Do ya wanna get away? Shannon and the fabulous Jimi Tunnel

Freshened Links
THE MIGHTY SHANNON

I know a place in paradise and it's definitely this Shannon single for me.  Her fourth to chart on the U.S. dance chart and another #1 notch on her lipstick case.  It features all the magical components of the fiercest of freestyle electro from the mid 80's period form the genius mixing and production of Ligget and Barbosa to the as usual uncredited background vocals of my hero Jimi Tunnel. 

Here I also include the Hot Tracks remix which probably only the die hard Shannon fans in here even have.

Brenda Shannon Greene was born on May 12th 1957 in Washington, D.C. and wouldn't you just know I was living in D.C. during her prime so I'm sure I got extra exposure.  Lord knows I've seen her live at least five times.

do ya wanna get a Shannon zip?

Breaker's Revenge

It wasn't only Italo Disco for me.  Though you know I like to keep that the spice for my blog.  But I also loved freestyle and Electro very much.  But in a way I felt more like a visitor feeling something and liking it but it not necessarily coming from inside me.  I am after all Italian and not black or latino.  On top I grew up in suburban Connecticut I surely was not street in any way.

These are the images from the Italian import of the classic Arthur Baker tune Breaker's Revenge.  But they are the same as you'd find on the U.S. version with those incredible edits by Tony Moran and Albert Cabrera (The Latin Rascals), load vocals by Galvin Christopher and all those wonderful Arthur Baker touches.  Though this song was on the Beat Street Soundtrack it surely transcended anything that film gave.  I  love this piece of the film where the Rock Steady Crew breakdance to it.

GET SOME REVENGE
Even though The System, Grandmaster Melle Mel & The Furious Five, Jenny Burton, Africa Bambaataa etc. were on this soundtrack there really weren't any hits.  But it did get play in clubs like The Funhouse and The Roxy.

Ryan Paris Dolce Vita

When Dolce Vita was a hit on the radio in 1983 I remember hearing that Ryan Paris was from Boston.  But fact of the matter is he was born on March 12, 1953 in Rome.  Dolce Vita has to be one of the most commercially successful releases of the italo disco era.  He is certainly one of the few who were able to break into the U.K.'s Top 5 on the singles chart.

DOWNLOAD DOLCE VITA

It completely overshadows any of the follow-up singles to the point where he is basically known as a one hit wonder.  Fabio Roscioli (his real name) has a My Space and even a Wikipedia page CHECK HIM OUT  RYAN PARIS DOT COM

MARILYN DESPITE STRAIGHT LINES re-issue WITH BONUS TRACKS

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Marilyn and Boy George came up out of the London club scenes.  They were stars at the early 80's clubs Blitz and Taboo.  In fact there was even a 90's Broadway show about Leigh Bowery based in part upon that period.  Marilyn was always the prettier one but Boy had the drive and the more soulful voice.  We all know who became the huge star.

Later on Marilyn hit it for a moment just after Boy George and Culture Club but she was somehow just too shocking.  Much more drag queen then "androgynous" like Boy.  So she became basically a one hit wonder.

I absolutely adored a few of her songs.  This re-issued cd is handy because it includes some of the 12" versions that were not on the original l.p.

I was following her on Twitter and we wrote a few times but I got so sick of some of the stupid videos she was posting constantly that I couldn't bear to see her in my timeline anymore.

DESPITE STRAIGHT LINES

She does seem to be sober now.  She was after all the one who enticed Boy to become a junkie.  She'd been on the horse for a while by then.  That was one heavy period for Boy.  Tons of bad press and someone dying in his apartment.  Then he came back with that massive reggae tinged version of Bread's Everything I Own.  He certainly was never thinner then he was in 1987!

Marilyn has never hit the charts again.