“Lovin’ Is Really My Game” sounds really familiar but I’m not convinced I’ve ever heard it before.
In a way it’s sad that they accidentally dropped into the middle of a developing genre. Not sad that they had the hit, but that when their follow up (which was presumably their typical sound) didn’t do as well, it sounds like they changed their sound on the next record to try to capture the same success but the genre had moved on. I wonder how much that one hit changed where their music would have gone organically if they hadn’t had the hit.
That’s a very difficult “What If…?” question to answer, Mark 😁
Brainstorm is, of course, part of a broader story. At the time, many African American artists were struggling to fully embrace the disco scene, which often limited their success on the dancefloor. Brainstorm’s story is a good example of that.
Another factor was the label. Tabu Records would go on to become a major force in the eighties with artists like the S.O.S. Band and Alexander O’Neal, but in 1976-77 they were still finding their feet. Their distribution deal with RCA was probably fairly standard for the period and not necessarily the strongest foundation for building a long-term career.
All of which is a long way of saying that I don’t think Brainstorm ever really stood much of a chance. They were in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Haha… and I didn’t know the 2000s namesake, so it looks like we both learned something new. The more recent version isn’t bad at all, but I’m with you, I still prefer the seventies original 😁. Then again, hearing me say anything different would probably come as a shock!
Thanks for reading and taking the time to comment, Diggin’ It. Have a great week!
They were huge in some countries in Europe in early 2000s. They’re not bad, but I heard this song way too many times on the radio. Thanks, have a great week too!
Never heard of Brainstorm, which goes to prove your argument that the story of the dancefloors of Detroit in between Motown and Techno has been largely ignored; I look forward to finding out more. Reminds me of when dance music histories used to jump straight from Disco to House, with scant regard for anything in between. That gap has been filled in recent years by books such as Life and Death on the New York Dancefloor and 1984: the Year Pop Went Queer, although there's certainly more to be said.
I couldn’t agree more, Paul. In fact, that’s one of the biggest reasons I started this newsletter 😁 Thanks so much for reading and sharing your thoughts. Have a great Sunday!
This was so informative, Pe. Your research skills are something else. I particularly liked how you got to the crux of the matter by explaining how the record managed to capture the best of both worlds, both artistically and commercially. Incredibly insightfui. Can't wait for Side B!
Thanks for the continued support, Andy. It really means a lot. I hope you enjoy the B-Side. The two parts seem to be turning into communicating vessels, a little shorter on the A-Side and a little longer on the B-Side 😁. I’d love to hear what you think. Have a great weekend!
I had completely forgotten about this one, Kevin. It just goes to show that I really need to do a cover-version check every time to make sure I haven’t missed any. The Ann Nesby version is indeed a strong one, very much from that late-’90s, early-2000s Nu-Disco era. I actually have it on one of those famous Disco Kandy compilations. Thanks for reminding me of it!
My familiarity with post peak-Motown Detroit music revolves around the Creem magazine orbit (MC5, Stooges, etc.). Thanks for showing me another angle of a great music city and time period, Pé!
I just published the B-Side and originally planned to include a section on Detroit’s non-disco evolution, which is a fascinating story in its own right. But when I realised the complete write-up had already crossed the 20-minute reading mark, I decided to leave it out 😂.
I’m sure I’ll come back to it at some point. Detroit is such an interesting music city, yet it often gets reduced to Motown and Techno, with the rich musical period in between receiving far less attention than it deserves.
Thanks for reading and reacting, Matt. Have a great weekend!
Haha, that’s exactly why I’m here. This one was a bit of a deeper dive. It was actually suggested by one of the subscribers, but in the process it led me to discover a fascinating chapter in Detroit’s musical history that I knew far less about than I should have.
Thanks for reading and reacting, Dan. Have a great weekend!
I have LIRMG and it is one of my absolute favourite dance tracks. It was covered a few years ago but I can't remember by whom but was not as good as the original IMO.
One of the other readers came up with the answer, Anthony: Ann Nesby.
By the way, wasn’t it you who suggested Brainstorm as a track to cover? I know it was one of the readers, but I can’t remember exactly who. Either way, it turned out to be a lot of fun to research and write about. And, of course, it’s such a fantastic track and an absolute dream to work into a mixtape.
Thanks for reading and reacting, Anthony. Have a great weekend!
That's really interesting about the BPMs positioning a song to succeed (or not) in a particular market. Great insight, Pe.
Thanks, Ellen. I really appreciate it. Thanks for reading and for taking the time to react. Have a wonderful weekend!
“Lovin’ Is Really My Game” sounds really familiar but I’m not convinced I’ve ever heard it before.
