Disco Diva Carol Jiani News

Seen's roving reporter Andy Green seeks out a genuine disco diva.
Carol Jiani, born Uchenna Ikejiani, is a Nigerian born disco diva who moved to Canada in the 1970s, originally to study but her singing career soon took off and the hits followed with the biggest one being Hit N Run Lover in 1981.
She continues to record and perform and is very popular with gay audiences in Europe and North America. 
Andy caught up with her for a little chat during a rare gap in her hectic schedule.
AG: You played at Liverpool’s first official Pride, how was that?
CJ: It was the most amazing experience. Music is a powerful tool that can reach the masses and the reasons I wanted to be there was to remind people that there is still so much work to be done.
There is still a lot of stigma and in many countries men and women are still being executed for being gay. I also wanted to remind the young of the history, of how Pride came about.
A lot of young people do not understand the history of Pride, like the Stonewall Riots for instance and we must educate them. Also it is a great cause for raising funds for charities, it’s not all about having a party, it really is for me that all men are equal and that love is the principal thing.
I would love to play there again this 2011.
AG: Being a Facebook friend of yours I can’t help noticing that you appear to be really busy and are gigging all over the place.
CJ: Yes I am very busy at the moment promoting my new tracks and also Disco is still big business in Europe . People love to party, bringing back the good old days when we had great melodies and uplifting sounds so I am so lucky to have had the classic "HIT AND RUN LOVER" very lucky indeed and so grateful.
AG: Why do you think you’re so popular with gay audiences?
CJ: Well the term gay was originally used to refer to feelings of being "carefree", "happy", or "bright and showy". I have a large gay fan base and a large gay following, it’s all about the love of being alive and enjoying the music. I started my career in 1979, the good old days I call it, music was uplifting and we all had fun then, we are all superstars we love to have a great time just having fun and living life to the full .
AG: Your first big hit and signature song Hit N Run Lover was back in 1981 and there have been various versions and remixes since – do you have a favourite? And do you ever get tired of singing it?
CJ: Wow yes I am so lucky, my favourite has got to be the original you cannot beat that. Yes it has been remixed every single year since its original release and I never get tired of singing it, I am lucky and blessed. The Group Lime played on every single instrument, a classic indeed and the original has stood the test of time.
AG: What projects are in the pipeline? I hear you’re going to be in a film…
CJ: So many projects in the pipeline, I am still recording and I’m very excited about the new project my first "Nollywood" Film.
AG: Nollywood?
CJ: The Nigerian feature film industry is sometimes colloquially known as Nollywood, having been derived as a play on Hollywood in the same manner as Bollywood.
It’sAfrica's largest movie industry in terms of both value and the number of movies produced per year. The New Film will be called "IDENTITY" and we start shooting soon, so very excited indeed and the diet starts now (laughs).
AG: How important are your Nigerian roots to you?
CJ: My Nigerian roots are very important to me, we must never forget our roots, If you’re British or wherever one comes from always remember your roots and give back and support your tradition.
We must always respect where we come from and continue to teach and accept each others traditions. Yes I am a very proud Nigerian.
Thank you so much for the interview let us continue to love and respect each other, that is the way forward for mankind.
AG: Thank you Carol and I hope to see you in August for our next Liverpool Pride.

Donna Summer - I Feel Love 12" Version (The extended 12 inch maxi-single...

Donna Summer - I Feel Love 12" Version (1979)

"Summer Fever" by Donna Summer -- Disco Video Mix by Glenn Rivera

Donna Summer released her third US LP titled "Four Seasons Of Love" in 1976 -- produced by Giorgio Moroder and Pete Bellotte. This project gave Donna another chapter exploring the sensual sound of disco music during its experimental stages. It was a great success for both Donna and disco music.

I have taken the track "Summer Fever" and used it for a Disco Video Mix along with the Marilyn Monroe iconic film "Seven Year Itch" from 1955 -- the film was a comedy and utilized Marilyn's sexy image and persona to portray a fantasy within the mind of our questioning husband, Tom Ewell.

Donna Summer actually used the famous subway scene for the back of her "Four Seasons Of Love" LP cover which gave me the idea to combine the two in a dreamlike video.

The film was directed by Billy Wilder

Featuring scenes from "Seven Year Itch"
Disco Video Mix by Glenn Rivera
Produced by Ken Emmons

Donna Summer,Love to Love you Baby Album

Love to Love You Baby is the second album by Donna Summer, and her first to be released internationally. It was released in the U.S. on December 16th, 1975.

