Grace Jones @ Dutch TV-Show performing Amado Mio march 1990

Grace Jones Interview / Part 2 .

Grace Jones Interview / Part 1 .

Grace Jones Libertango

GRACE JONES - PULL UP TO THE BUMPER (1981)

Grace Jones

Grace Jones (born May 19, 1948) is a Jamaican-American singer, model, and actress. During the 1970s, she also became a muse to Andy Warhol, who photographed her extensively.During this era she regularly went to the New York City nightclub Studio 54.
The contralto singer has the range to move into an almost-soprano mode in some songs. Jones secured a record deal with Island Records in 1977, which resulted in a string of dance-club hits and a large gay following. In the late 1970s, Jones adapted the emerging New Wave music style and adopted a severe, androgynous look, with square-cut hair and angular, padded clothes.
In 1981, her post-disco dance track "Pull Up to the Bumper" peaked in the Top 20 of the US Hot 100, spent seven weeks at #2 on the US Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart, and became a Top 5 single on the US R&B chart.
Jones' acting occasionally overshadowed her musical output. Jones's work as an actress in mainstream film began in the 1984 fantasy-action film Conan the Destroyer alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger and the 1985 James Bond movie A View to a Kill. In 1986 she played a vampire in Vamp and in she both acted in and sung a song in the 1992 Eddie Murphy film Boomerang. In 2001, she appeared alongside Tim Curry in Wolf Girl.

Life and career

 Early life

Grace Jones was born in Spanish Town, Jamaica, the daughter of Marjorie and Robert W. Jones, who was a politician and Apostolic clergyman.Her parents took Grace and her brother Chris to relocate to Syracuse, New York in 1965. Before becoming a successful model in New York City and Paris, Jones studied theater at Onondaga Community College.

 Musical career

Jones secured a record deal with Island Records in 1977, which resulted in a string of dance-club hits and a large gay following. The three disco albums she recorded—Portfolio (1977), Fame (1978), and Muse (1979)—generated considerable success in that market. These albums consisted of pop melodies set to a disco beat, such as "All on a Summer's Night", "On Your Knees" and "Do or Die," and standards such as "What I Did for Love" from musical A Chorus Line, Jacques Prévert's "Autumn Leaves", "Send in the Clowns" from Stephen Sondheim's A Little Night Music and Edith Piaf's signature tune "La vie en rose".
During this period, she also became a muse to Andy Warhol, who photographed her extensively.Jones also accompanied him to New York City nightclub Studio 54 on many occasions. The colorful artwork and design for Jones' three first albums and accompanying single releases were created by another of Warhol's longtime collaborators, Richard Bernstein, arguably best known for his many cover illustrations for Interview Magazine in the 70s and early 80s.
Toward the end of the 1970s, Jones adapted the emerging New Wave music to create a different style for herself. Still with Island, and now working with producers Chris Blackwell, Alex Sadkin and the Compass Point All Stars, and recording at Blackwell's Compass Point Studios in Nassau, Bahamas, she released the acclaimed albums Warm Leatherette (1980) and Nightclubbing (1981). These included re-imaginings of songs by Sting ("Demolition Man"), Iggy Pop and David Bowie ("Nightclubbing"), Smokey Robinson ("The Hunter Gets Captured by the Game"), The Pretenders ("Private Life"), Roxy Music ("Love Is the Drug"), Flash and the Pan ("Walking in the Rain"), The Normal ("Warm Leatherette"), Ástor Piazzolla ("I've Seen That Face Before (Libertango)"), and Tom Petty ("Breakdown").
Both albums however also included a few tracks co-written by Jones herself, such as "A Rolling Stone", "Feel Up" and, most notably, the post-disco dance track "Pull Up to the Bumper" which peaked in the Top 20 of the US Hot 100, spent seven weeks at #2 on the US Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart, and became a Top 5 single on the US R&B chart when released as a single in the fall of 1981. In the UK, Nightclubbing claimed the number one slot on music magazine New Musical Express' Album of the Year listing.
Parallel to her musical shift was an equally dramatic visual makeover, created in partnership with stylist Jean-Paul Goude, with whom she had a son. Jones adopted a severe, androgynous look, with square-cut hair and angular, padded clothes. The cover photographs of Nightclubbing and, subsequently, Slave to the Rhythm (1985) exemplified this new identity. To this day, Jones is known for her unique look at least as much as she is for her music. Her collaboration with Blackwell, Sadkin and the Compass Point All Stars continued with the dub reggae–influenced album Living My Life, which featured the self-penned "My Jamaican Guy", sung in patois and a cover of "The Apple Stretching" by Melvin Van Peebles.
In 1981 and 1982 Jones toured the UK, Continental Europe, Scandinavia and the US with her One Man Show, a performance art/pop theatre presentation devised by Jean-Paul Goude and Jones herself, in which she performed tracks from the albums Portfolio, Warm Leatherette and Nightclubbing dressed in elaborate costumes and masks - in the opening sequence as a gorilla - and alongside a series of Grace Jones lookalikes. A video version, filmed live in London and New York City and completed with some studio footage, was released in conjunction with the Living My Life album in 1982 and was nominated for a Grammy for Best Long-Form Music Video in 1983.A One Man Show was re-issued as a home video in the VHS and Laserdisc formats by Island Records, PolyGram and Spectrum Music all through the 1980s and 1990s but remained unreleased on DVD as of 2010.
In the mid-1980s, she worked with Trevor Horn for the conceptual musical collage Slave to the Rhythm and with producer Nile Rodgers for Inside Story (1986)—her first album after leaving the Island Records label. The well-received Slave to the Rhythm consisted of several re-workings of the title track (the single of which hit Number 12 in the UK), while Inside Story produced her last Billboard Hot 100 hit to date, "I'm Not Perfect (But I'm Perfect For You)," one of several songs she co-wrote with Bruce Woolley. Bulletproof Heart (1989) spawned the Number 1 U.S. Hot Dance Club Play hit "Love on Top of Love (Killer Kiss)", produced by C+C Music Factory's David Cole and Robert Clivilles.
Although she has yet to become a truly mainstream recording artist in the United States (with the exception of "Pull Up To The Bumper" and her featured work on the Arcadia hit single "Election Day"), much of Jones's musical output is very popular in American clubs as many of the singles were hits on Billboard's Hot Dance Club Play and Hot Dance Airplay charts; and many of her songs are regarded as classics to this day. Jones was able to find mainstream success in Europe, particularly the United Kingdom, scoring a number of Top 40 entries on the UK Singles Chart. To date, she has officially released 49 commercial and/or promotional singles (not including re-releases), including several non-album tracks.
 Voice
Jones is a contralto.Although her image became more notable than her voice, she is a highly stylized vocalist. She sings in two modes—in her monotone speak-sing as in songs such as "Private Life," "Walking in the Rain," and "The Apple Stretching"; and in an almost-soprano mode in songs such as "La Vie en Rose" and "Slave to the Rhythm."She contributed significant vocals to Arcadia's 1985 hit single, "Election Day," from the album So Red the Rose, as well as to their subsequent single "The Flame."

