Mozzart

another zip for you
Mandy B. Man, Paul Lander and Mozart are aliases for this Euro Disco artist.
I LOVE A FEMMY VOICE ON A EURO DANCE RECORD ZIP

A bit more on the Hi Nrg type then something I would ordinarily write about.  I do find his songs to be fun.  His debut single was Malice and Vice in 1985.  I especially enjoy how camp the lyrics are to this one.  It's my favorite today on refreshing some links.  When I originally wrote this a few years ago I was leaning towards another one.

Then Money came out in 1987 and Devil's Rendezvous was from his solo l.p. from 1988 called Jasmin China Girl.  I'm tempted to say I found Devil's Rendezvous the most enchanting.  Did you have a favorite Mozzart song?

I've only got you to blame Sylve

I love, love, love today's selection.  It's a little later then most of the stuff I post and more on the Hi Nrg tip.  But why not?  I don't make too many rules in here.

This time it's a Canadian record from 1988 called I've only got you to to blame.  It's become a real collector's item and to me it's definitely worth searching out.

Sylve seems to have only had one other release 1989's Toi which is a ballad and i would suspect in French.

Blame Myself

Let's all Chant in Eyes of Laura Mars

I was only 14 when Eyes of Laura Mars came out and I was blown away by it.  Especially with the photoshoot scenes.  It was certainly unlike anything I'd seen before.  And the use of Michael Zager Bands, Let's all Chant in this scene above particularly.  I was crazy about that record.

The soundtrack for the movie was great too.  There was a particularly strong theme song by Barbra Streisand called Prisoner: Love Theme from The Eyes of Laura Mars that was not one of her biggest hits but a great tune all the same.  It also featured Native New Yorker and Shake Your Booty two huge disco records at the time.

Let's all Chant is on the soundtrack album for The Last Days of Disco and has been used in many commercials and a few films.  Many dance records have sampled it.

CHANT ZIP

Another fun fact about Let's all Chant is that there were 2 version one which went "Ooh-ah, Ooh-ah Let's all chant," and another that went "Ah-ah, eh-eh, let's all chant"  I was really only familiar with the first version at first cause that was the one on the single edit and the one which got all the radio play in New York City. The song is unique because it features both vocal hooks and a classical chamber music break in the middle.  It's nowhere near as bubble-gummy as it may seem at first.

The single actually went to number #1 on the U.S. disco chart, and broke the U.S. Top 40.  It had the notable fortune of having been the song to knock Cerrone's, Supernature out of the top spot.  In the U.K. Ireland, Holland, Switzerland, Belgium, France and Italy it even made the Top 10.  Belgium giving it its best showing with three weeks at #2.  It went on to sell 5 million copies, 700,000 copies in the U.S. alone.

In 1988 Gazuzu released Chant for You (Chant for Me) which features elements of Let's all Chant and La Bionda One for You, One for Me and Pat and Mick did a Hi Nrg cover which hit #11 on the U.K. pop charts.

KIRLIAN CAMERA (THE FIRST DECADE)

I'm refreshing a couple links here.
a couple Kirlian Camera gems
HELDENPLATZ
ODYSSEY
ECLIPSE



Formed in 1980 in Parma, in the North of Italy, (think parmesan cheese), Kirlian Camera are at the forefront in the experimental synth sound. They are actually still together and releasing material from time to time. Their first gig was at an Italian Gay Pride party.

Considered the fathers of the Italian electronic music scene the group had a volatile career often spent fighting record labels that wanted to exploit their more commercial side. Blending new wave, dance, minimal, synth-pop, goth, and post-punk they were not easy to peg and they liked it that way.

The main member is Angelo Bergamini, the other members have changed over the years. Their first release was entitled Dawn in 1980 followed quickly by a self titled e.p. in 1981. Incidentally they were never big in Italy but very much appreciated abroad. They are now touring in support of a special 4 cd retrospective box set including just about all their releases.


I just sold my 1988 l.p. Eclipse (Das Schwarze Denkmal) to a very enthusiastic Dutch guy. It featured a more dark minimal sound then some of their earlier material which could have been more easily classified as Italo disco.

Angelo was also a member of Hipnosis who had a massive Italo disco hit with Pulstar which became a Top 10 pop hit around Europe. Anfrando Maiola (Koto) was also involved with this release. This Vangelis written tune is another of the all time classic italo disco releases. It can be found on the old site to download if I remember correctly.


Angelo remained active with Kirlian Camera despite his success with Hipnosis, 1983's 12" Communicate was released on the seminal italo disco label Memory Records and is in fact also an Italo Disco classic.


The 1983 l.p. featuring Edges and Communicate, It Doesn't Matter, Now is considered their best. It's moody to say the least and introspective and dark. We already know that I have a penchant for unusual English pronunciation. It was their most successful commercially too.


1984's big Kirlian release was Edges followed by 1985's Blue Room again they were able to come up with Italo Disco Classics.


They have been incredibly prolific averaging a new release every other year for the past thirty years. I'm attracted to the way they present themselves. But I have to admit I don't know a ton about their music.


By the 1990's their releases became more avantgarde and lesser known. So they are considered more of a cult type attraction in retrospect. Definitely highly collectible. Many of their releases fetch a pretty penny.





http://www.kirliancamera.com/

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CHANGE ON ME by CYNTHIA A FREESTYLE QUEEN

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.

