Wednesday, 24 October 2012
Funk-Soul Group Cameo Give London's Jazz Cafe The "Word Up"
70s and 80s Soul Funk band Cameo
brought their funk to London's Jazz Cafe this week for five nights
(22nd October to 26th October 2012). I became
familiar with the 'outrageous' band in the 80s, when they released
hits such as, Candy, She's Strange, Word Up, and many more. Lead
singer Larry Blackmon's infamous cod-piece always springs to mind
whenever I think of the band. He still wears them now as you can see
in the picture taken from the gig.
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| Cameo's Larry Blackmon at London's Jazz Cafe sporting a packed 'cod-piece' |
Wardrobe shockers aside, Cameo made
some classic groove tunes back in the day. Their tunes appealed to a
wide audience; from gangsters to housewives, black people to white.
It's good to know they're still jamming and I would love to be able to
see them performing and feel the vibe. Many mixed reviews have been
published about their performance some say Larry is “past his
sell-by date”, whilst others say the group are still “hot” and
gaining a “new audience to old skool funk” as well as a revival
for loyal fans. Check out this clip I found of Cameo performing "She's
Strange" at the Jazz Cafe, 23rd October 2012.
Friday, 12 October 2012
In The Spotlight: Mel and Kim
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| Melanie (left) and Kim (right) Appleby Image Credit: Streetview at www.streetview.co.uk |
Mel and Kim were a Pop duo, successful in the 80s with their catchy,
'girl power', pop songs written and produced by 80s
songwriting/producing giants, Stock Aitken and Waterman. Active for
four years (1986 to 1990) and releasing four top 10 hits in the UK,
these London born sisters made a big stamp on my music collection and fashion sense back then.
 |
| SISTERS |
I was 12 in 1986 when they released their debut single "Showing Out
(Get Fresh At The Weekend)" and everyone I knew was singing and
shoulder shaking to that tune. The sisters, who were mixed raced,
were beautiful, sassy and stylish. Young girls either wanted to be
like them or they hated them out of envy and guys would debate over
which sister they fancied the most.
Check out the dance moves in the "Respectable" video
(above) to get a real taste of the 80s
Mel and Kim weren't the greatest of singers but they were good for
the pop dance scene. After “Showing Out” came "Respectable" 1987, which was the anthem for young women and their first number 1
in the UK.
"Take or leave us, only please believe us
We are never gonna be respectable
Like or hate us, but you'll never change us
We are never gonna be respectable"
Stock, Aitken and Waterman's production style featured many vocal
synthesizers on acts they worked with. A popular 80s method was the
vocal skipping, similar to when a DJ scratches a record. A lot of
vocal skipping was used on this track (Respectable), which made the
song hilarious for fans to sing at times.
 |
| Mel and Kim with funky open hats and the 'Pineapple' hairstyles |
Their number one success broadened their fan base and celebrity
status. The bubbly sisters appeared on many TV shows and graced
covers of pop magazines. Their cheeky attitude, Melanie, the
youngest being the more feisty of the two, for me, made them more
likeable. They dressed in sync and had some fabulous hairstyles, the
'pineapple', the most popular, started a trend. Unfortunately
though, as many popular music artists experience today, media
interest is a double-sided sword. When the press dug up Melanie's
former glamour model career, many parents didn't want their children
listening an idolising a "tart". Back in the 80s, attitudes
weren't as relaxed and welcoming as of today of girls who got their "boobs out", unless they were on Page 3 of The Sun. Back then a
glamour model in layman's terms was a 'glamourised prostitute'.
Melanie handled herself well, spoke about it fairly openly and tried
to move on.
 |
| Melanie left this earth too young, too soon. |
When the news of Melanie's illness became public (her ex boyfriend (scum) sold pictures of her whilst undergoing chemotherapy, looking fragile
and losing her hair), the fans were stunted with shock. I remember
feeling very afraid for her because she was so young. Having lost
members of my family to the disease, I'd seen the pain. On release
of their fourth, and sadly final track "That's The Way It Is" in
1988, it was hoped that Melanie was winning the fight against cancer. "That's The Way It Is" had great chart success and I remember
taping it off the radio (the 80s way of downloading music) and
singing along to the words on full volume at my grandparents stereo
or at school with my girl pals thinking we were stush. Sadly,
Melanie wasn't getting better. She died in January 1990 after
contracting pneumonia, her immune system weakened by chemotherapy.
 |
| "Keep looking after number one" |
It was singing "Respectable" to my eight year old daughter this
week that inspired me to feature Mel and Kim "In The Spotlight".
