 5:22 I See Home
6 : 3:38 Backstabbers
7 : 3:15 Just A Little Lovin'
8 : 3:11 You Got What I'm Gonna Get
9 : 3:49 On The Radio

I'll have to go digging through a part of the collection that's not filed-away, yet. So, I can't give you a definite answer on the tracklist.

As for there being any "good" songs...? No. Not really, I'm sorry to say.
"Love Explosion" has it's moments, but too few and far between to save the track, as whole. And, I think, "Music Keeps Me Dancin'" had some potential, that wasn't properly exploited.

As a whole... I'd say that the only reason to buy this (And I paid $30.00 for a mint-condition copy from Germany {...or was it the UK?} :icon_confused: I really have to dig it out and see.), is if you're an avid Costandinos, or Tina Turner collector. Who simply must have every release.

[Bernie]

Tina Turner's "Love Explosion" cover art and tracklisting:
Tina Turner Love Explosion (LP) Disco Music.com

[PierreConstantin]

Thanks for the info. This album doesn't seem very good indeed :icon_biggrin:.

[Huffstutler]

I would like to jump in on this one and I'm a fan. I also have all of the albums mentioned. After Tina left Ike, she tried to make it on her own by making at least two mainstream transition albums - one entitled "Rough" (1978) and "Love Explosion" (1979). The first was more Rock and Ballad songs while the second was trying to cash in on the disco scene.

Someone mentioned "Shame, Shame, Shame" which is still available on an obscure disc - part of a 3 Volume series of studio demos after the Proud Mary fame. This song is on Volume 2 "Ike & Tina Turner's Greatest Hits - Vol. 2" on the Saja (Atlantic) label 91224 and the CD UPC code is: 07567912242. I haven't listened to them for a while and will report more when I do but think there may be a couple more discofied songs on Vol 3 as well?

For those who are Tina Turner fans, she did a Country (yes, I said the 'C' word) album in 1999 that is worth seeking out and has some nice orchestrated numbers and great singing. Not to be confused by an earlier attempt in 1973 that was a complete joke. The newer version came out on Hallmark (31124) in the UK but that company is now out of business and think a label in the Netherlands picked it up?

Eric

[neonlights]

Just had to drag this one back up.. I hadn't listened to it in a while, but I finally recently loaded "Baby Get It On" and the rest of Tina's "Acid Queen" album on to my iPod and remembered how awesome it was! Nice to know there was a disco connection, too. Judging from the track times (the video doesn't work anymore), it sounds like this disco version might be the same length as the album version (at around 5.30).. Also, their cover of "Whole Lotta Love" on the LP is a must-hear too!

best lines :

can't understand them

but I like the rhyme of

got my heels a clickin' .
with something(?) ... turned chicken

I think the line goes:

"stop runnin' your mouth
and getcha heels a-clickin'
i bet you're like the others, I bet 'cha turn chicken"
:icon_smile:

[garrybcoston]

I love the arrangement and production of the song "Baby get it on," however, it is certainly lean relative to being a disco song but is still danceable. Ike could have gave us all a break and kept his mouth shut (trying to be like Mick Jagger?) and let Tina do all the singing cause he sounds like s*** and can't sing (God rest his soul). Anyhoo, it still came out a good song/record; if Tina wasn't on it, it would have been a trash song and production.

Garry

[PierreConstantin]

I'll have to go digging through a part of the collection that's not filed-away, yet. So, I can't give you a definite answer on the tracklist.

As for there being any "good" songs...? No. Not really, I'm sorry to say.
"Love Explosion" has it's moments, but too few and far between to save the track, as whole. And, I think, "Music Keeps Me Dancin'" had some potential, that wasn't properly exploited.

Finally listened to the "Love Explosion" album . The song "Love Explosion" has, like you said, its moments. "Backstabbers" would be the only song ok. The other songs . Too bad...

[Huffstutler]

Between various albums, there are two distinct flavors of "Baby Get It On". One has a Disco undercurrent beat where the other is more straight funk. I have to see which is which and post the different tracks between albums. In fact, there is even a terrible near sans instruments alternate take of it on one of the cheap compilation discs.