 Style and image

Grace Jones live in Copenhagen, Denmark

Grace Jones's striking appearance, height (5'10½" or 1.79 m), and manner influenced the cross-dressing movement of the 1980s, such as Annie Lennox. She would also exemplify the "Flat Top" hairstyle in many of her concerts in the 1970s, which would become popular among black men in the 1980s. Her first album cover to feature this hairstyle was 1980's Warm Leatherette.
Jones maintained both recording and acting careers, although her acting often overshadowed her musical output; except in Europe where her profile as a recording artist was much higher. Her strong visual presence was an advantage for her music videos and concert tours. In her concert performances, she adopted various personas and wore outlandish costumes, particularly during her years with Goude. One such performance was at the Paradise Garage in 1985, for which she collaborated with visual artist Keith Haring for her costume. Haring painted her body in tribal patterns and fitted her with wire armor. The muralist also painted her body for the video to "I'm Not Perfect (But I'm Perfect for You)"and the 1986 vampire film Vamp, in which she played the queen vampire Katrina.

 Recent career

Jones recorded two albums during the 1990s, but they remain unreleased thus far—in 1994, she was due to release an electro album titled Black Marilyn with artwork featuring the singer as Marilyn Monroe; in 1998, she was scheduled to release an album entitled Force of Nature^{[citation needed]}. A white label 12" single featuring two dance mixes of "Hurricane (Cradle to the Grave)" was released; a slowed-down remix of this song became the title track of her album released in 2008. Also in 1998, she sang the title track for the film remake of the cult TV series The Avengers. The song "Storm" was written and produced by Bruce Woolley, Chris Elliott, and Marius DeVries and was performed with The Radio Science Orchestra.
In 2000, Jones cut "The Perfect Crime," an up-tempo song for Danish TV written by the composer duo Floppy M. On May 28, 2002, Jones performed onstage with Italian opera tenor Luciano Pavarotti during Pavarotti's annual "Pavarotti and Friends" concert to support the United Nations refugee agency's programs for Angolan refugees in Zambia. Together they performed the aria "Pourquoi me réveiller?" from Jules Massenet's opera Werther. The concert was held in Modena, Italy, and Jones and Pavarotti were accompanied by the 70-strong Orchestra Sinfonica Italiana, conducted by Jose Molina.
In November 2004, Jones sang her hit "Slave to the Rhythm" at a tribute concert for record producer Trevor Horn at London's Wembley Arena. She received rave reviews, despite having been absent in the music scene for some time. In February 2006, Jones was the celebrity runway model for Diesel's show in New York.
On October 20, 2006, the 3 CD compilation The Ultimate Collection was released in Europe by Universal Music's Dutch subsidiary CCM.
On November 3, 2006, Jones took part in a gathering of people sharing the surname, performing "Slave to the Rhythm" and "Pull up to the Bumper" to a large crowd of Joneses. 1,224 people were gathered that day at the Wales Millennium Centre in Cardiff, breaking the previous record for the largest surname-based gathering.
Producer Ivor Guest confirmed that Jones had completed recording of her new album in 2007.Jones revealed in an interview regarding her collaboration with Guest, "...we had a creative chemistry and the music flowed. We remain great friends and have created 23 tracks, of which the rest will form the next album." Nick Hooker has directed the first video from the upcoming album. Other participants on the new album include the original Compass Point All Stars lineup, i.e. Sly and Robbie, Barry Reynolds, Mikey Chung, Sticky Thompson and Wally Badarou, joined by Brian Eno, Bruce Woolley, Tricky, and Tony Allen. In April 2007, Version2 listed "Corporate Cannibal" as the new video directed by Nick Hooker for Grace Jones. On June 22, 2007, Jones performed in Copenhagen at Tivoli Gardens theme park. Tivoli's Web site mentioned the title of her new album as Corporate Cannibal, without confirming a release date.

