Alexander O'Neal - 'If You Were Here Tonight'

Everybody loves a good old 80's Slow Jam and Alexander O'Neal was running things back in the 80's with a string of R&B hits.

I was around 11 years old when 'If You Were Here Tonight' was a hit back in 1986.  All the R&B heads loved this track and it was pretty successful mainstream in the UK, reaching number 13 in the singles charts.  I'm a fan of Alexander, he released some unforgettable classics.  However, 'If You Were Here Tonight' was just pure 80's lush.  The grown folk would get all smoochy and loved up at parties to this, whilst the kids would swing to synths and sing "If you could only know my feelings.  You would know how much I doo beeelieeve".  

Check out the video for a full flavour of the 80's.  The clothes, Alexander's moustache.  Love it!

In The Spotlight: Mel and Kim

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.

"F.L.M. (Fun Love and Money)", their third single, was another fun and catchy tune. Because of their success and travelling abroad to promote themselves, critics gave the impression Mel and Kim were too lazy or too busy to film a video for the song. Although, at the time, I was a little disappointed the girls weren't busting new styles and grooves, I loved the puppets of the duo, featured in the video. What nobody knew at the time was that Melanie was suffering problems with her back...which turned out to be secondary cancer of the spine.

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

Information source: Wikepedia (Mel and Kim)

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Odyssey - 'If You're Looking For A Way Out'

Wendy and Lisa - 'Fruit At The Bottom'

Music And Me

Cameo At London's Jazz Cafe October 2012 (with video footage)

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"

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 4^th 2012 after a battle with cancer.

Prince - If I Was Ur Girlfriend (Live Performance)

Back in the eighties, as a young Prince fan, I dreamed of going to one of his concerts but had to settle for concert videos to get the live experience. Sign O' The Times, the concert movie, 1987, Cineplex Odeon Films, gave me the ultimate pleasure of Prince's musical magic. 'If I Was Ur Girlfriend' is considered the ladies “favourite” amongst Prince fans and it surely got played out by me on my walkman back in the day. Once I watched the live performance, listening to the album version just isn't the same. That's part of Prince's magic.

Kitted out in a black playsuit, low-cut at the front and sides, his trademark heeled boots, loose curled afro, a feathered earring and a white fluffy jacket, Prince looks divine amongst the peach and black colour theme of the set and lighting. His dancing, winding his hips, toying with the jacket and those mesmerising eyes had me crying like a baby, wishing I was in the place of his backing singer/dancer Cat (Catherine Glover). The chemistry between them is electrifying throughout this movie but stands out more in the 'If I Was Ur Girlfriend' performance, especially when they go to the love bed, a big love hearted prop, surely one of the most memorable stage props of all time. I was insanely jealous as a child and slightly embarrassed as an adult. However, I never tire of watching this live performance. Thank God for youtube, as it saves the life of my video cassette. I can watch it as many times as I want. I don't hear the vocals so well now but the arrangement is still stuck in my head, after all these years.

Goodnight Donna Summer

The Queen of Disco, Donna Summer, passed away after a battle with cancer this morning.  As a 70s child, and also sharing the name Donna, I was familiar with her chart presence.  I loved her style and beauty, she really paved the way for a lot of black female artists into mainstream music.  So sad that I'm honoring another musical icon after their death.  There will be more on this blog about Donna's unforgettable music.

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In The Spotlight - Terrence Trent D'arby

The two biggest talent shows on UK TV (The Voice BBC1 and Britain's Got Talent) both featured contestants singing Terrence Trent D'arby's 80's smash hit Sign Your Name Across My Heart. I'm not fit to judge anybody but I think Tyler James (The Voice) did a better job. My TV was on maximum and I liked what (little) I heard. Of course, me singing along (badly) made my curious daughter want to know how I knew the song so well and who sung it originally.

Well... back to the 80's I travelled down memory lane. When Terrence released his debut single If You Let Me Stay in 1987 his 'prancing' around stage was a bit too much for me. Also with his one short, one tall male backing singers a lot of people were certain he was just another gimmick artist (Jermaine Stewart was one amongst a few) and there was a lot of curiosity about his sexuality, especially as he busted a braided bob. It was when he released the bluesy ballad Sign Your Name that I sat up and noticed. Terrence's raspy and refined vocals over that unforgettable beat had everybody singing along back then. I never bought the album Introducing The Hardline According To Terrence Trent D'arby (UK sales 5x platinum) but follow up singles Wishing Well and the funky rocky pop Dance Little Sister were big and lasting favourites of mine.

