Thea "Queen of Clubs" Spreads Disco Love ...and Freemasons Bring the House Down!

"Disco was too great,

and too much fun,

to be gone forever!

It's got to come back someday.

I just hope it will be

in our own lifetimes."

- THE LAST DAYS OF DISCO (1998)

I'm Thea Queen aka "Speedy"

aka "Thea Queen of Clubs."

As you recall I'm Oliver Queen's kid sister
on the superhero television series Arrow.

You might remember my first rave in 2016 on Shady Dell Music & Memories.
Today I'm back to bring you a special rave featuring wall-to-wall disco.
The password to get in is Travolta, but don't be fooled. This isn't the
Saturday Night Fever stuff your granddaddy danced to. It's disco
of the 21st century - EDM - electronic dance music categorized
as Disco House. I'll be spinning a continuous mix of modern
disco ditties to keep you busy boogieing out on the floor.

READY FOR SOME DISCO LOVE ?

The English DJ duo of Russell Small and James

Wiltshire, better known as Freemasons, are

leaders of the 21st century Disco House

movement. They named their act after the

Freemasons Tavern, a favorite 19th century

Brighton pub. Freemasons produce dance

records with lead vocals by guest singers

including the ladies you are about to meet.

Let's get the disco ball rolling and begin

my rave with Brit singer Amanda Wilson

and "Love On My Mind," a retro disco

song that made a run at the UK top 10

in 2005. If the melody and some of the

lyrics sound familiar, it's because the

song samples "This Time Baby," the

1979 disco hit by Jackie Moore. Hit the 

floor as Freemasons featuring Amanda

Wilson perform-- "Love On My Mind!"

"Love On My Mind" - Freemasons ft. Amanda Wilson
(June 2005, from Shakedown, Unmixed and Shakedown 2)

Next on my turntable, The Saturdays, a five member

English-Irish girl group with a long string of electro-

pop dance hits. In the summer of 2013 the Saturdays'

retro themed single "Disco Love," written and pro-

duced by Icelandic producers StopWaitGo, peaked

at #5 on the UK chart and reached the top 10 in

Scotland, Ireland and Hungary. Any day of the

week... if you like disco... you're gonna love

The Saturdays and-- "Disco Love!"

"Disco Love" (Wideboys Remix)
 - The Saturdays (Oct. 2013 single
from album Living For the Weekend)

START VIDEO AT 1:43 MARK!
(Thea's Crossfade/Mix Point)

Let's make a seamless segue to another cool classic

by Freemasons. "When You Touch Me" is a UK

dance floor filler that also reached #3 on the

chart in Belgium. This 'Masons mix features

the vocals of English dance music diva

Katherine Ellis. As you are about to

discover, the excitement meter is

pegged-- "When You Touch Me!"

"When You Touch Me" - Freemasons
feat. Katherine Ellis (June 2008 single
from Oct. 2007 album Unmixed)

START PLAYING VIDEO
AT 52 SEC. MARK!
(Thea's Crossfade/Mix Point)

Haven't stopped dancin' yet... and now let's turn

a double play with two Freemasons singles in a row.

"Watchin'" is a remake of "It's Over Now," recorded

in 1998 by Canadian R&B singer Deborah Cox.

Once again the lead vocals come from the

powerful pipes of English thrush Amanda

Wilson. Released in 2006, "Watchin'"

shot to #1 on the U.S. Dance Club

chart. Let's hit the floor like

never before as Amanda

performs-- "Watchin'!"

"Watchin" - Freemasons ft. Amanda Wilson
Feb./Mar. 2006, highest chart pos.
#1 Hot Dance Club)

START VIDEO AT 22 SEC. MARK!
(Thea's Crossfade/Mix Point)

Did I say double play? How about a Freemasons

triple play with another great disco record by the

house production duo, another track from their

second album Unmixed and another exciting

performance by guest vocalist Amanda Wilson.

Singing a song derived from Donna Summer's

smash hit "I Feel Love," Amanda gives us--

"I Feel Like!"

"I Feel Like" - Freemasons
featuring Amanda Wilson

Factor23 Remix Redux Ver.
(from Oct. 2007 album Unmixed)

START VIDEO AT 3:26 MARK!
(Thea's Crossfade/Mix Point)

Holy cow - it's a Freemasons quadruple play! In 2007

UK singer Bailey Tzuke sang lead on a reworking of

"Univited," a 1998 hit for Canadian rocker Alanis

Morissette. Moody, mysterious and hauntingly

beautiful, "Uninvited" gets under your skin.

