One To One (One 2 One) - Forward Your Emotions (1985), 1-2-1 (1988) & Imagine It (1992) TRIPLE POST!!!

There isn't much more that I can say about One To One than I already have in my posts about Sal's Birdland and Artificial Joy Club, the groups they became after their poppy phase as One To On. So go to those posts for more details.  I will add that the duo or Louise Reny and Leslie Howe came from Ottawa, Canada's capital, and were very involved in Alanis Morrisette's dance-pop phase before Jagged Little Pill. Alanis even does backing vocals on the song "Friends" from Imagine It.  Forward Your Emotions was very much new-wave and synth-pop, a popular sound in 1985.  Their first single, "There Was A Time", reached #14 in the Canadian Top 40. The next, "Angel in My Pocket", only reached #24 there, but it also hit the Billboard Hot 100, reaching #92. The third single, "Black On White", only managed to squeak into the end of the Canadian Top 100. Their next album, 1-2-1, was a lot less new wave and a lot more straight up pop.  The first single, "Hold Me Now", reached #25 on the Canadian charts, while the next three singles hit the Canadian Top 100 - "Love Child"(#43), "Do You Believe" (#34) & "We've Got the Power" (#90). In 1992, they changed their name slightly to One 2 One, which was likely to differentiate their new folky, pop rock sound. They had their biggest Canadian hit with the single "Peace of Mind (Love Goes On)", which reached  #11, which also hit #95 on the Billboard Hot 100. The following two singles, "Memory Lane" and "Friends", hit the Canadian Top 40 and reached #34 and #36, respectively.  After that, they formed Sal's Birdland, which eventually became Artificial Joy Club, and delved into much harder rock. I realized it was due time to post their albums, so enjoy!










Video for There Was A Time

Video for Angel In My Pocket

Download Forward Your Emotions

1 Don't Call It Love
2 Angel In My Pocket
3 Hearts And Diamonds
4 Where's The Answer
5 Forward Your Emotions
6 There Was A Time
7 Black On White
8 Love Is Blind
9 Boys Will Be Boys
10 Tell Me Straight

Video for Hold Me Now

Download 1-2-1

1 Hold Me Now
2 Love Child
3 We've Got The Power
4 Do You Believe
5 Heading For Zero
6 Inside These Eyes
7 Victorious
8 Voices Cry
9 Life Is So Easy
10 Not A Love Song

Video for Peace Of Mind (Love Goes On)

Download Imagine It

1 Peace Of Mind (Love Goes On)
2 Memory Lane
3 Keeping Faith
4 Friends
5 Big On Emotion
6 Tough To Tame
7 I'll Walk Away
8 Big Hush
9 Gypsy Girl
10 World Without Love

The Zummos - Modern Marriage (1985)

Oh dear, are we already 5 months into 2015 and I haven't posted anything?  I must say I don't have the time or desire that I used to, but I figure I should add a little something to keep you all interested. Isle fan Raymond generously sent me this awhile back, as it was on my wishlist after I heard about them when researching for my David Morales post (their single was his first major remix).  It is definitely fit for the Isle.  New York native Vinnie Zummo grew up in a musical family and taught himself how to play guitar. He got his big break when he met established British new wave/power pop artist Joe Jackson in 1983.  Joe asked him to play on his 1984 album Body And Soul and he ended up playing with Joe for the next five years. With Joe's help, Vinnie managed to get an album deal with Joe's label A&M, after enlisting his wife, singer Janice, to form the pop duo The Zummos. Their album was produced by the Zummos along with Joe Jackson, and it was similar to Joe's pop/new wave sound, though perhaps a little more bubblegum, thanks mainly to Janice's perky vocals.  "An Obsession (Over You)" was the first and only single, likely chosen for it's very upbeat dance-pop groove. The rest of the album is varied, from straight up new wave to retro '60s.  Overall it is a happy, fun listen.  "An Obsession (Over You)" was not a hit, though it did have some dance club attention thanks to the aforementioned David Morales remix, which really didn't alter the song too much. (You can download the remix on Lost Pop Treasures.) The duo was soon dropped, though Vinnie continued to record with Joe Jackson until 1989, and then went on to play with other artists.  He hooked up with Joe again in 2012 for his album The Duke.  That same year he and Janice released their second album together, Jazz Album, which obviously delved into their love of jazz music.  They still perform together to this day, and Vinnie has released several retro guitar-based albums which explore many genres, with Janice doing vocal duties, the most recent being A Retro Cool Mixed Bag Christmas in 2014.