History

Summer's previous album had only been released in European countries where she had also had a couple of hit singles.
In the summer of 1975, Summer approached Giorgio Moroder and Pete Bellotte with an idea for a song. She had come up with the lyric "Love to love you, baby" as the possible title for the song. Moroder in particular was interested in developing the new disco sound that was becoming increasingly popular, and used Summer's idea to develop the song into an overtly sexual disco track. He had the idea that she should moan and groan orgasmically, but Summer was initially reticent. Eventually she agreed to record the song as a demo to give to someone else (possibly singer Penny McLean). She has stated that she was not completely sure of some of the lyrics, and parts of the song were improvised during the recording (she later stated on a VH1 Behind the Music program that she pictured herself as Marilyn Monroe acting out the part of someone in sexual ecstasy). Moroder was so astounded with Summer's orgasmic vocals and her imaginative moans and groans that he insisted she should release the single herself. Summer reluctantly agreed and the song, titled "Love to Love You", was released to modest success in Europe.
When it reached America and the hands of Casablanca president Neil Bogart, however, he was so ecstatic over the demo that he requested Moroder to produce a twenty-minute version of the song. Summer, Moroder and producer Pete Bellotte cut a seventeen-minute version, renamed it "Love to Love You Baby", and Casablanca signed Summer and issued it as a single in November 1975. Casablanca distributed Summer's work in the U.S. while other labels distributed it in different nations during this period.
"Love to Love You Baby" was Summer's first big hit in America, reaching #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart in early 1976 and becoming her first Number-One Hot Dance Club Play chart hit. The album (side one of which was completely taken up with the full-length version of the title track) was also released in late 1975 and was soon certified gold for sales of over 500,000 copies in the U.S. The song was branded "graphic" by some music critics and was even banned by some radio stations for its explicit content. Time Magazine later reported that a record twenty-two orgasms were simulated by Summer in the making of the song. In some areas of the music press, Summer was dubbed "the first lady of love."
As a result the album sold very well, making the Top 20 in both the U.S. and the U.K.
The other songs on the album had a more soul/R&B feel to them. Side two consisted of four more original songs, plus a reprise of one of them. Two of the songs, "Full of Emptiness" (which was taken from her previous album Lady of the Night) and "Whispering Waves" were ballads, while "Need-a-Man Blues" was in a slightly more pop/disco vein, and "Pandora's Box" was more mid-tempo.

Track listing

All tracks written by Pete Bellotte and Giorgio Moroder except where noted

Side A
No.	Title	Length
1.	"Love to Love You Baby" (Written by Bellotte, Moroder, Donna Summer)	16:50

Side B
No.	Title	Length
2.	"Full of Emptiness"	2:22
3.	"Need-a-Man Blues"	4:30
4.	"Whispering Waves"	4:50
5.	"Pandora's Box"	4:56
6.	"Full of Emptiness (Reprise)"	2:20

Personnel

• Donna Summer: lead vocals
• Pete Bellotte, Molly Moll, Nick Woodland: guitars
• Giorgio Moroder: keyboards, percussion
• Michael Thatcher: keyboards
• Dave King: bass
• Martin Harrison: drums
• Bernie Brocks: percussion
• Strings and horns arranged by Michael Thatcher

Production

• Arranged by Giorgio Moroder
• Produced by Pete Bellotte
• Recorded and engineered by Mack and Hans Menzel
• Mixed by Giorgio Moroder
• Mastered by Joseph M. Palmaccio

Our Love - Glenn Rivera ReStructure Mix - Donna Summer

Our Love" is a track, which is a love song, set to the fabulous music of Giorgio Moroder along with the alluring vocals of Donna Summer.

It is truly one of the disco music's most innovative and lasting attempts on the dance floor. There is a very strong emotional piece left behind with both Moroder's music and Donna's vocals. A recognizable part of this song may be the beat tracks, which definitely were the inspiration for New Order's "Blue Monday".

This ReStructure Mix was executed with a minimal of new elements added and only original parts left intact and re-wired.

Dedicated to Bob T. of Centereach, NY.

