Reply With QuoteI'm always surprised that this group and their single "Skyhigh" is lumped in as being disco. I never considered them disco but more pop, but "Skyhigh" is a classic IMHO.
Chart Hit [Level 6]
Picked up Jigsaw's 1975 self-titled LP this weekend in good condition, and was pleasantly surprised to hear some of the other LP cuts (all I ever knew before and LOVED by them was their big international hit "Sky High").
Side 1 leads off with "Sky High" and cut 4 on that side is their top 30 followup called "Love Fire", which is ok and upbeat, but not with the disco feel of Sky High.
On Side 2, the leadoff song is "Mention My Name", which has an intro that's quite a direct ripoff of the whirling strings of "Sky High", but then it takes the catchy tune into a different direction with some fun lyrics and refrains.
But the big surprise to me was a song that didn't seem to chart in the UK or US, though I saw a reference that a single of it was released at some point. It's called "Baby Don't Do It" and its disco instrumentation is very reminiscent of the disco-lite sound that the Bay City Rollers did with "Don't Stop The Music" and "You Made Me Believe In Magic".
Anybody else have the Jigsaw LP in their collection ? If you do, please share your thought/comments, and if you don't have it, might wanna consider picking it up (but only if you get it for cheap-cheap).
Chart Hit [Level 6]
I'm always surprised that this group and their single "Skyhigh" is lumped in as being disco. I never considered them disco but more pop, but "Skyhigh" is a classic IMHO.
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Double Platinum Record [Level 9]
Originally Written by Cdnbob
Me too! AT the time I saw them as being like bay city rollers or Mud i.e. teenybopper tacky UK pop. It often surpeises me what gets classed as disco. Some people would say anything that you can dance to.
...ya gotta beat the street......
Platinum Record [Level 8]
I haven't heard the rest of the LP, but I do like Sky High. It was the theme to a kung fu flick starring George Lazenby and Jimmy Wang Yu called 'Man From Hong Kong'. The opening credits feature a longer, different version of the recording with an instrumental section. I wonder if there was a soundtrack LP to Man From Hong Kong with the alternate version?
Here are a couple of versions from Youtube
The audio is from the intro to the film in this clip -
I still have yet to find the source of the 6 minute version I downloaded off Napster a decade ago. It was definitely legit, probably a remake done in the later 70s by Jigsaw. It was slightly slower in tempo with a different drum pattern.
Disco Funk
Triple Platinum Record [Level 10]
Yeah, there was a remake of "Sky High" in the Nineties--it was played here on a dance radio station...the name of the group is on the tip of my tongue.... hmmm.......ah, yes...AMG refreshed my memory--Newton! ..Plus there was a remix of the actual Jigsaw track too sometime around there.
I just thought of the Jigsaw track as a pop record in 1975--but it does have "discoish" production values.
"Lost inside adorable illusion...."
Indie Release [Level 4]
One of my favorites... Who loves you by the four seasons comes to mind when I hear this record. Maybe cause I bought the 45 at the same time. "AM Radio"
Gold Record [Level 7]
i have something really sad to add here, producer songwriter and jigsaw keyboard player clive scott died a couple of months ago after a terrible accident at his house he he fell off a ladder which caused a stroke. in recent years he worked with ian levine on ians acts also together they produced other acts e.g blue with 'one love'
r.i.p clive scott
Chart Hit [Level 6]
thanks, discodisk, for updating us on the passing of one of this group's leaders. R.I.P.
Underground Hit [Level 5]
I've got a 12'' extended version with the ref 'From The Man From Hong Kong' and remixed by Les 'Mixdoctor' Adams on Splash cat no. CPST1006. It doesn't have a year on it though
Sixty minutes is nothing special (but it\'s all the world to me)
Double Platinum Record [Level 9]
*****
I've been listening to some CD's a friend made featuring Billboard Hits over the years , and so I'm now in fantastic year 1975 ... with all its great music , and along comes this song .......SKY HIGH by Jigsaw .... and maybe I'm really listening to it for the first time ever , really paying attention ....and I'm thinking "wait -a- minute! - this song is disco!!"
At the time when it was on the radio, I sure never heard it that way (!!!)
So I'm finding reading this thread now very interesting ... because it seems to be true for others too.
I wonder why?
Yet there it all is ... the beat , the strings , horns aplenty. high- hatting, ... xylophone, the wah wah ... french horn finale! !!!
I heard that too....DJRAZ :
One of my favorites... Who loves you by the four seasons comes to mind when I hear this record
Is this the version you are seeking Disco Funk?
1979 SKY HIGH
One more disco connection about the song SKY HIGH and that LP it's from drlove , .... it was arranged by Richard Hewson :
Isn't that great flutey disco with those classic piercing string attacks!!
Quite Tony Valor-like.
that last minute 3:33 on ......wow
******
adding more:
WOW - why wasn't this a HIT!!!!drlove -
But the big surprise to me was a song that didn't seem to chart in the UK or US, though I saw a reference that a single of it was released at some point. It's called "Baby Don't Do It" and its disco instrumentation is very reminiscent of the disco-lite sound that the Bay City Rollers did with "Don't Stop The Music" and "You Made Me Believe In Magic".
Last edited by remicks; March 31st, 2011 at 10:25 AM.
Baby, take me
high upon a hillside
high up where the stallion
meets the sun
Chart Hit [Level 6]
thanks remicks for all the youtube links ....that was WAY cool !!!
Indie Release [Level 4]
i've always loved sky high! one of my favorite tunes listening to top 40 radio back in the day. as time passes a lot of danceable pop gets the disco tag, even though it might not be what a disco purist would consider true disco,but dance rock was played in discos a lot in the early days so i guess it all fits. just an add on to disco funks reference to the chop socky flick-man from hong kong- the movie was retitled the dragon flies for the u.s. market as was standard procedure for most asian imports and also to capatilize on americas obsession with the word dragon-because bruce lee was the dragon so put dragon in the title to get some butts in the seats. also, wang yu flew around on some kind of glider thing in the movie hence the title and the use of sky high as the theme song.
Indie Release [Level 4]
Another "Sky High" lover here (I mean, with the handle, 70spop, OF COURSE I love it ;) Loved it back in the day, along with "Who Loves You" (hearing the intro to that one still gives me goosebumps). It wasn't untul the '90s that it really dawned on me how disco they are. And no, probably not in the "heavy rotation at Flamingo" sense, but definitely in that post-"Hustle" early disco craze disco-ish style that so many pop hits features in late '75 and early '76.
Brian
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