Download Modern Marriage

1	'Scusa Mi Please
2	An Obsession (Over You)
3	Do It Again
4	Nightmare
5	Please Stop Dancing
6	Fool For You
7	Leopards In Love
8	Modern Marriage
9	Jaguar
10	No More Goodbyes

Nicole McCloud - What About Me? (1985), Rock The House (1988/89), Love Town (1998) & So What? (2002) QUADRUPLE POST!!!!

Why not start the new year with our first QUADRUPLE post? I have been a fan of Nicole McCloud from the moment she emerged in 1985 with her breakout dance hit "Don't You Want My Love".  But not much was heard from her since her last album was released in 2002.  So imagine my surprise when I was switching through channels on TV late last year and saw a familiar face, looking almost as youthful as she did in 1985. She was on The X Factor US, and the voice was also familiar and amazing.  I waited to see her name, which was Lillie McCloud.  I was sure that it must be Nicole's daughter, but soon discovered after a second of searching online that it was indeed Nicole herself (Lillie is her real first name, while Nicole is one of her middle names)!  I was shocked that an artist who I followed and admired through much of her recording career was being presented as a new artist.  But I soon realized that, although she had a long career, she still remained unknown to the general public, and this was the best forum to bring her front and center and let the public experience what I already enjoyed about the lady.  Unfortunately she was eliminated on The X Factor in the fifth week, but not before she gained the admiration of the judges and an adoring new fan base.  While her heart is now in gospel music, she did eventually acknowledge her dance diva past after it was uncovered on the internet and created controversy.  Her past is now well-documented on the internet as a result, but I will give a bio anyway. ;) She was born in Rochester, New York, and after performing locally for years, finally got her big break in her 20s after meeting producer Lou Pace (who would go on to produce all of her albums).  Her amazing voice and looks got her a deal with Epic sublabel Portrait Records, who released her first single, a remake of Heatwave's ballad "Always And Forever," in 1985.  It was a minor R&B hit, but it was her next single, the upbeat "Don't You Want My Love," that would become her best known hit, reaching the top ten on the Billboard Dance charts and pop top 40 charts worldwide.  It helped that the song was featured on the soundtrack to the hit movie Ruthless People. (The song was also recorded by Isle postee Chantal Condor.)  It's success led to her debut album which, along with the previous singles, were released under the name 'Nicole' in most markets, though some releases used her last name as well.  Her next three singles, the Timmy Thomas duet "New York Eyes," "What About Me" and "Housecalls," were also minor R&B hits.  This led to her second album on Epic in 1988, Jam Packed.  The first single, "Jam Packed (At The Wall)," was again a minor R&B hit and the house remix brought Nicole back to the dance chart as well.  The next single "Rock The House" became an even bigger hit on both charts.  It's success led to Lou Pace re-releasing the album on his own label Oceana the following year under the title Rock The House, with different artwork and a reordered tracklisting.  The song re-entered the dance chart that year.  Despite the minor chart success, Nicole was dropped from Epic.  She wouldn't be heard from again until 1992, when she was featured on The Source's successful rave remake of "Rock The House".  The following year she appeared on three tracks on U.S.U.R.A.'s album Open Your Mind, including the single "Drive Me Crazy" (I had the album and always thought it sounded like her, but couldn't verify it was her at the time).  These collaborations led to the single "Runnin' Away," released in 1994, which became her biggest hit on the Billboard Dance chart thanks to the E-Smoove house mixes, reaching #3.  It would be re-released in many versions over the next four years, charting in the UK pop charts at #69 in 1996.  That same year she signed to Aureus Records and released a house version of the Doobie Brothers' "Long Train Running," and it hit the lower end of the top 40 on the Billboard Dance charts. An album, Love Town, followed in 1998 (finally using her last name) and it was much more dance oriented than her previous albums.  It included "Runnin Away," "Long Train Runnin' (Without Love)" and "Rock The House", as well as "Stay In Love", which Isle postee Mona Q would have a Billboard Hot 100 hit with three years later.  Though two promo singles were released - "Missing You" and "I Ain't Crazy" - neither was a hit and the album went unnoticed.  Nicole kept at it, however, and joined Angel Williams and Simone Böhlhoff to form vocal trio Voices Of Freedom, who featured on dance singles such as "Lift Your Hands Up" in 1999.  In 2001, Nicole released "One Good Reason" on an indie Florida label, this time as Nicole J McCloud.  The song again hit the lower end of top 40 of the Billboard Dance chart.  An album, So What?, was released the following year and included remakes of some of her previous songs, as well as a version of "Tell Me Where It Hurts," previously a single by Isle postees Try 'N' Be.  The next single, "Search'n," brought Nicole back to the Billboard Dance chart top 10.  But she became discouraged with her music career, as she never wanted to be pigeon-holed as a dance diva, and it was not paying off financially.  Nicole left the industry in 2004 to raise her kids and moved to Slovakia with her partner.  Though she continued to perform and record occasionally, it wasn't until 2010, when she recorded the theme song for the Slovak version of Simon Cowell's Got Talent TV series, that she considered re-entering the music business full-time.  She moved back to the US and auditioned for the X Factor, and the rest is history (on an interesting side-note, another successful 80s based, Lou Pace produced diva, Donna Allen, competed on rival show The Voice the same year).  Now Lillie (she claims Simon Cowell called her by her first name after seeing it on her legal documents, so she continued to use it) is pursuing gospel music, and though that is not necessarily my fave genre, I am thrilled to have this versatile, underrated and amazing singer back in the spotlight where she has always rightfully belonged.

