суббота, 26 мая 2007 г.

Gotham Flasher - 1979 - Gotham Flasher




Gotham Flasher - 1979 - Gotham Flasher

Label: Keylock Records
Catalog#: K-2501
Format: 2 x Vinyl, 12"

Codec: Lame 3.92
Quality: CBR, 192kbps, stereo

Country: US
Released:
Genre: Electronic
Style: Disco
Credits: Producer - Gino Soccio , Peter Alves
Notes:
Record 1 is A+D sided
Record 2 is B+C sided
Gatefold cover

Tracklisting:

A I'm Never Gonna Leave You (New York) (7:23)
B I Can't Turn You Loose (8:39)
C Love The Love (8:51)
D Try A Little Tenderness (8:52)

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Studio disco band signed to New York's Keylock label in 1979 for single "I'm never going to leave you (New York)". Produced by Gino Soccio.

Baccara - 2004 - "Soy tu Venus"


Baccara – 2004 - "Soy tu Venus"

Codec: Lame 3.92
Quality: VBR, 256 - 320kbps, stereo

Tracklisting:

1. Spend the night
2. Love tattoo
3. Ocean of love and devotion
4. Celebrate life
5. Soy tu Venus
6. Two steps back
7. When I get lonely
8. Torero
9. Bei mir bist du schön
10. Up 2 U
11. Sleepy time toy
12. Sorry, I'm a lady
13. Yes sir, I can boogie
14. Eyes of a stranger
15. Soy tu Venus (PVC One5 radio edit)

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пятница, 25 мая 2007 г.

Boris Midney - The Boris Midney Anthology


Boris Midney - The Boris Midney Anthology

Label: Empire Musicwerks
Catalog#: 545 450 708-2
Format: 2 x CD
Country: US
Released: 2005
Genre: Funk / Soul
Style: Disco
Notes: 12" Versions

Codec: Lame 3.92
Quality: CBR, 320kbps, stereo

Editorial Reviews http://www.amazon.com/Boris-Midney-Anthology

Undoubtedly the leading figure of the Disco Dance movement, Boris Midney – composer, arranger, producer, sound designer, engineer and accomplished multi-instrumentalist – literally built his life from scratch after defecting from the Soviet Union in his teens. Forever known as the man who took disco to a higher level, to this day – he has never recorded under his own name in a studio which he did not build himself. In New York City he built America’s first 48 track recording studio and called it "Eras" in honor of the new era of dance music just beginning to bubble. Musicians and engineers nick-named it "The Enterprise" because of its futuristic high tech feel. Midney’s first two solo albums recorded under the aliases of USA – European Connection and Beautiful Bend ascended to #1 on the dance charts and left reviewers gasping for descriptions like "avant garde"…"original"…."art". His next two albums recorded under the aliases "Caress" and "Masquerade", were as individualized as the ideas of the man who wrote, arranged, recorded, produced and played all the instruments on them, creating a marriage of music and technology that yielded breathtaking results. "Come Into My Heart" from the USA European Connection rose to #1 on Billboard’s Club Play singles chart. In 1979 Robert Stigwood convinced Boris to disco-fy the music from the new play "Evita" and Boris created a hit disco album of the same name which rose to #1 on Billboard’s Dance chart. His albums are still highly revered by today’s producers for their advances in technology and great dance music production. We proudly present this digital collection of his amazing catalog including rare tracks and previously undiscovered masterpieces.

Tracklisting:

1.01 U.S.A. - European Connection Come Into My Heart / Good Loving (14:28)
1.02 Beautiful Bend That's The Meaning (8:24)
1.03 Caress Catch The Rhythm (6:45)
1.04 Masquerade (4) Don't Leave Me Hanging (4:04)
1.05 U.S.A. - European Connection There's A Way Into My Heart (12:25)
1.06 Festival (2) Don't Cry For Me Argentina (4:55)
1.07 Companion (2) This Is A Test (5:50)
1.08 Double Discovery Can You Find Another One (6:20)
1.09 Boris Midney Star Wars (Main Theme) (6:30)
1.10 Black Russian (2) A Child Is Born (6:41)
2.01 Double Discovery D-D-D-Dance (5:55)
2.02 Masquerade (4) I'm Attached To You (4:42)
2.03 Caress Love Spell (8:21)
2.04 Beautiful Bend Boogie Motion (5:08)
2.05 U.S.A. - European Connection I'd Like To Get Closer (5:42)
2.06 Boris Midney The Imperial March (5:28)
2.07 Companion (2) Step On Out (4:42)
2.08 Festival (2) Rainbow High (6:02)
2.09 U.S.A. - European Connection Love's Coming / Baby Love (12:52)
2.10 Double Discovery Living Up To Love (9:18)
2.11 Masquerade (4) Open The Secret Door (7:17)

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Boris Midney

From http://www.discomuseum.com/BorisMidney.html

Russian born Midney is a man with many hats. A composer, arranger, producer, sound designer, engineer and multi-instrumentalist he is one of disco's most prolific artists. He literally created a whole new life for himself after defecting from the Soviet Union in his teen aged years.

After arriving in America Boris immediately became immersed in the New York music scene. Having a love for all types of music, he quickly formed a jazz group, "The Russian Quartet." The group became locally famous and this led to many opportunities for young Boris.

His first album was a rock-oriented effort released under the moniker "Black Russian." As with nearly all of his releases he would use a fictious group name to head each project. The eight tracks on "Black Russian" tell the story of a love affair. From it's beginnings ("Move Together") through it's heights ("Love's Enough") to it's bitter end ("Emptiness"). Since it's reissue it has seen more sales than when originally released on vinyl.

By 1978 Midney was poised to storm the charts. Taking his cues from Euro-disco he crafted the first of many avant-garde disco classics. Having nearly complete input, with the exception of vocals, guitar and co-engineering and producing duties his vision is clear.

"USA-European Connection" is disco as an art form. The four tracks, each two mixed together form the basis of this release. "Come Into My Heart/Good Loving" and "Love's Coming/Baby Love" are high energy songs wrapped in swirling sound effects and lush arrangements. Drug-induced dancers propelled the album to the top of the charts that summer and it marked a new era in disco music. In 1999 it found it's way onto compact disc and it sounds better than ever.

With his surprise success the pressure was on for an immediate follow-up. Boris gathered his coterie of players and returned to Alpha International Studios in Philadelphia for another quartet of tracks. Also released in 1978, "Beautiful Bend" continues the formula of sparse vocals/lyrics with lengthy musical passages. "That's The Meaning," "Boogie Motion," "Make That Feeling Come Again" and "Ah-Do It" were all club favorites. Making it one of those rare albums that enjoyed complete disco exposure.

The artsy cover gives one a sense of what to expect inside. Midney seems to have taken Alec Costandinos concept of epic dance tracks and moved it to the next level. Whereas Costandinos is more 'uptown' Midney is pure 'downtown.' The only flaw with it's reissue is the color, the original album cover was white.

1979 was disco's most commercial year ever. But unlike most, Midney didn't follow the trend but rather set it. His sequel, "USA-European Connection 2" was similar yet different to it's predecessor. Different musicians and singers grace the tracks. But more importantly the recording venue was different. This was the first set of tracks recorded at his own Eras Recording Studios in New York city.

Once again the album contained only four tracks. "I'd Like To Get Closer," "Do Me Good," "Join The Dance" and "There's A Way Into My Heart" are all equally good. However unlike his previous two releases they were not all club hits.
The album did top the club charts and it's 1999 reissue brings it renewed success.

His second release for 1979 was under the title of "Caress." Once again the formula of studio, musicians and singers is repeated. The move to release this under promoter-turned label head Ray Caviano's RFC label (distributed by Warner Brothers) failed to guarantee it's success.
"Catch The Rhythm," "Charmed," "You Got It Too Uptight" and "Love Spell" are all delicious tracks that have that Midney charm. But sales for the album were his weakest yet. Ironically Caviano didn't distribute the album as freely as one would expect a former promoter to do. This may have hampered it's overall success, or it may have been the fact that in 1979 the market was just flooded with product. It's reissue reminds of it's greatness and how even I missed the boat on it.

Boris was so popular in 1979 that he was placing product with different labels. His next release came out on Prelude Records, in one of their 2-12" D.J/ promo-paks. The trouble was that Masquerade's "Pinocchio" told a non-stop tale in seven acts. Luckily the reissued c.d. allows you to hear the entire story as Midney intended. The standout tracks were: "Don't Leave Me Hanging" and "Open The Secret Door." The album actually ends with the same music that it begins with, to create a musical loop. Even with it's use of his close knit group of musicians and singers the album failed to scale the charts like his previous efforts. But the effort is there and the quality is top notch.

That same year Robert Stigwood (RSO Records) called Boris and asked him to fly to England to see the new play "Evita." He wanted Midney to "disco-fi" the exsisting music and create a disco album, and that's exactly what he did. The "Disco Evita" album shot to #-1 on Billboard's Dance charts under the group name of Festival. The success prompted Stigwood to request a disco album of the "Star Wars" sequel, "The Empire Strikes Back." The album did not score the results of "Evita" but remains enjoyable.

By 1980 disco was in the throes of it's demise, "disco sucks" was everywhere. Midney. perhaps burnt out from his massive output of the previous year, took most of the year off.
His one release that year was "Companion." I remember at the time thinking that the album was a dud. In hindsight it wasn't nearly as bad as I thought. I guess musically the club scene had moved on and it's timing was off. I do remember programming the tracks "This Is A Test" and "Living Up To Love." The fact that it wasn't released domestically didn't help it's popularity either. The reissue on c.d. has brought renewed interest in it. And in the scope of his overall career it is an essential piece.

A step back is often a good thing and Boris took that step for the remainder on1980 and all of 1981. By 1982 he rebounded bigger and better than ever. Thanks to Patrick Cowley and the West coast disco-scene, high energy club music made a mutated comeback as "dance music" in the early 1980's. Boris once again concocted a masterpiece under the guise of Double Discovery. The clubs were filled with the sounds of "Can He Find Another One?" The 12" wisely featured an "East Coast Side" and a "West Coast Side." Label credit is given to Jim Burgess as a co-writer and an entire new crew of musicians were hauled in. Including Katharine Meyer on vocals. The album was rounded out with an odd assortment of leftover tracks from "Companion."

Boris then disappeared for nearly a decade, prompting many to wonder of he had died. But thankfully he resurfaced in 1990 as producer for Morgan Fisher's "Echoes Of Lennon," a collection of pictures and John Lennon songs. Then came another decade of silence until he reissued his entire catalogue on compact disc in 1999 on his own OZ label. Luckily making many treasures available to a whole new generation. Followed by his producing Michael Sassoon's "What Is Your Name" release in 2000.

