ExpatMichael's opinion of anything relating to disco, Italo disco, funk and boogie music. Promotion for my Ebay and Discogs stores which concentrate on the sale of Disco, Funk, Italo Disco, Hi NRG, New Wave, morning music, sleaze and anything pressed on vinyl. There's a link to my Ebay store on the bottom of the page, right under the counter widget. Thanks for visiting and feel free to leave comments. Follow my twitter and join the Disco Vinyl Fan Page on Facebook.
I don't usually write a blog immediately after a dance icon dies. But in this case I'm gonna jump on the bandwagon. Colonel Abrams 80's house masterpieces bring back so many memories. I danced the night away to so many of them that I couldn't just not dedicate a blog to him.
Colonel was there on the ground floor. When his first dance single came out in 1984 no one was even using the term House music.
Through the mid 80's he amassed a long string of hits. Some of these even crossed onto the U.S. R&B charts and the U.K. pop charts. For instance Trapped made it all the way to #3 in the U.K. in 1985. But four of them hit #1 on the U.S. dance charts including the aforementioned Trapped, I'm not Gonna let and How Soon we Forget.
Colonel was huge at all the clubs I frequented in those years. By the late 80's the hits dried up. He continued to record but without much impact. His last album was released in 1996.
So I've decided "refresh" this older post. Thought I'd add some more links and spruce it up a bit.
Pardon
me while I go off topic. But Candy J (Sweet Pussy Pauline) brings back a
lot of great memories for me. Let's just say I have a penchant for porn
beats and bitch tracks. Naturally Candice Jordan in all her
incarnations is an idol of mine. She has the definitive potty mouth.
She first came to my attention when Ellis D. (Junior Vasquez), Work This Pussy was a massive underground house record in N.Y.C. includes dub break But since then i've come to realize that the year before her Candy J (the saga of Sweet Pussy Pauline had already been released on Hot Mix 5 records).
So I've added it up top.
My favorite Candy J. was the release labeled as Hateful Head Helen in 1989. CANDY J is on FACEBOOK
Personally
I find this type of nasty to be the height of feminism. She's taking
back the power and letting us know exactly how she likes it.
Candy J.
had a few early house records which I don't know. But I did used to
have a copy of 1989's Hurt Me, Hurt Me on Echo U.S.A. I also used to
have Shoulda Known Better a 1993 release on Vinyl Solution which later
got picked up by Tribal America which an old buddy of mine Rob DiStefano used to run. Her first release was in 1986 when "house" music was still quite the fresh genre.
I've provided a zip with a potpurri of Sweet Pussy Pauline.
I have also provided you with a link for Fee Fi Fo Fum a British
release by The Candy Girls. Yet another moniker for our Candy J.
Do let me know which are some of your favorite Sweet Pussy Pauline
lines. I still regularly say "you're makin' me bark, you're makin' me
bark!" But I've stretched the term to be used at any moment of extreme
pleasure. Even a particularly delicious ice cream sundae can encourage
me to toss out the line. Usually with a look of orgasmic pleasure and
perhaps even crossing my eyes for full effect.
When I'm bummed out all I need to do is put on the acapella of Climb on Top. It absolutely always puts a smile on my face and perhaps even gives me a good belly chuckle.
Put your coins on the table and move on out the door! NEXT!!!!!
This post is basically a re-post of an older blog. For some reason I couldn't edit the old one and add some new links to it so I decided I might as well just cut and paste and post as new.
WAREHOUSE CHICAGO 1981 MIXYOUR LOVE
So I'm a little late to the Frankie tribute game. But I'd have to say that it's because I've been beside myself. But by now I've cried it out and I'm ready to share, like I always do here in Disco Vinyl. YOUR LOVE DUSTY KID EDIT
I feel like Frankie Knuckles is the soundtrack to my years in New York City. He was freshly back from Chicago and spinning in The Crystal Room at The World in 1988 when I was just coming up in the club kid scene and working the ticket ripping post at The World's v.i.p. club IT. FRANKIE MIX SOUND FACTORY 1991
Then magically he got to take over the wheels of steel at The Sound Factory for a period in 1990 to 1991. Definitely the period in which I went to factory the most. Why? Because with Frankie you could be insured the pretty. You knew you'd get female vocals and not just bitch tracks. You knew you'd never get pots and pans. Frankie had a dreamer's touch. The magic of a man who loved what he played and wanted you to love it too.
And when the spot got snatched back and returned to Junior Vasquez, Frankie made the ex Private Eyes, Sound Factory Bar Fridays into the primo dance spot that it was for those years in the early 90's. A cozy spot and a great night out with his sweet buddy Manny Ward spinning downstairs. SOUND FACTORY BAR 1993
He got a gig in Philadelphia at a circuit party. I can't remember the name other then it had colors in the title. But I do know that agroup of my friends and I went down and had a great time. THIS TIME FRANKIE KNUCKLES BOMB MIX
I remember I went up to the booth once at Sound Factory Bar and even though Frankie and I had only said a few words in passing over the years, he knew exactly who I was. And when I handed him a cassette he gladly recorded the next 90 minutes and what a 90 minutes that it was. I played that tape out! If only I could figure out what I did with it. A HOT ZIP OF FRANKIE MIXES
Oh and the tears on that last Friday night in 1995. I remember a gorgeous moment when rose petals fell from the ceiling during the peak of This Time by Chante Moore. One of the definitive Frankie Knuckles mix masterpieces. NOTGONNACHANGE CLASSIC CLUB MIX
I also remember that night at The Roxy on a Saturday when Frankie debuted his mix of Swing Out Sister's NOTGONNACHANGE. Oh my God it was simply astonishing. I was dancing yet I felt like I was being transported into the heavens. I might've had a little help in reaching those celestial heavens but I was in my 20's and that was then. GROOVE ON wild pitch mix...another dance floor fave from that era
#43 on the U.S. Dance Charts this week and rising...in fact the next week it hit #29.
The funny thing is we sent the song to DJ pools all over the world and I’ve just read a feedback sheet from Lebanon and France and they don’t know what Wigstock is! They don’t know who Lady Bunny is! They just like the song. To me, that’s very encouraging because while some people might listen to it because they know me or because I am a drag queen, you know that might turn other people off. The music industry is in a tailspin and they’re not looking for the next 50-year-old, overweight transvestite. They’re looking for the next Beyonce and Britney Spears. But at the same time, in the world of dance music, sometimes they’ve overlooked a really freaky image like Kevin Aviance or Divine or RuPaul or Sylvester. So a drag queen or a freak has been able to get over occasionally in the dance market. I hope to be one of those freaks!”
So as to not get too predictable up in here I thought I'd post something that is not disco.
This 1992 release on Great Jones by Clubland brings back some great memories of N.Y. clubland. Set me Free featuring the vocals of Zemya Hamilton.
But what can I say about it really? It's just pleasurable commercial house music with a strong hook and a beat that really makes you want to shake your tail. Who would have thought back in 1992 that 20 years later so much pop music would be totally dance oriented? I remember when months would go by before a pure dance song like "Show me Love" would crossover onto the pop charts. So many perfectly poppy dance songs never broke in the states. It's a shame really cause most of these dance oriented songs that make it big now don't hold a candle to dance songs like "Set me Free."
One thing to note is the genius co-production of Eric Kupper. He has of course had many more hits since this but his talent is undisputed. And his sound is genuine and deep.
