People All Over The World Join Hands, Start A Love Train

Side 1 of a mixtape recorded for Mrs. K on 21st March 2002.

No fancy sleeve for this one, just a generic TDK FE Ferric cassette sleeve with some neat, upper case lettering and a terribly punning but title, Disco? Get The Funk Out Of Here!

It does pretty much what it sets out to do, a mix of soul, funk and disco classics (mostly) from the 1970s and a nod to some of the club nights we used to go to in Bristol at the time.

 

The selection starts and (no spoilers) ends with What It Is from 1977 by Garnet Mimms & Truckin' Company, which seems to be Garnet's one and only single with the truckers, although a version also appears on Mimms' album from the same year, Garnet Mimms Has It All. It's a great song, written and produced by Jeff Lane and Randy Muller from Brass Construction.

 

I've included longer versions of classics by Curtis Mayfield, The O'Jays, Donna Summer and Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes because...well, because, so the selection pushes past the original C90 side to come in at just under and hour. 

 

A couple of the songs - Bill Withers and Bobby Womack - were lifted straight from the Jackie Brown soundtrack, Womack's song also serving as the eponymous theme to 1972 film, Across 110th Street. Disco Inferno by Trammps appeared on the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack, the version here edited down from the album's 11 minute behemoth to a more manageable three and a half.

 

Dance Your Pants Off is, as far as I can tell, a rare Sly & The Family Stone circa 1967 that I got with a freebie CD called Hippy Chic, attached to RCD Classic Rock Collection Vol. 11, in a clearance bin in the mid-1990s. The magazine was, well, pants but the CD was worth the 30 or 40p that I paid at the time.

 

The Joe Simon song appeared on the appallingly-titled Those Boogie Knights & Disco Divas (and, looking at my mixtape effort, that's saying something), another freebie CD with the late, lamented Vox magazine in 1998. 

 

If disco makes you sick, come back here tomorrow for the cure (or should that be The Cure?)

1) What It Is (Part I) (Single Version): Garnet Mimms & Truckin' Company (1977)

2) Dance Your Pants Off: Sly & The Family Stone (1967)

3) Freddie's Dead (Full Length Version): Curtis Mayfield (1972)

4) Love Train ("A Tom Moulton Mix"): The O'Jays (1977)

5) Disco Inferno (Edit): Trammps (1976)

6) You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real) (Album Version): Sylvester (1978)

7) Hot Stuff (Album Version): Donna Summer (1979)

8) Feel The Need In Me: Detroit Emeralds (1971)

9) Who Is He (And What Is He To You?) (Album Version): Bill Withers (1972)

10) Get Down, Get Down (Get On The Floor): Joe Simon (1975)

11) Bad Luck (A Tom Moulton Mix): Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes (1977)

12) Across 110th Street (Part 1): Bobby Womack (1972)

1971: You Want It, You Got It: 8

1972: Across 110th Street: 12

1972: Super Fly OST: 3

1972: Still Bill: 9

1975: Get Down: 10

1976: Disco Inferno EP: 5

1977: I Love Music / Love Train EP: 4

1977: Philadelphia Classics: 11

1977: What It Is EP: 1

1978: Step II: 6

1979: Bad Girls: 7

1993: Hippy Chic: RCD Classic Rock Collection Vol. 11: 2

Side One (55:42) (GD) (M)

Got To Cool This Fire

When I walked into HMV in Bristol to buy the 12" single of I Feel Love by Donna Summer, little did I know that it would blow my 12 year old mind. 

 

Officially, it was to be a present for my older brother. I don't remember whether it was for Christmas or his birthday but this would place the shopping trip somewhere between December 1982 and February 1983. The single in question was the 'Special New Version Remix' by Patrick Cowley which had propelled it back into the UK singles chart, peaking at #22 in the lead up to Christmas. 