1999 also marked a milestone as Midney once again enterd the dance arena.

After 17 years he issued the hypnotic "Trancetter" album to rave reviews. "Trancetter" is a set of progressive trance anthems aligned to superstar DJs like Paul Oakenfold and Sasha. The 12 tracks include some interesting fusions of old-school disco and new-style trance. And proves that his talent is still there. We are so glad tha Boris is alive and well and still creativing music. It's hard to imagine what disco would have been like if he had not taken us to the next level. For the many wonderful nights I danced to your music I "Thank You"......please keep the music coming!

Amanda Lear - 2002 - Heart


Amanda Lear - 2002 - Heart


Label: Dance Street Records
Catalog#: DST 71060-2
Format: CD
Country: Germany
Released: 2002
Genre: Electronic
Style: Progressive House, Synth-pop
Credits: Producer - FX Costello (tracks: 1, 3 to 6, 7 to 12)

Codec: Lame 3.92
Quality: CBR, 320kbps, stereo

Tracklisting:

1 Love Boat (3:12)
2 Do U Wanna See It? (3:51) Producer - Laurent Wolf
3 Tendance (4:16)
4 Manuel Do Guerreido Da Luz (3:16)
5 Hier Encore (Yesterday When I Was Young) (3:55)
6 Porque Me Gusta (4:00)
7 I Just Wanna Dance Again (3:19) Producer - Laurent Wolf
8 Vol De Nuit (4:19)
9 L'Invitation Au Voyage (3:59)
10 The Look Of Love (4:02)
11 L'Importante E' Finire (3:19)
12 Lili Marlene (3:19)

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Review by Søren Jensen http://rateyourmusic.com/
Heart

I'll bet that when Amanda Lear broke through as a novelty act in 1976 with her deep smoky voice, few would imagine she'd prove to be more than a flash in the pan, in fact still be a DIVA 25 years later on! After a misguided and disappointing set of re-recordings (Back In Your Arms 1998), Heart finds Amanda in excellent shape with the strength to survive the tragedy of her life: her husband burnt to death in a terrible fire that also destroyed her home completely. Probably one of her most diverse albums, as also Amanda writes in the liner notes, there are funny tongue'n cheek tracks - just as we adore her for - the flagship single & opening track "Love Boat" is a camp remake of the classic 70s TV-theme, "Do U Wanna See It" she dares you in the next track and breathes: "I knew you would!" in the end, and in the same league is the brilliant 2nd single "I Just Wanna Dance Again" with the stunning-looking 56-year-old lady demanding: "For the best ... bring on the boys!" (check out the video!) like only she can do it. Amanda's love for chansons has been evident since her classic rendition of "Lili Marlene" in 1978, here she includes a new recording with previously unreleased lyrics by the original lyricist, as well as excellent renditions of two classy standards "Yesterday When I Was Young" and "The Look Of Love", and the closing track "L'importante è finire" (in Italian) also displays another melancholic side of her. What is sure to become the next single, "Vol De Nuit", combines this melancholy with a superb dance beat and a haunting chorus. An English version "Travel By Night" has been recorded and was released on later pressings! Two of the remaining tracks, "Manuel Do Guerreiro Da Luz" and "L'invitation au voyage", feature Amanda reciting lyrics over a musical background - these tracks, however, fail to excite me as much as the rest. Nevertheless, "Heart" showcases Amanda Lear as a stellar entertainer who's better than ever.

Amanda Lear - 1998 - Follow Me Back In My Arms


Amanda Lear - Amanda '98 - Follow Me Back In My Arms

Label: BMG Ariola München GmbH
Catalog#: 74321 61421 2
Format: CD
Country: Germany
Released: 1998
Genre: Electronic
Style: Disco


Credits:

Chorus - Jane Bogart (tracks: 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 14)

Mara Biella (tracks: 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 14)

Maria Martinengo (tracks: 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 14)

NI4NI (tracks: 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 14)

Sandrina Löscher (tracks: 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 14)

Ulli Essmann (tracks: 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 14)
Guitar - Charles Hörnemann (tracks: 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 14)

Piero Cella (tracks: 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 14)
Producer, Arranged By - Michael Gordon (tracks: 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11)
Recorded By, Mixed By - Michael Gordon (tracks: 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11)

Robert Bohlen (tracks: 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11)
Written-By - Amanda Lear (tracks: 1, 2, 4 to 7, 10 to 14)

Anthony Monn (tracks: 1, 2, 4, 7, 10, 12)
Notes: Tracks 1 to 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 14 are remixed versions;

(C)1998 BMG Ariola München GmbH.
Distributed by the local BMG company
LC Code: LC0116
Bar Code: 7 43216 14212 5

Codec: Lame 3.92
Quality: CBR, 192kbps, stereo

Tracklisting:

1 Follow Me (9T8 Remake) (4:01)
2 Blood & Honey (New Remix Version) (3:59)
3 I'll Miss You (Love Version) (3:34)
Written By - I. Polizzy Written-By - Claudio Natili , Marcello Ramoino
4 Never Trust A Pretty Face (4:45)
5 Angel Love (Radio Mix) (3:47)
Written By - J. Jordan Written-By - Helmuth Schmidt , Michael Gordon
6 Blue Tango (2:43)
Arranged By - Charly Ricanek , Harold Faltermeyer , Mats Björklund , Rainer Pietsch Producer - Anthony Monn Written-By - Leroy Anderson
7 Queen Of Chinatown (Opium Dense Mix) (3:59)
8 Lili Marleen (4:40)
Music By - Hans Leip , Norbert Schultze Written By [English Lyrics] - T. Connor
9 These Boots Are Made For Walking (Bang! Mix) (4:10)
Written-By - Lee Hazlewood
10 Mother, Look What They've Done To Me (4:32)
11 Muscle Man (Heartbeat Version) (3:39)
Written-By - Helmuth Schmidt , Michael Gordon
12 The Lady In Black (3:36)
13 Gold (3:45) Written-By - Charly Ricanek
14 Tomorrow ('98 Radio Version) (4:00)
Producer, Arranged By, Mixed By - Walter Bassani Written-By - Rainer Pietsch

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Review by Søren Jensen http://rateyourmusic.com/
Back in Your Arms

After Amanda's superb Alter Ego album, expectations were high when Amanda teamed up with producer Michael Gordon once again in 1998. The resulting album Back In Your Arms on which they'd re-recorded nine of Amanda's classic hits from the Ariola years, a cover of "Just A Gigolo" plus some new mixes of Alter Ego tracks was a huge disappointment. Most of the tracks sound like lame karaoke versions, and Amanda herself doesn't sound like she's having much fun revisiting her old hits. "Just A Gigolo" - a standard in Amanda's live repertoire - is dreadful and so are her versions of "Mellow Yellow" and "They're Coming To Take Me Away", left off the album. They later saw the light of day on the compilation Made Of Blood And Honey. Only the new versions of "These Boots ..." and "Tomorrow" are worthwhile, otherwise ... as she sang in 1979: "Forget It!"

BMG issued the album under the altered title Amanda '98 (Follow Me Back In My Arms) with only a selection of the new recordings, remixes and her original 70s hits.

четверг, 24 мая 2007 г.

Amanda Lear - 2005 - Paris By Night: Greatest Hits







Amanda Lear - 2005 - Paris By Night: Greatest Hits

Codec: Lame 3.92
Quality: CBR, 320kbps, stereo

CD 1

Tracklisting:

1. - Paris By Night.
2. - Enigma. (Give A Bit Of Mmmh To Me)
3. - Follow Me.
4. - Fabulous Lover Love Me.
5. - Love Boat.
6. - Nymphomania.
7. - Blood And Honey.
8. - Fever.
9. - Wild Thing.
10. - Solomon Gundie.
11. - Fantasy.
12. - Hollywood Is Just A Dream.
13. - Una Rosa Un Tango.
14. - This Man. (Dali's Song)
15. - Fatto L'Amore Con Me.
16. - Cocktail D'Amore.
17. - Egal.
18. - The Sphinx.
19. - Hier Encore.
20. - Paroles Paroles.
21. - Just A Gigolo.

Tracklisting:

CD 2

1. - Martini Disease.
2. - Fashion Pack.
3. - I Just Wanna Dance Again.
4. - Queen Of Chinatown.
5. - Tomorrow.
6. - Diamonds.
7. - Beats Of Love.
8. - Gold.
9. - Everytime You Touch Me.
10. - Love Your Body.
11. - Assasino.
12. - No Regrets.
13. - Ritmo Salsa.
14. - Ragazzino.
15. - Incredibilmente Donna.
16. - The Look Of Love.
17. - I'll Miss You.
18. - Lili Marlene.
19. - Follow Me Reprise.

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Amanda Lear - 2005 -Sings Evergreens


Amanda Lear - 2005 -Sings Evergreens

Audio CD (December 29, 2005)
Original Release Date: December 13, 2005
Number of Discs: 1
Format: Import
Label: Dance Street
ASIN: B000BYND1S

Codec: Lame 3.92
Quality: CBR, 192kbps, stereo

Track Listings

1. Copacabana (At the Copa)
2. Fever
3. Hier Encore (Yesterday When I Was Young)
4. Look of Love
5. Love Boat
6. Blue Tango
7. I'll Miss You - Amanda Lear, Manuel Sanchez
8. C'est Li Bon
9. Just a Gigolo
10. These Boots Are Made for Walking
11. Lili Marlene
12. Dreamer (South Pacific)

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Amanda Lear - 2002 - I'm a Mystery: The Whole Story


Amanda Lear - 2002 - I'm a Mystery: The Whole Story

Audio CD (June 13, 2002)
Number of Discs: 2
Format: Import
Label: Wea International
ASIN: B000069HHT

Codec: Lame 3.92
Quality: CBR, 320kbps, stereo

Track Listings

1. Im A Mistery
2. Aphrodisiac
3. This Man (Dalis Song Remix)
4. Desire
5. Enigma (Give It A Bit Of Mmh To Me)
6. Queen Of Chinatown
7. Wild Thing
8. Dance Around The Room
9. Times Up
10. These Boots Are Made For Walking
11. Mellow Yellow
12. Peep
13. Rien Ne Va Plus
14. Tomorrow
15. Muscle Man (Man Piano Version)
16. Follow Me
17. Tomorrow
18. The Sphinx
19. Fabulous Lover Love Me
20. Fashion Pack (Studio 54)
21. Blood And Honey
22. Ill Miss You (Short Dance Version)
23. Go Go Boy (When I Say Go)
24. On The Air Tonight
25. Just A Gigolo
26. Love Me Love Me Blue
27. Angel Love
28. She Wolf
29. I Want My Name On A Billboard
30. Mannequin
31. Everytime You Touch Me
32. Queen Of Chinatown (Summer Queen Mix)

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среда, 23 мая 2007 г.