Set to a driving beat by Freemasons, the

updated single was a dance club hit in

the UK and across Europe. You are

cordially uninvited to click at the

22 sec. mark and be swept away

by-- Bailey Tzuke!

"Uninvited" - Freemasons ft. Bailey Tzuke

(Oct. 2007, highest chart pos. #8 UK,
 #5 Netherlands,#2 Belgium, from
Oct. 2007 album Unmixed and
June 2009 album Shakedown 2)

START VIDEO AT 22 SEC. MARK!
(Thea's Crossfade/Mix Point)

Last call for alcohol and the last dance of my Disco Love

rave party. In the 1990s this Brit bird fronted an indie

rock band. In the 2000s, as a solo artist, she became

popular for her dance-pop, disco and nu-disco record.

"Murder On the Dancefloor," a single from her 2001

debut album Read My Lips, was an international hit,

the most played song in Europe the following year.

Jump to the 50 sec. mark of the vid and celebrate

the endless summer of eternal youth with--

Miss Sophie Ellis-Bextor!

"Murder On the Dancefloor" (Remix)
Sophie Ellis-Bextor (Dec. 2001 single,
unreleased in U.S., highest chart pos.

#1 Poland, #2 UK, New Zealand, Ireland,
Norway, Hungary, from Aug. 2001
album Read My Lips)

START VIDEO AT 50 SEC. MARK!
(Thea's Crossfade/Mix Point)

"Disco will never be over.

It will always live

in our minds and hearts."

- THE LAST DAYS OF DISCO (1998)

I hope you enjoyed the Disco Love I spread at

Thea's Rave No. 2.

This is Thea "Queen of Clubs"

saying goodbye for now.

Be sure to catch me on Arrow

now playing on The CW and Netflix,

and I'll be back soon with more def dance ditties

here at Shady's Place Music & Memories.

See ya!

Viva Lost Wages! Time to SCHWING Along with Wayne and Garth in Wayne's World!

BOOTH ANNOUNCER: YOU'RE WATCHING CABLE 10,

AURORA, ILLINOIS, PUBLIC-ACCESS CHANNEL.

WAYNE'S WORLD!

WAYNE'S WORLD!

PARTY TIME!   EXCELLENT!

Wassup, I'm your excellent host, Wayne Campbell,

and this is my co-host and best friend, Garth Algar.

Party on, Wayne! Party on, Garth! Okay!

Before we start the show, I have a news flash...

a bummer bulletin: I still live with my parents
...and it sucks.

Yeah, it sucks big time.

It bites! It hurls, man!

Be that as it may, Garth and I have learned to

survive on heavy metal and the foxes of babedom.

Babes RULE!

Especially ROBO babes!

Robobabes are the

Grey Poupon of the

female species.

S C H W I N G !

Okay, so metal is king, on that we can all agree,

but Garth and I recently discovered an old dude

who is a lot cooler than previously thought.

We'd like to introduce him.

Game on!

His name is Wayne Newton aka Mr. Las Vegas...

aka The Midnight Idol...aka Mr. Entertainment.

Okay, most definitely cool so far.

Wayne is originally from Roanoke, Virginia,

which is almost as cool as Aurora, Illinois.

Yeah, and he's best known as the

dude who sang "Danke Schoen."

 "Danke Schoen" - Wayne Newton 

 (Aug. 1963, highest chart pos. 
 #12 Cash Box/#13 Hot 100) 

I don't speak German

...but I'm pretty sure

"Danke Schoen" translates to

"wham bam thank you ma'am."

No way! Uh-hway!

"Danke Schoen" is an okay song if you happen to

be over the age of 99, but Wayne recorded some

buzzworthy tuneage in his day and we'd like you

to check it out, starting with the excellent B side

of that single, "Better Now Than Later."

 "Better Now Than Later" - Wayne Newton 

 (Aug. 1963, B side of "Danke Schoen") 

The next featured Newton number

is a song co-written by another

most excellent dude... Bobby Darin.

You can tell because it sounds
like Bobby's hit "Dream Lover."

Check it out. Here's the velvet

voice of Wayne Newton singing

"Dream Baby."

