Carolyne Bernier

I have always been intrigued by the conflict existing between this album's musical content and the singer's apparent inability to carry a note. Despite these usually debilitating features, the album inexplicably reconciles itself. Perhaps it was simply through the application of French lyrics which pervaded Disco music to great effect throughout the 70's by artists like LaBelle, France Joli, Donna Summer, Saint Tropez and Madleen Kane. Whatever the case, the obvious limitations to Carlyne's voice do not detract from the album's overall appeal. From the ethereal effect of the opening track, "Dance With Me", to the aggressive and almost sinister sounds of, "Secret Agent Love", this album does not disappoint. Carolyne Bernier (known as Caroline outside the States) was a Canadian singer supported early on by producer Tony Green, known for his work with France Joli, Geraldine Hunt and Freddie James. Despite her lack of vocal prowess, Tony saw something in Carolyne and exploited it with considerable success. That success culminated in the album's most notable track, "Hold Me, Touch Me". The only song that leaves me scratching my head is, "My Guy", which I can only surmise, is a filler track. Despite the total lack of credits on this album's sleeves, other than "Produced by Tony Green", Carolyne is credited with co-writing two of the tracks on this album, "Watcha Gonna Do" and "Hold Me, Touch Me". For those interested, I did manage to quickly locate a few of her LP's HERE.

Carolyne Bernier - Carolyne Bernier LP (1978 Private Stock)

Tracks:

Side-1:

1. Dance With Me, Danse Avec Moi

2. My Guy

3. Whatcha Gonna Do

4. Hold Me, Touch Me

Side-2:

1. Secret Agent Love

DOWNLOAD: Carolyne Bernier.rar

Password: rhythmmagic

References:

Carolyne Bernier at Discogs.Com

Brooklyn Dreams

Brooklyn Dreams was comprised of Bruce Sudano, Eddie Hokenson and Joe "Bean" Esposito. Three Brooklynites who who sang harmonic melodies in a similar style to The Righteous Brothers or Three Dog Night. Persevering mainly through weekend gigs, the group finally got a break from an old friend who was now a record company executive out in California. The record company was none other than Casablanca Records and their friend, Susan Munao, was the vice president. She became their manager and hooked them up with Jimmy Ienner at Millennium Records who signed them to a contract and in 1977 recorded the tracks for their first album, "Brooklyn Dreams". Susan Munao also managed Donna Summers and it was through this connection that a close relationship would form between Summers and Brooklyn Dreams. For you Donna Summer fans, she appears as a supporting vocalist for the track, "Old Fashioned Girl", on their first album. Vocalist, Joe "Bean" Esposito would later appear on the Summers' release of "Heaven Knows" and she in return, would sing his part on the "Heaven Knows" version found on the Brooklyn Dreams album "Sleepless Nights". And of course, we all know that Donna eventually married Bruce Sudano. Their first album, originally released in 1977 on the Millennium label, was a big success with the release of the 12" single, "Music, Harmony and Rhythm". The song "Street Dance" did not contribute to the album's popularity which seems strange to me, given it's danceablity and similar sound to the former. Still, it's a solid album and somewhat of a rarity, despite copies that are readily available on the internet.

Brooklyn Dreams - Brooklyn Dreams LP (1977 Millennium Records)

Tracks:
Side-1:

1. Music, Harmony and Rhythm

2. Sad Eyes

3. I Never Dreamed

4. Don't Fight The Feeling

5. Another Night At The Tango

Side-2:

6. On The Corner

7. Street Dance

8. (Baby) You're The One

9. Old Fashioned Girl

10. Hollywood Circles

Credits:

Produced by: Skip Konte

All Vocals by: Brooklyn Dreams

All Songs written by: Brooklyn Dreams

All Arrangements by: Brooklyn Dreams & Skip Konte

Orchestrations by: Bill Baker & Dave Garland

Recording Engineer: Jerry Shirer

Recordist: Bill Harlan

Mixing Engineer: Gary Ladinsky

Musicians:

Drums: Andre Fischer

Bass: Dennis Belfield & Veyler Hildebrand

Guitars: Joe Bean, Al Ciner, Snuffy Walden, Tony D. Eisenbarger

Keyboards: Bruce Sudano, Ron Stockert, Mark Olsen, Skip Konte

Percussion: Eddie Hokenson, Joe Lala

Donna Summer appears on "Old Fashioned Girl"courtesy of Casablanca Records and Filmworks, Inc.

