Princess - Say I'm Your Number 1 1985

Supreme Records SUPE T 101

When Desiree Heslop decided to take a tilt at the music industry windmill she had the good sense to change her name. She joined Osibisa in the late 1970s before touring as a background vocalist with several artists, among them Evelyn Thomas and Precious Wilson. In the early 80's with her brother Donovan Heslop as her manager, she took a shot at a solo career. Releasing Another World in 1984 she made barely a ripple but the following year she found herself with a new production team.

Adopting the stage name Princess, she was signed as a solo act to PWL, where the production team of Mike Stock, Matt Aitken & Pete Waterman took a vested interest in her. Say I'm Your Number One was written and produced by Stock Aitken & Waterman and released on the new Supreme Records label. It was a UK Top 10 hit in 1985 selling over a million copies worldwide. They produced her first solo album Princess which was released in 1986. The album included three further Top 40 singles.

• Say I'm Your Number 1
• Short Version
• Senza Voce

Supreme Records SUPET D 103

Despite being under the same umbrella as Rick Astley, Kylie Minogue & Jason Donovan, the launch of Princess was handled well by S.A.W. PWL were using all the latest technology and were heavily involved in the use of the promotional remix. In the capable hands of 'The Mixmaster' Phil Harding, she was digitally mastered (in 1985 people!) and released on Supreme Records who sported the by-line "A Statement In Soul". I'm not sure what the statement was but with Mel & Kim and Lonnie Gordon as her stable mates, 'Popular' springs to mind but 'Soulful' doesn't. Princess rose above this for a while though, keeping it slow and low with a walking bass line she retained a modicum of credibility despite the odds.

Say I'm Your Number 1 came in a variety of mixes. This 12" came free with (I think?) After The Love Has Gone but I can't find the 12". I always played the Chief Inspector Mix from Street Sounds 15 so I guess my 12" was lost back in the 80's.

The remixes are the work of The Funky Sisters who were responsible for a rework of Windjammer's Tossing & Turning the year before. Pulling heavily from Michael Jackson's Billy Jean, the bass line is worked to the max and the song ends up around the nine minute mark.

Princess recorded her second 1987 album, All For Love in the United States but it didn't match up to the success of her debut. From 1991 to 2003 she lived in U.S. before returning to England and appearing in ITV's Hit Me Baby One More Time. For an in depth read click here.

• REMIX Number 2
• H.R.H. Mix No. 3

The Download Link is here: Download
Filename: Princess.rar Filesize: 71.29 MB

Sold Out - Shine On 1991

Columbia Records 656863 6

1991 introduced those of us fortunate enough to be in the right place, to the wonderful vocals of Sarah Warwick singing Shine On for Sold Out. The collective, a.k.a. Souled Out, comprised of Alessandro Sommella, Domenico "GG" Canu, Ricky Rinaldi and Sergio Della Monica.

The Andalucian Mix on this 12" is remixed by Mark Brydon (Cloud 9). This is soulful music on very classy dance vibe. Brydon's Andalucian Saxola Mix is also a nice bit of work, weaving a jazzy sax through the instrumental and stroking it with some of Warwick's backing vocals. Sold Out also released an album 'Souled - The Magic Of The Language Of Music In Effect' in 1991 which I have never been able to find.

They went on to produce club classics such as Hondy (No Access) and Planetfunk (Chase The Sun) but for a short spell they tried to educate the masses with their wonderful soul based sounds. Shine On was followed by In My Life, also featuring Sarah Warwick (confirmed by the album credits) and remixed by Joey 'Dave Lee' Negro in an attempt to break the song. There's a Joey Negro Dub and an Almerian Remix by John Waddell (Nasty Rox Inc.) that may be interesting but I doubt it?

