Tuesday, August 5, 2008

Polite Riot

I had a very similar zip up to matey's on the right, but in cream with black and red stripes - made by Lord Anthony, also a blue 'velvet look' one with a red "27" on the front, from M & S...

If disco or dayglo weren't your thing - and a quick scan of the chart rundown for week ending 6th August '77 shows for most record buyers they weren't - a diet of light bites and polite pop was the alternative, so how about a handful of songs from the softer side of '77, including a couple of nuggets from the mighty 'Disco fever' ...

Meri Wilson 'Telephone Man'



Meri updated 'Telephone Man' to 'Internet Man' in 1999.



Mike Nesmith 'Rio'



There's a video for 'Rio' too.


Joy Sarney - 'Naughty Naughty Naughty'

Stick with this this clip as The Jacksons make a TOTP appearance once Joy wraps up - she's a sunny Southender you know, one of my mates was a neighbour of Joy's. (And her intonation on "Oh no you don't" still gives me little ripples.)


If you fancy filling your vintage boots with more sounds of the seventies this is a retro belter

12 comments:

Matthew Rudd said...

Telephone Man is an ace song, dirty as hell and way ahead of its time - some would have been far more offended by this than they would by the Sex Pistols in 1977 but weren't able to say so.

It was also a good "cocked up my backtiming song" for radio presenters, the modern equivalents of which are Roll To Me and Song 2.

Matthew Rudd said...

May I add that the zip-up top on the right is actually an England football team tracksuit, in those dread Admiral days (when we missed out on two World Cups and Revie buggered off to the Middle East) as opposed to any random bit of 1977 clothiery.

Mondo said...

Telephone Man was properly cheeky for the time (I was too young to get most the jokes when I first heard it), Years ago - when I was a civil servant, someone left a message on the office answer machine, singing the complete song.

I'm a big fan of the Admiral Years designs - I've got my original 77/78 Admiral catalogue at home - and a complete 76/77 sticker book too. The Coventry kit (w/side stripes)was a classic.

Here's a couple of scans from it - I'll be loading more in the future.

Jon Peake said...

I got Disco Fever for Christmas 77. I still have it. I don't think there's a duff track on there. My dad always liked the Joy Sarney one, and I was convinced I was the only one who remembered it, so great to see the clip.

Mondo said...

FC - I got it for Christmas too, and Disco Stars with some Xmas money I think - Did you have Action Replay, that was another scorcher - there's more from Disco Fever here and more from 77 here

Suzy Norman said...

Did you have an album called 'don't walk, boogie'? I Loved the album cover.

Mondo said...

Ber-limey, I'd forgotten all about that one - I never had it, but remembered the cover straight away and what a sizzling track list

Sheila B. Devotion - Singin' In The Rain
Clout - Substitute
Belle Epoque - Black Is Black
Marshall Hain - Dancing In The City
Sylvester - You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real)

Jon Peake said...

That tracklisting is very similar to Midnight Hustle, which also contained a bit of Manhattan Transfer and Kilburn and The High Roads, IIRC.

Mondo said...

Midnigh Hustle was the tail end of glorius arc of comp's for me, which started with Ronco's Star Trakin' 76 then Disco Fever, Disco Stars, Action Replay and Midnight Hustle with Suzie Quatro and a Smokie Bloke, Herbie Hancock( and I think it came with a poster).

Kolley Kibber said...

SHE WAS FROM SOUTHEND???? My delight is complete!

Atrocious song, but what a mouth!!

Kolley Kibber said...

PS. I noted the inclusion of 'Amoreuse' on your featured album. I remember gradually figuring out what it was about, as I listened to it repeatedly on Radio Luxembourg, with a mixture of fascination and horror (the line about 'his loving flow' really stuck in my mind; a sort of pubescent trauma).

Now I'm going to have to listen to it again.

Mondo said...

'Amoreuse' - I'd forgotten all about that one, melody FM revived it on perma-play in the early 90s too.