UPDATE:  Amazingly, Miss McCloud herself wrote me in praise of this post and more!!  Here is her message.  So VERY honoured! :) 

"Hello cool Angel,  Thank you for you kind words and your overview of my career...You have certainly did your research on my career quite thoroughly.  I would like to speak more about my recordings and experiences in Slovakia such as The TV Show (Show Dance and the song or recording Show Dance) and the TV Show (Slovakias Got Talent) and the song Slovakias Got Talent ) which I wrote the lyrics and melody along with partners who wrote the music. I also sang the lead vocals and background vocals. At the time of these recordings I had no knowledge about The X Factor. Such shows were not of interest  to me. I want to make it clear that I've never collaborated with Simon Cowell or the X Factor in any way prior to season 3. This was one of the rumors along with a few others which did bother me a bit but ofcourse not any more. 

I'm very proud of both  recordings in Slovakia and television shows. 

All the best to you my friend. 

Lillie McCloud

AKA Nicole J McCloud"

Live performance of Don't You Want My Love

Live performance of New York Eyes

 Download What About Me?

1		Don't You Want My Love
2		New York Eyes
3		Housecalls
4		What About Me
5		Always And Forever
6		Why You Take My Love
7		Ordinary Girl
8		Shy Boy
9		It Happens Every Night

 
 Download Rock The House

1		Rock The House
2		Desire
3		Let's Talk About Love
4		So Lost Without Your Love
5		Jam Packed (At The Wall)
6		Two Hearts Are Better Than One
7		Everlasting Love
8		Throwdown
9		He's So Romeo

 Download Love Town

1		Stay In Love
2		Runnin Away
3		Missing You
4		Love Town
5		Thinkin' About You
6		Live Your Life
7		I Ain't Crazy
8		Rock The House
9		Maybe Next Time
10		Try My Love
11		Dreamin'
12		Pray For Love
13		Long Train Runnin' (Without Love)
14		Missing You (R&B Mix)

 
Download So What?

1		One Good Reason
2		Search'n
3		Get Your Hands Off My Man
4		This House Is Not A Home
5		Lessons Of Love
6		Get The Hell Out Of Here
7		Why Should I
8		Tell Me Where It Hurts
9		Missing You
10		Stay In Love
11		Your Love Is King To Me
12		If You Come To Me
13		One Good Reason (Megamix)
14		Damn I'm Pretty
15		Don't You Want My Love 2002
16		Search'n (Remix)

Warren Mills - Warren Mills (1985)