 

Of course, I was familiar with the original which hit #1 in July 1977 but the 1982 version demanded to be bought, even if it was for someone else. My brother was heavily into synthpop at the time. I'm not sure I knew or sought his opinion on Donna Summer, but I didn't let the fact that he didn't own a single one of her records deter me.

What blew my mind when I picked the single from the rack was that the sleeve boldly proclaimed that this was the 'Special New Version 15 Min Remix' by Patrick Cowley. You what? Not only that, but flipping the record over revealed that they were understating somewhat: the A-side was a whopping fifteen minutes forty five seconds long! And the B-side featured a 'Megamix Edit' at a mere eight minutes and fifty seconds!! 

 

I think my brother was pleased with the gift but, let's be honest, I borrowed it from him a lot, added both versions to numerous mixtapes that I compiled and, when he left home a few years later, I got my own secondhand copy to add to my growing vinyl collection.

 

After all that hype and build up, you may be disappointed to learn that today's Donna Summer selection doesn't feature I Feel Love. Oops. 

 

What that purchase kick started for me though was an appreciation of Donna Summer's music. Being specific, for me that's really only her 1970s and early 1980s material; the subsequent team up with Musical Youth was cute and the Stock Aitken Waterman years are best hidden in small doses in 1980s pop selections. 

 

Summer's work with Giorgio Moroder and Pete Bellotte is something else though, and they were masters of the long-form, whole-side-of-vinyl extended excursions. Patrick Cowley's Megamix of I Feel Love feels like a brisk run through compared to the likes of Love To Love You Baby, Macarthur Park and Try Me, I Know We Can Make It that all push past the sixteen and seventeen minute mark.

 

Today's selection picks a half dozen album and 12" single versions from 1975 to 1980. The aforementioned Love To Love You Baby and No More Tears (Enough Is Enough), Donna's collaboration with Barbra Streisand, account for more than half the running time; the rest never drop below seven minutes.

 

I'll be listening to Donna at the Disco on my commute this morning. If you happen to be in Gloucester and spot a middle aged man with headphones doing some crazy/sad shuffling as he's walking, that's probably me.

1) On The Radio (Special Re-Mixed Version By Giorgio Moroder) (1979)

2) With Your Love (12" Version By Giorgio Moroder & Pete Bellotte) (1978)

3) No More Tears (Enough Is Enough) (12" Version By Gary Klein): Barbra Streisand & Donna Summer (1979)

4) Love To Love You Baby (Album Version By Pete Bellotte) (1975)

5) Walk Away (12" Version By Giorgio Moroder, Pete Bellotte & Harold Faltermeyer) (1980)

6) Last Dance (Full Length Version By Giorgio Moroder & Pete Bellotte) (1978)

Got To Cool This Fire (58:55) (Box) (Mega)

Nothing Can Stop The Masters At Work

I have a ton of remixes by Masters At Work aka Kenny 'Dope' Gonzalez & 'Little' Louie Vega, so it was a bit of a surprise to find that they've barely featured on this blog. Some redress today then, with a 10-song, 70-minute selection of remixes from 1992 to 2003.

Masters At Work immediately get down to business with a remix of their own side project, Nuyorican Soul, which bravely tackled Rotary Connection's I Am The Black Gold Of The Sun in the late 1990s. I featured this remix and multiple other versions of the song last September.

 

The selection closes with an equally brave rework of I Feel Love by Donna Summer. I've chopped the pounding intro from the full length eleven and a half minute original, cutting in for a (hopefully) smoother segue from Les Negresses Vertes, but it's a monster track nevertheless.

 

Trawling the MAW pages on Discogs for info, I spotted a comment from imad909 who summed it up as well as anyone can: "Years will come, years will go, but the work these two have put out will remain". 

 

I'm succumbing to the urge to dance even as I sit here typing this. Be warned, this groove is highly contagious.

