Loose Ends - Hangin' On A String (Frankie Knuckles Remix) - (1992)

10 Records ‎– TENCD 406, 10 Records ‎– 665 357

Firstly, allow me to say that I have nothing against Mr Knuckles, in fact, I think he's one of the best house producers out there. 

Having got that out of the way, now allow me to put out the fact that I find the notion of remixing this track absolute heresy and I am only putting it up for sake of completion. 

It is interesting hearing most of the percussive elements stripped back and leaving the instrumentation in greater clarity, and you do tend to notice stuff in there that never jumped out before, but those four-to-the-floor vibes just do not work for me.

The All Night Mix (Courtesy of Twilight Firm) is more interesting to my ears as the beat is more my thing, as is the scratching, but it is still not a patch on the original.

I guess that is the story of this release for me. The brilliance of the original hangs over and outshines it.

Peace & luvizm x

Tracklist

1. Hangin' On A String (Frankie Knuckles Radio Edit)
2. Hangin' On A String (Frankie Knuckles Club Mix)
3. Hangin' On A String (Original 12'' Mix)
4. Hangin' On A String (The All Night Mix)
5. Hangin' On A String (Frankie Knuckles Classic Club Reprise)

Download: LE-HOAS-R.7z | Filesize: 64.5MB

Loose Ends ‎– Hangin' On A String (Contemplating) - (1985/1988)

Virgin ‎– CDT 39

Loose Ends formed in London in 1980, initially comprising vocalist and guitarist Carl McIntosh, vocalist Jane Eugene, and keyboard player, writer and founder Steve Nichol. The latter two left the group in 1989 due to poor progression and since their departure the newer Loose Ends sound has gained higher chart positions globally and a wider fan base in the R&B genre through Carl McIntosh's production skills.

Hangin' On A String (Contemplating) is one of the UK's biggest ever soul tunes. It's a seminal, I'd even say Legendary cut and is hugely influential to this day, it knocked down the transatlantic doors and set the scene for the crossover success of UK acts like Soul II Soul in subsequent years.

Although this was released first on vinyl in 1985, peaking at #13 on the UK Singles Chart and #1 in the US R&B Singles Charts, that was before the time of the CD, and it was reissued on this (then) cutting edge digital format in 1988.

The Extended Dance Mix is a classic and just over 6 minutes of perfection. Jump right in!

Away from the obvious brilliance of the classic title joint, A Little Spice is a really catchy, latin-infused dance number and is well worth checking out if you're unfamiliar with it. Dial 999 is similarly catchy, and indicative of the 80's soul incarnation of Loose Ends' sound. There are some chords in the bridge that remind me of Saturday Love by Alex O'Neil and Cherelle. Let me know if you agree.

Tracklist

1. Hangin' On A String (Contemplating) (Extended Dance Mix)
2. A Little Spice
3. Dial 999 (12" Extended Mix)

Download: LE-HOAS.7z | Filesize: 39.0MB

Loose Ends - Don't Be A Fool - (1990)

Ten Records TENX312

Kym says: 320Reup. This is another post from Mickey P circa 2009. I forgot I had requested it - not being able to find my CDS at the time. I've since recovered it and am re-upping here in 320. 

Mick gives us a great write up as always and I'd like to add how much I love the breakbeat - sampled from The Demon Boyz legendary track Recognition (that break itself is a heavily modified Synthetic Substitution by Melvin Bliss which I have bigged up here and here and probably other places, too!). 

..Wait a minute, I'm coming off sounding like a real nerd, aren't I? 

"Sort ya life aaaht!" 🤣

Well, this one's for 'Our Kymba' and I certainly don't need to tell you about this, do I. What, I do? Oh..... OK then?

Loose Ends formed in London in 1980, initially comprising vocalist and guitarist Carl McIntosh, vocalist Jane Eugene, and keyboard player, writer and founder Steve Nichol. The latter two left the group in 1989, bringing an end to a legend.