• Andalucian 12" Remix
• Andalucian Saxola Mix
• LP Mix

The Download Link is here: Download
Filename: Souled Out.rar Filesize: 32.64 MB

JT Taylor - Long Hot Summer Night 1991

MCA Records MCST 1567

James Warren Taylor was born August 16, 1953, in South Carolina. He got involved in music when he was 13 years old. Before his rise to fame, he was a schoolteacher. He joined Kool & The Gang in 1978 during the rise of disco when they were starting to slump. He became the band's lead singer in 1979 and alongside the bands other new boy, Eumir Deodato, the group re-entered the Top Ten with Ladies Night and topped the charts. The following year, Kool & the Gang had their first number one hit, Celebration.

Taylor's creamy voice helped the singles Too Hot and Ladies' Night reach gold and platinum status before leaving the band for a solo career in 1988. Kool & the Gang recruited three people to replace him, such was his worth. Signing with MCA Records in 1988, Taylor found himself with a hit in the shape of All I Want Is Forever, a duet with Regina Belle but was unable to cross over to the pop charts. He released his debut album Master of the Game in 1989.

Taylor recorded three albums for MCA during the early '90s, failing to trump that success. He completed his second solo album, Feel the Need, in 1991, and two songs from that album, Long Hot Summer Night and his duet with Stephanie Mills, Heart to Heart, were minor hits. This release bears the production stamp of The Funky Ginger himself, the awesome Simon Law, brother of Joanna Law. The title track is also a Funky Ginger production.

Taylor returned to Kool & The Gang in 1995 but is not to be found on Kool and the Gang's latest release, Still Kool (2007). Taylor released his fourth solo album, A Brand New Me, in 2000.

• Long Hot Extended Club
• Single Version
• Flintstrumental

The Download Link is here: Download
Filename: JT Taylor.rar Filesize: 35.47 MB

Zushii - There Ain't Enough Love 1989

Red Fly Records FB 3005

Back in the mid 80's, Jason Halliday & Carol McLeod wanted to do 'something different'. Together they began to create tracks with a mix of soul, funk and jazz and Zushii came into being. They were spotted by producer Nigel Wright of Shakatak fame who signed them to his label and released their first single Surprise Surprise in 1987.

Shortly after, a difference in opinion between Zushii and Wright resulted in them parting company. The group decided to start their own label with long term friend Ricky McKenzie, which gave them another two releases, There Ain't Enough Love & A little Sunshine.

There Ain't Enough Love took the South London dance floors by storm. Its bad bassline and jangly melody instantly recognisable, it was a firm favourite with Soul fans. Both mixes are equally good but the flip side The Like A Child Mix (labelled Sweet Mix on the cover?) has a minute plus lead in before the vocal drops which is good for radio chatter or DJ mixing of course.

• Original Version
• The Like A Child Mix

The Download Link is here: Download
Filename: Zushii.rar Filesize: 31.81 MB

Cashflow - Can't Let Love Pass Us By 1986

Club Records JABX 33

Their debut LP, Ca$hflow, yielded the hit, Mine All Mine, in 1986, which did well internationally and in clubs, but oddly they put their other certified dance floor killer tune on the flip. The follow up release contained a handful of good tunes from the album.

Can't Let Love Pass Us By is a good song, a great album track, but it lacked that special something to make it a hit. I Need Your Love is more of the same but the essential tune on this 12" release was (as Frank said) Spending Money. Not as essential as Mine All Mine and Party Freak but it's certainly a keeper. They issued a follow-up LP, Big Money, in 1988 which to my knowledge never made so much as a dent in the UK Soul scene.

• Can't Let Love Pass Us By
• I Need Your Love
• Spending Money

The Download Link is here: Download
Filename: Cashflow.rar Filesize: 35.92 MB

Lowrell - Mellow Mellow Right On 1979

AVI Records AVISL 108

This one goes back a few years and I must apologise for the cover coz it's a bit grubby.

Chicago's Lowrell Simon started out in The LaVondells in the 1960's. When the Vondells broke up, he formed The Lost Generation between 1969 and 1974. He went on to write many successful songs including All About the Paper for Loleatta Holloway in 1979.

