Barbara Mason - Let Me Give You Love

I like everything I've heard by Barbara Mason. Her track Another Man on West End Records is a low-frequency classic.

This song is from 1981 and is written by Butch and James Ingram and produced by Butch. The production is great - there are lots of little fun tricks as the song progresses. Listen for the echo on the vocals at towards the end.

Let Me Give You Love

Wish - Nice and Soft

Nice and Soft is produced by Greg Carmichael who was a frequent collaborator of Patrick Adams. Together, they were the brains behind Bumblebee Unlimited (a completely insane group who sped up their voices and made buzzing noises on all their songs).

This track was mixed by John Morales, another frequent collaborator, and features vocals by LaRita Gaskin. It's from 1981 on Perspective Records. This is the "Uptown Version."

This one's for all the shady photographers out there...

Nice and Soft

Loleatta Holloway - Mama Don't, Papa Won't

Don't even think about messing with Loleatta Holloway. One of the signature voices of disco, Ms. Holloway has been around since the early days and continues to be active today. In my humble opinion, the Walter Gibbons remix of her track Hit and Run is one of the most ferocious vocal performances in pop music.

This track from 1978 gives a good sense of what Loleatta's capable of. The breakdown towards the end is some qintessential Loleatta testifying. Norman Harris is the producer on this Gold Mind release from 1978. This version is the "Special Remix For Discos."

Mama Don't, Papa Won't

Gwen Guthrie - Hopscotch

Gwen Guthrie had a knack for choosing good talent to produce her records. Hopscotch was produced by reggae artists Sly Dunbar and Robbie Shakespeare for the Portrait LP on Island Records. Someone had the swell idea to ask Larry Levan to remix a few tracks from Portait, including Hopscotch, and the result was an EP entitled Padlock. Both records came out in 1983.

In case you're new to this stuff, Larry Levan was one of the most influential djs in dance music. In addition, he was one of the finest remixers in the land. Below, you'll find the original LP and Larry Levan remix versions of Hopscotch. They're fun to compare.

All the Padlock remixes are fantastic, so get your hands on it if possible. Not surprisngly, the kids in Japan were smart enough to put out a CD of Padlock with bonus tracks.

Hopscotch
Hopscotch (Larry Levan Remix)

Pam Todd - Baisez-Moi [Kiss Me]

Break fetishists beware. There's a cowbell drenched breakdown about three and a half minutes in on this track that will leave you reeling. Pam Todd's more well known song is Let's Get Together and it's well worth seeking out.

Baisez-Moi is from 1978 and has some tres dramatic disco production. The mix is by Jimmy Simpson (who also mixed one of the Candi Staton tracks I posted).

Don't ask her why, don't ask her how, don't say a single word and kiss her right now. Okay?

Baisez-Moi [Kiss Me]

Hotluv - You Do It Right

This fun little ditty is on a Salsoul Records 12" released in 1984. As far as I can tell, the Hotluv organization produced no other music. The singer's name is Connie Harvey and she appears on quite a few house and disco projects.

Salsoul was probably the largest of the New York disco labels. Their catalogue has been given the most professional re-release treatment of all the disco labels. Check out the offerings at: http://www.sussd.com/salsoul.html

You Do It Right

Loose Change - Straight From The Heart

This one's a personal favorite.

Loose Change was a one-off Tom Moulton (above) project for Casablanca Records from 1979. Thor Baldursson is credited as arranger and conductor. Thor worked with Giorgio Moroder and Donna Summer.

I don't know who the ladies are doing the singing, but they're not messing around.

Straight From The Heart

Billy Paul - False Faces

Philadelphia International Records was that city's answer to Motown. The songwriting and producing team of Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff churned out a ridiculous amount of great music for the label, including this track sung by Billy Paul. This is the "Special Disco Version" from the 1979 LP First Class.

You can listen to more Gamble and Huff here.

False Faces

Crown Heights Affair

In addition to knowing how to dress, these cats knew how to produce a record. And, Crown Heights Affair is one of the best band-names ever.

These are two tracks from their LP Sure Shot. The entire record is great, so check it out if you like these. Crown Heights Affair were on De-Lite Records, the same label as Kool & The Gang. Kool and his boys may have stolen the limelight from these guys, but I prefer CHA.

If this doesn't get you groovin' in your cubicle, I don't know wat will...

I Don't Want To Change You
You Gave Me Love

Indeep - The Night The Boy Learned How To Dance

As the above image clearly shows, Indeep straddled a very fine line between awful and hot. The Casio drum sounds, the monotone vocal delivery, the plodding bass lines -- it all just shouldn't add up.

But it does. I love Indeep. They probably all own islands in Greece now off of the royalties of their one hit, Last Night A DJ Saved My Life. This track follows a similar pattern with the female vocal followed by a goofy rap. It's from 1984 on Becket records.

For a giggle check out these Amazon customer reviews.

The Night The Boy Learned How To Dance