Tony Maiden, guitar on "Sad Eyes" appears through the courtesy of ABC Records and Rufus

Recorded: May, June, July, 1977 at I.A.M. Studio A, California

We would like to thank the following people for their

love, guidance, inspiration and understanding:

Jimmy "Teeth" Ienner-it's been a pressure

Skip "Kunta" Konte-truly a wizard

Donna Summer-you're a true friend and we love you

Stan Diamond-hold your point

Snuffy Walden-more grease

Sue Rose-keeper of the faith

Lynda, Phyllis & Nancy G.

Everyone at Millennium Records-Joe, Eddie & Bruce

Mastered at: Allen Zentz Mastering

Art Direction: Phyllis Chotin & Susan Munao

Graphics: Stephen Lumel/Gribbitt!

Photography: Norman Seef

Illustration: Ed Scarisbrick

1977 Millennium Records Inc.

3 West 57th Street, New York, New York 10019

Manufactured and Distributed by Casablanca Records and Filmworks, Inc.8255 Sunset Boulevard, Los Angeles, California 90046

DOWNLOAD: Link Expired

References:

Brooklyn Dreams at Discogs.Com

Brooklyn Dreams at Discomuseum.Com

Buy the album HERE

Sarah Dash (1978)

OK, so I originally had Charisma earmarked for this installment but, after seeing that they'd been covered a number of times in the, not so distant past, I decided to change my itinerary.
Sarah Dash is a native New Jerseyan who was born on August 18, 1945 in the city of Trenton. One of thirteen siblings, she began to hone her singing skills in the "Young Peoples Choir" of The Trenton Church Of Christ. She began exploring secular music with classmates in grammar school and later formed a group called, "The Del Capri's", taking on Nona Hendryx as one of it's members. The group soon became quite popular and they hired a manager but, Sarah and Nona had to find replacements for the other two members who lacked the dedication and commitment needed for a professional undertaking. Their manager hooked them up with Cindy Birdsong, Patricia Holte, Patti LaBelle and changed their name to "The Bluebells". Later on, that name would change to "Patti LaBelle and The Bluebells" and then simply, "LaBelle". Now, I could go on and on about the history of The Bluebells and LaBelle but, this is about Sarah. By 1977, the members of LaBelle had gone on to pursue solo carrers, all of which were successful in their own right but, Sarah Dash was the first of these success stories. She ran into her old friend Don Kirshner and in 1978, released her first self-titled album on Don's own label. The first single off that album, "Sinner Man" raced up the Disco charts and made Sarah an overnight solo sensation. The second single from that LP, "(Come And Take This) Candy From Your Baby" was a close second in popularity. Sarah even performed on the late-night, Don Kirshner's Rock Concert, for those of you who remember that television series. That's where I first saw KC & The Sunshine Band perform Live and Steve Martin's debut stand-up routine with his "fake arrow through the head" stage prop. Anyhow, this is her self-titled debut solo album off my Promo LP on the Don Kirshner label, released in 1978. It's a rather rare find but I managed to track down a couple of used copies. Enjoy.

Sarah Dash - Sarah Dash LP (Don Kirshner 1978)

Tracks:
Side-1:
1. Sinner Man
2. You
3. Touch And Go
4. I Can't Believe (Someone Like You Could Really Love Me)
5. Do It For Love

Side-2:
6. Charge It
7. Give Your Man A Helping Hand
8. Look But Don't Touch
9. We're Lovers After All
10. (Come And Take This) Candy From Your Baby

Credits:
Produced by W. Gold, J. Siegel, G. Knight, G. Allan

Arranged by Leon Pendarvis
Recorded at Media Sound, NYC

Engineer: Harvey Goldberg
Assisted by Michael Barbiero
Mastered at Sterling Sound Studios by George Marino