Warren Mills is an artist whose music I've heard mentioned in various places, but that I'd never actually heard. Then I saw the LP in a used record store and figured, since the price was right, it was time to explore his work, as it was said to be quite funky. Well, I was definitely not disappointed when I finally put it on. It is an awesome electro-funk album that still sounds fresh today, IMO. There is very little info on Warren on the internet, but I managed to find out some details. He was born in Zambia, and someone claims on Youtube that his real name is Warren Milstead. He was signed to Jive Records as a preteen, and was compared to a young Michael Jackson. Certainly he had the vocal chops. He is the nephew of singer Alton Edwards, who had a hit single in 1982 in the UK with "I Just Wanna (Spend Some Time With You)". And, according to different sources, he is either the brother or cousin of singer Rozalla, who had a huge hit in the early 1990's with "Everybody's Free". (I asked Rozalla about this on her Facebook page, but she not only didn't answer but deleted my post!) Whatever the case, in 1984 he released a remake of Smokey Robinson and The Miracles' "Mickey's Monkey" which made a minor dent in the UK charts but did not appear on the album. His next single, "Sunshine", would be his biggest success, climbing to #74 in UK charts. He released three other singles: "Don't Tell Me 'Bout Your Boyfriend", "Tell Me What You Want" and "Flame In The Fire", which he performed in the 1985 movie Rappin'. But none of these hit in the UK or anywhere else and Warren faded from view. (ProMills has pointed out that Aaron Carter did a remake of "Tell Me What You Want" in 2000.) It's very unfortunate, as he was a talented singer and the songs were extremely catchy. The album reminds me of Shanice Wilson's debut, Discovery, very funky and danceable. It helps that he had a host of Jive's top producers on hand, many of whom also worked with Samantha Fox, which gives it a pop edge. Billy Ocean also produced a couple of tracks. It all comes together nicely, and Warren really should have been bigger. He is now married with three daughters and living again in Zambia, and reportedly also still dabbles in music. Should you be interested, you can try to 'friend' him on Facebook, although it seems he may no longer be interested in discussing his early music career, though he really should be proud of it.

Video for Sunshine

Video clip from Rappin' of Warren performing Flame In The Fire

Download Warren Mills

1		Sunshine
2		Tell Me What You Want
3		Choosey Girl
4		Don't Tell Me 'Bout Your Boyfriend
5		Flame In The Fire
6		Biochemistry
7		You Thrill Me (I Like It Like This)
8		It's Peculiar
9		I Turn To You

Curtie And The Boombox - Black Kisses (1985)

I have had this album on cassette and vinyl forever, but aside from the first single, "Let's Talk It Over In The Ladies' Room", I never gave it much of a listen. I decided to rip the vinyl for ya'll, and I was amazed at just how fun and danceable the rest of the album is. It's now one of my faves! From what I can gather from the bit of info available on the web (most not in English), the act was formed by Dutch producer Peter Koelewijn. After he met Curtie Fortune, who came from a small island in the Caribbean, he decided to form a group around her, obviously enchanted by her Caribbean accent. He enlisted fellow Caribbeans Judith Landry and "the Wilson sisters" to be 'the Boombox' (essentially her back-up singers), a name he saw on a small recording device in the studio. Along with Dutch engineer Albert Boekholt he produced their first single, "Let's Talk It Over In The Ladies' Room", released on RCA in 1984. It was an upbeat, Caribbean flavoured pop song similar in style to groups like Boney M. or Luv'. It was a small hit in the Netherlands and the success led to the recording of their next single, "Black Kisses (Never Make You Blue)", a more italo disco flavoured track released in 1985. The song made it into the top 20 in the Netherlands, and it soon got attention worldwide, with it's biggest claim to fame being that it made it into the US Billboard Hot 100, reaching #81. This created a demand for an album, which had already been in the works for the past year and a half. By the time the song hit in the US the Wilson sisters had left and were replaced by Dutch singers Patricia Balrak and Denise van der Hek, who was previously the lead singer for another Dutch girl group, Risqué. Though Curtie was still the main lead singer, each of the other ladies was given a song apiece on which to sing lead. The album contained other songs with the Caribbean vibe, like the single "A Bachelor's Bed (Is A Dangerous Place)", but also incorporated songs with Hi NRG and italo disco elements similar to The Flirts or Fun Fun. Overall it's a surprisingly diverse album and a lot of fun, but neither of the other two singles, the aforementioned "A Bachelor's Bed..." and "Chinchilla", caught on with audiences in the US or anywhere else, for that matter. Curtie soon left the group, along with producer Koelewijn. The remaining three ladies made one last attempt and released the new single "Killing Love", as simply Boom Box, on the Injection Disco Dance label, but the song went unnoticed and they split. All of the ladies apparently kept busy as session singers after that, and Denise was briefly one half of pop duo Chess. Patricia Balrak has continued to sing, but now primarily in gospel music, as her Myspace page will attest. No sign of what Denise van der Hek and Judith Landry have been up to recently, but I did find unfortunate news about Curtie Fortune: she passed away on March 5, 2003. A tribute page has been set up for her by Peter Koelewijn. But perhaps the best tribute to her is listening to this wonderful, upbeat 'lost' pop gem that she was the focus of.