Grace Jones at Roskilde Festival 2009

Jones was part of the lineup for Massive Attack's Meltdown at the Southbank Centre in London, taking place from June 14–22, 2008. Jones received positive reviews across many UK newspapers for her comeback show as part of the Meltdown festival on June 19, and she previewed many new songs from her first album of new material in almost 20 years. She also performed at the relaunch of Elandra Resort in Mission Beach near Cairns, Queensland on June 28, 2008, her first performance in Australia in many years.^[ Jones headlined the Belgian Lokerse Feesten on August 8, 2008, with a full 2-hour show similar to the one at Meltdown.
Her new album was scheduled for release on October 27, 2008, on Wall of Sound/PIAS Records and is called Hurricane, with Jones touring the UK and headlining the Secret Garden Party and Latitude Festival in 2008, to promote the album's release. She also made a guest appearance and performance in 2008 at the Bestival (Isle of Wight) as well as Electric Picnic (Ireland). She played the Sydney Festival in January 2009, headlining the Festival First Night free concert in Hyde Park with an audience of over 80,000 people.
Jones may release the "lost" album "Black Marilyn" independently in 2009, along with a compilation of tracks recorded between "Bulletproof Heart" and "Hurricane". New remastered editions of "Portfolio", "Muse", and "Fame" are set to be released in 2010. This will mark the first time "Muse" has been commercially available on CD. Also on the way is a 2 CD Deluxe Edition of "Nightclubbing" from Island Records to coincide with the record labels 50th Anniversary. Originally scheduled for release in 2009, Universal Music Group, the company that currently holds the rights to the Island Records back catalogue, have now delayed the release indefinitely.
Grace Jones collaborated with the avant-garde poet Brigitte Fontaine in a duet named " Soufi" from Fontaine's latest album 'Prohibition' released in the fall 2009, and produced by Ivor Guest. "A One Man Show" was finally released on DVD and CD, as Grace Jones - Live In Concert, in March 2010 with 3 bonus videoclips ("Slave To The Rhythm", "Love Is The Drug" and "Crush").
"Love You To Life", the third single off "Hurricane", was released on May 2, 2010. Digital version contains 5 mixes of the song including Radio Edit and Dub Ivor Guest recently posted on his myspace that he has completed producing "Hurricane In Dub" which features a dub version of every track from the Hurricane album. This will be released sometime in 2010.

 Film career

In the 1973 film Gordon's War, Jones played the role of Mary, a Harlem drug courier. In 1978 she appeared with Amanda Lear and Patty Pravo in the controversial Italian TV series Stryx. Jones's work as an actress in mainstream film began with the role of Zula, the Amazon, in the 1984 film Conan the Destroyer alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger and former NBA player Wilt Chamberlain. She next landed the role of May Day in the 1985 James Bond movie A View to a Kill. She also appeared in a short music video "Hey Baby" from the band Hansel to Home in 1986.
Jones appeared in a number of other motion pictures including the 1986 vampire film Vamp where she played a queen vampire, and the 1992 Eddie Murphy film Boomerang, for which she contributed the song "7 Day Weekend to its soundtrack." In 2001, she appeared alongside Tim Curry in Wolf Girl (also known as Blood Moon), as a transvestite circus performer named Christoph/Christine. She also appeared in an episode of the Beastmaster television series as the Umpatra Warrior.

 Awards and nominations

Jones is a three-time Saturn Award nominee, a Grammy nominee, a Razzie Award nominee, and a Q Awards Winner. Jones also ranked 82 on VH1's '100 Greatest Women of Rock and Roll'
Saturn Awards

• 1985 – Best Supporting Actress for Conan the Destroyer: Nomination
• 1986 – Best Supporting Actress for A View to a Kill: Nomination
• 1987 – Best Supporting Actress for Vamp: Nomination

Grammy Awards

• 1983 – Best Long Form Music Video for her A One Man Show: Nomination

MTV Video Music Award

• 1986 – Best Female Video for "Slave to the Rhythm": Nomination

Razzie Awards

• 1987 – Worst Supporting Actress for Siesta: Nomination

Q Music Award

• 2008 – Idol award: Winner

 Controversies

In 1981, Jones, appearing alongside noted psychotherapist Sonja Vetter, slapped chat show host Russell Harty across the face live on air after he turned to interview other guests and she felt she was being ignored. This topped a 2006 BBC poll of the most-shocking British TV chat show moments
In April 2005, Jones was accused of verbally abusing a Eurostar train manager in a quarrel over a ticket upgrade, and she either was escorted off the train or left of her own accord, later saying that she had been mistreated.

 Discography

For further information, see: Grace Jones discography

 Studio albums

• Portfolio (1977)
• Fame (1978)
• Muse (1979)
• Warm Leatherette (1980)
• Nightclubbing (1981)
• Living My Life (1982)
• Slave to the Rhythm (1985)
• Inside Story (1986)
• Bulletproof Heart (1989)
• Hurricane (2008)

 Live albums

• A One Man Show (2010)

 Filmography

• Gordon's War (1973)
• Let's Make a Dirty Movie (1976)
• Colt 38 Special Squad (1976)
• Army of Lovers or Revolution of the Perverts (1979) (documentary)
• Deadly Vengeance (1981)
• Made in France (1984) (documentary)
• Conan the Destroyer (1984)
• A View to a Kill (1985)
• Vamp (1986)
• Straight to Hell (1987)
• Siesta (1987)
• Superstar: The Life and Times of Andy Warhol (1990) (documentary)
• Boomerang (1992)
• Cyber Bandits (1995)
• McCinsey's Island (1998)
• Palmer's Pick Up (1999)
• No Place Like Home (2006)
• Falco – Damn, We Still Live! (2008)
• Chelsea On The Rocks (2008)

