Coming soon: A profile on the music of Nancy Sinatra

November 22, 2012

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A photo of the young Nancy, dipping her toes ca. 1955

She’s Frank’s daughter, she’s the perennial symbol of the 60’s go-go boots pop girl, she’s one half of the greatest Pop Duo ever (Lee Hazlewood and Nancy – oooh!) and she’s given us a musical legacy that seems eternally fresh and exciting.

Born in 1940, Nancy made her first solo record in 1961 and her last solo album so far came out in 2004. In that time span she has released a string of albums and singles that not only contains an enormous amount of great music, it’s also a document on how a 60’s pop girl can develop her talent, change with the times and put her personal stamp on great songs that fit her voice like hand in glove!

The 60’s Nancy: Short dress, big hair, lots of eye lashes and those go-go boots that were made for walkin’

Always being compared to her famous father, Nancy proved that even without that blood line she clearly would have made it to the top anyway. But the genes may have provided the talent in the first place. She has been criticized of not having a “great voice” – which I think is quite absurd; She does sing mostly in a limited register, sure. But what comes out is one of the softest, purest voices in show biz, and she is pure pleasure to listen to!

Nancy, ca. 2005. Still looking good, her career had a real up-swing in the new millennium!

Check back in a few days – for a closer peek into the musical world of Nancy Sinatra….

Ulrik Thømt – jeg skulle sunget blues for deg….

November 19, 2012

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Mitt første blogg-innlegg på norsk, og grunnen til det er at saken som opptar meg akkurat nå har foregått i Norge, og omhandler forhold i Norge…

Via en venninne på Facebook, ble jeg gjort oppmerksom på denne saken – og delte hennes bilde med en gang, da jeg selvfølgelig blir både opprørt og sinna når jeg leser dette, både fordi det Ulrik Thømt skriver treffer meg midt i hjertet, og også fordi han dessverre ikke er alene om å oppleve en situasjon som denne!

Bildet av Ulrik’s Facebook-status ser dere nedenfor her:

Ulrik Thømt er en modig ung mann, som taler mobber’ne midt i mot!

Personlig kjenner jeg ikke Ulrik Thømt, men både som medmenneske og som nestleder i Østfold Barne- og Ungdomsråd, blir jeg engasjert av selve saken, og også ganske flau over at denne situasjonen tydeligvis har oppstått i det fylket som er mitt ansvarsområde innen barne- og ungdomsarbeid. ØBUR engasjerer seg vanligvis ikke i enkeltsaker som omfatter personlige forhold, men dette er en sak som alle med ansvar og engasjement for sitt eget fylke og lokalmiljø ikke kan unngå å sette fokus på!

Overskriften på dette innlegget er laget for å holde en viss forbindelse til mitt vanlige fagområde her inne, nemlig musikk. Og mye bra musikk er blitt skapt av vonde, personlige opplevelser. Hadde jeg selv kunnet komponere, er jeg veldig overbevist om at Ulrik’s historie hadde fått form av en blues, men med en optimistisk slutt i siste verset!

Til Ulrik Thømt vil jeg si følgende: Stå på!!! Du er en tøffing og fortjener RESPEKT for måten du takler dette på!

Jeg blir alltid opprørt og engasjert i mobbe-saker, enten det gjelder religion, legning, utseende eller hva som ellers er grunnlag for mobbing. Jeg velger å skrive blogginnlegg om dette – og håper dermed å nå ut til mange lesere og skape blæst om denne saken. Ulrik har selv tatt et steg i riktig retning for å få dette på agenda’n – vi andre kan hjelpe til ved å spre denne saken til våre forbindelser, den digitale måten å nå andre på er omfattende, og denne gangen skal nettet brukes til en STØTTE-KAMPANJE og ANTI-MOBBING!!

Ulrik – jeg håper du også leser dette, og kan “kjenne” at jeg herved gir deg et stort klapp på skulderen! Dette er ikke din skyld, og du skal med hodet høyt hevet bare fortsette å sloss mot disse personene!

 

 

Susan Maughan – Bobby’s Girl is all grown up

November 15, 2012

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Eyes fixed at the top of the charts in 1962…

Born Marion Susan Maughan, in Durham County, North East of England, on July 1st 1942, she grew up in Birmingham.  As a child, her family relocated to Birmingham, and after leaving school she became an office typist. She answered an advertisement in Disc Weekly for a featured vocalist with the Ronnie Hancox Dance Band. Susan successfully auditioned and spent three years with Hancox.

In 1961 she was introduced to agent Dick Katz, who was looking for a female vocalist to join the Ray Ellington Quartet. Within a few weeks Susan was enjoying her first engagement with the quartet at the Sporting Club in Monte Carlo. She remained with Ellington for a year. Her 1961 debut release was titled “Mama do the twist”. Her second single, “Baby doll twist”, and on the B-side she did an updated version of the old 1920’s Hit Song “Some of these days”. Her third single was the more melancholy “I’ve got to learn to forget”.

In 1962 she was regarded as a challenge to the young and very talented Helen Shapiro. This followed the release of her wonderful record, “Bobby’s Girl”. The song had already been a hit in the US for Marcie Blane. Susan dropped the spoken, syrupy intro and jumped into the song head on. To this day it is still regarded as a classic, and one of the true “girl group” sounding gems of the 60’s!

Susan’s debut album, named after her big hit

Susan followed with more song in the same vein, but none of the came anywhere near the popularity of “Bobby’s Girl”. And none were very original either, so they sort of got lost in all the other records released by girl singers and girl groups in the early 1960’s.

Having been featured as a band singer previously, Susan of course had plenty of experience with the more classic pop songs, standards and evergreens. So, after just one pop album, she switched lanes – and went in the opposite direction, back to the classic American Songbook!

