ExpatMichael's opinion of anything relating to disco, Italo disco, funk and boogie music. Promotion for my Ebay and Discogs stores which concentrate on the sale of Disco, Funk, Italo Disco, Hi NRG, New Wave, morning music, sleaze and anything pressed on vinyl. There's a link to my Ebay store on the bottom of the page, right under the counter widget. Thanks for visiting and feel free to leave comments. Follow my twitter and join the Disco Vinyl Fan Page on Facebook.
Now this is an out and out Italo Disco beauty. And so early in the game. This double sided single came out in 1979 on Ciao records. It features all of the best qualities of my favorite Italo Disco tunes from years later.Here in my zip you will be able to enjoy a more recent edit by the master Alkalino. It's hard to believe that Britney Spear's producers ripped this record off but just think of her Gimme More and tell me it doesn't at least remind you of this song. LISTEN FOR YOURSELF As usual I ask that you click on the ads on my blog. I appreciate your support.
MASSIVE DISCO REMIX of the the Bay City Rollers compliments of the Canadian Record Pool in 1977.
Those guys must have had a hot thing going. They actually were responsible for several mixes which were big crowd-pleasers in the states. I don't think I ever saw mixes in the states credited to a record pool though clearly most of the guys doing the mixes back in the day were in the pool that David Mancuso put together in mid 1975. From whose ashes later rose Judy Weinstein's For the Record. A pool which has featured all the big New York star d.j.' over the years and up until it folded, not that long ago. This batch featured the Superstar New York City DJ Kings like Junior Vasquez, David Morales and Frankie Knuckles.
In this vintage photo we have Judy, RCA's Tony King, T.O. Featherstonshaw, Jane Brinton and a young and dashing David Steele from Polydor. It was taken at The Paradise Garage for the 1 1/2 year anniversary of For the Record.
I mean hell the Bay City Rollers! The boys 'o tartan from Scotland making the boogier's get their grooves on in serious disco's in places like New York City and London and L.A. Peaking at #24 on the Billboard Dance Charts in 1976 on import.
Well they did just that. Had it been picked up in the States it probably would have been even more massive. It only got a 45" 7" release there.
At the time I didn't know a thing about this 12". If I had I would have gone to great efforts to get my allowance together to buy a copy. I was definitely a rollers fan and not just for their only #1 pop hit in the states, Saturday Night (S-A-T-U-R-D-A-Y NIGHT). I think I had about five of their l.p.'s and I could sing along to a lot of their songs. Oh the innocence of youth! YOU MADE ME BELIEVE IN MAGIC
Here is a more recent edit by Glenn Rivera of one of the band's U.S. Top Ten hits You Made Me Believe in Magic a hit from 1977.
Fotonovela is one of the few italo disco tracks sung in Spanish. It was also a morning music classic at The Saint. Mark Thomas told me it was a fave of his in morning music sets.
I'm actually quite astonished that I haven't posted it before considering how it makes me feel. It's simple beauty and sheer joy get me a little choked up every time I hear it.
Not gonna say much other then it's from 1982. Gail freeman does both lead vocals and she later had two more dance releases as a solo artist. Feel is a great name for a band. Too bad they didn't release more (4 singles actually). They consisted of The Players Association producers and arrangers. I'D LIKE TO HAVE YOU DOWNLOAD THIS TRACK AND ENJOY IT
The least they could do was pronounce the title correctly! In Italian the C is pronounced "CHEE", you gotta love it though. The pronunciation is a lot of what makes italo disco so fun. Physical Fascination is truly a synthy gem.
This fun ditty was released in 1986 on the Italian label Media Records and has become ultra collectible. A copy will set you back a minimum of $300.00 so enjoy this mp3 it's probably the closest you'll get to owning this track, LOL Gianfranco Bortolloti has had his hands in a ton of italo disco numbers including Gino Latino, Venice, Funny Twins, Capella and even Gigo D'agostino.
Humphrey Robertson has recorded as a few aliases including Ciber People and Hypnosis. They recorded a few Italo Disco classics.
Today I've chosen to bring you a later release. This one on the seminal Swiss Italo Disco label StreetHeart. 1987's Don't Stop Loving Me is a cheerful number. Sure to please any Italo Disco fan.
