Love To Infinity - Classic Paradise (1998)

Love To Infinity are well known remixers and producers, having remixed everyone from Celine Dion to Grace Jones to Madonna to Shania Twain to Michael Jackson, etc.  While their remix work hasn't been as prodigious as it was in their 1990s and 2000s heyday, they are still on the scene, most recently producing Camille's current Billboard Dance chart hit "Choose Hope". It was this song that made me seek out their only album, which I am sharing with you now.  Brothers Andy, Pete and Dave Lee formed the group in 1992.  Their work as remixers began soon after, with one of their first most notable remixes being Michael Jackson's "They Don't Care About Us". At the same time, they formed a musical act, bringing in soulful singer Louise Bailey. They released a couple of singles in 1993, "Somethin' Outta Nothin'" and "Saviour".  Both received little attention.  However, the next year their remix of Melanie Williams' "All Cried Out" became a hit, and they were in demand.  The following year they released "Keep Love Together", and it became a dance smash, as well as reaching #38 on the UK pop charts.  Their follow up singles "Someday" and "Pray For Love" also hit the UK charts at #75 and #69, respectively. An album was recorded, but the diminishing chart positions kept the label from releasing it, and by 1997 Bailey was no longer a part of the act.  The album did finally get a two CD release in Japan in 1998.  The boys then focused on remixing and producing full time, only releasing two more singles as Love To Infinity, "No Apology' with Loleatta Holloway in 1995 and a remake of CeCe Peniston's "Finally" featuring Charlotte Day in 2005.  Luckily we have this one amazing house album of their original work, very upbeat and of its time.

Video for Keep Love Together

Video for Pray For Love

Download Classic Paradise

1 Keep Love Together
2 No Apology
3 Pray For Love
4 Someday
5 Build Me Up
6 Love's Got A Hold
7 Burnin Up
8 Back To The Love
9 Somethin Outta Nothin
10 Surrender
11 Don't Turn Away
12 Let The Music Play
13 Keep Love Together '98
14 Early Warning
15 I Can't Hold Back
16 Pray For Love (Morales 12" Mix)
17 Someday (CJ Mackintosh Mix)
18 Keep Love Together (Red Leader Mix)
19 Someday (Johnny Vicious Mix)
20 Build Me Up (5th Circuit Mix)
21 No Apology (Blue Ikon Mix)
22 Keep Love Together (Classic Paradise Part 2)

Angie Giles - Surface (1993) & Stone Prayers (1996)

Thanks to a request from Giba, I present you with Angie Giles' only two solo albums.  Much thanks to the kind people who saw these on my want list and shared them with me. Funny enough, it was already my next planned post.  This just put a fire under my butt. And since I have little time for the blog lately, it's just as well that I can't find much info on the lady.  I do know that she was born in the UK, but has connections to Perth, Australia. Her big break was in 1988 singing back-up on British singer-songwriter Julia Fordham's debut album.  In 1991, pairing with Fordham collaborator Michael Moran as The Main Thing, she released a remake of Fordham's "My Lover's Keeper".  That same year Fordham recorded a song the duo wrote, "Melt". Soon Giles moved on to a solo career after being signed to Island Records. In 1992 she released the single "Submerge".  This was how I heard of her because I came across the 12" single many years ago, which features remixes by Driza Bone and Perfecto.  The song was an underground club hit, with its soulful and almost deep house sound. The less club bound "Silent Way" was released soon after, but to little fanfare.  Her album Surface followed in 1993, but was only released in Japan due to the lukewarm reception of the singles.  It also included "My Lover's Keeper" and her version of "Melt". She also did a feature vocal on the song "Abracadabra" by Dreams 2 Reality that same year. Following this, she continued to work with Fordham and also did back up vocals for other artists, including Isle postee Eve Gallagher. Then, in 1996, she released her second album, Stone Prayers. It was also a Japan only release, and the vibe was much less soul and much more folk. After this she went back to backing vocals again, most notably appearing on Atomic Kitten's hit "Whole Again". In 2002 she did another feature vocal on the house song "Say You'll Be Mine" by Mimosa.  Moving to the US, she hooked up with her nephew Pat Giles (aka Hiro?) and formed the duo The Life Project. They released two albums, Life Project in 2005 and LP2: The Cut + The Mix in 2008.  Their sound was very chillwave and drum n' bass.  Since then it's anyone's guess what Angie is up to, which is a shame, since she has an amazing deep and soulful voice.  In my opinion, her albums were not the right platform for her voice.  They are somewhat snoozy, and I think she would have been better served to belt out on house songs.  Perhaps this is how she will emerge in the future, as the full on house diva she deserves to be.

