Carrie Lucas

[kdavid13]

Unidisc put out a Carrie Luca's Greatest Hits cd a number of years ago that has the same cover art as the "Portrait Of Carrie" LP. It features both versions of "I Gotta Keep Dancin' (Keep Smiling).

Btw, did "Career Girl" get a lot of club play? It's only about 110 bpm and would probably be paid either early in the evening or in a morning set.

Personally, I find Carrie's vocals a little weak.

Here on radio (the Montreal market was "heavy duty disco" back in the days...) - they would play all 4 hits : Keep smilin'/Career girl/It's not what you got... and Fashion.

[tmob]

Like The Disco Kid said, I also couldn't get crowds all that interested in "Keep Smilin" because "I Gotta Keep Dancin'" was still fresh in their memories...and they preferred it.

As a side note, I got to meet and chat with Carrie more than once. She was charming, gracious and had absolutely no attitude (I wish I could say that about more of the artists I met back then). When she would perform "Dance with You," she'd bring people from the audience up on stage to dance with her. The time she pulled me up on stage to dance is still one of my favorite disco memories!

[Cdnbob]

Speaking of Carrie Lucas, does anyone know what she's up to nowadays? Has she retired from the biz or does she still perform?

[remicks]

I think I would consider them 2 separate records, wouldn't you?

1) I Gotta Keep Dancing (1977 original version)
2) Keep Smilin' (a remixed 1980 version with a new title)

hmmmmm????

the trickiest part of this one is that they went and gave it a new title ....BUT still

its the same vocals .... the same recording session ..... nothing really added musically to make it an "I GOTTA KEEP DANCIN' ( READY FOR THE EIGHTIES)" version ....

~ I'm with TDK ... same song ~

There's another one that's remixed and thereupon charts later ..... recall STUBBORN KINDA FELLOW by Buffalo Smoke .....its a bit of an easier call ( I think???) since the title stayed the same both times ...

markydefad :
Thanks for the input, TDK. I am going to pull the two versions and give them a comparative spin!

so .............. have you had a chance to do this yet, Marky??


And btw, did you forget you promised to do this years ago !!!

June 1st, 2004, 07:51 PM
markydefad

This is a strange case of the same song charting twice...just with the title changed the second time, to add to the confusion of folks who weren't around then. :lol:

In 1977, "I Gotta Keep Dancing" went to #2 on the Disco chart.

Then, in late 1979-early 1980.....it's re-released as...

From AMG:

"Keep Smilin'," a remix of 1977's "I Gotta Keep Dancin'," is particularly notable: a great hook and clever production make it disco heaven."

This time it charts #10 on the Billboard Disco chart.

Not bad for essentially the same record. I'll have to listen to see how how it varies from the original.

Never really paid much attention to Carrie Lucas. Amoeba Records does have her "Horsin' Around" LP in their window...showing Carrie & her HORSE. Get the innuendo???

here's NickNack's assessment from that same 2004 thread:

Quote:
Originally Posted by Art Figueroa
The break in the remix was also different than the oroiginal. Right, Nicky?Art

NickNack
Oh, must we? :) OK -- you know I love it!

1977: 12", A Side: I GOTTA KEEP DANCIN' by Carrie, SoulTrain label SD-10947, 5:06. B Side: WHAT'S THE QUESTION, 5:41

1979 - 1980: 12", KEEP SMILIN' by Carrie Lucas featuring The Whispers, Solar JD-12086/YD-12086, 7:47 (Remixed by Rick Gianatos). This is the B Side :o A Side: IT'S NOT WHAT YOU GOT (IT'S HOW YOU USE IT). Truer words...

Right away you see the remix adds 2:41 in length, most of it in the extended intro that 'darrens' mentions. Rick, as was his style, brought the horns forward and pushed the strings down and even 'out' in some sections.

As for the breaks (there are two): The string rush in the first break on the SoulTrain release is totally absent on the remix. The breaks on the Solar remix have the individual instruments coming back in separately, creating a nice build up. He also accentuated the bass and gave nice separation on the guitars The percussion is really brought forward. Lastly, the vocals in the breaks come up in the end on the remix version where in the original they were at the start. Rick returns to the intro to end the song. The original ends with the break running out. We found this fierce BITD because it forced you to mix up something with some serious energy so that they GOTTA KEEP DANCIN'. :D

******

[markydefad]

I have listened to both records once [hey I'm busy!] and agree with the others that it is basically the same record--just remixed. I do have to admit that I am quite fond of the "Keep Smilin'" version, as opposed to what several others have said.

[remicks]

I have listened to both records once [hey I'm busy!] and agree with the others that it is basically the same record--just remixed. I do have to admit that I am quite fond of the "Keep Smilin'" version, as opposed to what several others have said.

Once in those five years !!!!? :icon_razz::icon_razz:

Good grief ........YOU ARE busy !!!!


*****

[markydefad]

Once in those five years !!!!? :icon_razz::icon_razz:

Good grief ........YOU ARE busy !!!!