Video for Black Kisses

Download Black Kisses

1		Black Kisses (Never Make You Blue)
2		Chinchilla
3		Shocking
4		My Book Of Love
5		Let's Talk It Over In The Ladies' Room
6		A Bachelor's Bed (Is A Dangerous Place)
7		Help Me To Help You
8		Hoochie Coochie Boogie
9		Slowstarter

Sheree Jeacocke - Feel It (1985) & Jeacocke (1995) DOUBLE POST!!

The gorgeous Sheree Jeacocke is a Canadian institution. From the mid 80s to the late 90s she released a lot of music, in her homeland and abroad. I was fortunate enough a couple of weeks ago to locate her very first album, which is quite rare (though I'm sure one recent misinformed visitor to this blog would tend to disagree - wink wink) and can also feature her self-released EP from 10 years later. Born in Toronto in 1958, Sheree began touring with her band in the late 70s and eventually also joined Canadian disco/funk band Crack Of Dawn on tour, but her only recorded work was as a session vocalist for other singers and commercial jingles (her voice was everywhere on TV when I was a kid!). Then in 1985 the Canadian government organization FACTOR, which existed to fund fledgling artists, gave her money to record her own solo album. Feel It was released in 1985 by the Canadian Talent Library with very limited distribution. It featured dance-pop songs with an occasional rock or new wave slant, and showcased her versatile vocals. She released the single "You Get To Me", which garnered enough attention to get her a Juno nomination for Most Promising Female Vocalist and a deal with a major label, BMG. The label asked her to drop her last name and the album Sheree was released on BMG sublabel RCA in 1989, following a very similar formula to her first album. The first single, "Woman's Work", became a Canadian hit and also got her some international attention. The follow-ups, "Before We Fall", "Forever You Forever Me" and "Bang On", didn't do as well, though the housey "Bang On" was a minor club hit. Despite the failure of the follow-up singles, BMG kept her on and she released her next album, Miss My Love, in 1993, this time on BMG sublabel Arista and using her full name. Her sound on the album became more R&B and adult contemporary flavoured, as evidenced by the first single, "Miss My Love". It and the next two singles, "Serious" and "Everybody Needs A Love", managed to get radio play but were not hits. As a result, her association with the label soon ended. Not to be discouraged, Sheree recorded and released an EP on her own label in 1995 titled simply Jeacocke. The first single, "Mr. Big Stuff", a remake of the Jean Knight hit from 1971, became a Canadian club hit in it's remixed form. The EP itself went even further into a soul sound and included a remake of her own "Woman's Work". Perhaps encouraged by her dance club success, that same year she renamed herself J-Cock and appeared on the Pleasure Beat eurohouse hit "First Time", which I featured already on Lost Pop Treasures. The following year, again as J-Cock, she released an eurohouse remake of Alanis Morissette's "Hand In My Pocket" with Pleasure Beat, as well a solo single, a reggae-tinged remake of Stevie Wonder's "Sunshine Of My Life", which I also featured on Lost Pop Treasures. In 1997, the J-Cock eurohouse singles "All In All" (a Joyce Sims remake), "Sexuality" and "Come Together" were released as downloads only and didn't attract much of an audience. Since then, aside from a few vocal appearances here and there, Sheree has stayed away from the music scene and has instead concentrated on her career as a real estate agent, now going by the name of Sheree Cerqua. Still, I hold out hope that she will return to the music scene one day to grace us with her powerful voice once again.

For her Sheree and Miss My Love albums, my friend Rich has already featured these on his blog The Music Spectrum, so please go there to download. And for a site dedicated to Miss Jeacocke's discography, please visit Woman's Work: The Sheree Jeacocke Discography.

