We Don't Really Need A Crowd To Have A Party

Another 45-minute selection of eclectic Eighties 12" mixes to shuffle in the weekend. 

I was an avid consumer of remixes as a newly minted record collector in my teens, spending a disproportionate amount of my hard-earned Saturday and holiday job money on 12" singles. My tastes were broadening from the outset: I had no problem parting with cash for Hi NRG, Pop, Goth, Electro, Rock, Indie or D.I.S.C.O., often within the same shopping trip.

For all that, I can say confidently that I didn't own a single one of today's selections until the advent of the internet, eBay, nostalgia-driven 3CD 12"/80s collections and as importantly, if not more so, music blogs.

Suddenly, things that had passed me by or were just out of reach were more readily available. Pre-Brexit and/or the sky-rocketing of shipping fees, I'd acquire tons of music from sellers in Europe and the USA. Without music blogs, would I ever have heard of Shona Laing? Or been able to deep dive into Joseph Watt and Art Maharg's Razormaid archive? Probably not.

Some of this selection may be familiar, it may trigger some fuzzy, happy memories or it may be music that you've never heard before today. If it's none of the above but it gets you shuffling and shimmying around the kitchen, then that's good enough for me!

 

1) Dancing In Berlin (Extended Version - Dance Remix By Giorgio Moroder & Richie Zito): Berlin (1984)

2) Flying North (Razormaid Remix): Thomas Dolby (1988)

3) So Bright So Strong (The Kissing Side) (Remix By Phil Harding & Paul 'Wix' Wickens): Nitzer Ebb (1985)

4) Big Fun (Juan's Magic Remix By Juan Atkins): Inner City (1988)

5) Work It Out (Acid Dub): Steve 'Silk' Hurley ft. M. Doc aka Marc Williams (1989)  

6) Beat Boy (Dance Dub): Visage (1984)

7) Soviet Snow (Meltdown Dub) (Remix By Justin Strauss & Murray Elias): Shona Laing (1987)

8) Our Darkness (Remix By Anne Clark & David Harrow): Anne Clark (1984)

We Don't Really Need A Crowd To Have A Party (46:22) (KF) (Mega)

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)

I Only Knew The Cat And Dog In My Life

The title of today's selection is a line from the opening song by Suzi Lane, not a phrase that you'd necessarily expect to find in a disco tune, but there you have it.

Here's just over an hour of glitter ball grooves to set up the weekend. A few familiar names: Giorgio Moroder, Carly Simon, François Kevorkian, Shirley Bassey, Tom Moulton, Meco (who discofied the Star Wars theme tune) and Tony Bongiovi (Meco's co-conspirator on one of the greatest Christmas albums of all time and second cousin to this poodle-permed rocker).

 

A couple of other artists are lying low: Carly co-wrote Tranquillo (Melt My Heart) with producer Arif Mardin and then-husband James Taylor; Ain't Nothing Gonna Keep Me From You by Teri DeSario was written by and features backing vocals from Barry Gibb.

 

The common theme with all of these songs is that, with the exception of Fly, Robin, Fly by Silver Convention (#28 between 29th November and 12th December 1975), none of them troubled the UK singles chart. In fairness, several of them weren't even released as singles in the UK. Don't let that put you off. Bin your inhibitions, hit the dancefloor (or kitchen floor, if you're at home) and party!

 

1) Harmony (Long Version By Giorgio Moroder): Suzi Lane (1979)

2) Fly, Robin, Fly (12" Promo Version): Silver Convention (1975)

3) In The Forest (Extended 12" Version): Baby'O (1979)

4) Tranquillo (Melt My Heart) (Disco Mix By Arif Mardin): Carly Simon (1978)

5) Free Man (A Tom Moulton Mix) (Unreleased Acetate 12" Version): South Shore Commission (1976)

6) A-Freak-A (Disco Version By François Kevorkian): Lemon (1978)

7) This Is My Life (Disco Remix By Meco Monardo & Tony Bongiovi): Shirley Bassey (1979)

8) Fantasy (12" Version): Bruni Pagan (1979)

9) Ain't Nothing Gonna Keep Me From You (12" Version): Teri DeSario (1978)

I Only Knew The Cat And Dog In My Life (1:02:12) (Box) (Mega)

Hell For Leather On A Helter Skelter

Sometimes, only a poptastic playlist will do. Over 500 posts in and I'm surprised that this is the first appearance on this blog for a-ha, The Lover Speaks, Kool & The Gang, The Kane Gang, Split Enz and ABC (unless you count the latter's appearance in a mash-up mix by Go Home Productions last year).

 

I have a large sub-folder of music, which was my go-to when Lady K was very young. Very loosely labelled "Pop", it is better described as upbeat, uptempo songs without any sweary bits, although I came a cropper when this one popped up in the car. Fortunately, Mrs. K wasn't present and the F-word wasn't firmly embedded in Lady K's vocabulary from there on.

 

I'm a little bit more relaxed about the playlist these days, although you still won't find me playing either "Part 4" of this song by Alexei Sayle from the 12" vinyl or the current single by Julian Cope when Clan K are within earshot.

 

No parental advisory for this selection, 11 tunes for a (hopefully) sunny September Saturday, wherever you are.

 

1) Take On Me (Extended Version By Alan Tarney): a-ha (1985)

2) Every Lover's Sign (7" Remix By Andy Wallace & Bruce Forest): The Lover Speaks (1986)

3) Think Twice (Edit): Ralph Myerz & The Jack Herren Band ft. Christine Sandtorv (2003)

4) Take It To The Top (Album Version By Eumir Deodato): Kool & The Gang (1980)

5) Funky Kingston: Toots & The Maytals (1973)

6) Beat The Clock (Short Version By Giorgio Moroder): Sparks (1979)

7) Six Months In A Leaky Boat (Album Version): Split Enz (1982)

8) Respect Yourself (R & B Mix) (Cover of The Staple Singers): The Kane Gang (1984)

9) Mystify (Album Version): INXS (1987)

10) I Want You To Know (Album Version): Charlotte Hatherley (2007)

11) Viva Love (Album Version): ABC (2016)

Hell For Leather On A Helter Skelter (45:06)

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)