In 1990 McIntosh wanted to move forward, leading the way for the 90's. Eugene and Nichol decided to leave, and were replaced by Linda Carriere and Sunay Suleyman. Look How Long was the only studio album released by this line up, and featured this, their final hit single, Don't Be A Fool.

While the rest of the music world was sticking Whoo and Yeah samples into everything from Bananarama to Timmy Mallet, Carl McIntosh utilised the technology in a far more classy and soulful way. The awesome bubbly bass line works it's magic on the feet while Carriere voice weaves into your consciousness. Five minutes and fifty seconds of highly infectious groove, Resistance is futile, dance mutha!

On the flip the Instrumental is worth checking out. There's more to this than just a plain backing track. It has a life of it's own. Let's Wax A Fatty, on the other hand, is a strange affair.

"Buy this record! You heard me..."

It's an advert? Fair enough, it's an advert with a bitchin' groove but I think it's a shame that such a good backing track gone to waste.

McIntosh himself went on to work behind the recording desk following the group's peak popularity, he has produced and remixed for many artists, most notably Caron Wheeler.

Tracklist

1. Don't Be A Fool
2. Don't Be A Fool (12" Extended Version)
3. Don't Be A Fool (Instrumental)
4. Let's Wax A Fatty

Download: LE-DBAF.7z | Filesize: 39.2MB

Loose Ends - Love's Got Me (1990)

Ten Records TENCD 330

  

Kym's note: I originally posted this in April '09 in 160kbps, and I've been itching to re-up it in 320, so here it is! I only have the old scans to hand until I dig the CD out from storage, so do excuse the lesser quality. I will dig it out, re-scan and replace them. It's one of my favourite tracks.

Originally formed in the very early 1980’s, and comprised of members Carl McIntosh, Jane Eugene, and Steve Nichol, Loose Ends are probably the closest thing the UK ever had to a soul/R&B band to perform the impossible task of breaking America (well, until Soul II Soul came along in the late 80’s, that is).

The superb Hangin' On A String (Contemplating) was a hit both here and America, peaking at #13 on the UK Singles Chart and a healthy #1 in the US R&B Singles Charts, and served as a platform for a small handful of classy minor hits to follow. They disbanded in the late 80’s, but by 1990, a new look Loose Ends appeared, with a reshuffled line-up of Carl McIntosh, Linda Carriere and Sunay Suleyman, and released the album ‘Look How Long’, which had an edgier and more urban sound than the band previously had displayed.

The band split again not long after the dust had settled on their last four releases, but briefly reformed to make a very decent song with Hip-Hop uber producer Pete Rock in 1998 on his Soul Survivor LP. Carl McIntosh threw himself into production duties, producing very respectable names such as Caron Wheeler, and remixing for the likes of D’Angelo among others.

…but I digress. ‘Look How Long’ spawned three monstrous singles, the awesome Don’t Be A Fool (which can be found elsewhere on TSV), Cheap Talk, and, my favourite of the bunch, the infectiously funky Love’s Got Me.

Love’s Got Me was propelled along by cheeky usage of a Funky Drummer-esque breakbeat sampled from the excellent Sleep Talk by Alyson Williams, and a Carl McIntosh who sang, in places, like he was channelling the late great Marvin Gaye. It was further helped along by an extended version, which added trippy dub elements after four minutes of normality to make a club dance-floor smash - and provide my favourite version of the track.

The flipside, 'Feel The Vibe...' is a nice chill-out track that wouldn't be out of place on a trendy "bar music" collection CD. Not quite the quality of the lead track for me, but still gets love to this day. I've revised my opinion somewhat on this and it's better than I remember it being.

Love’s Got Me, for me, stands alongside Hangin' On A String (Contemplating) and Don't Be A Fool as one of  Loose Ends' finest moment.

What do you think?

Tracklist

1. Love's Got Me 
2. Love's Got Me (Extended Version) 
3. Feel The Vibe... 

Download: LE-LGM.7z| Filesize: 30.982MB

D'Angelo - Brown Sugar CD Single (1996)

1996, Cooltempo, CDCOOL 307

Special request!

