Bobby DJ reviewed 117 new releases from all over the world, and has developed four very exciting sets of music for you. (This program includes a Special Bonus Program.) You'll be particularly interested to see how many of the country's leading disco DJs were instrumental in the production and/or mixes of many of the new releases contained in Volume I, Number 11.
Boogie Oggie Oggie / A Taste of Honey. Once in a while, a new group with a new song comes along that grabs the world. Here it is. (See related story "Charts of Future Charts.") Janice Johnson and Hazel Payne are the lead vocals, and play the guitars. Perry Kibble co-wrote, arranged, played the piano, and provided background male vocals along with the groups drummer, Don Johnson. Perry and Janice started "A Taste of Honey" in 1972, earning $12 a night in smaller Los Angeles clubs. In 1974, they represented the U.S. in the World Popular Song Festival in Tokyo, and upon their return to the Etc. Club in Hollywood, were discovered by the Jackson Five producers, Fonce and Larry Mizell. Janice, Hazel, Don and Perry each have a rich musical heritage, and provide innovation, collective vision, and a perfect blend of talent. "This is one group," says Janice, "with no token members." Seven of the nine songs on their debut Capitol LP, "A Taste of Honey", were written by members of the group. Bobby DJ selected "Boogie Oogie Oogie", and everyone at DISCONET who was lucky enough to hear a preview copy started to have "Boogie Oogie Oogie" attacks. We almost wore out the test pressing. Toward off similar attacks on your dance floor, Bobby DJ extended the ending on this special DISCONET version. Enjoy!!!
Mellow Lovin' / Judy Cheeks. Here's still another Number One song for the summer. Produced by Anthony Monn (who also produces Amanda Lear), and arranged and conducted by Charly Ricanek, the tracks were recorded in Munich. Wherever Ariola has put it out, it's been a top 10 radio song and disco favorite for weeks on end (going on 10 weeks now in South Africa.) Salsoul brings it to the U.S. initially as a single and disco 12" version, with an LP to follow. Judy helped to write the song, and her singing talent should also help to melt your dance floor.
Law And Order / Love Committee. Bobby DJ picked the title song from Love Committee's debut album for Gold Mind, "Love Committee/Law & Order." He feels that it's one of the strongest new groups and songs to come out of Philadelphia since the Trammps, and with Norman "Le Machine" Harris arranging, the Sigma Sound folks recording, and Tom Moulton mixing, he's probably right. "Love Committee" is made up of four gentlemen with very spirited vocals: Larry Richardson, Norman Frazier, Joe Freeman, and Ron Tyson. Background vocals come from the "Philadelphia Angels": Evette Benton, Carla Benson, and Barbara Ingram. While committee decisions usually leave a lot to be desired, this Committee should leave your dance floor desiring a lot more.
SPECIAL NOTE TO DJs: Side A runs 20:15, building from 128 BPM to 134 BPM.
Automatic Lover / Sylvia. We've never met a nicer lady, and to think that in 1957 she was singing to us on practically every radio station "Love Is Strange" (with an assist from Micky) blows the mind. Bobby DJ remembers seeing her frequently in Alan Freed's Rock 'n Roll shows at the Brooklyn Paramount, and has a personally autographed picture to prove it. Other Micky and Sylvia hits followed, including "Love Will Make You Fail In School", "Dearest", and "There Oughta Be A Law. " Micky (Baker) is now in France, conducting, producing, and writing about music. Sylvia's debut solo LP, "Pillow Talk", was followed by writing and producing, including The Moments' "Love On a Two Way Street." "Two Way" lead to two million sales, and "Automatic Lover" is the preview radio and disco single from Sylvia's new LP due in June from All-Platinum's Vibration label. It's a mover, and combines disco/soul/rock with the Munich synthesizer sound. The male voice was beamed by satellite from Jupiter, and Jesse's chart on this very upbeat song was so complex we'd need an 8 page newsletter just to show part of it. Bobby DJ welcomes Sylvia onto the dance floor, and feels you and your audience will, too.
Havah Nagilah / Azoto. Celso Valli arranged and conducted this very danceable new version of a song which has been a tradition for thousands of years. It's one of five very strong numbers on the new "Azoto/Music Makers Ltd" LP from Vedette (Italy.) This will be your super surprise of the night, and catch on fast!
