whoah, belated and supposedly a bit far fetched but in the name of ART I would have somehow between the lines mention FRANK CHICKENS, say at least sticking up them as YMO’s countrywomen, “We Are Ninja” ( aren’t we??? ), vive le ‘comedy new wave’ genre / nonetheless merci bien for that very passage of yours, à bientôt
Haha, you’re right, Uncle Maxie, they’re another great example of that Japan-to-UK crossover. I really should dig into them a bit more. Thanks for reading and reacting!
One of the reasons for the importance of the Blitz Club was that the dancefloor choices by Rusty Egan helped broaden tastes here in the UK beyond the world of Anglo-US pop. This led to the groundbreaking promotion of Japanese pop in the UK for the first time, largely by CBS if I remember correctly. I bought BGM as a result; a striking album, underrated in my opinion. Ballet was written by Yukihiro Takahashi; do you know his solo albums? Neuromantic from 1982 is a favourite, largely because of the unmistakable synth contributions from New Music's Tony Mansfield, my favourite producer of the eighties.
Totally agree on the BGM album, it’s probably my favorite YMO record too. I’m not that familiar with Takahashi’s solo work, but I noticed the album you mentioned features not just Tony Mansfield, but also Phil Manzanera, Andy Mackay, and the other two YMO members. Definitely going to give it a listen. Thanks for the tip, Paul, and have a great weekend!
Fantastic read. I happen to know this song well because Mariah was going to sample it for her 2001 single "Loverboy" but Tommy Mottola, her ex-husband and the president of the label she had just left, stole her idea and gave it to Jennifer Lopez (hence the famous "I don't know her" quote that broke the internet). I love the song but I'll always associate it with that sad memory as a diehard Mariah fan. I wish the sample idea hadn't been stolen from her!
I loved finding out more about the band behind it as I knew very little about them.
That’s something I didn’t know! Do you remember which song J.Lo used it in? I’m curious to hear how they worked it in, since it’s such a peculiar song. Thanks for reading, sharing, and reacting, Andy. Wishing you a great weekend!
JLo’s song is “I’m Real”. And then for the remix, she and Mottola also stole the idea of featuring Ja Rule. It was a huge thing for the Mariah fan community at the time. No wonder Mariah had a physical and emotional breakdown! They were literally sabotaging their career
Tommy Mottola was never exactly known as a nice guy, Andy, that much I already knew. Definitely one of those who earned the name ‘shark.’ I didn’t know this story though, and credit to Mariah for turning the mess into fertilizer (as she put it 😁). Loverboy is such a great track. Funny thing is, I had never noticed the sample in J.Lo’s I’m Real until now. I went back to listen and suddenly it stood out 😁. Maybe it’s just because I know the backstory, but it feels a bit off, like it was pushed into the background rather than really fitting.
Exactly. He really did behave like a mafioso. He could go places for you when you were on his side, but there was a huge price to pay. In Mariah’s case, it was just a big heavy mess, because on top of the professional relationship, there was a romantic relationship and marriage (controlling, abusive, but as per her own admission, hypnotic, symbiotic and highly addictive). I agree JLo’s track is meh. Here is the “original” Loverboy with the Firecracker sample if you’re curious: https://youtu.be/KBk5pjzBWBU?si=twNceCOu0mrIx4TT
Honestly, I prefer the hit version. The sample fits Mariah’s track much better, though I think Cameo was the stronger choice overall. What do you think?
I agree. Loverboy is quite lighthearted melodically, so I think the Cameo sample gave it a rough edge that fits quite nicely. I think as the child I was at the time, the Firecracker version would have been easier for me to “understand”, but now as an adult, I much prefer the Candy version. So does Mariah, actually! Crazy she had to redo everything (clear new sample, re-record vocals, re-produce everything etc.) but it paid off!