Amanda Lear - 1995 - Alter Ego


Amanda Lear - 1995 - Alter Ego

Audio CD (June 5, 2002)
Original Release Date: November 21, 1995
Number of Discs: 1
Format: Import
Label: Golden Dance Class.
ASIN: B00005K8KV

Codec: Lame 3.92
Quality: CBR, 320kbps, stereo

Track Listings

1. Alter Ego
2. Angel Love
3. Love Me, Love Me Blue
4. Muscle Man
5. This Man (Dali's Song)
6. Peep!
7. Everytime You Touch Me
8. On the Air Tonight
9. Rien Ne Va Plus
10. Go Go Boy (When I Say Go)
11. Dance Around the Room
12. I'll Miss You
13. Alter Ego (Pt. 2)

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Review by Søren Jensen http://rateyourmusic.com/
Alter Ego

Overnight sensations have come and gone, but Amanda Lear has had an amazing and well-deserved staying power that she only boosted with the incredible underground dance album "Cadavrexquis" featuring the fabulous hit single "Fantasy" in 1993. She followed it up with "Alter Ego" which was a lighter, more straight-forward europop album ... and it's great fun from beginning to end! The opening single "Every Time You Touch Me", despite being a sultry dance track, didn't catch as much attention as the hi-NRG dance tracks "Angel Love" and "Peep!" that followed as singles. Amanda's lyrics are just as great as on her classic 70s disco albums, her praise of "Muscle Man" and "Go Go Boy" (When I say go, you must take it off!) are obviously aimed for her huge gay fans - they're pure fun! Other great moments are her song for Salvador Dalí who was her muse since 1965 - Amanda is an acclaimed painter (Unfortunately her original self-portrait wasn't used for this re-issue!), the tear-jerkin' "I Miss You", and "Rien Ne Va Plus" which is another of those great dance tracks. A hat-full of stars to Amanda for perhaps her very most entertaining album of them all ...

Amanda Lear – 1994 - Indovina Chi Sono







Amanda Lear – 1994 - Indovina Chi Sono

Compilation including

1989: Uomini Piú Uomini (Italy) (LP - unreleased on CD)
1990: Tant Qu'il Y Aura Des Hommes (France) (LP - unreleased on CD)

Codec: Lame 3.92
Quality: CBR, 320kbps, stereo

Tracklisting:

1 Echec Et Mat 3:26
2 Ma Chere Claire 3:40
3 L'ecole D'amour 4:33
4 Indovina Chi Sono 3:24
5 La Partita Di Pallone 3:25
6 Una Notte Insieme A Te 3:56
7 Telegramme 3:16
8 Demain 3:41
9 Una Rosa Un Tango 4:11
10 Ragazzino 4:23
11 Due 3:29
12 Illibata 3:27
13 Ripassi Domani 4:14
14 Lili Marlen 4:41

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Review by Søren Jensen http://rateyourmusic.com/
Uomini più uomini (1989) & Tant qu'il y aura des hommes (1990)

Amanda Lear's eighth studio album Uomini più uomini (Men, more men) was only released in Italy where her popularity remained high because of several TV-appearances over the years. The album, however, was a flop. While Amanda's previous recordings usually contained elements of schlager, it usually worked best set to a dance beat, and there was no dance material on this record, and even Amanda herself sounds uninspired as she delivers the lyrics in her usual Marlene Dietrich-style. The album would re-appear under the name Tant qu'il y aura des hommes in France the following year with half of the songs re-recorded in French and including a new song "Métamorphose" to breathe some life into the album.




Meanwhile, Uomini più uomini together with her ill-advised Back In Your Arms re-recordings album (1998) remain the weakest albums in Amanda's impressing catalogue.

A French pressing of Amanda's 1989 Italian-only album Uomini più uomini was entitled Tant qu'il y aura des hommes (As Long As There Are Men) and basically contained the same song selection, although some of them had been re-recorded with French lyrics. Since the original album was very weak, Amanda went into the studio to cut a new song, "Métamorphose" which is a great dance track which was also issued on single. It lifts the LP above its Italian counterpart but overall, it's still a lackluster effort and not the best in Amanda's catalogue.

1989: Uomini Piú Uomini (Italy) (LP - unreleased on CD)

A1 Mia cara Clara 3:38
A2 Telegramma 4:04
A3 Ragazzino 4:18
A4 Ripassi domani 4:15
A5 Scuola d'amore 4:30
B1 Una notte insième a te 3:47
B2 Indovina chi sono 3:20
B3 Una rosa, un tango 4:00
B4 Illibata 3:24
B5 Due 3:25
B6 La partita di Pallone 3:24

1990: Tant Qu'il Y Aura Des Hommes (France) (LP - unreleased on CD)

A1 Ma chère Claire 3:38
A2 Métamorphose 3:55
A3 Demain 4:15
A4 L'école d'amour 4:30
A5 Echec et mat 3:24
B1 Una notte insième a te 3:47
B2 Indovina chi sono 3:20
B3 Ragazzino 4:18
B4 Una rosa, un tango 4:00
B5 Due 3:25

Amanda Lear - 1993 - Cadavrexquis




Amanda Lear - 1993 - Cadavrexquis

Codec: Lame 3.92
Quality: CBR, 320kbps, stereo

1 Fantasy [single version] 3:55
2 Sacrilège 3:27
3 Speak of the Devil 3:15
4 Fashion Pack 4:52
5 Time to Change 3:40
6 What a Boy 3:23
7 Follow Me 3:50
8 Loving 3:42
9 Lili Marlene 4:28
10 Fantasy [long version] 6:18

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Review by Søren Jensen http://rateyourmusic.com/
Cadavrexquis

After the disappointing French / Italian recordings in 1989-90, Amanda returned in full form in 1993 with this excellent set of songs. With the bizarre title Cadavrexquis, Amanda's ninth studio album was daaark and delicious, set to a modern club sound provided by a.o. Bass Bumpers. "Fantasy" was the single release and was simply classic Amanda ("Sometimes I close my eyes and see your face, I wish it was reality but it's ... faaantasy"). "Speak Of The Devil", "Sacrilège" and "What A Boy" continued the dark mood while "Loving" cried out to be a 12" release which sadly never was. Unfortunately two fantastic tracks - the Latin "Voluptas" and the melancholic "Glad To Be Alive" (in memory of the celebrities Amanda herself knew) - were left off the release in favour of new recordings of "Fashion Pack" (with updated lyrics), "Follow Me" and "Lili Marleen". The album is nevertheless highly recommended for any fan of the fa-fa-fabulous Amanda!

Amanda Lear - 1989 - Super 20


Amanda Lear - 1989 - Super 20

Label: Ariola (Germany)
Catalog#: 260 157
Format: CD
Country: Germany
Released: 1989
Genre: Electronic
Style: Disco
Credits: Arranged By - Charly Ricanek (tracks: 1 to 5, 7, 14 to 19) , Harold Faltermeyer (tracks: 5, 7, 14 to 18) , Mats Björklund (tracks: 5, 7, 14 to 18) , Rainer Pietsch (tracks: 5, 7, 14 to 19)
Producer - Anthony Monn

Notes:

Tracks written by A.Monn / A.Lear, except:
2. by C.Ricanek / A.Lear;
9,17. by R.Pietsch / A.Lear;
12. by J.Davenport / E.Cooley;
13. by J.S.Bach / C.Ricanek / A.Monn / A.Lear;
16. by Leroy / Anderson / A.Lear;
19. by A.Monn / D.Kawohl / A.Lear;
20. by P.Nacabal / M.Gouty;

Codec: Lame 3.92
Quality: CBR, 320kbps, stereo

Tracklisting:

1 Follow Me (3:50)
2 Gold (3:45)
3 Mother, Look What They've Done To Me (4:32)
4 Run Baby Run (3:45)
5 Queen Of Chinatown (4:09)
6 Sphinx (4:20)
7 Blood And Honey (4:46)
8 Fashion Pack (Studio 54) (3:52)
9 Fabulous Lover, Love Me (4:17)
10 Diamonds (3:40)
11 Egal (4:08) Arranged By - Geoff Bastow
12 Fever (3:36) Arranged By - Herman Weindorf*
13 Never Trust A Pretty Face (4:45)
14 Alphabet (3:56)
15 I Am A Photograph (4:21)
16 Blue Tango (2:43)
17 Tomorrow (4:07)
18 Lady In Black (3:36)
19 I Need A Man (3:40) Engineer - Frank von dem Bottlenberg
20 Nymphomania (3:27) Arranged By - Geoff Bastow

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Amanda Lear – 1986 - Secret Passion


Amanda Lear – 1986 - Secret Passion

Codec: Lame 3.92
Quality: CBR, 320kbps, stereo

Tracklisting:

Desire (4:18)
Wild Thing (3:36)
I Want My Name on a Billboard (4:25)
She Wolf (4:17)
Mannequin (3:32)
I'm a Mistery (4:35)
Aphrodisiac (3:44)
Times Up (4:55)

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Review by Søren Jensen http://rateyourmusic.com
Secret Passion

After Amanda's ill-fated final Ariola album Tam Tam (released late 1983), Amanda recorded several singles for various labels in 1984-85, "Assassino", "Ritmo Salsa", "No Credit Card", "Women" and a 4-trk. EP covering standards such as "As Time Goes By", "Bye Bye Baby", "Bel Ami" and "Magic Moments" before signing with Carrere for a new album, recorded in LA and Rome, produced by Christian de Walden. Typical 80s synth-pop, it is a fairly good album, although Amanda's lyrics aren't up to par with those from her Ariola albums. There were several singles lifted off the album - "Les femmes" (a French version of "She Wolf", "Wild Thing" / "I'm A Mystery", and "Time's Up" / "Aphrodisiac" (the latter also recorded in French). de Walden also produced a new version of "Follow Me", issued on single, but not included in the album. Unfortunately Secret Passion flopped as Amanda got involved in a car accident and was unable to promote it properly.

