Billy Ocean

[usagi-san]

Around 1975 I first heard Billy Ocean's "Love Really Hurts Without You", his breakthrough solo hit, on the radio. I thought it was one of the grooviest, most cheerful sounding songs about a sad subject. I did not know his name until I found the song on a compilation. It is still my favorite song of his I have heard, and the most disco of his, I think. I recently bought his breakthrough album "Suddenly" for $2. It is total r&b/pop. After hearing his #1 "Caribbean Queen" for 8 minutes, I had Michael Jackson's "Billie Jean" going through my head. If I ever hear his "Get Outta My Dreams, Get Into My Car" again, I think I will remember it being in Mazda commercials. I think "The Color Of Love" was my favorite ballad of his. After his medium hit "License To Chill", it seems he disappeared. I wonder what happened.

[maarten]

To me, "Are you ready" is still one of the best floor fillers ever (in the 12" mix that is).



I bought his "Nights (feels like getting down)" recently as it was re-issued on CD here in Japan. It contains the "Are you ready" track but it is totally different - and I never knew it existed in that mix before.



If I could read Japanese, I could tell you perhaps more about Billy, but as I can not, I might ask my secretary to do it for me...



Two things I remember about Billy (but I might well be wrong): he was born in the Caribbean, and I think holds the British nationality. The main writer on this album was Ken Gold, who also worked with Delegation and The Real Thing.



I seem to recall that Billy's first hit was "Red Light", a music style they called 'jive' at the time.



"Love really hurts (without you)" was jive, too. In the mid 90's, a couple of (German?) remixers created a virtually instrumental house-like remix of this song. It was not that bad actually...



_________________

"ON THE BEAT"

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: maarten on 2002-04-06 04:30 ]</font>

[The Lord of Flatbush]

On 2002-04-06 04:27, maarten wrote:

To me, "Are you ready" is still one of the best floor fillers ever (in the 12" mix that is).



I bought his "Nights (feels like getting down)" recently as it was re-issued on CD here in Japan. It contains the "Are you ready" track but it is totally different - and I never knew it existed in that mix before.



If I could read Japanese, I could tell you perhaps more about Billy, but as I can not, I might ask my secretary to do it for me...



Two things I remember about Billy (but I might well be wrong): he was born in the Caribbean, and I think holds the British nationality. The main writer on this album was Ken Gold, who also worked with Delegation and The Real Thing.



I seem to recall that Billy's first hit was "Red Light", a music style they called 'jive' at the time.



"Love really hurts (without you)" was jive, too. In the mid 90's, a couple of (German?) remixers created a virtually instrumental house-like remix of this song. It was not that bad actually...



_________________

"ON THE BEAT"



<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: maarten on 2002-04-06 04:30 ]</font>

Billy Ocean was born Leslie Charles in Trinidad. And moved to England at the age of eight. As a teenager he began performing in the London Club scene and he released his first single in 1974 under the name ‘Scorched Earth’. He worked at Ford Motors while writing and recording songs. He quit Ford after scoring a worldwide hit with a pop-soul song called “Love Really Hurts Without You.” Hitting #2 in the U.K. and #22 in the U.S.



Other hits were to follow during the 70’s such as “L.O.D. (Love On Delivery)” and he also began to write songs for artists like LaToya Jackson. In 1982 crossed over unto the U.S. r&b charts with “Nights (Feel Like Getting Down).” Two years later, Ocean became a International star when “Caribbean Queen” went to #1 on the pop and r&b charts becoming a worldwide hit.



The song was also released around the world as both “African Queen” and “European Queen” with tailored lyrics for each of these markets and both just as successful as “Caribbean Queen.” A cover of Prince’s “Loverboy” and the ballad “Suddenly” Were also successful.



In 1986, Billy Ocean recorded “When The Going Gets Tough, The Tough Get Going” for and it went to #2 hit later that year Ocean released the Top-10 album Love Zone and scored his second #1 hit with “There’ll Be Sad Songs (To Make You Cry).” A third #1,“Get Outta My Dreams, Get Into My Car,” followed in 1998. Ocean continues to record and tour in Europe.

[Giovanni]

If I could read Japanese, I could tell you perhaps more about Billy, but as I can not

After all this time.... you can't!?!?!

C'mon Mr Vice President........

[maarten]

I know, I know... I have been here since 1999! But as Japanese consists of 3 different written languages all mixed up (hira gana, kata kana and kanji) and the fact that there are more than 500 characters to learn, I gave up.



I do speak enough to survive though!

[remicks]

To me, "Are you ready" is still one of the best floor fillers ever (in the 12" mix that is).

noticing this also has a little Barry Whiteness to it .....the bass line ?? .... I could hear him doing this song justice.

Gotta give Billy Ocean credit for being tenacious .
_____________________________________


Does anyone recall this eight-minute Epic twelve inch "strings and horns" disco number (with flutes) lost in the glut of 1979??? :

AMERICAN HEARTS



you count up the years and they will be filled with tears .... UH-HUH !!



*****

[drh]

"Are you ready" is one of the anthems of the great year 1980 - and I think it sounds like "Don't stop till you get enough" my MJ a year earlier. And "Suddenly" is a great ballad I fell in love to in 1985 (in romantic Heidelberg), but the girl got together with my best friend. Bad luck

[boogyjuice]

To me, "Are you ready" is still one of the best floor fillers ever (in the 12" mix that is).

I bought his "Nights (feels like getting down)" recently as it was re-issued on CD here in Japan. It contains the "Are you ready" track but it is totally different - and I never knew it existed in that mix before.

I prefer the album-mix above the 12" mix. Much more funk flowing through the albumtrack, with a popping bass and sharp horn-arrangements. No one so far posted that funkmix on youtube.
Multi-musician Nigel Martinez produced the album and performed many instruments during the impressive short session (about 1 or 2 weeks).






Nigel also produced the album after that, "Inner Feelings" (1982).






Still have to check his earlier & 70's work though.