Velodrome Italo Disco Playlist

May 23, 2008 by Cale  Send to a Friend

TONIGHT.  SELAM.  ED DUDES.  SCOTT BAUER.  SCREEN VINYL IMAGE.  ITALO DISCO EXTRAVEGANZA.  FLYER BELOW.  PLAYLIST NOW.  COMMENTARY BY ED AND SCOTT.  GO!

1. Donna Summer - I Feel Love (Patrick Cowley Remix)

Patrick Cowley was a god. Everything he produced was good from “Menergy” to “Mind Warp” is worth its weight in gold. This remix is no different. We included the 15 minute mega mix. This song is a proto-italo disco journey. This song has definitely been sampled by the space disco boys from Norway, and for good reason, it’s a masterpiece.

2. Simple Minds - This Fear of Gods

When I was younger and more foolish, I had discounted Simple Minds for being the band who wrote the horrible song played at the beginning of the Breakfast Club. However, like most British bands still making synth-based music in the mid and late 80’s, their earlier work deserved some attention. Simple Minds’ third album, “Empire and Dance” is a Post Punk masterpiece. Written in 1980 the album was released as the band was finishing their transition from punk to a new wave. Songs such as “I-Travel”, “Theme for Great Cities” and “This Fear of Gods” have an epic sound to match their epic song titles. In “This Fear of Gods”, Simple Minds do a perfect job of mixing electronic music with rock music. I love this song.

3. Connie Case - Get down

While this American Electro-Disco gem has always been attributed to Connie Case, the true force behind the song was Noel Williams. Williams was best known as King Sporty the man who co-wrote Buffalo Soldier with Bob Marley. After he moved from Jamaica to Miami he started a slow progression from writing Reggae songs to producing Miami Bass. Somewhere along the line he came up with “Get Down” which was sung by the otherwise unknown Connie Case. Although the single was credited to Connie Case, the song also appears on King Sporty’s hard to find Extra Funky LP which is attributed to King Sporty and the Ex-tras. This song has found its way onto many Left Field Disco compilations over the past few years and with good reason. Whenever I listen to it, I feel much cooler than I really am.

4. Pigbag - Papa’s Got a Brand New Bag

Pigbag is one of the many offshoots of The Pop Group. The Pop Group is the best british post-punk band. Most of their offshoots are just as good, except for Shriekback. They sucked. Well, except for some of the stuff on Y records. Whatever. This song is a 5 minute manic, percussive meltdown. It is equal parts post-punk and weirdo disco. When the horns drop out, I feel like losing it to these beastly drums. There’s a cool free sax solo not unlike something James Chance would do. Too bad Pigbag has a terrible name.

5. Klein & MBO - Dirty Talk

Although written in Italy, this song is the sound of Chicago. In the early 80’s Chicago DJ’s were importing records from around the world to play in their mixes. The sounds of these records would later be extremely influential in the creation of House music. One of the most influential songs of the early minimal House sound was “Dirty Talk”. New Order also cite the song as an inspiration for their single “Blue Monday”.

6. Grace Jones - My Jamacian Guy

You should recognize the intro to this Grace Jones song instantly. LL Cool J sampled “My Jamaican Guy” in “Doin’ It.” Fortunately, this is not dear LL Cool J; it’s Grace Jones. Like near everyone else in the post-punk/new wave scene, Grace was into dub-influenced music. This single is evidence. It’s also a jam.

7. Bazooka - Alive

I know very little about the group “Bazooka”, A few things I do know is that “Alive” is one of the best examples of Italo Disco ever made; and at $200 for a single, I will never own a vinyl copy of this song. The song starts with its awesomeness on the first note with a stabbing synth lead you wish would be played for the rest of the song. This song embodies everything Italo with its rolling bass lines, cheesy synth leads, and horribly mangled English lyrics sung over the songs. Both wonderful and horrible all at the same time!

8. Dharma - Plastic Doll

In most Italo Disco songs, the vocal is so dorky that at best, you can put up with it, and at worst, it ruins what would have otherwise been an awesome song. “Plastic Doll” is one of the few examples where I feel that the song is actually enhanced by the vocal track. The bass line on this track is killer and when the song gets into its main groove at 50 seconds, the dance floor goes crazy. If I could put a microchip in my brain that would loop this song in my head for the rest of my life, I would be happy.

9. Material - Bustin Out

Material released some really good stuff and some really bad stuff. This is part of the really good stuff. Considered “mutant disco” by many, this jam came out on Ze Records, who essentially coined the term. I suppose it is disco, but the over division of the NYC post-punk scene into “no wave,” “mutant disco,” etc. seems to draw lines where there were none. Anyway, Material really didn’t have their own vocalists, so this is actually Nona Hendryx. She sang “Lady Marmalade” with Patti LaBelle. Good things she did were sing backup vocals for the talking heads and the vocals this song.

10. James Chance and The Contortions - I Can’t Stand Myself

When I was in college, I wanted to be James Chance. Of all the no wave cats, he had the best persona, hands down. Too bad he got all weirdo creepy looking in his old age. He and Grasso should be in anti-drug ads. Anyway, this song’s from No New York. If you haven’t listened to it, please kill yourself.

We also included a live video, because we love you.

http://www.myspace.com/eddudes

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