Legacy Of Sound - Holy Groove (1993) & Tour De Force (1995) DOUBLE POST!!

While Legacy Of Sound was a collective of sorts, it nucleus was producer Anders 'Bag' Bagge. Bagge joined forces with the mysterious "Snowman" and Gerry DeVeaux (not an official member of the group, BTW) to create a soulful and upbeat house sound, similar to American counterparts like Steve 'Silk' Hurley. They were considered among the forefathers of the 'happy house' sound. Appropriately enough their first single was entitled "Happy", and it was an instant dance hit internationally. It featured the vocals of fellow Swede Meja. Their second single "I Can't Let You Go" also featured Meja but wasn't near as popular, yet still they managed to get an international album release on RCA/BMG in 1993. The album featured Meja and James Gicho alternating on vocals. Gicho took the lead on their third single "Feel So Good", but it went largely ignored. They lost their international deal and DeVeaux and Gicho in the process, but managed to release another album in Europe on BMG/Ariola a couple years later (I didn't even realize this until I found this CD used a few years back). This time vocals were shared by Meja and Lori Perry, who was once a member of soul sister quartet Perri, and the sound remained mostly the same, with some more downbeat and eurohouse touches. But even though five singles were released - "Livin' & Learnin'", "Woman In Me" and "I Wanna Give You My Lovin'," all featuring Meja, and "Boy Don't Miss The Train" and "Wait (For Our Love To Find Us)" featuring Perry - none made any impact outside of their native Sweden and the collective disbanded. Perry continued to record as a solo artist, as did Gicho, though under the moniker of St. James he also found much greater success with another house act, SoundFactory, who had a huge hit with "Understand This Groove". After dropping some weight, Meja would have the most success as a solo artist, with the remixes of her song "All About The Money" burning up international dancefloors, and her featured duet with Ricky Martin, "Private Emotion", appearing on his hugely successful English debut album. She has maintained a successful career in Europe and Japan ever since. Gerry DeVeaux would also go on to a solo singing career, but had greater success as a producer, working with acts such as Kylie, Ultra Nate and, most notably, old friend Angie Stone. A fashion plate, he was also a judge on both Scandinavia's and Britain's Next Top Model. And the mysterious Snowman is no longer a mystery thanks to Kevin, as he happens to be music industry success Peter Swartling, a renowned record producer and talent scout who was a judge on the first four seasons of Swedish Idol. Anders Bagge was likely the greatest success story of all, however, as alone and as part of BAG & Arnthor, he was at the forefront of the pop resurgence in the new millennium, having produced acts like Robyn, Gina G, Ace Of Base, J Lo, Celine Dion, Janet Jackson and Madonna. He also replaced Swartling as a judge on Swedish Idol in 2008, along with his ex-wife Laila, whose solo album will definitely be making an appearance on the Isle in the future. ;)

Video for Happy

Download Holy Groove

1		Happy
2		I Can't Let You Go
3		Suddenly
4		When Is It Love
5		Feel So Good
6		Someone's Waitin'
7		Better Late Than Never
8		Where R U Now
9		Feel It In My Heart
10		Gimme Love
11		Takin' Me Higher
12		Feel So Good (Live Vibe)
13		Happy (Club Mix)

Video for Woman In Me

Video for Wait (For Our Love To Find Us)

Download Tour De Force

1		Interlude
2		Boy Don't Miss The Train
3		Wait (For Our Love To Find Us)
4		Woman In Me
5		If You Ever Turn Around
6		I Wanna Give You My Lovin'
7		I Got What You Need
8		Interlude - PT 2
9		Everybody
10		Black Rain
11		Am I Dreaming?
12		Keep Livin' & Learnin'
13		Bitchitude
14		Loving You

Rachelle Cappelli - Rachele Cappelli (1988)

