Cannonball Records have recently reissued a couple of unreleased 80s tracks by
Jay 'Machine' Stovall (unearthed by DJ Camembert (eh haw, eh haw, eh haw) aka Yann Vatiste)
which reminded me of a monster club sound circa 1979. I don't know how
well known this track is for those who 'weren't there'. I always had a soft
spot for it but hadn't listened to it in years and was pleasantly surprised as
I'd just dismissed it as a pop/disco tune when in fact the vocals are actually
quite soulful (or am I just comparing it with today's standards?).
What I hadn't realised was that it was written and produced by
August Darnell
(aka Kid Creole) and that he was in the group along with Jay Stovall.
Which, listening to it again, does make sense as it sort of sits between his
Dr. Buzzard's Original Savannah Band (1976-79) and Kid Creole & The
Coconuts (1980s) sound and you can see the progression. Also, Kid Creole
& The Cocunuts actually released a
version
of the song in 1980 - a more latin/carribean oriented version of it.
Machine were a studio disco band who released two albums, 'Machine' in 1979
and 'Movin' On' in 1980. Neither of the albums saw a UK release, in fact the
only Machine record to get a UK release was 'There But For....', although
they released 2 singles from each album. Much of their material was disco or
just down right odd, but there were a couple of tracks of interest.
Mr Destiny
This is a mellow stepper which has been well known and respected by those
in the know since release on the 'Machine' album, but it doesn't appear to
be widely known.
The sound is a bit low on this track but it's the only one
available.
Is It Love
80s modern soul / boogie with a heavy (almost Chic'ish) bassline. A New
York Disco
'Loft' classic played at the
Paradise Garage. I don't ever recall this being played in the UK. It was on the second
Machine album 'Movin' On' and also got a single release on 7" &
12".
You Didn't Really Love Me At All
Album only track from the second album 'Moving On' released in 1980.
Blue-eyed vocals, which I presume are Jay Stovall's. I would
'classify' this as 'Yacht Soul'.
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