Let's Clean up the Ghetto DISCO WITH A MESSAGE

MFSB created the ultimate voguers and house children classic with Love is the Message. The Danny Krivit edit becoming a classic at The Paradise Garage and all the voguing balls ever since. But in my opinion they reached the pinnacle of their brilliance with their collaboration with the Philadelphia International All Stars.

GHETTO
GHETTO .WAV
The 1977 promo only 12" of Let's Clean Up the Ghetto is soulful disco perfection. Dexter Wansel's arrangement, the lyrics by Gamble and Huff and the vocal stylings of particularly Lou Rawls and Teddy Pendergrass make this one of the deepest and most memorable disco records ever.

Kenny Gamble was married at the time to Dee Dee Sharp so she was one of the few female vocals on it. The O'Jays, Billy Paul and Archie Drell were on board too. All the proceeds went to a charity project but this beauty didn't get anywhere near the attention of later more schlocky super-group projects like Band Aid and U.S.A. for Africa. In fact it only charted for a month on the U.S. disco charts.

What are they dancing to in the States?

Love Money a Paradise Garage Classic BO KOOL or LOVE MASTERS

Love Money is one of those definitive Paradise Garage classics. In all it's inceptions. There is the original from 1981 released on a few different labels. Money (No Love) by Bo Kool and Love Money by the FunkMasters.

The lyrics about wearing a rubber glove were quite timely.

MONEY (NO LOVE)

There is also the 1986 re-mix which also includes the funky dubby Fort Knox.  In the next few days I will refresh the link for the 1986 remix.

Juliet Roberts who had several huge house records including Caught in the Middle was a vocalist in Funk Masters. Juliet also had several releases on Bluebird records U.K. which are relatively obscure. One of which was produced by John Rocca and another written by Sting.

Hot French Disco by The Garcons

Les Garcons was a French disco project from 1979. Mixed by Studio 54 d.j. Tom Savarese and featuring notable background vocalists like Christine Wiltshire and Ramona Brooks. Their debut l.p. was arranged by Carlos Franzetti and was released on Phillips Records France.

It's a solid effort but the stand-out tracks are French Boys and Encore L'amour. I have no idea why Encore L'amour is written in French because it's sung in Italian so naturally it should be called Ancore L'amore. Both are spacy and progressive. But I prefer Encore L'amour for it's incredible orchestral intro. and it's deadpan Italian vocal style. This could have been re-mixed into one frenzied slab of madness in the right hands.

ENJOY GARCONS

Their next release was the single Les Deux Amants released on Celluloid in 1980. I'd be curious to hear if it was as good. Apparently it's more New Wave.  Daft Punk must certainly look up to Les Garcons.

As usual I invite you to pop into my Ebay store. I've got hundreds of vinyl releases on sale in several genres including Italo Disco, Hi NRG and Euro disco such as this which I incidentally sold just last month.

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