Hot Shot / Karen Young. We hope the trades have enough stars and bullets in their typesetting machines for this one… watch it "Hot Shot" to the top, super fast. And why not? The people who know dance music best (disco DJs), wrote, produced, and arranged, and West End's new release with super luscious blonde, blue-eyed Karen Young singing is hot. Andy Kahn and Kurt "DCA Club" Borusiewicz wrote, produced, and arranged, with an assist from Wayne "Second Story" Geftman, Frankie Sestito, and Bill "Supersmooth" Kennedy. It was recorded at Queen Village Studios in Philadelphia, and Bobby DJ says it will be one of this summer's hottest records… so Con Ed, watch out.
SPECIAL NOTE TO DJs: Side B runs 19:06 at a consistent 128 BPM.
Love Sick Blues / Etta James. The rest of the world is now catching up to Etta. She's one of a very few unique talents who's been doing her thing for years, paying her dues many times over, and is now making waves in club appearances and via her new Warner Brothers LP, "Deep In The Night", produced by Jerry Wexler. Bobby DJ picked "Love Sick Blues" as a link between the original r&b sound and disco, much as Etta has been a living link between r&b and contemporary music for over 20 years. Etta began singing in the St. Paul Baptist Church Choir in Los Angeles, and was discovered as one of the three "Peaches" by Johnny Otis. Her first record was "Dance With Me Henry", followed by a string of hits on the Argo label in the 1960's. Now with Warner's, and officially working with Jerry, Etta is beginning to get the mass club and radio exposure that she deserves.
We'll be most interested in your reaction, and that of your audience, to Etta's song on this program. While we don't expect Etta to change (for as she says, "I can't change from what I am… I wouldn't know what to change to!"), it's one of DISCONET's first true r&b talents to be presented on your floor.
Just As Long As We're Together / Prince. Prince is the youngest person to have ever produced a Warner Brothers album. All of 18, from Minneapolis, and from a very musical family, Prince produced, arranged, composed, played the instruments, sung the lead, sung the backgrounds. The LP is appropriately titled "Prince", and has to win the Understatement of the Year award. Bobby DJ picked "Just As Long As We're Together" for its exciting vocals, and very danceable drum and synthesizer breaks. It's a mover, and we see no limits to Prince's musical future.
You Should Be Dancing / The Salsoul Orchestra. Here is a very upbeat treatment by Vince Montana's Salsoul Orchestra to the Bee Gee's classic disco and radio smash. It's one of eight songs on the new "Salsoul Saturday Night Disco Party" LP, which includes two more Bee Gee's hits via the Salsoul Orchestra ("Night Fever" and "Stayin' Alive"), and previously released Salsoul disco classics such as "Dr. Love", "Hit And Run", and "My Love Is Free." Since you and your audience would probably not be at all familiar with "Night Fever" or "Stayin' Alive", Bobby DJ thought they may like to hear "You Should Be Dancing."
Ti Voglio / Ornella Vanoni. Bobby DJ ends this set with as mind-blowing a song as he starts it with. Ornella is big in Italy, and the arrangements and orchestration on her new Vanilla LP are simply great dance music, no matter how good your Italian is. "Ti Voglio" translates to "I want you", so tell your friends.
SPECIAL NOTE TO DJs: Bonus Side 1 runs 19:43, descending from 126 BPM to 120 BPM. Cleared for the approach.
Back To Music / Theo Vaness. Theo developed a medley of nine songs. Many are from the 1950's, and a few from the 1960's. "Back To Music" is the title of the Theo Vaness LP which came out earlier this year on CBS (France.) Prelude is releasing a new version of the LP in the U.S., with Quality (Canada) releasing in Canada. The "new version" comes from a complete remix of the original tracks by Jim Burgess, who has brought quite a bit more action to the medley. Jim started as disco DJ in Atlanta, and then moved to 12 West in New York. He is currently working at Infinity in New York. If you have the original version of "Back To Music", you'll be interested in seeing what Jim did. And if you don't, don't worry… you have the hot one right here.
