Channeling Larry Levan.
August 17, 2010 9:16 PM Subscribe
Seeking somewhat obscure '80s dance songs that are in the vein of Sheila-E and Exposé in terms of '80s sound, beat, female vocals and danceability.
At a party recently, the DJ (who I really should have talked to) played several (very awesome and fun) songs like this - many of which featured higher-pitched girl vocals. I hadn't heard them before, anywhere, ever. I wouldn't necessarily classify them as freestyle or disco. They seemed to be more dancey pop songs with beats and vocals comparable to "Glamorous Life" by Sheila-E. I know finding the exact songs I heard is a long shot, given my lack of information, but I'd like to create a playlist of songs like this, or know where I can find some.
Thanks, guys!
At a party recently, the DJ (who I really should have talked to) played several (very awesome and fun) songs like this - many of which featured higher-pitched girl vocals. I hadn't heard them before, anywhere, ever. I wouldn't necessarily classify them as freestyle or disco. They seemed to be more dancey pop songs with beats and vocals comparable to "Glamorous Life" by Sheila-E. I know finding the exact songs I heard is a long shot, given my lack of information, but I'd like to create a playlist of songs like this, or know where I can find some.
Thanks, guys!
Artists, off the top of my 13-years-old-in-1989 head:
Taylor Dane
Shannon
Stacey Q
Expose
Sheila E.
Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam
D-Mob and Cathy Dennis ("Come On and Get My Love")
T'Pau (not quiiiite the same thing, but "Heart and Soul" will work)
Pretty Poison
George Lamond
This top 100 might also help.
I am totally gleeful that my weird '80s radio fixations can be of use to you. Mr. F was horribly amused when I busted out the Taylor Dane dance in the doorway yesterday when I got home (he'd left VH1 Classic on, and, well, those things happen).
posted by fairytale of los angeles at 9:27 PM on August 17, 2010 [2 favorites]
Taylor Dane
Shannon
Stacey Q
Expose
Sheila E.
Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam
D-Mob and Cathy Dennis ("Come On and Get My Love")
T'Pau (not quiiiite the same thing, but "Heart and Soul" will work)
Pretty Poison
George Lamond
This top 100 might also help.
I am totally gleeful that my weird '80s radio fixations can be of use to you. Mr. F was horribly amused when I busted out the Taylor Dane dance in the doorway yesterday when I got home (he'd left VH1 Classic on, and, well, those things happen).
posted by fairytale of los angeles at 9:27 PM on August 17, 2010 [2 favorites]
My baby Takes the Morning Train - Sheena Easton
Happy Birthday - Altered Images
Are two that I seem to remember
posted by the noob at 9:31 PM on August 17, 2010
Happy Birthday - Altered Images
Are two that I seem to remember
posted by the noob at 9:31 PM on August 17, 2010
Best answer: You'll probably know some of these, but I'll throw them in anyway.
Alisha - Baby Talk
Jaki Graham - Set Me Free
Mel & Kim - Showing Out Get Fresh At The Weekend
Nu Shooz - I Can't Wait
Pointer Sisters - Dare Me
Regina Belle - Baby Love
Robbie Nevil - C'est La Vie
Shannon - Let The Music Play
Stacey Q - Two Of Hearts
Starpoint - Object Of My Desire
Swing Out Sister - Breakout
Teena Marie - Lover Girl
Black Box - Ride On Time
Jody Watley - Real Love
Karyn White - Secret Rendezvou
Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam - Head to Toe
Pebbles - Girlfriend
Alanis Morrissette - Too Hot
Pretty Poison - Catch Me, I'm Falling
Sabrina - Boys
Samantha Fox - Nothing's Gonna Stop Me Now
posted by flex at 9:53 PM on August 17, 2010 [2 favorites]
Alisha - Baby Talk
Jaki Graham - Set Me Free
Mel & Kim - Showing Out Get Fresh At The Weekend
Nu Shooz - I Can't Wait
Pointer Sisters - Dare Me
Regina Belle - Baby Love
Robbie Nevil - C'est La Vie
Shannon - Let The Music Play
Stacey Q - Two Of Hearts
Starpoint - Object Of My Desire
Swing Out Sister - Breakout
Teena Marie - Lover Girl
Black Box - Ride On Time
Jody Watley - Real Love
Karyn White - Secret Rendezvou
Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam - Head to Toe
Pebbles - Girlfriend
Alanis Morrissette - Too Hot
Pretty Poison - Catch Me, I'm Falling
Sabrina - Boys
Samantha Fox - Nothing's Gonna Stop Me Now
posted by flex at 9:53 PM on August 17, 2010 [2 favorites]
Just off the top of my head:
* Neneh Cherry: 1 2
* Samantha Fox
* Google Search for 1980s divas which brought up this video (some on target, some not, and if you see a song you like just search Google by lyrics)
You may also want to put some stuff you like into last.fm and see what it comes up with.
