So before I go on my weekly trip up to see my Dad (he’s recovering in hospital from a broken hip and being quite old it’s taking time to heal) I’ll post up this early Italo house classic from Italian producer Gianfranco Bortolotti and Pieradis Rossini , From 1989 it samples quite a bit of “Rock-A-Lott” by Aretha Franklin. It reminds me of Black Box’s “Ride On Time” which sampled Loretta Holloway’s Salsoul gem and classic “Love Sensation”, making TV performances cringe-worthy as the Diva wasn’t actually singing but impersonating. In this case front woman Alisha Warren (Younger sister of Mica Paris) kind of backed Aretha.
Sneaking into the grey area of was it the 80’s or 90’s ? (which is very difficult when you take into these Pop/Dance tracks.)
ABC at time the duo of Martin Fry and Mark White were embracing the House scene and this was off the album “Up”. Self produced and mixed by Bob Kraushaar it shines with quality and coolness. But they did work with some good remixer’s. Frankie Knuckles remixes the main track (with David Morales of course), giving them some credibility with the Club Crowd with improved house mix with added vibes. Also have the Deep, Space House vibe of album track “The Greatest Love Of All” remixed by May Day,not Techno artist Derrick May but the mysterious Vibeke Viken.
American Rawkers Dan Reed Network make a debut on here with a bizarre mix of electronics. From 1988 and with anonymous remixes it was produced by Bruce Fairbarn (but I’m not sure he did all the mixes.) There is a definite Prince influence about the way the technology was used. It certainly nothing like the normal radio version.
The B-side is even further away from their image. Full synth funk (again sounding very Prince-Like) with some soundbite samples. Unexpectedly cool!
Second helpings from the Greg Kihn band and again from 1983. Funky licks with some excellent guitar from Greg Douglas. It was not one of his hits so a bit of a forgotten gem. I prefer the instrumental version working well as an obscure 80’s dance track with real bass and guitar for Blockheads fans with a smattering of synth strings. Thanks to remixer John Luongo, of course.
Guess the Alternative edge has been blunted somewhat with the last few posts. So biting the commercial bullet we have this re-release, recorded version of Wang Chung’s main hit. Given that late 80’s dance feel by Mark Saunders (Bomb The Bass) it even has a cheesy rap by Angel C. Freshened up rather than radically redone (apart from the rap!) There is a definite feel of Men Without Hats on the vocal delivery.
Must be popular to require a New Link!!!! (AND YET ANOTHER!)
From 1989 and a prolific time for Palmer as he wrote and produced his tracks with Eric “ET” Thorngren helping in the studio. This experiments with African rhythms. Gracelands in style the main mix has plenty of synthetic sounds and off the Heavy Nova album. The “Rock Mix” adds a bit of overdriven guitar and it doesn’t quite work especially with that yodeling!!
“Now More Than Ever” gets even rockier and nods towards The Power Station, an album track.
Where Duran showed they were still relevant and cutting edge back in 1988. Five remixes by Shep Pettibone (with edits by Chep Nunez) on this rare promo nods both to Kraftwerk and Prince. Now paired down to a trio with the very much alive Warren Cuccurullo and Chester Kamen adding some guitars, this was from the album, “Big Thing” Not sure about the Eurohouse mixes, unfortunately they do sound dated. Cheesy piano and samples, but plenty of dub mixes for the dub fans.
Funk with a capital F with this American release from 1986 by a Ska and Soul band from the Silver Lake, Los Angeles, California area. Not how they sounded originally when they formed in 1981, this has been somewhat embellished by Stewart Levine and remixer Louil Silas Jr. layering it with beats and breaks. Here with 5 remixes of varying quality, the extended mix is not surprisingly the pick. For the old skool fans!
Peter Gabriel brought out “Shock The Monkey” back in 1982 and me, trying to make a tenuous link, has brought you this Warren Zevon track from 1987. Here he collaborated with Parliament/Funkadelic (George Clinton) to create this politically charged song. From the album “Sentimental Hygiene” this is about Kenya and it’s struggle to be free from British reign. Think electronics and samples with wry, satirical lyrics with almost Levin-like bass precision in fact a guest appearance by Flea of the Red Hot Chilli Peppers.
Mix team, The Latin Rascals are involved, creating some long, involved remixes.
Second helpings from the Greg Kihn band and again from 1983. Funky licks with some excellent guitar from Greg Douglas. It was not one of his hits so a bit of a forgotten gem. I prefer the instrumental version working well as an obscure 80’s dance track with real bass and guitar for Blockheads fans with a smattering of synth strings. Thanks to remixer John Luongo, of course.