Her 1963 album found Susan “swinging” twelve classics from the Great American Songbook

Obviously being very comfortable with this kind of material, she takes a completely different vocal approach to this 12 songs. The result is very good versions of i.e. “If I were a bell”, “The gypsy in my soul”, “Gone with the wind” and “A lot of livin’ to do”. The album has been re-released on CD, and is still available from Amazon – but at terribly high prices!

The photo on her 1964 album, reflects the music. Smooth, silky and very beautiful…

On her next album, “Sentimental Susan” (1964), she still stuck to standards and classic pop, but this time going for the more gentle and tender stuff. The whole record is very good, and this is actually one of the best collections of this kind of music ever released! You will love her versions of “I’m in the mood for love”, “I’ve grown accustomed to his face” and “Someone to watch over me”!

Susan was part of the line-up for the 1963 Royal variety show, which also starred the Beatles. Susan sang “It might as well be spring” and “Bobby’s girl”.

Susan in the arms of The Beatles, 1963

She became a popular guest on television shows, including “Ready steady go!”, “Thank your lucky stars” and the “Morecambe and Wise Show”. Susan also had the female lead in the musical film “What a crazy world” alongside Marty Wilde (Kim’s father), Joe Brown and Grazina Frame.

A further musical feature, “Pop gear”, recently released on DVD, starring Billie Davis and Susan, who sings “Make him mine” in the film. The same year (1966) she put out another single, tailor-made for the German market. Singing in German, both sides had Susan singing (once again) about boys!

A 1966 single – still dealing with the eternal theme – BOYS!

Back in the UK, her second single of 1966, “Where the bullets fly”, was the title track of a spoof James Bond film and very much in the dramatic, Shirley Bassey/James Bond mould, but with a little more subdued vocals of course!

A year later, another album,  “Hey look me over” featured Susan offering a jazzy approach to some old songs like “Great day” as well as current pop hits like  “I’m a believer” and “There’s a kind of hush”.

Her 1967 album “Hey, Look Me Over”

After this, Susan worked continuously in clubs, concerts and travelled extensively around the UK and Europe. She was signed to different labels during the early 1970’s and had some singles on the market at infrequent intervals.

Despite the title of this 1971 single, I personally find it very easy to love Susan!

A lot of the girl singers who appeared on the scene in the early 1960’s was all gone (well, most of them!) a decade later. Actually, I think Susan was smart to widen her range of music, and getting a position as more of an all-round kind of entertainer. She has a clear, strong voice that can do a wide range of material, and with her cheerful personality and charm, she has always been a pleasant attraction in any musical setting. I doesn’t hurt either, that she is very beautiful to look at, has a fabulous figure and an infectious laughter….

Another single, from 1973. By then, Susan had certainly found HER way!

She went on to make another album in 1974. Titled “This Is Me”, it is a very nice collection of new material, in the pop/country mould that was very popular in the early 70’s. Extremely rare and never released on CD – the track list is listed below the cover photo:

Her very rare 1974 album – “This Is Me”

Time (Is Such A Funny Thing)
Help Me Make It Through The Night
Bigger Than I
There’s Gotta Be A Way
For the Rest Of My Life
Once More With Feeling
Almost Close To you
This Is Me
We’ll Singing The Sunshine
If We Only Have Love
Where Do You Go
Children Of My Mind

1975 had Susan doing her version of “El Bimbo” on a one-off 45, competing with versions by Finland’s Marion Rung and Italy’s Roseanna Fratello.  The next year, she released another single – this time her version of the Motown classic “It’s the same old song”.

One of very few examples of UK girls doing Motown stuff; 1975 single “It’s the same old song”….

In 1979, Susan released her (so far) last album of new material. Called “Superlady” – it finds the gorgeous Susan doing her own versions of a lot of current pop hits. All the songs are good, but still you can’t keep from comparing them to the original versions. Among the tracks, you find “With you I’m born again”, “Ain’t no mountain high enough”, “Last dance” and “Love is in the air”.

Call the fashion police! Awful cover, but the music on 1979’s “Superlady” is quite good

By the late 1970s and early 1980s, Susan had carved a niche in pantomime work and as a regular fixture on the 1960s nostalgia circuit.

Susan ca. 1980 – still cute as a button!

By the early 1990’s, Susan could look back on 30 years in the spotlight – and a career that while based on ONE hit song alone, has seen her branch out into a lot of other fields of entertainment!

Looking slightly garish in this early 1990’s photo, Susan is obviously joking about push up bras!

Even today, she is still in demand for 1960s tours. Part of her set features a tribute to some of the other girl singers of the 1960s – Helen Shapiro, Dusty Springfield, Petula Clark, Kathy Kirby and Cilla Black – and she sings a song most associated with each particular star.

A blond Susan with male company, taken around 2002/2003

As you’ve probably guessed by now, Susan is one of my favorite girls from the 60’s – and her voice and music never ceases to please my ears….. After 50 years of making music, the eternally beautiful Susan has reached the age of 70, but Bobby’s girl still seems ageless. Much like her music!

A fairly recent photo of Susan. She, like her music. remains untouched by the hands of time….

Coming soon – a closer look at Susan Maughan

October 28, 2012

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I feel it’s about time we put the spotlight back on to this wonderful British Girl Singer – who this year could celebrate no less than two big events; On July 1st she turned (incredibly, I know) 70 years old – and 2012 also marks the 50th anniversary of her big break through record, “Bobby’s Girl”.

Susan Maughan at age 21 – in typical early 60’s fashion.

Although her run of chart hits proved to be rather short, she still had a long career – and was active on stage well into the 2000’s! Never quite getting away from her 60’s “very cute pop girl” image and the girl-group sound of her biggest hit, Susan actually had a lot more going for her, and she released some wonderful albums – all of which are quite hard to find nowadays (and if you do find them, they tend to be quite pricey!)