posted by crapmatic at 9:55 PM on August 17, 2010
* Neneh Cherry: 1 2
* Samantha Fox
* Google Search for 1980s divas which brought up this video (some on target, some not, and if you see a song you like just search Google by lyrics)
You may also want to put some stuff you like into last.fm and see what it comes up with.
posted by crapmatic at 9:55 PM on August 17, 2010
Selections from my 80s radio playlist in iTunes, hopefully with duplicates from above removed:
Bananarama - Venus
Chaka Khan - Aint nobody
Five Star - Can't wait another minute
Goon Squad - Eight arms to hold you (if you want freestyle...)
The Jets - Cross my broken heart
Jody Watley - Don't you want me
Kajagoogoo - Too shy (a stretch)
Karyn White - The way you love me
Pointer Sisters - Hot together
Pretty Poison - Nighttime
Scritti Politti - Perfect way / Small talk
Taylor Dayne - Prove your love / Tell it to my heart
Teena Marie - Lover girl
Lyrics or a short audio recording are both great ways to track down specific songs these days! I have also had luck writing a short clip of a song I remembered in software like GarageBand and sharing it with friends until someone could identify it. I'm also a huge fan of Pandora for a task like this.
posted by germdisco at 11:08 PM on August 17, 2010
Bananarama - Venus
Chaka Khan - Aint nobody
Five Star - Can't wait another minute
Goon Squad - Eight arms to hold you (if you want freestyle...)
The Jets - Cross my broken heart
Jody Watley - Don't you want me
Kajagoogoo - Too shy (a stretch)
Karyn White - The way you love me
Pointer Sisters - Hot together
Pretty Poison - Nighttime
Scritti Politti - Perfect way / Small talk
Taylor Dayne - Prove your love / Tell it to my heart
Teena Marie - Lover girl
Lyrics or a short audio recording are both great ways to track down specific songs these days! I have also had luck writing a short clip of a song I remembered in software like GarageBand and sharing it with friends until someone could identify it. I'm also a huge fan of Pandora for a task like this.
posted by germdisco at 11:08 PM on August 17, 2010
Kylie Minogue
Euphoria - don't know if you've ever heard of this Australian one hit wonder, but here you go.
Betty Boo
posted by mooza at 11:26 PM on August 17, 2010
Euphoria - don't know if you've ever heard of this Australian one hit wonder, but here you go.
Betty Boo
posted by mooza at 11:26 PM on August 17, 2010
Best answer: Well if we keep it in the Prince family, we've got Vanity 6's Nasty Girl and Apollonia 6's Sex Shooter, both of which have that less-than-squeaky-clean, modern-city-girl tone like Sheila E. You can almost hear Prince writhing on the ground in the production booth.
In that same naughty vein, there's Klymaxx's Meeting In The Ladies' Room or The Men All Pause, which kind of sound the same.
Thinking of that punchy drum in Sheila E's song made me think instantly of Crush On You by The Jets. It's got it all. High girl voices, dancey beat, and straight outta 1986. I'd forgotten how good this was!
Also Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam's Head To Toe and somewhat slower but still with that punchy drum, Lost In Emotion
On a slightly different tack there's Gloria Estefan (& Miami Sound Machine's) The Rhythm Is Gonna Get You and Conga and Turn The Beat Around
Debarge - Rhythm Of The Night. It's a dude, but a girly one, and sort of in the same category of the above if more candylike.
Oh Sheila by Ready For The World is also dudes, but the beat is Sheila-esque.
Also mostly dude voices, but Dead Giveaway by Shalamar has that punchy drum
Maybe Paula Abdul's Forever Your Girl
Leaning more towards candy pop and away from Sheila cool, but still kind of related, Mercedes Boy by Pebbles, with a hat tip to Casio keyboards everywhere.
Also more candy than Sheila E and pals, Debbie Gibson's Only In My Dreams. There's just some of that same punch drum in it.
A longer shot, I Heard A Rumour by Bananarama
posted by Askr at 1:24 AM on August 18, 2010 [4 favorites]
In that same naughty vein, there's Klymaxx's Meeting In The Ladies' Room or The Men All Pause, which kind of sound the same.