A FUNKTASTIC LIVE RECORDING OF TERRENCE PERFOMING DANCE LITTLE SISTER

Terrence's vocal saxophone in the bridge of Dance Little Sister “Do Do Do Doooo, Do Do Do, Do Do Do Do Du Du Do, Do Do Dooo” was the catchiest thing ever. Some critics compared him as a cross between James Brown and Prince and its clear to see influences were there, the dancing style of the former and the effeminate image of the latter. I regret not appreciating his art enough back then as its hard for me to recapture the magic but I hope music lovers who were around in the 80's do recognise his talent and the impact his music made on pop back then.

Terence Trent D'arby Pictures

After his 1993 album Symphony Or Damn which released the rocky She Kissed Me and the beautiful ballad Let Her Down Easy Terrence disappeared from the charts and as there wasn't the internet access we're fortunate to have now, it was hard to follow up on what he was doing. He officially changed his name to Sananda Maitreya in 2001 and still records music.

Sananda! I've had a blessed and funky weekend watching your videos on Youtube and sharing that magic with my kids. Unforgettable music I'm eternally grateful for, I salute you.

Check out Terrence Trent D'arby's hits on my mixpod in the side bar

© Donna Woolcock 2012

Wendy and Lisa 'Fruit At The Bottom'

“A real sweet cup, will keep him up

Till Morning Comes”

'Fruit At The Bottom' Wendy and Lisa 1989

'Fruit At The Bottom' is the second studio album released by Wendy and Lisa after their departure from The Revolution. I bought this album, in cassette form after becoming hooked on Prince's music the previous year as a young teen and highly rating Wendy and Lisa's contribution on recordings with Prince and The Revolution. There was (and still is) something inspiringly wonderful and entrancing, to me, when it came to female musicians. I think it boils down to the inner musician I aspired to be but sadly didn't get to fulfil. Back in the 80's, Wendy and Lisa, Sheila E and the Bangles brought 'Girl Power' to the forecourt of pop music whilst their other female contemporaries were satisfied showcasing their vocal and dancing abilities as opposed to performing music.
 Wendy and Lisa at Amazon

'Are You My Baby?' was the albums most popular release in the UK. Many critics and Prince fans said their music was a carbon of Prince's style which is insulting to their talent. Wendy and Lisa come from musical families and shared a lot of their creativity with Prince during The Revolution era without getting much credit for their art. Of course influences and similarities are going to be heard. I don't remember their music getting a lot of air play on the radio but the video for 'Are You My Baby' was often screened on cable tv, Cable Jukebox was the channel if I remember right. I was intrigued, their image was a world away from the clothes they sported in The Revolution and they were funky.

'Fruit At The Bottom' is a feelgood throwback to pop music of the late 80's opening the doors of the dance sounds of the early 90's. 'Lolly Lolly', 'Are You My Baby?' and 'Satisfaction' are all funky club tracks. Undertones of R&B Soul can be heard in ballads 'Tears Of Joy', 'Always In My Dreams' and the uplifting 'Someday I'. 'From Now On (we're one)' and the album title track 'Fruit At The Bottom' are what I call punchy pop with a hit of rock. The former has a stunning guitar solo by Wendy, the latter is an electrifying, drum thrashing composition that certainly never did my ears any favours, maxed out on my personal stereo whilst I air-drummed Carla's (Wendy and Lisa's drummer) sticks. Lisa's grand piano at the start of 'I Think It Was December' rattles listeners soul for the gospel influenced melody that's to come.

'Everyday' is the one song on 'Fruit At The Bottom', in my personal opinion, that screams Prince and that's not a diss to Wendy and Lisa, but a beautiful compliment. 'Everyday' doesn't imitate him but as a fan I could imagine him co-singing on the track and the vocal arrangement highlights how great Wendy and Lisa were with Prince, totally mesmerising. With so many great songs, it was no surprise, yet totally upsetting when the reel on my cassette bust after constant rewinding years later. I updated to the CD version via Amazon as my album collection wouldn't be truly mine without it. My daughters dig Wendy and Lisa too.

Check out Wendy and Lisa music and videos from Donnatella's Playlist on the mixpod in the side menu

Look out for more Wendy and Lisa reviews in future posts

“Boy Meets Girl and Girl Meets Boy

They Promise Each Other Eternal Joy

Thanking Heaven and God Above

For They Never Thought

That They Would Find Such A Love

Singing Lolly Lee Lolly Lee

Forever They're Together

Hearts And Souls Forever Free”

'Lolly Lolly' L Coleman and W Melvoin 1989 Virgin Records Ltd

Marvin Gaye! 28 years gone but never forgotten

Today marks 28 years since the passing of Motown legend, Marvin Gaye. I was just nine years old back in 1984 when news broke that the 44 year old singer had been shot by his father. I remember elder family members shocked reaction vividly, just as my daughter will remember my shocked reaction at the news of Michael Jackson passing, Amy Winehouse and even the recent death of Whitney Houston.
  Cheap Marvin Gaye CD's at Amazon



Watch Mr Gaye perform "Let's Get It On" for Soul Train in 1974, the year I was born.