 Television work

• Stryx (1978)
• A One Man Show (1982)
• Pee-wee's Playhouse Christmas Special (1988)
• Beastmaster (1999)
• Wolf Girl (2001)

• Shaka Zulu: The Citadel (2001)

Madleen Kane

Madleen Kane is a model and singer born in Malmö, Sweden in 1958 to a Swedish father and American mother. A former Elite fashion model, she had five Top 10 hits on the US Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart, debuting in the late 70's and peaking in the early eighties

Biography and career

During the heyday of international imports crashing North American shores, Madleen's debut album Rough Diamond (1978), started a bidding war. Originally released in France on CBS, it was soon after signed to Warner Brothers in North America. Buoyed by the title track, it became a huge club hit on the Billboard Dance Chart. Its North American release included a promo only remix done by engineer Jimmy Simpson. Other highlights of Rough Diamond included sultry covers of C'est Si Bon and Fever, as well as the morning music classic Touch My Heart.
Paris-based production team Michaele, Lana & Paul Sebastian produced the debut set. They are also known for their work on projects by the likes of Theo Vaness and one-off classic Argentina Forever by Pacific Blue both released on Prelude in the U.S.
Cheri (1979), Kane's 2nd CBS France/Warner Brothers release featured Forbidden Love, a dramatic pop opus arranged by Munich Machine mainstay Thor Baldursson. In the tradition of classic sidelong medleys made famous by the likes of Donna Summer and Cerrone, Madleen's "A Side" suite of Forbidden Love, the title track, its breakdown Fire In My Heart and Secret Love Affair gave her another blockbuster club hit running 15 minutes plus in length. Jim Burgess handled the remixes on the single, clocking in at just over eight minutes.
You and I, a stunning ballad on the set, has become a wedding day classic in Canada, and was considered the best bet in an effort to cross Madleen over to the pop market.
Unlike the North American releases, both Rough Diamond and Cheri were released with gatefold covers in France, showcasing Madleen's obvious beauty. In addition, the mix on Forbidden Love is different on the American releases than their international counterparts. An additional song, I Want You, Need You, Love You was removed from North American releases.
At the beginning of the 80's, the production trio took Madleen to Chalet Records as part of the Prelude Records family, to release Sounds Of Love (1980), her 3rd album. Scoring with Cherchez Pas, a decidedly more electronic outing that her usual symphonic disco works, the set also featured Move Me With Your Love and Music Makes My Night. This album also marked the end of Madleen's work with the Paris-based production trio, who ironically signed another striking blonde international : Lenore O'Malley, who recorded "First, Be A Woman" with great success. The song was later covered by Gloria Gaynor.
After a brief hiatus, Madleen moved on to work with legendary producer Giorgio Moroder and longtime collaborator Pete Bellotte. You Can (1981), the 'Flashdance-esque' lead single from those sessions, became one of her biggest hits, spending three weeks on top of the Billboard Dance charts, along with Fire In My Heart and Playing For Time. Highlighted by Moroder's trademark dizzying synthesizer arrangement and Kane's cooing vocals, both tracks became highlights of her Don't Wanna Lose You album. This album was released on Chalet Records, a label owned by her then-husband Jean-Claude Fredriech and distributed by legendary dance promoter Tom Hayden and his TSR Record company, soon to be Madleen's next record label.
London's Ian Anthony Stephens and Megatone recording artist Paul Parker teamed up to give Madleen, I'm No Angel, one of her biggest Billboard Dance Hits from her 1985 album, Cover Girl.
A collection of her hits, 12 Inches And More (1994), continues to be a strong seller for an artist who essentially retired from the music industry, commenting that she was bored with the recording process. 12 Inches And More unfortunately does not feature any of the extended mixes from her early career, with album versions being used in place of the remixes most likely due to ownership and licensing issues. In January 2010, both Madleen's debut and sophomore albums were reissued on the MP3 Download format on Amazon.com.
While unconfirmed, it is believed that Madleen was the one of the first, if not THE first Swedish female vocalist to enjoy success in the dance pop market in North America. She remains a favourite of dance music lovers throughout the world.

 Discography

 Albums

• Rough Diamond (1978) Warner Bros.
• Cheri (1979) Warner Bros.
• Sounds of Love (1980) RCA Victor
• Don't Wanna Lose You (1981) Chalet
• Cover Girl (1985) TSR
• 12 Inches and More (1994) TSR

 Singles

• Rough Diamond (1978)
• Fever (1978)
• Touch My Heart (1979)
• Forbidden Love (1979)
• You and I (1979)
• Secret Love Affair (1979)
• Cheri (1979)
• Cherchez Pas (1980)
• Boogie Talk (1980)
• You Can (1981)
• Fire In Your Heart (1981)
• Playing For Time (1982)
• On Fire (1985)
• Ecstasy (1985)
• I'm No Angel (1985)

Amanda Lear - Follow me 1978

Amanda Lear - Enigma, Give a bit of mmm to me (78)