In a way it’s sad that they accidentally dropped into the middle of a developing genre. Not sad that they had the hit, but that when their follow up (which was presumably their typical sound) didn’t do as well, it sounds like they changed their sound on the next record to try to capture the same success but the genre had moved on. I wonder how much that one hit changed where their music would have gone organically if they hadn’t had the hit.
That’s a very difficult “What If…?” question to answer, Mark 😁
Brainstorm is, of course, part of a broader story. At the time, many African American artists were struggling to fully embrace the disco scene, which often limited their success on the dancefloor. Brainstorm’s story is a good example of that.
Another factor was the label. Tabu Records would go on to become a major force in the eighties with artists like the S.O.S. Band and Alexander O’Neal, but in 1976-77 they were still finding their feet. Their distribution deal with RCA was probably fairly standard for the period and not necessarily the strongest foundation for building a long-term career.
All of which is a long way of saying that I don’t think Brainstorm ever really stood much of a chance. They were in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Thanks for reading and reacting, Mark!
Thanks for sharing Pé! I gotta say I didn't know this Brainstorm and I think I like them better than their 2000s namesake:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J-CmEbXH90M
Haha… and I didn’t know the 2000s namesake, so it looks like we both learned something new. The more recent version isn’t bad at all, but I’m with you, I still prefer the seventies original 😁. Then again, hearing me say anything different would probably come as a shock!
Thanks for reading and taking the time to comment, Diggin’ It. Have a great week!
They were huge in some countries in Europe in early 2000s. They’re not bad, but I heard this song way too many times on the radio. Thanks, have a great week too!
Never heard of Brainstorm, which goes to prove your argument that the story of the dancefloors of Detroit in between Motown and Techno has been largely ignored; I look forward to finding out more. Reminds me of when dance music histories used to jump straight from Disco to House, with scant regard for anything in between. That gap has been filled in recent years by books such as Life and Death on the New York Dancefloor and 1984: the Year Pop Went Queer, although there's certainly more to be said.
I couldn’t agree more, Paul. In fact, that’s one of the biggest reasons I started this newsletter 😁 Thanks so much for reading and sharing your thoughts. Have a great Sunday!
Pe, you never cease to amaze me. Your research and commentary are always terrific.
Thank you so much, Tamara. That’s a compliment I’ll cherish. Thanks for reading and for taking the time to react. Have a wonderful weekend!
This was so informative, Pe. Your research skills are something else. I particularly liked how you got to the crux of the matter by explaining how the record managed to capture the best of both worlds, both artistically and commercially. Incredibly insightfui. Can't wait for Side B!
Thanks for the continued support, Andy. It really means a lot. I hope you enjoy the B-Side. The two parts seem to be turning into communicating vessels, a little shorter on the A-Side and a little longer on the B-Side 😁. I’d love to hear what you think. Have a great weekend!
It was covered almost 30 years ago by Ann Nesby, although it took years after its initial promotion to receive a commercial release.
And her cover was so much better.
I had completely forgotten about this one, Kevin. It just goes to show that I really need to do a cover-version check every time to make sure I haven’t missed any. The Ann Nesby version is indeed a strong one, very much from that late-’90s, early-2000s Nu-Disco era. I actually have it on one of those famous Disco Kandy compilations. Thanks for reminding me of it!
My familiarity with post peak-Motown Detroit music revolves around the Creem magazine orbit (MC5, Stooges, etc.). Thanks for showing me another angle of a great music city and time period, Pé!
I just published the B-Side and originally planned to include a section on Detroit’s non-disco evolution, which is a fascinating story in its own right. But when I realised the complete write-up had already crossed the 20-minute reading mark, I decided to leave it out 😂.
I’m sure I’ll come back to it at some point. Detroit is such an interesting music city, yet it often gets reduced to Motown and Techno, with the rich musical period in between receiving far less attention than it deserves.
Thanks for reading and reacting, Matt. Have a great weekend!
Another group/song I am unfamiliar with but then I wasn't going to the clubs in the late 70s so I missed out!
Haha, that’s exactly why I’m here. This one was a bit of a deeper dive. It was actually suggested by one of the subscribers, but in the process it led me to discover a fascinating chapter in Detroit’s musical history that I knew far less about than I should have.
Thanks for reading and reacting, Dan. Have a great weekend!
I have LIRMG and it is one of my absolute favourite dance tracks. It was covered a few years ago but I can't remember by whom but was not as good as the original IMO.
One of the other readers came up with the answer, Anthony: Ann Nesby.
By the way, wasn’t it you who suggested Brainstorm as a track to cover? I know it was one of the readers, but I can’t remember exactly who. Either way, it turned out to be a lot of fun to research and write about. And, of course, it’s such a fantastic track and an absolute dream to work into a mixtape.
Thanks for reading and reacting, Anthony. Have a great weekend!
I do believe it was indeed me!
👍