Although I was familiar with the constantly played 1982 Award winning “Sexual Healing” back then as a child. It was in my late teens, early twenties when I became a fan of his earlier stuff. Soul, gospel, blues and that three octave range he had made his music timeless and forever sexy. “Let's Get It On” ? Even young bloods who probably don't know who Marvin Gaye is are making out to that record.

My personal favourites are as follows:

ABRAHAM, MARTIN AND JOHN

LET'S GET IT ON

YOU'RE ALL I NEED TO GET BY (WITH TAMMI TERREL)

GOT TO GIVE IT UP (PART 1)

HOW SWEET IT IS TO BE LOVED BY YOU

I HEARD IT THROUGH THE GRAPVINE

THE ONION SONG (WITH TAMMI TERREL)

SEXUAL HEALING

The Real Roxanne feat Howie Tee "Bang Zoom (lets go go)"

My friends and I were discussing 'ol skool rap the other day and "Bang Zoom" sprung to my mind although it took a while for me to remember the actual song title.  1986 was the year this was released and when Roxanne graced UK screens I was there in front of the TV doing the 'shoulder jerks' and the sliding neck.  Although Roxanne's lyrical skills, beauty and sophistication stood out large, props have to be given to Howie Tee for his scratching skills. 

This song takes me back to confusing times in my childhood but reminds me how music was such a great healer and escapism from reality.  If you want to reminisce on 80's hip hop or see a female rapper not exposing their body or using profanity in their lyrics, yet still remaining in that rap core, tune in to the video...

Audrey Hall "One Dance (Just Won't Do)

                                          IMAGE SOURCE:  Thewickedisttime.com

This 80's reggae tune holds fond memories for me. Although this song was released in 1985 by Audrey Hall with pop chart success I was familiar with it when it was an underground dancehall 'choon'. For my 10^th birthday I was given my first personal cassette player by my father, and back then cassette players weren't the kind that you could clip onto the side of your jeans. No! This one was like a mini stereo with a strap to go over the shoulder and it took C cell batteries. My father presented this to me with a tape he'd recorded some reggae music on. “One Dance” sticks to the mind as there was about five different mixes recorded on this particular tape (dubhall/dancehall) and as I didn't own any cassettes of my own at the time, it's fair to say this song was played out until the batteries went dead.
 Buy Audrey Hall at Amazon

Although Audrey remained popular amongst the reggae/lovers rock scene, this song was her only major UK chart success and as one commenter on Youtube said, this was a “...wallpaper rub off choon” referring to the grinding of couples “dirty” dancing against the walls for that “added touch”. The song is the female reply to Beres Hammond's “What One Dance Can Do”. Audrey sings that it takes much more than on dance to go out with her and the spin is

“...That man's standing in your way

He's my man and he don't play...

I just wanted to see what he would do if I danced with another man...”

Yes! Very flirty is Audrey and her suggestion is not very advisable to women in a relationship unless they want a slap in the face for 'frontin'. However, this old skool tune was one that had young and old members of the West Indian community singing back in the 80's and will remain an unforgettable classic. Check out the video here and feel the vibe.

"Who The Cap Fit" by Bob Marley, the King of Reggae

Bob Marley's music is just as popular after his death (1981), as it was back in the 1970's. He, along with his group The Wailers created music that inspired people spiritually and politically. As an English child of Jamaican parents, Bob Marley's music was featured a lot in my childhood, especially as my father was a Rastafarian. No party of family or friends, of the West Indian culture went without a good old Bob Marley song. As well as the popular ones, “Could You Be Loved”, “Waiting In Vain”, “I Shot The Sheriff” amongst others, it was “Who The Cap Fit” that was my favourite as a child and now as an adult.

I was just a toddler when the Rastaman Vibration, which features “Who The Cap Fit” was released in 1976 and as a child it was the chorus and the melodies of Bob's backing singers (The Melody Makers) that captured my attention. It would be in my early teen years, when I developed a heavy interest in the lyrics of songs that “Who The Cap Fit” became more special to me.

“Man to man is so unjust, children:

Ya don't know who to trust. 

Your worst enemy could be your best friend, 

And your best friend your worse enemy”.

Growing up and having experienced a helluva lot of 'backstabbing' by so-called friends and loved ones, every word Bob sings hits the heart, still to this very day. The line ...

“But who Jah bless, no one curse...” is the symbolism of the song for me. If you're blessed by God (Jah), nobody can bring you down or destroy you.

Click here to listen to "Who The Cap Fit"

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