1) I Am The Black Gold Of The Sun (MAW Remix) (Cover of Rotary Connection): Nuyorican Soul ft. Q-Tip & Jocelyn Brown (1997)

2) Show Me (Masters At Work R & B Mix): Ultra Naté (1994)

3) Reaching For The Stars (Masters At Work Mix): Fantastic Plastic Machine ft. Incognito (2003)

4) Time To Make You Mine (Kenlou Supa Mix): Lisa Stansfield (1992)

5) Helpless (The Kenlou Remix): Urbanized (1992)

6) Around The World (Mellow Mix): Daft Punk (1996)

7) Nothing Can Stop Us (House Mix): Saint Etienne (1992)

8) Very Important People (Masters At Work Main Mix): GusGus (1999)

9) Après La Pluie (Main Vocal) (Rukus Dubba): Les Negresses Vertes (1995)

10) I Feel Love (Masters At Work 12-Inch Mix): Donna Summer (1995)

Nothing Can Stop The Masters At Work (1:11:22)

Like The Sweet Sound Of Hip Music

Well, after that week, the only thing for it is two hours of disco.

15 songs intended to put a smile on your face, a spring in your step and a groove in your hips, creaks permitting...

Happy Friday, everyone!

1) And The Beat Goes On (Album Version): The Whispers (1979)

2) Check Out The Groove (Album Version By Rodney Brown, Willie Lester & François Kevorkian): Bobby Thurston (1980)

3) Hopscotch (Remix By Larry Levan): Gwen Guthrie ft. Sly & Robbie (1983)

4) Get Down (Special Mix By Rick Gianatos): Gene Chandler (1978)

5) Make Me Believe In You (A Tom Moulton Mix) (Cover of Curtis Mayfield): Patti Jo (1976)

6) Rivers Of Babylon (12" Disco Version By Frank Farian) (Cover of The Melodians): Boney M. (1978)

7) Make Love To Me (12" Version): Helen Reddy (1979)

8) Vertigo / Relight My Fire (Full Length Version By John Luongo & Michael Barbiero) (Re-Edited In 2005 By Ben Liebrand): Dan Hartman ft. Loleatta Holloway (1979)

9) You've Got The Power (A Tom Moulton Mix): Camouflage (1976)

10) Don't Stop The Music (Album Version): Yarbrough & Peoples (1980)

11) Got To Be Real (Special Disco Version): Cheryl Lynn (1978)

12) Galaxy (Album Version): War (1977)

13) Party, Party (Long Version By Frank Farian): Eruption (1978)

14) Right On Target (12" Version By Patrick Cowley): Paul Parker (1982)

15) Je T'Aime... Moi Non Plus (Full Length Version By Giorgio Moroder & Pete Bellotte) (Cover of Serge Gainsbourg & Jane Birkin): Donna Summer (1977)

Like The Sweet Sound Of Hip Music (1:59:44)

Bring Me To Meet Your Sound And I Will Bring You To My Heart

Vangelis aka Ευάγγελος Οδυσσέας Παπαθανασίου, 29 March 1943 to 17 May 2022.

 

Sad news about the passing of another musical genius. I haven't trawled the blogosphere, but the main musical focus in the news reports - understandably - has been his ground-breaking film soundtracks for the likes of Blade Runner and Chariots Of Fire.

However, his 'pop' (or at least as close to 'pop' as Vangelis got) excursions with Jon Anderson are equally worth a mention, especially the majestic State Of Independence, which I first heard as an 11-year old in 1982 when Donna Summer's cover version was a UK Top 20 hit.

Fingers crossed that you also like the song, for here's a 40 minute Dubhed selection of choice versions, opening with Jon Anderson's "this one goes up to 11" live performance with Todmobile, full-on orchestral and in incredibly good voice. Along the way you get Moodswings' dance rework (twice) featuring Martin Luther King and Chrissie Hynde, the Donna Summer 'original' (& best), a bootleg remix of Jon & Vangelis and closing with the 1981 album version, complete with cheeky calypso outro.

Vangelis' music will endure.