Donna Summer,A Love Trilogy Album

A Love Trilogy is the third album by Donna Summer. It was released on March 5th, 1976, just eight months after her international breakthrough with the single and album of the same name - "Love To Love You Baby". The boldly sexual nature of that particular song had earned Summer the title "The first lady of love." By now Summer's work was being distributed in the U.S. by Casablanca Records, and they in particular were keen for her to continue portraying this image, despite her not being completely comfortable with it. As such, the Love Trilogy album continued in the same vein with the first side being taken up entirely by one long disco track in three movements ('Try Me', 'I Know', and 'We Can Make It'), the "love trilogy" of the title - "Try Me, I Know We Can Make It". Side Two contained a further three sexually-oriented disco songs, including a cover of Barry Manilow's "Could It Be Magic". The album's artwork showed Summer floating light-heartedly through the clouds, again adding to the image of her as a fantasy figure.
While the album sold well across the world, (it was her second, consecutive album to be certified Gold in the United States) it failed to produce a successful follow-up single to "Love To Love You Baby". Edited versions of "Try Me, I Know We Can Make It" and "Could It Be Magic" charted in some nations, but sales figures did not come close to those of her breakthrough single.

Track listing

Side A
No.	Title	Length
1.	"Try Me, I Know We Can Make It" (Pete Bellotte, Giorgio Moroder, Donna Summer)	17:59

Side B
No.	Title	Length
2.	"Intro: Prelude To Love" (Bellotte, Moroder, Summer)	1:06
3.	"Could It Be Magic" (Adrienne Anderson, Barry Manilow)	5:15
4.	"Wasted" (Bellotte, Moroder)	5:09
5.	"Come With Me" (Bellotte, Moroder)	4:22

Personnel

• Donna Summer – vocals, composer
• Giorgio Moroder – bass guitar, composer, producer and synthesizer
• Pete Bellotte – composer, producer
• Backing vocals: Madeline Bell, Sunny Leslie, Sue Glover (the Midnite Ladies)
• Other musicians on this album were known collectively as "Munich Machine" and worked on a variety of Moroder/Bellotte productions from this period.
• Munich Machine are: Thor Baldursson - string arrangement, Frank Diez - guitar, Keith Forsey - drums, Martin Harrison - drums, Molly Moll - guitar, Gary Unwin - bass.

Production

• Producers: Giorgio Moroder, Pete Bellotte
• Engineer: Juergen Koppers, Mack & Hans
• Musical arrangements: Giorgio Moroder and Thor Baldurson

Donna Summer - Winter melody (WEN!NG'S Snowflake-Dancemix)_1.rmvb

Dancemix of the Donna Summer Classic 'Winter melody' by ANDRE WEN!NG.

Donna Summer,Lady of the Night Album

Lady of the Night is the first album by American singer Donna Summer. The album, which was produced by Pete Bellotte, was released in 1974 only in The Netherlands, and spawned the minor European hit singles "The Hostage" and "Lady Of The Night". The songs, written by the Moroder/Bellotte team, are mostly of the pop/rock/folk variety - there are no signs here of what was to come the following year with Love to Love You Baby.

Track listing

All tracks composed by Giorgio Moroder and Pete Bellotte; except where indicated

Side A
No.	Title	Length
1.	"Lady of the Night"	3:58
2.	"Born To Die"	3:24
3.	"Friends"	3:31
4.	"Full of Emptiness" (Omitted on CD reissues)	2:26
5.	"Domino" (Written by Bellotte)	3:14

Side B
No.	Title	Length
6.	"The Hostage"	4:16
7.	"Wounded"	2:43
8.	"Little Miss Fit"	3:06
9.	"Let's Work Together Now" (Written by Bellotte)	3:58
10.	"Sing Along (Sad Song)"	3:20

Lady Of The Night-Hey Honey, Come Gimme Money - Glenn Rivera ReStructure...

Ray Martinez blends the sound of bid band and sexy lounge beats to create "Lady Of The Night" from 1980. This track is a classic among dancers and collectors and for good reason. It brings to mind the sound of bands like Dr. Buzzard and The Original Savannah Band and Charlie Callelo.

Other projects from Ray Martinez include Amant, Passion, Foxy, George McCrae, Jill, Angie and Celi Bee

I have taken Ray's wonderful song and ReStructured it with a new intro and few breakdowns to give the song a new aim. It is still one of the sexiest tracks I know and will always be on my top 20 list.

Dedicated to Mr. Ray Martinez - and thank you Ray for your friendship!

Captain and Tennille - "Happy Together (A Fantasy) 1980

Middle Eastern-flavored electro-disco version of the 1967 song "Happy Together" by the Turtles; reached #53 Pop in the USA in May 1980; reached #27 Adult Contemporary in the USA in May 1980

Captain & Tennille are American pop music recording artists who achieved chart success from 1975 to 1980. The duo consists of "Captain" Daryl Dragon (born August 27, 1942), and Cathryn Antoinette "Toni" Tennille (born May 8, 1940), who are also married. They are best known for their singles "Love Will Keep Us Together" and "Do That to Me One More Time". Their television variety series appeared on the ABC network in the 1976–77 season.

