VOLUME 1 · NUMBER 9
Tom Savarese has 15 new releases for you.
Tom reviewed 136 songs, and has created four very exciting sets of music for your audience's dancing pleasure.
The Grand Tour / Grand Tour. This is from the new "Grand Tour/On Such a Winter's Day" LP from Butterfly, produced by Willi Morrison and Ian Guenther. Willi and Ian live in Canada, and also produced the THP Orchestra's "Two Hot For Love" which is on DISCONET Volume 1, Number 3. Mark Smith did the recording and mixing at Producer's Workshop in Los Angeles. It's a mover!
Song Of The Wind / Caesar Farzier. Westbound continues to add to their artist roster with exciting talent, and Caesar Frazier's special instrumental disco version of "Song of the Wind" is a great dance number. Mike Theodore produced and arranged, and Tom Moulton did the mix.
Seven Deadly Sins (Sloth) / Laurin Rinder & W. Michael Lewis. Tom had a hard time picking a sin... there are seven of them on Laurin and Michael's new AVI LP. The most slothful people in earshot have got to be moved by this song, even slow-moving mammals which hang from branches feeding on roots, leaves, and fruits (which Webster uses to define "sloth.") "Sins" were all composed, arranged, and produced by Laurin and Michael, who also play all of the instruments on the LP. Ray Harris and Ed Cobb were Executive Producers.
SPECIAL NOTE TO DJs: Side A runs 20:14, at a consistent 134 BPM (beats per minute.) This set is good for atleast 400 calories.
Dance, Dance, Dance / Bombers. "Bombers" are now attacking the U.S. via West End's new release, and Tom picked "Dance, Dance, Dance" to start the onslaught to your dance floor. The whole LP is a great mixture of vocals and instrumentation, with five very strong songs. George Lagios produced, with an assist from Pat "Kebekelektrik" Diserio and John Pantis.
Body And Soul / Don Ray. Tom almost made Number 9 into a three record program, with one record being all of the new "Don Ray/Garden of Love" LP from Polydor. There are six masterpieces on it, and Tom presents two of them on this program. The music was composed and arranged by Don Ray, who co-produced with Cerrone. Both of their talents are also evident on the keyboards, synthesizer, and drums.
Copacabana (At The Copa) / Barry Manilow. This is a very danceable, melodic special disco version of the song on Barry's new Arista LP, "Even Now." "Can't Smile Without You" is also on the LP (and getting the radio play), and the very talented Barry Manilow is once again adding to the vinyl shortage and giving a lot of other people who want their records pressed a mild headache.
Boogie Uptown / Wham! Wham! is a new group with a new sound for your dance floor. Their new GRT LP has a nice balance of listening music and dancing music, and Tom picked a funky, upbeat mover called "Boogie Uptown" to end this set. The five member group was recorded in Nashville, produced by Ken Laxton of Musicworks and Nelson Larkin of GRT.
SPECIAL NOTE TO DJs: Side B runs 18:14, and builds from 118 BPM to 124 BPM.
Runaway Love / Linda Clifford. This is from Linda's new Warner Brothers/Curtom LP, "If My Friends Could See Me Now." The title song has received an overwhelmingly favorable response at several discos, and "Runaway Love" is bound to be the next one getting attention. Linda is a former Miss New York State, and had her first chartmaker with "Long, Long Winter" on Gemigo/Paramount. Her first LP for WB/Curtom, "Linda Clifford", was produced by Gil Askey of Motown and LeRoy Hutson, and her new "If My Friends... " combined with personal appearances at leading discos and concert halls should really put Linda on the map.
Stardance / John Forde. This is a special disco version of John's single, originally out last winter on Capitol (France), and now doing very well in Canada via Capitol (Canada.) The group may remind you a little bit of the Beach Boys and/or the Bee Gees, and John's light, funky touch should bring a refreshing new addition to your dance floor.
Shanti Dance (Part I And Part II) / Droids. French artists and producers continue to dominate the new fields being plowed in disco, and "Droids" is no exception. Yves Hayat and Jean Fredenucci produced, and Barclay (France) reports excellent reaction all over Europe.
