Anna G - G'Ding - G'Ding (Do You Wanna Wanna?) (1990)

So, I FINALLY got to thinking about ripping something for this blog again, and this release was at the top of a pile. I figured a song as trashily delicious as this, a sort of euro-house/acid house hybrid, was perfect.  I had tried to find info on Anna G many years ago and came up empty. However, as I was ripping the record this past weekend, I realized that the lady on the cover looked oddly familiar.  Then I considered the name.  It finally occurred to me that Anna G is British beauty Anna Garcia!  I had never heard of Anna Garcia until recently, due to the unfortunate passing of my idol Prince. She was mentioned in an article about attendees of his memorial.  Apparently she dated and lived with him in the late 1980s, and he gave her the name Anna Fantastic. I immediately scoured the internet to find more info about her, shocked that I had never heard of her, considering how obsessed I was with all of Prince's 'women' as a young'un.  I found her on Facebook and saw a brief video clip she posted with her version of Isle postee Carmen Electra's amazing "Fantasia Erotica", shocked to discover that she co-wrote and recorded it first for a proposed female trio also called Anna Fantastic.  Further research revealed that she later joined another female group called La Switch, who released a couple of singles in 1995, "Kiss Me Baby" and "Never Let You Go!", and the dance music collective Positive Connextion.  It also revealed that in 1988 she had released a song, before she met Prince, using the moniker Sheree, the Italo-dance hit "Ronnie - Talk To Russia!", which I was already familiar with.  Even more bizarre, it was not a remake of the Prince track of the same name from his Controversy album, despite the fact that the title is so unique and political.  Perhaps it was somehow responsible for their introduction...  Anyway, I immediately became obsessed with her, regretting that I hadn't heard of her sooner, but thankful to Prince for once again introducing me to a beautiful and mysterious muse, just like he did in my tender years.  (She now occasionally still records - she released a jazz album in 2011 - and is a realtor in Beverly Hills. And still looks fabulous.) Fast forward to this past Saturday.  After ripping the record and relaying this whole story to my boyfriend, I check my Facebook the next day, and who do I get a Facebook friend invitation from but Anna Garcia herself?!  Bizarre coincidence, or divine Princely intervention?  Who knows?  But please enjoy. ;)

Download G'Ding - G'Ding (Do You Wanna Wanna?)

1 G'Ding - G'Ding (Do You Wanna Wanna?) (Energy Mix)
2 G'Ding - G'Ding (Beats & Trumpet)
3 G'Ding - G'Ding (Do You Wanna Wanna?) (Raw Mix)
4 G'Ding - G'Ding (Do You Wanna Wanna?) (Wicked Mix)

The Zummos - An Obsession (Over You) (1985)

I just did a post on the Zummos on The Isle Of Deserted Pop Stars, so head over there for more info.  All I need to say here is that this was their only single, a fun dance-pop number, and it was David Morales' first major remix.  Enjoy!






Download An Obsession (Over You)

1 An Obsession (Over You) (Remixed Version)
2 An Obsession (Over You) (Dub Version)

Spunkadelic - Boomerang (1990)

Here is a 12" I ripped awhile ago but forgot to post.  It is the second single from Spunkadelic's only album Spunk Junk, which I posted on The Isle.  It made a bigger splash than the first single off of the album, just denting the R&B charts in the US, though it is the best song on the album, IMO.  If you love pop-house, this is one for you.





Here is the video.

Download Boomerang

1 Boomerang (12" Boomer Beat)
2 Boomerang (12" Percapella)
3 Boomerang (7" Club)
4 Boomerang (Mega Bass Dub)
5 Boomerang (Club Instrumental)
6 Boomerang (7" Radio)

Stacy Earl - Love Me All Up (1991)

I also featured pop starlet Stacy Earl many years ago on the Isle Of Deserted Pop Stars. This was her first single, and it ended up hitting #26 on the Billboard Hot 100.  It was followed with her biggest hit, "Romeo And Juliet", which hit the top ten.  But this is my fave Stacy track, and it's made even sweeter here with house mixes by the legendary remixers Winston Jones and David Shaw.