Management: Vicki Wickham, Take Out Productions
Design: Ed Lee
Photos: Frank Laffitte
Distributed by CBS Records

DOWNLOAD: Link Expired

References:
Sarah Dash at Discogs.Com
Sarah Dash at Discomuseum.Com
Sarah Dash MySpace Page
Sarah Dash at Soul-Patrol.Com
Buy the album HERE and HERE

Sweet Pea Atkinson

Sweet Pea Atkinson is one of the vocalists for the group "Was (Not Was)". Immediately after their first album in 1981, Sweet Pea released a solo LP called, "Don't Walk Away". For someone with such an impressive vocal resume, I'm surprised his solo career didn't venture further. Aside from his works with "Was (Not Was)", we're talking about a man who provided backing vocals on numerous albums, for numerous renowned artists and spanning an array of musical genres from "Country" to "Punk Rock". He has done vocal work for B.B. King, George Jones, Michael McDonald, Jackson Brown, Paula Abdul, Bonnie Raitt, Bob Dylan and Iggy Pop, for cryin' out loud. How does a guy like this get away with only one solo album? By 1982, Disco music had returned to the underground while splinter genres remained on the surface and experimented with elements of Soul and Funk infused Hi-NRG & Electronica. Sweet Pea capitalized on the Electronic Soul/Funk/Disco audience by releasing "Don't Walk Away" in 1982 on the Island/ZE Records label. I don't recall how the album fared on the charts or in the clubs and, judging from a total lack of detailed information on the internet, I'd have to conclude that this is a fairly rare LP. In fact, since I first began surfing the web in 1999, I have never seen this album posted anywhere. I find this unusual in light of such Electronic gems like, Dance Or Die (a Paradise Garage classic), Don't Walk Away, Dig Deep and Girls Fall For Me. Hopefully, you'll find the album as enjoyable as I did.

Sweet Pea Atkinson - Don't Walk Away LP (1982 ZE/Island Records)

Tracks:
Side-1:
1. Dance Or Die
2. Don't Walk Away
3. Someone Could Lose A Heart Tonight
4. So Much In Love

Side-2:
5. Dig Deep
6. Anyone Who Had A Heart (Duet With Carol Hall)
7. Girls Fall For Me
8. Should I Wait

Credits:
Produced in Detroit by Donald Was and Jack Tann for John Lewis Productions.
Mixed by Michael H. Brauer

DOWNLOAD: Link Expired

References:
Sweet Pea Atkinson at Discogs.Com
Sweet Pea Atkinson's MySpace Page
Sweet Pea Atkinson at Answers.Com

Sorry, couldn't find a reliable purchase link.

Denise McCann

Once upon a very long time ago, in another life, there was a time when I could've told you anything you wanted to know about a particular group or artist. Working strictly from rote, I could've recited the annals of every band and it's individual members. Now, my memory is more like the cob-webbed halls of an abandoned library where the reference cards no longer represent any semblance of structured order. My ability to cross-reference has reached a deplorable state. Often, while researching material for a given artist, I find myself muttering "Oh yeah, I remember that". Notwithstanding, I just as often find information about these artists that I never knew. Somewhere along life's roadway, my memory began comparing with trying to pour water into a glass that's already full. Retention has become one of the great improbabilities of my life. What spawned this rumination you ask? Denise McCann! I just recently discovered that she's married to Randy Bachman of the once renowned groups, "The Guess Who" and "Bachman-Turner Overdrive (BTO)". I didn't know that! Anyway, Denise McCann was never a stranger to music. Born and raised into a family of musical prowess, she got an early start by singing in her local church. Hmmm, where have we heard that story before? After she graduated High School, she moved from her hometown in Iowa to California where the possibility of pursuing a musical career was more easily facilitated. Once there, she spent a number of years fluttering between local folk music gigs and endured a short lived stint with a group called, "Cat Mother And The All Night News Boys". She eventually received an offer to headline at a well known folk lounge called "The Egress" which, I'll assume is in Vancouver B.C., since playing at this lounge is the reason she claims she moved there. She began to expand her musical horizons, becoming increasingly more familiar and adding songwriting to her curriculum vitae. She signed with Polydor Records in 1976 where she realeased a Rock single before reworking her other songs toward the Disco influence, on the advice of a Polydor sales representative. This lead to her first and biggest hit with the release of "Tattoo Man" off her first album by the same name. Oddly enough, her second album "I Have A Destiny" released on red vinyl for the Butterfly label and the featured album here, did not fare as well as the first and disappeared almost as quickly as it charted, to number 54 on "Billboard's LP Charts" in 1979. I find this strange since I prefer this LP over her first. Denise McCann is still very active in the music scene. Still writing songs, she's currently a member of the Celtic influenced group, "Rose Hip Jam". You can learn more about them HERE.

