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.

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

google.com, pub-9672253206618216, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0
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

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.

Eva Robin's NOT JUST A TRANSEXUAL but a Disco Panther

This is one of my most popular blogs since I started Disco Vinyl in 2008 so I've refreshed the links.  ENJOY!
Eva Robins as Cassandra circa 1978.
Swarthy Italo Disco pioneer Celso Valli.


Roberto Maurizio Coatti was born on December 10, 1958 in Bologna, Italy. At puberty he developed breasts naturally and his features became more feminine.

In 1977 after extensive hormone therapy he became the showgirl Eva Robin's. She teamed up with Celso Valli the Italo Disco Wunderkind pictured above, who was responsible for The Passengers, Tantra, Macho, Azoto, Matia Bazar's Ti Sento and many more Italo Disco classics. They recorded Disco Panther using the name Cassandra. So the pairing of a trans gender and a disco version of a pop culture classic was created. Italy so often fashion forward was even one of the first places to have a Trans star.

EVA ROBIN'S
KOSHY'S DISCO EDIT

It's catchy but I have to admit I prefer the instrumental.

Eva is still around today and just as beautiful as ever. Here she is in a video with the Italian T.V. host and writer Platinette. This is a scene from the popular t.v. show Le Iene. One of their trademark gimmicks is the split screen interview with two people being asked the same question. Eva does not spare a moment from her sex kitten routine here.

I used to have this rare 12".  But I sold it on eBay years ago.

I didn't have the picture cover version pictured above. It's not a great shot of Eva anyway.

Changin' Ms. Sharon Ridley the ultimate morning music song

  Refreshed links from a 2009 blog post.  Enjoy!







In 1978 Ms. Sharon Ridley's Full Moon l.p. was released. Just the fact that Sharon required the Ms. in her name proves that extra attention was deserved. She's been getting it from vinyl collector's and Garage heads ever since.


Clearly there was no official 12" release but the song found it's way onto many important dj playlists especially those who embraced the sleaze, morning music genre such as Larry Levan, Lary Sanders and Robbie Leslie just to name a few.

The dates for the actual 12" presses are unclear. But in 1979 the Canadian label Singles, Ep's and eX-Hits release a 12" backed with the sublime Jean Carne song Was That All it Was. Kinda of a sleaze double whammy.


Then there are these test pressing promo's which don't have any writing on them and a black cover sleeve. Sort of like the one that John Davis Bourgie' Bourgie' white labels had but without writing on the black sleeve.


So some dj's hand wrote the title on the label. My copy was clean and fetched a respectable $181.00 on Ebay. Though there is a vendor who has it slapped up in his store for something like six months now at over $500.00 with clearly no bites. Probably works well for him though cause when you have a hot record in your store it brings in clicks and those people may peruse your wares.

Anyway for some unknown reason CHANGES is inscribed on the outgroove. Some clown on discogs actually went to the effort of making a post for the song calling it incorrectly Changes. Have you ever tried to post on that site? If they could be any more picky you could tear your hair out. But then they post stuff with errors and those stay up.

So then Tabu realizing they had a hot one on their hands that should have been pressed on a 12" in the first place pressed one to their Mixed Masters re-issue series on CBS.


Then in 1984 Hot Tracks had the great taste to do their own take on this sleaze classic.
HOT TRACKS MIX

So now we've got several different pressings and several different lengths. Course you want them all and that's why I've put them in a zip here.


BIG SHARON ZIP


Finally in 1987 Columbia Records put out the Compilation, Let's Dance! and had the good taste to include Changin' this one a mix by F. Byron Clark running 6:18, probably the shortest version yet.


A Mel Cheron favorite which Larry Levan often played just to please his buddy. In fact Larry was known to simply slip it into a set and dramatically change the tone. But The Paradise Garage was Larry's home and he didn't have to play by the rules

More recently it was brought to the attention of Linda Clifford. Logically Linda flipped over it and it became a release on the newly incarnated West End label in 2001. Given all sorts of mixes by Blaze and even the remix king Tom Moulton it didn't really create that much of a stir. But then again you can't improve perfection. Here below are the Pound Boys (more traditional house) and Tom Moulton's (lavish, dramatic) mixes of Linda Clifford.


LINDA CLIFFORD VERSION

CALL ME LOVE by WALTER GATE another Italo Disco gem from 1983

Refreshed Link

I don't usually offer up a track that is currently listed in my eBay store but I decided to go against the grain this time.  Especially since the mp3 I have is only a 192 and as readers of Disco Vinyl know we only give out high quality mp3's in here. (sold this years ago)

I've mentioned before my obsession with 1983 but I'll tell you once again it was the best year for Italo Disco.  The sheer amount of top-notch Italo is daunting.  Many of which I have never even heard.  The gem I'm spotlighting today Walter Gate's Call me Love is one of them.  Though I had the vinyl up to now I don't think I ever even played it.



Apparently one of the producers is doing EDM now. NATALE BELLOTI
NATALE'S MIXCLOUD

CALL ME LOVE

The Night Valerie Dore's signature italo disco single (including the Ben Liebrand remix)

Since this is my most popular blog post by far I've decided to put it back up to the top again.

The Night is my favorite Valerie Dore record.  She had a string of italo disco hits in the mid 80's.   But this is her debut single from 1984.  The download links are interspersed in the body of this blog.

