To remind people of the fertile milieu that provided the background to Michael Jackson’s best years — and as an antidote to the endless replays of MJ hits: Ace 80s mix ala Detroit via Denise Dalphond’s Blog
Which contains the sublime Pebbles hit “Mercedes Boy”
And just for good measure, Chaka Khan “I Feel For You”
This is kind of amazing for me to see right now… i just woke up from dreams of wild, fun-filled parties wtih dj’s, laughter, music, dancing, and food. At some point, the beat for Mercedes Boy drops, and all of a sudden we’re all in this huge multicultural sing-along.
This isn’t the first time something like this has happened… I just love those reminders of the ways a collective consciousness might affect our perceptions.
chad, to make the synchronicity even stranger, I actually wrote this post quite a while back and forgot to publish it until today.
Speaking of this sort of music, my girl Miche started DJ’ing gay clubs in New Orleans in the 80s, and she has EVERY bomb joint from that period…. I need to get her to record a mix!
Not too long after Mercedes Boy was a huge hit, I remember how Keyboard magazine ran an article with a complete, note-for-note transcription of the bassline / clavinet sound. That much syncopation looks absurd on paper.