Song Of The Day: I Can't Wait

Nu Shooz - I Can't Wait

Song Of The Day: If You Really Want Me.

Sister Sledge - If You Really Want Me

From the 1981 album, 'All American Girls'. a great song from a great album. This song continues to grow on me. It's fantastic slick funk riff and that slammin bass slide, and I can't stop listening to that crazy sax solo over and over!

Free music - If You Really Want Me

Song Of The Day: There It Is

Shalamar- There It Is



Released in 1982, from the album 'Friends'.

Ultimate Feel-Good 80s disco. love it.

Can't Wait! Janet Jackson and Prince.

I am sooo excited for July. I already had tickets for Janet Jackson, then a couple of days ago I hear that PRINCE, yes Prince is doing one UK date. As soon as I heard I was on the net like a shot finding out when.. turns out he's doing a Hop Farm Festival.. And of couse I made sure I got tickets. What makes it better is that Janet Jackson is the day before Prince! So it's gonna be an ultimate weekend, I get to see my favourite male artist and female artist of all time in the space of two days!

I'm so pleased Janet is bringing her 'Up Close And Personal Tour' to England, I've wanted her to come here for a long time. It's off the back of her Number Ones album so that's basically what she'll be performing. The Number Ones album is great.. 2 discs of her greatest hits. I've read a few reviews of the tour and they are really positive. She's been doing smaller venues for a more personal setting , hence 'Up Close and Personal'. I think it will be amazing and she will definitely put on a show, and of course there's so many fantastic songs to see her perform. Can't wait to hear Black Cat live expecially!

I'm honestly still in disbelief..... I can't believe I'm gonna get to see him again. Prince is INCREDIBLE live.
I last saw him at his legendary 21 nights at the O2 Arena. He did TWO encores. There's no doubt that he will be amazing yet again at Hop Farm Festival. I think this show is probably part of his current 'Welcome to America' tour. I heard a rumour earlier this year that he might be doing Glastonbury, but I didn't hear any more about it after that. Then suddenly the day before the ticket release, it's announced he's doing Hop Farm Festival in Kent, headlining alongside The Eagles and Morrissey. I'd never even heard of this festival before.. it seems so random. But I'm not complaining. He's guaranteed to be exciting. At his concerts you get to see how truly multi-talented he is and he has the best musicians playing with him. Every night he plays, there's a different setlist, I once read that sometimes his band don't even know what they're gonna play til last minute, he never does the same show twice. He's also very witty when talking to his crowd and gets everyone into it. It's the funkiest party around so If anyone gets the chance.. Go see him! And party like it's 1999!

 Here's a video of him announcing his Welcome 2 America Tour.. <3





"Bring Foot Spray, Cuz it's gon' be funky" :D

Let Shannon's Music Play

I was listening to Let The Music Play by Shannon, earlier. I only really knew that song by her so I thought I'd see what some of her other songs were like.
Someone on Youtube has uploaded the tracks from her first two albums, Let The Music Play and Do You Wanna Get Away. ----- http://www.youtube.com/user/essamahmod99.

I had a listen and the second album Do You Wanna Get Away stood out to me, I would say more so than it's predecessessor for now. I had a quick listen to each of the tracks and I'm impressed. Super Electro Funk.
The track I loved straight away is 'Urgent'. I love the different saxophone parts running through it.. and it has a great melody and beat. Can't wait to be singing along to this one. It's actually a cover, it's originally by Foreigner in 1981. But from what I heard the two have very different vibes, the Foreigner version is good too.




Another good track is 'Stop The Noise'. Again, it has an interesting blend of synth sounds.




From the snippets of each track I listened to, they all sounded good. So go to that youtube link to listen to the tracks, also while you're there check out the songs from 'Let The Music Play' too.

Two from Loz Netto

So I'm chilling at a family friend's house.. and randomly in conversation.. she tells me her cousin is a producer/artist from the 80s. I'm like what?! I can't believe she hadn't mentioned this before. Her cousin is Loz Netto. She showed me his video for 'We Touch'. I really like it!
I had a look at his bio on his website and his career is pretty interesting! He started by playing guitar on tour for Ben E King, GENE SIMMONS was interested in having him on the label he was trying to set up, and he's produced on his albums but also worked on others' albums including Boomania by Betty Boo. And Chaka Khan covered his song 'Slow Dancin'.

There's way more to read, here's the link to his website,
http://www.loznetto.co.uk

Here are a couple of tracks :)

We Touch ("Loz Netto", released in 1986)






Fade Away ("Loz's Netto's Bzar", released in 1982)

Prince- The Hits/The B-Sides

I LOVE Prince <3 .. and actually I would go as far as to say he is my favourite artist. As I said on a previous post I've been going through the tracks on my old ipod. It's packed with Prince and Prince-related songs. I was reminded of how great some of his B-sides are. So I thought I would mention the album 'The Hits/The B-sides'.