Download Feel It

1		I Wanna Be Your Girl
2		You Get To Me
3		Gimme Some Motion
4		It's Got To Be Love
5		Shakin In Stereo
6		Feel It
7		Slowly I Turn
8		Be My Boy
9		This Love Song
10		Can I Do It

Live performance of Mr. Big Stuff

Download Jeacocke

1		Mr. Big Stuff
2		So This Is Love
3		When In Rome
4		Midnight Train To Georgia
5		Womans Work

Maureen Steele - Nature Of The Beast (1985)

Here is another 80s gem sent to me by Toby. Of all of the albums Toby sent, this is the one I like the most. It's a funky dance pop treat. Thanks Toby!! Maureen Steele is another pop enigma. Her track "Boys Will Be Boys" appeared on the soundtrack to the movie The Flamingo Kid in 1984. The soundtrack was released on Motown Records, and soon after, Maureen's debut was also released on Motown. This was notable due to the fact that very few white artists were signed to the label at that time (another exception was Isle postee Misa). "Boys Will Be Boys" was a minor Billboard dance hit, but the follow-up single, "Save The Night For Me", which Maureen wrote, was an even bigger success, reaching #77 on the Billboard Top 100. "Rock My Heart" was planned as her next single, but was only issued as a promo. Apparently the label dropped her and she faded into obscurity, her only other notable appearance being as a back-up vocalist on Apollonia's only album, also featured on the Isle. This was likely due to Maureen's connections with her album's producers, Steve Barri and Bobby Sandstrom, who worked with Apollonia as well as other white pop-soul acts such as Sam Harris, Times Two and Wild Orchid, and also appeared on the album Let's Get Busy by previous Isle postees Teen Dream. Since then the internet has been abuzz with people looking for info on Maureen, but so far nothing has been uncovered about this talented but elusive artist.

UPDATE: Well, that was quick! LOL Tommy wrote to tell me that Maureen now goes by Maureen Steele-Volante. She and her husband Mike own a real estate company in California. This apparently became her new passion after singing. Check out their website HERE.

Video for Boys Will Be Boys

Download Nature Of The Beast

1		Nature Of The Beast
2		Physical Therapy
3		Save The Night For Me
4		Sneak Preview
5		Rock My Heart
6		Bad Girls Do It Better
7		Sidetracked
8		Do You Like It When I Hurt You
9		My Shy Lover
10		Boys Will Be Boys

Lushus Daim & The Pretty Vain - More Than You Can Handle (1985)

Imagine, if you will, that a 15 year old small town Canadian boy, obsessed with Prince and his protegees and really any female R&B singer at that time, picks up at his local record store a 7" single called "More Than You Can Handle" by a mysterious act called Lushus Daim & The Pretty Vain, and it's on the Motown label. An instant rush of excitement and forbidden desire overcomes him and he simply MUST have it, even though he has no idea who this act is or what the song sounds like. Imagine further when said record turns out to be even more than he could have hoped for, yes, more than he could handle!! Well, that boy was me, and I was instantly smitten. Of course, all I had was this single, without even a picture sleeve, and no way of finding out more about this mysterious 'Lushus Daim'. Then, sometime later, I was casually flipping through albums at a used record store in Toronto and happened across a lovely visage that I first mistook to be that of my goddess Vanity. Instead, it turned out to be THE Lushus Daim and her album of the same name as my precious single! I was overwhelmed by just how awesome that image was. She looked even better than I could have imagined! I could barely wait to get home to listen to the album. And then...I was underwhelmed. Perhaps too much time had passed, but the music just didn't move me as I'd hoped. Then again, my expectations were very high. I gave it a few listens and then forgot about it until recently. Upon listening to it again, I finally appreciate it's brilliance. Thanks to the retro-electro-funk revival over the past couple of years, this album seems fresh and exciting. It's solid from beginning to end. It seems that Motown may have been looking for another Vanity, whose debut solo album they released the year before, or at least a female artist who emulated the looks and vibe that Prince had created in his protegees. But while the music has many Prince-ish qualities, it was in fact produced by Leon Sylvers III, who was at the height of his electro-funk craft, having produced groups like Shalamar, The Whispers, Krystol and Five Star. The title track was released as a single but, aside from rocking my world, it didn't make an impact. Neither did the follow-up, the lovely mid-tempo ballad "The One You Love". And that seems to be the end of it. Nothing more was heard from or can be found on this elusive beauty. I did read a brief interview back in the day where she claimed that Lushus Daim was her real name. Also, I don't think there ever was a 'Pretty Vain', as the credits on the album encompass a wide array of players, with Sylvers being the most prominent. Lushus did co-write all but the title song, however. Whatever the case, we luckily have this piece of electro-funk magic to remember her fondly by. Today's retro-loving acts only wish they could craft something so tasty.

