Showing posts with label Jody Watley. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Jody Watley. Show all posts

Tuesday 25 April 2017

What'cha gonna do for me - Jody Watley

Jody Watley had a nice career going in the Eighties, especially with singles like Looking for a new love and Still a thrill. By the end of the decade, not so much. This single faded into obscurity rather quickly and she didn't return into the charts until 1993, when her song 'When a man loves a woman' (not a cover version) reached number 33 in the UK singles charts.

'What'cha gonna do for me' was taken from her 1989 album 'Larger than life', but didn't reach the charts anywhere. The sleeve looks colourful enough, and the song isn't half bad either. I don't know what went wrong there...

My collection: 7" single no. 5808
Found: Record fair, Utrecht, April 8, 2017
Cost: 1 euro
Tracks: 'What'cha gonna do for me' / 'What'cha gonna do for me (dub)'

Listen to the song

Tuesday 14 June 2011

Girls night out - Jody Watley

After the band Shalamar split up, Jody Watley moved to England, and while there she recorded a guest vocal with British Jamaican roots reggae group Musical Youth for their album 'Different Style'. She also recorded demos with Gary Langan, Anne Dudley and J.J Jeczalik (who later became Art of Noise). A brief stint with Phonogram Records yielded two demos that were released as promo records.

'Girls night out' was one of them, a single released in 1985. Billed simply as 'Jody', I only discovered this single because the shopkeeper was smart enough to put them in the 'Jody Watley' section. Otherwise, I wouldn't have found this bubbly piece of pop.

My collection: 7" single no. 5151
Found: Chelsea Records, Antwerpen, June 9, 2011
Cost: 1 euro
Tracks: 'Girls night out' / 'My house (4-free)'

Saturday 19 February 2011

Some kind of lover - Jody Watley

'Some kind of lover' was the fourth single taken from Jody Watley's self-titled debut solo album. It was a relative failure, reaching number 81 in the UK singles chart, but it is one of the nicest funky tracks on the album.

These remixes were made by Louil Silas, jr., who mostly adds a lot of 'bounce' to the track. The 12" single features three versions of the tracks which are quite similar to one another. Still, good stuff.

My collection: 12" single no. 217
Found: Record Exchange, London, 1994
Cost: 1,5 pounds
Tracks: 'Some kind of lover (extended version)' / 'Some kind of lover (instrumental)', 'Some kind of lover (dub)'

Thursday 30 September 2010

Still a thrill - Jody Watley

My last post about Jody Watley was about the 7" single of 'Still a thrill', which I bought almost six months ago. I've had the 12" single for a lot longer, although my records don't show exactly when I bought it. A sexy sleeve coupled with three very danceable remixes is a good proposition, especially when the disc is cheap, which it was.

According to some of the response on this blog recently there were some rumours about my untimely death. I can assure you that this event will not happen anytime soon. However, having written about all of my 7" singles (bar a handful) and most of my 12" singles, my posts will be less regular as of now. Don't worry, I will still be buying records too - so who knows what happens before the year is over. I have to say that making entries on this blog is 'still a thrill'.

My collection: 12" single no. 549
Found: unknown
Cost: unknown
Tracks: 'Still a thrill (radio edit)' / 'Still a thrill (extended version)', 'Still a thrill (bonus beat)'

Monday 5 April 2010

Still a thrill - Jody Watley

When I bought this single I wasn't sure whether I already had it or not. But I thought what the hell, it's a limited poster sleeve edition, and that alone warranted this acquisition. So I was really happy to find that I didn't actually have this single, which means that this is a genuine addition to my collection.

Jody Watley was hot in 1987. Her self-titled debut solo album was a smash hit and this, the second single from the album saw her singing in a deep lower register. The single only reached number 56 in the US Billboard Hot 100 chart and did not chart in the UK, where this limited edition was made.

