George Duke - Reach For It (1977)

A truly golden nugget of funk, long forgotten by most.

Check out Sheila E. in the red on backup vocals! Funking you right on up!

- Hot Damn Stewart

Soiree (feat. Luther Vandross) - You Are The Sunshine Of My Life (1979)

Just after midnight, I stumbled onto this track, and it was the perfect middle-of-the-night anthem. From Soiree's 1979 self-titled album, today's joint is an uplifting cover of You Are The Sunshine Of My Life.

Soiree were a disco studio group with vocals provided by Ron Richardson and other top session vocalists including the Luther Vandross Singers. This album gave a disco spin to 70s soul and pop standards.

- Dyn-O-Mite

Jackie Wilson - (Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher and Higher (1967)

Tonite's joint is (Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher and Higher, by Mr. Excitement himself, Jackie Wilson. He was backed by the Funk Brothers on this track, were were moonlighting from Motown at the time. Released in August, 1967, the track hit #1 R&B and #6 on the US pop charts. That same year, the track didn't chart in the UK, but a 1969 re-release hit #11, and was subsequently re-released twice more in the UK, charting both times, in 1975 (#25) and 1987 (#15). Higher and Higher is ranked #246 on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.

Stumbled onto this video today and loved it. Didn't realize Jackie Wilson was so influential. He recorded over 50 hit singles before collapsing onstage from a heart attack at the age of 40 while singing "Lonely Teardrops" at a rock'n'roll revival concert organized by Dick Clark (and then lapsed into a nine-year coma). Inducted into the Rock'N'Roll Hall of Fame in 1987, the second year inductees were admitted. #69 on Rolling Stone's list of the top 100 performers of all time. And apparently, ripped off big time by executives of Brunswick Records, the label he recorded for. Wilson died broke in 1984, and was initially buried in an unmarked grave! WTF?! The Commodores' 1985 hit Nightshift paid tribute to Wilson and Marvin Gaye, who also died the previous year, and reached #3 pop and #1 R&B. When Michael Jackson accepted his Grammy for Thriller in 1984, he dedicated it to Jackie.

So where's the Jackie Wilson biopic?

- Dyn-O-Mite

Cloud One - Stomp Your Feet And Dance (1977)

One of the records I dug up on a recent trip to one of the few Triangle-area thrift sto's I'd never been to before was Stump Your Feet and Dance, by Kim Taylor. A Peter Brown-produced rare number from 1979 that's going for $150+ on eBay in VG+ or better condition. Mine is all scratched up, but probably still playable, and on red vinyl. Apparently there was an even rarer black vinyl version. Both on Queen Constance Records, one of the labels Peter Brown and Patrick Adams used to propagate their P&P disco spawn across the world's dancefloors.

There's an instrumental on the flip. I've also seen this track credited to Cloud One, and it turns out that's becuz it was released under their name in an earlier, longer instrumental version back in 1977, Stomp Your Feet And Dance.

Like every other Cloud One production I've heard, it was the shit! A monster disco-funk instrumental with insane, tripped out synths and a relentless, driving beat. Guaranteed to keep your body working.

- Dyn-O-Mite

Don Downing - Dream World (1978)

A forgotten disco gem is today's featured joint - Dream World, by Don Downing.

This is the version off his 1978 album Doctor Boogie, but the track was previously released as a single back in 1973, and remixed by Tom Moulton in 1974. Found Doctor Boogie recently at the Goodwill on Garrett Road, it was one of only two records I bought there. On the same thrift sto' excursion, I also stopped by the Elliott Road PTA, and the Durham Rescue Mission on 15-501, where I picked up a dozen at $.99 per.

- Dyn-O-Mite

The Outhere Brothers - Don't Stop (Wiggle Wiggle) (1994)

Today's joint by the Outhere Brothers was catchy enuf to hit #1 in the UK back in '95, but it's joint-worthy mostly becuz of its crazy, disputed "official" video.

Thazz sum wigglin', right there!

- Dyn-O-Mite

Bob James - Sign Of The Times (1981)

Right now I'm listening to Sign Of The Times, Bob James' LP from 1981. It features three tracks written by Rod Temperton, who also arranged the LP and played synthesizer.

The title track, aka today's joint, was later sampled by De La Soul, Warren G, and Nate Dogg.