Although the album as such hasn't had a proper CD release, all eight songs are available on the compilation I'm A Mystery - The Whole Story

Amanda Lear - 1983 - Tam Tam


Amanda Lear - 1983 - Tam Tam

Label: Ariola (Italy)
Catalog#: ARL 39175
Format: Vinyl, LP
Country: Italy
Released: 1983
Genre: Electronic
Style: Italo-Disco, Synth-pop, Disco
Credits: Co-producer, Drum Programming - Tony Carrasco
Engineer - Paolo Deligio
Guitar [Electric] - Claudio Cattafesta
Keyboards, Arranged By [Co-arranged] - Stefano Previsti
Producer, Arranged By - Roberto Cacciapaglia
Notes: Recorded and Mixed at the Regson Studios, Milano.

Codec: Lame 3.92
Quality: CBR, 320kbps, stereo

Tracklisting:

A1 Tam Tam (3:33)
A2 Bewitched (4:30)
A3 Wicked Lady (4:26)
A4 No Regrets (4:26)
B1 Magic (4:14)
B2 It's All Over (3:35)
B3 Gipsy Man (4:30)
B4 Music Is (3:33)

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Review by Søren Jensen http://rateyourmusic.com
Tam-Tam

By 1983, Amanda's relationship to Ariola was no longer very good, and unfortunately that meant that Ariola made no effort whatsoever to promote the final album Amanda delivered to fulfill her contract. And what a shame that is - following the Hi-NRG sound she'd adopted on the non-album-single "Love Your Body" / "Darkness And Light", Tam Tam - produced by Roberto Cacciapaglia - is in fact a very enjoyable Italo-Disco album with very catchy songs. While Ariola (Germany) didn't even bother to release a single, Ariola (Italy) released the tracks "No Regrets" and "Bewitched" to support the album. In fact, nearly all the tracks - dealing with witch magic (Amanda looks fabulous like a tribal witch queen) - could have been singles. The album is absolutely recommended!

Amanda Lear – 1981 - Incognito


Amanda Lear – 1981 - Incognito

Label: Ariola (Germany)
Catalog#: 203 450-320
Format: Vinyl, LP
Country: Germany
Released: 1981
Genre: Electronic
Style: Synth-pop, Disco
Credits: Arranged By - Charly Ricanek
Backing Vocals - Angelika Tiefenböck , Claudia Schwarz , Edith Prock , Herbert Ihle , Renate Maurer , Wolly Emperhoff
Bass - Günther Gebauer
Drums - Todd Canedy
Engineer [Sound] - Frank von dem Bottlenberg
Guitar - Mats Björklund
Producer, Synthesizer [Moog] - Anthony Monn
Synthesizer [Moog], Keyboards, Arranged By - Geoff Bastow
Notes: Recorded and mixed at Arco-Studios, Munich, November 1980 - February 1981.

Codec: Lame 3.92
Quality: CBR, 320kbps, stereo

"Walking incognito behind my dark glasses in a future world not so far away I see the deadly sins. Fighting to survive (it is the law of the jungle) we meet with envy, violence, greed, fear, indifference and even bureaucracy and nostalgia, this favorite sin of mine which helps to accept the future ..." - Amanda Lear, 1981.

Tracklisting:

A1 Laziness: Hollywood Is Just A Dream When You're Seventeen (4:50)
A2 Indifference: Love Amnesia (3:45)
A3 Bureaucracy: Red Tape (3:28)
A4 Fear: New York (4:28)
B1 Pride: Egal (4:08)
B2 Nostalgia: Berlin Lady (3:22)
B3 Greed: Nymphomania (3:27)
B4 Envy: If I Was A Boy (4:10)
B5 Anger: Made In France (2:10)

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Review by Søren Jensen http://rateyourmusic.com/
Incognito

After the disappointing Diamonds For Breakfast album, Amanda teamed with producer Trevor Horn in 1980 and recorded several songs including the song "Where Are You Now" which she performed on TV. Ariola, however, didn't like the songs and declined to release them and forced Amanda to record with Anthony Monn again. Incognito became Amanda's fifth album and was a stronger effort than Diamonds For Breakfast. Amanda wrote: "Walking incognito behind my dark glasses in a future world not so far away, I see the deadly sins. Fighting to survive (it is the law of the jungle), we meet with Envy, Violence, Greed, Fear, Indifference and even Bureaucracy and Nostalgia. This favourite sin of mine which helps to accept the future ..." and added the quote of Robert Sheckley: "Hell is who (where) you really are".


The songs had a darker edge than previously but all of them are strong and have good lyrics. "Égal" (Pride) was the German single, in Scandinavia "Nymphomania" (Greed) was chosen. In France, a French version of "New York" (Fear) was also released, while Spain had Spanish versions "Igual" (Égal) and a Spanglish version of "Ninfomanía" (Nymphomania). The Argentinian LP even featured the Nostalgia track "Berlin Lady" in Spanish: "Dama de Berlín". Also check out the opening track "Hollywood Is Just A Dream When You're Seventeen" (Laziness) which deserved a single release.

After this album, Amanda recorded a single-only release of "Fever" in 1982 (also produced by Anthony Monn), the single "Incredibilmente Donna" (Incredibly Woman) / "Buon Viaggio" (Bon Voyage) which was a huge hit in Italy, and a Hi-NRG/Aerobic single "Love Your Body" / "Darkness And Light" before recording her final Ariola album in 1983 Tam Tam.

вторник, 22 мая 2007 г.

Amanda Lear - 1980 - Diamonds For Breakfast




Amanda Lear - 1980 - Diamonds For Breakfast

Label: Ariola (Germany)
Catalog#: 201 265
Format: Vinyl, LP
Country: Germany
Released: 1979
Genre: Electronic
Style: Disco
Credits: Artwork By - Pierre & Gilles
Producer - Anthony Monn
Notes: This is the very first album artwork designed by Pierre & Gilles.

Codec: Lame 3.92
Quality: CBR, 320kbps, stereo

Tracklisting:

A1 Rockin' Rollin' (I Hear You Nagging) (3:05)
A2 I Need A Man (3:40)
A3 It's A Better Life (4:30)
A4 Oh Boy (4:30)
A5 Insomnia (3:15)
B1 Diamonds (4:55)
B2 Japan (3:15)
B3 Fabulous (5:25)
B4 Ho Fatto L'amore Con Me (3:15)
B5 When (3:25)

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Review by Søren Jensen http://rateyourmusic.com/
Diamonds for Breakfast

After three great disco albums, Amanda's fourth album, released early 1980, was a bit disappointing. Amanda wasn't too keen on disco anyway, and with the general changes in the music scene, she and producer Anthony Monn opted for a sparsely arranged mixture of rock and new-wave. The first single "Fabulous (Lover, Love Me)", released late 1979, told the tale of someone whom "surgeons built so well" that "nobody could tell that [she] once was somebody else", and the lyrics in the bridge: "Lover! Hug me / Lover! Fu-fu-fu-fabulous" are classic Amanda. The second single "Diamonds" was an okay single but not one of her greatest efforts. Other tracks from the album include the quirky opening track "Rockin' Rollin' (I Hear You Nagging)" which is fun, "I Need A Man" sounded a bit routine. "It's A Better Life" a rock track about a loser, spending the whole day in her flat watching TV. "Oh Boy", the ballad "Insomnia" (also recorded in Italian) and "When" (recorded in Italian as "Ciao") are quite forgettable, and also the track "Ho fatto l'amore con me" (meaning "I've Made Love To Myself"), released as a single in Italy, fails to rise above mediocrity. A song very similar to the latter was "Le chat de Gouttière" which was left off the album. Later in 1980, Amanda recorded "Solomon Gundie" as a single only before commencing work on her fifth album.

"Diamonds For Breakfast" has never been officially released on CD, but there's an excellent Russian release with "Never Trust A Pretty Face" to seek out.

Amanda Lear – 1978 - Never Trust A Pretty Face




Amanda Lear – 1978 - Never Trust A Pretty Face

Label: Ariola (Germany)
Catalog#: 200 017
Format: Vinyl, LP
Country: Germany
Released: 1978
Genre: Funk / Soul
Style: Disco
Credits: Arranged By - Charly Ricanek (tracks: A1 to A3, B2 to B4) , Rainer Pietsch (tracks: B5) , Ralf Nowy (tracks: A4, B1)
Backing Vocals - Claudia Schwarz , Eric Thöner , Judy Cheeks , Rainer Pietsch , Renate Maurer , Wolly Emperhoff
Bass - Dave King , Günther Gebauer , Les Hurdle
Brass - Benny Gebauer , Etienne Cap , Georges Delagaye , Giuseppe Solera , Walter Rab
Drums - Curt Cress , Keith Forsey
Engineer - Peter Lüdemann
Guitar - Billy Lang , Geoff Bastow
Keyboards, Synthesizer [Moog] - Charly Ricanek
Producer, Synthesizer [Moog] - Anthony Monn
Synthesizer [Moog] - Kristian Schultze

Codec: Lame 3.92
Quality: CBR, 320kbps, stereo

Tracklisting:

A1 Fashion Pack (5:05)
A2 Forget It (4:10)
A3 Lili Marleen (4:40)
A4 Never Trust A Pretty Face (4:45)
B1 The Sphinx (4:20)
B2 Black Holes (5:00)
B3 Intellectually (4:15)
B4 Miroir (2:00)
B5 Dreamer (South Pacific) (5:10)

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Review by Søren Jensen http://rateyourmusic.com/
Never Trust a Pretty Face

Although Sweet Revenge (1978) was Amanda's biggest selling album, I personally think her third album Never Trust A Pretty Face was way better and rivalling her first album as her very best. The single "Fashion Pack (Studio 54)" is a fabulous disco track, as usual accompanied by clever lyrics. "Forget It" is an amusing song about dumping a dull boy friend who a.o. "doesn't like art and doesn't like gays". And it's all camp on her wonderful disco interpretation of "Lili Marleen". The title track is hilarious German schlager, complete with a deep male choir. "The Sphinx" was the first single, released some months before the album, and has very beautiful lyrics. "Black Holes" takes you into outer space, "Intellectually" is a great disco track with Amanda's usual tongue-n-cheek lyrics. "Miroir" in French deals with narcissism (a favourite subject for Amanda) - an English version can be found only on the UK picture disc release. The romantic "Dreamer (South Pacific)" closes one of Amanda's very best albums.

The album has not been officially released on CD, look out for the Russian "Never Trust A Pretty Face" / "Diamonds For Breakfast" CD which apart from an outstanding sound reproduction offers the full original artwork.

