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.

Paul Thomas is the Man...Circle City Band

Indianapolis singer songwriter Paul Thomas took advantage of a gospel labels expansion into r and b and brought three great singles to Circle City Records as the Circle City Band. Each was picked up later by Becket Records too. For me they are the epitome of quality modern soul, funk, boogie. The best parts of disco being brought to the next level and into the freshly started 80's.

Magic the first single from 1983 was hot indeed, so hot that BET (Black Entertainment Television) chose it as it's theme song.

Back when Ebay bidders had more money to shell out this 12" often shot up well above $100.00 especially for the Promo on Circle City Band records. Now it gets about half that amount.
"That MAGIC from the sparkle in your eyes makes me realize, I know that you're the only one for me.
The true devotion from the feeling in your heart, means we'll never part, you know that I'm the only one you need.
That MAGIC from the sparkle in your eyes makes me realize I know that you're the only one for me.

Hot baby. Hot baby. Girl you're makin' me hot baby. ALRIGHT!"

The follow-up from 1984 My Place is funkier and features vocoder which I personally have a deep weakness for. As do many a collector of Boogie and Electro. The lyrics are fun but not nearly as catchy and smart as Magic. 

The 3rd single Party Lights (shake your body get loose) is probably my least favorite of the three. It is clearly more Electro and vocoder Funk in that Newcleus, Aleem kinda way. There is some very tasty sax work though. Paul Thomas also seems to channel his inner falsetto as he varies the pitch in his vocals on this track more then he had with the previous two. The chipmunky sounding retort "shake your body get loose" reminds me a lot of the Newcleus "wicky wicky wicky" which was very Electro hot in the same period.

I'd rate all three songs growers. They take repeated listens to really appreciate and personally I think all three kick some major ass!

CIRCLE CITY ZIP

Aaron Broomfield Modern Soul Great

Miami modern soul artist Aaron Broomfield is better known for I'm Gonna Miss Ya, No Handouts and Polyphase.  These 12" released on Mountain Records are highly collectible.  Polyphase

 Apparently only 2,000 copies of I'm Gonna Miss Ya were pressed but I've seen them going around on Ebay for years.  Now there is a bootleg out with both Polyphase and I'm Gonna Miss Ya on it.

These two tracks called Party Faces and Don't Cover up Your Feelings are also quite solid.

http://www.mediafire.com/?982ydhzqf0qml3k

http://www.mediafire.com/?2vk2xswkvndu3np

No Handouts (cause everybody's movin')
An album called Certain Kinds of Weather was finally released in 1991 and features some of the older material.

ITALO DISCO BOOGIE HOLY GRAILS BOTH BY JOE COLEMAN

Tony Valor had been around for a while. A disco luminary he was a part of Salsoul's Soccer, Brunswick's The Tony Valor Sounds Orchestra, Brunswick's Touch and Pavillion's Fantasy. Just to name a few of his contributions as either producer, arranger, or writer. His edits in this track are part of the reason why this record is the holy grail that it has become.

Test Drive was actually Joe Coleman's follow-up to Get it off The Ground on Italy f1 Records. They are both Killer Modern Soul boogie classics. Which always inspire massive bidding wars on Ebay.

TEST DRIVE

They are the types of records that once you hear them for the first time you can't wait to lift the needle and put them on again.