- Dyn-O-Mite

Kiki Gyan - Sexy Dancer (1979)

President Obama's second inauguration happened earlier today. Republicans tried like hell to steal this election by passing shady Voter ID laws in as many states as possible to block the Democratic vote, but they failed. Shame on them. Unwittingly, they helped create a backlash and fired up folks to get out and vote for another four years of Obama.

Driving around Chapel Hill, I heard the joint of the day on WXYC - Sexy Dancer, a 1979 disco floor-filler by Kiki Gyan. He was a Ghanaian soul/funk pioneer who also released monster tracks like Disco Train and Keep On Dancing.

Kiki Gyan's story is pretty interesting. Hailed as Africa's Stevie Wonder. Joined Afro-funk legends Osibisa while still in his teens. At one point ranked the #8 keyboardist in the world. Married Fela Kuti's daughter in 1979. He was on top of his game...but his career was sidetracked in the early 80s by a cocaine addiction. Gyan died of drug and AIDS-related health problems in 2004.

- Dyn-O-Mite

The Winstons - Amen, Brother (1969)

Found this on 45 at the Swansea Sally's: Amen, Brother by The Winstons. Featuring what's billed as the "most famous drum break of all time."

For the full story, check out this pretty amazing 18-minute video breakin' it down:

which reveals the track was sampled on 3rd Bass' Wordz Of Wisdom and Straight Outta Compton by NWA, among other classic hip-hop joints.

- Dyn-O-Mite

Patti Jo - Make Me Believe In You (Tom Moulton Mix) (1975)

Today I stopped at the Swansea Sally's and found $20 worth of great records. One of which was Disco Gold, an underground disco compilation from 1975 entirely composed of remixes by legendary 70s producer and remixer Tom Moulton, aka the father of both the remix and the 12" single. And one of the standout tracks on that was Make Me Believe In You, by Patti Jo.

It was originally written and produced by Curtis Mayfield, and released as a single in 1973. The original version is great, but Tom Moulton's mix is off the charts fantastic. This track was specifically mentioned by Andrew Holleran in his classic 1978 novel Dancer from the Dance about queer life in New York City, set amidst a backdrop of the era's gay bars and discos.

Disco Gold is super cool artifact of the 70s disco era because the back cover lists nearly 300 disco DJ's with the dedication, "Thanks, for without your help this album would not be possible." The list includes pioneers like Steve D'Acquisto, George Cucuzzella, Alfie Davison, Francis Grasso, Walter Gibbons, John Hedges, Richie Kaczor, Barry Lederer, Larry Levan, John Luongo, David Mancuso, David Rodriguez, Tom Saverese, Nicky Siano, Roy Thode and David Todd. Additionally, on the inside gatefold cover, there's a list of nearly 200 discos that were operating in 1975, primarily ones in New York City but also discos in 16 other states, plus D.C., Puerto Rico, Canada, Australia, and the French West Indies.

- Dyn-O-Mite

Spoonie Gee and The Treacherous Three - The New Rap Language (1980)

I love The Treacherous Three. Their cut At The Party has been one of my fave party rap dancefloor-fillers ever since I discovered it many moons ago, and Feel The Heartbeat is the smooth shit.

So imagine how psyched was I today when I found out their first ever recorded track was pretty freaking incredible, too. And I also never knew Spoonie Gee was originally a member of the crew! The New Rap Language was the B-side to Spoonie Gee's Love Rap, and came about because Spoonie was the nephew of veteran NYC record-store owner and independent record producer Bobby Robinson (no relation to Sylvia Robinson of Sugarhill Records). When Spoonie got signed to his uncle's label Enjoy Records, he convinced Robinson to let Special K, Kool Moe Dee, and L.A. Sunshine (plus DJ Easy Lee) back him up on his first single's B-side.

Bobby Robinson also went on to helm The Treacherous Three's other classic joints. This cat was legendary! His record shop ("Bobby's Record Shop," later "Bobby's Happy House") opened its doors in 1946, and was the first black-owned business on 125th Street in Harlem. Damn! And he founded or co-founded five record labels in all. Back in the day, he produced The Happy Organ for Dave "Baby" Cortez, which went all the way to #1 in 1959, and was the 1st-ever instrumental to top the Billboard Hot 100, as well as the first pop hit to feature the electric organ as the lead instrument.

Anyway, The New Rap Language was groundbreaking. It paved the way for fast-talking rappers everywhere (their style was dubbed speed-rapping), and took lyrical prowess to a new level at the very dawn of the rap era.

-Dyn-O-Mite