Zhané - Request Line 1997

Motown Records 860 647-2

Zhané (pronounced Jah-Nay) featured Jean Norris and Renee Neufville. After meeting Kay Gee of Naughty by Nature, he was left impressed enough to go right into the studio to record for Roll Wit tha Flava. When Hey, Mr. DJ was released as well, it made the Top 10 and earned the group a contract with Motown in 1994. Their debut album, Pronounced Jah-Nay, produced two further Top 40 hits, Groove Thang & Sending My Love, and went gold by the end of the year. The girls released their sophomore album Saturday Night in 1997, co-produced by Kay Gee, Eddie F. & Zhane. The release featured this hit single, Request Line. It peaked just outside the Top 40.

This release features 3 versions of Request Line and the 1993 album version of Hey DJ though it must be said, Nitebreed's Mix has a soul factor of 0.5 and the only reason it get's a score, at all, is because the full vocal is in there. Not a bad club tune though, I guess? To further pee you off, another is the Instrumental, leaving only the Radio Edit? Anyhow, to sweeten the package (and because I don't have the complete vinyl) I've included 1994's Sending My Love (Sticky Stamp Mix) coz people it's bad!

Produced by Darren Lightly & Kay Gee, Request Line samples Ashford & Simpson's It Seems To Hang On and features Sheldon Goode on guitar. Hey Mr. DJ samples Looking Up To You by Michael Wycoff. Sending My Love remix and additional production by Cedeno & Soulfinga.

• Radio Edit
• Instrumental
• Hey DJ (Album Version)
• Nitebreed's Got You On Hold Mix

The Download Link is here: Download
Filename: Zhane.rar Filesize: 31.19 MB

A Special Motown Disco Album 1976

Motown Records STML 12059

Going way back to the mid 70's for todays post. This was the heart of the Disco era, Saturday Night Fever was being filmed and the Bee Gees would soon destroy any credibility the genre had but for now it was considered cool.

'Disco was a dance fad of the Seventies with a profound and unfortunate influence on popular music.'
The Penguin Encyclopedia of Popular Music 1989

Although disco was the most prominent form of popular music in the 1970s, it never got the credit it deserved. 1979's Disco Sucks revolution and in particular, Chicago's Disco Demolition Night all but destroyed the shallow, music industry gravytrain globally but it also permanantly scarred the term Disco. Thirty years later it's still a negative term and the reason I'm putting in so much info here.

Prior to 1975, Disco was not a recognised word. In New York, the underground club scene was spawning a new hybrid. A mixture of funk and soul with a particular sound developed into a new trend that would eventually take the world by storm. Songs like...

Zing Went the Strings of My Heart - The Trammps (Buddah, 1972)
Soul Makossa - Manu Dibango (Atlantic, 1973)
The Player - First Choice (74)

...played by DJ's such as Larry Levan at David Mancuso's Loft Nights, fed a dancefloor monster with a growing appetite.

Meanwhile, over in Detroit...

1971 saw the release of Motown Record's legendary Marvin Gaye release. What's Goin' On moved Motown music to a new level, changed their singles perspective to include albums and moved a whole generation. In June 1972, Motown announced that it was closing it's Detroit offices and moving it's headquarters to Los Angeles. While the move probably made sense , many Motown fans believe the company's heart and soul was lost when it abandoned Detroit. Motown slumped between 1972 - 1976 with only one Top 10 entry in 1975.

Back in New York...

In 1974 Tom Moulton was getting his first 10" acetate cut with nice deep grooves at Media Sound. Having run out of 7" blanks Tom got a 10" acetate and this 'accident' led to the DJ Only 12" promo. The 12" Single was the final ingredient to the breakthrough of what would become, the Disco Remix. The first official 12" release was in 1976. Salsoul Records released Ten Percent by Double Exposure, a three minute track turned into an eleven minute opus by Walter Gibbons, and the rest, as they say, is history.