 "Dream Baby" - Wayne Newton 

 (Feb. 1964, B side of "I'm Looking 
 Over a Four Leaf Clover", from 
 1989 Collectors Series) 

That song belongs in

a David Lynch movie.

Just sayin'...

Okay, the cavalcade of cool tuneage

continues with a track from the Waynester's

1965 album Red Roses For a Blue Lady.

This one's called "They'll Never Know."

 "They'll Never Know" - Wayne Newton 

 (from 1965 album Red Roses For a Blue Lady) 

The pride of Vegas pegged the excellence meter

with this next platter. Co-written by Beach Boy

Bruce Johnston, "Someone's Ahead of You"

got lost as the B side of the Bobby Darin

penned song "Shirl Girl".

 "Someone's Ahead of You" - Wayne Newton 

 (Nov. 1963, B side of "Shirl Girl") 

Whoa!...is Wayne Newton the American
ambassador to Cooldonia, or what?

I'm not worthy

to listen to such

coolness!

I'm not worthy to take out

Wayne's trash after he

partied all night long

with a bus load of

robobabe groupie foxes.

I'm not even worthy

to breathe the air on

the same planet!

Okay, so just when you thought

you heard it all, the Vegas legend

takes coolness to a whole new level.

In 1965 Wayne surprised fans by making a rare shift
in style to a Beach Boys inspired sound. His single,

"Coming On Too Strong," co-written by SoCal

surf/car scene stalwart Gary Usher, will remind

you of the Beach Boys song "Don't Worry Baby."

The recording relies heavily on support vocals by

Beach Boy Bruce Johnston and producer-arranger

Terry Melcher, son of actress Doris Day.  Only a

minor hit at the time, "Coming On Too Strong"

is today regarded as a lost gem of the genre.

 "Coming On Too Strong" aka "Comin' On Too Strong" 
 - Wayne Newton (Feb. 1965, highest chart pos. #65) 

Totally bitchin, agreed?

Thanks, Bruce and Terry!

Thanks, Gary!

Danke Schoen, Wayne!

And there you have it, the story of how

Vegas crooner Wayne Newton turned

into the poster boy for coolosity.

Like, who knew? As if! No way!

Uh-hway!

So for now this is Wayne Campbell along with

Garth Algar saying goodnight and party on!

Party on, Wayne!  Party on, Garth!

IT'S WAYNE'S WORLD!

WAYNE'S WORLD!

PARTY TIME!  EXCELLENT!

Can We Be Frank With Each Other, Vern? ...or Would You Rather Be Ernest?

Hey there, Vern. Guess who?

I'll give ya three stabs at it

and the first two don't count.

That's right, it's me, your old buddy

Ernest P. Worrell!

Hey Vern, you look a little green around the gills today,
know what I mean? Git hold of a bad batch of moonshine?

Guess what, Vern. I'm back to spin more hep cat tunes
and sip Meller Yeller while I watch you paint your barn.

Taint none of my beeswax, Vern, but it
looks like you missed a spot over yonder.

Alrighty then, it's time for me to stop fiddlin' around and
start playing some grade A rockabilly and early rock 'n' roll!

 TED DAIGLE 

Ted Daigle is one of the founding fathers of Canadian country.
Ever since the mid 50s Ted has been promoting country music as a

performer, as a radio personality and as a music and program director
at stations across Canada. My first spinner is "Rock 'N' Roll Ruby,"
first recorded in 1956 by rockabilly singer Warren Smith. The song-
writing credit on this one went to Johnny Cash, but Smith claimed
the song was actually written by George Jones and sold to Cash.
Taint here nor there. Let's listen to Canadian Country Music
Hall Of Famer Ted Daigle with his 1961
cover of "Rock 'N' Roll Ruby."

"Rock 'N' Roll Ruby" - Ted Daigle

{1961, B side of 'When She Said

You All (Aka "Yo-All")'}

 JOHNNY CARROLL 

 AND HIS HOT ROCKS 

Now here's a good old Texas boy, Johnny Carroll. Johnny and his Hot Rocks
band also did a cover of "Rock 'N' Roll Ruby" on their second single
released in May 1956. A year later Johnny and his posse exploded
in the teenage crime musical movie Rock Baby - Rock It
singing "Rockin' Maybelle" (aka "Rockin' Maybel")
followed  by another ripsnorter, "Sugar Baby!"

