12" Singles - The Early Years |
The Roots Of Disco |
1. The Fatback Band |
Spanish Hustle |
Event/Polydor (Promo Only) |
1975 |
Well, well, well. What's this 12" doing coming out before
1976? Wasn't Double Exposure's "Ten Percent", courtesy of Salsoul Records,
the very first 12" ever released? This 12", along with quite a few others,
slipped out under the guise of promotion only material. As for the
"Spanish Hustle", it sounded solid as a new release and still sounds
seriously addictive today. Van McCoy eat your heart out!
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2. South Shore Commission |
Train Called Freedom |
Scepter Records (Promo Only) |
1975 |
If one's tracking down the roots of disco then you are bound
to bump into the handful of releases that Scepter Records put out ahead of
all of the competition. In 1975 they put out a set of test pressings that
were probably the very first 12" singles ever pressed up. This slice of
classic Philly Soul, albeit recorded by the ever reliable South Shore
Commission, is every train spotter's dream. Not unlike their earlier outing
"Free Man", this sees the band in good form, and quite typical of the many
Tom Moulton mixes from that same era.
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3. Hidden Strength |
I Don't Want To Be A Lone Ranger |
U.A. (Promo) |
1976 |
The same tune that was a fair size hit for Johnny Guitar
Watson about one year earlier. As the early/mid 80's ushered in the
ubiquitous Rare Groove scene this classic from that genre rose to the top
of many a punter's wants list. Taken at dirge like pace, this was ideally
suited to the base beats of the Hip Hop generation. Whether it made it out
as a regular issue - who knows.
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4. Ebb Tide |
It Takes Love To Make Love |
Sound Gems |
1975 |
Having had this as a 7" single for nearly 20 years it was a
must buy when it was spotted at a recent New York record convention. Again
this Philly based release goes to show that the city of Philadelphia was a
pioneer in the early days of the 12" single. Admittedly a bit repetitive,
this very early 12" release is well worth tracking down, as it was
surprisingly recorded in Boston.
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5. Blue Magic |
Magic Of The Blue |
WMOT/Atlantic |
1975 |
Think of the mid 70's one thinks of Blue Magic. Think of the
sound of Norman Harris, and yet again one thinks of Blue Magic. So it is
hardly surprising that this bunch should be putting out some of the first
12" singles. Whether this was a domestic release I can't say I really
know. It's only been in the last couple of years that I've bothered to
hoard most of these early 12" courtesy of Atlantic Records. Slowly but
surely it dawned on me how many releases there were, but with very limited
recognition amongst the collectors. As for the music, let's quote 'It's a
Philly Classic - Cliché no. 106 ...'. Seriously though, this represents
the mid 70's era so faithfully that even Barry rushed out to kit himself
in the latest 70's gear when he recently heard it!
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6. The Willow Band |
Willow Man |
Epic (Promo) |
1976 |
And now for something completely different, and a pretty odd
record to boot. The Willow Band were probably influenced by the band War,
complete with Spanish lyrics, and oh so percussive backing track. But in
truth it's a very likeable track that came from the melting pot of the
early 70's 'Every Loves Their Brother' mindset, and displays some
delicious guitar licks that is so typical of its time. Although Epic
Records never put out too many releases during the early years, this is
none the less further evidence that the major labels jumped onto the 12"
disco bandwagon with a vengeance. This ranks as a seriously hard 12" single
to track down.
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7. The Gentlemen & Their Lady |
Like Her |
Roulette (Promo) |
1976 |
Every now and then the dance music scene goes through an
apparent crisis and splits into a multitude of camps. In 1976 The
Gentlemen & Their Lady was precisely the sort of record that was
central to the two camps of Northern Soul fans. In the blue corner were
the retro crowd, while in the red corner were the modernists who had just
about had enough of the played out beats of the oldies scene. This 120 bmp
stomper just about managed to bridge the divide between then two camps,
and saw the group offer a sound quite far removed from their track 'Party
Bump' for Jean Records released some 2 years earlier. Not one of the
easier items on Roulette to track down, but for the sheer verve offered
within the extended bongo break this is a must buy release. Dance or
Die.
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8. The J's |
When Did You Stop |
Dante Records |
1977 |
Had to slip this one in, yet again another retro Philly
Sound, boring really, but a classic of its type. Compared to what the
future had in store, in the guise of 1,000,000 wanna be DJs cutting their
first House Anthem (sic), this might even be considered original. This
takes me back to the days of the early 80's when living in Seattle meant
'Not How Many Records You Could Afford', but more a case of 'How Many
Records You Could Carry'. At 10 records for 50p you'll soon understand
why. 1000's of 12" singles later this track by The J's still cuts it for
me. For those of you familiar with The Carstairs 'It Really Hurts Me Girl'
on Red Coach Records, one might describe this as a somewhat paired down
production of that classic.
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9. The Whole Darn Family |
Ain't Nothing But Something To Do |
Soul International Records |
1976 |
One could be forgiven for thinking that every 12" from the
mid 70's was an advert for the sounds of Gamble & Huff. If the truth
was told most of the big clubs of the day were heavily into the funk, and
nothing but the funk. The release sees Tyrone Thomas and the Crew giving
it the main string with a groove that was to resurface as a collectors
item some 10 years later. To be honest though, the argument that going
down the disco was "Nothing But Something To Do", brings a quaint smile to
my face. Obviously lyrics today aren't what they used to be.
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10. Gerri Granger |
Can't Take My Eyes Off You |
20th Century (Promo) |
1975 |
One always likes to end on a somewhat interesting note, and
with this in mind I close to the strains of Gerri Granger. In a nutshell
I'm not a 100% convinced about this track courtesy of Bob Crewe, but as
the saying goes, "Never Mind What It Sounds Like, If It's As Rare a
Rocking Horse Doo Doo, It Must Be Worth A Mention". Amongst other labels
Gerri Granger had releases on Bell Records and U.A. (check out her LP on
U.A.), but this track on 20th Century Records completely eluded me for
many a year. Very disco-ish, but what the hell. What puzzles me is why
this has managed to lay buried for so many years without nobody ever
mentioning it. So, maybe this is the rarest 12" of all time, but then have
you seen that release on ...
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