Amanda Lear – 1978 - Sweet Revenge







Amanda Lear – 1978 - Sweet Revenge

Label: Ariola (Germany)
Catalog#: 25 900 OT
Format: Vinyl, LP, Mixed
Country: Germany
Released: 1978
Genre: Electronic
Style: Disco
Credits: Arranged By - Charly Ricanek (tracks: A1 to A5, B1, B4)
Backing Vocals - Claudia Schwarz , Edith Prock , Herbert Ihle , Renate Maurer , Wolly Emperhoff
Backing Vocals, Syntheziser [Moog] - Rainer Pietsch
Bass - Dave King , Gary Unwin
Drums - Martin Harrison (2)
Guitar - Mats Björklund
Keyboards, Syntheziser [Moog] - Charly Ricanek
Producer - Anthony Monn
Syntheziser [Moog] - Kristian Schultze
Syntheziser [Moog], Programmed By [Moog Programming] - Anthony Monn
Notes: Recorded and mixed at Arco Studios, Munich, Trixi Studios, Munich, Ariola Studios, Munich, Sound Studio "N", Cologne, December 1977 - February 1978

A side is continuously mixed.

Codec: Lame 3.92
Quality: CBR, 320kbps, stereo

Tracklisting:

A1 Follow Me (3:50)
A2 Gold (3:45)
A3 Mother, Look What They've Done To Me (4:32)
A4 Run Baby Run (3:45)
A5 Follow Me (Reprise) (3:40)
B1 Comics (3:40)
B2 Enigma (Give A Bit Of Mmh To Me) (5:08) Arranged By - Rainer Pietsch
B3 The Stud (4:02) Arranged By - Rainer Pietsch
B4 Hollywood Flashback (4:31)

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Review by Søren Jensen http://rateyourmusic.com/
Sweet Revenge

It seemed a huge challenge to follow an extremely successful debut album I Am A Photograph but Amanda Lear and producer Anthony Monn successfully managed. Side 1 was a non-stop suite, telling the tale of a girl who's approached by the Devil. She's promised anything she wants (Follow Me), her first wish is for riches (Gold) and also for fame. After turning to her mother for help (Mother Look What They've Done For Me), she runs away (Run Baby Run) and retires into solitude. Renouncing her selfish desires, she offers her love to someone who really needs her, and that becomes her Sweet Revenge over temptation.

While "Follow Me" became Amanda's most successful single of all times, I personally always thought it was a bit over-rated. "Gold" is a great track, but over-all side 1, while good, doesn't rise much above average disco to me. Side 2 opens with the hilarious "Comics" which has Amanda partying with comic figures in her lonely room. "Enigma (Give A Bit Of Mmmh To Me)" was very similar to "Tomorrow" from her first album. "The Stud" is a great hard-rock track with funny lyrics ("He's selling himself to make a few bugs ...") while the poignant "Hollywood Flashback" is one of the highlights on the album which is the only of Amanda's six Ariola albums officially released on CD. Beware that the CD artwork doesn't reproduce the glamourous packaging of the original LP.

Amanda Lear - 1977 - I Am A Photograph




Amanda Lear - 1977 - I Am A Photograph

Label: Ariola (Germany)
Catalog#: 200 006
Format: Vinyl, LP
Country: German Democratic Republic (GDR)
Released:
Genre: Electronic
Style: Disco
Credits: Arranged By - Charly Ricanek (tracks: A1, A2, A5, B1, B4)
Backing Vocals - Claudia Schwarz , Gitta Walther , Renate Maurer
Bass - Gary Unwin
Drums - Martin Harrison (2)
Engineer - Peter Lüdemann
Guitar - Mats Björklund
Horns - Giuseppe Solera , Hermann Breuer , Howard Katz , Lee Harper , Paul Niezgoda , Rudi Fuessers
Keyboards - Charly Ricanek , Harold Faltermeyer
Percussion - Pit Troja
Producer - Anthony Monn
Strings - Bavarian Strings
Synthesizer [Moog] - Harold Faltermeyer
Notes: ARIOLA™
(p)&(c) 1977 Ariola-Eurodisc GmbH

Recorded at Ariola & Arco Studios, Munich
Album Cover Design: Ariola-Eurodisc Studios
Cover Photo: Christa Peters, Copyright by PLAYBOY Magazine, West-Germany.

Codec: Lame 3.92
Quality: CBR, 320kbps, stereo

Tracklisting:

A1 Blood And Honey (4:50)
A2 Alphabet (Prelude in C by J.S. Bach) (4:00)
A3 These Boots Are Made For Walkin' (3:18) Arranged By - Mats Björklund
A4 Tomorrow (4:10) Arranged By - Rainer Pietsch
A5 Pretty Boys (2:55)
B1 Mother, Look What They've Done To Me (4:25)
B2 Alligator (4:35) Arranged By - Rainer Pietsch
B3 The Lady in Black (3:30) Arranged By - Harold Faltermeyer
B4 I Am A Photograph (4:25)
B5 Blue Tango (2:40) Arranged By - Harold Faltermeyer

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Review by Søren Jensen http://rateyourmusic.com/

A great debut album from the spectacular Amanda Lear with her fantastic husky voice! It was a successful marriage with Anthony Monn's glossy Munich-disco-production. "Blood And Honey" was the first single, a funky tale about a lady who "loves blood and honey" and "has the devil in her eyes". "My Alphabet", Amanda's alphabet and her associations to each letter, set to a musical background of Bach, is fabulous. She also recorded French and Italian versions of her alphabet, you'll have to seek out the "Queen Of China-Town" singles from the respective countries to get them. Amanda's remake of "These Boots Are Made For Walkin'" is great, "Tomorrow" is a catchy disco-song, followed by the quirky, fast-paced "Pretty Boys". One of her all-time most successful singles "Queen Of China-Town" was added to later pressings of the album (Ariola cat.no. 25 473 OT - note there are two different covers: the "garage" cover and a nude cover). "Alligator" and "Lady In Black" keep the disco beat going, while the title track "I Am A Photograph" is set to a slow rock beat before the campy "Blue Tango" closes the ball. Amanda's debut single "La Bagarre" (a cover of Elvis' "Trouble") wasn't produced by Monn but by the two Italian La Bionda brothers, it was left off the later album pressings in favour of "Queen Of China-Town" but is a fine track - Amanda also recorded it in English.

All in all, an excellent debut album, extremely kitschy, but set to funny, clever lyrics.

Amanda Lear - English

Amanda Lear
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Amanda Lear (allegedly born Alain Louis René Maurice Tapp [1]) on November 18, 1946 (1936?, 1938?, 1939?), in Hong Kong (Saigon, Vietnam?) is a French model, painter, novelist, media personality, composer, lyricist and singer who was considered to be the first White Disco Queen in the 1970's. She first came to the public's attention as the model on the cover of Roxy Music's album classic For Your Pleasure in 1973.

Biography

Amanda Lear on the cover of Roxy Music's 1973 album "For Your Pleasure"Amanda Lear was born to an English father, serving in the British Navy and on visit in Hong Kong, and a mother of Mongolian/Russian/Chinese/French origin. Soon after her birth her parents separated, and Lear was raised by her mother in the south of France. In addition to having two mother tongues by birth, French and English, she showed an exceptional talent for languages at an early age and also learnt German, Spanish and Italian in her teens, which was to serve her very well later in her professional life. Her greatest passion was however art and at the age of 16 she went to Paris to study painting before joining St Martins School Of Art in London in 1964.

In 1965 she was spotted by legendary modelling agent Cathérine Harlé and eager to find a way to finance her studies she returned to Paris to catwalk for Paco Rabanne and Yves Saint-Laurent. Soon thereafter she found herself being photographed for magazines like Elle, Marie France and Vogue, and modelling for fashion designers like Mary Quant, Ossie Clark and Coco Chanel. After some time she dropped out of art school, began modelling full-time and went on to lead a careless life in the Swinging London of the 60's, hobnobbing with the rich and famous like The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Marianne Faithfull, Anita Pallenberg, Twiggy, Sacha Distel and Keith Moon. While clubbing with Brian Jones and her then boyfriend, the Guinness heir Tara Browne, in a Parisian nightspot named Le Castel in 1965, she was introduced to a man that was to change her life - on many levels according to some - none other than Spanish surrealist painter Salvador Dalì who instantly saw a kindred spirit in her. Lear's biography "My Life With Dali", which was first published in 1985 and had Dalí's approval, gives a detailed and intriguing insight into the lives of both the artist and his muse. She accompanied him and his wife on trips to Barcelona, Madrid, New York and Paris and spent every summer with Dali at his home in Cadaqués in Catalonia. Dali served as a mentor to her; travelling with him, Lear discovered the great museums of Europe, Parisian salons and restaurants, New York bohemia and his homeland, Spain. She met lots of interesting people, including Andy Warhol, while she in return introduced him to the younger generation of counterculture in art, fashion, photography and music in London.

Although she remained Dali's confidant, protegé and lover all through the 60's and 70's, Lear was also romantically linked to Brian Jones of the Rolling Stones, had a year-long affair David Bowie, who was also married at the time, and was briefly engaged to Bryan Ferry, but in 1979 she married French aristocrat Alain-Philippe Malagnac d'Argens de Villele, who in fact was the former lover turned adopted son of controversial writer Roger Peyrefitte. (Malagnac died in 2000, aged 51.)