Not much to say about this one. Just a good solid Italo Disco release from later in the era. A 1987 release on Power Records Italy. YOU ARE THE ONE! GRAB DR. MARTINI HERE
Mixed by Carlo Oliva who was an Italo Disco star in his own rite recording as Karl Olivas with one of my all time favorite Italo Disco numbers Follow Me. Please show your appreciation for my blog by clicking on my ads.
1988 was a huge year for dance music. Acid House was particularly hot in the U.K. and Chicago House was starting to really take a hold on the whole club scene of the states.
But there was more going on freestyle was big in the cities with high latino populations like New York, Miami and L.A. and other types of experimental dance music were making the clubs churn. One of those genre's was called New Beat. It was short-lived but fun. One of the classics was called Ibiza by Amnesia and I'm providing you with a zip of four versions.
I just heard that it's still getting play now on the island!
FEEL THE AMNESIAOriginally the act was only Steve Novak plus 2 D.J.'s he knew but then it went through various roster changes.
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Sensation was one of the less famous italo disco labels but nonetheless they had quite a few sensational records. New Dream by Clay Pedrini from 1984 is certainly one of them.
If you can get a copy of Fires in the Night you'd be awfully lucky and it will set you back several hundred dollars. It remains one of those Italo disco holy grails and truly obscure. DOWNLOAD YOUR COPY
A one off by a couple of guys calling themselves K-A-T-A it was released on Sound of Italy records in 1985. Damn I love it I think I'll listen to it again, and again!
Gianantonio Pezzoli Paciscopi's tender vocals in this italo disco love song are perfect. He's lack of command of the English language one of my favorite traits of Italo Disco. Love's Harmony was a one-off on Capriccio records from 1984.
Mixed by Gianpaolo Bresciani he was at least a name that's a bit more familiar having worked with Gazebo, Rubix and Ryan Paris among others. Co-producer Lorenzo Suraci also worked with Wish Key. YOUR COPY OF LOVE'S HARMONY
A man like Bobby Orlando is the king of 80's dance music. Bobby "O" that is, the alias he used. Bobby worked with so many artists including Roni Griffith, Claudja Barry, The Flirts, Divine, The Pet Shop Boys, and others that were really just aliases for him and some vocalists he brought in for one-off's or even two-off's (is that a word) like Barbie & the Kens, Waterfront Home, O Romeo, Eric, Teen Rock and more.
I hate to make sweeping generalizations but in this case I'm going to go out on a limb and say that Bobby O is the most prolific dance artist that ever was. I think I personally had about 50 singles of his.
Bobby O also became synonymous with one specific sound, High Energy, which was sort of ghettoized as gay music. Many of his songs were embraced at The Saint and on Fire Island. Ironically Bobby Orlando was a bit homophobic as legend goes.
Certainly his biggest mark was made with the original version of Pet Shop Boys West End Girls. They apparently idolized Bobby O and specifically wanted to work with him. But they quickly got too big for him and were signed away. I think it may have been an ugly parting and Bobby got paid off kindly in the deal.
Bobby O never really had that pop crossover success that so many dance artists are able to have now. But his classic She Has a Way did crack the dance Top 10 in the states and remains one of the songs most associated with his legacy.
Fall Down the first single by gospel singer Tramaine Hawkins is the perfect mesh of gospel brought to the dance floor. It became a Paradise Garage classic and super influential in many more house records that also featured that mesh.
The website Vice Italia brought this film to my attention. It's not to be missed. It may be the only film made about Italo Disco. Even stars the italo king Tom Hooker, The Creatures and Kano.
Various– Original Soundtrack From The Motion Picture "Jocks"
Freestyle is my other passion. I've decided to dedicate my blog primarily to Italo Disco. But today I feel like exposing my readers to a freestyle record that I really enjoy.
Cynthia has had a long string of hits, starting in 1988. Change on Me was her second release. She had many releases on MicMac and then got signed to Tommy Boy. Actual pop success eluded her but she did become a star in the genre.