43 years after she wanted to be Bobby’s girl, Susan at age 63 still looks like Bobby and a lot of other guys would line up be her guy!

So, in a short time – I will give you a closer peek into the wonderful musical world of the wondrous and beautiful Susan Maughan….

Barbara Acklin – A soulful piece of Chicago….

October 11, 2012

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Barbara Acklin entered the world in Chicago, on February 28 1943, and left the world behind in Omaha, Nebraska on November 27 1998. In between those dates, she was for a short time one of the many glowing soul sisters who made a string of very good records, yet she never achieved superstar status, was never nominated for any big awards nor graced the coveted number one spot on the charts…

She did, however, leave behind a recorded legacy which is not only pleasant, but quite interesting as well. Being a colored girl, she was automatically tagged as a “soul” singer when she started out, but although she was soulful, she also seemed to be equally at home singing pop tunes and more middle of the road material, and she had even studied classical music for a time, which might explain how she so easily reached those high notes she sang occasionally. In addition to a great voice, she was also a gifted song writer – and her credits as such is proved by a lot of her songs being recorded by other singers.

Vocally, Acklin was never a gutsy, deep soul wailer – she emits a soft, pleasant – at times almost breathy – kind of voice, but it more than proves that her subtle way is equally effective as those heavy shouting mamas! If any other singers is to be compared with her, she is vocally closest to Jackie Ross and Barbara Lewis, maybe even Mary Wells at times…. She also had the opportunity to see the music business from the inside – she started working as a secretary-receptionist at Brunswick Records in her early twenties! Somebody in that company obviously discovered her, as within a few years she was labeled “First Lady” of that company – and not because of her typing skills!

Before long, Barbara luckily found herself in front of the microphone, rather than behind the receptionists desk – and a couple of her first records (“I’m not mad anymore” and “Nobody cares”) went absolutely nowhere. Then Brunswick thought of pairing her with Gene Chandler – which proved to be a match made in heaven! She made a total of six duets with him, and the first to make any impact was “Show me the way to go”. Following Barbara’s first small hit “Fool, fool, fool (Look in the mirror)”, she & Gene were cast into a great duet about puppy love gone adult very fast, “From the teacher to the preacher” – a truly classic slice of late 60’s soul! She also wrote songs for other singers, and both Jackie Wilson and The Chi-Lites recorded some of her songs.

This 1968 single saw Barbara going from the teacher to the preacher with Gene. Then she went on to solo stardom

With a hit duet to her credit, Barbara started working on her first album for Brunswick. Titled “Love Makes A Woman” and released in 1968, it was a very good album that showed this new talent to her best advantage, and also made her stand apart from all the other soul girls active at the same time. Aided by great songs like “I’ve got you baby”, “Come and see me baby” and two covers of recent hits: “The look of love” and Lulu’s No. 1 hit “To Sir, with love” it was full of gems. The title track soared up the charts, and even today stands out as the most famous of Acklin’s hits – and a real classic. It was re-done some ten years later by Phoebe Snow, another great and much underrated singer – whose version of the song compares favourably to the original.

“Love Makes A Woman” (1968), the debut album that also made Barbara Acklin’s career

She made her sophomore album the next year; called “Seven Days Of Night” it gave her more charted singles, and standout tracks from this album include “Just ain’t no love”, the fabulous “Where would I go” and of course “Am i the same girl” which was covered effectively in the UK by Dusty Springfield, and also saw an instrumental cover, “Soulful Strut” by Young-Holt Unlimited. She also recorded another cover, the recent hit song “This girl’s in love with you”.

Second album, “Seven Days Of Night” came out 1969. The cover shot however, shows just day with no trace of night….

Her first two albums were stylistically in the same vein. For her third album, “Someone Else’s Arms” she turned a little more funky, adding an exciting line of horns and some jarring guitars to back her up, while also doing even more MOR material. On this record she did great versions of the Mondo Cane movie theme “More”, the samba hit “Quiet night of quiet stars” (recorded by everyone from Doris Day to Cleo Laine!), and she was one of many female singers who covered Blood, Sweat & Tears’ “Spinning wheel”. This last song was also recorded in 3 great, but different versions by caucasian Motown soul girl Chris Clark, Peggy Lee and Shirley Bassey! Barbara was one of the first girl singers to record “More today than yesterday”, a song which has also been done by Dee Dee Warwick, Lena Horne and Patti Austin – all of them very good!

The 1970 album “Someone Else’s Arms”

After this, the chemistry between Brunswick and Barbara lost some of its sparks, and her next albums “I Did It” (1971) and “I Call It Trouble” (1972) contained some of the same songs, and didn’t give Barbara any big hits. She recorded one of the many versions of “Stop, look (Listen to your heart)”, but stuff like “I’ll bake me a man” was way beneath her talent, and she was obviously sad about having to record such crap! Her last Brunswick single, “Love, you are mine today” is very good though! Throughout the 70’s and 80’s there were several compilations of her hits from the Brunswick years put on the market. It wasn’t until 2003 that somebody finally came up with the idea of collecting ALL her Brunswick recordings, and so the great 2 CD collection “The Complete Barbara Acklin on Brunswick Records” contains all her 5 albums for that label and some songs that had been released as singles. It’s a great document on a much underrated singer, chronologically guiding you through her career 1968-73. Strongly recommended!

Get this! It contains absolutely everything Miss Acklin recorded as a solo artist from 1968 up to 1973, great collection!

