Sep 26, 2008

Into the Groove (47)

Hello, the weekend is ahead and that means getting into some early eighties dance grooves today. First up, a woman born on the same day, in the same small town and with the same surname as one of america's famous folksingers, Woody Guthrie, still ..no family. Gwen however was into music aswell, singing and composing. Friends Sly & Robbie are all over Padlock as is the presence of the stardance producer Larry Levan, who also appears as one of the remixers on the next vinyl, Night Dubbing. Imagination crashed on the scene, scored a series of big hits and then dissappeared again, but they left us some memorable tracks...Finally another then starproducer Jellybean he quickly went from DJíng to remixing and along the way scored some major hits for others ..and himself..though he didnt sing himself...he did have the looks...must have been a real heartbreaker, one of his flames he remixes , she sings her mainly selfpenned songs about her and their experiences..i added that album ..just for fun...

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Gwen Guthrie - Padlock (82 ^ 478mb)

Guthrie was born in Okemah, Oklahoma and raised in Newark, New Jersey. In school, she studied classical music, and her father began teaching her piano when she was eight years old. By the early 1970s, she had joined vocal groups such as the Ebonettes and the Matchmakers, meanwhile working as an elementary school teacher. When a backup singer scheduled to sing on Aretha Franklin's 1974 single "I'm in Love" fell ill, Guthrie took the vocalist's place beside Cissy Houston; thus Guthrie would happily state that her career on record began "at the top".

Guthrie soon began moonlighting as a singer of commercial jingles, sometimes with her friend Valerie Simpson (of Ashford & Simpson fame). A songwriting partnership with Patrick Grant resulted in Ben E. King's comeback single, "Supernatural Thing", and "This Time I'll Be Sweeter", covered by numerous artists. Together they wrote seven tracks on the Sister Sledge's 1975 album Circle Of Love: Guthrie continued to write with a variety of partners, and supplied backing vocals to many recording sessions. Working with Peter Tosh in the late '70s, Guthrie befriended reggae stars Sly Dunbar and Robbie Shakespeare, who invited her to Nassau to record vocals for an album they were producing. Hearing her unique voice in the studio, Island Records founder Chris Blackwell inked her to a contract, and the Dunbar/Shakespeare project, assisted by David Conley of Surface, became her first solo release, a self-titled LP. . She was dubbed "The First Lady of the Paradise Garage" as several of her songs became anthems at the venue, helped by the frequent and dynamic performances she gave there. She soon teamed musically with famed Paradise Garage DJ Larry Levan. Who produced her third album Padlock (85)

Guthrie is probably best known for her 1986 dance anthem "Ain't Nothin' Goin' on But the Rent", a self-written and -produced track which garnered some controversy for lyrics such as: Her single "Can't Love You Tonight" boldly addressed AIDS at a time when the disease was a taboo subject, and she was an ally to the gay community, and people with AIDS long before the masses caught up. Proceeds from the single went to the AIDS Coalition. Guthrie was more involved in the writing and production. Hot Times was Guthrie's final LP release, hitting the streets in 1990. Like the previous LP, she wrote nearly everything, except for a moving remake of Stephanie Mills' "Never Knew Love Like This Before." Guthrie died on February 4, 1999, of uterine cancer in Orange, NJ



01 Peanut Butter (Prelude) 0:11
02 Hopscotch 8:13
03 Seventh Heaven 7:22
04 Getting Hot 4:36
05 Getting Hot (Prelude)0:14
06 Peanut Butter 6:03
07 Padlock 6:55
Bonus
08 Hopscotch (Larry Levan Remix Instrumental)7:23
09 Seventh Heaven (Album Mix Of 'Portrait')4:15
10 Padlock (Album Mix Of 'Portrait')4:47
11 Getting Hot (Original 12" Version)5:34
12 Peanut Butter (Original 12" Version) 4:58
13 Padlock (Larry Levan Remix - Short Vocal) 3:52
14 Hopscotch (Album Remix Of 'Portrait') 5:13

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Imagination - Night Dubbing ( 83 ^ 310mb)

Imagination were a trio from the U.K. that put a synthesized and often clubby spin on soul groups from the '70s. In fact, a couple of '70s groups have direct ties to Imagination; Leee John and Ashley Ingram spent time during that decade playing supportive roles in the Delfonics and Chairmen of the Board, prior to Imagination's formation. Along with drummer Errol Kennedy, vocalist John and bassist Ingram formed the group in 1981. By the end of that year, they already had their first album released and a minor hit in the form of that album's title track, "Body Talk." The group's second album, 1982's In the Heat of the Night, was their most successful, spawning a trio of U.S. R&B chart hits in the form of "Just an Illusion" (number 27), "Music and Lights" (number 52), and "Changes" (number 46). Those singles were even more popular in their home country, with the first pair reaching the Top Five.

