3265. ABC: "Say It" 12-inch
3266. Adonis and the Endless Poker: "The Poke" 12-inch
3267. Goldie Alexander: "I Want Your Body (On the Dance Floor)" 12-inch
3268. Alisha: "All Night Passion" 12-inch
3269. Donna Allen: "Joy and Pain" 12-inch
3270. Darcy Alonso: "Love Grows Stronger" 12-inch
3271. Annabella: "War Boys" 12-inch
3272. Anquette: "I Will Always Be There for You" 12-inch
3273. Anthony and the Camp: "What I Like" 12-inch
3274. Mike Anthony: "What's Goin' On" 12-inch
3275. Steve Arrington: "The Jammin' National Anthem" 12-inch
3276. Bar-Kays: "Sexomatic" 12-inch
3277. Black Box: "Ride on Time" 12-inch
3278. Black Box: "Open Your Eyes" 12-inch
3279. Boogie Boys: "A Fly Girl" 12-inch
3280. Boys from Brazil: "Hot Stuff" 12-inch
3281. Dhar Braxton: "Jump Back" 12-inch
3282. Bronski Beat: "Smalltown Boy" 12-inch
3283. Bros: "When Will I Be Famous?" 12-inch
Mixworthy: "Smalltown Boy," Bronski Beat, #3282.
And now, my personal stash of block rockin' beats. I'll list 12-inches 20 or so at
a time, unless I have to extend that to find something mixworthy (it took until the
18th record in this group). I've already had to fix two misfilings, so this could
get messy...Like 97.2% of all white rock and roll fans, the first 12-inch I ever
bought was "The Message," right around the time it came out in 1982. I probably
didn't buy another for three or four years after that, stepped it up a bit through
the late '80s when I was doing the CIUT show, and, after vinyl went under, added a
bunch more bought for a quarter each from the Vinyl Museum in the mid-90s. I wasn't
especially picky at that point; if it was in good shape and looked housey or moody,
or if it was a hip-hop record that I thought might have some lively swear words, or
if it appeared to have begun life as a pricey import (import 12-inches come in a
different style of sleeve), I bought it. At least 90% of what I'm about to list got
filed after a single listen, and I haven't a clue what any of it sounds like now.
I can't even remember how the Boogie Boys' "A Fly Girl" goes, and that's something
I would have played a few times..."Smalltown Boy" and Zen Arcade appeared almost
simultaneously in the summer of '84: checking around, it looks as if "Smalltown Boy"
had already charted in Britain when Zen Arcade was released, although the Bronski
Beat wouldn't make it into Billboard's Top 100 until later that year. I've made it
clear how much I love Hüsker Dü, but you'd get no argument from me that "Smalltown
Boy" (song and video) is the better coming-out and coming-of-age story. Or at least
it's a lot more focussed, getting everything into four minutes that Hüsker Dü takes
four very erratic sides to document. At the time, of course, I was completely obliv-
ious to any connection between the two...Speaking of thoughtful coming-out stories,
I'm sure there's a lifetime of sadness and hurt found in Adonis and the Endless Pok-
er's "The Poke." The hurting part, anyway.
________________________________________________________________________________
3284. Carlton: "Love and Pain" 12-inch
3285. Centric House: "Alright Alright" 12-inch
3286. Sue Chaloner: "Answer My Prayer" 12-inch
3287. Chimes: "1-2-3" 12-inch
3288. Chip E. Inc. featuring K. Joy: "Like This" 12-inch
3289. Club House: "I'm Alone" 12-inch
3290. Clubland featuring Zemya Hamilton: "Hypnotized" 12-inch
3291. Colonel Abrams: "Over and Over" 12-inch
3292. Cook da Books: "You Hurt Me Deep Inside" 12-inch
3293. Culture Beat: "No Deeper Meaning" 12-inch
3294. T.C. Curtis: "You Should Have Known Better" 12-inch
3295. T.C. Curtis: "Let's Make Love" 12-inch
3296. Cut Master D.C.: "The Night Before Christmas" 12-inch
3297. "D" Train: "You're the One for Me" 12-inch
3298. Etienne Daho: "Epaule Tattoo" 12-inch
3299. D'Bora: "Love Desire" 12-inch
3300. Diana: "Flashbacks" 12-inch
3301. Dirty Water featuring Rags 'n' Riches: "Gypsy Woman (La Da Dee)" 12-inch
3302. DNA: "Rebel Woman" 12-inch
3303. Dolby's Cube: "May the Cube Be With You" 12-inch
3304. Double D: "Autobotic Body Rock" 12-inch
3305. Double Dee: "Hey You" 12-inch
3306. DSK: "Work My Body Over" 12-inch
Mixworthy: "No Deeper Meaning," Culture Beat, #3293; "You Should Have Known Better,"
T.C. Curtis, #3294.