She switched label, and signed up with Capitol – for what turned out to be her last album – the 1975 “A Place In The Sun”. One track, “Raindrops” was put out as a single, and it did fairly well. It was the last time the Acklin name graced the charts. The album shows a more mature Barbara, spreading her voice on some longer tracks and also being a bit playful on “Fire love”, which surely uses the First Choice’ recent hit song “Armed & Extremely Dangerous” as its model. I always found the cover of this album to be awful! Sporting a big afro, Barbara is pictured up close, wearing no make-up and looking rather pallid. I’m sure the idea was to make it “natural”, but she comes off looking rather tired and worn….

Great music, lousy cover! Barbara Acklin’s last album came out on Capitol in 1975…

After this, Barbara Acklin faded from public view, but not from the business entirely. She kept on writing songs for others, and made live appearances here and there. She had a local radio hit in 1990 with “You’re The One”.  She was one of the headliners at the 1994 “Windy City Soul” tribute at the Chicago Blues Festival, and the audience got to see this rather neglected and half-forgotten lady sounding and looking tremendously well!

There was talk about her being in the studio recording a new album in 1998, it would have been the first new Acklin album in 23 years. Sadly, this never happened when Barbara got pneumonia, and died from it in Omaha, Nebraska in November 1998. She was just 55 years old, and it’s a very sad end indeed. If the 1998 sessions produced any result, it is to hope that the studio will release them. Otherwise we will make do with the rest of her musical legacy, which is rich in both great songs, great arrangements – and all of it given vivacity and sparkle by one of the great unsung heroines of soul….

Coming soon – a closer look at Barbara Acklin

September 27, 2012

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Much revered, but too little known – I feel it’s time to place the spotlight on that late, great soul sister – Barbara Acklin! Her career and her albums to be profiled soon!

A portrait of Barbara Acklin, taken in the late 1960’s

Acklin was a song writer and singer, whose golden decade was from around 1965 up to 1975 (the year of her last studio album), but she did make occasional singles up to the early 1990’s. She may be best known for hit duet with Gene Chandler, “From The Teacher to The Preacher” and her own 1968 classic “Love Makes A Woman”, but her albums show a lot of different sides to this wonderful, and now sadly obscure, vocalist. She was a soulful singer, doing a wide range of material from middle of the road pop songs to dance tunes….

The cover of her 1990 single “You’re The One”

Check back in a few days, and there will be more information here about Barbara Acklin, who sadly died in 1998 at the age of just 55…

The Three Degrees – The best female group ever?

September 5, 2012

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In many ways, the music of The Three Degrees plays like the soundtrack of my life! It’s like they’ve always been around, they always had hits, they always made some exciting new records, they always sounded fresh, soulful, dedicated and inventive – and they still do! If someone asked me to name my favourite song by this eternally fascinating group, I would be lost for words as there are too many to choose from. If someone asked to name my favourite girl group of all time, you’d get my answer in a split second!

Now into their sixth decade, the girls show no signs of slowing down, they are still doing their thing and they have managed to keep the three essential ingredients intact; awesome singing, good songs and an exciting stage show! Since they started out in 1964, they have been through some personnell changes, but some of the members have stayed with the group for years. Despite the changing of personnel, the group basically maintained their flawless sound, while still adapting to whatever musical trends were happening at the moment… In my opinion, The Three Degrees are one of the most versatile female groups of all times and I guess that is why I will never get tired of listening to their music.

A photo from 1965, showing Janet Jones, Fayette Pinkney and Helen Scott

Back in 1964, the group was formed by three girls attending Overbrook Highschool: Fayette Pinkney, Linda Turner and Shirley Porter. They sang at dances and social functions during the weekends, and at one of those they were spotted by record producer Richard Barrett. Liking their sound, their stage presence and their good looks and charisma, Barrett soon had them in the studio recording their first single “Gee Baby, I’m sorry” which came out in late 1964. The B-side of the single was “Do what you’re supposed to do”, a title the girls obviously took to heart as they’ve never stopped doing exactly that!

Porter and Turner soon left the group, and were replaced by Janet Jones and Helen Scott – and this incarnation kept the 45’s coming all through 1965/66; notable singles from this period are: “I’m gonna need you”, “Close your eyes”, “Gotta draw the line” and “Drivin’ me mad” – all of them on the Swan label. They also released a single consisting of two covers; The Chantels’ “Maybe” which was re-cast as a latin-tinged uptempo groover, backed with the old standard “Yours” which Helen O’Connell had turned into a chart topper in the 40’s. “Maybe” would be re-recorded by The Three Degrees a couple of years later, but I’ll get to that in due time….. Janet Jones exited the group in 1966, and was replaced by Valerie Holiday. Also in 1966, the most notable change in the group’s line-up took place; the fabulous Sheila Ferguson entered the group and for the next 20 years stayed on with the group as their main vocalist! (Sheila had been signed to Swan as well, releasing some solo singles, the most notable of those is “Signs of love”)

Sheila Ferguson (top) became a member of the group in 1966, and stayed for the next 20 years…

The name of the group always mirrored the fact that they were three singers, all with a different sound, and that they all could do solo work as well. Somehow Sheila seemed to have found her place as the group’s main focus point right away, but it’s not like she does all the lead singing during her tenure with the group. Much of the attention drawn to Sheila is based on two things; she is a totally awesome singer, with a voice that can convey every human emotion under the sun. Nothing cutesy & coy about her, she sings each lyric as if she had lived it herself! And of course, she is one of the most beautiful women in the world. Add them up, and you will have an attention-grabber of epic proportions! Even today, Sheila Ferguson remains a statuesque stunner, with looks and talent undiminished… That said, none of the other ladies come up short in the voice or looks departments either!!