In 1971 Toni Tennille was performing in an ecology-themed musical called Mother Earth when the show changed venues from San Francisco to Los Angeles. Daryl Dragon (son of composer Carmen Dragon) had been playing in a backing band for The Beach Boys, but was between tours when Tennille called him in to audition as a replacement keyboardist for Mother Earth. Reciprocating in kind, Dragon later got the Beach Boys to take Tennille on the next tour as part of the backing band. When the tour was over, they began performing as a duo at the Smoke House Restaurant in Burbank, California, where an early version of their single "The Way I Want to Touch You" led to a contract with A&M Records.
Their first hit single was a cover of Neil Sedaka and Howard Greenfield's "Love Will Keep Us Together". The track went to number-one on the Billboard Hot 100 nine weeks after its debut in 1975, and it went on to win the Grammy Award for Record of the Year. It sold over one and a half million copies, and was awarded a gold disc by the R.I.A.A. in July 1975. A Spanish recording of the single ("Por Amor Viviremos") also charted that same year. This was the first time two versions of the same single charted at the same time.
Toni and Daryl married on 11 November 1975; however, for many years they publicized their anniversary as February 14, not only because it was Valentine's Day, but because they had already been living together for quite some time, which may have not gone over well with the public's squeaky-clean image of them and could have severely hurt their record sales. Therefore, they decided to tell everyone that they had married before "Love Will Keep Us Together" was released. In fact, they had not.

Popular success

Over the next few years Captain & Tennille released a string of hit singles including "The Way I Want to Touch You" (U.S. #4) and another million seller; "Lonely Night (Angel Face)" (U.S. #3); "Shop Around" (U.S. #4); "Muskrat Love" (U.S. #4); and "You Never Done It Like That" (U.S. #10). Such was their level of success that they were given their own television variety show, The Captain & Tennille, but they were not only unhappy with its network-imposed heavy reliance on comedy, but also its physical demands and its resulting overexposure of their image, and they asked to be released from their contract. They also left A&M when it began to turn its attentions to the newly signed punk rock act Sex Pistols at the expense of acts such as The Carpenters and themselves.
In July 1976, Captain & Tennille were invited by First Lady Betty Ford to perform in the East Room of the White House in the presence of Queen Elizabeth II and President Gerald Ford during the Bicentennial celebration.
In 1979, Neil Bogart signed them to a contract with Casablanca Records, and they reached number-one with their first single "Do That to Me One More Time" in January 1980. Subsequent singles achieved only moderate success, and when Bogart died in 1982, Casablanca went bankrupt, and the duo was left without a record company. They signed with CBS Records but were released from their contract.
In between time, Toni Tennille had recorded two solo albums—one in 1984 with Mirage Records called More Than You Know and the other in 1987 entitled All Of Me for another unknown independent label.
Captain & Tennille appeared on many television talk shows of the era. In an appearance on The Mike Douglas Show in July 1981, Tennille sang "Love Will Keep Us Together" accompanied by music played by a TI 99/4A home computer.
During the duo's period of highest popularity, Tennille also worked as a session singer (most frequently partnered with The Beach Boys' Bruce Johnston), performing as a backing vocalist on three Elton John albums including Caribou, Blue Moves, and 21 at 33 (some vocally arranged by Dragon) and most notably on the hit track "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me". She also appeared as a backing vocalist on tracks by Art Garfunkel and The Beach Boys, as well as Pink Floyd for whom she performed backing tracks on The Wall album.

Linda Clifford-Red Light 1980

Linda Clifford is known for a string of disco classics -- Runaway Love, If My Friends Could See Me Now, and Red Light, to name a few. Not to mention her duets with Curtis Mayfield, and for recording the first version of "All the Man I Need" (made famous by Whitney Houston years later).

This song comes from the original soundtrack of the 1980 Academy Award- and Golden Globe-winning film Fame starring Irene Cara, Lee Curreri, Paul McCrane and Laura Dean.

Disco 12" - Pattie Brooks - Heartbreak In Disguise

From the album "Our Ms Brooks", featured here is the 12" single version.

Patti LaBelle - Eyes in the Back of My Head 1978

Tasty is the sophomore solo release by singer Patti LaBelle, her second solo album with Epic Records, since departing from Labelle in 1976. The album was less successful than the debut but became notable for the disco club hit, "Eyes in the Back of My Head" and the airplay-only ballad, "Little Girls", which became a popular LaBelle favorite with her fans. The album was one of four LaBelle released on the Epic label. The mid-tempo song "Don't Let Go" was later covered successfully by Isaac Hayes a year later. The gospel-emulated ballad "I See Home" was covered by Tina Turner on her album, Love Explosion, a year after this album was released. LaBelle also co-wrote two songs on the album, the Latin soul-flavored "Teach Me Tonight" and the gospel-like "Quiet Time". Her longtime musical director Bud Ellison also helped in those songs' arrangements. The up-tempo funky disco song, "Eyes in the Back of My Head" found some international success reaching number-five on the Italian singles chart.