THE NIGHT ORIGINAL MIX

Profile:
The Valerie Dore project was started with the voice of Dora Carofiglio, the vocalist of Novecento. She sang the hit "The Night". During the years of activity the team included also Monica Stucchi (who sang, with Dora Carofiglio, other hits like "Get Closer" and "It's So Easy"). Simona Zanini wrote the lyrics for the 2nd arc of the project, "The Legend" album and singles taken from it. Marco Tansini and Simona had been working with Merak Music (Monia, Diana Barton, John Ryel) and producer Roberto Gasparini decided to give them the job, which included Simona following Monica's singing and pronunciation, and recording background vocals too.

Monica Stucchi

2 by VAL

VALERIE DORE'S GREATEST

THE NIGHT

THE NIGHT DUB

STATE OF GRACE particularly TOUCHING THE TIME

refreshed links

State of Grace was a low key British trio that put out a few hot records and then sort of disappeared.

David Inglesfield had previously been a drummer in a new wave band. Pat Thomas was attending the London College of Fashion and was a mate of David's sister. Adrian Thomas was the other lead vocalist.

THATS WHEN ZIP
Their first release Walking the Rhythm was a flop but their follow-up was 1982's That's When We'll be Free became a Paradise Garage classic and was also heavily spun by Tony Humphries and David Mancuso shooting all the way up to #16 on the Billboard Disco Chart. It was licensed all over the world and found some success.
That's When Edit

But to me their gem is their third single Touching the Time released on PRT records U.K.. "Oom pow pow ba um pa dum pow pow pow" yeah it sounds corny when you try to write it but just listen to how fierce it sounds. These cats can sing and the instrumentation is primo. To me it simply sounds classy. This is another track which epitomizes what's called Modern Soul and the bidders on Ebay go crazy for this one. I've seen it shoot over $200.00 many times. This is one of those songs that when I'm in the mood I will just put on replay and listen to 20x in a row and gets chills up my spine every time.

Touching the Times and Hello Wintertime

Their last single Hello Wintertime was released in 1984 and though not a bad song sort of went a bit too pop for my tastes. It doesn't have the impact of the two singles before it and it doesn't surprise me that they parted ways after it was released. Though it easily could have been a smash, it wasn't. So the record company had by then lost interest in them as none of their releases ever made much money. They never even got to release a full l.p.

Bobby O is the man! Pet Shop Boys, Divine, The Flirts, Waterfront Home, Oh Romeo and more

What can be said about Bobby Orlando, (Robert Phillip Orlando), the king of Hi NRG.  I've heard he was a homophobe who clearly made a lot of his money from the gay scene.  I've heard he was idolized by the Pet Shop Boys and are the reason why they decided to make that kind of music (and of course collaborated with him until they got a better offer).  I've heard many things but don't really know much factually.  make it on my own free enterprise

He certainly had a prolific career and some of his stuff is a lot better then others.  The sound is clearly repetitive.  But it was a winning sound and he just kept repeating it over and over in different ways.  The disco era was over but people still really wanted to dance, so why not?  Especially in Europe where the dance music never really stopped charting after the disco era.
Divine who is truly one of my idols worked with Bobby Orlando for a lot of his earlier releases.  Some of which even became pop hits in Europe.  A fate that eluded him in his American homeland. SOME DIVINE

The 1983 release Waterfront Home Take a Chance on Me was the perfect straddling of italo disco and hi nrg.  This is one of the acts that Bobby was actually in himself along with Tony Caso and Christina Criscione.  In this zip there is a marvelous edit done by my friend the illustrious DJ Paul Goodyear.
TAKE A CHANCE ON ME

 GREAT BIG BOBBY ZIP

I'm not even going to tell you what's in the zip.  I will say that it's got a great combination of things.  Some better known and some less.  But all in high quality mp3.  Bobby Orlando, the definitive sound of club music in the 80's.  White NRG club music.  WHO'S YOUR BOYFRIEND by ERIC

Bright Nothing World was a 2010 release.  Nice to see he is still embracing dance.  Question is, is anybody listening?

Aliases:

Babby, The, C. Shore, Cha Cha Garcia, John "Gumball" Gonzales,Klaus Voegel, Mein

In Groups:

1 Plus 1, Barbie The Kens, Beachfront, Beat Box Boys, The,Bobby "O" & His Banana Republic, Boyd Brothers, The, Bubba ; The Jack Attack, Charlene Davis, Claus V., College Boys, The,Condo, Darlene Down, Dressed To Kill, Fascination (3), Fem-Spies, The, Flirts, The, Focus 1, Free Enterprise, Gina Desire, Girls Have Fun, Girly, Gomez Presley, Gringo Lopez, Hippies With Haircuts,Hotline (2), House Of 'O', I-Spies, The, Ian Darby, Johnny Bankcheck, Joy Toy, Lifestyle, Lilly & the Pink, Lola (31), Malibu (2), Mandarine, MC Fritz  The P-Rockers, Miss Tammi Dee, Nancy Dean, New Breed, New York Models, The, Oh Romeo, One & Two Teenies, One-Two-Three, Patty Phillipe, Sandra Ford, Something Anything, Spooge Boy, Teen-Rock, Vision 1, Waterfront Home,Wow, Zwei Maenner