UPDATE:  Angie herself wrote and had the following to say.  An honour to have you visit and comment, Angie!  Feel free to fill us in on the rest of your career!

"Wow! Fame at last. Famous for not being famous! Thanks for the amazingly accurate account of at least part of my 35 year career, well done you! By the way, both Life Project albums are still available on iTunes - just sayin'😉. My name is Angie Giles and I approve this message xox."

Download Surface

1 Silent Way
2 Sleeper
3 Submerge
4 My Lover's Keeper
5 Surface
6 Anybody's Guess
7 Melt
8 Liberty
9 Only Human
10 Patch Of Blue
11 Submerge (The Perfecto Remix)

Download Stone Prayers

1 Now You're Gone
2 Save Me
3 In My Dreams
4 Still Call You Baby
5 Main Thing
6 Stone Prayers
7 Nobody Moves Like You
8 House Of Shadows
9 Love's Window
10 Surface In Time
11 Now You're Gone (Extended Mix)

L.A. Mix - On The Side (1989) & Coming Back For More (1990) DOUBLE POST!!

Time for another post, finally.  This time it's British house and soul group L.A. Mix.  Luckily Wikipedia has done most of the research for me, so I'm going to use mainly their entry here.  L.A. Mix (the L.A. stands for Les Adams) was comprised of husband-and-wife production team Les Adams & Emma Freilich, along with producer Mike Stevens.  Their first hit was "Don't Stop (Jammin')" in 1987, which was based on a simple 8-track demo that Adams had formed in his home studio, and it reached #47 on the UK Singles Chart. That record got L.A. Mix in trouble, as the bassline had been taken from the song "Love is the Message" by MFSB, resulting in group member Vincent Montana attempting to take an injunction out on the group.  But the single got them a record deal with A&M Records, though it was initially only for one single. But then Adams remixed Maurice Joshua's "This Is Acid" by taking the vocals, adding a synth lead from Black Riot's "A Day In The Life", using the rhythm synth from Inner City's "Big Fun", sirens from some of Todd Terry's records and some assorted sexual screams of unknown origin from his collection. The result was "Check This Out", which was a UK #6 in 1988 and was their biggest hit. That also raised legal ire, this time of the then-owner of Easy Street Records as the song included a short sample of "You Don't Know" by Serious Intention, and the owner of that label was one of New York's top lawyers. The matter was settled out of court for $15,000.  Next, in 1989, they released "Get Loose", which featured rapping by Jazzi P and charted at #25. A fourth single, also released in 1989, "Love Together" featuring Kevin Henry, charted at #66. These four singles appeared on the album On the Side, which was released in 1989.  The album featured vocals by Isle postee Juliet Roberts.  In 1990, the first of three singles from L.A. Mix's second album were released. The album departed from the hip house and R&B flavour of the first album, with a more soulful sound.  "Coming Back For More", also the title track of the new album, was released as a single. The song featured vocals from Franceso, and charted at #50. In 1991, "Mysteries of Love", featuring Beverlei Brown on lead vocals, D. Marcus C. on rap and co-production from Andy Whitmore, was released and made #46. Their final single, the ballad "We Shouldn't Hold Hands In The Dark", also featured vocals from Franceso but also from Juliet Roberts and charted at #69. Adams and Freilich also produced the track "Fools Paradise" for Isle postee Ruth Joy, as well as Jazzi P's hit and only single "Feel The Rhythm". They also produced two UK Top 40 hits (one of which was a top ten hit) for Dannii Minogue's 1991 album, Love and Kisses: "I Don't Wanna Take This Pain" and "Jump To The Beat".  Their output seems to have ended in the 1990s. Discogs indicates that Emma died in 2011, though I have not be able to find any more info regarding that, so who knows. Mike Stevens went on to produce a couple tracks from Juliet Roberts, as well as tracks for Ruby Turner, Fast Food Rockers, Sugababes, Annie Lennox and Take That, for whom he was also musical director, so clearly L.A. Mix was a stepping stone for his success.

Video for Check This Out

Video for Get Loose

Video for Love Together

Download On The Side

1 Get Loose
2 You Are The One
3 Breathe Deep
4 Don't Turn Away
5 Love Together
6 Just Waiting
7 Mellow Mellow (Right On)
8 Don't Stop ('89)
9 Check This Out
10 Get Loose (Definitely Def Remix)

Video for Coming Back For More

Download Coming Back For More

1 Coming Back For More
2 Miss My Love
3 Slap
4 One Love One Touch
5 We Shouldn't Hold Hands In The Dark
6 Mysteries Of Love
7 Love Thang
8 Live For Love
9 All Mine
10 Discover Reality
11 Breathe Deeper (Deeper Mix)

Lindy Layton - Pressure (1991) & No Other Star (1996) DOUBLE POST!!