Download Love Me All Up

1	Love Me All Up (Extended Dance Mix)
2	Love Me All Up (Percappella)
3	Love Me All Up (Bassappella)
4	Love Me All Up (Dub Version)
5	Love Me All Up (7" Mix)

Lola - Wax The Van (1987)

When digging through my records I came across this gem.  I had no idea I owned this and had never seen or heard it before!  But what a strange treat!  Lola is soul singer Lola Blank, with assistance from 'mutant-disco' legends Arthur Russell (Loose Joints) and her husband Bob Blank (Aural Exciters).  This track keeps up that mutant-disco vibe with a very odd yet horribly catchy club jam.  They released two more tracks as Lola - "I Need More" and "Work It".  I'm so glad I unearthed this unknown treasure in my collection!

Download Wax The Van

1	Wax The Van (Kenny's Club Version)
2	Wax The Van (Cherry's Club)
3	Wax The Van (Radio Edit)
4	Wax The Van (Jon's Dub)

Apollonia - Mismatch (1989)

And once again I went away for some time.  My only excuse is that I never found the time to rip vinyl - until now.  And I'm going to give you a bunch this time!  The first is one of the four singles released off of Apollonia's only album, which I featured on The Isle Of Deserted Pop Stars many years ago.  It's another dance pop gem, given some sassy house mixes.  And it also features the rare non-album track 'You Can't Win'.  Download this and you can!


Download Mismatch

1	Mismatch (Hand In Glove Mix)
2	Mismatch (Reflective Mix)
3	Mismatch (Motor City Mix)
4	You Can't Win

The Reynolds Girls - Get Real (1989)

Liverpudlian sisters Linda and Aisling Reynolds has a huge hit in the UK in 1989 with the divisive "I'd Rather Jack", a Stock, Aitken & Waterman produced song that criticized the stuffy old music critics and DJs who snubbed the current pop music.  Despite its hit status, the girls were dropped from the PWL label, likely due to the contempt the single generated.  They quickly formed their own label and released "Get Real", a similarly poppy house track.  It was a total bomb and the girls disappeared, though sister Linda eventually had a brief stint in a truly horrible euro-house band, Hype.  I think "Get Real" should have been a hit too, however.

Download Get Real

1	Get Real
2	Get Real (Hip House Radio Edit)

Nancy Martinez ‎– Crazy Love (1986)

I recently posted a mega-post on Nancy Martinez on The Isle Of Deserted Pop Stars, and thought I would share one of her lesser-known singles.  "Crazy Love" was produced by Lost Pop Treasures fave Teneen Ali, and co-produced by John Morales and Sergio Munzibai (who also worked with Isle postees Denise Lopez, Candi, and Carrie McDowell, among other bigger pop acts). It was much more pop-oriented than her previous work and was not a hit.  But it's definitely a fun pop track!



Download Crazy Love

1	Crazy Love (Extended Mix)
2	Crazy Love (Dub Mix)
3	Crazy Love (Instrumental)

Jasmin - Gravity (1989)

As promised, here is a second Jasmin track.  It was released a year later than "Body Talk" and appears to be her last single, as neither song was a huge hit.  But at least we can still enjoy them now!  It follows a similar sound to "Body Talk" and is a lot of fun.  Enjoy!






