One tape... two questions...

[maarten]

I have been listening to an old tape... and two songs are unknowns to me (at the time I didn't write down the names). Tracks include Dayton - Sound of music, State Of Grace - That's when we'll be free, Harold Melvin & Blue Notes - Today's your lucky day, Cameo - She's strange. Perhaps this helps to "date" the following to tracks:

Track 1 is Nick Straker (?)... heavy synth bass and string bass... nice sax interludes... nice synth and percussion break followed by a sax solo... could it be something like "You've got me with my back against the wall"? This seems to be the recurring verse.

Track 2 is totally unknown to me... a female singer, and she is a bit challenged in the "keeping tune department", i.e. she sings seriously off key here and there. Intro sounds a bit like a Eric Matthews track. Heavy heavy base (string), synths, verse is something like "Let's do it" sung by a chorus accompanied by a vocoder. There is also a nice piano interlude.

Any thoughts?

[Forrrce]

Nick Straker had a 12" out around 1983, called 'Up Against The Wall', which got reviewed in at least on music mag at the time, though I've yet to see or hear it. He even had an LP out in '83 or '84, which again, I've never seen.

'Let's Do It' may be the swansong from Kadenza; a sort of mid-tempo funk number, also from the UK. All three of their 12"s are pretty hard to find now, over here. I haven't heard the Kadenza since it came out ('82 or '83) and it's probably faster than I recall it. The dominant vocoder chant in the chorus, certainly stuck in my memory, though.