Thanks to a wishlist fulfillment from Konstantin, I can now share both albums by British singer Lindy (aka Belinda) Layton.  I became aware of Lindy way back in 1990, when her group Beats International, which also included Norman Cook, aka Fatboy Slim, had a huge pop-reggae #1 UK and #1 Billboard Dance Chart hit with "Dub Be Good To Me", a remake of SOS Band's R&B hit "Just Be Good To Me". I knew that she had a solo career after that, but only managed to get my hands on her first solo album a few years ago, Now, thanks to Konstantin, I have both! And luckily Wikipedia has an entry on her solo work, which makes my job here easy. After having another UK top 10 hit with "Won't Talk About It", Beats International's subsequent singles and album did not fare near as well.  Before Beats started working on their second album, Lindy was snatched up by Arista for a solo career.  Her first single was a remake of Janet Kay's 1979 reggae UK #2 hit "Silly Games".  Lindy's version reached #22 on the UK chart. Her album soon followed, as did the #42 hit "Echo My Heart".  The album had many tracks similar to the reggae pop of Beats International, but it also moved into house music as well.  It also included a remake of Prince's "Do Me Baby".  After the next two singles "Wait For Love" and "Without You" failed to take off, Lindy was dropped from Arista.  She released the house single "I'll Be A Freak For You" the following year on a smaller label, and was soon signed to PWL.  On PWL she released two poppier singles, "We Got The Love" and "Show Me", which reached #38 and #47, respectively, on the UK pop chart. She was then dropped from PWL as well.  It would take her three years to release more music, which she passed mainly DJing. The album No Other Star was only released in Japan on the Cutting Edge label, and the only single release from it was "Who Do You Think You Are?", which failed to chart.  She had returned to her pop reggae roots, which was clearly out of vogue by the mid-nineties. She then teamed up with DJ Steve Proctor to form the breakbeat duo Hardknox in 1997. They released their first single "Coz I Can" on the Skint label, and two years later released their self-titled album on Jive Electro. It was not a great commercial success, but was favoured by the underground scene. Nothing much was heard from Lindy until 2009, when she appeared on tracks on albums by both the Dub Pistols and the Groove Diggerz, such as "I'm In Love" and "Body Flow", as well as a remake of "Just Be Good To Me".  She featured on two other Dub Pistols albums on the tracks "Rock Steady" in 2012, and "Our Life" in 2015.  She also had a daytime radio show in 2013 called The Mrs.  She now focuses on songwriting and DJing, but hopefully she will return to making music some time soon.

Video for Silly Games

Video for Without You

Download Pressure

1 Wait For Love
2 Echo My Heart
3 Do Me Baby
4 Without You
5 Keep It Up
6 Silly Games
7 Drop The Pressure
8 Lines
9 Cruel (To Be Kind)
10 This Isn't Fair
11 Best Thing
12 Let Me Keep You Here

Download No Other Star

1 Who Do You Think You Are?
2 Feeling Groovy (A.K.A. West Side)
3 Miracle
4 No Other Star
5 Running Away
6 Bedtime
7 It Must Be Love
8 Like We're Human
9 Truly
10 Can't Get My Eyes Off You
11 Why
12 High Time
13 Love The One You're With
14 Stay With Me Till Dawn

Dee Fredrix - Grace (1993)