The remix collection Night Dubbing appeared the following year, as did the group's third proper album, Scandalous. Following this the success of the group in the UK waned, but they continued to perform, tour and record until the early 1990s. John went back to acting and recently re-surfaced in the reality TV show Reborn in the USA. Ingram also enjoyed success as a songwriter for Des'ree. John remained active in the entertainment industry, continuing his recording career as a solo artist and collaborator. Since the group's split, several compilations have been released.



01 - Flashback (4:47)
02 - Just An Illusion (6:34)
03 - Music & Lights (5:31)
04 - So Good, So Right (4:25)

05 - Body Talk (4:41)
06 - Heart 'N' Soul (4:00)
07 - Changes (Rmx Larry Levan) (6:23)
08 - Burnin' Up (4:53)

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Jellybean - Wotupski!?! ( 84 ^ 409mb)

John Benitez's mother emigrated from Puerto Rico in the early 1950s and settled in the South Bronx ( N Y). She raised three children as a single mother, Benitez being the second child. Born in New York City, he grew up enjoying listening to music, his sister, Debbie, nicknamed him Jellybean as his initials are J.B. and from the saying "Do you know what I mean, Jellybean?"
When he relocated to Manhattan in 1975, he became immersed in the growing disco scene and soon became one its best DJs as well as an early producer with his own reel-to-reel machine. After appearances at the clubs Experiment 4 and Xenon, Benitez moved on to such prestigious showplaces as Studio 54 and the Electric Circus. With the dawn of the '80s (and the death of disco), he continued DJing with a residency at Manhattan's Fun House (beginning in 1981), and also hosted a dance show on New York's WKTU..

Benitez started to remix singles, Stephen Bray of the group Breakfast Club went to Benitez for a remix. This led to Benitez being introduced to Bray's girlfriend and band mate at the time, Louise Ciccone. A romantic relationship developed between the two that lasted about two years. Benitez became involved with producing and remixing a bulk of the tracks on Louise Ciccone's debut album in 1983. After this fruitful partnership, both went their seperate ways, eventually Benitez remixed songs for such artists as La India, Whitney Houston, George Benson, Shalamar, Jocelyn Brown, Patti Austin, Sheena Easton, Talking Heads, James Ingram, Hall & Oates, Billy Joel, The Pointer Sisters, Michael Jackson and Paul McCartney. In 84 he released Wotupski!!?! from his album "Sidewalk Talk" became a hit and the Bside showed the classic electro..the mexican. His 1987 debut album Just Visiting This Planet featured Jellybean in his usual production role though his name appeared on the sleeve; despite the mainly unknown guest vocalists, the single "Who Found Who" with Elisa Fiorillo became another Top 20 hit. His second album, 1988's Jellybean Rocks the House, was a much tighter affair though it featured no hits.

Benitez produced and released music under the Jellybean moniker; in total he has placed nine songs in the Top 10 of the Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart, including three number ones. He has employed many vocalists to sing on his productions including Madonna, Elisa Fiorillo, Steven Dante, Adele Bertei, Richard Darbyshire and Niki Haris. His 1984 cover of Babe Ruth's "The Mexican" (for which he recruited the vocals of its original singer, Janita Haan) is regarded as a pivotal moment in the electro-hip hop underground scene. He had solo hits with "The Real Thing" (UK #13 in 1987), "Who Found Who" (UK #10 in 1988), and "Just A Mirage" (UK #13 in 1988). Currently, Benitez owns Jellybean Productions, JB Recording and JB Publishing. On September 19, 2005, Benitez was inducted into the Dance Music Hall of Fame for his achievements as a DJ.



01 Compromise (Voc. Vernon Smith) (6:30)
02 Sidewalk Talk (Voc.Madonna) (6:07)
03 Dancing On The Fire (Voc. Audrey Wheeler) (6:47)
04 Was Dog A Doughnut (7:50)
05 The Mexican (8:42)
Bonus Mexican EP
06 The Mexican (Dance Mix) 8:44
07 The Mexican (A Cappella) 2:28
08 The Mexican (Funhouse Mix) 8:24
09 Hip Hop Bean Bop (Bonus Beats) 2:47
10 The Mexican (Short Version) 5:15


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Louise Ciccone - I    (flac 263mb)

01 - Lucky Star (5:37)
02 - Borderline (5:17)
03 - Burning Up (4:48)
04 - I Know It (3:40)

05 - Holiday (6:08)
06 - Think Of Me (4:53)
07 - Physical Attraction (6:37)
08 - Everybody (4:48)

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1 comment:

Anonymous said...

please can you re-up Night Dubbing please? Thanks