LP 285: Unknown / Funky Junction – Especially For You…Gladys Knight and The Pips (Stereo Gold Award, 1975)

Side 1
01 Letter Full Of Tears
02 You Broke Your Promise
03 Operator
04 Trust In You
05 Talking Trash (Funky Junction)

Side 2
06 Every Beat Of My Heart
07 Room In Your Heart
08 Guess Who
09 Running Around
10 Road’s End (Funky Junction)

This record does not feature Gladys Knight and The Pips. Leo Muller weaves his magic yet again as an unnamed session combo cover eight of Gladys’ numbers with varying degrees of success. Letter Full Of Tears and You Broke Your Promise are downbeat and soulful tunes while Room In Your Heart is a groovy slice of prime rhythm and blues. Grit awards to the spiky handclaps of Running Around.

There are also two tracks from Funky Junction. You’ll remember them being responsible for the Deep Purple tribute album (LP 167 on the original Spiral site). As previously outlined Funky Junction in 1973 = Thin Lizzy but these two tracks are definitely not Philo and mates. The two numbers also appeared on the 1971 Stereo Gold Award LP Tamla Hits by Dianne and The New Worlds (LP 221). Talkin’ Trash is a bluesy and fuzzy instrumental while Road’s End is a drum-heavy masterpiece..

Comments and feedback are welcome.

Preview

LP 267: The Discos – Music from Saturday Night Fever (Stereo Gold Award, 1977)

Side 1
01 Night Fever
02 You Should Be Dancing
03 How Deep Is Your Love
04 Salsation
05 Disco Inferno
06 A Fifth Of Beethoven

Side 2
07 Staying Alive
08 If I Can’t Have You
09 Jive Talking
10 More Than A Woman
11 K Jee
12 Boogie Shoes

Music from Saturday Night Fever.
Played by The Discos.
Touched by the hand of Leo Muller.

Unusually for a Stereo Gold Award LP there are no exploito instrumentals penned by Muller. Instead you get decent versions of a dozen tracks from the million-selling soundtrack. Jive Talking gets a run here too despite not being included in the film – would have preferred a version of Rick Dees’ Disco Duck.

The heat belongs to David Shire and Salsation. Supreme grooviness.
I’m also partial to the concentrated and slimmed-down Disco Inferno and a swirling Fifth Of Beethoven.
The shimmering Philly grooves of M.F.S.B.’s K Jee take the gold medal on Side 2.

Comments and feedback are welcome.

Preview

LP 249: René Armand with Carlini’s World of Strings – Cocktail Piano (Stereo Gold Award, 1970)

Side 1
01 By The Time I Get To Phoenix / MacArthur Park
02 (a) Romeo and Juliet Theme (b) Tchaikovsky’s Romeo and Juliet Theme (c) Theme Moonlove

Side 2
03 (a) Up, Up and Away (b) Guantanamera (c) Where’s The Playground, Susie
04 (a) Theme From Elvira Madigan (b) Starry Night (c) Love Can Make You Happy

How can you resist?

When the lights are dimmed and the mood is one of quiet relaxation there can be no finer company than the smooth and delicate piano style of René Armand, especially when he himself is in the company of the World of Strings.

The album starts with a gentle yet forceful rendition of two Jimmy Webb classics – By The Time I Get To Phoenix and MacArthur Park. The second medley is a deathly serious Romeo and Juliet extravaganza with Tchaikovsky’s Moonlove theme thrown in at the end.

There’s more Webb delights with Up, Up And Away and Where’s The Playground Susie bookending a slinky Guantanamera. Finally Mozart’s Elvira Madigan sees James Last get a mention on the label as arranger while Leo Muller pulls a credit for his ‘work’ on Love Can Make You Happy.

Match this one to your mood.

Comments and feedback are welcome.

Preview