With Sheila firmly placed in the group, they really came into their own, and started a 20 year period that would prove to be the classic years of The Three Degrees. From 1966 and the rest of the 60’s, they made a string of singles for different labels; Still on Swan they released “Tales are true”, “I wanna be your baby” and “Love of my life”. A short stint at ABC in 1967 resulted in a one-off single called “Tear it up”. They also made one 1968 single for Warner Bros, titled “Contact”. During 1969, they put out two singles, with a total of three songs – “Down in the Boondocks”, “Warm weather music” (used on both B-sides) and “Feeling of love”. The obscure, but very good single “What I see/Reflections of yesterday” was released by Neptune Records in early 1970…. All their Swan recordings have been collected on CD and is a good document of the group’ in their early years, where they sound like a lot of other girl groups from the same period. That is to say , they sing very well, but they have no distinctive sound that sets them apart. I also hope there will be a collection of the rest of their 60’s records from the other labels…

A good collection of their early years; “The Complete Swan Recordings” contains their entire output 1964-67

The Roulette Years 1970-73: Moving on to Roulette Records in 1970, the girls really established themselves as one of the worlds leading groups (as opposed to “just another girl group”), and their unique blend of soul, pop and R’n’B really fell into place. Even though they were on that label for just 2 years, it still gave them room to make some of their classic hits that to this day still are revered by soul fans all over the world!

Their first Roulette single was “Maybe”, a song they had recorded on Swan in the 60’s, with a kind of samba rhythm! This time around, the song got a serious working over; placing Valerie Holiday as lead singer, she starts out with a spoken passage that sets the mood and you expect some heart crushing story to follow. Still you might not be prepared for what comes… Valerie tears into the song with one of the most soulful vocals ever recorded, and the tracks stands as the rawest, most unpolished song the group ever did, as Valerie delivers the lyrics in a style closer to Lorraine Ellison than anything The Three Degrees had done up to that point! It turned into a big hit and won the group a lot of new fans. Several other soulful songs from their Roulette Years show all the girls to be in great voice; “Ebb Tide” has all three singing lead, they covered standards like “Mac Arthur Park” and “Stardust”, did a great version of Blue Mink’s hit song “Melting Pot” – and created hits of their own: “I do take you”, “Trade winds”, “You’re the one”, “There’s so much love all around me”, “Sugar on Sunday” and “I turn to you”.

Their 1970 album “Maybe”, released on Roulette in 1970

An album called “Maybe” came out in 1970 – in Europe there was a follow-up album, titled “So Much Love”, but whether this was released outside Europe is not clear to me. Their complete recordings for Roulette have been collected on CD, and “The Roulette Years” is a must-have for any fan of the group; you get a total of 22 tracks from 1970-72 and it’s a very good documentation of their early 1970’s work.

The P.I.R Years 1973-75: When Gamble & Huff set up their label Philadelphia International Records, they wanted the best artists, and being from Philadelphia – the girls were an obvious choice! It also proved to be a very good teaming – as the group reached new heights while on P.I.R – including their first chart topper!

They got off to a flying start with their first P.I.R. single, “Dirty Ol’ Man”. That song is one of the classic hits of the group, and a perfect combination of a great arrangement, sultry, sexy & soulful vocals and a great melody. Their next hit was “Year of decision”, and in 1974 they joined forces with MFSB on the recording of “T.S.O.P (The Sound of Philadelphia)”, with was a number 1 hit on the charts! Well deserved, but it’s still a little strange that a group known for their exquisite vocals gets their first chart topper with a song that hardly contains any singing at all…

Their first P.I.R. album, released in 1973 – a true classic!

Another classic hit song followed shortly, “When will I see you again”. The single reached number 2 on the charts, but made it all the way to number 1 in the UK! Their 1973 album included all of the three hit songs (The M.F.S.B. collaboration had to wait until their next album), while two other albums tracks also found their place among the classic Three Degrees numbers; “Can’t you see what you’re doing to me” and “I like being a woman”. Another track that stands apart is the almost 8 minute “If and when” – an epic ballad with some great sound effects!

Their follow-up album appeared in 1975. Usually called “International” – it has also been released with the titles “With Love” and “Take Good Care Of Yourself” – but with the same cover photo…. As one of those implies, this album contains their next hit “Take good care of yourself” as well as “T.S.O.P.” You also find some other classic songs on it, “Long Lost Lover” and “Get your love back”.  The album also shows the girls as smouldering ballad singers, “Another Heartache” being maybe the best example of their intense slow jamming!

Their 1975 album was released with 3 different titles, but they all contain the same great songs!

The Epic Years 1976-77: The trio switched labels once more, and in 1976 they signed with Epic Records. At this point being more popular abroad than in the US, Epic eagerly catered to the European and Japanese fans by having the girls record songs in French, Spanish and Japanese. An album called “Toast Of Love” came out in Japan only, but the title track was given a more international promotion.

The 1976 album “Toast Of Love” was only released in Japan. It remains a collectors item among fans!

To those who never heard the album, or knew of its existence, the tracks on that album are: Sunrise/A toast of love/I wanna say/From souvenirs to souvenirs/The promise/Do it (Use your mind)/Gee Baby (I’m Sorry)/Stop in Nevada/Truth and two titles sung in Japanese. The remake of their first hit, “Gee Baby” did get an inclusion on their next album in 1977, and the single tracks “Toast of love” and “Do It” was added to the list as bonus tracks when that 1977 album finally got a CD release in 2010! 

The album in question is of course “Standing Up For Love”, and I was happy to see it on CD in 2012, finally! It remains maybe the most obscure of all their albums, but it’s very good and deserves a lot more attention than it got originally! The title track has showed up on some of the numerous “best of” compilations that seem to come out in an endless stream all over the world – usually in its edited single format (timed to 3:50). On the album is a more complete version, which clocks in at 5:26…

1977 found the girls “Standing Up For Love” – an obscure album that finally put out on CD in 2010, with bonus tracks!