Despite modelling nude for Playboy in the mid 70's and the photos very effectively proving that Lear indeed was a woman, she was and still is widely rumoured to be either a transsexual or a hermaphrodite because of her height (6ft/183 cm), her slightly masculine facial features and most of all her exceptionally low baritone-like vocal timbre. The speculations follow her to this day, although Amanda herself has since the early 80's claimed that this was a very clever publicity stunt thought up by herself and Salvador Dalí to get her career in music started. "Everything Dali said, I just listened to. He was the genius, who was I? When it came to launching my career, he told me I was a lousy singer and if I wanted to sell records, I'd have to find something other than the music to attract people to buy them. So we built the Amanda Lear persona into something very intriguing and very ambiguous and it worked." (The Telegraph, 2001 [[2]]

However, legendary English transsexual model and performer April Ashley has since gone on record in her autobiography, "April Ashley's Odyssey" [3] to say that she worked with Amanda at the Carrousel Club in Paris in the late 50's. According to Ashley Lear was then a man in his early twenties, called Alain Tapp, but performing in drag shows using the stage name "Peki d'Oslo", and that this Peki toured with the Carrousel ensemble in Germany, Scandinavia, Italy and South America. This early alter ego could in fact be a reference to her Eurasian origin; Oslo/Peking. These claims were also confirmed by German transexual singer and actress Romy Haag [4] in her 1999 autobiography Eine Frau und mehr. Just like Ashley, Haag describes that she first got to know Lear under the name Peki d'Oslo at the Carrousel and that the two also worked together at Romy's own drag club Chez Romy in Berlin in the early 60's. In March 2007 legendary British manager Simon Napier-Bell (Dusty Springfield, The Yardbirds, Japan, Wham!) was the next witness to come forward, saying that "my publishers sent me off to Paris to make a record with Amanda Lear, someone I’d known years before as a young Asian-looking guy called Peki who hung out in the Gigolo, a gay bar in London in the 60s. Now that Peki had become Amanda, I wasn't interested anymore, but other people were - Amanda's new companion was Salvador Dali." (Simonnapierbell.com, 2007-03-12 [5])

The name Amanda Lear is also generally believed to be an alias, a conjunction of the English words A MAN and the last name of her mentor and father figure Salvador Dali, while others believe it to be the French "L'amant Dalì", The Lover Of Dalì. April Ashley has presented a slightly different and much simpler explanation; Peki D'Oslo had already changed her stage name to Amanda when she persuaded an elderly Scottish gentleman to marry her for 50 pounds so that she could get British citizenship; the gentleman just happened to be called Mr. Lear... Ashley also insists that Lear and Dalì met long before 1965, probably in 1959 or 1960 while Lear was still working at the Carrousel as a female impersonator - not a runway model, which has been the official version according to Lear herself. Some sources go even further, saying that Lear was Dalì's greatest - or possibly the most bizarre - artistic creation of his whole career, suggesting that he was the one who paid for a sex change operation that was to have taken place in Casablanca, Morocco in 1966. British actress Joanna Lumley, who herself was a fashion model in London in the mid 60's, has in several interviews confirmed that her Absolutely Fabulous character Patsy Stone was loosely based on the mysterious life story of a certain A. Lear... (Series 2, Episode 3: Morocco) [[6]]

In 1975, disillusioned by the shallow fashion industry and encouraged by boyfriend Bowie, Amanda decided to launch a career in music. The debut single La Bagarre released on French Polydor was a cover of Elvis Presley's Trouble and became a minor disco hit in West Germany in 1976 - catching the attention of label Ariola. Her first proper album I Am A Photograph was recorded in Munich's legendary Musicland Studios, with most songs composed by producer Anthony Monn and lyrics by Amanda herself. The title track was a tongue in cheek reference to her previous profession, but Lear's selfpenned, witty, provocative and sometimes even disturbing lyrics made it perfectly clear that there's more to this glam model than meets the eye. The album included her first paneuropean hit Blood And Honey (lyrically paraphrasing Dalì's 1941 painting "La Miel Es Más Dulce Que La Sangre"/"Honey Is Sweeter Than Blood"), the follow-up singles Queen Of Chinatown and Tomorrow, as well as cover versions of Nancy Sinatra's These Boots Are Made For Walkin' and Blue Tango, all of which have become repertoire standards. I Am A Photograph proved to be a very successful debut indeed, it included four top 10 singles in Italy and stayed on the West German albums chart for 33 weeks alone. The second edition of the album famously sported a free fold-out poster picturing a topless Amanda smiling knowingly towards the camera...


In 1978, Amanda continued her line of disco hits with Sweet Revenge, an album that opens with a side-long concept medley retelling the story of a girl who sells her soul to The Devil to gain fame and fortune... The first single to be lifted off Sweet Revenge, the seductive Follow Me, powered by Lear's characteristic deep and narrative voice, was an instant smash hit all over Europe and has since served as her signature tune. The album went on to sell in excess of 4 million copies and charted in 41 countries, including Chile, South Africa, India and Thailand where it stayed on the charts for 16 weeks, spawning further hits like Gold, Run Baby Run, Mother Look What They've Done To Me and Enigma (Give A Bit Of Mmmmh To Me). Again, all of these tracks were songwriting contributions by Lear herself and this in combination with a larger-than-life image very much the creation of herself made her one of the few artists of the Eurodisco era whose star power was bigger than the music itself - all according to plan, the Amanda Lear persona left an impact in European pop culture that has lasted to this very day. " - "Sweet Revenge" is of course the album I'm most proud of. I put so much of myself into it. I wrote the lyrics, created the double cover, chose the pictures. I tried to tell a story. So, at least for me, it is the best one." (Acme Celeb Interview)

Later in 1978 Lear and Monn teamed up for Never Trust A Pretty Face, an album that includes a discofied reimagining of Lili Marleen (" - The Germans obviously wanted a new Marlene Dietrich so that's what I gave them.", ) and featured a variety of genre exercises like the clever title track ballad ( "A pretty face/a rotten heart/I warned you from the start") and the cabaret-esque Miroirs, generating further hit singles like Fashion Pack (Studio 54). The lyrics of this particular Eurodisco classic actually mocks the decadent behaviour of the rich and famous and especially New York's disco glitterati, offering some serious namedropping in the process; Liza Minnelli, Francesco Scavullo, John Travolta, Andy Warhol, Margaux Hemingway, Bianca Jagger, Paloma Picasso etc. Another hit and standout track is The Sphinx which Amanda has since named as her personal favourite among her own recordings. She also very effectively continued to play on her 'devil in disguise' persona with the Never Trust A Pretty Face album sleeve artwork portraying her as a mythological creature in the Egyptian desert, smiling broadly, with beautiful angel's wings - but also with a snake's tail...

In late 1979, Lear recorded Diamonds For Breakfast which became her commercial breakthrough in Scandinavia, including hits like Fabulous Lover Love Me, Diamonds and Ho Fatto L'Amore Con Me, with Monn creating a slightly rougher rock/pop musical backdrop than previously, most likely in accordance with Amanda's own taste. She may very well have been the reigning White Queen of Disco but personally she didn't care all that much for the genre. " - I really wanted to be the new Tina Turner, a rock singer." Fabulous Lover Lover Me famously includes the lines "The surgeons built me so well/that nobody could tell/that I once was somebody else" which is as close to a confession of a former identity as Lear has come - before or since.

The Lear/Monn success saga neared its end with 1981's Incognito at which point Amanda herself had become increasingly uncomfortable with the expectations and pressures of the music business in general - and her German record label in particular. In 1980, at the artistic and commercial peak of her career, but with the disco backlash quickly approaching, she had tentatively started recording tracks for a forthcoming album with producer Trevor Horn in London. Ariola did not approve of this and in no uncertain terms made it clear that Lear was to return to Munich and provide the company and the market with another Monn product. The result of these sessions was Incognito which included minor European hits like Nymphomania, Égal and New York but paradoxally turned out to be her breakthrough album in South America, with three tracks especially recorded in Spanish.

Lear's career momentum was however slowing and came to an end in 1983 as she delivered her last album to the Ariola label - under contractual obligation. Unlike previous efforts, Tam Tam was recorded with Italian collaborators and neither the songs nor the production were anywhere near the high standards of the Musicland recordings with Monn. Tam Tam subsequently passed unnoticed by the European record buying public - which may very well have been a blessing in disguise for Lear, considering her frosty relationship with Ariola. Around the same time, she publicly began denouncing her earlier, "sub-standard", disco material. Instead she went on to launch a very successful career as a TV presenter with the aid of media mogul and future prime minister Silvio Berlusconi, soon becoming something of household name in what has since turned out to be her second home country, Italy.

In 1986, Amanda recorded Secret Passion in the United States for French label Carrere, a post-disco High Energy offering. It featured a cover of the Troggs' Wild Thing and was not only intended to be her comeback in Europe - this time on her own terms - but also hopefully her breakthrough in English speaking territories like the States, Canada and the United Kingdom, which were more or less the only markets she had never managed to conquer during the Ariola years. However disaster struck; just as Amanda was getting ready to start promoting the album she was seriously injured in a near fatal car accident and had to spend months in convalescence. The album subsequently went nowhere on either side of the Atlantic or anywhere else but this incident became the starting point of another phase in her career, this time as a writer. While in hospital, Amanda had begun writing her first novel called The Immortal, a slightly surrealistic tale describing the torments of a woman doomed to eternal youth and beauty, watching everyone else growing older and eventually losing all her loved ones, while being unable to stop the merciless passing of time....

Lear sporadically returned to recording in the late 80's and 90's and released singles and albums produced in Italy, France and Germany, none of them producing that elusive hit. Instead she has been focussing on her career in television and movies - also mainly in Italy, France and Germany - as well as pursuing what she still describes as her greatest passion: art. From the mid 80's, she has exhibited in major galleries all over Europe and also in the United States and, during the last 10 years, her time has been largely spent painting, exhibiting and lecturing on Dalì.

In 2001, a year after having tragically lost her beloved husband of 21 years in a much publicised accident, she threw herself back into work and released the aptly titled album Heart. While most of her recordings during the 80's and 90's, with a few exceptions, may have been perceived as somewhat uninspired, not as musically varied as during the Ariola years, quite often suffering from poor production and primarily catering to her ever loyal disco following, Heart was a major progression. It was obvious that it was a serious effort with Lear's own heart and soul involved. Besides exuberant and club-friendly tracks like hit singles I Just Wanna Dance Again, with remixes by the likes of Pumpin' Dolls and Junior Vasquez, and cult 70's TV-theme Love Boat, Heart also featured intimate and sparsely orchestrated interpretations of personal favourites like Charles Aznavour/Dusty Springfield's bittersweet ballad Hier Encore (Yesterday When I Was Young) as well as Springfield's 1967 classic The Look Of Love along with a thoughtful - and between the lines highly political - re-reading of Lili Marleen with updated lyrics by original composer Norbert Schultze. Heart was a return to glory and turned out to be her best-selling album since the late 70's in both France and Germany and has been re-released under the titles Tendance and Love Boat.

In 2002 Amanda met Italian actor and model Manuel Casella, 30 (35? 40?) years her junior. He has been her 'longtime companion' ever since.

CD Compilation "Forever Glam - The Best Of 1976 - 2005"In 2005 Italian dance act The Housekeepers scored a major club hit with "Go Down", a reworking of Amanda's 1977 hit "Queen Of Chinatown". With the disco revival obviously still in full swing, and Lear celebrating 30 years in the music buiness, 2005 also saw the release of the first CD compilation to be authorized and promoted by Lear herself; Forever Glam - The Best Of 1976 - 2005. (Edina Music, France). In 2006 this was followed by German Sony BMG's comprehensive 3 CD box set The Sphinx - Das Beste Aus Den Jahren 1976 - 1983. This digitally remastered 42 track collection was eagerly awaited by many fans since the original Ariola albums never have been re-released in their entirety on CD. In the liner note interview of the latter, Lear expresses a new-found acceptance and appreciation of her disco past: " - It surprises me that the younger generations keep re-discovering this type of music, over and over again. They really seem to like these old recordings, still after such a long time. Perhaps they weren't so bad after all."