CHANGE ON ME ZIP

Cynthia is of course the Cynthia from the huge freestyle duet Dreamboy/Dreamgirl with Johnny "O" 

CLOSING NIGHT AT THE SAINT, TERRY SHERMAN'S SET MAY 1988

What a treat to be able to post this since Terry Sherman and Mark Thomas were the best of friends.  Terry's set from the closing night of The Saint Midnight to 4 AM May 9, 1988  Thank you Michael Lott for your fabulous PodOmatic.

DOWNLOAD THE SET

Monday May 9, 1988 12 MN-4 AM pt 1 of Terry Sherman's Saint Closing Set:

Track List:
The Dream: Irene Cara
What a Night: Terri Iten
Fire in My Heart: Madleen Kane
Say it Again: Santana
Without Your Love: Cut Glass
I Cant Take It: Janet Wright
All Systems Go: Donna Summer
I Can Fly: Rainey
Let Me Take You Dancing: Bryan Adams
I Hear Thunder: Seventh Avenue
Magic Nights: Zarathustra
All I Need is A Miracle: Mike and the Mechanics

All I Need is a Miracle (cont): Mike and the Mechanics 
My Pretty Woman: Cliff Richard 
Why is it So Hard: Talk Talk 
Stormy Weather: Viola Wills 
Bac k to You: Crystal in the Pink 
Love is in You: Nightlife Unlimited 
Love is in the Air(Instrumental): Martin Stevens 
The Heart to Break the Heart: France Joli 
Memory: Menage

Could This Be Magic: Donna Summer 

Never Ending Story: Limahl 
Love in the Night: V.H.F. 
Love in the Shadows: E.G. Dailey 
Take It Slowly: Nancy Martinez 
Precious Lives: The Five Sinners 
Sweet Conversation: John Sauli 
Evergreen: HaZell Dean 
High Above the Clouds: Narada Michael Walden 
I Can Hear Your Heartbeat: Chris Rea 
Endless Road: Time Bandits

Endless Road (cont): Time Bandits 
If I Love You: Pete W. Wylie 
Life Dance: Sonia Belolo 
You Can: Madleen Kane 
Take My Heart Away: Gillian Lane 
Tonight: Marlene: Ricci 
Someday We Will Be Together: Diana Ross and the Supremes 
Maybe It Was Magic: Agnetha Faltskog 
Closing scene from Camelot: Richard Harris

Peru's morning music gem Africa

As much as I love to spotlight Italo disco up in here I also don't want to ever forget that there was a time when you could hear morning music at the club.  As my mind fills with cobwebs and I forget more and more I need to pull one out here and there for my readers to enjoy.

Dutch group Peru who also recorded as Nova produced some very cool atmospheric numbers that got spun as morning music at The Saint.  One to especially note here is 1988's Africa.  Which also happened to be the last year of The Saint's existence.

The band started in 1979 and put out albums until 1993.  I don't know much about them but they are definitely worth looking more into.

AFRICA EXTENDED VERSION

LET ME LOVE YOU FOR TONIGHT KARIYA

To know me is to know that I'm a freestyle fan.  Well Let me love you For Tonight a Sleeping Bag release from 1988 is not your typical freestyle jam.

It sort of bridges the gap between house and freestyle with a little hip hop sensibility thrown in for extra measure.  Here I've included the 1989 U.K. mixes for you. I don't really know anything about Kariya so this is going to be a brief blog.  KARIYA ZIP

The track made it to #15 on the Billboard Dance Charts and was her only charted hit.

It was included on the soundtrack to the movie Rise of the FootSoldier.

THIS LOVE IS REAL VALERIE Mc NAIR an obscure Detroit dance effort

This scarce double A side came out on a private press label out of Detroit, Michigan called Real Rhythm Records.  On discogs.com there are only 5 listings for this label so it's real obscure.

The click's got that whole call and response thing going on and a bit of a rap.  So it sounds a bit more dated.  While This Love is Real is a bit more on the electro-freestyle tip.  They are both great and even though I'm selling my copy in my ebay store I'm gonna let you have a nice rip of one side.
A RIP OF THIS LOVE IS REAL
BUY MY VINYL ON EBAY

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ONLY ONE by PAUL FABER ultra rare italo disco

1988 it was quite late in the italo disco game but Only One is clearly italo disco all the way.  This 1988 release on Italy's Cruisin' records is worth a couple hundred dollars if you can even find a copy.  Oh the rabid italo disco collector.  A man after my own heart.

ONLY ONE DOWNLOAD

The only other Paul Faber release I know of is his 1984 dance single Happy Music that was released on Italy's Poker Records and is listed as a duet with Ray Allen.

Love is just a breath away (Suzanne) by Les McKeown

Ordinarily I wouldn't post a song that I don't like.  But I can't resist with this one.  I was such a huge Bay City Rollers fan.  The thought that Les McKeown would have solo releases on the italo disco tip is just too fab not to resist.

The Scotsman first solo single was in 1979.  This track Love is Just a Breath Away was his third or fourth 12" single release coming out in 1988.  The first was called Shall I Do it in 1979, dig the off the shoulder look on the 12" cover! And those boots to boot!  What was the label thinking?  Who did they hire as the stylist Liberace!

Apparently Les had a very hard time.  Who wouldn't when you sold millions and millions of records in one of the biggest boy bands of the 70's and then all the success comes to a halt? Listen to Les