Amanda Lear

Amanda Lear's life is one of the most amazing one of this century. As the "Sunday Times Magazine " wrote it in 1985 about her : It's a dream come true by her unique will.
Born in 1946 in Hong Kong from an English/French father who served for the French army in Indochina and an Asian/Russian mother, Amanda was raised in the South of France and in Switzerland. In addition to two mother languages ( French and English ) she also learnt German, Spanish and Italian before she reached 18, making her a talented young polyglot. Her passion is Art and at the tender age of 16 she went to Paris to study painting before joining in 1964 the famous St Martins School in London. She became chums with Brian Jones of the Rolling Stones and a wild child of the London nights. Her stunning Eurasian features attracted attention of Catherine Harlé, head of the most famous European model agency.
In 1965 she returned to Paris to catwalk for Paco Rabanne and Yves St Laurent. During this staying she met Salvador Dali who wanted her as a model. She became his muse and closest friend for over 15 years. She has told this period in her book "My life with Dali" published worldwide in 1985.:Dali is a genius who likes ambiguity and he tends to talk to women as they were men. From this will come the legend and rumour about the transexuality of Amanda Lear.
In 1973 while pursuing a successfull model career (she was featured as covers for Marie France or Elle magazines but just pages in Vogue because of the rumour ! ), her long time fan Bryan Ferry asked her to pose for the cover of their LP "For Your Pleasure". The cover became as famous as the record himself!. David Bowie then the Top UK Rock artist falls in love with her and they will stay together for over a year . He wanted her to sing and she actually participatesd in his "Midnight Special" shown on NBC in 1974. De Fries ,Bowie producer, signed her but nothing happened.
In 1975 she signed with Strum production and released her 1st single on legendary UK record company: Creole Records. "Trouble" was a cover of the Presley song. The "B" side is written by Amanda and La Bionda( who became famous as a disco band with "One for you" and as producer of "Vamos a la playa" righeira in the 80 's ). The single was released in France in French language version by Polydor. It is this latter version that was released by Ariola in March 76. It was an unexpected success in DISCO while the title has nothing to do with disco! It leaded Ariola to propose Amanda to do a real DISCO single with German producer Anthony Monn recorded in Munich . This single featured what will be Lear's trademark :intellectual lyrics written by Amanda herself, music written by Monn, luxious arrangements by Charly Ricaneck, back up vocalists for the chorus and her deep voice even deeper with the help of dozens of cigarettes and a glass of whisky as she revealed later!. Released for Xmas 76 , the single tops the disco chart and goes to n°12 on the Sales chart, in Italy it will go to N°4. Ariola signed her for 7 year and 6 albums for a figure considered as astronomic by Amanda herself. She wanted to become a rock singer and Disco will make her immensely wealthy
Her 1 st album "I Am A Photograph" reffered to her model career, stayed 33 weeks in the German charts and produced 2 mega hits,"Tomorrow" and the N°1 single "Queen of Chinatown" which will go gold in Japan a very rare feast for foreign artist in this country. The production team included in addition of Monn and Charly Ricaneck, Rainer Pietch and Harold Faltemeier. Three countries remained immune to Lear invasion : England, US and France. Not for long for the latter. Her next single the symphonic and Kraftwerk inspired "Follow-Me" from her forthcoming album "Sweet Revenge" was an instant smash in all continental Europe including France. In September 78 she gives an unforgettable concert at the Palace in Paris with 5000 people inside and 15000 outside !. The album which portraited an all leather and whip Amanda was sold in excess of 4 millions copies and was featured in charts in 41 countries including Chile, South Africa, India and Thailand where it stayed number one for 16 weeks !. Signed to Chrysalis Records in the US and despite a promotional tour the record did not sell well. "Gold", "Run Baby Run" and "Enigma" were also released in singles.
Her audience mixed young teenagers, housewifes and gays! The third album recorded at Musicland with Monn and Keith Forsey (D.Summer, B.Idol ) is more openly DISCO and much better arranged. The album "Never Trust A Pretty Face" was relased in March 79. .The hits were numerous : "Fashion Pack", "The Sphinx" (happened to be my favorite). Many fans consider this album as her best ever released. She became in all Europe the incarnation of disco and she intensely toured . In April of 1979 she married French diva Sylvie Vartan's producer Alain Philippe Malagnac, son of Gay writer Roger Peyrefitte. This and her posing nude for Playboy deceived her fans who praised her mystery.
In 1980 her 4th album was released and was openly marketed for scandinavian countries where Amanda has become a huge star. Still produced by Monn it's a mix of DISCO and POP tracks. Two hits were subsequently released "Fabulous" and "Diamonds" while some countries picked up "When" and "Japan". The Monn formula with Pietch and Ricaneck started however to become a bit old .The album just went to N°43 in Germany but was a major seller in Scandinavia ( n°4 ) and Italy. She toured Europe that year from Greece to Finland. The album was released by RCA in Italy, with 3 songs in Italian . In Italy she became a superstar doing TV ads for Fiat cars! In 1981 after having sold an estimated 15 millions singles and 8 millions albums, she wanted to return to her first love: ROCK music. She started recording demos with Trevor Horn (Frankie Goes to Hollywwood, Tina Turner , Buggles ) in London. Ariola was not impressed and obliged her to record another album with Monn called "Incognito". The Spanish version of this album with 3 Spanish language songs was a big hit in South America but the "regular" version floped in Europe. To show her lack of interest she posed with dark glasses on the cover!
In 1982 she recorded her final single with Monn ("Fever") and sued Ariola to be released from her contract. Funny enough "Fever" was a smash hit in South America and she went on tour in these countries and did concerts in the US ("Saint" disco in NY ) and in London. The only country where she was free of recording was Italy. She recorded a single "Incredibly Woman" in all Italian tradition and it was a hit ! It lead TV magnat Berlusconi to propose her to host a prime time variety show. She stayed 4 years and becames a top TV star ! Her carreer as a recording artist was affected by her TV popularity in Italy then in France and Germany. At the same time Monn were producing the highly successful Fancy