2006 Album "With Love"On 30th October 2006 the album With Love was released in France by label Dance Street. This tribute is to great effect an extension of 2001's Heart as it exclusively covers evergreens and jazz standards by the diva's own favourite divas, among them C'est Magnifique (Eartha Kitt), Is That All There Is? (Peggy Lee), Whatever Lola Wants (Sarah Vaughan), Love For Sale (Hildegard Knef) and My Baby Just Cares For Me (Nina Simone). With Love was critically hailed as the most personal and heartfelt album of her whole musical career and was released in the rest of Europe by label ZYX Music in early 2007.

In January 2007 Amanda Lear received the prestigious award "Chevalier Dans L'ordre National Des Arts Et Des Lettres" by the French Ministre Of Culture Renaud Donnedieu de Vabres in recognition of her thirty years of contributions to French culture.

Amanda Lear is an icon, a cult figure and a living legend who lives a myth, a mystery. To this day, no-one knows for sure where or when she was born or where or how she spent her childhood. Or if they do, they're not telling. Amanda Lear herself may very well tell you, but by now, most people believe it's all made up, and she knows most people believe it's all made up but she sticks by it because she likes the mystery, the ambiguity, the enigma - and so do her legions of fans. Fifteen years living with Salvador Dali and his wife Gala have left her with a beautiful sense of the surreal.

Amanda Lear has recorded 13 albums to date and has also released more than 50 singles. She has sold approximately 10 million albums and 25-30 million singles worldwide.

Amanda Lear currently resides in Saint-Etienne-du-Grès near Avignon in the south of France.

Discography

Albums

1977: I Am A Photograph (LP - unreleased on CD)
1977: O.S.T. The Pyjama Girl Case
(2 trks, "Your Yellow Pyjama" & "Look At Her Dancing") (LP - unreleased On CD)
1978: Sweet Revenge
1979: Never Trust A Pretty Face (LP - unreleased on CD)
1980: Diamonds For Breakfast (LP - unreleased on CD)
1981: Incognito (LP - unreleased on CD)
1982: Ieri, Oggi
(Compilation including "Incredibilmente Donna", "Buon Viaggio" & "Your Yellow Pyjama", Italy) (LP - unreleased on CD)
1983: Tam Tam (LP - unreleased on CD)
1985: Amanda Lear Sings (Compilation of Ariola recordings, USSR)
1987: Secret Passion (LP - unreleased on CD)
1990: Uomini Piú Uomini (Italy) (LP - unreleased on CD)
1990: Tant Qu'il Y Aura Des Hommes (France) (LP - unreleased on CD)
1993: Cadavrexquis
1995: Alter Ego
1998: Back In Your Arms
(Compilation; 90's singles and re-recordings of greatest hits - Italy)
2000: Follow Me...Back In My Arms
(German edition of "Back In Your Arms" with slightly different tracklisting)
2001: Heart
2005: Forever Glam - The Best of 1976-2005
(Compilation; greatest hits, 4 new recordings and 2 rarities - France)
2006: The Sphinx : Das Beste Aus Den Jahren 1976-1983
(3 CD Boxed Set; greatest hits, 42 trks - Germany)
2006: With Love

Amanda Lear - Russian

Amanda Lear
Материал из http://www.disco80.ru

Кто она, эта удивительная женщина? Итальянка? Француженка? За свою жизнь она объездила, кажется, весь свет. Позировала для самого Сальвадора Дали! Была девушкой самого Дэвида Боуи! А ещё пела, причём тексты для всех своих песен писала собственноручно.

Аманда Лир (Amanda Lear) родилась в Гонконге в 1946 году, её отец был полуангличанином-полуфранцузом, мать - полурусская-полуиндокитайка. Своё детство Аманда провела на юге Франции и в Швейцарии и к 18-ти годам знала уже пять языков (английский, французский, немецкий, испанский и итальянский). С 16-ти лет училась живописи в Париже, потом поступила в знаменитую Школу Святого Мартина в Лондоне. Там она стала подружкой Брайана Джонса из рок-группы "Rolling Stones". Вскоре на её яркую евроазиатскую внешность обратила внимание Катерина Харль, глава самого знаменитого европейского модельного агентства, и в 1965 Аманда вернулась в Париж и начала работать в фирмах Paco Rabanne и Yves St Laurent. Вскоре она встречает испанского художника-авангардиста Сальвадора Дали, который пожелал иметь её в качестве модели, и она оставалась его музой и близкой подругой более 15-ти лет.

В 1973 году на взлёте её карьеры её давний поклонник Bryan Ferry попросил её позировать для обложки одного из своих дисков, и та обложка стала знаменитее самих записей! Дэвид Боуи, тогдашний лидер британской рок-музыки, влюбился в неё, и они были вместе около года. Он хотел, чтобы она спела, и она поучаствовала в его композиции "Midnight special" (1974). А в 1975 году Аманда выпускает свой первый сингл на известном британском лейбле Creole Records. "A" сторона сингла содержала кавер-версию песни "Trouble" Элвиса Пресли. А на стороне "B" была танцевальная композиция, лирику к которой написала сама Аманда, а музыку - La Bionda, будущий известный продьюсер диско-групп "One for you" и "Vamos a la playa". Сингл получил шумный успех именно в диско-категории, хотя заголовок его не имел ничего общего с диско. Немецкий продьюсер Anthony Monn из Мюнхена с лейбла Ariola тут же предложил Аманде написать для неё настоящий диско-сингл. Лирика опять была написана самой Амандой. Вышедший в 1976 под Рождество сингл возглавил диско-чарт и был №12 в чарте продаж и №4 в итальянском хит-параде. В итоге фирма Ariola подписала с Амандой контракт на 7 лет и 6 альбомов за астрономическую сумму. Так уж вышло, что Аманда думала стать рок-певицей, но именно диско подарило ей огромное богатство.

Первый же её альбом "I Am A Photograph" 33 недели висел в германских чартах и подарил публике два мега-хита "Tomorrow" и "Queen of Chinatown", ставший №1 и золотым в Японии. Но три страны (Британия, США и Франция) тогда вообще не заметили новоявленную певицу. Впрочем, ненадолго: её следующий сингл "Follow Me" со второго альбома "Sweet Revenge" вызвал вспышку популярности Аманды по всей континентальной Европе, включая Францию. В сентябре 1978 она дала концерт в Париже для 5000 чел внутри и 15000 снаружи королевского дворца. Альбом был продан в количестве 4 млн копий и побывал в чартах 41-й страны, в том числе даже Чили, ЮАР, Индии и Тайланда, где оставался №1 в течение 16-ти недель. Композиции "Gold", "Run Baby Run" и "Enigma" также вышли как синглы. Но в США записи Лир по-прежнему продавались плохо, несмотря на шумную промоутерную компанию.

Третий альбом Аманды "Never Trust A Pretty Face" вышел в марте 1979 и затмил предыдущие качеством своей аранжировки. Лучшими хитами стали "Fashion Pack" и "The Sphinx". Большинство фанатов Лир до сих пор считают этот альбом лучшим в её творчестве. В тот год Аманда стала по всей Европе "инкарнацией" диско и без устали колесила по разным странам. В апреле того же года она вышла замуж за французского продьюсера Alain Philippe Malagnac, сына известного писателя-гея Roger Peyrefitte. В 1980 её четвёртый альбом "Diamonds for breakfast" открыл перед ней двери на скандинавские рынки, где Аманда немедленно стала огромной звездой. Два хита, вышедшие как синглы, - "Fabulous" и "Diamonds" - помогли ей в этом, хотя в других странах в хит-парады попали композиции "When" и "Japan". Альбом был только №43 в Германии и лучше всего продавался в Скандинавии (№4) и Италии. Чувствовалось, что продьюсерская формула Monn''а устаревает. Аманда снова турила по Европе от Греции до Финляндии, а в Италии этот альбом был выпущен с тремя песнями на итальянском.

В 1981, после того, как Лир продала 15 млн. копий синглов и 8 млн. копий альбомов, она захотела вернуться к своей первой любви - "рок"-музыке, и даже сделала в Лондоне пробную запись с продьюсером Trevor Horn, работавшим ранее с Тиной Тёрнер. В том же году она вернулась к выставкам своих картин и давала по 2-4 выставки в год. в основном в Европе. Некоторые её картины покупались за 10000 долларов! В то же время вышел и очередной её диско-альбом "Incognito" на Ariola. В испанской версии его были три песни на испанском, которые стали крупными хитами в Южной Америке, но обычная версия провалилась в Европе. В 1982 году вышел её последний сингл с Monn''ом "Fever", и её контракт с лейблом Ariola был расторгнут. Однако неожиданно этот сингл стал крупным хитом в Южной Америке, и Лир поспешно отправилась в тур по южноамериканским странам, а потом дала концерт в США в Нью-Йорке. Только в одной Италии не вышла эта запись. Тогда Аманда записывает сингл "Incredibly Woman" по всем итальянским традициям, и он становится в итальянским хитом. В том же 1982 году Аманда Лир совершила тур по странам Восточной Европы где также стала крупной звездой (в СССР её имя почиталось наравне с именами Barbra Streisand и "Pink Floyd"). А Anthony Monn вскоре после разрыва с Амандой начал продьюсировать новую восходящую "диско"-звезду "Fancy".

Неожиданно итальянский телемагнат Берлускони предложил ей вести варьете-шоу на его канале, и она 4 года оставалась телезвездой. Её карьера как певицы была затменена её теле-популярностью в Италии, а затем и в Германии и Франции. Её шестой альбом "Tam Tam" (1983), который продьюсировался уже в Италии, провалился везде, где было можно. В 1984 году Аманда также работала с Warner над композицией для видео Bolognini "Assassino". В 1985 снова вернулась на диско-площадки с записью "No credit card" в стиле Hi-NRG продьюсера Merack, которая стала большим диско-хитом, особенно у геев.

