The Michigan Daily - Wednesday, September 20, 1989 - Page 9
Singles will keep
disco spinning
l G
r 2
BY NABEEL ZUBERI
AS vinyl disappears from the record
emporia of America to be replaced by
sterile compact discs, it's refreshing
to see that the 12" single still comes
out fighting, packing a wicked
punch, and getting people back on
the dancefloor. It's records like this
that make me profoundly glad that
I'm alive, and prove that DISCO
DIDN'T DIE.
Cream of the recent crop is Liza
Minnelli's "Losing My Mind"
(EMI), an unashamedly disco version
of the Stephen Sondheim song from
the musical Follies. Produced by the
awesome Pet Shop Boys, "Losing
My Mind" is Liza as disco diva
hamming it up to great effect. "I dim
the lights/ I think about you," Liza
quivers, melodrama oozing out of ev-
ery note. I've never heard her sing so
low before; the performance is very
noir. Imagine Gloria Swanson sing-
ing her aching heart out to William
Holden in Sunset Boulevard. Pet
Shop Boys Neil Tennant and Chris
Lowe have given the record a very
high energy feel, and with its camp
quotient it should be big in the gay
clubs. Of course, like her mum, Liza
is also something of a gay icon. The
artful brilliance of Tennant and Lowe
is again demonstrated by the way
they create a beautiful melody line to
float on a heavy House beat. At one
point during the extra lengthy ul-
timix Neil Tennant slips in with his
own rendition of the chorus. It's a de-
licious tease which makes me hope
that the boys will record a version
themselves. Also tantalizing is the
prospect of Liza singing the poignant
(and most pointedly '80s) song
"Rent" on the forthcoming Results
album.
With its finger on the pulse;
Redhead Kingpin & The FJI
Crew's "Do The Right Thing"
(Virgin) has had some of the rough
edges snipped off in its new Jazzy
J/Soul II Soul remix. Not from the
movie, but inspired by it, "Do The
Right Thing" in its new incarnation
is much leaner and funkier. Jazzy4
adds some characteristic piano motifs
to embellish the all-purpose disoo
beat. Redhead's rapping falls somed.
where between Rakim and EPMD 4
clear diction and imaginative rhymes.
and not too laid back.
The art of sampling is still thriv-
ing despite legal wrangling over 'the
copyright issue. A fine example of.a
dance record constructed almost'en-
tirely from samples is Corporation
Of One's "The Real Life" which
bizarrely juxtaposes fragments 'of
Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" (rs
this the real life?) with the Simple
Minds instrumental "Theme Frofi
Great Cities." Funkiest sample this
month is on the frenetic "Just Say
the Word" by British hip hoppers
She Rockers. The hard rapping duo
uses the string orchestra break frow
Chic's "I want your love."
Finally a column of the latest 12"
releases wouldn't be complete with-
out "Pump Up the Jam" (BMG) by
Techtotronic. Featuring the vocals
of Felly, this is the biggest hij
house record in European clubland. IrN
fact, it's the clubs of London anct
Manchester which are the testing
ground for the hottest new Americane
dance music. Unlike mainstreai
America, the word "disco" does no'
have quite the negative connotations;
that it does here. I mean, there'4
more to it than bell bottoms, gold
chains and Tavares.
Are you groovin'?
RECORDS
Continued from Page 7,
phere" to make it a minor hit in top-
40 land. It is a really pointless song
but sounds no worse than most of
the stuff on the airwaves. "Bad
Times" could easily parade as decent
radio music.
If Mammoth becomes popular it
could, with bands like Bad English
(which actually features members of
Journey), take the scene back to the
stone-age awfulness of the early '80s.
Really, the only big thing about
them is their combined physical
weights.
-Annette Petrusso
I---- - I
eeipe
Wednesday
September 20
7:00 PM
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Michigan Union
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