Urban75 Album of the Year 1983

[Fez909]

OK, so it seems like Freeez had a changing line up. Found this on Wiki Indeliblelink

Freeez's last and biggest hit (a top 5 hit in many countries around the world) was the song "IOU", which was written and produced by Arthur Baker with lyric contributions and lead vocals by John Rocca and remixed by Jellybean Benitez and Baker.[2] The song was also used for the 1980s breakdance movie Beat Street. It scored two weeks at number one in the Billboard Dance chart,[1] and was number 2 in the UK Singles Chart during the summer of 1983. It was followed by other releases from the album such as "Pop Goes My Love" / "Scratch Goes My Dub", which scored the U.S. top 5. During 1987, a remix of "I.O.U." scored number 18 on the U.S. dance chart, plus number 23 in the UK Singles Chart.[2]

 

[Indeliblelink]

Interesting, I didn't know Baker was involved at all!

On Discogs, Baker is credited as the producer, but seeing as Freeze is Rocca's band, I guess it makes sense he wasn't explicitly named. But then that makes things like this seem weird:

Freeez + John Rocca - Southern Freeez / Variations On A Theeem

View credits, reviews, tracks and shop for the 2020 Vinyl release of "Southern Freeez / Variations On A Theeem" on Discogs.

www.discogs.com

If Rocca is Freeez, what does it mean to have Freeze featuring one of their own members

To be clear, I meant I think it's Rocca doing vocals on Planet Patrol tracks and not credited.

 

[Serge Forward]

 

[Fez909]

To be clear, I meant I think it's Rocca doing vocals on Planet Patrol tracks and not credited.

Sorry, totally missed that

 

[SpookyFrank]

March 2020. That week when it became apparent that the pandemic was upon us, that a lockdown needed to happen and no-one was certain what lay ahead. Tension. Anxiety. My usual soundtrack wasn't cutting it. I think a lot of people were in a similar position. A lot of folk seemed to dive into soothing ambient sounds to sooth their worried minds, but all that gentle shit just grated on my nerves.

Then out of nowhere the perfect background music to those troubling times came to me: ZZ Top's Eliminator.

I'd never even thought to listen to it since it's release in 1983, but for that week their daft new-wave boogie-synth dance-metal jams were about all my brain could tolerate.

ZZ Top - I salute you

ZZ Top were robbed in the 1973 poll. Absolutely robbed.

 

[zahir]

Bob Marley - Confrontation

 

[Serge Forward]

 

[Fez909]

Rocca also made this slice of weirdness in 1983. Only had a quick flick through but it sounds pretty out there. Need to give this a proper listen

 

[Indeliblelink]

Talking of electro, my favourite album of old school electro.
Jonzun Crew - Lost In Space


Those outfits

 

[zahir]

John Holt - Police in Helicopter

 

[Indeliblelink]

Rocca also made this slice of weirdness in 1983. Only had a quick flick through but it sounds pretty out there. Need to give this a proper listen

Not heard of that, will give it a play tomorrow.
I only found out this week he was behind Midi Rain who had that big "Crack Train" rave track back in the early 90s

 

[Fez909]

This came out in 1983, but wasn't included on an album until 1984. Absolute perfection, though, so I'll post it whenever I can

 

[zahir]

Amália Rodrigues - Lágrima

 

[Fez909]

Is this an album?

Two tracks, 20 minutes runtime.

Anglo-sphere brilliance, though, further ruining Knotted's thesis

William Onyeabor - Good Name

Explore songs, recommendations, and other album details for Good Name by William Onyeabor. Compare different versions and buy them all on Discogs.

www.discogs.com

 

[maomao]

This early Was (not Was) album is a bit of an oddity. I bought it on cassette while on a school trip a year or two later and remember ignoring everyone else all afternoon for a listen. Guest vocals from Ozzy Osborne and Mel Tormé amongst others as well as the usual solid performance from sadly-no-longer-with-us Sweet Pea Atkinson.



The album covers a lot of ground stylistically but the version of Out Come the Freaks is particularly satisfying:

 

[Spandex]

Mad Professor's Dub Me Crazy records are amongst my favourite album runs in any genre. I went through a buy-on-sight phase and I've got most of them. And Dub Me Crazy 3: The African Connection is probably my favourite of the lot. I fucking love this record. I've played it so many times in the last three decades it's one of the core building blocks in my musical tastes.

 

[zahir]

A single not an album but it's from 1983 and deserves a listen.

 

[hitmouse]

Oh, turns out the Dirty Rotten LP was 83 as well:

 

[zahir]

Zeca Afonso - Ao Vivo no Coliseu



An edited video of the concert:

 

[zahir]

Caetano Veloso - Uns

 

[Fez909]

This early Was (not Was) album is a bit of an oddity. I bought it on cassette while on a school trip a year or two later and remember ignoring everyone else all afternoon for a listen. Guest vocals from Ozzy Osborne and Mel Tormé amongst others as well as the usual solid performance from sadly-no-longer-with-us Sweet Pea Atkinson.

View attachment 385860

The album covers a lot of ground stylistically but the version of Out Come the Freaks is particularly satisfying:

I love the randomness of that line up:

Was (Not Was) feat Ozzy Osbourne & Madonna - Shake Your Head (Let's Go To Bed)

Then according to a Discogs comment, this was remixed by Steve Silk Hurley with Kim Bassinger on vocals....wtf

 

[Fez909]

A single not an album but it's from 1983 and deserves a listen.

We need a singles chart/song of the year competition. Boat loads of great music gets missed because it's not on an album.

 

[zahir]

Haris Alexiou - Ta Tsilika

 

[Fez909]

What an absolute fucking banger. This can rock any dancefloor today. I can't imagine the damage it would have done in 1983

Livy Ekemezie - Friday Night

Explore songs, recommendations, and other album details for Friday Night by Livy Ekemezie. Compare different versions and buy them all on Discogs.

www.discogs.com

And the rest of the album has the same energy. Essential!

 

[zahir]

Dionysis Savopoulos - Trapezakia Exo

 

[maomao]

I love the randomness of that line up:

Was (Not Was) feat Ozzy Osbourne & Madonna - Shake Your Head (Let's Go To Bed)

Then according to a Discogs comment, this was remixed by Steve Silk Hurley with Kim Bassinger on vocals....wtf

I believe it was written for Madonna but she suddenly became famous so Ozzy did it. Because he was the obvious replacement. She doesn't sing on the album though.

 

[Indeliblelink]

OK, so it seems like Freeez had a changing line up. Found this on Wiki Indeliblelink

Just came across this article in the Guardian about the making of that album and IOU.

‘It drove New York crazy’ – Arthur Baker and Freeez on making club classic IOU

‘I didn’t want to sing it – and made such a mess of the high notes that the engineer had to remove all my swearing’

www.theguardian.com

...and John Robie was another person on the Was (Not Was) album

 

[maomao]

If we're allowed paedo Bowie are we allowed Michael Jackson? Because it has Billie Jean and Beat It on it.

 

[The39thStep]

I love the randomness of that line up:

Was (Not Was) feat Ozzy Osbourne & Madonna - Shake Your Head (Let's Go To Bed)

Then according to a Discogs comment, this was remixed by Steve Silk Hurley with Kim Bassinger on vocals....wtf

Forgotten all about her , Kim Bassinger , she was spectacular as a Veronica Lake type in LA Confidential

 

[Spandex]

If we're allowed paedo Bowie are we allowed Michael Jackson? Because it has Billie Jean and Beat It on it.

No, because it came out in 1982. It only feels like it was an '83 album as the singles just kept on coming.