"Rockin' Maybelle"/"Sugar Baby" - Johnny Carroll

And His Hot Rocks (from May 1957 film Rock Baby - Rock It)

 JOHNNY RIVERS 

"It Won't Happen With Me" was originally recorded in 1961 by
The Killer - Jerry Lee Lewis. The song begins with the lines:

You say you could fall in love with Elvis

And you love to hear Jacky (Jackie) Wilson sing

In 1964 Johnny Rivers sang the song on an album recorded
live At The Whisky À Go-Go. Johnny updated the song by
dropping the reference to Jackie Wilson and inserting
the hottest band in the world - The Beatles:

You say you could fall in love with Elvis

And you say you like to hear The Beatles sing

Johnny also changed the title to "It Wouldn't Happen With Me."
Wait for it, Vern-- Heeeeeere's Johnny!

"It Wouldn't Happen With Me" - Johnny Rivers

(from 1964 album Johnny Rivers At The Whisky À Go-Go)

 EDDIE COCHRAN 

Up next is rock 'n' roll and rockabilly great Eddie Cochran. Eddie first
performed a song he co-wrote, "20 Flight Rock," in the comedy film
The Girl Can't Help It released to theaters just before Christmas in
1956. The following spring, "20 Flight Rock" hit the street as a
single but failed to chart. Let's have a look and a listen as
Eddie takes the stage and wows the crowd in the movie.

"20 Flight Rock" - Eddie Cochran

(scene from Dec. 1956 movie

The Girl Can't Help It)

SONG STARTS AT 35 SEC. MARK!

 KITTY WELLS & RED FOLEY 

Now let's go way back and listen to an old school country record requested
by Shady Del Knight. In the mid 50s, when Shady was just a tadpole,
his pappy played this one around the house. It's a duet featuring a
couple of country music pioneers, Kitty Wells and Red Foley,
singing a song about cheatin' hearts. It's called "One By One."

"One By One" - Kitty Wells And Red Foley

(May/June 1954, highest chart pos. #1 Country)

 TOMMY ROE 

In the fall of '58 rockabilly singer Robin Luke went top 5 with "Susie Darlin'."
Tommy Roe is another boy who can really croon a tune. Early in Tommy's
career, before he switched to bubblegum pop, Tommy rocked and rolled

with the best of 'em. In the fall of '62 Tommy cracked the top 40 with
 a cover of "Susie Darlin'" that made a run at the top 10 in Australia. 

"Susie Darlin'" - Tommy Roe

(Sept./Oct. 1962, highest chart pos.

#35 Hot 100/#21 Canada/#13 Australia)

 BUDDY HOLLY 

Hard to believe it's been more than 60 years since that plane went down
and we lost music legend Buddy Holly. In late 1957 Buddy and his band

The Crickets, hit the top 3 on the pop chart with "Peggy Sue," a rockin'
little record listed as one of The Greatest Songs of All Time and one of
the Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll. Hey, Vern, I'll bet you never

heard the "enhanced" version of "Peggy Sue" that I'm fixin' to play.
It's the original with extra instrumental backing tracks added to
the mix, including acoustic & electric guitar, piano, snare drum,
cymbals and tambourine. Here's the new "Peggy Sue!"

"Peggy Sue" (new enhanced ver.) - Buddy Holly

(Nov./Dec. 1957, highest chart pos. #3)

Hey, guess what, Vern...

I'll be back real soon with another batch of tunes
for your high school hop or heartland hoedown.

Till then don't take any wooden nickels,

and don't do anything I wouldn't do.

Know what I mean, Vern?

Best of Bandstands in Foreign Lands - Vol. 12: Shame, Shame, Shame On You!

Welcome to volume 12

of my globetrotting series

BANDSTANDS IN

FOREIGN LANDS!

I'm Shady Seaweed,

here to bring you

more great music
performances that

originated from TV

studios, big halls
and nightclubs in

Europe and other

parts of the world

from the 1960s
thru early 2000s.

Join me now for another exciting

trip back in time as we visit

Bandstands in

Foreign Lands!

 PAT BENATAR 

ROCK POP

MUNICH, GERMANY (ZDF)

The first stop on our Biffle tour is Munich, Germany, and a bandstand
called Rock Pop - a rock music TV series that aired in Deutschland
from 1978 through 1982. Appearing on the show in this vintage
clip is Brooklyn born rock singer Pat Benatar performing her
breakthrough single that spent four-and-a-half months
on the U.S. charts - "Heartbreaker."