Thanks to a request from Marco, I located the one and only album from Britain's Dee Fredrix.  Though I didn't realize it until now, Dee more commonly went by name Dee Lewis (though her maiden name is actually Fredericks) and she was mentioned on the Isle previously thanks to a post on her sister Shirley Lewis. Like Shirley, Dee did a lot of background work until she joined her older sisters Shirley and soul/disco diva Linda to form Lewis (aka The Lewis Sisters), who released five non-charting pop singles in 1986/87. Linda originally changed her last name from Fredericks to Lewis in tribute to soul singer Barbara Lewis, and her sisters soon followed. Dee was also featured in 1986 on two singles by Stock Aitken Waterman's bizarre bossa nova collective Mondo Kané and the charity single "Give, Give, Give" by Dance Aid.  While continuing to perform backing vocals for a wide variety of artists like Kylie Minogue and Donna Summer (thanks to the SAW connection), she also managed to release several pop singles of her own on Mercury as Dee Lewis, including three top 100 UK Singles: "Stuck On Love" (#90 in 1987 and recharting in 1988 at #95), a remake of the Emotions' "Best Of My Love" (#47 in 1988) and "Double Standard" (#89 in 1989).  Having had minimal success on the charts, she returned to backing vocals and regrouped.  In 1993 she reemerged with a new name, taking her real last name and changing the spelling to something shorter and catchier.  She also had a new, much more soulful sound.  Her first single was the ballad "And So I Will Wait For You", which hit #56 on the UK charts.  The follow-up was a house track, "Dirty Money", which managed to reach #74 on the UK pop charts, but also become a club hit thanks to remixes by Satoshi Tomiie. I have this 12" single and always loved this song, but until now, this was the only song I had ever heard by Dee.  I am glad to be able to hear more, and there are a couple other housey tracks on the album.  A promo of remixes of "Whatever It Takes" was also released, and Dee released one other non-album single in 1994, "Live My Life", but neither were hits. With solo stardom just out of reach, Dee went back to session singing.  Her Twitter account indicates that she is still singing and songwriting, especially for film soundtracks.  Hit her up there or on Facebook should you wish to know more.  Perhaps you could also ask her if a Lewis Sisters reunion is in the cards (fingers crossed). :)

Video for Dirty Money

Download Grace

1 Dirty Money
2 And So I Will Wait For You
3 Whatever It Takes
4 Hold On To What We've Got
5 How Can This Be Wrong
6 There But For The Grace
7 If I Could Relive Your Love
8 Don't Get In My Way
9 Buried Treasure
10 Look My Way

Mrs Robinson - Obsession (2006)

Hello again.  I am finally coming to terms with Prince and Vanity passing, and think it's time to add another post to lighten the mood here! This time I'm taking you into the mid-2000s, which is rare here.  There are other blogs that focus on this era of pop music (and I suspect some will 'borrow' this link for their own - if you must, give credit where credit is due, people!), but this album is special.  Earlier this year I discovered the Real Housewives Of Cheshire.  Being a rabid fan of the Real Housewives franchise, I was shocked that I hadn't heard of this series sooner.  But I binge watched and liked what I saw.  I usually need to look up info on all of the housewives, and these ladies were no exception.  During my research, I discovered that one of the ladies, Tanya Bardsley, was once in a girl group, when she was still known as Tanya Robinson, and they recorded an album.  Of course I needed that album ASAP! And I ordered it immediately.  Funny enough, the week I received the CD, I was finally caught up in the series, and in the new episode that week, Tanya finally discussed her brief time in the group, with a lot of self-deprecation. Tanya was a pretty successful 'glamour' model in the UK in the early 2000s, thanks to winning a modelling competition in 2003 thrown by magazine FHM, who were looking for the 'FHM High Street Honey'.  As a result, she became a presenter on two shows, Gamenation and Strike.  Also, unbeknownst to me at the time, she was featured in a video that my boyfriend and I used to love, a dance remake of Rod Stewart's "Da Ya Think I'm Sexy" by Girls Of FHM, which was a top ten hit in 2004.  The video featured a who's who of sexy British models, singers and starlets (catch her around the 2:34 mark).  She was also part of the offshoot FHM High Street Honeys, who had a top 40 hit with a dance remake of the Divinyls' "I Touch Myself" in 2006. Although she did not contribute vocals, this experience in music tempted Tanya to pursue a solo music career.  With the help and input of irritating photographer and media personality Darryn Lyons (whom I loathed when he was on Celebrity Big Brother), Tanya decided that perhaps a girl group would be a better idea, as she was not a very good singer. They soon recruited two other ladies, Shereen Guerin, who Tanya had met during the High Street Honeys competition, and Paula Jade (Cremin), a singer they met at a recording studio, who would end up singing all of the leads.  They chose the name Twisted Sisterz, though they were soon threatened with legal action by the heavy metal band Twisted Sister, and changed it to Mrs Robinson, a play on the Simon and Garfunkel song and Tanya's last name.  Hoping to copy the success of girl groups like Atomic Kitten and Girls Aloud, the ladies teamed up with Ryan Laubscher, who wrote and produced the whole album, except for the first single, "I'm A Little Obsessed".  The single was not a success, however.  They did get some minor attention for the follow-up, "Don't Forget My Name", which was a tribute to the troops and supported the Army Benevolent Fund.  This wasn't enough to garner worldwide - or even countrywide - fame, however, and the girls disbanded.  On RHOC, Tanya remembered her time in the group as fun but underwhelming, due to their lack of success and her lack of talent.  But she shouldn't be so hard on herself, as the album is full of fun pop songs that fit the time perfectly (though they do sound a bit dated...) And while the other ladies have maintained a low profile since, Tanya is killing it, having married hot footballer Phil Bardsley, and she continues to be a hoot on The Real Housewives Of Cheshire.  She is hilarious, and really should consider a career in comedy instead of music (though I must say, her battle with equally amusing Ampika last season did not please me.  I blame pregnancy hormones. ;) ) Though I won't hold my breath, would it be too much to ask for a Mrs Robinson reunion on the next season of RHOC?