Thinking of that punchy drum in Sheila E's song made me think instantly of Crush On You by The Jets. It's got it all. High girl voices, dancey beat, and straight outta 1986. I'd forgotten how good this was!
Also Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam's Head To Toe and somewhat slower but still with that punchy drum, Lost In Emotion
On a slightly different tack there's Gloria Estefan (& Miami Sound Machine's) The Rhythm Is Gonna Get You and Conga and Turn The Beat Around
Debarge - Rhythm Of The Night. It's a dude, but a girly one, and sort of in the same category of the above if more candylike.
Oh Sheila by Ready For The World is also dudes, but the beat is Sheila-esque.
Also mostly dude voices, but Dead Giveaway by Shalamar has that punchy drum
Maybe Paula Abdul's Forever Your Girl
Leaning more towards candy pop and away from Sheila cool, but still kind of related, Mercedes Boy by Pebbles, with a hat tip to Casio keyboards everywhere.
Also more candy than Sheila E and pals, Debbie Gibson's Only In My Dreams. There's just some of that same punch drum in it.
A longer shot, I Heard A Rumour by Bananarama
posted by Askr at 1:24 AM on August 18, 2010 [4 favorites]
Ha! I was almost going to type an exactly similar question. Spooky.
I can't answer your question directly, but can recommend the Flock of Eighties internet radio channel as a cracking source for unearthing long forgotten tunes from that era.
posted by MuffinMan at 1:41 AM on August 18, 2010 [1 favorite]
I can't answer your question directly, but can recommend the Flock of Eighties internet radio channel as a cracking source for unearthing long forgotten tunes from that era.
posted by MuffinMan at 1:41 AM on August 18, 2010 [1 favorite]
Mary Jane girls - In My House bonus points for cheestastic video.
posted by dirtdirt at 6:16 AM on August 18, 2010
posted by dirtdirt at 6:16 AM on August 18, 2010
I made a post about Latin Freestyle a few months ago, that may be what you were looking for.
posted by empath at 7:05 AM on August 18, 2010
posted by empath at 7:05 AM on August 18, 2010
Patrice Rushen – Haven’t You Heard
Sharon Redd - Never give you up
Syretta - Can't shake your love
Mary Jane Girls - Candy Man (this song will be stuck in my head all day just typing this)
posted by jade east at 8:51 AM on August 18, 2010
Sharon Redd - Never give you up
Syretta - Can't shake your love
Mary Jane Girls - Candy Man (this song will be stuck in my head all day just typing this)
posted by jade east at 8:51 AM on August 18, 2010
The Belle Stars
"Sign of the Times" is probably the ubiquitous hit (It is on the "Just Can't Get Enough: New Wave Hits of the 80s" series in Volume 9), but other tracks like "Needle In A Haystack" have awesome drum work in them. They also take a stab at the legendary "Iko Iko"
It appears an eponymous album is their only one!
posted by kuppajava at 9:22 AM on August 18, 2010
"Sign of the Times" is probably the ubiquitous hit (It is on the "Just Can't Get Enough: New Wave Hits of the 80s" series in Volume 9), but other tracks like "Needle In A Haystack" have awesome drum work in them. They also take a stab at the legendary "Iko Iko"
It appears an eponymous album is their only one!
posted by kuppajava at 9:22 AM on August 18, 2010
Oh wow, "Sincerely Yours" by Sweet Sensation.
(...and it might not be an exact fit but I can't pass up a chance to recommend major party-rocker "Just What I Always Wanted" by the amazing Mari Wilson, the Neasden Queen Of Soul.)
posted by mintcake! at 1:36 PM on August 18, 2010
(...and it might not be an exact fit but I can't pass up a chance to recommend major party-rocker "Just What I Always Wanted" by the amazing Mari Wilson, the Neasden Queen Of Soul.)
posted by mintcake! at 1:36 PM on August 18, 2010
Response by poster: Wow, thanks everyone! I think Askr really got what I was looking for with the "Sex Shooter" recommendation. (And as I listened to it, I realized it maaay have been one of the exact songs I heard and loved.) Thanks again!
Keep 'em coming, I will be checking back. :)
posted by blackcatcuriouser at 4:45 PM on August 18, 2010
Keep 'em coming, I will be checking back. :)
posted by blackcatcuriouser at 4:45 PM on August 18, 2010
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by fairytale of los angeles at 9:22 PM on August 17, 2010