It was released in 1993 as a 3-disc set. The first two discs are compiled of hits and fan favourites throughout 1977-1999. The 3rd is dedicated to the tracks from the b-sides of his single releases. And these b-sides are glorious. I believe there are a few tracks on this disc that are some of his best. So if you're a Prince fan, I would say you are missing out if you don't have it in your collection. As there is not really any other way of obtaining these tracks all on one cd. There are also four previously unreleased tracks included in the compilation (Pope,Pink Cashmere, Peach and Power Fantastic).

So here are some of my favourite Prince B-Sides:-
(I'm not the most computer 'savvy' girl ever, so be patient with me.. As soon as I figure out how to successfully post the proper audio files onto here, and find my copy of this album, I will do. For now I'll attach the audio via youtube.)

17 DAYS - (B-side of "When Doves Cry"/1984)




SHOCKADELICA - (B-side of "If I Was Your Girlfriend"/1987)




SHE'S ALWAYS IN MY HAIR - (B-side of "Raspberry Beret"/1985)



(Please note: the videos I've posted for Shockadelica and She's Always In My Hair, are extended versions. These tracks appear on The Hits/The B-sides as average length versions.)

Those are my absolute favourites from the B-sides disc, but it is filled with other fantastic tracks. Go get it!

Here is the back cover of the set, so you can see the tracklisting.

x

Song Of The Day: Edge Of The Razor

Edge Of The Razor- Stephanie Mills



Released in 1984 from the album, 'I've Got The Cure'.

It's a great single but unfortunately is not included on 'Stephanie Mills- The Collection' that I bought a few months back. But apart from that, all the other great hits are on it, so it's worth a purchase.

On The Old Ipod

A few years ago now my Mum bought me a great hifi for my birthday, its one of those ones with a ipod dock. Which was good until I cracked the screen of my ipod and updated it for a newer version.. and found it didn't fit the hifi :/. Anyway the ipod still works but everything just has to be listened to in aphabetical order.. lol. But my Mum decided to put it on the other day. It was good to hear the songs I hadn't really heard in a while. So I thought I would share the songs I was particularly pleased to hear. We got to about 'G' in the alphabet that day haha.

Alexander O'neal- Fake




Bruce Hornsby & The Range- The Way It Is




Cher- I Found Someone




Extreme- Kid Ego




The Family- Screams Of Passion




George Clinton- Atomic Dog



I will listen to some more to see what other gems are on there :D

Song Of The Day: Valerie.

Steve Winwood- Valerie




Released in 1982 from the album 'Talking Back To The Night'. It was re-released in 1987 and this is the version I've posted, this is a better video and the one I remember. Sound wise, it doesn't appear to be that different just more production it seems.
It's written by Steve Winwood and Will Jennings.

I chose this as song of the day because it I heard it on Abolute80s Radio earlier.. I enjoyed hearing it again..haven't really heard it in a while.

A Reason To Love The Eighties

One of the things that I love most about 80s music is the intricacy. Incorporating various instruments and the way that they are all fit together creates a mindblowing multi-dimensional sound. Some may say it's 'over-production', but I think producers in the 80s were genius. There's the infectious riffs and strong beats, and all the little synth/guitar sounds here and there. I think of it as a FULL sound, every gap is filled with little details.  Add a good powerful voice, and that is perfection to me. I think of it as a beautiful piece of artwork with impecable detail.
This is a characteristic that resounds in pretty much every genre of music poppin' in the 80s, in Pop, Soul, Funk, New Jack Swing, Rock and Metal etc.

Also the 80s seems to be the decade when maybe there was a sense of unity. I don't know if this was the case, just how I see it. I say this because, if you listen to a relatively broad spectrum of 80s music over time, you will see that this decade was packed with genre-busting songs. For example, the trend of pop and soul artists crossing over into rock and sometimes even hard rock. Artists like Prince, Chaka Khan, Tina Turner etc. One of my favourite examples of this is Janet Jackson's 'Black Cat', she rocks it so hard! And it is definitely some heavy guitar.

And again, the same thing happened with Rock artists, using synth and horns alot more. You hear synth across many different rock songs of the 80s whether it's the main riff, obviously in Van Halen's Jump, or synth to fill the background, found in the songs of many more-commercial hard rock and AOR bands like Heart, Y&T, Danger Danger, Bon Jovi etc. And later in the decade towards the start of the 90s, horns started to appear in hard rock. Songs like 'Tall Dark Handsome Stranger' by Heart, 'Dude Looks Like A Lady' by Aerosmith and 'Lil Jack Horny' and 'Get The Funk Out' both by Extreme.