Video for I'm A Little Obsessed

Live performance of Don't Forget My Name

Download Obsession

1 Teacher
2 I'm A Career Girl
3 Don't Ask Me
4 Beautiful World
5 Touched
6 I'm A Little Obsessed
7 Don't Forget My Name
8 Hollywood Film Star
9 Survive
10 Falling Asleep
11 Faded Heart

Smart E's - Sesame's Treet (1992)

Surprise!!  Finally, a new post after forever.  Luckily I have a spare moment, and thought you all deserved a little Valentine's Day "treet".  While most of you likely remember the theme to the children's show Sesame Street, how many of you remember the rave remix by Smart E's? In 1992 their song "Sesame's Treet" hit #2 on the UK charts and managed to hit #60 on the Billboard Hot 100, staying in the charts for 16 weeks. The group was formed by DJs Christopher Howell (aka Luna-C) and Tom Orton (aka Mr. Tom) and producer Nick Arnold.  The three were heavily into breakbeat hardcore music, the music of choice at raves, which were huge at the time.  The boys decided to take samples from the film Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure and put them over a breakbeat track, releasing "Bogus Adventure," backed with "Fuck The Law", which took samples from the film Nightbreed.  "Bogus Adventure" caught the attention of local DJs and this encouraged the trio to record another sampled novelty track, this time using the theme from Sesame Street.  This was one of the first "happy hardcore" tunes, which focused on upbeat and childlike themes and samples, which appealed to the drug fueled rave crowds.  The song quickly caught fire and ended up debuting at #2 on the British charts, which was a first at that time.  The boys were snatched up by Big Beat Records and quickly put together an album.  Most of the album maintained a similar vibe to their previous tracks, using fast techno beats and many samples.  They also enlisted vocalist Jayde to add diva vocals on some tracks, including the next single "Loo's Control". The album failed to capitalize on "Sesame's Treet"'s success, however, and it was largely panned by critics as garbage.  It also led to many copycat acts who used samples from various child-centric sources, and the influx of similar tracks is said to have hurt the rave scene as a whole.  They did release one other song from the album, "Love Is Blind," though this was released under the moniker Echora, likely to distance themselves from the Smart E's name.  Also, the track was quite different from the rest of the album, as it was a straight-forward house number featuring the soulful vocals of Jayde.  It was also given many R&B remixes to appeal to the urban market.  It didn't do well on the charts, however.  The group split after this and all went their separate ways, though they all continued to release their own spin on dance music.  Howell probably had the most success, both with his solo music as well as numerous releases under different aliases, and also ran his own record labels.  Arnold released music under several aliases as well, the most successful likely being the happy hardcore group Bang!, who released two albums.  Initially Orton assisted with Bang! and then also went on to release tracks under different aliases and as part of various groups.  But they will all likely best be remembered for "Sesame's Treet," for better or for worse.

Video for Sesame's Treet

Video for Loo's Control

Download Sesame's Treet

1 Apollo (Lunar Mix)
2 Magnificent
3 Make It Happen
4 Sesame's Treet
5 Love Is Blind
6 The Law
7 Charlie
8 Loo's Control
9 A Most Excellent Choon
10 Intruder Alert
11 Bizzarely Odd
12 Time Out
13 Beautiful Noises

Alison Limerick - And Still I Rise (1992), With A Twist (1994) & Spirit Rising (1998) TRIPLE POST!!!