Was Centric House a band ("band") or a person? I know Tom House was/is a person--he
was the Atlanta reliever who caught Hank Aaron's 715th home run out in the bullpen,
and, until recently anyway, he bounced around as pitching coach for various teams.
Under the assumption that no one would ever name a child "Centric," I've got them
filed as a band. "Cedric House" would have been a much tougher call...The Cut Mas-
ter D.C. and Diana are DJ promos on the Zakia label out of New York--there are a few
more coming up. I think at the time I thought I was squirreling away obscure old-
school (or almost old-school; they both date to the mid-80s) that would one day be
as sought after as Blues Magoos or Thirteenth Floor Elevators records. That day may
yet still come, but I don't know, 20 years later and I'm still not hearing the Cut
Master name-checked very often...I can't tell if Double D and Double Dee are one and
the same, or if either is the Double Dee who paired with Steinski for the 1985 EP
that got an A+ from Christgau (never heard it). But I'm pretty sure that DNA isn't
the No New York DNA, and also that Carlton isn't Carlton the doorman from Rhoda...
I didn't care much for Culture Beat's "Mr. Vain," but "No Deeper Meaning" is my fa-
vorite record in the Snap/C & C Music Factory/KLF club-you-over-the-head-senseless
style that flourished for a year or two. The T.C. Curtis song is something I've
liked for ages without ever coming across a single piece of information on the who,
what, or where of its backstory. And although I don't remember Clubland's "Hypno-
tized," there's another one of theirs from the same CD, "Come Rain Come Shine,"
that I'd be listing for sure if I had it on vinyl. OK: everybody dance now!
________________________________________________________________________________
3307. Sheila E: "Sister Fate" 12-inch
3308. Edelweiss: "Bring Me Edelweiss!" 12-inch
3309. Electronic: "Getting Away With It" 12-inch
3310. Endgames: "First-Last-for Everything" 12-inch
3311. Exotic Don and Master Vic: "Cutt Loose" 12-inch
3312. Exposé: "Seasons Change" 12-inch
3313. Face to Face: "Tell Me Why" 12-inch
3314. B. Fats: "Woppit" 12-inch
3315. F.I.T.Z. Step One: "Raw Power" 12-inch
3316. Freestyle: "Party Has Begun" 12-inch
3317. Doug E. Fresh and the Get Fresh Crew: "The Show" 12-inch
3318. F.X.: "Faith, Hope & Charity" 12-inch
3319. Taana Gardner: "Heartbeat" 12-inch
3320. Gipsy & Queen: "Gipsy Queen" 12-inch
3321. Ronnie Gee: "Raptivity" 12-inch
3322. Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five: "The Message" 12-inch
3323. Grandmaster Flash: "Behind Closed Doors" 12-inch
3324. Grooveline: "I Don't Need You Anymore" 12-inch
3325. Guy: "Teddy's Jam" 12-inch
Mixworthy: "Getting Away With It," Electronic, #3309; "Heartbeat," Taana Gardner,
#3319.
I had to refresh my memory with "Heartbeat," one of the most famous dance hits (like
Shannon's "Let the Music Play") from the immediate post-backlash period when disco
had been driven underground again. I think it's somewhat overrated for the same rea-
son as the Shannon record, the last-gang-in-town mystique that has attached to it
(Barry Walters once placed it #1 on a greatest-ever list he compiled for the Voice),
but it is good, and after playing both sides ("Party Mix" and "Club Mix," both the
work of Larry Levan), it'll likely be buzzing around in my head for the rest of the
evening...Electronic's "Getting Away With It" is almost as good as the greatest Pet
Shop Boys songs, and I'd take it ahead of anything by New Order, the Smiths (well...
I guess I like "Panic" just as much), or Beck, Bogart & Appice...I'll skip the sym-
bolic Hall of Fame listing for "The Message" (one of the giveaways, for me, of how
much the Blender 500 is a Rolling Stone list in disguise is how high they've got
"The Message"). I'm not saying it's not as important as everyone has been saying it
is right from the moment it first appeared; in view of the utter stranglehold hip-
hop has had on popular culture for the last few years, it's arguably rivalled only
by the records of Elvis and the Beatles for long-term influence. But it's as mummi-
fied as "Satisfaction" or the most overplayed Motown song you can name by this point,
an over-familiarity accentuated by how many times it's been sampled or covered...