In the late 1970's, Simon began recording under his first name. He signed to Liberace's label, AVI Records, and released an album in late 1979 entitled Lowrell. The album's second single, Mellow Mellow Right On was a #32 U.S. R&B hit and reached #37 in the UK Singles Chart in December 1979.

There's no great difference for the casual listener but I always played the Alternative Version. Although they are listed as Vocal and Instrumental tracks, the song is continuous on both sides. For this reason I have ripped in both formats, 4 songs and 2 songs, both of which have been added to the rar file. You can choose which to save and delete the other. The song has long since become an anthem and has been sampled by many, including by Massive Attack, Imagination and Common.

• Vocal
• Instrumental
• Alternative Vocal
• Alternative Instrumental

The Download Link is here: Download
Filename: Lowrell.rar Filesize: 94.97MB

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Posted By Mickey P. to The Soul Vendor on 7/07/2009 12:00:00 PM

Cashflow - Mine All Mine 1986

Club Records JABX 30

Larry Blackmon of Cameo relocated to Atlanta in the ’80s and got involved in music production. One of the groups he signed to his Atlanta Artists label was Ca$hflow.

They featured lead vocalist Kary Hubbert, backed by drummer Gaylord Parson, keyboardists James Duffie, and Regis Ferguson, and blended funk, rap, and urban contemporary music in a style very similar to Cameo.

Their debut LP, Ca$hflow, yielded one moderate hit, Mine All Mine, in 1986, which did fairly well internationally, especially in the clubs. It borrowed heavily from the Fatback Band classic, I Found Lovin' but was also a good enough song in it's own right to rise above the criticism.

The flip side featured another great song which became a funk floor favourite. Party Freak is another song that is heavily influenced by various songs. The rap section owes much to the Cameo classic, She's Strange, but then, since it's Larry Blackmon producing and it's his rap I guess it's OK. Party Freak is given the remix treatment by The Latin Rascals who are an 80's favourite of mine. Always lots of extra, added percussion.

It's Just A Dream should have been called It's A Nightmare. Really not my cup of tea, even if I were dieing of thirst?

• Mine All Mine
• Party Freak (Latin Rascals Edit)
• It's Just A Dream

The Download Link is here: Download
Filename: Cashflow.rar Filesize: 42.11 MB

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Posted By Mickey P. to The Soul Vendor on 7/05/2009 08:00:00 PM

Janet Jackson - Let's Wait Awhile 1987

Breakout Records USAT 601

Maintaining the Jackson connection, hey.... why not make the best of it? Miss Janet's Control album blew up big time and best part of the album went out on single releases with all the usual mixes on-board, Extended, Instrumental, Bonus Beats and the occasional Accappella. Let's Wait Awhile was rather twee in comparison (despite the remix) to all the dance floor killers that preceded it. The solution was to load the 12" with some 'in demand' Re-mixes of Nasty which had been a big hit on the floor in '86.

Janet Jackson sang the vocal on Herb Alpert's Diamonds and in return he laid down a bit of brass on the Cool Summer Mix of Nasty. Steve Hodge handled all the remixes for the Jam & Lewis production at Flyte Tyme studios. Enjoy!

• Let's Wait Awhile (Remix)
• Nasty (Cool Summer Mix Pt. 1)
• Nasty (Cool Summer Mix Pt. 2)

The Download Link is here: Download
Filename: Janet Jackson.rar Filesize: 48.99 MB

Dread Flimstone - From The Ghetto (Remixes) 1991

Urban Records URBXR 87

Kymba has told you all about Dread Flimstone and his sidekick, David Rubble, here so I'm not going to dwell on the text. This is the Remix 12" that followed shortly after. I agree with Kymba, there are lots of mixes and not much between them and with the Album Mix you hear the samples making sense but this is a good mix and for those that are open to a smooth 4x4 beat, it should be heard.

