1984: Quincy Jones with Michael Jackson at the 1984 Grammy Awards, where they won eight
❚ The cross-cultural pioneer Quincy Jones died this week
aged 91 in Los Angeles. In tribute, we republish Andy Polaris’s appreciation of his genius when he brought a huge
orchestra to London’s O2 arena on 25 Jun 2019…
Excerpt from the review at the Polaris music blog: Quincy Jones Jr is a titan of 20th-century entertainment whose creative talent has spanned decades as composer, multi-instrumentalist, singer-songwriter, arranger, producer and publisher. He has received the most Grammy nominations, a staggering 80, and won 28, plus seven Oscar nominations, and a Jean Hersholt Humanitarian award in 1996 amongst other industry accolades. He has worked with superstars from Aretha Franklin, Frank Sinatra, Count Basie, Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie to Michael Jackson. In 2018 a Netflix film Quincy won the Critics Choice Documentary award.
As a teenage prodigy Quincy Jones had been tutored by Ray Charles and mentored by Count Basie, by 19 was touring Europe with Lionel Hampton for three years, at 24 studied at the feet of the godlike Nadia Boulanger in the American School at Fontainebleau, and soon after became a troubleshooting vice-president for Philips Records of Holland.
This week [in 2019] sees the 10th anniversary of Michael Jackson’s death and despite the controversy and those clamouring on social media to cancel his music, the audience at this O2 concert showed that, whatever your feelings, it’s nigh on impossible to crush the joyous memories and mood of his repertoire. In addition, we were treated to the formidable playlist of our youth unfolding before our ears thanks to the savvy musicianship of the band and huge orchestra, which even included a harp, all conducted and hosted by Jules Buckley… / Review continued at Apolarisview
Backstage after the London show: Animal Nightlife’s singer Andy Polaris meets August Darnell to thank him for a lifetime of inspiration
Not only a handshake and a hug for Andy Polaris from the showman that is August Darnell, but now a taster from his review of the evening in Canary Wharf…
“ August Darnell is the real deal and the soul survivor of the band Kid Creole and the Coconuts that has evolved over the years from its original cast in the early 80s but wisely maintained its winning formula… At a club night in London’s Canary Wharf his talented musicians provided the muscular sound, the perfect funky backbone which was always a key element of their success. Straight out the gate the Coconuts came to slay with well executed dance moves, while a physical aerobic workout combined with vocal prowess to result in a remarkable feat. I can only think of the Ikettes with Tina Turner who shared these onstage dynamics. My enthusiasm for this dazzling choreography – created by founder member Adriana Kaegi – is fired by the sheer inventiveness at the beating heart of the band… On stage tonight we heard Broadway Rhythm, Animal Crackers and Flip Flop and Fly but of course the loudest cheers were for the hits Stool Pigeon and Annie I’m Not Your Daddy. Both are mini musical masterpieces that buoyed up the audience with more snazzy footwork and infectious brass…”
❚ ONE OF THE GOD-LIKE SHAPERS of the new music of the Eighties was playing live in London this week and afterwards we met again for the first time since 1981. He is August Darnell, aka Kid Creole frontman of the Coconuts, and when I remarked on what a vital conduit he had provided between New York, London and Paris assisting the exchange of new indie bands, no-wave dance music and other strange flavours on Michael Zilkha’s ZE Records label, he was flattered to be remembered that way. Yes they were fertile times, he agreed, as post-punk pop, disco, funk, dub and Latin all collided with artsy pretension spiced with irony. He loved that rules were being broken.
In 1980 Darnell became a producer at ZE and his collaborations boosted the careers of James Chance, Cristina, Was (Not Was), Don Armando’s Second Avenue Rhumba Band and Material, while introducing the category of “Mutant Disco”. The edgy compilation album bearing that name distinctly helped to make ZE “the most fashionable label in the world” in the opinion of The Face magazine by 1982. Woodwork squeaks and out come the freaks!, according to Was (Not Was).
