Klapto Computer Game Italo Disco 1983 MAGIC

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Valter Fausto Bassani released three italo disco records under the moniker Klapto.  He also used other aliases with Meccano being the most well known.

1983 was the best year in history of Italo Disco

The first and probably the most infectious was Mister Game in 1983.

Queen of the Night was their follow-up in 1984.

SUPER DELISH ITALO DISCO DOUBLE A SIDE MG WHEN I LET YOU DOWN and BOOGIE TONIGHT

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1986 Sensation Records highly collectible italo disco release.  Both sides are HOT!

BOTH SIDES

Via Verdi Diamond, a Discoring theme and Italo Disco Legendary

The debut single by Via Verdi Diamond was a number 1 hit in Italy and rode the charts from 1985 into 1986.  
It in fact was the #21 record of the year in 1986 and became the theme song for the hit t.v. show about pop music called Discoring.
Oh Oh Diamond




Not only was it a huge pop hit but it's considered a classic of the Italo Disco genre.

DIAMOND ZIP

The La Bionda Brothers

updated links

Sicilian brothers Carmelo and Michelangelo La Bionda are known as the inventors of Italian Disco.  They began recording in 1973 but debuted even earlier as songwriters.  Their 1978 hit One for You, One for Me (a #9 pop hit in Italy) even managed to become a big pop hit in the U.K. among other countries.  That in addition to Deserts of Mars and Sandstorm are my favorite La Bionda tunes.

They went on to produce for other artists too.  Their seminal La Bionda album featured the influential disco hit Sandstorm.  It was covered by Darude in the 90's in a house version.  They also recorded as D.D. Sound and had other major disco hits including Cafe'.

In the 80's they worked on some soundtracks and with the Italian group Ricchi e Poveri.  Their collaboration with the dance duo Righeira in 1983 brought them their most famous hit Vamos a La Playa.  A huge record all over Europe.    The Bandido album  Fratelli La Bionda zip

I think that one of the main reasons I love La Bionda is that they seem to have a real sense of humor.  You could call it tongue in cheek disco.

Some of my favorite D.D. Sound (Disco Delivery Sound) songs are 1,2,3,4 Gimme Some More! Cafe and Hootchie Coochie. Their first album came out in 1977 and were quite active for two years.  The amazing single Disco Bass was a #6 hit in Italy in 1977 and 1,2,3,4 got to #6 in 1978.  4 DD Sound Albums

In 1985 they opened the music studio Logic in Milan and have had many huge stars such as Depeche Mode, Robert Palmer and Rihanna have recorded there.
ONLY LA BIONDA

Agostino Presta as Ago in the best italo disco album ever recorded For You

repost with refreshed links
1982 Full Time Records Italy release Ago is one of my all time favorite Italo Disco releases.  I would venture to call it the best Italo Disco full album ever recorded.
I enjoy listening to it straight through, each and every track.  I can't say that for many albums.

Agostino Presta made a funky type of italo disco.  He quickly became one of the faces of italo disco and appeared on many t.v. shows around Europe.

Some of his notable releases after this delicious For You l.p. are Computer in my Mind and I Want You.  You Make Me Do It was recorded in the studio named Calieri in Bari, so unlike most Italo Disco this was a made in Italy doc from the Southern part of the peninsula.  It was a maxi single in 1981 so it's also one of the earliest releases of the genre.
Italian critics never embraced it but in any case it's considered one of the true classics of the italo disco genre.
 AN AGO ZIP




I wonder if this post will reach beyond the few typical Italo Disco fans on the site.  It's definitely worth a listen even for those that are not usually turned on to Italo Disco.  I think it's also quite demonstrative of what many called boogie in the early 80's.  I've even heard it called Modern Soul.

Sharing is Caring, keep Disco Vinyl going, every little bit helps

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Feel free to join file factory.  It's the site I use for uploading and if you join too they give me a commission and you can download my posts a lot quicker.  You will also have tons of space to upload your own stuff too.  Their prices are very fair.  REFERRAL LINK

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Thelma Houston don't call her a one hit wonder

Thelma Houston is the quintissential always the bridesmaid never the bride.  Though she will be remembered for that one time she did have a #1 hit in 1977 which also earned her a grammy for Best Female R and B Vocal Performance which is nothing to shake a stick at.
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It was all a long time coming consdering her debut album SunShower came out in 1969.  She really didn't manage any hits until Don't Leave me This Way was released in December 1976 and slowly climbed to the top spot.  I guess if you're going to only have one number hit it might as well be as iconic as this one.  Not only is it one of the definitive classics of the disco era but it was covered many times including the huge hit by The Communards.  Peronally I prefer the lesser known song, the follow-up I'm Here Again, which only made it to #18 on the American Disco Charts

I'm sure many of my readers would know that Don't Leave me This Way was actually a cover of a Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes song (featuring the fabulous vocals of Mr. Teddy Pendergrass).  But since it got no pop traction it's nowhere near as well known.