And here is another lost 80s gem from the indispensable Adriana! This is one that I have in my collection, but only on cassette, and I haven't listened to it or even thought about it since I bought it back in the 1980s. Thanks Adriana for bringing back the memories! Initially I'd heard of Rachele because I blindly picked up a cheap promo copy of her single "I Feel Good", which is a remake of the James Brown classic (find it on Lost Pop Treasures HERE!). While I wasn't a huge fan of soul remakes at the time, the house mix of the track was awesome. And the girl could SING! You'd never guess that voice came from the skinny white girl on the cover of the album, and that it would have such soul. That track got minor attention on the dance charts, but her next single, the ballad "I'm Sorry", didn't get any attention at all. Her album, which is split equally between ballads and funky pop numbers, came and went with barely anyone noticing. Which is a surprise, considering that she had started as a successful backing vocalist for many disco and soul singers, which got her the full attention and support of Ahmet Ertegun, the co-founder of the hugely successful label Atlantic. He even produced most of her album, along with legendary producer Arif Mardin and his son Joe. But apparently that wasn't enough and similar artists like Taylor Dayne and Lisa Stansfield eclipsed her. She did record the duet "Always Come Back To You" with Natasha's Brother for the film The Nutcracker Prince in 1990, but it appears that she then went back behind the scenes as a background singer. She has since sung back-up for divas like Patti Austin, Dionne Warwick, Roberta Flack and Celine Dion, often on songs that the Mardins have also been involved with. There is hardly any other info on her on the internet, though she too appears to have a Facebook page for those who wish to befriend her there. ;)

Download Rachele Cappelli

1		I Feel Good
2		I'd Put Angels Around You
3		I'm Sorry
4		The Truth'll Set You Free
5		Follow Your Heart
6		Mockingbird
7		No End In Sight
8		Out Of Control
9		Emotions

Big Noise - Bang! (1989)

Here is another little-known gem passed my way by the delightful Adriana. I confess to never having heard of Big Noise before, and from the lack of information on them on the internet, I'm likely not the only one. What I have been able to gather is that they were a septet that formed in 1985 in Birmingham. The members were Gary Thompson on bass, Huw Lucas on guitar, Linton Levy on saxophone, Paul Johnson on keyboards, Tony Jones on percussion, Tony Lahiffe on drums and Tony Fenelle on vocals. Fenelle was once the replacement vocalist for Midge Ure in the popular Brit new wave group Ultravox. Obviously their sound and image was appealing enough to have a major label like ATCO Records sign them. They were produced by Elliot Wolff, who has appeared on the Isle several times before, as he produced tracks by Alta Dustin, A'me Lorain and Ms. Adventures, though he is best known for his work with Paula Abdul. He also co-wrote most of the tracks. While the music is certainly in the same pop vein as those acts, it also has more elements of rock and instrumental complexity, which is expected from a full-fledged band. Their first single, the funky "Name And Number", dipped into the Billboard Hot 100 at #97, but their second single, the ballad "I Can't Live Without It", went nowhere. And that seems to be the end of it. To be honest, their sound isn't entirely memorable and they could easily be mistaken for one of the thousand other pop bands from the late 80s and early 90s. But at least they got their foot in the Billboard door, which assures that we'll remember their 'name and number' much longer than many of their contemporaries'.

Video for Name And Number

Download Bang!

1		Let Me Be
2		Name And Number
3		I Can't Live Without It
4		Ain't No Doubt
5		Lies
6		Bang!
7		Don't Look Back
8		Turn The Lights Down Low
9		All Of Me (Wants All Of You)
10		Victim Of Love

Giant Steps - The Book Of Pride (1988)