Click any pic to enlarge in slideshow:
Kid in full swing in London… with his dancers Roos Van Rossum, Charlotte De Graaf, Kristina Hanford
Lounge lizard Kid in London: turning on that bazzazz. (Photos by Shapersofthe80s)
Onstage by invitation: a queue of London fans joined the Coconuts line-up
Backstage after the London show: Animal Nightlife’s singer Andy Polaris meets August Darnell to thank him for so much inspiration
Darnell had set out in 1974 writing lyrics with the funky Dr Buzzard’s Original Savannah Band in which vibraphone player Andy Hernandez was known as his “trusty sidekick” Coati Mundi. Hernandez served as Darnell’s on-stage comic foil, as well as his musical director and arranger. Their first hit single on RCA was Cherchez La Femme with Cory Daye the lead vocalist. The album went gold and the band was nominated for Best New Artist in the Grammy awards.
In 1980 he formed his own band as Kid Creole and the Coconuts, his style as lounge-lizard vocalist being defined by a Latinised Cab Calloway type in a zoot suit and broad-brimmed hat, alongside “Sugar-Coated” Coati Mundi in a line-up of instrumentalists and singing dancers. Sire released the Coconuts album, Fresh Fruit in Foreign Places, in June 1981, while the next album in May 1982 was boosted by its instant appeal in the UK under the title Tropical Gangsters. The LP hit number three, and three singles – I’m a Wonderful Thing Baby, Stool Pigeon and Annie I’m Not Your Daddy – made the Top Ten.
As a dynamic live act with unique visual appeal, the Coconuts toured the world, confirming Darnell as a respected composer, arranger and producer. They recorded 11 albums and scored more hit singles including Dear Addy, Endicott, The Sex of It, and My Male Curiosity.
And now here were many of those familiar strains being given brilliant new life on-stage at the Boisdale restaurant in Canary Wharf this week, thanks to a powerful seven-piece band and three slinky dancers. Of course August Darnell was showing his age – heavens, aren’t we all these days? Despite which, his generous set was driven by his own rich voice and every ounce of sheer bazzazz. There was no beating Don’t Take My Coconuts!
Michael Zilkha and Michel Esteban: in 1978 founders of the record label combined their initials to make ZE and based themselves in both New York and Paris
“ There was definitely an air of expectation awaiting the return of Siouxsie Sioux live in London after a ten-year hiatus. . . Dressed in baby-blue flowing light bodysuit with voluminous sleeves, pussy bow and flared, long hair streaked with grey, this was Morticia in unexpected cocktail glamour mode. The fashion belied the opening which was the gates of hell grind ‘Night Shift’ with uncompromising refrain guaranteed to throw any new fans in the deep end (visit the live album Nocturne 1983 if you need an introduction) but sated the appetite of the rest of us.
“ We took a trip through both the Banshees’ back catalogue and tracks from Siouxsie’s solo album Mantaray and work with Budgie and The Creatures. What was engaging about this evening was how jaunty and relaxed she was on this surprise return to the live stage, more chatty than I can ever remember and because she was having a blast so were we. This osmosis between audience and artist galvanised her performance. . . that unwavering support from fans and how songs reignite so many potent memories of past teenage lives and how these songs signposted myriad experiences. . . ” / Continued at apolarisview
Bowie’s new look for 1976 when he became The Man Who Fell to Earth, here in a Haywain shirt. Photographed by Steve Schapiro and published on the cover of the Sunday Times Magazine
David Robert Jones 8 January 1947 – 10 January 2016
Every January, two dates stir the souls of Bowie fans: the 8th being his birthday and the 10th the day he died. On the seventh anniversary of his death, Eighties Blitz Kid and pop singer ANDY POLARIS recalls the dramatic influence Bowie had on his early teens in the way that his fan base would also be galvanized by his art to inspire their own creative dreams. This extract comes from a much longer piece at his own website Apolarisview.wordpress.com … Andy writes:
“ Much has been written about Bowie’s Starman performance in 1972. I had begun a fascination with his image a little earlier after the Melody Maker interview, thanks to an older teenager who also had the album, Hunky Dory.
