In 1989 house music burst its way into the popular consciousnesses and the mainstream. Dance acts began to top the charts. No one exemplified this better than Black Box, an Italian team, who took their single Ride On Time to the top of the UK charts at a time when doing that meant selling serious amounts of vinyl. Ride On Time was genius, a huge uptempo dance track, powered like a rock song, and a gateway to rave. The trio behind it- Daniele Davoli, Mirko Limoni and Verlio Semplici- sampled three separate vocal lines, one an unauthorised line by Loleatta Holloway's 1980 single Love Hangover. They sampled Love Unlimited Orchestra too and went out to road test their new song in a club in Italy. Davoli played it in his set, 1000 people on the floor. It cleared the floor. Daniele was heartbroken. His mates told him that it wasn't the record, it was the wrong club. Excellent advice.
After legal action from Loleatta they re- recorded the vocals, an uncredited Heather Small, later of M- People, taking over at the mic. Just to show we were not in indie/ rock land any more where credibility is everything and miming is deception, they hired a model to be the frontperson/ 'singer' for all the TV appearances- of which there were many. Katrin Quinol was as unforgettable miming and dancing as the song itself.
Ian Brown said in an interview at the time that there were only three good records in 1989- his own band's Fool's Gold, Doug Lazy's Let It Roll and Ride On Time. He missed a few I think but he's right to include it.
From Ride On Time it was a short step for many people to the various artists compilation Italia (Dance Music From Italy), a budget price album clad in a distinctive blue sleeve, packed with further gems from the Italian club scene, from the beaches of Rimini and the bars of the Amalfi Coast. Dr. Zharkov, Gino Latino, The Jam Machine, D.F.C. Team, and Psycho Team all contributed more uptempo, piano-led dance music for all your partying needs. And this one, Starlight's Numero Uno, another massive crossover hit.
'Talk is cheap!'
3 comments:
At that time (89-90) I was working in Henley-on-Thames. Posh place full of Tories. There was a nightclub where all the workers went after their shift. The DJ was Judge Dread, who had a couple of minor hits in the 1970's. Everything in the charts that year was Italio House/dance music and this one (Numero Uno_ was an instant banger. Filled the dance floor.
That TOTP appearance is unforgettable.
Ride on Time is a Medd Towers staple; it never fails to get the pulse racing.
JM
Post a Comment