In 1977 she recorded a album of duets with Jerry Butler called Thelma and Jerry which didn't do much but her 1979 disco hit Saturday Night, Sunday Morning was a true Paradise Garage classic and a delicious slab of disco fabulousness.  Though it did not achieve huge success on the disco charts if you were clubbing back then you certainly knew it.

In 1978 Love Masterpiece was on included on the Thank God it's Friday soundtrack and it was another high point for her in the clubs.  She's also had songs on five other soundtracks so even though she hasn't had a multitude of hits she's clearly respected.

1981 gave her a minor hit with the Question Mark and the Mysterians remake of 96 Tears which came just after the wonderful If you Feel it which got her up to number 6 on the disco charts and gave her a minor R and B hit.  This was during her brief stint at RCA from Tamla.

The 1983 album Qualifying Heat saw her embracing the Electro sound.  You Used to Hold me so Tight and I'd rahter spend the bad times with You, Than spend the good times with someone new gave her two Top 10 disco hits.  This move to working with Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis was a brilliant step for her career if you ask me.  By then she had moved on to MCA records.

After that she continued trudging by with a few very minor hits until she had another huge dance release in 1991 with Throw you Down making it all the way up to #5 dance.  An album in which she collaborated with Richard Perry.   And then in 1995 a totally revamped and remixed version of Don't Leave me This Way made the record a club hit all over again.  Thanks to Junior Vasquez who pumped it at Sound Factory and did the remix himself.  Factory turned out to be one of the most important clubs of all time.  Oh the memories.....

In 1996 she collaborated with Joey Negro (David Lee) with the minor dance hit I Need Somebody Tonight.

In 2007 she hit again on the dance chart with Brand New Day which I have never even heard cause this old guy just ain't the clubber he used to be.

THELMA ZIP 1

Thelma continues to record and tour.  You've got to hand it to her for a woman born in 1948 she has some major stamina.

THELMA ZIP 2

On June 25, 2019 The New York Times Magazine listed Thelma Houston as one of the artist was material was reportedly destoyed in the 2008 Universal fire.

THELMA ZIP 3

I'm throwing in a morning music set by Roy Thode at The Saint from December 1980 New Years Eve because it came up in my itunes when I wrote Thelma Houston and I'd imagine cause she's on it.

MORNING MUSIC

We can go to your house

In 1982 Maurice Massiah's sole album was released on Canada's Quality Records.

Maurice Zip
A couple songs got some play but only We Can Go to Your House inched it's way up to #33 on the dance charts.  He didn't have any more charted tracks after that.



I know it didn't get play anywhere where teenage me was dancing at the time.  But I'll bet it was hot at The Paradise Garage.

Family Tree is Sharon Brown a Paradise Garage Classic

 This blog post has not only been refreshed but I was able to add a more recent remake of it.  This original post was from when I first started my blog in 2008.

In my five years selling on Ebay this obscure disco funk jam has been my very best showing. With a final sales price of just under $700.00 it certainly made my day and paid a few bills. If only it had been Near Mint I would have done even better. I've actually seen a copy go for over $1,200! Since then it has shown up both in re-issue and bootleg so I'd imagine bidders are much more cautious about bidding high on this one.
Family Tree

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Family Tree by Family Tree was written and sung by Sharon Brown and released in 1976 on Anada records. She of course five years later had a disco smash with I Specialize in Love. Her other releases failed to create a murmur. But Family Tree with its soulful flutes and deep gospel tinged vocals will remain legendary. Apparently it was a major crowd pleaser on Larry Levan's dance-floor at The Paradise Garage.    I specialize in love

I love Disco

Well you know how I feel about Italo Disco and Hi Nrg and Euro Disco and such.  That's why I started this blog.  But years before the disco Maxi single was revolutionizing the club music scene.  So why not honor it by wearing a few of these cool disco single images across your chest?

Here I am at the gym yesterday looking quite fetch in mine.  I probably should have ordered it in black though, it's more thinning, LOL.

I AM IN NO WAY PERSONALLY INVOLVED

I just figured that the T shirt is on theme and deserved a plug.  I appreciate my readers so I just figured I'd share.

Laid Back

Danish group Laid Back from Copenhagen were formed in 1979 and had many releases.