She had to decline to tour Eastern countries in 1982 where she has become a huge star (in a Russian poll she was the Top foreign artist with Streisand and Pink Floyd). After a last single recorded in Münich ("Love Your Body"), her sixth album "Tam Tam" was produced in Italy and last on Ariola. It was a flop everywhere else. In 1984 she signed with Warner for a single marketed by a video directed by Bolognini "Assassino". In 1985 she returned to the DISCO floor with the High Energy track produced by Merack "No credit card". It was a big disco hit. Her recording following was mainly gay while her TV audience was very family orientated.
Since 1981 she has returned to exhibit her own paintings and from then she was doing between 2 and 4 exhibitions a year, mainly in Europe. A Lear painting cost $10000! Her inspiration comes from Provence where she lives most of the year. In 1987 she released an album " Secret Passion" produced by american producer Christian de Walden on Carrere Records. It featured a cover of the Trogs "Wild thing" and was released in the US by Hot tracks and in Canada. Unfortunately, a car accident prevented Amanda from promoting it correctly. While she was staying in hospital she wrote a novell "The Immortal" published in France the same year !. In 1988 she records with italian rock band "CCCP" and filmed concert for Italian TV in San Remo. In 1989 and 1990 she recorded successful French and Italian albums while she started new TV and radios shows for the same countries. The same year Ian Levine remixed for Ariola "Follow Me" and "Gold".
In 1992 she made a french TV film acclaimed by critics "A woman For Me" and started participating in the most popular French show "The Big Heads" (a talk show with little plays within and actors cracking jokes) before getting her famous sex show "Beware of the Blondes"/"PEEP" (in Germany ) which got over 50% of market share ! and is still shown every sunday evening in Germany. In 1993 she recorded "Cadavrexquis" an album which marked her return to Dance music. The single "Fantasy" produced by German "Bass Bumpers" was a big hit and welcomed return to her best works. In 1995 she recorded in Münich for the 1st time in over 12 years the album "ALTER EGO" produced on the top dance label ZYX . It's full of dance goodies ! In june 1995 she participated to a Disco reunion concert in Paris in front of 5000 people with Boney M , Grace Jones and Gloria Gaynor

The disco phenemenon is in full swing in Europe and dozens of compilations host "Follow Me" which has remained her anthem ! Multi talented Amanda has proved successful in different territories like art, TV and writing but has never forgot her fans who loves her music by recording real gems for them. The music of Amanda Lear will touch every disco heart ! Her fan club is in Nice, France and publishes 3 times a year a glossy magazine trying to trace the facts and projects of the lady. These latter ones include a videotape of microwave cooking, a new book inspired by her mentor Louise Hay ("Positive Thinking"), an exhibition in Germany , a cover of "Walk on the Wild Side"!!

Albums

• 1977: I Am a Photograph
• 1978: Sweet Revenge
• 1979: Never Trust a Pretty Face
• 1980: Diamonds for Breakfast
• 1981: Incognito
• 1982: Ieri, Oggi
• 1983: Tam-Tam
• 1985: A L
• 1987: Secret Passion
• 1989: Super 20
• 1989: Uomini Più Uomini
• 1990: Tant Qu'il Y Aura Des Hommes
• 1993: Cadavrexquis
• 1995: Alter Ego
• 1998: Back in Your Arms
• 2001: Heart
• 2003: Tendance
• 2005: Paris by Night - Greatest Hits
• 2005: Forever Glam!
• 2005: Sings Evergreens
• 2006: The Sphinx - Das beste aus den Jahren 1976-1983
• 2006: With Love
• 2009: Brief Encounters
• 2009: Brand New Love Affair

 Most popular singles

• 1976: "Blood and Honey"
• 1977: "Tomorrow"
• 1977: "Blue Tango"
• 1977: "Queen of Chinatown"
• 1978: "Follow Me"
• 1978: "Run Baby Run"
• 1978: "Enigma (Give a Bit of Mmh to Me)"
• 1978: "Gold"
• 1978: "The Sphinx"
• 1979: "Fashion Pack"
• 1979: "Fabulous (Lover, Love Me)"
• 1980: "Diamonds"
• 1981: "Egal"
• 1982: "Incredibilmente Donna"
• 1984: "Assassino"
• 1986: "Les Femmes"
• 1992: "Fantasy"
• 1995: "Peep!"
• 2001: "Love Boat"
• 2002: "I Just Wanna Dance Again"
• 2005: "Copacabana"
• 2006: "Paris By Night"
• 2009: "Someone Else's Eyes
• 2010: "I'm Coming Up

 Filmography

Main article: Amanda Lear filmography

• 1968: Ne jouez pas avec les Martiens
• 1978: Follie di Notte
• 1978: Stryx
• 1982-83: Premiatissima
• 1984-86: W le Donne
• 1989: Ars Amanda
• 1993: Une Femme pour Moi
• 1995: Peep! (Beware of the Blondes)
• 1999: Il Brutto Anatroccolo
• 2001-03: Cocktail d'Amore
• 2002: Le Défi (Dance Challenge)
• 2004: The Incredibles
• 2005: Sous le soleil
• 2005-09: Ballando con le Stelle
• 2008: Chasseurs de Dragons
• 2008: Bloody Flowers

Karen Young - Hot Shot (1978)

Karen Young (March 23, 1951 — January 26, 1991 was an American disco-era singer best known for her hit, "Hot Shot".