As it's been awhile since my last post, I'm hitting you with yet another triple post!  This time I'm featuring house diva Alison Limerick.  Alison was born in London and at first set out to be a dancer, even attending the London Contemporary School of Dance.  But her strong, soulful voice couldn't be denied and soon she was an in demand backing singer.  Her first major gig was backing vocals on Style Council's "Shout To The Top" in 1984.  Through the rest of the 80s and early 90s she made vocal appearances on songs by an eclectic array of alternative artists such as Peter Murphy, The Icicle Works, Ultravox and This Mortal Coil, on whose albums she took lead on several tracks like "Nature's Way" and "Drugs".  During this time she also began working with producer and songwriter Lati Kronlund.  Kronlund had written a house song that he thought Alison's voice would be perfect for, and "Where Love Lives" was born.  Released in 1990 on Arista, the song became a huge club hit, thanks in large part to the remix by Frankie Knuckles and David Morales.  In 1991, it reached #3 on the Billboard dance chart and #27 on the UK singles chart.  This led to an album deal with Arista, but the second single, "Come Back (For Real Love)", was less successful, only reaching #53 on the UK pop chart. She did almost make the top 40 again that year with a collaboration with Malcolm McLaren, "Magic's Back". And the next single from her album, "Make It On My Own", was another chart hit, reaching #6 on the Billboard dance chart and #16 on the UK chart.  But the album was not released in the US, and the follow-up singles "Hear My Call" and "Gettin' It Right" were only minor chart hits in the UK. Undaunted, Alison began to work on new music.  While her next single, "Time Of Our Lives", failed to chart, her remake of Evelyn "Champagne" King's "Love Come Down" managed to hit the UK top 40 at #36, and her second album was released in 1994, with Frankie Knuckles behind the production of most of it.  It wasn't successful enough for the label to keep her, alas. She kept busy over the following few years by contributing vocals and lyrics to acid jazz group Vibraphonic, and had another minor UK hit with the James Taylor Quartet, "Love Will Keep Us Together". Then, in 1996, "Where Love Lives" was re-released with new mixes, and became an even bigger hit, reaching #4 on the Billboard dance chart and #9 on the UK pop chart.  Then "Make It On My Own" was re-released and reached #30 on the UK chart.  This led to another album with an indie label in 1998, and the preceding single. "Put Your Faith In Me", just missed the top 40 in the UK.  None of the follow up singles - "Never Knew", "Let's Hold On (To Love)" and "Spirit Rising", managed to chart, however.  And though she has not released a proper album since, Alison has kept very busy with music, collaborating on singles with, among others, X-Press 2, And If, Ringleader and Ikon, as well as extensive touring.  And in 2003, "Where Love Lives" appeared on the charts yet again thanks to new remixes, reaching #16 on the Billboard dance charts and #44 on the UK pop chart, proving you can't keep a good song down.  Expect it to 'live' again on the charts in the near future.  You can keep up with Alison via her Facebook and Twitter accounts.

Video for Where Love Lives

Video for Make It On My Own

Video for Gettin' It Right

Video for Come Back (For Real Love)

Download And Still I Rise

1	Make It On My Own
2	Gettin' It Right
3	Where Love Lives (Come On In)
4	Hear My Call
5	Trouble
6	Come Back (For Real Love)
7	Tell Me What You Mean
8	Let's Make A Memory
9	You And I
10	The Difference Is You

Video for Time Of Our Lives

Video for Love Come Down

Download With A Twist

1	Time Of Our Lives
2	Love Come Down
3	Twisted
4	No Way Out
5	Crime To Be That Cool
6	So Long
7	Sentimental
8	Buck The System
9	Take It Back
10	Let's Just Pretend
11	Build Your Love
12	Unique
13	Come Home

Video for Put Your Faith In Me

Video for Let's Hold On (To Love)

Download Spirit Rising

1	Spirit Rising
2	Never Knew
3	Let's Hold On (To Love)
4	Put Your Faith In Me
5	How Happy
6	Stronger Love
7	So Far So Good
8	Dangerous Game
9	Take It Easy
10	It's Getting Better (This Could Be Good)
	Bonus Tracks
11	Never Knew (Joe T. Vanelli Classic Mix)
12	Put Your Faith In Me (Peppermint Jam Faith Club Mix)
13	Let's Hold On To Love (Metro Mix)
14	Where Love Lives (Ruff Driverz Full Vocal Mix)

Quartz - Perfect Timing (1991)