В 1987 году Аманда выпустила альбом " Secret Passion" с американским продьюсером Christian de Walden с лейбла Carrere Records. Несчастный случай на автомобиле в том же году привёл её на больничную койку, где она написала роман "The Immortal", опубликованный во Франции. В 1988 Лир записывалась с итальянской рок-группой "СССР" и участвовала в фестивале итальянской песни в Сан-Ремо. В 1989 и 1990годах она записала удачные альбомы на итальянском и французском языках и начала новое ТВ и радио-шоу в этих странах. В 1991 году лейбл Ariola выпустил ремикс её песен "Follow Me" и "Gold". В том же году Аманда начала принимать участие в самом популярном французском телешоу "The Big Heads" (разговорное шоу с маленькими играми и шутками), а затем стала ведущей знаменитого секс-шоу "Beware of the Blondes"/"PEEP" (в Германии), которое по воскресным вечерам смотрело около 50% телезрителей. В 1993 она записала "Cadavrexquis" - альбом, с которого начался её возврат к танцевальной музыке. Сингл "Fantasy", спродьюсированный немецкими "Bass Bumpers" стал крупным хитом и напоминал её прежние лучшие работы. В 1995 она записала в Мюнхене впервые за последние 12 лет альбом "ALTER EGO" на танцевальном лейбле ZYX. А в июне 1995 она участвовала в объединённом диско-концерте в Париже вместе с "Boney''M", Grace Jones and Gloria Gaynor.

Кому сейчас не известны такие её знаменитые песни как "Fashion pack", "Blood and honey" и "Sphinx"?! Однако, собираясь впервые послушать Аманду Лир, не забудьте принять во внимание, что она - обладательница самого низкого голоса среди всех эстрадных певиц. Иначе её голос и манера пения, похожая на потустороннее бормотание, может вас шокировать не меньше, чем всё остальное в Аманде Лир

Аманда Лир
Материал из Википедии — свободной энциклопедии

Аманда Лир (фр. Amanda Lear; род. 18 ноября, 1946) — французская поп-певица и модель. В 1970-80-е гг. Лир являлась популярным исполнителем в жанре диско.

Биография

Лир родилась в Гонгконге. Её отец был французом, мать — китаянкой. В 1960-е гг. она была музой Сальвадора Дали, и затем стала протеже Дэвида Боуи, который и предложил ей заняться музыкой. Боуи же продюсировал первый сингл. В 1977 году вышли первые альбомы Аманды Лир, решённых в жанре диско (первый альбом продюсировал легенда диско, Гарольд Фальтенмейер). Пела Лир преимущественно по-английски. В 1979 году Лир вышла замуж за французского аристократа Алена Филиппа Маланьяка д’Арган-де-Виллеле. С середины 1980-х гг. Лир стала меньше уделять внимание музыке и сосредоточилась на живописи, вдохновлённой Дали. 17 декабря 2000 года в её доме произошёл пожар, в результате чего были уничтожена большая часть работ, а также погиб её муж.

Интересные факты

Существует миф, что Аманда Лир — трансексуалка (не в последнюю очередь благодаря её низкому тембру и андрогинным образам). Однако подтверждений этому никогда не было дано, в то время как версия мифа, скорее всего, была пиаром, поощрённым самим Боуи для придания скандальности новой звезды. Помимо английского Лир также поёт песни на французском, немецком и итальянском.

Дискография

Альбомы

1977: I Am A Photograph (LP - unreleased on CD)
1977: O.S.T. The Pyjama Girl Case (2 trks, "Your Yellow Pyjama" & "Look At Her Dancing") (LP - unreleased On CD)
1978: Sweet Revenge
1979: Never Trust A Pretty Face (LP - unreleased on CD)
1980: Diamonds For Breakfast (LP - unreleased on CD)
1981: Incognito (LP - unreleased on CD)
1982: Ieri, Oggi (Compilation including "Incredibilmente Donna", "Buon Viaggio" & "Your Yellow Pyjama", Italy) (LP - unreleased on CD)
1983: Tam Tam (LP - unreleased on CD)
1985: Amanda Lear Sings (Compilation of Ariola recordings, USSR)
1987: Secret Passion (LP - unreleased on CD)
1990: Uomini Piú Uomini (Italy) (LP - unreleased on CD)
1990: Tant Qu'il Y Aura Des Hommes (France) (LP - unreleased on CD)
1993: Cadavrexquis
1995: Alter Ego
1998: Back In Your Arms (Compilation; 90's singles and re-recordings of greatest hits - Italy)
2000: Follow Me...Back In My Arms (German edition of "Back In Your Arms" with slightly different tracklisting)
2001: Heart
2005: Forever Glam - The Best of 1976-2005 (Compilation; greatest hits, 4 new recordings and 2 rarities - France)
2006: The Sphinx : Das Beste Aus Den Jahren 1976-1983 (3 CD Boxed Set; greatest hits, 42 trks - Germany)
2006: With Love

воскресенье, 20 мая 2007 г.

Righeira – 2007 - Mondovisione

Righeira – 2007 - Mondovisione

Style: Italo-Disco
Quality: CBR - 192 kbps

Catalogue #: COM 1171-2
Date: 02-02-2007
Genre: Dance (Dance)
Label: The Saifam Group

Track list
01 - Accendi La Televisione
02 - Inizio Delle Trasmissioni
03 - Tu Sei Sul Video
04 - Futurista
05 - La Musica Electronica
06 - Il Numero Che Non C'i
07 - Electro Felicity
08 - Invisibile (Feat. Lubna)
09 - La Mujer Que Tu Quieres
10 - China Disco
11 - Die Wende (Feat. DDR)
12 - Il Destino Di Una Nazione
13 - Mondovisione
14 - Fine Delle Trasmissioni

Ссылки находятся в комментариях
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Righeira – 1986 - Bambini Forever


Righeira – 1986 - Bambini Forever

Style: Italo-Disco

Quality: CBR - 256 kbps

Track list

01 We Wanna Be Punk
02 Arruinado
03 3-D
04 Solo Un Minuto
05 Oasi In Citta'
06 She Was My Love
07 Innamoratissimo
08 Adelante
09 Bambini Forever
10 Italians A Go-Go
11 Vamos A La Playa (Ext. Ver.)
12 Vamos A La Playa (Longlongdub)

Ссылки находятся в комментариях
Links in the comments

Righeira – 1983 - Righeira


Righeira – 1983 - Righeira

Style: Italo-Disco

Quality: CBR - 320 kbps

Track list

1 No Tengo Dinero (4:01)
2 Tanzen Mit Righeira (5:34)
3 Luciano Serra Pilota (3:26)
4 Gli Parlero' Di Te (4:20)
5 Vamos A La Playa (3:38)
6 Disco Volante (4:47)
7 Jazz-Musik (3:48)
8 Kon Tiki (4:31)

Ссылки находятся в комментариях
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Righeira - English

Righeira

Formed 1981, Torino, Piemonte, Italy
Members
Michael Righeira [Stefano Rota]
Johnson Righeira [Stefano Righi]
Genres disco, italo, italo disco

Righeira is an Italo Disco duo from Italy. The group was founded in 1981 by Stefano Rota and Stefano Righi. They became famous in continental Europe with their single "Vamos a la playa" ("Let's Go To The Beach", 1983).

A year later it was followed up by their next single "No tengo dinero" ("I Have No Money", 1984). Both singles were successful in the charts . "L`estate sta finendo" ("The Summer Is Over", 1985), another single release in 1985 was a number one hit in Italy but didn't peak the charts in other countries.

In 1986 the band participated in the San Remo Music Festival with their song "Innamoratissimo" ("Most In Love", 1986) and placed 15th.

D.D. Sound - 1980 - Hootchie Cootchie


D.D. Sound - 1980 - Hootchie Cootchie

Label: Baby Records International
Catalog#: LPX 018
Format: Vinyl, LP
Country: Italy
Released: 1980
Genre: Electronic
Style: Disco

Tracklisting:

1 - Your Kind Of Music
2 - My Ballerina
3 - Hootchie Cootchie
4 - Love Me Tonight

The Hootchie-Cootchie's gonna woogie the boogie ...

The fourth D. D. Sound album saw La Bionda focus on longer tracks, the album contained only four songs, all running from 6 to 9 minutes. The songs were still good dance tracks, in particular the title track, but they generally drag too long to become really effective. Still it's hard to imagine any disco collector being disappointed with this album. D. D. Sound's last recording was "Wake Up In The Night / The Night They Invented The Disco", 1981.

http://www.discomusic.com/

I believe this is the best album ever by the La Bionda brothers, at least up there with "Café" and their La Bionda self-titled LP.

"Hootchie-Cootchie" is a very danceable track, with a silly chorus that will stay in your head and steps for awhile. "Your Kind Of Music", with it's clarinet lead, and "My ballerina" are also 2 great tracks...

Ссылка в названии альбома
Link in the album name

D.D. Sound - 1978 - Café


D.D. Sound - 1978 - Café

Label: Baby Records International
Catalog#: LPX 026
Format: Vinyl, LP, Album
Country: Italy
Released: 1978
Genre: Electronic
Style: Disco
Credits: Arranged By, Keyboards, Synthesizer - Charly Ricanek
Bass - Gary Unwin
Drums - Martin Harrison (2)
Engineer - Harry Thumann
Flute, Saxophone - Giuseppe Solera
Guitar - Billy Long , Freddy Protz , Mats Björklund
Lyrics By, Guitar - R. Palmer James*
Music By - C. Ricanek* (tracks: A)
Music By, Executive Producer - A. & C. La Bionda*
Percussion, Vocals - Elmer Louis , Guillermo Marchena , Roy Louis
Piano, Harp - Michael Thatcher
Producer - Carmelo La Bionda
Remix - Jürgen Koppers
Notes: The album was recorded in Munich at Country Lane Studio.
Remixed at stone Castle Studios Carimate except "She's Not A Disco Lady" remixed at Music land Studios Munich.

Tracklisting:

A Café (15:55)
B1 She's Not A Disco Lady (6:40)
B2 Back Street Baby (3:58)
B3 Show Me Your Love (5:35)

La Bionda were at their creative peak when they recorded this third D. D. Sound album. The result is simply superb. The infectious samba-disco "Café" took up the entire side 1, running 16 minutes. It's worth noticing that the US release contains an entirely different instrumental remix. Side 2 contained the fabulous "She's Not A Disco Lady" (She's not a disco lady, but she's alright, she's alright / She's just a high class baby, but she's alright, she's alright), the mellow mid-tempo track "Backstreet Baby", and the "I Feel Love"-esque electro-disco-track "Show Me Your Love". A highly recommendable album - if you like this, check out the brothers' simultaneous La Bionda release Bandido as well.

http://www.discomusic.com


Now for some Italian flavored Disco. "CafÈ" by Disco Delivery Sound (DD Sound) is the song that put A. & C. LaBionda on the Disco map.

The version of CafÈ on this record was remixed by the late Jonathon Fearing of New York's 12 West. The original version of this song is radically different from Fearing's remix in that it has the full vocals/verses. The La Bionda brothers also did work under the name La Bionda.

Ссылка в названии альбома
Link in the album name