Mick has already posted the 12" here but after a request the other day about six years ago(!) I thought I'd put up the CD single in 320kbps.

So there is little I can say that Mick hasn't already beaten me to. D'Angelo was the standard-bearer for the fledgling Neo Soul movement, whether willing or not.

Brown Sugar is one of, if not THE, best D'Angelo tune outside of the Voodoo album (Voodoo, how I love thee), a sublime cut with D'Angelo killing it on the vocals and smoky, sensual production courtesy of Ali Shaheed Muhammed of A Tribe Called Quest. Quite frankly, it's an amazing track.

The UK CD single then brings us an edited, Radio version, that is the original with 20 seconds shaved off. Stick with the album cut for a deeper experience, I say. 

However, the real highlights here are the Carl McIintosh (of Loose Ends fame) produced Dollar Bag Mix, and Dodge's Soul Inside Mix. Avid readers will be all too aware of how much I love Dodge, and that funky bassline he brings is tight as hell, but the smoothed out vibes of  Carl's mix can't be praised enough. Though not quite as classic as the original, I can't decide between either, they are the highlights of this CD single.

The album cut When We Get By also gets an airing which a brilliant cut, and, on a lesser album, could well have been a single in its own right.

- Kymba :)

Tracklist

1. Brown Sugar (Radio Version) 
2. Brown Sugar (Dollar Bag Mix) 
3. Brown Sugar (Soul Inside 808 Mix) 
4. When We Get By 

Download: D-BS.7z Filesize: 41.782MB

Loose Ends - Love's Got Me (1990)

Ten Records TENCD 330

Originally formed in the very early 1980’s, and comprised of members Carl McIntosh, Jane Eugene, and Steve Nichol, Loose Ends are probably the closest thing the UK ever had to a soul/R&B band to perform the impossible task of breaking America (well, until Soul II Soul came along in the late 80’s, that is).

The superb Hangin' On A String (Contemplating) was a hit, both here and America, peaking at #13 on the UK Singles Chart and a healthy #1 in the US R&B Singles Charts, and served as a platform for a small handful of classy minor hits to follow. They disbanded in the late 80’s, but by 1990, a new look Loose Ends appeared, with a reshuffled line-up of Carl McIntosh, Linda Carriere and Sunay Suleyman, and released the album ‘Look How Long’, which had an edgier and more urban sound than the band previously had displayed.

The band split again not long after the dust had settled on their last four releases, but briefly reformed to make a very decent song with Hip-Hop uber producer Pete Rock in 1998 on his Soul Survivor LP. Carl McIntosh threw himself into production duties, producing very respectable names such as Caron Wheeler, and remixing for the likes of D’Angelo among others.

…but I digress. ‘Look How Long’ spawned three monstrous singles, Don’t Be A Fool (Mickey has posted that particular classic elsewhere on TSV), Cheap Talk, and, my favourite of the bunch, the infectiously funky Love’s Got Me.

Love’s Got Me was propelled along by cheeky usage of a Funky Drummer-esque breakbeat sampled from the excellent Sleep Talk by Alyson Williams, and a Carl McIntosh who sang, in places, like he was channelling the late great Marvin Gaye. It was further helped along by an extended version, which added trippy dub elements after four minutes of normality to make a club dance-floor smash - and provide my favourite version of the track.

The flipside, 'Feel The Vibe...' is a nice chill-out track without sans vocals that wouldn't be out of place on a trendy "bar music" collection CD. Not quite the quality of the lead track, but not bad as a bonus.

Love’s Got Me, for me, stands alongside Hangin' On A String (Contemplating) as Loose Ends finest moment. 

What do you think?

- Kymba

PS - why are some of my posts showing up with Mick as the poster? D'ya reckon this is something to do with the site being previously and you re-upping my posts, Mick? I've only just noticed it where I'm going back to older posts and putting a new working DL link in.

• Love's Got Me
• Love's Got Me (Extended Version)
• Feel The Vibe...

The Download Link is here: Love's Got Me.zip | Filesize: 19.65MB