I was recently listening to a 'Best Of' by British soul singer Dina Carroll, and noticed that in the beginning of her career she performed with a house duo called Quartz, consisting of Dave Rawlings and Ron Herel.  Naturally I had to get my hands on their album, and voila!  It was actually Quartz's track "It's Too Late", a remake of the Carole King classic, that first brought Dina to the top of the charts.  She had released a few solo singles and singles as a featured artist in the late 1980's that barely dented the charts.  Then Quartz's management picked her to feature on two tracks - "It's Too Late" and "Naked Love" - from their upcoming album.  Quartz themselves had released a few singles in the previous years, with "Meltdown" being a club hit and "We're Comin' At Ya," featuring rapper Stepz, reaching # 65 on the UK pop charts.  They also managed to reach the top of the Billboard Dance charts as producer and featured artist on Clubland's "Let's Get Busy (Pump It Up)".  But it wasn't until "It's Too Late" was released that either Dina or Quartz would have a UK top ten pop hit, reaching #8.  They followed up with "Naked Love", but it only managed to hit #39.  No other singles were released, the album failed to make any major impact, and Dina moved on to a very successful solo career.  After issues with the management of funds and the record company, the duo broke up in 1991.  Herel went back to DJing, pursued acting, and became a popular radio host on BBC 1.  He currently co-directs Uptown Records and records with 126 Blonds.  Rawlings continued to record as Quartz and released singles for the next couple of years including "Hot For You" (again with Clubland), "Give Me Desire" and 'Distant", all on his own label, WBR.   In 1994 he teamed up with DJ Paul Mundy and formed acid jazz project The Jazz Vandall’s.  He produced their work, as well as the music of others, and released it on his new label, Burning Records. He eventually sold his recording studio and has since worked as an engineer for live bands, with occasional DJ gigs.

Video for It's Too Late

Download Perfect Timing

1		Naked Love
2		It's Too Late
3		Obsession
4		If Love Is (What You Want)
5		Admiration Of Genius
6		Meltdown
7		We're Comin' At Ya
8		Transient Mind
9		Naked Love (Part II) (Big Apple Mix)
10		It's Too Late (DMC Mix)
11		Naked Love (Buster Cone Mix)
12		Meltdown (Hardcore Mix)

Ann Lee - Dreams (1999) & So Alive (2007) DOUBLE POST!!

Isle visitor Agus recently asked for Ann Lee's debut album, and luckily I ran across it yesterday while looking for something else, so I thought I'd share it with everyone!  Annerley Gordon has had a long and varied career in dance music.  She was born and raised in the UK, but in the late 1980s she moved to Italy, right when Italo-disco and Italo-house were exploding worldwide.  Though she never set out to be a singer, a talent scout heard her singing in a club and snatched her up.  Italian producers were drawn to Annerley's sweet, girlish voice, and she was soon snatched up by A.Beat-C. Records.  She released her first single in 1990, "Sexy Boy-Sexy Toy".  The following year she released two similar sounding singles also using her full name, "Donna" and "Hot 'N' Ready", as well as "Bad Love" under the moniker Annalise.  She would release several more singles on the label using both names over the next few years, and also for different labels under the name Charme, most notably on releases by Lee Marrow such as "Try Me Out" (which she co-wrote).  Italian producers were notorious for using the same vocalists on several tracks, but releasing the tracks under different aliases and using models to lip sync and pose for covers (Black Box is perhaps the most famous example), likely to give the illusion of a new artist yet maintain a familiar sound.  Annerley, along with vocalists like Sandy Chambers and Giovanna Bersola, was one of the most sought after.  During the same time she was releasing solo material, her voice was behind tracks by artists such as Ally & Jo, Go Go Girls, Groove Twins and Lolita.  It was also widely rumoured (and fairly evident) that she was the voice behind Whigfield, who had a worldwide smash with "Saturday Night", though Danish beauty Sannie Carlson appeared in the video and on record covers.  Further proof is that Annerley co-wrote Whigfield's next big hit, "Another Day" (Carlson has since taken over vocal duties, however).  An even bigger success for Annerely as a writer at this time was her having co-written the huge 1993 worldwide hit "Rhythm Of The Night" by Corona.  She continued to have huge success as a writer and vocalist throughout the 90's, so it was only natural that she would want to focus on a solo career.  She got together with renowned Italo-disco producer Larry Pignagnoli, who was behind much of the work she had done behind the scenes, and they concocted the eurohouse song "2 Times".  She released it in 1998 under her shortened name, Ann Lee, and it became an instant success in Europe, hitting the top 10 in most European countries, including her native UK, where it hit #2.  It managed to hit the Canadian top 20 singles chart as well.  An album and second single, "Voices", were released soon after, but to lesser success.  Two more singles also failed to hit, a remake of Anita Ward's "Ring My Bell" and "So Deep".  A new single, "No No No", was released in 2003, but Ann then went back behind the scenes until 2007, when she finally released a second album, So Alive, though this time it was on an indie label and only available digitally (except in Mexico, where it saw a CD release).  "Catches Your Love" and an update of "2 Times" were released as singles, but Ann soon disappeared again.  Since then, she has only appeared on former collaborator Benassi Bros.' Pumphonia album on a remix of "No No No", and as a featured vocalist on Favretto's "I Get The Feeling", both in 2009.  But I get the feeling, given her amazing musical history, that we'll see Ann back on the charts soon.