Another change took place in the groups line-up this year, when Fayette Pinkney left The Three Degrees, and Helen Scott filled her place by re-entering the group after an absence of 1o years. Fayette made a solo album, called “One Degree” and then started to study. She graduated in psychology in 1984, and found time to practice psychotherapy in addition to doing some solo work as a singer. Fayette later faced some personal tragedies when, in 1994 – her daughter Ayana died two days after birth. Fayette herself was taken ill in 2009, and died of acute respiratory failure in June that year. She was just 61 years old…

With Helen back in the fold, The Three Degrees changed their line-up, their image, their record company and moved into another musical territory they hadn’t previously explored – disco!

The Ariola Years 1978-80: As their popularity in Europe seemed to be ever increasing, they chose to record their next two albums in Europe, and while they were being treated royally by European fans, they even got to mingle with royalty themselves when they performed for Prince Charles of England at a private function held in honor of his 30th birthday! He quickly named them his favourite group – so the Prince and I actually have at least one thing in common!

Teaming up with famed disco producer Giorgio Moroder, the girls took to disco music as if born to the genre! Surrounded by synthesizers, drum machines and all the usual trappings – they still came off soulful, and their solos and harmonies proved very effective combined with Moroders brand of arrangements. But of course, he had already proved that disco can indeed by soulful in his work with Donna Summer.

The album contained 6 songs, three of them turned into big hits: “Giving up, giving in”, “The Runner” and the ballad “Woman in love”. Also included in the album is the great “Looking for love” which sports a fabulous arrangement and an ultra-soulful delivery by Sheila.

Their first album on Ariola, “New Dimensions” was their first step into disco. 34 years later, the album is still a classic! Every home should have one!

When this album was put on to CD in 2010, they included bonus tracks, one of which is the original soundtrack song “The Golden Lady” from the movie of the same name. This is a cheap, European female James Bond spoof, and would never be considered for an Academy Award. The title song is quite good though! Added to it was the 7″ and 12″ mixes of the hit singles and the single B-side “Out of love again”.

3D (1979) found the girls doing more disco, but with a rock edge. It’s one of the best albums of the entire decade, and a Three Degrees landmark!

1979 saw the girls back in the studio with Moroder, and the album “3D” was yet another collection of songs, some of which would make you run for the dance floor, the others would make you want to cuddle on the couch! The beautiful pop-soul confection “My simple heart” is here, so is the hit song “Jump the gun”. On this track Giorrgio Moroder obviously had his fresh triumph, Donna Summer’s “Hot Stuff” in mind, as this too is a disco song with some hard rock guitar work. “Jump the gun” segues directly into “Red light” which is in the same style. Other dance floor fillers are “Set me free” and “Bodycheck”, Added to it are two ballads as well, that show off the softer, more soulful side of the ladies, “Starlight” and “Without you”. When the CD release finally happened in 2010, the bonus tracks were again made up of the different 7″ and 12″ mixes, and another track that had been used as a B-side, “Hot summer night”. Both of their Ariola albums are marvellous, and highly recommended!

The Early 1980’s: After two albums on Ariola, The Three Degrees discography seems to get unhinged for a couple of years…. There was an album called “Album Of Love” that came out in 1983 – I have never seen a copy of it anywhere, and googling for a cover picture of it, the results come up zero! Around 1984, a live album – probably recorded in Europe came out, that is to say – it had a limited release in Europe….

By 1985, things were picking up again: The Three Degrees became the first “big name” artist to work with UK’s team Stock, Aitken and Waterman. With Sheila front & centre, they made two singles “The heaven I need”/”Gimme Gimme Gimme” (1985), followed by “This is the house” in 1986. These songs were recorded before Stock/Aitken/Waterman got into the terrible habit of making absolutely every song sound similar, so if you’re not into their 80’s synthpop/disco, The Three Degrees songs will fit your taste well I think. Both singles were popular in a lot of European countries, but didn’t grace the charts in the US at all.

1986 also was the year when Sheila Ferguson decided to leave the group! After 20 years as their main vocalist and leader, she wanted to concentrate on other things…. Sheila has done extremely well in different areas, and working mainly in Europe she’s done musicals, shows, charity functions and a whole lot of other things. She has her own website www.sheilaferguson.com – check it out and stay updated on what this eternally beautiful woman and fabulous artist is currently up to!

The last 25 years, 1987 – 2012: With Sheila out of the group, there were some short, temporary replacements of various ladies who appeared as a group member for concerts and shows. One of them was Miquel Brown – herself a disco recording star (and mother of another, Sinitta!). Another short time member was borrowed from another great 70’s disco group; current lead singer of The Ritchie Family, Vera Brown. After her, Rhea Harris quickly came in and exited again, before Victoria Wallace entered the line-up. She stayed long enough to record the next album, “… And holding” (1989). A very synth based record, it’s marred by too much drum machines and too little soul. Still, the opening track “Tie U up” is quite good, and the album does contain a great ballad, “Make it easy on yourself”.

Their 1989 album “… And Holding”, with Victoria Wallace (left) pictured with Valerie and Helen

Victoria then left, and so the latest permanent member was recruited; Cynthia Garrison. She’s was in the line-up of the group until 2010, making her one of the longest running member of The Three Degrees! (She was replaced by Freddie Poole, who’s been a recent member of the current, touring version of The Supremes.)

With Cynthia, they made their last official, full length album (so far) in 1993. “Out Of The Past, Into The Future” was a fitting title, as they recorded new versions of 5 former hits from the 70’s, and added 7 brand new songs. “Hurry, Hurry” was put out on a single, but the song that should have been a big hit is “I’m thru with him”, an absolutely gorgeous dance track!

With latest member Cynthia Garrison, The Three Degrees went “Out of the past, into the future” in 1993….