Biography
Young grew up in a Northeast Philadelphia, Pennsylvania rowhouse. Before becoming an international recording star with "Hot Shot," she recorded jingles and background vocals for the Philadelphia based production companies. In the early 1970s Young performed with the group Sandd, featuring Frank Gilckin (lead guitar), George Emertz (rhythm guitar), Frank Ferraro (bass guitar) and Dennis Westman (drums).
The song "Hot Shot" peaked at #67 on Billboard's Hot 100 in 1978, after enjoying two weeks at #1 on that magazine's Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart, thus qualifying Young as a one-hit wonder. "Hot Shot" was written, produced and arranged by Philadelphians Andy Kahn and Kurt Borusiewicz, with Walter "Kandor" Kahn as executive producer. An album, also entitled Hot Shot, followed, both released by West End Records of New York. "Hot Shot" was featured in the 1990 film, Reversal of Fortune. The song was later used as a sample in Daft Punk's song "Indo Silver Club" on their album Homework. Various "Hot Shot" remixes were released in 2007. One such, entitled "Hot Shot - The Karen Young Reheat," held the #7 position for two weeks on the Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart, achieving five weeks on that chart's Top 10.
"Rendezvous With Me," a song written by Kahn in 1979 was intended as her follow-up to "Hot Shot," but was never finished. Discovered in Kahn's tape vault, "Rendezvous With Me" was released by MaxRoxx Music for the first time in March 2009.
Young died of a bleeding ulcer in January 1991, at age 39.

Paul Parker

Paul Parker (from Tribal Rites - San Francisco's Dance Music Phenominon 1978-1988 by David Diebold, 1988)

The star

I started out my singing career in a top forty band here in San Francisco where we did hotels, restaurants and juice houses – basically anywhere that we could sing. We did a lot of work for almost nothing but we had a great time.

One day I was walking down Castro Street and came upon Patrick Cowley sitting on a stoop. He had just gotten back from touring Europe with Sylvester and was no longer with the band for several reasons. Anyway, a friend of mine introduced us and he invited me to come to his studio to sing a demo, to see if we might work together. He had this really funky studio down near Eight and Howard in a deserted old building which everyone was eventually chased out of. He later moved to another building nearby and shared a studio space with Tip Wirrick.

The first demo we did was Love me hot, then Pushin' too hard and then along came Right on target which became my first single. We also did Lift of which ended up on Patrick's first album. It ws very exciting for me to be recording in a studio for the first time and also it was dance music (which was a change from what I had been doing). Patrick taught me everything I needed to know about recording at the time and also about latin rhythms because he started out as a drummer in a top forty band, then went on to learn guitar and study synthesizers, finally using everything he knew to become a songwriter. He was also a lightman at The City Disco and I think that being exposed to that much dance music taught him a lot about it. It was so exciting in the dance music scene in those days because I could go in and participate and just experience it all, whereas nowadays I really can't just go out and experience it because I have become a part of it in a different way, yet separated in a sense. When you get into the recording business you develop strange relationships with the DJ's; either they are overly friendly and transparent, or they feel the need to go out of their way to prove that they needn't be friendly to you. It's very strange. I have remained good friends with several DJ's though, like Howard Merit who is in Key West now and Ian Levine in London.

Marty Blecman was a DJ at Alfie's at the time and wanted to start a record company and that’s just what he and Patrick did. Marty was sort of my manager then but as the record company idea began to take shape we realized it to be a conflict of interests. Since Patrick and I were such good friends I never worried about being paid or anything like that though. Unfortunately, during this whole time Patrick started getting sick. Marty and I were friends at the time and were both very worried about Patrick, not knowing what was going on (as most people didn't at that time concerning AIDS), so we just did the best that we could and tried to encourage and support him. Sometimes he would come over to visit Ken (my new manager) and me for the afternoon and would end up staying for a week, which was okay because I was gone so much and wanted to see him as often as I could. I'm not sure if he ever came to understand (or accept) that when I went away on a tour singing it was because I had to in order to make money and live. I had to promote the record and I wanted to be a singer.

I also started dabbling in song-writing at this point with Shot in the night which became the only new song on my first album. At the same time Patrick was working with Frank Loverde on Die hard lover and I remember Marty saying that he was just throwing Moby Dick a bone by letting them put that song out... Of course it turned out to be one of the biggest records of the whole lot (doing especially well in Europe and Mexico). Here it was a monster dance hit but over there it went pop.

Anyway, that was how my whole involvement with dance music began and while it was rolling along Patrick got sicker and sicker as I was becoming this disco singer and travelling all over the place. I'd never been anywhere before and suddenly I was going everywhere and meeting thousands of people. It was great, but at the same time when I’d get back from each trip Patrick was more ill or had something happening to him and so the whole experience of becoming a "star" (and in fact the whole disco scene) became very connected with AIDS and dying to me. I met Ken Crivello just prior to Right on target and he became my manager. Patrick came and lived with us for a while during a rehabilitation period when he had to learn how to walk again. He had gone from being a healthy, vibrant, cocky thirty-year-old person to basically like a little old man with a very childlike quality too. It was kind of like having your best friend turn into your grandfather before your eyes. It wasn't a good experience.

