Archive for the ‘Donna Summer’ Category

If we keep listening to gay music all together maybe Mike Pence will have a stroke

Friday, March 3rd, 2017

Been doing a bit of writing over on that other site in case you haven’t checked it in a while. I wrote a thing about the new Rez Infinite vinyl re-issue (it’s not good) as well as a review of the new Zelda 30th Anniversary Concert CD (it’s good). Additionally, I wrote up something on my recent run-in with Twitter abuse automation, and how I think it’s total bullshit that targets the wrong kind of abuse. Finally, I put something together on some Japan-exclusive David Bowie vinyl. Read and enjoy.

Then listen to disco.

Donna Summer
Melody Of Love (Junior Vasquez DMC Remix)
Donna Summer is one of those artists whose 12″ single discography has (thankfully) been mined almost to completion for various compilations and re-issues. It’s pretty hard to find a legit rare and worthwhile Donna Summer mix these days. But yo, I did it.

This is the B-side to the 1995 re-issue of “I Feel Love.” The A-sides are remixes by Rollo & Bliss and Masters at Work. You can buy those legally on iTunes and I suggest you do. They’re dope. Somehow this one didn’t get there with them. Too bad, it’s a great take on a fantastic tune.

Diebold & Cataluna
White Rabbit
This one surprised me. It’s off of a 1991 Megatone Records compilation called 12 by 12. I associate Megatone Records with the early 80s, thanks to banger like Sylvester’s immortal “Do You Wanna Funk” and the classic gay-as-fuck “Homosexuality.” I had no idea that they kept going into the 90s. Although after buying the album I did some research and found out they folded just a few years after this compilation came out.

This track is not typical of what I associate Megatone with. It is not Hi-NRG at all, and is instead a pretty low-key/trippy take on the Jefferson Airplane classic. Strangely enough, much of the instrumentation is sampled from Madonna’s “Justify My Love,” which came out around the same time. Wonder if they cleared that sample.

Diebold is David Diebold, who contributed to a lot of Megatone releases in the later half of the 90s up until the label went belly up. Unfortunately I can’t find much on him now, there seems to be a lot of David Diebolds out and about.

Cataluna’s full name is Kim Cataluna. Looks like she released a jazz album a few years back, but other than that I can’t find much regarding what she might be up to today. I love finding out whatever happened to lesser known acts like this, so if you know let me know!

 

Posted in Diebold & Cataluna, Donna Summer, remixes | 2 Comments »

Fantasia Stupidia

Sunday, November 27th, 2016

How’s everyone doing?

After three weeks of excessive drinking (not non-stop, just on my days off) I’ve decided I need to stop drowning my sorrows and anxieties in booze and try to find a more healthy coping mechanism. For now, that’s buying obscure game music on vinyl. It’s working out for my liver okay, but my wallet is a little pissed.

Additionally, stupid music has been a lifesaver during this time of strife. So to the person who shared the YouTube links of the Hi-NRG versions of “Bette Davis Eyes” in the comments section of my last post, I say thank you. Don’t suppose you have Hi-NRG versions of “Rainbow Connection?”

Moving on, I updated the massive Tokyo record store guide! Now it’s even bigger. A new store opened up in Shinjuku that I thought was worth incorporating because it’s damn good. If you find yourself in Tokyo anytime soon you must make your way to the Shinjuku HMV, the place is a palace of vinyl.

Now let’s dance.

Carmen Electra
Fantasia Erotica (Indecent Proposal Mix) (Radio Edit)
Fantasia Erotica (Erotic Groove Mix)
Fantasia Erotica (Sex Drive Dub)
Fantasia Erotica (Xtra Sex Dub)
Fantasia Erotica (He Dances Instead)
Fantasia Erotica (Double Deep House Mix)
Let me just get this out of the way right now, for those who are wondering why the hell I’m sharing Carmen Electra remixes; this song was produced by Prince.

Does it make sense now?

Oh but don’t worry, your initial thought upon seeing Carmen Electra’s name was correct, this song is quite awful. Even Prince had his fair share of misses. I don’t think these tracks are going to get re-issued via some Prince Vault special edition re-release campaign anytime soon.

Of course, I hope they do. No matter how bad the song is, I hope that eventually everything that Prince ever put his hand on is made available, in-print and easy to purchase either digitally or physically. Because that’s how music should be.

But I hope that they get to re-releasing The Family album before they dig this bad boy up again. This song has the line, “Oh, speak American? No speak Carmanese!”

What the fuck does that even mean? Oi.