*****

Once on Sunday evening-- with a few minutes to spare before I screened "Cabaret"--I have to give it a closer listen this weekend. I really haven't listened to those records in maybe 5 years!!! I've been working on plowing through the newer purchases. The old stuff sits on the shelf--except the stuff that charted in 1976--that I heard a lot!

[whitesockedfunk]

Btw, did "Career Girl" get a lot of club play? It's only about 110 bpm and would probably be played either early in the evening or in a morning set.

Career Girl is one of my absolute favorite Carrie Lucas tracks, very catchy chorus, great fresh sounding arrangement which was typical of Solar and in general one of Leon Sylvers' best productions imo. I wasn't going to clubs in 1979 as I was too young, but I sure as heck would have danced to it, in spite of the 110 bpm :icon_biggrin:

In fact give me a slower tempo song anytime over those frantic (euro)disco beats!

[SandraDee]

It's probably just me but I often think that Liquid Gold's 'Dance Yourself Dizzy' was influenced by 'Keep Smilin' - they both have a similar ultra zingy, happy feel, don't you think? The intro on both is very similar I think with the high-pitched doo-doo-doos. I think so anyway, but maybe I'm just talking a load of doo-doos.:icon_confused: I remember at the time 'cool' dance fans were s'posed to hate these type of records 'cos they were so 'disco' with their dancing strings & fast beats & poppy melodies but that just made me like them more. Along with Frankie Valli's LP these 3 records were quite subversive in their own way for being so not what 1980 was about.

[remicks]

It's probably just me but I often think that Liquid Gold's 'Dance Yourself Dizzy' was influenced by 'Keep Smilin' - they both have a similar ultra zingy, happy feel, don't you think? The intro on both is very similar I think with the high-pitched doo-doo-doos. I think so anyway, but maybe I'm just talking doo-doos.:icon_confused:

ya ..... you're talkin ' Mach-achu-shits !!! :icon_mrgreen::icon_mrgreen:

*****

[SandraDee]

Thanx remmy; I'll take it as a compliment being compared to Charo.:icon_confused:

[kdavid13]

I also liked Fashion a lot...Back then,an album with 4 huge disco hits was a very good thing.

[STEPHEN L FREEMAN]

It's probably just me but I often think that Liquid Gold's 'Dance Yourself Dizzy' was influenced by 'Keep Smilin' - they both have a similar ultra zingy, happy feel, don't you think? The intro on both is very similar I think with the high-pitched doo-doo-doos. I think so anyway, but maybe I'm just talking a load of doo-doos.:icon_confused:

Ya know...? I'd never thought of that. Then I played them back-to-back. :icon_eek:
They really are very similar on a couple levels.

[SandraDee]

Ya know...? I'd never thought of that. Then I played them back-to-back. :icon_eek:
They really are very similar on a couple levels.

I'm so pleased you agree Steph. Sometimes I think I hear things differently to other people.:icon_razz: Liquid Gold made such an effort to emulate that late 70s Eurodisco sound & I think they were quite successful, but it's a pity they were just a bit late as that sound had quite a backlash in 1980. I think 'DYD' was a much better UK effort than Kelly Marie's 'Feels Like...'.

[STEPHEN L FREEMAN]

...Liquid Gold made such an effort to emulate that late 70s Eurodisco sound & I think they were quite successful, but it's a pity they were just a bit late as that sound had quite a backlash in 1980. I think 'DYD' was a much better UK effort than Kelly Marie's 'Feels Like...'.

Here in the US, DYD was one of the major casualties of The Great Casablanca Crash of early '80. Only the promotional 12" (Side 1 - vocal, Side 2 - instrumental) got out on Parachute, before the release got cancelled.

And the US release of the LP was waaay different than the original UK release.
It didn't have either MBB, or DYD.
Though it did have "Secret Love", which kept it in some DJs' booths, longer than it would've normally lasted.

[SandraDee]

It didn't have either MBB, or DYD.

I'm surprised that MBB wasn't featured 'cos that track was huge in the US n'est pas? Liquid Gold were appreciated in the US before the UK, whereas in the UK at that time it was US records that were huge in the clubs - funny how we often don't appreciate what's on our doorsteps?!:icon_confused:

[SandraDee]

Sorry to digress form the Carrie Lucas thread (I'm sure OneCharmingBastard won't mind, wherever he is these days!:icon_confused:), but I'd so love to get all of Liquid Gold's stuff on CD in full-length versions. Thank goodness for the Casablanca Records story set that at least has the 12" version of MBB.:icon_razz:

[Dayna]

Personally, I find Carrie's vocals a little weak.

She doesn't have the Blow-a-bility of a Loleatta,Martha Wash or Rochelle Fleming type vocalist but she has a sweet sounding pleasant voice and she knows how to shift gears well enough to carry a song..

[paul]

She doesn't have the Blow-a-bility of a Loleatta,Martha Wash or Rochelle Fleming type vocalist but she has a sweet sounding pleasant voice and she knows how to shift gears well enough to carry a song..

Ditto!