One of the most important things I learned from Patrick was about song-writing. He's really the one who got me started in it because before we met I just assumed that I couldn't do it. I had tried when I was about 22 and I failed so I just gave up until I started working with Patrick later. Of course that's really what I do most, along with producing records for other artists (which I also really enjoy but never dreamed I'd be doing one day).

After Patrick died I met Ian Anthony Stephens in London. He asked me if I'd like to do a track with him and I said I’d love to. About two weeks later he came to San Francisco and we worked together on a number of songs, including Desire which did very well and turned out to be the biggest British import record of the year. We started Fantasia Records together after that and the first release was Don't play with fire b/w Without your love and we've been working together ever since.

I actually split with Megatone when I took Desire in to let them hear it and Marty refused to even listen to it. He said he wanted to go to New York to find me a producer and that it would be the start of something great (and to forget Desire). Well, I left the office and talked with Ian and just decided to leave Megatone. I called Marty up and told him that if he didn't want to put any energy into projects that I believed in, then I would go elsewhere. There wasn't much point to working together because I was never the type to just sit back and take orders from an executive concerning art, especially my art.

At this point I’m working a lot with Man Parrish and am just finishing my follow-up to One look (my second #1 Billboard hit), which came out on Dice Records. I've also been putting together songs for a Jessica Williams album, along with producing Lisa, Perri Halevy, Debbie Jacobs, and Marianne.

The Future

The future is where it's really all going to happen as far as I can see, concerning dance music. I've done a lot recently (production and writing-wise) and I feel that my best work is among it, so I am excited about the future. It's really very fulfilling when you realize that those are your thoughts that are manifesting themselves as songs and then records and a lot of people are being excited by your songs and your production. I can't imagine what it would be like to have a brain like Mozart's and be able to work through the kind of music that he did but on a smaller scale I'm able to do what I do, and it's incredibly rewarding to me. The future is open to us, we can decide to stay here or go on or do whatever we want. It's great how most people keep striving for whatever they can see from wherever they are now, you know?


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The collaboration with Man Parrish led to singing three songs on the second album of Man Parrish in 1986. (Here to eternity, Abracadabra and Body talk) They recorded two more songs in 1987, which are never officially released. (Could be loved and No mercy)

In '95 he released an album titled Destiny and was awarded for the song Philadelphia medley. On this CD you also find remakes of Right on target and Time after time.
Between 1996 and 1998 Paul teamed up with Angie Gold to record a couple of duets (One more hurt and I finally found someone). Both titles can be found on the sampler series Mad about the boy from Klone Records in the UK.

In 2002 Paul contributed two songs (Have yourself a merry little Christmas and Home for Christmas) to the christmas album Carols Across America. A part of the proceeds of this album goes to 'Aids Emergency Fund' and 'Breast Cancer Emergency Fund'. It also features songs from Jo Carol (Block, former Patrick Cowley singer), Linda Imperial and Ernest Kohl. The album is produced by John Hedges.

Man Parrish teamed up with Paul Parker again in 2003. On a trip to California, Man asked Paul to re-sing his 1980's mega club hit Right on target, Paul agread. They also recorded a 'jazzy' song called Dreamer.
You can listen (and buy) these songs and other songs from Man Parrish with Paul Parker on the website of Man Parrish. (http://www.manparrish.com/)

Latest Releases

Take It From Me  

••• album ••• Paul Parker's latest release is the full-length album of original music, "Take It From Me". Paul was involved in every aspect of its creation, co-writing and tracking the entire record in San Francisco at UTMOSIS studios. The songs are fresh, inspired and show the true range of his talents. From the brisk melodic uplift of the title track to the soaring operatic pop of Raining For You (Piovendo Per Te), this album finds Paul honoring his roots in Dance while moving decisively into his musical future.

Don't Stop 

••• single & remixes ••• Don't Stop (What You're Doin' To Me) delivers a dose of urgent sensuality over a pulsating High-Energy bassline. The surging synth line that accompanies Paul during the chorus will compel you to keep dancing. This release contains the  THREE original mixes: the Radio Edit, Original Mix, and Extended Mix. i VENTI d'AZZURRO RECORDS in Holland loved this song so much they created a throwback remix on vinyl that sounds like Paul during his Patrick Cowley days.

Right On Target  

••• album ••• New tracks written by Paul Parker and DJ/Producer & Remixer Paul Goodyear!  Special remixes of the 80's hits "Right on Target" and "Shot in the Night", vocals re-recorded just last year. Includes a new instrumental track, "NRG Rush", which is a tribute to Patrick Cowley....as you will hear it is very Patrick in its sound! The hauntingly epic "Desert World", and playful "Shut Up and Dance", along with Goodyear's remix of "Just Hold Onto Love" round out the effort.  Also featured is a track produced for Hi-Nrg star Pamala Stanley called "Feelin' the Rhthym", written by Paul Parker and remixed by Paul Goodyear, produced and recorded with Jeff Crerie at UTMOSIS.

Chargin' Me Up   

••• single ••• "Chargin' Me Up" caught the attention of DJs in the San Francisco Bay Area, New York & beyond, and also climbed into the top 25 of the influential Soundworks Pool Top 50 Chart in late 2009. This is a throw-your-arms-in-the-air electro dance monster featuring Paul's deep, resonant vocals on the verses with a serious uptick in energy during the chorus. More bounce + more brawn + intriguing lyrics = an instant Paul Parker classic!