Donna Summer
I Feel Love (Mega Mix)
I Feel Love (Edit Mix)
I’m kind of bending my “never share legally available music” rule tonight, because while you can get at least one of these mixes on a legally available CD, it sure as hell isn’t easy.

For those wondering, these are two of the “I Feel Love” mixes that were remixed by the legendary Patrick Cowley, the man who brought us Sylvester’s “You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real)” and singled-handedly invented Hi-NRG disco.

You can get the “Mega Mix” on at least two compilations. One is the two-disc edition of Donna Summer’s greatest hits album The Journey, and other on a hard-to-find remix compilation series that I have forgotten the name of. Regardless, you can’t buy it on Amazon or iTunes digitally, and you sure as hell ain’t going to find it at your local record store (if you still have one of those, I keep forgetting that most people live in cities that aren’t Tokyo) so I don’t feel too bad for sharing it. Also, I’m fairly certain that the version on The Journey is a straight-up vinyl rip. Mine sounds better (in my opinion).

As for the “Edit Mix,” shit, I don’t know where the hell you can find that. I’m sure it’s been on CD at some point, but that point was probably a long time ago, so I feel safe in sharing it now. I actually like that version a bit more than the full “Mega Mix.” Fifteen minutes of sequencers is a bit much, y’know?

Depeche Mode
I Feel Loved (Danny Tenaglia’s Labor of Love Radio Edit)
I just really wanted to share a remix of “I Feel Love” and “I Feel Loved” in the same post and then have an internal debate about the grammatical differences between the two. These are the kind of things that English teachers think about. It’s a sickness, really.

And for those keeping count at home, it has been approximately 13 months since the last time I posted Depeche Mode.

Posted in Carmen Electra, Depeche Mode, Donna Summer, remixes | No Comments »

I Feel Lovely

Wednesday, November 13th, 2013

I HAVE SO MUCH TO DO BEFORE I MOVE I SHOULDN’T EVEN BE WRITING THIS!

I certainly shouldn’t have taken the time out of my day to review the new re-release of David Bowie’s Earthling LP either!

I’m incredibly irresponsible!

DISCO!

Donna Summer
I Feel Love (Patrick Cowley Mix)
So, I’m moving to Japan (AND IT’S MAKING ME REALLY BUSY – AND YELL) and most “normal person” preparation for a move like that would be things like “find an apartment,” “buy the clothes you need,” “get your finances in order.” And yeah, I’m doing all that important stuff, but I’m also making sure I buy certain things that I’ve been putting off for years that I know I won’t be able to easily get once I move to Japan. Case in point – I’ve had the 2CD out-of-print edition of Journey: The Best Of Donna Summer bookmarked in my browser for over a year now, and I finally went ahead and bought it last week. Because it’s important. Also because I just thought of it again after getting both a Patrick Cowley compilation and a Donna Summer album in the course of two weeks.

Why is it important? Because it’s the only way to get a digital version of this amazing mix of the most important dance song of all-time (that is not hyperbole!). With this mix Patrick Cowley, a genius who I have repeatedly talked about here, and on Mostly-Retro, took a song that was perfect and made it better. He made a perfect thing…more perfect.

Look, I can’t explain it, and like I said, I really don’t have the time to be eloquent right now, so you’re going to have to take what you can get. I just know that this mix, this sensational, amazing, I’m-out-of-superlatives mix might just be the greatest dance track ever. I have literally listened to this all day. Holy shit.

Sylvester
Rock The Box (Dance Version)
Rock The Box (Drum Box)
Rock The Box (Dub Box)
“Rock The Box” came out after Patrick Cowley died, but it certainly carries on his spirit with its catchy synth melodies and heavy electronic sound. The track is from Sylvester’s album M-1015. I haven’t found many positive reviews of that record, but I feel like it’s ripe for rediscovery. When it came out it was probably dated thanks to its heavy disco sound, but today I think it holds up quite well, like a magical combination of the best of early 80s disco and mid-80s synthpop. “Lovin’ Is Really My Game” is straight-up one of Sylvester’s best tunes, with both “Sex” and “Take Me To Heaven” also rocking it hard. The album also features backup vocals by Martha Walsh (“It’s Raining Men,” every C+C Music Factory track worth a damn) and Jeanie Tracy, an underrated vocalist whose awesomeness I’ve covered previously.

I have a ton of other Sylvester and other Megatone (Cowley’s labe) stuff I plan on putting up at a later date, so if this post leaves you hankering for some Hi-NRG bangers, you’ll be in luck! If not, um…sorry?

I also plan on posting an Alien Ant Farm rarity soon too, maybe you’ll like that?

Posted in Donna Summer, Patrick Cowley, remixes, Sylvester | 3 Comments »