I began to spend the little pocket money I had on buying all the magazines and music papers that featured him, especially on the cover. Fab 208, PopSwop, Music Star, Music Scene and Jackie thankfully were relatively cheap and I began my scrapbook collection. Ziggy Stardust with his bold make-up and glamorous wardrobe (courtesy of Freddie Burretti and Kansai Yamamoto) was unlike anything seen before and blurred the line between sexes. This beautiful creature offered a world of possibilities to this youth already bored with football and the teenybop fandom that dominated our era. Clothes, style, identity – normal teenage rites of passage – all took on a greater importance over the next few years but now helped define a more alternative journey.
Seeking out Bowie’s references in lyrics opened a new door to imagination. His creative output eased my inner void of loneliness and probably kick-started my interest in science-fiction. Humdrum suburbia was replaced by the magical worlds of Alfred Bester, Philip K Dick, George Orwell and Robert Heinlein to a soundtrack of Ziggy Stardust, Aladdin Sane and Diamond Dogs.
Scissors, Pritt Stick or Gloy Gum and a large desk were my 1970s iPad, and all that were needed, as I lovingly read and then pasted articles onto A4 note paper into a hard grey binder. This became a ritual that continued for my teenage life. I never liked to create collages because I hated cutting up articles too much and words were equally important. What Bowie was saying or what people were saying about him seemed as important as the visuals. That shape-shifting style (musically and visually) meant I never got bored and felt that I evolved along with him, my anticipation becoming almost tangible with news of a new release or a TV appearance… ”
➢ Choose “View full site” – then in the blue bar atop your mobile page, click the three horizontal lines linking to many blue themed pages with background article
MORE INTERESTING THAN MOST PEOPLE’S FANTASIES — THE SWINGING EIGHTIES 1978-1984
They didn’t call themselves New Romantics, or the Blitz Kids – but other people did.
“I’d find people at the Blitz who were possible only in my imagination. But they were real” — Stephen Jones, hatmaker, 1983. (Illustration courtesy Iain R Webb, 1983)
“The truth about those Blitz club people was more interesting than most people’s fantasies” — Steve Dagger, pop group manager, 1983
PRAISE INDEED!
“See David Johnson’s fabulously detailed website Shapers of the 80s to which I am hugely indebted” – Political historian Dominic Sandbrook, in his book Who Dares Wins, 2019
“The (velvet) goldmine that is Shapers of the 80s” – Verdict of Chris O’Leary, respected author and blogger who analyses Bowie song by song at Pushing Ahead of the Dame
“The rather brilliant Shapers of the 80s website” – Dylan Jones in his Sweet Dreams paperback, 2021
A UNIQUE HISTORY
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❏ Header artwork by Kat Starchild shows Blitz Kids Darla Jane Gilroy, Elise Brazier, Judi Frankland and Steve Strange, with David Bowie at centre in his 1980 video for Ashes to Ashes
VINCENT ON AIR 2024
✱ Deejay legend Robbie Vincent has returned to JazzFM on Sundays 1-3pm… Catch Robbie’s JazzFM August Bank Holiday 2020 session thanks to AhhhhhSoul with four hours of “nothing but essential rhythms of soul, jazz and funk”.
TOLD FOR THE FIRST TIME
◆ Who was who in Spandau’s break-out year of 1980? The Invisible Hand of Shapersofthe80s draws a selective timeline for The unprecedented rise and rise of Spandau Ballet –– Turn to our inside page
SEARCH our 800 posts or ZOOM DOWN TO THE ARCHIVE INDEX
UNTOLD BLITZ STORIES
✱ If you thought there was no more to know about the birth of Blitz culture in 1980 then get your hands on a sensational book by an obsessive music fan called David Barrat. It is gripping, original and epic – a spooky tale of coincidence and parallel lives as mind-tingling as a Sherlock Holmes yarn. Titled both New Romantics Who Never Were and The Untold Story of Spandau Ballet! Sample this initial taster here at Shapers of the 80s
CHEWING THE FAT
✱ Jawing at Soho Radio on the 80s clubland revolution (from 32 mins) and on art (@55 mins) is probably the most influential shaper of the 80s, former Wag-club director Chris Sullivan (pictured) with editor of this website David Johnson
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