Love Unlimited Orchestra - My Sweet Summer Suite

Oh let's have another one! What a peculiar cover. This is someone else's (thanks whoever!) rip that I've cleaned up. Not sure that the intro to the first track is quite right and I had to shave a bit off the end of 'Blues Concerto' because of a couple of skips. Hey ho. But you do get the long versions of 'My Sweet Summer Suite' and 'Strange Games And Things' as bonus tracks. The latter was only issued as a promo 12" originally and was something of a holy grail for afficionados of Barry's groove.

1. My Sweet Summer Suite (4:48)
2. Strange Games And Things (4:02)
3. Blues Concerto (3:17)
4. You I Adore (4:48)
5. Brazilian Love Song (5:56)
6. Are You Sure (3:54)
7. You're Givin' Me Something (3:20)
8. I'm Falling In Love With You (4:06)
bonus tracks:
9. My Sweet Summer Suite (12" version) (7:13)
10. Strange Games And Things (long version) (8:29)

Strange games an TINGS

Love Unlimited Orchestra - My Musical Bouquet

It's that time again! You know a while ago, when I was musing on how Barry White managed to produce so much great music during the mid/late 70s? Well, I didn't realise then quite how many Love Unlimited Orchestra albums there were. I really don't know HOW he found the time. Anyway, here's the Orchestra's 1978 effort 'My Musical Bouquet'. It's another absolute classic, I'd say on a par with 'Rhapsody In White'. Unlike the previous 'My Sweet Summer Suite' set, with its hit title track, this album didn't fare too well, coming out while Barry (and side projects) were switching labels. That's a real shame as it really is a great album. Each track contains a short ode from Barry on the usual subject of love although in this case related to his 'Musical Bouquet' [example: The violins are my roses/Red as your negligee/And through them flows my passion/In every kind of way (!)], making the album a kind of concept album. Unlike most of the Love Unlimited Orchestra albums, the vocals of Love Unlimited are much in evidence here, giving it quite a different sound to most of the previous albums, as does the chilled-out tempo of most of the tracks.

1. Don't You Know How Much I Love You (5:21)
2. Stay Please And Make Love To Me (6:50)
3. Hey Look At Me, I'm In Love (7:08)
4. Love You, Oh It's True I Do (3:53)
5. Whisper Softly (7:29)
6. Enter Love's Interlude (2:16)
7. Can't You See (6:57)

Visit Barry the FLORIST!

Grace Jones - Musclemix

Here's something a little different I've dug out of the record pile. Grace Jones' three Compass Point albums Warm Leatherette, Nightclubbing and Living My Life were all very critically well received (I remember at least two of them being given the accolade of 'Record Of The Year' in the NME, back when that meant something!), but in the UK at least it wasn't until the release of the Trevor Horn-produced 'Slave To The Rhythm' and subsequent best of 'Island Life' that Grace hit her commercial peak. Several tracks from the latter were issued as singles in 1986, with a double A-sided 'Pull Up To The Bumper/La Vie En Rose' making #12 on the UK charts, Graces' biggest hit apart from the aforementioned 'Slave...' single. These reissued singles contained some interesting new mixes of the tracks. Here's some from the remix 12" single of 'Pull Up To The Bumper'. The Musclemix (subtitled 'A Megamix Cut-Up') is the creation of Les 'Mixdoctor' Adams of DMC and features 'Pull Up To The Bumper', 'Slave To The Rhythm', 'Warm Leatherette', 'Private Life', 'Walking In The Rain', 'Use Me' and 'Love Is The Drug'. The remix of 'Pull Up To The Bumper' is by Paul 'Groucho' Smykle.

1. Grace Jones Musclemix (9:00)
2. Pull Up To The Bumper (Remix) (6:26)

Pull up TO IT

Margie Joseph - Hear The Words, Feel The Feeling

Now here's a story. A few years ago there was a show on BBC Radio 2 about disco and they played some more obscure disco gems as well as the usual suspects. There was this one track that stood out that sounded a little like Aretha Franklin goes disco. I just had to find out what it was and after a LOT of research I finally nailed it as 'Prophecy' by Margie Joseph, an artist I'd never heard of before. Eventually I managed to track down a copy of the 1976 album 'Hear The Words, Feel The Feeling' containing the track on netsounds.com. I don't think I've ever gone to quite so much trouble to get my hands on a track before or since!

After some success in the early 70s on Stax, notably with a cover of the Supremes' 'Stop! In The Name Of Love', Margie moved to Atlantic and recorded three well-respected albums with Arif Mardin. Following that, she recorded this album, which was produced and to a great extent written by Motown legend Lamont Dozier. 'Prophecy' is definitely the stand-out track for disco lovers, but there's a lot of other great stuff here too. Enjoy! Margie's Atlantic albums are very soon going to be reissued on CD, so if you enjoy this, put in an order!

1. Hear The Words, Feel The Feeling
2. Didn't I Tell You
3. Why'd You Lie
4. Prophecy
5. All Cried Out
6. Something To Fall Back On
7. Don't Turn The Lights Off
8. Feeling My Way
9. I Get Carried Away

See the WRITING'S ON THE WALL!

The Return Of The Guru

Sorry about the long hiatus...it's been a busy old few weeks. Anyway, normal service should now be resumed...I've got something special which hopefully I'll get up tomorrow!

Keep grooving!