 

1) State Of Independence (Live @ Eldborg Concert Hall, Reykjavik, Iceland, 15 November 2013): Todmobile & Jon Anderson (2013)

2) Spiritual High (The Moodfood Megamix): Moodswings ft. Martin Luther King (1991)

3) State Of Independence (DSD Balearic Mix By Sparky Deep Sound Design): Jon & Vangelis (2013)

4) State Of Independence (Long Version By Quincy Jones): Donna Summer (1982)

5) Spiritual High (State Of Independence) (Radio Edit): Moodswings ft. Chrissie Hynde & Martin Luther King (1992) 

6) State Of Independence (Album Version): Jon & Vangelis (1981) 

Forty Minutes Of State Of Independence (40:36)

50@50, Part One: 1970-1979

Thanks for visiting and welcome!

As I rapidly approach five decades of clinging to this crazy, spinning planet, it seemed like a good time to start a blog. This isn't my first attempt - more on that another time - but here I'll mostly be sharing my love of music, my eclectic and frequently questionable taste and hopefully some treasures along the way.

In the spirit of The Vinyl Villain's Imaginary Compilation Album series, I'm starting off with an imaginary vinyl box set compilation of songs from the last 50 years that have meant something to me. This isn't a personal Top 50: I've ignored and left out many of my favourite artists and songs. The 'albums' are sequenced in chronological order, though I won't pretend that I discovered them in that order, cool though it would be to imagine being inspired by Curtis Mayfield before my 2nd birthday. However, all of the selections here have been important to me in different ways over the years. Enjoy...

Side One (22:19)
1)    Double Barrel: Dave & Ansel Collins (1970)
2)   Move On Up (Full Length Version): Curtis Mayfield (1971)
3)   Satellite Of Love (Album Version): Lou Reed (1972)
4)   Dance With The Devil: Cozy Powell (1973)
5)   Emma: Hot Chocolate (1974)

Side Two (22:50)
6)   Fight The Power (Part 1 & 2) (Album Version): The Isley Brothers (1975)
7)   Disco Inferno (Edit By Khayem): Trammps (1976)
8)   I Feel Love (12" Version): Donna Summer (1977)
9)   Shot By Both Sides (Single Version): Magazine (1978)
10) Twat (Live): John Cooper Clarke (1979)

Side One (22:19)

Side Two (22:50)

My parents' record collection was mostly made up of K-Tel compilations purchased from the local Cash & Carry but on reflection, what an introduction to music they proved to be. The cheap 'n' cheerful, high volume, low quality pressings, cramming 10 songs per side of vinyl proved to be invaluable. The Story Of Pop, 40 Super Greats, Black Explosion, Dynamite, Disco Fever... they - and I - loved them. As a kid, looking at the cover of Dynamite, I always imagined that Kiki Dee and Cozy Powell were happily married. I coveted Keith Moon's purple trousers as displayed on the cover of 40 Super Greats. I marveled at the beauteous illustrations of Elvis Presley and David Bowie on the cover of the Radio One Story Of Pop supplement, whilst wondering why neither of them actually featured on the album of the same name. But my folks weren't K-Tel purists. Amongst the James Last and Music For Pleasure compilations, the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack shone brightly, especially the near-11 minute version of Disco Inferno that closed the album. Likewise, I was captivated by the original version of I Feel Love on the radio, but I was forever changed by the 15m 45s remix by Patrick Cowley in 1982. I loved it so much that I bought the 12" as a present for my brother so that I could tape both sides on my parents' hi-tech turntable/cassette deck combo. Magazine came to me slightly belatedly with their posthumous After The Fact compilation in the early 80s, and admittedly John Cooper Clarke most likely made a first impression via his Sugar Puffs ads rather than his poetry, but by this time I was hopelessly addicted to words and music with a capacity to love the camp, the crap, the poetic, the pretentious and the out-and-out pop. It's a love affair that's never ended.