"Heartbreaker" - Pat Benatar

(Mar. 1980, highest chart pos. #23 Hot 100,
#19 Cash Box#16 Canada, from Aug. 1979 album
In the Heat of the Night, perf. on TV show Rock Pop)

 STEVE MILLER 

 (LEGS & CO) 

TOP OF THE POPS

LONDON, ENGLAND

Let's keep on rockin' now as we switch to Merrie Olde England
and a song classic of the mid 70s, "Rock'n Me," one of the three
 chart-topping hit singles recorded by blues rocker Steve Miller
 and his band. Here with every intention of rock'n you, are the

fetching females of the dance troupe Legs & Co on the
British television music show Top Of The Pops.

"Rock'n Me" - Steve Miller

(Oct./Nov. 1976, highest chart pos. #1 Hot 100,

#1 Canada/#11 UK, dance perf. by

Legs & Co on Top Of The Pops)

 GENE PITNEY 

BEAT-CLUB

BREMEN, WEST GERMANY

Our next Biffle bandstand is back in Deutschland - Bremen, Germany, to be exact,
and the stage of the TV series Beat-Club. That's where we find American pop
crooner Gene Pitney ready to sing "Something's Gotten Hold of My Heart,"
a song originally recorded by the English pop duo David And Jonathan.
Released as a single in the fall of 1967, Gene's version reached the
top 5 in the UK but merely Bubbled Under on the U.S. chart.
Gene achieved greater success with the song in early 1989
when he waxed it as a duet with Brit artist Marc Almond.
Their single spent 4 weeks at the top of the UK chart.
Let's press rewind, return to the 60s, and catch
Gene's performance of the song on Beat-Club.

"Something's Gotten Hold Of My Heart" - Gene Pitney

(Oct to Dec. 1967, highest chart pos. #5 UK,

#130 U.S. Bubbling Under, perf. on Beat-Club)

 TINA CHARLES 

TOPPOP

HOLLAND, THE NETHERLANDS

Next our whirlwind world tour takes us to Holland for a great performance
by Tina Charles, an English songstress who became a disco queen of
the mid and late 70s. Tina is set to appear on the music TV show
TopPop and sing her signature song, the international hit
"I Love to Love (But My Baby Loves to Dance)."

"I Love to Love (But My Baby Loves to Dance)"

Tina Charles (Mar./Apr. 1976, highest chart
pos. #2 U.S. Disco/#1 UK & Ireland, perf.
on TopPop TV show, The Netherlands)

 SHIRLEY (AND COMPANY) 

TOPPOP

HOLLAND, THE NETHERANDS

Let's stay right where we are in The Netherlands and the Dutch TV

music showcase TopPop. Performing next are Shirley (And Company),

a disco group from the U.S. featuring lead singers Shirley Goodman,

formerly one half of the 50s R&B duo Shirley & Lee, along with male

vocalist Jesus Alvarez who later became an ordained minister. They are

here to do their international hit single "Shame, Shame, Shame" a song

written by Sylvia Robinson, "The Mother of Hip–Hop" and founder
of Sugar Hill Records. "Shame, Shame, Shame" hit number one
 in The Netherlands and four other countries including the U.S.
where it topped the Disco and R&B charts. Without further
ado, here they are-- Shirley... (And Company!

"Shame Shame Shame" - Shirley (And Company)

(Mar. 1975, highest chart pos. #12 Hot 100/#8 Cash Box,

# 1 U.S. Dance & R&B/#1 Netherlands, Austria, Belgium

and Germany, perf. on Dutch TV show TopPop)

 PRINCESS 

TOP OF THE POPS

LONDON, ENGLAND

The name Desiree Heslop didn't exactly roll off the tongue.
That's why this English thrush changed her name to Princess.
Back to London we go to check out Princess appearing on
Top Of The Pops to sing the biggest hit of her career,
"Say I'm Your Number One," a single that peaked
at #2 in Germany and New Zealand and made
the top 20 on the R&B chart in the U.S.

"Say I'm Your Number One" - Princess

 (Sept./Oct./Nov. 1985, highest chart pos.

#7 UK/#2 Germany & New Zealand,

#19 U.S. R&B, perf. on Top Of The Pops)

I hope you enjoyed vol. 12 of

BANDSTANDS IN

FOREIGN LANDS!

Stay tuned for the next

edition coming soon.

Have a Shady day!