Please don't bring me Edelweiss, and don't bring me an Army of Lovers or any Yaki-
Da, either. But I like Right Said Fred, who will be sadly missing from this survey.
________________________________________________________________________________
3326. Paul Hardcastle: "Eat Your Heart Out" 12-inch
3327. Paul Hardcastle: "19" 12-inch
3328. Dan Hartman: "Vertigo" 12-inch
3329. Haysi Fantayzee: "Shiny Shiny" 12-inch
3330. Ofra Haza: "Galbi" 12-inch
3331. Hey! Elastica: "Eat Your Heart Out" 12-inch
3332. Hi Tek 3: "Spin That Wheel" 12-inch
3333. Indeep: "Last Night a D.J. Saved My Life" 12-inch
3334. Indeep: "When Boys Talk" 12-inch
3335. Indeep: "Girl's Got Soul" 12-inch
3336. Invasion featuring Maria Selah/Zeina: "Move Ya Body" 12-inch
3337. T.C. Islam: "Can You Play It" 12-inch
3338. Isley Jasper Isley: "Insatiable Woman" 12-inch
3339. Vanessa J: "Nasty Rhythm" 12-inch
3340. Icey Jaye: "It's Just a Girl Thing" 12-inch
3341. Jo Ann Jones: "I Don't Need Your Love" 12-inch
3342. Wally Jump Junior & the Criminal Element: "Jummp-Back" 12-inch
3343. Junior Gee & the A Team: "The Terminator" 12-inch
3344. Junkyard Band: "The Word" 12-inch
3345. Kev-Ski: "Hanky Panky" 12-inch
3346. King Rad/King Stevo: "Get Smart" 12-inch
3347. Kraze: "Let's Play House" 12-inch
3348. Krush Groove All Stars: "Krush Groovin'" 12-inch
3349. Frankie La Motte: "That's the Way It Goes" 12-inch
3350. Bettye LaVette: "Doin' the Best That I Can" 12-inch
3351. Lee Chubby King: "Yo' Pusface" 12-inch
3352. Loose Ends: "Emergency (Dial 999)" 12-inch
3353. Loose Ends: "Slow Down" 12-inch
3354. Loose Ends: "Stay a Little While, Child" 12-inch
3355. LW5: "Ripe for the Picking" 12-inch
3356. Mac Mac: "So Shy" 12-inch
3357. Magazine 60: "Don Quichotte" 12-inch
3358. Man Friday: "Jump" 12-inch
3359. Man Two Man: "Who Knows What Evil?" 12-inch
3360. Barbara Mason: "Don't I Ever Cross Your Mind Sometime" 12-inch
Mixworthy: "Don't I Ever Cross Your Mind Sometime," Barbara Mason, #3360.
Uma, Ofra; Ofra, Uma...That wasn't too difficult--only took me 35 records to find
something I can live with in the mixworthy list. The original idea for this project
was that I wouldn't spend time doing any relistening, that if something didn't jump
out immediately as mixworthy then it wasn't, but I've got to cut myself some slack
with 12-inches, the Bermuda Triangle of my collection. So I did a quick check of
three things in this group before settling on Barbara Mason. Hi Tek 3's "Spin That
Wheel" is one of only two pop hits I remember liking in 1990 (L.L. Cool J's "Around
the Way Girl" the other), a year where, as I mentioned earlier in the Neil Young en-
try, I just wasn't paying attention to music at all. No go--just one unexceptional
Ninja turtle flat on its shell and gasping for air. I tried "Last Night a D.J. Saved
My Life," another early-80s club hit with a certain amount of cachet, and can't say
that it sounded very life-saving at all. I used to like Loose Ends, but "Slow Down"
makes me wonder why. I won't bother revisiting Lee Chubby King's "Yo' Pusface," an
infantile enough Beastie Boys imitation that I remember it appealing to my inner
Andrew Dice Clay at the time; I think it may have been produced by Chris Sheppard,
when Chris was still out of control and residing in the place to be. Which leaves
the Barbara Mason pick, and all I can think to say about that is that it's nice--
nothing more, nothing less, just nice.