Black Water Gold / The Sunshine Band. K.C. and Rick Finch's growing Sunshine Sound Enterprises produced this hot instrumental for T.K., and the song is beginning to get excellent radio and disco play. It's a great example of a relatively slow (for disco) 112 BPM having a very upbeat and floor-filling quality.
SPECIAL NOTE TO DJs: Bonus Side 1 runs 19:49, at a consistent 112 BPM.
Neon Lights / Kraftwerk. This very hypnotic song is from Kraftwerk's new Capitol LP, "The Man Machine." The group, produced in Germany, continues to be light years ahead of its time. One of the challenges which a professional DJ faces is to continue to expand your audience's minds while exercising their bodies, and you should find rich rewards in this entire set of music which Tom has prepared for you, especially by using it in just the right place. When you think that "Neon Lights" has run its course, something new is thrown at you... again and again. Joschko Rudas and Leanard Jackson did the mix, par excellence, and Kraftwerk produced.
Garden Of Love / Don Ray. If Kraftwerk is the hors d'oeuvre of this set, Don Ray and "Garden of Love" is the meal. The song is rich, melodic, and full of new dimensions every time you hear it. The Polydor people have struck gold with Don Ray, and "Garden of Love" should be making radio waves and disco tidal waves very soon. Enjoy!
Action '78 / The Erotic Drum Band. Here's dessert. The laugh, and the drums, are mind blowers. Peter DeMilo produced for Disques Champagnes (Canada), and P.S., the drums really turned us on, Peter. Tom presents the entire length of the song for you to transition to your next set whenever you think they're ready.
SPECIAL NOTE TO DJs: Bonus Side 2 runs 21:44, and builds from 112 BPM to 124 BPM.
Disconet in-store play helps Disco retailer
Bary Maddox, a former disco DJ who now owns and manages Graffiti Records near the Georgetown section of Washington, D.C., reports excellent response to in-store play of DISCONET programs. "The choice of selections and mixes are excellent. Presenting new releases as they're heard at discos has helped us sell out of many of the selections faster than we thought," according to Maddox. Graffiti regularly plays the Top Tune/1977 medley from Program 7, which has sparked many a customer into requesting a catalog LP from one or more of the songs contained in the medley.
Bary and his partner, Leslie Odonovich, opened Graffiti in 1977. They specialize in disco, soul, and jazz, and will be opening a second Graffiti store in the fall.
Another great promotion idea from Michael O'Harro
Mike O'Harro is Executive Director of Tramp's Disco in Washington, D.C., one of the most successful (and longest running) discos since George McCrae's baby got rocked. A few weeks ago Tramp's and the Hecht Company, a downtown department store, hosted a "Disco Evening" on the fourth floor (adjacent to bedroom furniture.) Hecht presented Giorgio Sant' Angelo's first collection of home furnishings, Pleasant Valley Wine Company and Great Western Champagnes provided a wine and champagne tasting, and special mobile equipment and lights were arranged by Tramp's to provide the music. Invitations to all three companies' lists brought the folks out, with over 800 attending.
Since most downtown department stores stand idle at night, and wine companies love to sample their wares, perhaps you'll be able to launch a similar promotion in your area. You'll probably find (as Mike has over the years) that there's virtually no limit to expanding your disco's customer base and overall awareness. And many "events" such as this one can be staged at little or no cost to you thanks to willing partners. We'll keep you posted with more ideas from DISCONET subscribers soon.
Donn Gray wins the LCD chronograph. DISCONET awards a very nice 12-function LCD chronograph on each program. It's easy to win… simply enter the pressing serial number (in the upper left hand corner of your normal program record jacket) on the feedback card. The watch includes an elapsed time function, a light, and is solar-powered (so leave it by the window when you're sleeping during the day.) Donn's serial number on Volume I, Number 7 matched the winning number (#328.)
Donn plays at the Windjammer in Kansas City, Missouri. He started with a DISCONET trial subscription last January, and after trying us out, convinced the management at the Windjammer to go 50/50 with him on a regular subscription. He reports a welcome end to a very hard midwest winter, and a more sophisticated and demanding audience week after week. He's working with local record retailers to get the music people are dancing to into the stores, and is looking forward to a great future for the entire disco marketplace. Congratulations, Donn.