And the popstars in between, constantly challenging the stereotypical distinguishing aspects of the styles they belonged to, by borrowing elements of different genres creating the unique collective sound, that I think to this day, really belongs to the 80s. Also the 80s gave us the first taste of giants of different styles, teaming up to create something really special, like Aerosmith and Run DMC's 'Walk This Way'. This sense of merging, also showed through the artists outfits and costumes, but I will go into that another day.

So there's one reason, a big reason, why I love this decade .To me, it will always be the most exciting decade of music.

x

Song Of The Day: Betcha She Don't Love You

Betcha She Don't Love You- Evelyn 'Champagne' King



Released 1982 from the album 'Get Loose'.
Written by Kashif Saleem, who also wrote her biggest hit 'Love Come Down'.

I bought a hits compilation of hers last year, 'Let's Get Funky'. Somehow I missed this one first time round. But now I've listened properly, this is what's being repeated on my ipod at the moment. Love the beat and its got that riff to groove to, on loop running through the track. I'm going to listen to more of her music.

YEAH!

I'm happy. As you will know if you've read my previous posts, I've been looking to buy Chaka Khan- I Feel For You, and Diana Ross- Eaten Alive, on cd. And I managed both in one go this afternoon! I already knew they had I Feel For You in HMV so I was going to go pick it up and I thought I may as well look while I'm here. I always look in HMV,  and I mostly end up disappointed. I never go with very high expectations of them having exactly what I want. But today, they pulled through and sitting cosily behind a Diana Ross hits compilation, was Eaten Alive. I was actually shocked. Anyway so I bought them both.. YAAAY.

So this is why you should always look just in case.


Also I knew that the BeeGees wrote Chain Reaction but actually there's at least one Gibb credited on every track. I also didn't know Michael Jackson had so much input into the track 'Eaten Alive', you hear him loads on it.. Awesome!

Song Of The Day: 'Wood Beez'

Scritti Politti- Wood Beez (Pray Like Aretha Franklin).




Released in 1984, from the album 'Cupid & Psyche 85'.

Written and composed by lead singer Green Gartside. I think Green is an incredible songwriter, his thoughtful lyrics and untypical arrangements and melodies are inspired.
It's produced by Arif Mardin, now if I saw an album with his name in the sleeve, I would give it a listen. He's done loads. The production on this song and other Scritti songs is amazing and he also worked and wrote on Chaka Khan's 'Destiny', which is another fantastic album.

LOVE THIS SONG.

So Excited: Diana Ross, Chaka Khan

The 'So Excited' section of my blog will be showcasing the most recent songs that I've found that I love.

So first, Diana Ross. Now I've liked Diana Ross' songs, as in her hits, but I've never delved into more of her music. I thought I would give it a whirl after seeing her perform 'Eaten Alive' at the American Music Awards in 86, on Youtube. On just flicking through some tracks, it didn't really stand out to me, I don't why. But I decided yesterday to have another listen, and I'm glad I did because I found some gems!

These are the ones that stood out:

SWEPT AWAY

CRIME OF PASSION

FOOL FOR YOUR LOVE

I was particularly surprised by this hard rock track! I never knew Diana could belt it out like this, as she normally sings with quite a soft tone to her voice.


So I'm going to listen to more and I'm going to be looking out for some of her albums to buy on cd in the stores. Particularly 'Swept Away' and 'Eaten Alive'.

---------------------------------------------

Also, Chaka Khan. A few months ago I bought the album 'Destiny'. I had to get it online, as it seems to be alot harder to come by than it's predecessor, 'I Feel For You'. When I had a listen through some of her back catalogue I actually liked 'Destiny' more upon first hearing. Obviously on 'I Feel For You', the Prince-penned title track is awesome, and was a hit, as was the ballad 'Through The Fire', but the rest of it didn't wow me at first. My thoughts were that it was a bit too scratchy dj-ish for me, in parts. But like with Diana Ross, I decided to go back to it. The track that is sparkling for me right now is 'My Love Is Alive'. I'm going to continue to have a proper listen to 'I Feel For You', and luckily I don't think I'll have too much trouble finding this one in the shops, as it was her biggest album.

MY LOVE IS ALIVE

I love the cover art for 'I Feel For You' It's so cool, probably one of my favourites actually.

x

Song Of The Day

Donna Summer- Love Is In Control (Finger On The Trigger)


Donna Summer - Love Is In Control (Finger On The... by universalmusicsuisse

Released 1982,  from the album 'Donna Summer'.
It's written by Quincy Jones, Rod Temperton (both notably worked on Michael Jackson's albums including Thriller) and Merria Ross.

This is such a fun song that I always go back and listen to now and again, I never get tired of it!