Before diving into this research, I hadn’t realized how different Japan’s economy was from ours and America’s at that time, it really was another world. Thanks for reading and sharing your thoughts, Dan! Wishing you a great weekend.
whoah, belated and supposedly a bit far fetched but in the name of ART I would have somehow between the lines mention FRANK CHICKENS, say at least sticking up them as YMO’s countrywomen, “We Are Ninja” ( aren’t we??? ), vive le ‘comedy new wave’ genre / nonetheless merci bien for that very passage of yours, à bientôt
Haha, you’re right, Uncle Maxie, they’re another great example of that Japan-to-UK crossover. I really should dig into them a bit more. Thanks for reading and reacting!
One of the reasons for the importance of the Blitz Club was that the dancefloor choices by Rusty Egan helped broaden tastes here in the UK beyond the world of Anglo-US pop. This led to the groundbreaking promotion of Japanese pop in the UK for the first time, largely by CBS if I remember correctly. I bought BGM as a result; a striking album, underrated in my opinion. Ballet was written by Yukihiro Takahashi; do you know his solo albums? Neuromantic from 1982 is a favourite, largely because of the unmistakable synth contributions from New Music's Tony Mansfield, my favourite producer of the eighties.
Totally agree on the BGM album, it’s probably my favorite YMO record too. I’m not that familiar with Takahashi’s solo work, but I noticed the album you mentioned features not just Tony Mansfield, but also Phil Manzanera, Andy Mackay, and the other two YMO members. Definitely going to give it a listen. Thanks for the tip, Paul, and have a great weekend!
Fantastic read. I happen to know this song well because Mariah was going to sample it for her 2001 single "Loverboy" but Tommy Mottola, her ex-husband and the president of the label she had just left, stole her idea and gave it to Jennifer Lopez (hence the famous "I don't know her" quote that broke the internet). I love the song but I'll always associate it with that sad memory as a diehard Mariah fan. I wish the sample idea hadn't been stolen from her!
I loved finding out more about the band behind it as I knew very little about them.
Happy weekend!
That’s something I didn’t know! Do you remember which song J.Lo used it in? I’m curious to hear how they worked it in, since it’s such a peculiar song. Thanks for reading, sharing, and reacting, Andy. Wishing you a great weekend!
JLo’s song is “I’m Real”. And then for the remix, she and Mottola also stole the idea of featuring Ja Rule. It was a huge thing for the Mariah fan community at the time. No wonder Mariah had a physical and emotional breakdown! They were literally sabotaging their career
Here’s a condensed version of the story: https://youtu.be/UJlpJmenS8I?si=zxscwhoCuUSuT6_p
Tommy Mottola was never exactly known as a nice guy, Andy, that much I already knew. Definitely one of those who earned the name ‘shark.’ I didn’t know this story though, and credit to Mariah for turning the mess into fertilizer (as she put it 😁). Loverboy is such a great track. Funny thing is, I had never noticed the sample in J.Lo’s I’m Real until now. I went back to listen and suddenly it stood out 😁. Maybe it’s just because I know the backstory, but it feels a bit off, like it was pushed into the background rather than really fitting.
Exactly. He really did behave like a mafioso. He could go places for you when you were on his side, but there was a huge price to pay. In Mariah’s case, it was just a big heavy mess, because on top of the professional relationship, there was a romantic relationship and marriage (controlling, abusive, but as per her own admission, hypnotic, symbiotic and highly addictive). I agree JLo’s track is meh. Here is the “original” Loverboy with the Firecracker sample if you’re curious: https://youtu.be/KBk5pjzBWBU?si=twNceCOu0mrIx4TT
Honestly, I prefer the hit version. The sample fits Mariah’s track much better, though I think Cameo was the stronger choice overall. What do you think?
I agree. Loverboy is quite lighthearted melodically, so I think the Cameo sample gave it a rough edge that fits quite nicely. I think as the child I was at the time, the Firecracker version would have been easier for me to “understand”, but now as an adult, I much prefer the Candy version. So does Mariah, actually! Crazy she had to redo everything (clear new sample, re-record vocals, re-produce everything etc.) but it paid off!
Interesting. This is all new to me, including Firecracker!
Before diving into this research, I hadn’t realized how different Japan’s economy was from ours and America’s at that time, it really was another world. Thanks for reading and sharing your thoughts, Dan! Wishing you a great weekend.
You too!