Track listing

1. "Save the Last Dance for Me" (Doc Pomus, Mort Shuman) (5:05)
2. "Monkey See Monkey Do" (M. Franks) (5:12)
3. "Little Girls" (Aaron G. Willis, Jr.) (6:46)
4. "You Make It Hard to Say No" (Boz Scaggs) (5:35)
5. "Teach Me Tonight (Me Gusta Tu Baile)" (Armstead Edwards, James R. Budd Ellison, LaBelle) (5:21)
6. "Quiet Time" (Armstead Edwards, James R. Budd Ellison, LaBelle) (5:05)
7. "Don't Let Go" (Jesse Stone) (4:06)
8. "I See Home" (Aaron G. Willis, Jr., David Lasley) (5:57)
9. "Eyes in the Back of My Head" (5:25)

Tom Moulton Special Part 1 Interview

The Eclectic Circus Tom Moulton Special Part 1 by The Eclectic Circus

Tom Moulton (born 1940) is an American record producer and originator of the remix, the breakdown section, and the 12-inch single vinyl format. He has humbly maintained that the last two innovations were pure accidents. Perhaps contrary to expectation, Moulton's early successes in "mixing down" dance records were the result of insistently taking away elements from the original multi-track.

His career started in the late 1960's with a self-made tape of overlapping songs created for the Fire Island bar and restaurant The Sandpiper. As the club in question was very high profile, it was only a matter of time before his skills were noticed and put to use pre-release by those in the music industry. Moulton preferred R&B and dance music, but actually mixed a wide range of popular recordings. A noteworthy quote has him saying, "I never made a dance record, I made records you can dance to."

Moulton worked as a model at the Bookings and Ford agencies before beginning his production career. Before that, he had worked in the music industry, holding a sales and promotion job at King Records (from 1959 to 1961) and similar positions at RCA and United Artists. He eventually left due to his disgust at the industry's dishonesty.

His notable achievements in recording technique include extending the high frequencies and tightening the bottom for better sounding play at high volume and lengthening for greater musical and emotional impact by repeating key passages.

He was responsible for the first continuous-mix album side ever, on Gloria Gaynor's seminal disco album "Never Can Say Goodbye", earning him the title the "father of the Disco Mix" (today megamix). Among some of his other success in mixing songs are The Three Degrees' "Dirty Ol' Man", MFSB featuring The Three Degrees "Love Is The Message", B.T. Express' "Do It (Til You're Satisfied)", The Trammps' "Disco Inferno", People's Choice's "Do It Any Way You Wanna", The Andrea True Connection's "More, More, More" and First Choice's "Doctor Love", Claudja Barry's album "The Girl Most Likely".

Tom Moulton's innovative work was honored at the 2004 Dance Music Hall of Fame ceremony in New York City when he was inducted for his achievements as a Remixer. He is the official archivist of the Bethlehem Jazz and Salsoul music catalogues, and has overseen all of the digital remastering for the entire catalog. In late 2006 Moulton would remix the Brand New Heavies (featuring N'Dea Davenport) single "I Don't Know (Why I Love You)", a cover of the Stevie Wonder and Jackson 5 hit.

Tom Moulton Special Part 2 Interview

The Eclectic Circus Tom Moulton Special Part 2 by The Eclectic Circus

Claudja Barry

Claudja Barry, (born 1952, Jamaica) was raised in Toronto, Ontario and later based in Germany, is a singer and actress who has performed in the European versions of the stage musicals Hair and Catch My Soul.

Early music career

Before she embarked on a solo career, Claudja Barry was part of the studio group Boney M from 1975 to 1976. She has had two Billboard Hot 100 entries. The first being "Dancin' Fever" which peaked at #72, off The Girl Most Likely album. The other song being "Boogie Woogie Dancin' Shoes" (R&B #37, Pop #56 in 1979) from the album I Wanna Be Loved By You, released in 1978. Both became major mainstream pop hits in Canada and Europe. In 1976 the soulful ballad "Love for the Sake of Love" got airplay, and in 1979, another single, Boogie Tonight was released off the "I Wanna..." album, received Canadian airplay and was also remixed into a 12" Disco Single.