I want my kids to know about Mel and Kim, the same way they
appreciate Rihanna, Lady Gaga and the like. It's so sad that fate was
so cruel to them because I know they had so much further to go. Kim
did go on to have a mediocre solo career. She released one album Kim
Appleby in 1990 which gave her two Top 10 hits. I bought the
album, its somewhere in a mountain of cassettes that I refuse to
dispose off. It's a good pop album with R&B dance influences.
Many of the songs were co-written with Melanie before her passing.
Kim is no longer seen in the public eye but I hope she has
fond memories of her career, even though she lost her sister in the
process. Mel and Kim brought an urban flavour to pop music which was
brilliant for young black kids like myself, heavily influenced by the
R&B and Reggae of our parents. Despite the lyrics of their most successful
song, Mel and Kim were very RESPECTABLE.
Copyright Donna Woolcock 2012
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Monday, 8 October 2012
Odyssey- If You're Looking For A Way Out
“If
You're Looking For A Way Out” RCA Records, is the timeless classic
ballad from New York dance group Odyssey. I was only six when this
song charted the UK charts in 1980 and I paid it little attention,
favouring their more upbeat tracks like "Use It Up, Wear It Out" and "Native New Yorker" but adulthood made me appreciate Lillian
Lopez's vocal storytelling much more.
"Oh
baby tell me I'm wrong
Just say I'm crazy
It's with you that I belong.
It's never easy when lovers have to part.
Oh come on stop pretending
Tell me what's in you heart.
And if you're looking for a way out
I won't stand here in your way.
But if you're looking for a way out"
Just say I'm crazy
It's with you that I belong.
It's never easy when lovers have to part.
Oh come on stop pretending
Tell me what's in you heart.
And if you're looking for a way out
I won't stand here in your way.
But if you're looking for a way out"
The songs narrative tells of a woman sensing something is wrong in
her relationship (“...Your kisses taste the same, but its just a
sweet disguise...”) and giving her lover the option, the 'green
light' to walk away, although she's obviously still deeply in love
with him.
Vocalist Lillian Lopez passed away on September 4th 2012
after a battle with cancer.
Dirty Mind by Prince - 32 year anniversary of release date
Today, the 8th of October is
the 32nd anniversary of the release of 'Dirty Mind' by
Prince. This was Prince's third studio album and was recorded
between May and June of the same year. I was just six years old in
1980, but got my hands on a copy some eight years later. As a Prince
fan and a former music junkie, Dirty Mind is one of my hot
favourites. Sex, politics, war and partying are heavy themes on this
eight track album.
Looking at the album cover, Prince
in his open trench coat with only his underwear underneath and a
loosely tied neckerchief, you know your in for a mighty ride:
Dirty Mind the
opening track, refers to lusting after a lover and wanting to lay her
down “in my Daddy's car”, When
You Were Mine, a
heavy guitar track which Prince sings of his love for a former lover
who cheated on him with his best friend. Do It
All Night,
a funky disco(ish) track about lust again, Gotta Broken Heart Again, a beautiful ballad of a lost love. Uptown
is the ultimate party anthem and a song I always play whenever I need
a spiritual uplifting. Head is
about an affair with a bride-to-be. Back in the 80's, I could only
listen to this song if my grandparents were out of the house or via
headphones. On Sister,
Prince sings about incest and abuse, a real mind opener, graphic, yet
guilt-ridden funkiness. The last track, Partyup,
is anti-war funk, “fighting war is such a fucking bore”. Give up
the fighting and lets all party...and have some damned good sex too.
Prince on Dirty Mind:
“When
I first played the Dirty Mind album for him (my father), he said
'You're swearing on the record. Why do you have to do that?' And I
said “Because I swear'. The point for me is that you can do
anything you want. My goal is to excite and provoke on every level.
I like danger. That's what's missing from pop music today.”
The
boundaries Prince pushed 32 years ago, some of the biggest selling
artists of current times wouldn't have the balls to do. Art of a
living genius. If you don't have a copy, go visit Amazon and enjoy
the ride.
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Friday, 5 October 2012
Everything But The Girl - "Missing"
This Track, “Missing” from
Everything But The Girl released in 1994 brings back such happy
memories for me as I'm sure it does to many other music fans. This
tune was HUGE, played on radio daily and reflected the electro pop
sound of the 90's. I was a teen mom back then, my nightlife was over
but girlie nights with fellow mothers and our babies were regular
with a little drink, lots of music and lots of laughs.
Everything But The Girl are Tracey Thorn and Ben Watt they started the group in 1982 and were active till 2000. “Missing” was their most successful hit in the UK and worldwide.
Everything But The Girl are Tracey Thorn and Ben Watt they started the group in 1982 and were active till 2000. “Missing” was their most successful hit in the UK and worldwide.
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