This version is remixed by Danny Tenaglia before he blew up. Tenaglia grew up with Motown/Philly in early '70s New York and spent time at Paradise Garage. He begun producing in the mid-'80s during his stay in Miami and hit the mainstream in 1993. This is not a lot different (again) from most of the Bastone mixes but I think it's smoother. Outside of the Album Mix all the mixes seem to be searching for something. This one doesn't, on a smooth 4x4 tip this is comfortable and complimetary. Try it, you'll like it.

• Dreadzone Mix
• Dreadzone Dub

The Download Link is here: Download
Filename: Dread Flimstone & The Modern Ton.rar Filesize: 28.34 MB

SWV - Right Here 1993

RCA Records 74321-16048-2

Following on from the Michael Jackson memoriam post, I thought it was a good connection. The breakthrough hit for SWV was the smooth 1992 release, Right Here, this was soon to be followed up with I'm So Into You, establishing the trio as a commercial force early in 1993.

Then came two number one R&B singles in a row: Weak (which I can't find) and Right Here: The Human Nature Mixes. Stating the obvious I know but it's a remix of their first single that features samples of Human Nature from Michael Jackson's 1982 epic album Thriller. It's a simple remix, SIIS style beats with MJ harmonising on the chorus, but it turned the track into an absolute monster and it became an international success.

With eight mixes to choose from and no turkeys to speak of, this is a healthy release! On the downside, the commercial success of the Human Nature Radio Mix was so effective that you probably don't need to hear it again, ever. That of course, is not an option because it will be played on national radio everyday. You're bound to hear it somewhere.

That said, I ask you to listen, at least once, to the Funkyman 12" and dig the ruffness. Great scratching and boombox beats, you know it's good. Other enjoyable mixes for me are the UK Back To Black Mix and my ultimate Quiet Storm Mix.

• Human Nature Radio Mix
• Back To Nature Mix
• UK Back To Black Mix
• Quiet Storm Mix
• Funkyman 12"
• G-Man 12"
• Smooth Bam Jam Mix
• Original LP Mix

The Download Link is here: Download
Filename: SWV.rar Filesize: 92.44 MB

Soul Family Sensation - I Don't Even Know... 1990

One Little Indian Records 42 TP 12

In 1989 Johnny Male teamed up with Guy Batson and Jhelisa Anderson to begin the project Soul Family Sensation. Their debut album 'New Wave' was praised by the UK media as was the single, I Don't Even Know If I Should Call You Baby. Despite interest from the style press and radio play for '...Baby', SFS bombed. Too white for the dance kids, too black for the indie kids, SFS were stuck in a sort of no-mans land in-between.

Their second LP, Burger Habit, recorded without Jhelisa under the band name of Sensation, disappeared without a trace and the band split. Male - after reputedly writing songs for Jimmy Nail - turned up next in Republica.

Jhelisa Anderson has become an accomplished solo artist singing, writing & producing under her first name Jhelisa. She has made two albums and struck gold with Friendly Pressure. Her sister is P.Y. or Pamela Anderson (No, not that one.) who sang with D*Note and Incognito and of course, her cousin is Carleen Anderson, daughter of Vicki Anderson & Bobby Byrd.

I Don't Even Know If I Should Call You Baby failed to gain it's deserved acclaim, probably because the artist and title are far too long. It was re-released in 1991 and spent 4 weeks, reaching the dizzy heights of #49 in the UK Charts. I love this song, both versions here are absolutely sublime. Don't be misled by the alternate title, it's another version of ...Baby but the other track, Beat Author, it's probably a good indication of what the album is about?

I've included BadBoy's video so you can hear the song.

• I Don't Even Know If I Should Call You Baby
• Beat Author (Howl Mix)
• I Could Read All The Letters (The Karen Carpenter Late Night Mix)

The Download Link is here: Download
Filename: Soul Family Sensation.rar Filesize: 26.23 MB