But really it was all about the double A side single from 1983.  Sunshine Reggae which was a perfect light summer anthem that year.  It made it to #3 in Italy, #1 in Germany and Austria and did quite well in other countries too.

But to me it was all about White Horse their electro masterpiece which couldn't have been more different then Sunshine Reggae.  The edits were masterfully done by my buddy Bobby Shaw who is a legend in the New York dance music field.  He's worked for many labels and knows everyone.  His ability at hit picking once showed itself in a very interesting way.  He won a Porsche from Billboard magazine for his predicting abilities in a competition!

LAID BACK

And if you were in any cool club in 1983 you were shaking your tail to White Horse.  In fact Sire picked up the record and it even made it to #1 on the U.S. dance charts and even #5 on the R and B charts certainly quite a feat for a pair of white Danish men!  My zip includes the original of both hits and all sorts of remixes.  Some better then others.

By the way though a solid dance record White Horse actually had a strong message.  It was about not fucking around with heroin.  Which in Europe in the early 80's was definitely a chronic problem.

In 1985 they had another dance hit in the U.S. with One Life which peaked at #10 but that was their last appearnace on the U.S. charts.

Pia Zadora

They tried to make her happen.  Wasn't she financed by her millionaire husband from the Upper East Side?

But really she only had minor hits even if she had a high profile single with a Jackson.


She even got to work with Jacques Morali, Clivilles & Cole and Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis but to no avail.
PIA ZIP
Her first singles to chart were actually on the country charts in the late 70's, early 80's.


Her biggest success, The Clapping Song just barely cracked the Top 40 peaking at #36 in 1982 but a few songs fared a bit better on the dance charts.  Particularly her last release from 1990 Heartbeat of Love which peaked at #17 on the U.S. dance charts in 1990.

Sample a few Pia in my zip.

LIME gets a bad rap, classic HI NRG from Canada

Lime was the most influential Hi Nrg act of all time, followed by Bobby O in all his incarnations.

  

ON THE GRID

SO MUCH LIME
Vocals on helium and a full-stop embrace of HI NRG.  Lime really gets a bad rap.  Do they really deserve it?  If you were going to judge them on success alone you wouldn't.  In fact on the Billboard Dance Charts they had a string of hits including their debut single Your Love/You're my Magician which hit #1 in January 1981 right on up to Unexpected Lovers which peaked at #6 in 1985.  At the bottom of the post is a very recent effort to download. 

My 2 favorites were Babe, We're Gonna Love Tonite which peaked at #6 on the U.S. Dance Charts in the summer of 1982 and the aforementioned Unexpecte Lovers which also peaked at #6 in the summer of 1985.   Babe for the incredible sing along hook and how much it meant to me and Unexpected Lovers for it's Latin beat which is danceable yet manages to also be melancholy at the same time.

AN UNEXPECTED ZIP

They worked hard and had a lot of releases.  A married couple from Montreal, Denis and Denyse Le Page generally never toured or performed in public choosing to send Joy Winter and Chris Marsh who lip-synched the tracks.  They figured that they were younger and more attractive so why the hell not?

One of the distinctive features of Lime was their record cover art work.  It was real bright and neon influenced, usually with yellows and greens.  A lot of it looks real cheesy in retrospect, but that could be said about a lot of disco era photography as well.  Which was often sexy just for the sake of being sexy.  Some would say tacky for the sake of trying to be sexy.

What they were able to do was to provide a distinct sound and look.  Lime was lime and a soundalike would only sound like a rip-off.  But then again for some people listening to Lime was like nails on a chalk board.  I was not one of the haters.  To me Lime is simply the soundtrack to those years for me.  A time when I felt young and free and hadn't a care in the world.  The Lime sound always brings back favorable memories.

Some of their releases were under the name of Lepage rather then Lime, Kat Manudu and even one was listed as Mother (F) Hot Wax and a couple others using that moniker.  Joe La Greca was part of this act as well as the writer and producer of all the Lime stuff.

Some of the Almighty remixes updated Lime to a House sound

One of the Almighty Records remixes

In 2002 they released a CD called Love Fury.  They have modernized their sound but I don't think they got any new fans in the process.  The label Almighty however has had some success updating the sound on a lot of their classics.

Tracklist :

01. Guilty (07:34)
02. Angel Eyes (08:36) 
03. Come & Get Your Love (07:34) 
04. Your Love (05:15) 
05. On The Grid (04:28) 
06. Babe We're Gonna Love Tonight (Instrumental) (06:46) 
07. Guilty (Instrumental) (07:32) 
08. Angel Eyes (Instrumental) (08:36) 
09. Come & Get Your Love (Instrumental) (07:35) 
10. On The Grid (Instrumental) (04:24)