Everybody wants to be Bourgié Bourgié Gladys Knight, John Davis, Ashford & Simpson and crew

Moving this one back up to the top.

Ashford and Simpson's Bourgié Bourgié is disco legendary. It was originally a cut on their 1977 l.p. Send It.  In the U.S. their version was never released on 12" so the U.K. press of it has become a coveted collector's item.  There is even a mis-pressed version of the U.K. 12" in which in one part the song gets sped up and then goes back to normal.

In 1979 John Davis and the Monster Orchestra covered it and it was released on a white label Promo, for which I wrote the discogs entry HERE.  The next year it was covered by Gladys Knight and the Pips as the b side to their soulful disco classic Taste of bitter Love.  The Gladys Knight version of Bourgié Bourgié was produced by Ashford and Simpson.  GLADYS VERSION SINGLE EDIT POUND BOYS EDIT

A highly coveted edit of the Ashford and Simpson version was done by Joe Clausell.  It's not to be missed!  THE BEST VERSION

All three versions are outstanding though perhaps the John Davis version is the most campy in that over-the-top kinda way disco can be.  This version features Nickloas Ashford and Valerie Simpson on vocals according to the credits listed on the John Davis l.p. The Monster Orchestra Strikes Again.  
M AND M INSTRUMENTAL in .wav
same
BOTH SIDES OF THE JOHN DAVIS 7 INCH

Here I'll provide a link to download the Gladys Knight and the Pips version, in the Pound Boys bootleg form.
Pound Boys Bootleg

And finally even a house version.  The Watergates featuring Janette Sewell came out in 1991.  The vocals are not unlike Gladys Knights.  WATERGATES

If anyone would like to post an opinion about this track or a comparison of the three versions I'd love to hear what you have to say.

From the Urban dictionary:
Stemming from the French word bourgeoisie. Pronounced "boo-zhee"

Someone who is class-conscious, with educated and discerning tastes, and interested in enjoying the finer things in life. It is definitely not high-class, aristocratic, snooty, or snobbish. “Bourgie'” is as much an idea, and a state of mind, as it is an attitude towards enjoying good food, good friends, and good conversation, everyday.  It evokes a mood of simple elegance, casual yet sophisticated—modern.
"Check out old girl in the Mercedes.  Isn't she from 82nd and International (Oakland)? Oh I guess she's bourgie now!"

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How Classy was Scritti Politti? My 80's idol

  REFRESHEDGreg Wilson Edit LINKS FROM A 2010 BLOG, REFRESHED EVEN FURTHER JULY 2016

                                                                                                         photo credit Steve Elm






photo credit Furio Andreotti

CABARET TIME!
AN ABSOLUTE ZIP
BIG SCRITTI ZIP
I'll admit I've always had a weakness for a falsetto, from the soulful Stylistics to the disco pop of the Bee Gees. But there was one singer that took it to the max for me and became my idol in the process.

Wales born, Paul Julian Strohmeyer recorded under the alias Green Gartside as the lead vocalist for Scritti Politti. Scritti began recording in 1978 as a post punk band and reached their peak in 1984 as a synth heavy, sampling and midi-sequencing electronic dance pop act. They were active even as  recently as 2006 with the l.p. White Bread and Black Beer. Though only Green Gartside remained from the original incarnation.


Scritti Politti seemed to have their hands in many bags, influenced by many genres of music from soul and reggae to disco, funk and synth. Using super high quality experimental production techniques and getting a hand from the legendary Arif Mardin (Bee Gees and Chaka Khan to name a few) they were able to capitalize on the Synth Pop that was hot in the early 80's and still hold onto to enough of a disco sound to make music that was supremely danceable.

They also featured superb graphics and marketing. A new Scritti Politti 12" was bound to have a beautiful picture cover and many of their fans became collector's who wanted to have the latest pressing even if they already had the song in their collections. Not unlike the rabid Smiths fans of the time.

They broke in a big way with their double A side of Wood Beez (pray like Aretha Franklin) and Absolute. What does it mean that each night he goes to bed he prays like Aretha Franklin? Damned if I knew but it sounded great. The song also includes one of my favorite lines from a song:

"there's nothing I wouldn't do including doing nothing."

Green's voice was just perfect. It seemed to caress the music.  Falsetto but not fem. Lyrics full of irony and mock philosophy. Intelligent pop.

The music was synth but not techno. Danceable but not agressive. Kraftwerk meets Abba.

Fred Maher of the band Material joined Scritti Politti as a drummer and this is when they catapulted to fame.
Cupid and Psyche 85 sold as an l.p. in America because Perfect Way became a pop hit in 1985. It went all the way to #11 pop and for two seconds a few people knew who Scritti Politti were. The mix by the legendary Francois K. didn't hurt. Though this sort of disappointed me cause they felt so English import to me and furthermore Perfect Way was one of the worst songs on the l.p. But alas it coined them a one hit wonder destined for inclusion in one of those VH1 run-downs on whatever happened to thems.

They should have made it big with Hypnotize.  But at least it was their most attractive 12" cover.  The Word Girl is also genius, pure reggae in falsetto.

By this time I was growing out my hair to look more like my idol Green. At one point I succeded though I had more of a natural wave that made my locks fall into curls at the bottom. By the time I moved to New York City in 1988 and became a club monster I started incorporating extensions and what had been curly interspersed with straight hair became more like dread locks. Hey the look worked for a while there. Now it kind of looks silly in retrospect but doesn't everything twenty years later?