UPDATE: Here is a little update left in the comments from an anonymous visitor (perhaps Lushus herself?):

"The Pretty Vain was the name of her band. She is doing well, married with 3 children living in Los Angeles. She only sings for fun now around family and friends but she still has an amazing voice. Her daughter has inherited her talent and hopefully we'll be hearing from her soon."

Video for The One You Love

Download More Than You Can Handle

1		More Than You Can Handle
2		The One You Love
3		Be There For Me
4		The Rhythm Of Love
5		Flex
6		Pretty Poison
7		Attention Addict
8		Payback
9		For You

Robey - Robey (1985)

I meant to post this last week on Canada Day, but I got a bit too heavy into the wine and then it was Pride weekend and I got even heavier into the sauce, so I only got to it now. LOL This album come courtesy of Isle fan Robert, which is awesome as it was on my want list and it is so perfect for this blog. Thanks SO much again, Robert! :) The story goes that Louise Robey was born in Montreal, though she moved to Europe and attended a boarding school in Scotland. She was discovered sunbathing on the French Riviera by a famous photographer, which led to modeling for many high profile fashion magazines. She had a passion for music, however, and while busking on the streets of Paris, she was discovered yet again, this time by the head of CBS Records France. She was asked to front a ska band, Louise & The Creeps, and they moved to New York in 1980, but broke up before they signed a deal. Staying in New York, she went back to modeling but also studied acting and dance. However, CBS was still interested and they signed her to a deal on their Silver Blue label in 1984. Dropping her first name, she released the double-sided single "Hungry For You Boy / Be Mine (Be My Baby)", to little attention. Then she recorded a version of the song "One Night In Bangkok" from the musical Chess. It reached #77 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was a dance hit, though a version by Murray Head became a Billboard top ten hit the same year. She released her Joel Diamond produced self-titled dance-pop album the next year along with the singles "Killer Instinct" and "Moth To A Flame" (and "Tighter Tighter" in Australia), though they were only minor dance hits. She also appeared in the movie The Money Pit that same year. She signed to Chrysalis Records in 1986 but only managed to release one more single, "I Surrender". (She also appeared on the song "Flight Of The Phoenix" with Cerrone in 1987.) For many, that could have been the end of their fame and fortune, but Robey moved to Los Angeles and continued to study acting and improv comedy. This helped her snag the lead role in the syndicated television show Friday the 13th: The Series (not based on the movies, BTW) in 1987. The show lasted for three seasons (and will always be remembered fondly by me, especially for the episode that starred my goddess Vanity. It was a life changer!). After the show ended Robey continued acting in small parts and studying. She also wrote children's books and took up photography. She married, had a child, divorced, and remarried. She now lives in France and is still recording music, some of which you can buy on iTunes. Check out her website and Myspace page for more. Most excitingly, she apparently plans to release the "Louise Robey Music Anthology (1979-2010) The Essential Collectors Edition" in the future, which indicates she possesses never before heard music from very early in her career! This post will have to suffice until then. (BTW, this download is actually taken from the CD reissue of the album from 1996 titled One Night In Bangkok.)

UPDATE: Yes, I ALREADY have an update for this post, and I just posted it yesterday! Louise's manager and friend, F. Lauver, wrote to fill us in on more of her bio as well as her current happenings and whereabouts. Sadly, her husband died recently and she is in mourning. We send our love. But she is indeed working on new music, and you can go to the Lauver Management Myspace page for much more info. She also has a Facebook page.  Please also read Mr. Lauver's comments in the comments section here. I'd repost them here, but they are very lengthy. ;) Thanks again, "F.". Much appreciated.

Robey is also featured on an amazing new dance song by Lovari entitled "Take It To The Top".  Listen to it and download it for FREE NOW!!

Video for One Night In Bangkok

Download Robey

1		Turn My Head
2		The Right Combination
3		One Night In Bangkok
4		One Monkey Don't Stop No Show
5		Killer Instinct
6		Tighter, Tighter
7		Bored And Beautiful
8		Moth To A Flame