Denise McCann - I Have A Destiny (1979 Butterfly -Red Vinyl)

Tracks:
Side 1:
1. I Have A Destiny
2. It Hurts Just Like The Real Thing
3. I Like The Look

Side 2:
1. Falling In Love Again Suite
I. Falling In Love Again
II. Computer Breakdown
III. Can't Help Myself
IV. The Boys In The Back Room
V. Falling In Love Again (Reprise)

Credits:
Drums & Percussion: Kat Hendrikse
Additional Percussion:
Jim McGillveray (Congas)
Ken Moore (Tympani, Piati & Gran Cassa)
Ralph Dyck (Glockenspiel)
Handclaps by Dogstar

Bass:
Joel Wade (Side 1)
Cliff Hugo (Side 2)

Guitars:
Harris Van Berkel
Terry Frewer & Edward Patterson

Fender Rhodes:
Ralph Dyck & Dale Jacobs

Clavinet:
Robbie King & Dale Jacobs

Acoustic Piano:
Ralph Dyck

Reverse Pianoforte:
Ecallaw Eirual

Prophet Synthesizer, Roland Jupiter IV
Synthesizer & Rloand Vocoder:
Ralph Dyck

Special Synthesizer effects generated by the Roland System
700 pregrammed by Ralph Dyck on the Roland Microcomposer
(Roland equipment courtesy of Great West Imports, Vancouver)

Trumpets:
Gary Guthman & Blaine Tringham

Fluegelhorn & Piccolo Trumpet:
Gary Guthman

Saxophones:
PJ Perry, Tom Keenlyside & Bob MacDonald

Trombones:
Herb Besson & Sharman King

Piccolo:
Tom Keenlyside

String Contractor:
Annette Wegiel

Backup Vocals:
Jane Mortifee
Mary Saxton
Denise McCann

Marching & Drill Calls by the Precision Drill Team of 655 Richmond Squadron,
Royal Canadian Air Cadets

Recorded & Mixed at Little Mountain Sound, Vancouver, Canada
Engineering by Laurie Wallace
Assisted by Pat Glover
Additional Recording at Sierra Pacific Studios, Los Angeles
Engineered by Pat McDonald
Mastered at MCA/Whitney by Ed Schreyer
Art Director/Lauren Garza
Photography/Stewart Price
Hair/Rahn McDow
Stylist/Candace Walters
Makeup/Jeff Jones
Typography/Tropicana Graphics
1979 Butterfly Records, 517 N. Robertson Blvd, Los Angeles, California
Distributed by MCA Records Inc. Universal City
Arranged by: Ralph Dyck
Concept by: Denise McCann
Produced by: Guy Sobell
G.T.C.S.D.

DOWNLOAD: Link Expired

References:

Denise McCann at Discogs.Com

Denise McCann at Discomuseum.Com

Buy the album HERE

You've Got It

This has to be one of the more obscure Disco albums in my collection. I didn't fully appreciate just how rare this LP was until I tried to find information on the group or a link to purchase the LP. It's just nowhere to be found. Maybe some of you will have more luck than I did. If you're a true Disco fan, Baby 'O needs no introduction and you're already familiar with their signature song, "In The Forest". What you may find surprising is that, the whole album is chock full of fantastic Disco songs. It's ironic but, this album was overlooked by many and never got it's fair share of play on the airwaves or dance-floors. All solid Disco with a couple of tracks showing elements of Rock, the album closes with one of the most unusual Disco songs I've ever heard. Suffice it to say that, "Journey On", is just a really weird song. From it's lack of notoriety, it's unusual closing track and right on down to the record label itself, I found this album to be quite a curiosity. For instance, the record was released on the "Baby 'O Records And Tapes" label but, I can't locate any other artist or LP released under this label. There has to be an underlying story here, full of juicy gossip and innuendo that's screaming to be set loose but, unfortunately, I'm unable to set it free. So, without further ado, here's Baby 'O and their sole album, "You've Got It" released in 1979 on the "Baby 'O Music Enterprises" label.