The last 20 years have seen a flood of albums by The Three Degrees, lots of them are budget line “Best Of’s”. The group made a Christmas album in the late 1990’s, called “Christmas With The Three Degrees”, and it’s a joyful holiday record but not really very original….

The Three Degrees wish you a very, merry….

There was a remix album also, called “The Greatest Hit Remixes” which is totally awful! The songs have been butchered, rather than mixed, the album must be a bootleg as I seriously doubt that any group member would have allowed this horrible mess to be put on the market! Avoid it at all costs!

During the last decade, some new records have seen the light of day; In 2008 they went and (once again) re-recorded some of their old hits. The collection is titled “Helen, Valerie, Cynthia – Formerly of The Three Degrees – Greatest Hits”. It is a rather unnecessary collection of music, and just shows how their old hits (from back when Sheila sang them) sound like when someone else is singing them. The results aren’t all that interesting, and the cover shows the ladies looking quite glum…. Helen seems to be plain bored, Valerie looks pleading as if wanting forgiveness for making the record, Cynthia clenches her teeth, hoping it looks like a smile…

A 2008 collection containing old hits done in a new way, by a different line-up…

The next year they made an 8-track album called “Undercover 2009” on which they do cover versions of other artists songs, and then in 2010 the returned to form with a brand new single which is both soulful and made for dancing, called “Holding back”. This is the latest record in the musical history of The Three Degrees…..

2010 single “Holding Back” is a return to former glories, and finds The Three Degrees still to be in great form and holding on after more than 45 years in the business!

After almost 50 years of singing, this eternally great trio has made an incredible string of great records, and any music lover anywhere in the world will surely tap his foot and sing along with some of their greatest hits as soon as it starts playing!

To each and every member of The Three Degrees: I salute you with a toast of love, and thank you from the bottom of my heart for all the great songs you’ve made through the years. Viva las Divas!

Coming soon – A closer look at The Three Degrees!

August 24, 2012

stianeriksen Music, Short facts about artist , , , , , , , , 2 Comments

Starting out in the mid-1960’s and still going strong: The Three Degrees is one of the most enduring girl groups of all time, and even though they have seen a few personnel changes during their almost 50 year tenure in the entertainment field, they have managed to keep their sound, style and electrifying stage shows intact!

The Three Degrees – pictured in the early 1970’s. Beautiful to look at, beautiful listening as well!

From the start, in the 60’s they were more or less a typical girl group, then a switch of labels in 1970 saw them moving into sophisticated soul and R’n’B on the Roulette label. From 1973 they reigned as the Queens of Philadelphia International Records, scoring several of their biggest hits. Another change of labels, to Ariola  in 1978 saw them comfortably fitting into the disco craze – and the girls released some terrific dance music on that label. In 1985 they became the first big “name artists” to work with the Stock-Aitken-Waterman team in the UK.

A lot more about this and an in-depth look at their complete album discography soon to follow!

The 2010 incarnation of the The Three Degrees; Cynthia, Valerie and Helen

Rachel Sweet – Reluctant Rock Star turns 50!

July 28, 2012

stianeriksen Music, Tribute , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , 40 Comments

– If I never sit in another makeup chair, that will be fine with me. I was able to shut off the spotlight without a regret.”

That statement was given by Rachel Sweet to a reporter last year. OK, so at least we know that there IS a reason she’s not singing anymore, at least not on record. Of course it seems weird, wishing her a very happy 50th birthday, because in my mind she still is the sultry, young rock siren with that awesome voice! Rachel Sweet could sound like a young girl one moment, then she would open up and out came the most outstanding cascade of a voice. No one ever sounded even faintly like her, her voice is totally unique in rock history.  And it’s all the more tragic that she gave up her career, because the Sweet voice is a once-in-a-lifetime sensation, and the likes of which we will never hear again. 

Rachel Sweet made her last album 30 years ago, after having already spent close to 15 years in show business! Alas, she started out very young, had a fabulous recording career while in her late teens – and besides making a couple of movie soundtrack appearances, she’s not done any solo records since 1982. Rachel Sweet’s recording career limits itself to the 4 solo albums she made during 1978-1982, and some single releases. I will now give you a closer peek into those four fabulous albums, which are all in my collection and something that I treasure until the end of time!

Rachel always straddled the line between cute & cuddly and young & determined. High heels and a toy dog perfectly captures her image around 1981

Born July 28, 1962 in Akron, Ohio – Rachel was gifted with a strong singing voice from an early age. She won her first talent competition at the age of 3. She did commercials at the age of 6, then went on tour with Mickey Rooney. At age 12 she was the opening act for Bill Cosby in Las Vegas, and at age 13 she made her first singles, “Any port in a storm” (1976), “Paper airplane” (1977) and “The ballad of Mable Ruth Miller and John Wesley Pritchett” (1978). That’s quite a resume for a young girl!

Then, at age 15, she was signed to the Stiff label, and made her first album “Fool Around” (1978). Stiff was a British new wave label, and signed up a lot of exciting new talents at that time. Rachel was one of the more commercially accessible singers on Stiff, and could easily be regarded as “first lady” on the label, as Lene Lovich was maybe too strange and quirky to appeal to everybody, and later Tracy Ullman made a couple of albums for the label, basically consisting of 60’s cover songs.

“Fool Around”, her 1978 debut album

To say that “Fool Around” is a masterpiece is an understatement! Opening the show with her remake of Carla Thomas’ old hit “B.A.B.Y” she grabs your attention right away! To dare take on one of Miss Thomas’ classic hits takes some audacity, but Rachel gets away with it with honors! The combined impact of the cute little girl on the cover, and the full-bodied luscious vocals is really something. By this time of course, Rachel had already been in showbiz for 10 years, and her voice is confident, strong, spot on and she sounds like an experienced woman years older than her actual 15! Stand-out tracks from this album: “Who does Lisa like”, “Pin a medal on Mary”, “Stay Awhile”, “Suspended animation” and “Wildwood Saloon”. The album has been re-released on CD and is available as a digital download from the iTunes store. It’s a classic – and every musical home should have one!