The 1980s

During 1980 with the release of her Feel The Fire album, Claudja's songs were becoming highly synthesized - this was her final album to feature an earthier, more horn & string approach to the production of her music. By 1981, she made a successful foray into New Wave/Hi-NRG music with the Made In Hong Kong album which is touted as her best album. It featured the lead single "Radio Action" which became a moderate club hit peaking at #57. In 1985, she appeared in the movie Rappin', starring Mario Van Peebles. The year 1985 also saw the release of the single, "Born To Love" which sounds similar to a Pet Shop Boys or Erasure song. This single was produced by New York City based Hi-NRG producer, singer and songwriter, Bobby Orlando. "Born To Love" features airy, ethereal synths and aggressive, syncopated synthesizers and a fierce lead guitar which made it a Top 20 smash, peaking at #14 on Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart. Dance format radio stations in the United States did not give it major exposure since the album it was lifted from was a UK only release.
On the Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart, she has much more success: six Top 10 hits, including "Down and Counting," which spent a week at #1 in 1986. The song also became only the third single to chart outside of the Dance charts in the U.S., peaking at a #98 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks. Barry did not have further success on that chart despite several mid tempo and ballad songs such as "I Will Follow Him" and "If I Do It To You" which could have been hits on the chart had they been pushed on the Urban radio format in 1982. "Down and Counting" was the lead single from her album, "I, Claudja", her only record for Epic Records.

The 1990s

After her run at Epic did not result in another album, she went more quiet, focusing her music career to her fans in Canada and abroad. She still remained active recording a pair of underground club classics during the early 1990s. The singles "Love Is An Island" (1991) and "Summer of Love" (1992) are highly regarded club hits to those who know them. In 1993, the German euro-dance project General Base featured Barry as lead singer for their single "Poison", which got a greater success. "Summer of Love" was successful enough that it maintains radio airplay on some radio stations such as WMPH. Both single became major hits outside of the U.S. In Brazil, in 1996, her song "Brand New Day" was a great success. After a Christmas/Holiday Dance album titled, Disco'round The Christmas Tree was released on Radikal Records in 1995, then an extended mix compilation titled, Disco Mixes, she went quiet for the remainder of the decade because she wanted to focus on raising a family.

1999 to present

In 1999, R&B artist Montell Jordan sampled the rhythm track from Barry's single "Love For the Sake of Love," for the hit titled, "Get It On Tonite" (#4 on the Hot 100). In May 2006, Barry returned to the Billboard charts with "I Will Stand" released on Donna Jean Records. By July the song had reached the Top 10 of the Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart, peaking at #4 before the end of the summer. It received moderate dance radio format airplay. Barry is working on her long awaited album.

Discography

Albums

• Sweet Dynamite Lollipop 1976
• The Girl Most Likely Lollipop 1977
• Claudja Salsoul 1978
• I Wanna Be Loved By You Lollipop 1978
• Feel The Fire Hot Productions 1980
• Made In Hong Kong Hot Productions 1981
• If I Do It To You Ensign (UK)1985
• I, Claudja Epic Records 1987
• The Best of Claudja Barry Hot Productions 1991

Joe Bataan - Sadie (She Smokes) [12"] 1980

From 1980 the original 12" mix feat Jocelyn Brown.

Joe Bataan (also spelled Bataán) (born 1942 in Spanish Harlem, New York City) is a Filipino-American Latin R&B musician from New York. He was born Bataan Nitollano and grew up in the 103rd St. and Lexington Ave. part of East Harlem where he briefly lead the Dragons, a local Puerto Rican street gang, before being sent to the Coxsackie Correctional Facility to serve time for a stolen car charge.

Upon his release in 1965, he turned his attention to music and formed his first band, Joe Bataan and the Latin Swingers. Bataan was influenced by two musical styles: the Latin boogaloo and African American doo-wop. Though Bataan was neither the first nor only artist to combine doo-wop-style singing with Latin rhythms, his talent for it drew the attention of Fania Records. After signing with them in 1966, Bataan released "Gypsy Woman," in 1967. (The title track is a Latin dance cover of "Gypsy Woman" by The Impressions.) He would, in full, release eight original titles for Fania which included the gold-selling "Riot!". These Fania albums often mixed energetic Latin dance songs, sung in Spanish, with slower, English-language soul ballads sung by Bataan himself. As a vocalist, Bataan's fame in the Latin music scene at the time was only rivaled by Ralfi Pagan and Harvey Averne.