Tracks:
1. In The Forest
2. You've Got It
3. Your Eyes
4. Dance All Night
5. Porkchops
6. Journey On

Credits:
Executive Producers:
Eric Reider
Rafael Villafane

Produced By: Rafael Villafane
Recording Engineer: Doc Siegel
Additional Engineering:
Tony D'Amico
Kevin Clark
Andy Munitz
Barney Perkins
Rick Perrotta
Paul Ring
Michael Schwartz

Mixed By: Barney Perkins
Mixed At: Golden Sound Studios

This album was mixed with the use
of APHEX processing.

Mastered By: Chris Bellman
Mastered At: Allen Zentz Studios, L.A.

Recorded At:
Cherokee Studios
Golden Sound Studios
Davelin Studios
Los Angeles, California

Special Thanks:
Rosemary Clooney
Miguel Ferrer
Rafael Ferrer
Jim Knight
Greg Mathieson
Mark Matsuno
Sammy Moon
Andy Munitz
Florence Riggs
Enrique & Eugenia Reider
Ian Reider
Paul Ring and all the staff
at Golden Sound Studios
Doc Siegel
Luis Urrea
Trevor Veitch
Oscar & Elvira Villafane
My partners in Mexico for
taking care of business
R.V.

This Project is Dedicated to
Avatar Meher Baba

All songs published by
Baby 'O Music Enterprises Inc.

Produced by Rafael Villafane for
Baby 'O Records & Tapes
1979 Baby 'O Music Enterprises Inc.

DOWNLOAD: Link Expired

References:
Baby 'O at Discogs.Com
Baby 'O at Discomusic.Com

Invisible Man's Band 2

The second and final venture for the group formerly known as The Five Stairsteps. This album was released in 1981 and saw the Burkes switch to the Boardwalk Records label. Incidentally, if all the Burke brothers were involved with the making of this album, you wouldn't know it from the credits. Keni's name doesn't appear anywhere in the credits which may be an indication that he went solo before this album's recording started. The only family members credited on this LP are Clarence, James and Janice. In fact, the album is woefully lacking in credits altogether, unlike the preceding album which credited everyone but the caterer. This may have been due to the inclusion of a transparent plastic (or acetate) inner sleeve which although, makes for better album protection than paper, is not well suited for printed media. Though I'm not too clear on who Janice Burke is, she is credited on their previous album as a background vocalist and on this album, she is co-credited for writing the track, "Party Time". It's probably safe to assume that she is/was a family member of some type, possibly the wife of Clarence or James. Anyway, as a side-note for this post, this album was brand new (that is, still sealed) prior to my ripping it. Since an album deteriorates (ever so slightly) with each successive play, you're listening to the first time this one was ever played and consequently, it's best quality in sound.

Invisible Man's Band

Really Wanna See You LP (1981 Boardwalk Records)

Tracks:
1. Really Wanna See You
2. Rated X
3. Circles
4. Party Time
5. Along The Way
6. Same Thang

Credits:
Produced by
Clarence Burke and Alex Masucci
for Seduction Producions
All tracks were written by Burke & Masucci
Published by All in All Publishing/Unforeseen Music

Co-Writing Credits:
Track 4: Party Time
Dean Grant-Janis Burke, Clarence Burke-Alex Masucci
Track 5: Along The Way
James Burke-Clarence Burke

Album Cover:
Art Direction: Joyce Bogart
Design: Tommy Steele/Art Hotel
Illustration: Jim Barrett

DOWNLOAD: LINK EXPIRED

References: See Previous Post