“Protect The Innocent” (1980). I’m not too sure about Rachel’s type of protection, but the album is great!

The follow-up album for Stiff, “Protect The Innocent” came out 1980. Not falling into the sophomore-trap, this album is also very good and is proof positive that Rachel Sweet indeed deserves her place as one of the great rock goddesses of the 21st century. She pulls of a great cover of Elvis’ “Baby, let’s play house”, and other personal favourites of mine are “”Spellbound”, “New rose”, “Tonight” and “Lovers lane”. The cover photo took advantage of her Lolita-image, young & cute but wise beyond her years – maybe she would offer you protection, but even if it might be uncomfortable for you, she would no doubt enjoy it!

After this album, she switched labels, and thus getting into the line of female singers who all made 2 albums each for Stiff Records; Lene Lovich, Tracy Ullman, Kirsty Mac Coll.

“..and Then He Kissed Me” (1981) – one of the best albums ever made!!

Now signed to CBS, 1981 saw the release of her third album, “…and Then He Kissed Me”. A more commercial sound appeared on this record, including her Top 40 duet with Rex Smith “Everlasting Love”. Three songs were her own compositions, “Billy & The Gun”, “Streetheart” and “Party Girl”. She melted two of Phil Spector’s classic girl group hits together in a stunning medley, “Then he kissed me/Be my baby” (done originally by the Crystals and The Ronettes), and this was also made into a music video. This video was my first glimpse of Rachel Sweet, and I will never forget the impact of seeing her on TV doing this medley! Her voice, appearance and the fabulous arrangement of the medley sure made me sit up and take notice! I also rushed out to the record store the next day and bought this album!

A perfect example of the great voice of Rachel Sweet is evident in the opening track, “Shadows of the night”. Starting out slow, just backed by big piano chords, she starts out subdued, singing sweetly with a slight sob in her voice. The the drums, guitars and bass kick in, and she opens up vocally, raising her voice a full octave and smashes into the chorus of the song like a laser beam, ooh wow!! The album also shows that Rachel had learned the fine art of moderation; she’s not full throated at all times, but leaves no doubt that at any time she will raise her voice and flood your ears with big vocals. “Streetheart” is a great example, Rachel does the verses in a low voice, with overlaps – then goes for a full impact in the chorus. “Party Girl” is stylistically a look back at the 60’s girl group sound but with a rock edge to it. It’s the song you thought Phil Spector wrote, but no – it’s her own composition! Duetting with a big voiced guy like Rex Smith might be anyone’s challenge, but Rachel proves herself to be a complete equal in the hit duet, and it’s maybe today her best known recording.

“Blame It On Love” (1982). Sadly, this was Rachel Sweet’s last solo album….

The following year, “Blame It On Love” came out, and it’s the last original album she’s made (so far… – one can always hope!). Stuffed with rock and powerful pop songs, this is another classic! The title track is another one of her own compositions, and a great rock song! She had minor hits with “Voo Doo” and “American Girl”, which are great, and so is “Sticks & Stones”. With little promotion and the singer herself setting her mind on other things, this marked the end of her career….

Personally, I find it very sad that a singer of such talent voluntarily chooses to give up her career. But of course you have to respect their decision. At 20 years of age, she’d been a professional for 15 years, which in itself is historic! Rachel then did some acting; she does a nice role in the movie “Sing”, starring Patti LaBelle as a voice teacher! She also got back into college, and earned her degree in French and English literature in 1986. Two years after that, she contributed two songs to the soundtrack of John Waters cult movie “Cry Baby”, starring Johnny Depp – the last time ever the wonderful voice of Sweet was put on record!

1989 saw her starring in “The Sweet Life” on the Comedy Channel, and in 1992 she did a guest spot on “Seinfeld”, playing the part of George Costanza’s cousin. Then she made a new career for herself, as a writer and producer of comedies. Her credits includes “Dharma & Greg” and “Sports Night” among others. Most recently she’s working on a series called “Hot In Cleveland” starring Valerie Bertinelli.

Rachel Sweet is married to producer/writer Tom Palmer (“Mad Men”) and she has two kids who are now 12 and 9 years old. So, she’s still in show business, but in other fields than singing….

Rachel Sweet (left), the writer/producer at work on the set of “Hot In Cleveland” (2011)

No doubt a woman of many talents, my fondest memories of Rachel Sweet is still her music – and I’m left with four fabulous albums and a craving to have more….

On this day, her 50th birthday – I will play her records and fondly remember once more how that gorgeous voice has been giving me goosebumps for more than 30 years!

I am sure fans of her music all over the globe will join me in congratulating her on this day, and I hope she reads my humble tribute to her fantastic voice and great music. She will forever be unique!

Coming up next – A tribute to Rachel Sweet!

July 25, 2012

stianeriksen General information, Music, Short facts about artist , , , , , Leave a comment

Why a tribute to Rachel Sweet…? Several reasons for that actually; She was one of the top singers in the late 70´s and early 80´s. She started out very young, and also ended her singing career very young. The main reason for doing a tribute is, that besides being one of my favourite singers, she also turns 50 this week.

She made 4 fabulous albums between 1978 and 1982, and even though not yet 20 at the time, she gave up her recording career completely in 1982, making just a few soundtrack contributions in the last 30 years.

If ever a singer truly deserved the label “the little girl with the big voice”, Rachel is your candidate.

So, in a couple of days, I will give you an in-depth look at her career and those four fabulous albums… Check back in here in a short time!

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