Ship of Fools

I've always really loved this video.  And I of course have a major soft spot for Erasure as well as for Depeche Mode and Yazz.

Ship of Fools was a #6 hit for Erasure in the U.K.  in the U.S. they were still considered alternative even though A Little Respect made it to #14  and Chains of Love made it to #12 on the U.S. pop charts in 1988.  It took until Always in 1994 which peaked at #20 for them to have another major hit in the U.S.  and then they never did again.

Their domain was the dance chart where they had numerous hits including songs which made it to the peak position.

Erasure is a band to adore because they never shied away from wearing their hearts on their sleeves.

Here I am with Andy at a club called MARS in N.Y.C. in 1990.

The Crazy Kitsch of Nancy Nova

Had this up a six years ago!  Figured it was time to freshen the link.
LOTS OF NANCY







British born singer/actress Nancy Nova had her first release with No Way in 1978. Later that year she also recorded the theme song for an Italian t.v. show Akiri Non Stop and even appeared in a few episodes. It's follow-up Heaven was her debut into the Electronic spacey disco style in her super high pitched warble.



But she is best known for 198l's disco camp new wave classic The Force in which she sings in a demented voice and says the silliest things. But believe me it's incredibly catchy. Two listens and you're hooked! How I wish they had made a video for it. Nevertheless it became a gay disco classic as gays tend to appreciate and embrace the off-kilter more willingly.

She was meant to be part of Total Coelo but previous commitments kept her from joining this new wave kitsch classic group who were best known for I Eat Canibals. Which I have in my Ebay store right now. Go to the link at the bottom of the page and use the search function in my store to get to it.



Fortunately there was a video for Made in Japan, released in 1982. It doesn't disappoint.

1982's No No No is not quite as danceable but continues to work her sound. It also features a brilliant 45' sleeve.

Her last single was Lifeline from 1983. I've never heard it nor do I know which style she was working at that point.

This zip contains the remarkable gay disco classic The Force and No, No, No. In 2004 a cd was released entitled The Force on FX records U.K. and includes all of her notable successes except for the more obscure Akiri Non Stop which you can enjoy in it's video form at least.



She now lives a quiet life on her farm in Devon, U.K. where still she still writes songs.

01. Akiri Non Stop

02. No Way

03. We Found Love

04. Tip For The Top

05. Day And Night

06. Turning It Over

07. You Shot Me Down In Flames

08. Lonely Without You

09. There's No Tomorrow

10. Baby Come Home

11. Goodbye

12. I'm Giving It Up

13. Heaven

14. Heaven (Extended Version)

15. The Force

16. The Force (Extended Version)

CERRONE A DOCUMENTARY

Felli's italo disco gem DIAMOND IN THE NIGHT

Refreshed links by request.  One of my favorite's of all time of the genre.
Felli's debut single Diamond in the Night was released on DiscoMagic Records in 1983.

DIAMOND IN THE NIGHT
INSTRUMENTAL SIDE

It's extremely valuable so I hope you enjoy the .wav that I'm providing for you here.  I've never had a copy of this 12" myself.

His follow-ups didn't have the impact of Diamond.  You can check out what he's up to.  He has a facebook page and a you tube channel.