In 1976, the fortunes of Motown rebounded with six releases reaching the Top 10. Three of them reached #1, including Love Hangover by Diana Ross and Love Machine by The Miracles. It's probably fair to say that Disco gave Motown a new lease of life. This album is clearly a collection of tracks Motown felt fit the bill. My favourites here are Diana Ross (Love Hangover is an Anthem!) & Eddie Kendricks but The Supremes & The Originals are also fair tunes, if somewhat dated. Thelma Houston is a fine artist but Don't Leave Me This Way has been tainted with Hi-Energy success?

OK, I admit it. I bought the album mainly for the glorious cover art by Helene Majera. Seems she lost her way after this album cover. ;-)

• Thelma Houston - Don't Leave Me This Way
• The Originals - Down To Love Town
• Dynamic Superiors - Stay Away
• Jermaine Jackson - Lets Be Young Tonight
• Diana Ross - Love Hangover
• Eddie Kendricks - Goin' Up In Smoke
• The Supremes - You're My Driving Wheel
• Tata Vega - Full Speed Ahead

The Download Link is here: Download
Filename: A Special Motown Album.rar Filesize: 80.26 MB

The Temptations - The Jones 1992

Motown Records TMGX 1403

The Temptations are a legendary group but in 1991 when they released the album 'Milestone' the line up had changed several times and group members were suffering ill health. With no particularly strong songs either, it's hardly surprising that Milestone, as an album, was forgotten.

It was probably for this reason that 'The Jones' was offered up for the remix treatment. The UK's Bob Jones could do no wrong at this time and Ray Hayden was formidable as a producer, artist and remix engineer, especially on the London scene. Opaz Studios turned out this superb remix which was played to death that summer.

I seem to recall a film of similar name. Can anybody confirm whether or not this track was featured in a movie around 1992?

• 12" Surgery Mix
• Full Surgery Mix
• 7" Surgery Mix
• Surgery Instrumental

The Download Link is here: Download
Filename: The Temptations.rar Filesize: 46.39 MB

Frances Nero - Footsteps 1991

Debut Records DEBTX 3109

Billed as "The Soul Anthem Of The 90's", this Ian Levine collaboration took the UK dancefloors by storm in early 1991, even managing to reach #17 in the UK Top Twenty. To quote Ian Levine:

"Frances Nero won a talent contest in Detroit in 1965, won a year's recording contract with Motown, and released one single, "Keep On Loving Me", then recorded for Eddie Singleton's Shrine label, but those recordings never even came out, so she went twenty three years between releases. I wrote this song, which I adore, with Ivy Jo Hunter, the man who wrote "Dancing In The Street". I found Frances in Detroit and she hadn't even recorded for twenty three years. This was the only Motorcity release to cross over to the charts. However, and much to Frances' constant annoyance to this present day, the deal for Motorcity was an exclusive one, and was frozen, with no more releases coming out, and the only way I freed up the entire catalogue was to waive all rights to royalties for Footsteps, so none of us made a penny off it. Sad. But still a wonderful record and a classic, especially thanks to Chris Hill."

The main A Side mix rules but do check the Sole Mix by Steve Mac & Darren Pearce and Robin Sellars 'Lace Up Mix' which are both competent but unnecessary.

• Footsteps following me
• Footsteps following me (Sole Mix)
• Footsteps following me (Lace Up Mix)

The Download Link is here:Download
Filename: Frances Nero.rar Filesize: 36.29 MB

Magic Lady - Betcha Can't Lose (With My Love) 1988

Magic Lady - Betcha Can't Lose (With My Love) 1988
Motown Records ZT42004DJ

A nice Motown 12" by Magic Lady, this was actually the last thing they released before dissapearing into obscurity?
Michael Stokes (Legend!) wife Linda, put this band together, Betcha...was taken from their only Motown album , the self-titled 'Magic Lady'. I understand they have some pre-Motown material that is popular on the Rare Groove scene.... Anybody?

The Download Link is here: Download
Filename: 1988 Motown ZT 42004DJ.rar Filesize: 21.2 MB.