Thanks to the incredible generosity of Isle visitor Adriana, I have some more tasty pop treasures to share with you all. Thanks a ton Adriana, you're awesome and we're forever grateful!! The first (and my fave) is Giant Steps, the duo of singer Colin Campsie and bassist/keyboardist George McFarlane, who started out it the late 1970s as The Quick. They met in California but started playing together when they returned to their native England, where they were signed by Epic. Despite being white Brits, their sound was very straight-forward funk, with a touch of New Wave. Their song "Hip Shake Jerk" became a hit in Australia in 1981, and the album was rushed out there. The album was remixed and released in other countries under different names the following year, and the song "Zulu" became a dance hit in the US. They also had another hit in Australia, "Rhythm Of The Jungle". They released two more albums, International Thing in 1984 and Wah Wah (now on A&M Records) in 1986, but their success dwindled. Though most people would think that would be the end of them, they reinvented themselves as Giant Steps in 1988, and remained on A&M. Their sound was still very funky, but a lot smoother and poppier. You could describe them as a more accessible Scritti Politti, or a smoother Go West (who Campsie worked with, incidentally). And they smoothed out their image as well. Obviously this transformation worked, as their first single, "Another Lover", hit the Billboard top 40 at #13, and their next single, "Into You", almost hit the top 50. They also released the title track as their third single. Despite their success, however, the duo split for unknown reasons. Along the way they were also sought after songwriters and producers for the likes of Endgames, Simon F., Deon Estus and Haywoode (they produced her hits "Roses" and "I Can't Let You Go"), and after they split they both continued as songwriters and producers. McFarlane had great success producing Gabrielle, while Campsie worked with Natalie Imbruglia and Hepburn, and married pop diva Beverley Craven, who recently released an album on his indie label, Campsie Music Ltd..

Video for Another Lover

Video for Into You

Download The Book Of Pride

1		Steamy
2		(The World Don't Need) Another Lover
3		Into You
4		Golden Hours (Bone)
5		Do You Still Care
6		Same Planet Different World
7		The Book Of Pride
8		End Of The War
9		Dance Away
10		Dream Wonderful

Melky Sedeck - Sister & Brother (1999)

If it wasn't for nepotism, we would not have 'superstars' like Janet Jackson or Ashlee Simpson. And when your relative happens to be a superstar producer and performer coming off a wave of success, all the better. Melky and Sedeck were the younger siblings of Wyclef Jean of the Fugees. When the Fugees broke up in the late 90s, Wyclef went on a successful creative spree of solo work and collaborations, so it makes sense that major labels would want to snap up anything associated with him. The duo first appeared as Milky & Day on the Love Jones soundtrack with the Refugee Camp Allstars. That same year they appeared on the track "Bubblegoose" off of Wyclef's debut The Carnival. A label war ensued and they were finally signed to MCA. Though Wyclef's influence can be felt on the album, it was produced by his associate Shawn King. The album is not unlike the Fugees, except with mainly singing instead of rapping and perhaps a bit more of a left-field slant. The song "Attraction", which didn't end up on the album, was released as a promo with the B-side "Raw", which would become their first official single release. "Raw" got some media attention, but failed to do much damage on the charts. They did tour with Lilith Fair that year, however. But aside from a promo single of their remake of Lulu's "To Sir, With Love", nothing else was released from the album, indicating that MCA was no longer interested in promoting them, likely because they failed to meet the major expectations the label had for their success. (Be sure to listen to the 'hidden track' "Tragedy", as it uses huge portions of Milli Vanilli's "Girl, I'm Gonna Miss You"!) Being related to Wyclef ensured that they would not fade away entirely, however, and the following year they popped up on his single "It Doesn't Matter" (also featuring The Rock!) and the soundtracks to The Hurricane and HBO's Disappearing Acts. In 2001 they tried one more time with the release of the track "Kitty Kat World", but there was no new music after that. They have apparently kept busy since working with Wyclef on his music and on tour, and they will likely be employed as such for some time to come.

Download Sister & Brother

1		Shake It
2		Foolish Heart
3		To Sir, With Love
4		Light My Fire
5		Mi Amor
6		Raw
7		In Time
8		Easy Slow Down
9		#1 Guy
10		Paradise
11		Raw Phase II Attraction
12		High Heel Shoes
13		Diva
14		Armageddon
15		Tragedy