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My blog is dedicated to the past. But sometimes the feelings from the present can bring me to the past. I've been enjoying the Pet Shop Boys since I got out of high school. So seeing them again brought back a lot of feelings. This video snippet is from my favorite song on their last release Electric. I can hardly believe it was a flop because it simply has everything one would love in a classic synth pop song.
My seats were only so-so but I hope this snippet done with my Iphone 5S is decent enough to transmit some of my joy.
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An extremely rare and delicious specimen of the italo disco genre. The Pussy Cat Fans Club was released in 1983 on the Discofamily label.
So many great italo records came out that luckily quite a few got overlooked back in the day. That gives us the fortune of rediscovering them now. MEOW!
In honor of the gay pride festivities around the world I've decided to post this gem again. MY DOWNLOADS ARE ALL ON FILE FACTORY, WHY DON'T YOU JOIN TOO?
It's been a few years since I started this blog and I can't remember if I've ever done a proper Sharon Redd retrospective. It would only be right as Sharon is probably the disco diva I hold closest to my heart. Hhmm why might you ask? Well in reality most of the other disco diva's were kinda before my time. As much as I loved them I was too young to go to clubs. But by the time Sharon was churning them out I was in the clubs dancing away night after night. And Sharon was often there too doing a public appearance. I've probably seen her live five times. Perhaps also because she was from Norfolk and I was going to university in D.C.
She started as a back-up singer for Bette Midler also known as The Harlettes. In 1978 she was on an album with two other gals Ula Hedwig and Charlotte Crossley billed as formerly the Harlettes. Then she was part of a group of people led by Luther Vandross on the album Soiree along with Fonzi Thornton, Jocelyn Brown, Yvonne Lewis and again Ula Hedwig. They did a gorgeous remake of You Keep me Hanging On among other cuts. Then in 1979 still not getting top billing her voice was the magic behind Love Insurance (hot edit) a #1 disco hit for Front Page. SHAZZY ZIP 1SHAZZY ZIP 2
By this point she was very much on my radar. So when Can you Handle It came out in late 1980 I was ready for the full on occupation of this disco diva. Then when the Shep Pettibone WKYS master mix came out New York City was all about Sharon Redd and Can you Handle it. I'd venture to say that it was one of the most satisfying remixes of an already fabulous record that I had ever heard at that point. The sassiness of the track was pumped up deeply and the clubs like The Paradise Garage and Zanzibar had found a major anthem for the season. In the U.K. even the downtempo Love is Gonna Get You saw a twelve inch release.
Shep is still brining them joy on a dance floor thirty years later!
The next album Redd Hott seemed much more geared towards the gay crowd. Now Sharon was more of a Saint disco diva then Zanzibar but in any case she had her first #1 on the Billboard disco charts and the album had several huge dance-floor anthems including Never Give You Up, Beat the Street and In the Name of Love (particularly adored by the gay crowds and subject to many remixes). In the U.K. even the downtempo Takin' a Chance on Love was released on twelve inch.
The 1983 album Love How You Feel was sort of Sharon's last hurrah. It featured hits like the title song, You're a Winner and Liar on the Wire but they just weren't as big as her earlier dance floor stompers.
Many of Sharon's remixes were done by the genius Francois Kevorkian. No doubt increasing their appeal on dance floors worldwide.
Her last twelve inch single for Prelude Undercover Girl came out in 1985 and was not that great it was followed up by 1988's Second to None which was sort of a weak attempt to cash in on the then popular freestyle sound and it remains pretty obscure though not bad really. The vocals are distinctly Sharon and Sharon can SANG!
On May 1, 1992 she succumbed to A.I.D.S. and I remember really feeling really sad that day. It had been a minute since I had heard any Sharon but she had held a special place in my heart as she does now. I hope you enjoy the two zips I have provided. They include most of her hits and quite a few more recent edits that have been going around.
Now this is an out and out Italo Disco beauty. And so early in the game. This double sided single came out in 1979 on Ciao records. It features all of the best qualities of my favorite Italo Disco tunes from years later.
Here in my zip you will be able to enjoy a more recent edit by the master Alkalino. It's hard to believe that Britney Spear's producers ripped this record off but just think of her Gimme More and tell me it doesn't at least remind you of this song.