Songs included by Theo are "Back To Music", "I Who Have Nothing", "Feelings", "Yesterday", "It's Now Or Never", "What Did I Say", "Blue Suede Shoes" (not to be confused with blue tennis sneakers), "Shake, Rattle and Roll", "Johnny Be Good", and "Tutti Frutti." Some of the older folks in your club should really get off on hearing some of the songs from their own teenybopper days with a fresh disco twist.
SPECIAL NOTE TO DJs: Bonus Side 2 runs 17:26, at a consistent 126 BPM (beats per minute.)
Tom meets Linda, and they almost ran away. Rita Heyer throws great parties at Warner Brothers, and it was nice to see just about every disco DJ (and record promoter) come and greet Linda Clifford at WB's bash a few weeks ago. Ray said he'd be patient (wanting that #1 spot for Madleen), and Linda's "Runaway Love", "Gypsy Lady", and "If My Friends Could See Me Now" seemed so solid that Tom Savarese and Linda were able to get away from all the madness for a few minutes and get acquainted. Tom gave Linda a special copy of Volume I, Number 9 (featuring "Runaway Love"), and Linda said nine's fine.
TK Disco Party ships gold. Ray Caviano's idea to bring disco-blended hits into the home, with Tom Savarese at the controls and TK's family of disco stars on four super sides went over so well with the distributors that Henry Stone had to buy a vinyl factory, and now has hundreds of thousands of copies moving in retail stores across the country. And if people in your club liked "Saturday Night Fever", wait until they hear the real thing. Henry is getting so rich, they won't have to bring gambling to Miami.
Chuck Charleston wins the LCD chronograph. Chuck returned the feedback card from Volume I, Number 9, and his pressing serial number (#691) matched our lucky number. Chuck plays five nights a week at Faces in St. Louis, from 9:30pm to (would you believe) 6am (because Faces is really in East St. Louis, Illinois, where you can dance and drink until you drop!) Chuck's been with DISCONET from the start (a brave soul), and is restoring a beautiful red 1956 Thunderbird in his spare time. He caught FORUM FOUR FEVER, and we'll see him at the Hilton in N. Y. June 22-25. Be sure to join Chuck and everyone else in disco!
Charts of Future Charts. In addition to Tom and Bobby DJ's ears for future all-around hits (disco and beyond), DISCONET's staff psychic astrologer, Jesse Portis Helm, provides the DISCONET DJs with regular input on a song's popularity potential based on the astrological charts he develops.
"Boogie Oggie Oggie", by A Taste of Honey is a good example of how Jesse helps us out.
The vocal tracks were recorded in Los Angeles on November 18, 1977. Jesse works from this point, where the most human element of a song was present, rather than the mixdown or release dates. This makes "Boogie Oggie Oggie" a Scorpio, so world, watch out! (Aries listeners, especially.)
Jesse says the time of recording (2pm) was good, as the vocals were recorded under the influence of a Grand Trine. Three very influential planets were equidistant from each other, Venus in Scorpio, the Moon in Pieces, and Jupiter in Cancer.
Jesse's chart of the song is shown on the left. It indicates a very intensive response from people, a song with emotion and passion that will catch on quickly all over, that people will want more of. (This was confirming input to Bobby DJ's musical ears to extend the ending one more time to make it easier for DISCONET's subscribers to give their audience just a little more "Boogie.")
Jesse predicts great overseas response for the song and group, as well. The forthcoming "A Taste of Honey" LP on Capitol will do very well, according to Jesse, with the largest sales coming towards late fall and early winter, perhaps as Christmas shoppers reach for "Honey" as a gift. (If that seems long to you, remember that "Jack & Jill" by Raydio was out early last fall, and took months and months to catch on and go gold.)
In addition to analyzing potential new releases for DISCONET, Jesse is completing two books which will be published later this year. He never misses a great party, and taught Burlington, Vermont how to dance last summer during secret testing of DISCONET programs. He lives with his two dogs, Barney and Sam, in a fantastic loft on Manhattan's lower west side, and provides astrological advice to companies and individuals throughout the world.
If you would like a limited edition full-size reproduction of Jesse's "Boogie Oggie Oggie" chart, simply drop Jesse a note c/o DISCONET, 600 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10016.
Next program: Tom is back with another special two-record program.
Send in the feedback card! Your ratings will help determine the four bonus medleys of "The Best of DISCONET/Volume I."