Video for 2 Times

Video for Voices

Video for Ring My Bell

Download Dreams

1		2 Times
2		Smooth & Sweet
3		Voices
4		Ring My Bell
5		In You
6		I Love You So
7		Come To Me
8		So Deep
9		Helpless
10		Looking For
11		Top Of The World
12		2 Times (Snapshot Mix)
13		2 Times (Master Boy Club Version)

Download So Alive

1	Catches Your Love
2	Everyday Everytime
3	She Wants To Be
4	Just An Hour
5	Every Single Day [Slow]
6	This Is What You Need
7	So Alive
8	Moonlight Dancing
9	Stop-Go
10	Hold The Key
11	Every Single Day
12	Hold My Hand Tonight [Bonus Track]
13	2 Times (Ice Bergem Vs. Favretto Radio Edit)

Slippry Feet - Freak Time Viewing (2001)

I'm sure it would come as no surprise to any follower of the Isle that I am a huge Bananarama fan.  I've loved them as a trio and a duo, and also love ex-Nana Siobhan Fahey's work with Shakespear's Sister and her solo stuff.  But I had never properly explored the work of short term Nana (and Siobhan's replacement) Jacquie O'Sullivan.  As it was Bananarama's 30th anniversary this year, Jacquie, who has long been MIA, has recently come back into the spotlight in a string of interviews and even has her own Facebook page and website.  Through these interviews I discovered that after Bananarama she was in a short-lived duo called Slippry Feet with journalist Paul Simper, and they released an album, mostly comprised of demos, in 2001.  Of course I had to buy it immediately.  The songs were recorded between 1992 and 1996 and are primarily pop house with funky moments and a lot of camp.  I'd compare it most to previous Isle postee Freaky Realistic.  Jacquie's music story begins in 1983 when, bored after years of partying and hanging around the punk scene in the 1970s, she and her friend Lyn recruited a few friends and formed the Shillelagh Sisters. The band, who performed rockabilly music and were deemed "cowpunk" by the press, toured and managed to release a couple of singles on CBS.  They didn't achieve much success, however, and disbanded.  Not much was heard from Jacquie again until 1988, when out of the blue she was asked by Pete Waterman to replace a disgruntled Siobhan Fahey in Bananarama.  She had occasionally hung out with remaining members Keren and Sara and accepted immediately.  She rerecorded Siobhan's vocals on the single "I Want You Back", and it and her first original song with the group, "Love, Truth & Honesty" appeared on Bananarama's 1988 Greatest Hits Collection.  She then toured with them and they recorded and released the amazing album Pop Life (one of my all-time faves) in 1991.  The album was not a success, however, likely due in part to the girls' choice to use producers other than Stock, Aitken and Waterman, who were behind so many of their hits.  Jacquie left the group soon after, as she felt that she was always in the shadow of Siobhan and was never really accepted by the other two girls in the group, who helped to push her out.  She was soon contacted by her old friend Paul Simper, who had met her years earlier when doing a story on the Shillelagh Sisters, about joining together as a duo, which they had previously discussed.  The two started making demos and did club gigs in order to get label interest.  They were close to signing a deal in 1996 with Sony but, thanks to their A&R guy's troubles, it never happened.  Jacquie then took off to Thailand and Paul went back to journalism.  In 2001 Jacquie managed to get a three album deal with Almafame Records, who released compilations of rare material from both the Shillelagh Sisters and Slippry Feet (which is the album featured here).  A third compilation of Jacquie's solo material was promised but never materialized.  Since then Jacquie has traveled extensively and focused on her loves of yoga and belly dancing.  While she has no immediate plans to go back to music, the fact that her Facebook page is also dedicated to Slippry Feet is a good sign that we may hear something from them again someday.  (BTW, you can get the album in better quality off of iTunes and Amazon, there titled Slippry Feet's Nothing Else On Her Mind, though it does not include the track "Ridiculous".)

Video for Slippry Feet Theme

Download Freak Time Viewing

1		Horny, Hairy & Handsome
2		I Get Excited
3		Could Be Raining
4		Jack
5		Ridiculous
6		Staying Up
7		Cook-A-Hoop
8		Funny (Yesterday, Tonight)
9		S.C.R.E.A.M.
10		Slippry Feet Theme
11		Horny, Hairy & Handsome (Gregorio Remix)
12		Nothing Else On Her Mind