Download Gravity

1		Gravity (Electro Housmatic Mix)
2		Gravity (Newton's Dub)
3		Gravity (Foley's Club Mix)
4		Gravity (Club Mix)
5		Gravity (7" Edit)

Jasmin - Body Talk (1988)

FINALLY, I'm back on this blog! It's been almost a year and a half since my last post!  Luckily I had a three year warranty on my turntable and finally replaced it.  So hopefully I'll be able to share quite a few new gems in the new year.  Let's start with two songs by Jasmin.  I know very little about her, as there are a ton of artists who have went by that name over the years.  But I do know that she released a single in 1984 called "Get Up And Dance" as well as an album of the same name, which you can preview and buy on iTunes or Amazon (for some reason an 'e' was added to the end of her name for the album only).  I only recently heard "Get Up And Dance" and recognized from the voice that it is the same woman that sings this, her first single four years later on CBS Associated.  The original version stays with the freestylish sound of her other single from 1984, "Stop (Before You Break My Heart)" , while the house and Euro mixes do indeed up the house factor.  Enjoy!

Download Body Talk

1		Body Talk (Club Original Mix)
2		Body Talk (Percapella)
1		Body Talk (EURO Mix)
2		Body Talk (House Mix)

Pobi - Dance With Me (1988)

And yet another Canadian rarity. I featured Pobi's only album, released in 1993, some time ago on The Isle Of Deserted Pop Stars. But this was one of her first two releases in 1988. I saw her perform this on the old dance show Electric Circus and I bought it soon after. While her album is more eurohouse, this was a fantastic straight up pop-dance song. The house mix is quite haunting as well.



Download Dance With Me

1		Dance With Me (Dance Mix)
2		Dance With Me (Radio Mix)
3		Dance With Me (Club Mix)
4		Dance With Me (House Mix)

Pobi - Send Me An Angel (1993)

I featured Pobi's album of the same name on The Isle Of Deserted Pop Stars. Go there for what little info I could gather. This was likely her biggest 'hit', a remake of the Real Life song. Enjoy!







Download Send Me An Angel

1		Send Me An Angel (Cocktail Party Mix)
2		Send Me An Angel

Carrie McDowell - Casual Sex (1987)

So, I just featured Carrie McDowell's album on The Isle Of Deserted Pop Stars. Go there for all the details on Carrie. But I happen to have the original version of "Casual Sex", which isn't on the album. A bit different than the more popular remixed version on the album, before they thought to add the 'Uh Uh, No No' to the title. ;) It also includes the awesome funky non-album track "Prove It". Enjoy!



Download Casual Sex

1		Casual Sex (12" Mix)
2		Casual Sex (7" Version)
3		Casual Sex (Instrumental)
4		Prove It

Robey - I Surrender (1986)

Here's another pop gem from 1986 by another artist whose album was featured on The Isle Of Deserted Pop Stars - Robey. As mentioned there, this single was her one and only on her new label, Chrysalis. It's a dance-pop tune in the same vein as those on her previous album. It's unknown whether she was to release a new album on Chrysalis or not, but if the bonus track here, "Paris, Paree", is any indication of the direction the album was to go, it would have been a very strange listen indeed. ;)


Download I Surrender

1		I Surrender
2		I Surrender (Dub Mix)
3		Paris, Paree

Regina - Head On (1986)

I did a post on the Isle Of Deserted Pop Stars early last year on Regina, the lady who had one big hit with the Madonna-esque "Baby Love" in 1986. As I mentioned, two other singles were released off of her album Curiosity, and here is the extended mixes of one of them. "Head On" is very similar to "Baby Love". This mix is very sample-heavy, repeating spoken bits from the song and even having a track, "One Minute Of Head", dedicated to the "Head" in the title.


Download Head On

1		Head On (Vocal 12" Mix)
2		Head On (Vocal Dub Mix)
3		One Minute Of Head

Shirley Lewis - (You Used To Be) Romantic (1988)

I did a post on Shirley Lewis on The Isle Of Deserted Pop Stars some time ago, and mentioned that this single preceded her album on A&M Records and likely led to her album deal. It does not appear on the album, but would have fit well with its poppier side. As my friend Max pointed out, it is a remake of the Jo Joe song from 1987 and is very similar, not surprising considering it was produced by the same team of Jolley/Harris/Jolley, who also wrote it. The remixes here dance it up a bit.


