Summer is coming and my 2nd release to! After the big success of Barna Vs. Porto Ep on OCSID Music, (sold out in 1 month), im proud and excited to announce my next 12". It will be a limited summer edition on Mindless Boogie with edits by me and Peter Visti. Release date: end of June.
Jean-Marc Cerrone was born in Paris, France but hopped to London, England to record his first successful albums. A drummer, composer, and producer he first left Paris in 1975 to record what became his most popular LP Love In C Minor. He started producing and performing music at 18 when he worked as the Orchestra Leader at the Club Mediterranee. Two years later he signed an exclusive contract with French producer Barclay, and recorded what he dismisses as uncommercial songs with little chance of broad acceptance. Cerrone was already a successful entrepreneur in Paris, he owned three large, influential record shops, but went to London when he couldn't find a French company interested in his more contemporary creation. In London, he contracted with Island Records to press 5,000 copies of his new recording. They sold like hot cakes and when the smoke cleared, Love In C Minor had sold an astonishing 10 million copies worldwide, and established Cerrone as France's first disco superstar. Subsequent albums' Cerrone's Paradise (1977), Supernature (1977) and Golden Touch (1979), and Angelina (1979), all went gold to further enhanced Cerrones' Midas Touch. He started Malligator Records to release his work and others including Kongas, Don Ray, and Revelation - all had international hits. Other Malligator artists include balladeer Bobby Solo, and Rod McKuen. Atlantic Records distributed Malligator in the United States, and CBS Records everywhere else. Cerrone's success waned in the 80's but he kept pumping out albums and producing product on others. Nothing, however, approaches his mega single "Super Nature," a 1978 release from an LP of the same name that left skid marks on the International Charts.
This is one of my favorites ever! It can't have been a very big seller as it only spent one week at #20, before disappearing from the chart forever! Magically, this track manages to combine the sound of Chic, Roy Ayers and Patrick Adams. After years of gathering dust, this track was finally revived in the late 80's by the likes of Norman Jay and Sean P on pirate radio. Nowadays, it was become one of the most collectable and talked about disco 12"'s.
The Mary Jane Girls were the product of punk-funkster Rick James. The group (which in its early formation included Bride of Funkenstein Sheila Horne) began as James' background singers for his live show. In 1983, perhaps following the precendence of other artists with gimmicky girl groups like Prince's Vanity 6 and George Clinton's Brides of Funkenstein, Rick got four main ladies together for the debut Mary Jane Girls album. While the entire album was written and produced by Mr. James, the different songs and fantasy stage personalities for each of the women represented that there was something for everyone.
For instance, "Candi" (Candice Ghant) portrayed the classy diva. "Cheri" (Ann Bailey) played the part of a young, innocent preppy. "Maxi" (Kim Wuletich) acted as a wild leather queen. And lead vocalist "Jojo" (Joanne McDuffie) was sort of like a female version of Slick Rick, complete with beaded cornrows and an in-charge attitude.
Surprisingly, behind the glossy exteriors, this group packed a lot of talent and, in my opinion, their self-titled debut was one of the bright spots in early 80s R&B. It's songs "Candy Man" and "All Night Long" are bonafide "ol school" classics, combining Rick's very tuneful grooves with the ladies' melodic harmonies. And the temptuous "Boys," with it's lyric "You can call me any week /when you feel the need to freak," is a gem that rivals anything on SuperFreak Rick's own records.
For their second album Only Four You, released in '85, "Cheri" was replaced by Yvette "Corvette" Marine, playing the part of a wild 'n trendy girl. It spawned two top ten singles which were both funky, both typical Rick productions: "In My House" and "Wild & Crazy Love." And on side 2, each of the ladies has their own tailor-made song to sing lead on.
Unfortunately, two albums would be all the world would get from the MJGs, though they did record a modestly successful cover of Franki Valli & the Four Seasons' "Walk Like a Man" for the soundtrack of A Fine Mess in 1986. When Rick James parted ways with Motown in the mid-80s, the Mary Jane Girls got lost in the shuffle. And despite rumored plans to release a third album with the help of producers Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis, they disbanded in '87. Some years later, one of the members would sue Paula Abdul saying that it was mainly her vocals on the choreographer-turned-singer's Forever Your Girl album. And then a few other members were interviewed on a TV segment where they alleged that James had treated them badly while they worked for him. "Corvette" would wind up singing backup for Teena Marie in the late 80s.
