Best From Artist 90 - Bohannon

**paul** · May 24th, 2004, 02:59 AM

Here's to one of the unsung heroes of Disco music. I don't know about the rest of the world but I do know in Connecticut and Boston, Let's Start The Dance was huge. This was true both at the clubs and on the radio.
My best however is his earlier hit Foot Stompin' Music. One day I'll add it to my collection :D

**K-Bee** · May 24th, 2004, 03:23 AM

yeah it's hard to ignore "Let's Starts The Dance". it may be a rather obvious choice but it really is my fav Bohannon track ever.

**QUINNY** · May 24th, 2004, 03:59 AM

Where to start with Bohannon????

The first record of his to turn me onto his music was
Stop and Go in 1973.
Subsequently, the man could virtually do nothing bad in my books. He was a staple of my turntables. One of those artists that (nearly) always came up with the goods.
If you're into Let's Start The Dance, then you must try and check out his South African Man LP in which you can hear all the elements of Let's Start The Dance in their ever so primitive, raw beginnings. If anything this was his one big flaw. He regularly recycled ideas and riffs, but I loved his records and so did my punters. He was one of the first artists to deliver the straight 4/4 beat, hit a groove and just let it all flow. Truly hypnotic, trance inducing dance music of the funkiest kind.

So put me down for:
South African Man (big toon)
Keep On Dancing (very much Let's Start part 1 and a giant)
Truck Stop (ooh, I've just played this again and IT WAS THE BOMB!!! So incredibly heavy, especially for 1974)
Disco Stomp (an absolute giant, very poppy)
Let's Start The Dance (boy did this tear up the dancefloor)
Let's Start II Dance Again (even better, brilliant rapping; enormous even to this day so far as I know)
Foot Stompin' Music (giant)
Bohannon's Beat (so so, a little repetitive, even for him)
Dance your ass off (didn't quite live up to the title for me)

I also loved Caroline Crawford - Comin' On Strong which he produced and had his trademark sounds and feel all over it.

**Forrrce** · May 24th, 2004, 04:13 AM

Seemingly only big for Greg Edwards (and myself!) was the little-known 'Wake Up' from 1983, which is pure garage. Sounds like Regisford & Jarvis (Visual, etc.) and as far as I know, was a UK-only 12". Pounding, spacey techno-funk - and severely bad-assed!

**Noman** · May 24th, 2004, 09:08 AM

"Party Train" from -82 is really good, at par with the best of his 70´s work. OK it is a lot of the "recycled ideas and riffs" but still very good.

**NickNack** · May 24th, 2004, 01:26 PM

Foot Stompin' Music, without a doubt. Let's Start The Dance quickly became 'Let's Not...' as far as I was concerned. Sooo overworked and overplayed and then version 'II' came out. I couldn't escape this song. :evil:

**neonlights** · May 24th, 2004, 03:09 PM

I've only heard a couple of the things he did under his name.. I love "Let's Start The Dance" and "Disco Stomp". I have the recent CD reissue of one of the Caroline Crawford albums he did - "Nice and Soulful" which I love.. esp. "I'll Be Here For You," "Can't Hold Me Back," and "Havin' Fun".. I've definitely got to check out more of his stuff one of these days...

**Nano** · May 26th, 2004, 01:01 PM

One track I remember well is the ultra-slow song "April my love", it came in two parts and was great for slow-dancing at 5 AM. :)
Bohannon LPs are hard to get around here. The one that has "April my love" I saw, but at high prices. Some time ago I bought "Cut loose" (1980), the one with some girls in bikinis. Well, what a dissapointment! Every time I try it again seems a lackluster work, even boring. Guess the best was on the early years?

**Greg Wilson** · June 3rd, 2004, 04:10 PM

To complete the trilogy, let's not forget 1983's dubbed-up FK mix 'Let's Start The Dance III'.

**Com King** · June 7th, 2004, 08:21 AM

LET'S START THE DANCE is one of my 5 all time favourite tracks.

Then comes ME AND THE GANG and EAST COAST GROOVE

**Videoskooter** · June 23rd, 2004, 03:57 PM

Bohannon is one of the kings. "Disco stomp" was an instant classic for me but when I heard footstompin' music and other stuff I was hooked for life! "Let's start the dance" is one of the most uplifting discorecords ever for me. All his hits are must-haves, I think. And Belgian label ARS keeps releasing his music. They have a greatest hits album which contains all of his classics mixed with additional synth-beats and I normally dislike remixes but this one is superb. They didn't change the songs but they turbo-powered them! If you find it-just buy it! And how many young kids who danced on Paul Johnsons "Get get down" realise that it is in fact an old Bohannon-tune? And "Take the country to NY city" can be compared to James Brown-stuff. Not difficult since Bohannon was his drummer for a short while.