Here is the video.

Download (You Used To Be) Romantic

1		(You Used To Be) Romantic (Some Like It Hot Mix)
2		(You Used To Be) Romantic (The Hot & Bothered Remix)
3		(You Used To Be) Romantic (Romancing The Street Mix)
4		(You Used To Be) Romantic (Terrific Dub)

Kristine Morrell - Been So Long / Walk Away (1992)

I can only assume that Kristine Morrell is a Canadian artist. I cannot find any info on her on the internet, but she did release her first single "Love Thing" on the awesome Canadian house label Blast Records in 1990. It was picked up by MCA Records and released as a promo in 1991, which I have and will hopefully feature in the future - I tried to rip the vinyl but it keeps skipping. :( That is a fun pop house song, and so is "Been So Long", which was released independently in the US. The B side, "Walk Away," is a change of pace, a very sexy mid-tempo funk track. Check out the 8 and a half minute long 'Minneapolis Purple Sex Remix', a hypnotic, trippy and funky ride.

UPDATE:  Found her.  She IS Canadian, she now goes by the name Crystine Morrel and you can read more about here HERE.

Download Been So Long / Walk Away

1		Been So Long (Belgium Dance Remix)
2		Been So Long (Radio Edit)
3		Walk Away (Minneapolis Purple Sex Remix)
4		Walk Away (Radio Sex)

Shari - Sugar Sugar (1987)

Thanks to a request from Jeff on Facebook, I offer you Shari's "Sugar Sugar". Shari, like previous postee Yasmine, is a one-named mystery girl who was produced by Canadian Hi-NRG and freestyle producer Teneen Ali. Also like Yasmine, Shari's single is a Hi-NRG remake, this time of The Archies classic. Unlike Yasmine, Shari did record at least one other single, the better known freestyle song "Stop If You Want My Lovin'", also produced by Teneen Ali, which you can download at Freestyle Rebirth. Thanks for the request, Jeff!

Download Sugar Sugar

1		Sugar Sugar
2		Sugar Sugar (Radio Mix)

Sharon Lee Williams - Your Place Or Mine (1989)

Sharon Lee Williams is well known in the Canadian music industry, but she only ever released one single as a solo artist. She did manage a hit as part of the group Sway and their remake of Ottawan's "Hands Up" in 1987 (which I also mentioned on The Isle in the Chantal Condor post. ;) and contributed vocals to the work of many other artists. Her only solo release was released a couple of years after the Sway hit, and the original is very 80s pop/R&B. The 'Your Place Mix' is a lot faster and has a very Pointer Sisters-ish sound, and the 'My Place Mix" is a lot funkier. But my fave is the 'Percusappella'. Sharon is still involved in the music industry and has even been a vocal coach for Canadian Idol. She currently runs her own vocal coaching company out of Toronto, MusicEnt Productions.

Download Your Place Or Mine

1		Your Place Or Mine (Your Place Mix)
2		Your Place Or Mine (Original 7 Inch)
3		Your Place Or Mine (My Place Mix)
4		Your Place Or Mine (Percusappella)

Sonia Papp - Undercover Lover (1988)

Here is our next Canadian dance diva, Quebec's Sonia Papp. There is very little info available on this little lady, even though she released three albums in 1990s - the first two, in 1990 and 1993, (with the spelling of her first name chanced to Sonya) very dancey pop albums, and the last, in 1993, much more pop rock. I have all three albums and plan on featuring them on The Isle Of Deserted Pop Stars in the future, so I'll leave the details to a minimum here. Suffice it to say, this was her first single, a Hi-NRG number with a light house touch that remains her best known song. It was produced by John Farley, who also worked on Pobi's "Dance With Me", also featured here, and later with Nancy Martinez. Enjoy!

Download Undercover Lover

1		Undercover Lover (Dance Mix)
2		Undercover Lover (Power 45)
3		Undercover Lover (Dub Mix)