X

*STAR ARTIST * : The Pointer Sisters.

    The Pointer Sisters are not just any ordinary soul act, they have more.. POW!!!

    The best thing about the sisters is that Ruth, Anita and June each have fantastic voices, each so distinctive, with no weak link. Ruth, of course has her awesome signature deep voice, that is incomparable with instantly recognisable husky tones. June has the gutsy, loud powerful soul voice,  with an unrestrained fierceness reminiscent of a rock singer. And Anita is effortlessly flawless with her vocals and incredibly versatile in that she can sing soft flowing ballads and then really belt out the energetic songs. I love that they take turns in singing lead, I always say, it's like you're getting three artists in one. Not many groups do this, we mostly see groups featuring one lead vocalist and the other members are often just backing, or each member has a specific part in the song. But with the Pointer Sisters, nobody's fading into the background! And because their voices are all so different, with each lead, there is a different combination of backing vocals, and this is perfect harmonising, no matter what the make up.

 

     They really can sing anything as they have shown throughout their career. Their repertoire includes Pop, Soul, Disco, Rock, Jazz, Dance, Be-bop, Blues, Gospel and even Country (in 1975 the song 'Fairytale' earned them 2 Grammys in the country category, and they were the first black female group to perform at the Grand Ole Opry). The height of their success was during the 80s, especially with the release of their 3x Platinum, aptly titled album, 'Break Out' produced by Richard Perry. They started working with Richard Perry in 1978, which marked a turning point for the group (their other sister Bonnie, who initially started the group with June in 1969, was in the group up until this point, when she left to pursue a solo career). Collaborating with Perry, they created their own brand of Electro pop soul, of which we could hear beginnings of on their 1982 album 'So Excited!', but really made it's debut on 'Break Out'. They really hit the big time with this one. This unique style of machine-made synth and beats, combined with powerful vocals, fun lyrics, exuberance, energy and catchy melodies, pretty much continued to their later releases throughout the 80s. In 88, June said in an interview for MTV (on why they had been so popular for so many years), "We have a tendency of getting our points across in the music, people understand what we're saying, it's like BOOM right there in your face". Which I think sums it up. 



         Another way The Pointer Sisters stood out was by their fabulous outfits and costumes. You will notice that they never wore identical outfits. Sometimes there would be a cohesive theme to what they wore but they would be in different colours, or sometimes the colour or pattern of their dresses would be the same but each would have a different style, cut, length or neckline. However, sometimes they would be wearing something completely different to one another. I saw an interview with Anita Pointer once and she was saying about a time when they had decided what to wear for a performance, and June refused to wear what Anita and Ruth had picked out, so June went into the bathroom and set the dress on fire! I guess it was maybe from that point they decided to each wear their own choices haha. But anyway, sure everyone dressed flamboyant in the 80s but they seem just that bit cooler. And not forgetting the fabulous hair! I can only dream of having hair that big! And again, they each had their own hairstyles, never the same as each other, and they did the 80s 'must' of reinventing the hairstyles for each album. Come to think of it, I think they probably changed hairstyles for every video! Their videos were always stylish and a perfect showcase for the outfits that I so wish existed in my wardrobe!



       I guess what contributed massively to The Pointer Sisters' success is their charisma, and that exudes in everything that they did, from their music to their look, also in the interviews that they give, they are always up for a good time and they have a good sense of humour which makes them likeable. I think aswell it all comes with experience. They were in their 30s and 40s at the height of their success, Ruth was even a grandmother by this time. They'd already been doing this for a previous decade, and let's not forget they grew up singing gospel in their father's church. I think many years of experience definitely gave them an extra edge. And of course fearlessness, to try so many different things throughout their career.



And I guess everything I've discussed in this post, is the definition of 'POW!!!'

I will talk in more detail about their music soon, in the form of Album reviews. If you love 80s music and you're not yet too familiar with the Pointer Sisters, I suggest you go and get your hands on a copy of 'Break out'.

I am biased towards their 80s tunes, however I will say that their 70s stuff is definitely worth a listen too.

X

Hello!

There it is! What took me so long? < there's a Shalamar reference.. I think I might do that alot.

Anyway, Hello! Welcome, you are now standing on the dance floor of The Dance Electric!

On this blog, I will discuss all things 80s. My love for 80s music grows by the day, there's always an artist or song I'm getting really excited about. I'll talk about my favourite artists, songs, and I'll write some reviews for albums through 1980- 1989, and then maybe a couple of years give or take, if I feel need be. I'll discuss music videos, performances and the big hair and crazy outfits. I'll post fabulous pictures and links to awesome videos.

I will put forward my knowledge and opinions, and recommend music, as do I hope everyone who visits this blog does too. I'm always looking to learn more and love more music.

So the beat starts now :)