Disagreements over money with Fania head Jerry Masucci lead Bataan to eventually leave the label. While still signed to Fania however, Bataan secretly started Ghetto Records, a Latin music label which got its initial funding from a local gangster, George Febo. Bataan produced several albums for other artists, including Papo Felix, Paul Ortiz and Eddie Lebron.

In 1973, he helped coin the phrase "salsoul," lending its name to his first post-Fania album. Along with the Cayre brothers, he co-founded Salsoul label, though later sold out his interest. He recorded three albums for Salsoul and several singles, including "Rap-O Clap-O," from 1979 which became an early hip hop hit. After his 1981 album, "Bataan II," he retired from music-making to spend more time with his family and ended up working as a youth counselor in one of the reformatories he himself had spent time in as a teenager. In 2005, Bataan broke his long hiatus with the release of "Call My Name," a well-received album recorded for Spain's Vampisoul label.

Bataan is also the father of Asia Nitollano, winner of the Pussycat Dolls Present: The Search for the Next Doll

In the 2006 video game, Driver Parallel Lines, Joe Bataan's song Subway Joe was included in the soundtrack.

In early 2009, Joe Bataan was featured in the Kenzo Digital-produced "beat cinematic" City of God's Son. Bataan was featured as the narrator of the story, paying the part of an older Nas reflecting upon his youth in the street with cohorts Jay-Z, Ghostface Killah, Biggie and Raekwon.
Discography

* 1967 Gypsy Woman (Fania 340)
* 1968 Subway Joe (Fania 345)
* 1968 Riot! (Fania 354)
* 1969 Poor Boy (Fania 371)
* 1970 Singin' Some Soul (Fania 375)
* 1971 Mr. New York & The East Side Kids (Fania 395)
* 1972 Sweet Soul (Fania 407)
* 1972 Saint Latin's Day Massacre (Fania 420)
* 1972 Live From San Frantasia (unreleased, Fania 432)
* 1973 Salsoul (Mericana)
* 1975 Afro-Filipino (Salsoul/Epic Records)
* 1980 Mestizo (Salsoul)
* 1981 II (Salsoul)
* 1997 Last Album, Last Song (Bataan Music)
* 2004 Call My Name (Vampisoul)
* 2009 King of Latin Soul (Vampisoul)

Rick Gianatos

Rick Gianatos, who is perhaps one of the more unsung disco mix masters out there these days.. Gianatos, a pioneer DJ, mixer and producer who had been a DJ in both New York and Chicago (another Chicago connection) and had been one of the principals behind one of the earliest disco remix services (Disco Queen Records) before getting involved with AVI Records..

Along with his work for AVI (as an A&R Administrator and mixer on records by AVI acts like Lowrell, Eastbound Expressway, Evelyn Thomas and many of their Ian Levine productions) he was also behind the mixes of some disco biggies like Gene Chandler's "Get Down," Front Page's "Love Insurance" and Shalamar's "Right In The Socket," among others.. Aside from mixing, Gianatos also scored some high-profile production gigs for the likes of Shirley Bassey (one of the two disco remakes of "This Is My Life" along with an incomplete/unreleased album), Scherrie Payne (of The Supremes), D'llegance and later, a production associate of Ian Levine's on many of his 'Motorcity' recordings in the 80's. Although I'm not as familiar with Gianatos' work as I am with some of the other disco mixers out there, I'm a major fan of the sound he had on some of the records he mixed, namely this one the and the awesome El Coco "Cocomotion '79" remix. Full and elegant, yet not at all cluttered or overproduced, both sound like prime examples of a spacious and highly effective "less is more" approach to things.. 

Gianatos evidently returned to the music business in 2006, having produced a single for Pattie Brooks, a remake of her disco classic "After Dark." It seems to have been full steam ahead since then with Gianatos working on projects with not only Ms. Brooks, but other back-in-the-day disco divas like Linda Clifford; Hodges, James & Smith and The Former Ladies of The Supremes (a trio including former Supremes Lynda Laurence and Scherrie Payne) on endeavours such as the recent "Dreamgirls Dance Project". Apparently there's another forthcoming project uniting many of these disco ladies, entitled "Desperate Divas," which is appropriate enough, I guess, given some of these divas' lack of recording in recent years. More information about his recent efforts can be found on his own website RickGianatos.com. In addition to that, Rick himself had also posted on a thread at the discomusic.com forums about a year ago regarding some of his work with AVI and others. A great read with an interesting look into his background and discography, for those who are interested.