My collection: 7" single no. 4762
Found: Record fair, Rijswijk, April 5, 2010
Cost: 0,5 euro
Tracks: 'Still a thrill' / 'Looking for a new love (acappella)'

Sunday 20 September 2009

Friends - Jody Watley

'Friends' was the second single from Jody Watley's second album, 'Larger Than Life'. Unfortunately, she decided to collaborate on this track with rappers Eric B & Rakim, who detracted from what could have been an excellent pop track. Their vague mumblings are thrown into the middle of the song, like a garbage truck in a flowerbed.

Still, in the USA, the single peaked at number 9 in the Billboard Hot 100. In the UK, the single reached number 21 and in the Dutch Top 40, it stalled at number 25.

My collection: 7" single no. 4046
Found: La La Land, Den Haag, September 19, 2009
Cost: 1 euro
Tracks: 'Friends' / 'Private life'

Wednesday 9 September 2009

Real love - Jody Watley

In the spring of 1989, Jody Watley released her second album, 'Larger than life'. She co-wrote 11 of the album's 12 songs. The first single release, 'Real love", sold over 500,000 copies in the USA alone and was certified gold. It reached number 2 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart.

In the UK, people were less impressed, as it only made number 31 there. In the Netherlands, the single peaked at number 19.

My collection: 7" single no. 949
Found: V&D, Den Haag, July 21, 1989
Cost: 3 guilders
Tracks: 'Real love' / 'Real love (instrumental)'

Saturday 5 September 2009

Most of all - Jody Watley

I think this song is my favourite Jody Watley track. The sad lyrics are not at all reflected in the bouncy, poppy song and the uplifting melody. It's great fun to sing along to this one, whether you're up or down.

Not many people agreed with me, it seems: the single was the least successful from Jody Watley's debut album. The single stalled at number 60 in the US Billboard Hot 100 chart and did not chart in Europe. This German edition of the single comes in a poster sleeve.

My collection: 7" single no. 2154
Found: Leiden, September 3, 1994
Cost: 1,5 guilders
Tracks: 'Most of all' / 'Some kind of lover (instrumental)'

Tuesday 1 September 2009

Some kind of lover - Jody Watley

A sticker on the sleeve of this single announces that Jody Watley was a Grammy Award winner in the category Best New Artist in 1987. Which in fact is a bit strange, since Watley had been active in the music business all through the decade, first as a member of Shalamar, and then solo.

'Some kind of lover' was released as the fourth single from her self-titled debut album. The single only reached number 81 on the UK singles chart.

My collection: 7" single no. 2189
Found: Record Exchange, London, September 29, 1994
Cost: 1 pound
Tracks: 'Some kind of lover' / 'Some kind of lover (dub)'

Thursday 13 August 2009

Don't you want me - Jody Watley

Jody Watley's debut album 'Looking for a new love' yielded five hits, of which 'Don't you want me' was the second. It reached number 6 in the US Billboard Hot 100 and number 55 in the UK singles chart.

Even though I am really impressed with the album as a whole and all the hit singles as well, I do wonder why Jody Watley posed on the sleeve of this single in such a lack of clothes. It doesn't look particularly classy...

My collection: 7" single no. 1749
Found: Record Exchange, London, October 19, 1992
Cost: 60p
Tracks: 'Don't you want me' / 'Don't you want me (radio remix)'

Thursday 30 July 2009

Looking for a new love - Jody Watley

Jody Watley went solo after being part of the band Shalamar for several years. Her debut solo single was 'Looking for a new love', relased in 1987. The single hit number 2 in the US Billboard Hot 100 chart, peaked at number 13 in the UK singles chart and number 36 in the Dutch Top 40.

While listening to a tape of instrumental tracks given to her by producer André Cymone, Watley reflected on a recent sour romantic breakup. Fusing her own feelings of 'I'll show you' with the feel of the track, Watley came up with the basic idea of the song. The released version is the eight-track demo of the song; that way the emotional urgency of Watley's vocal was still intact. Watley's phrase 'Hasta la vista, baby' was later used by Arnold Schwarzenegger in the 1991 film 'Terminator 2: Judgment Day'.

My collection: 7" single no. 1035
Found: Record Exchange, London, October 17, 1989
Cost: 50p
Tracks: 'Looking for a new love' / 'Looking for a new love (acapella)'

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