By the time Provision came out in 1988 I didn't care about Scritti Politti much anymore. But once in my heart always in my heart so here I post a more recent picture of Green Gartside and I can always wish for some major triumphant come-back that will make me worship at the temple of Green once again.

Are you Lonely? Do you need somebody to hold on to?

Refreshed link from a post I did in 2008 when this blog was just a baby.

In 1983 Street Level Records Canada released Are you Lonely? by Hipnotic. A duo of brothers from Canada. It was co-written and produced by Alan Felder who have written great soulful tracks for the O'Jays, Kim Covington and others. It is five minutes and ten seconds of sheer joy. I'd have to call it a grower. When a customer of mine, a plastic surgeon from Florence, Italy brought it to my attention several years ago I remember thinking this is kinda catchy but so are a lot of 80's R and B Boogie type tunes.

I simply wasn't that impressed that every time I saw this record on Ebay it sold for hundreds of dollars, in some cases even above $600.00. I always thought to myself, that damn lucky vendor. Another auction where they slap Modern Soul or Boogie on the title line and the bidders get into a frenzy. Is this record even rare? What makes it special?

But by nature I'm not cynical. So I listened to it again and again. It only got better. The deep chocolate soulful vocals, the gorgeous melody, the amazing synth, the flute, the funky break, it just churns and churns and churns. The boogie is so damn infectious you just have to play it again the minute it's over. It's remained among my most played on iTunes for several years now. Oww! Oww! Oww!

"Lonely, do you want my mind, body and soul? Lonely! Lonely, Are you Lonely? Do you need somebody to hold on to? Are you Lonely?"

For those who want immediate gratification while the mp3 downloads, several you tube members posted video of the record playing on a turntable. Here's one by an Italian you tuber. Now who would go to the trouble of filming a record on a turntable and then posting it on you tube? Now that may be another blog post, or maybe not. Live and let live I always say.



ARE YOU LONELY?

My buddy Paul Goodyear just did a new re-edit.  You should get it on Beatport.

I LOVE IT, TRUSSEL MASTERPIECE

Trussel was a funk group from Petersburg, Virginia who had one l.p. release in 1980 on Elektra Records. It featured the infectious disco throw-down Love Injection. But the real prize on it was I Love It. A few years back it was included on the superb cd series Azuli Presents, this one featuring Derrick L. Carter, Choice: A Collection of Classics. Since re-discovering it, it has been consistently one of my most played tracks in iTunes.

It is simply just not your typical disco or funk tune. Not even a dollop of cheese on this one. It's a veritable house party in itself. The production work by Fred Wesley, who formerly had collaborated with the Ike and Tina Turner Review, James Brown and Funkadelic is adventurous and far from commercial sounding. Around this time Fred Wesley also came out with a major Loft classic with his own House Party 12" on RSO records. It was featured on Nuphonic records Loft Classics Volume 2 compilation. But back to I Love It cause hot damn I just love it so much!

It just has to be heard to be understood. Do help yourself to the download.

LISTEN TO TRUSSEL

The breaks are on fire on this track. In fact by about five and a half minutes in it turns into a full-stop jazz funk jam session. The lead singer starts a frenzied insane scat and then the hook just repeats over and over:
I Love It
I Love Only You
I Love It
And The Things That You Do
I Love It
I Love Only You
I Love It
And The Things That You Do....That You Do....That You Do...That You Do

Truly a disco funk jazz odyssey. This love mantra just keeps repeating until it fades out but by then you should love it too.

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My Disco Auctions

I love Disco Music. It means the world to me. I remember buying my first 12" disks when I was 12 years old. I had to pretend that I didn't love disco as much as I did because where I grew up was quite provincial and everyone was into traditional rock like Led Zeppelin and Yes and The Rolling Stones.

HOT TRACKS MIX OF CHANGIN'

I soon became an obsessive collector. I spent all of my allowance on records. When I got older I bought entire collections from other people, especially EX dj's. Once I got several hundred records that used to belong to Larry Levan. That was just after he died in 1992. It was an incredible find! Not too long ago I auctioned off one of those treasures. The test pressing of Ms. Sharon Ridley's Changin' HEAR IT. I understand that it was one of the definitive end of the night closing songs at The Paradise Garage. I never got to go to the King St. disco because when I was 18 I moved to D.C. to go to The American University. By the time I moved to N.Y. it had just closed.

I have been attending Loft parties for several years. I adore the Loft classics that David Mancuso plays and I am incredibly drawn to the energy at the party. Now that I'm older I also enjoy the idea of attending a party early. Loft parties are held at the tea dance time and go until about midnight. Take a look at the video below. David DePino, a Larry Levan disciple speaks about when The Loft first started in 1970.

My collecting skills and obsession with accumulating can now become your chance to add that "I've always wanted classic" to your collection. I have been selling my vinyl on Ebay, and have enjoyed my calling as a vinyl vendor. It's been a fun way to communicate with people from all over the world who have like interests.

Maybe you've bought from me before. I've still got a lot of great stuff and much more to post, even though I've been doing this for five years, believe it or not.

Support me if you can. If not pass on my site to a friend. I appreciate it. The link at the bottom of the page will take you directly there.

MY EBAY STORE I also sell on discogs.com under seller name ExpatMichael.