Scherrie Payne -- One Night Only

Scherrie Payne debuts "One Night Only" CD Single at the Avalon [the historic Hollywood Palace] at the charity event of the same name with the help of former members of Dawn Pam and Joyce Vincent! CD Single available at www.perfectbeat.com from the forthcoming CD Album www.DreamgirlsDanceProject.com

"Last Dance" - Cynthia Manley with Rod Hanna Band - Brazil 2008

"Ain't No Mountain High Enough" - Cynthia Manley with Rod Hanna Band - Brazil 2008

Interview Sylvester ,Sylvester Disco Legend

Sylvester Disco Legend

Speaking with Dancefloor Legend Sylvester James

Approaching Sylvester from an interview he gave the NME in September 1982 is interesting because it introduces a living Sylvester.journalist Barney Hoskyns meets Sylvester in San Francisco when his single ‘Taking Away Your Space’ has just been released. Sylvester is living, at this time, in a flat overlooking the Castro. “You can become a star with one record,” he tells Hoskyns, “the problem is staying there, remaining at the top. I can tell you truthfully, I have lived on my legend sometimes with nothing, no money, no anything But every time I walk into a room, the illusion I was able to create was still there.” Sylvester said he learned this ‘directly’ from Josephine Baker. “She said that the illusion you create onstage is all.”

Sylvester and the Late 1960s

Sylvester (real name Sylvester James) was born in 1947 and died in 1988. The 1947 is worth focusing on, that would make him 20 in 1967; the perfect age to be part of the late 60s youth culture.

Sylvester first enters Western music and art culture in the very late 60s and early 70s as a member of The Cockettes. Formed in 1969 The Cockettes were a psychedelic drag queen group that earned a cult following in San Francisco for larger than life performances that often parodied famous show tunes and musicals. Cockette shows included ‘Journey to the Center Of Uranus’ and ‘Pears Over Shanghai’. In 1971 they played shows in NY to an audience that included John Lennon, Truman Capote and Gore Vidal.

Sylvester and LSD

You can see The Cockettes on YouTube in the film ‘Tricia’s Wedding’; Sylvester is featured in the film and you can see him pouring a bottle labeled ‘LSD’ into the wedding punch. There is also great archive film of The Cockettes filmed by the American film artist Michael Auder that is periodically shown in galleries.

Speaking about the late 60s, Sylvester is candid on the period. “13 years ago (1969) I came up here from LA to take drugs. Then they were all free, everyone was making them in their apartments. For two whole years I did nothing except have fun.”

Joe Cocker and Sylvester

Sylvester discusses his grounding in rock’n’roll. He wasn’t even singing funk before he sang disco. Sylvester was the backing singer, for a while, with Boz Scaggs and also with Joe Cocker on his ‘Mad Dogs and Englishmen’ tour; he ended up hanging out in London with David Bowie and a pre-sex change Amanda Lear. Sylvester revealed that Dan Hartman (another disco master) also had a background in rock; Sylvester knew Hartman from the days when Hartman was in Edgar Winters band.

Post Cockettes Sylvester performed and recorded in San Francisco. He released several tracks and two entire LPs of rock-oriented music as Sylvester & The Hot Band on the Blue Thumb label. There was another mid 70s band The Four A’s. Sylvester signed a solo deal with Fantasy Records in 1977; working here he started to collaborate with producer Patrick Cowley and recorded his classics ‘You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real’) and ‘Dance (Disco Heat)’. He later recorded for Cowley’s Megatone Records, notably releasing ‘Do You Wanna Funk’ in 1982. He recorded an LP for Warner Bros ‘Mutual Attraction’ released 1986.

Patrick Cowley and Sylvester

Sylvester says that he was doing drag shows in San Francisco when he met Cowley. “He had this one little machine, and his first synthesiser. He’d be taping records, making little mixes all the time.”

Sylvester’s grandmother was the 20s and 30s jazz singer Julia Morgan. She encouraged the young Sylvester to sing and as a child he performed gospel in Churches in LA and across California. As a young teen he spent some time homeless when his parents marriage broke up but nevertheless finished high school and college (Lamert Beauty College).

Speaking to Hoskyns he is in full-flight as a worker and a performer. “I always believed that when you’re on stage, people are physically looking up at you. You have to give them something to look at. I always believed in glamour, and I have always given people a show.”

He also insisted that his sexuality had nothing to do with his music. “I think,” he said my career has transcended the gay movement.” And he was aware of the frissons of success. “There’s nothing worse than a fallen star, when the light burns out and you still have these illusions…”

Sylvester died of complications from AIDS in San Francisco on December 16, 1988. When he was diagnosed Sylvester was public about his condition, attending Pride events in a wheelchair and speaking the media.