Aquarian Dream - "You're a Star / Play It For Me (One More Time)" 12" (1977)

Thought i'd leave the sticker on, though it's better described as 126 bpm

I've got a couple of big posts that are taking too long to prepare, so I thought I'd drop another 12" single on you in the meantime.

We had an extensive look at Norman Connors' jazz life last month with the albums "Dance Of Magic" and Jazz-Nekko's "Live at Nemu Jazz Inn" - the first of those posts has a full Connors discography with blog links.

Today's 12" single features both Norman Connors and Gary Bartz again, but this is a very different record from those other two. The band Aquarian Dream were Connors' pet funky disco project, launched in 1976 with their debut album "Norman Connors presents Aquarian Dream", the same year as Connors hit his commercial peak with his own album "You Are my Starship".

The two tracks on this 12" come from their second album "Fantasy" (1978), though the edits are slightly different from the album versions. The uptempo "You're a Star" has had several lives on the dancefloor, most recently in sped-up, house-ified fashion on Dimitri From Paris' first "Night at the Playboy Mansion" compilation in 2000. Connors himself, and writer Jacques Burvick, also revisited the track on the 1980 "Celestial Sky" album by the Starship Orchestra.

These days I'm more likely to spin the funkier "Play It For Me One More Time", which has a great strong vocal from Gloria Jones and Sylvia Striplin. Fantastic lineup on both of these tracks, check below.

Neither of the first two Aquarian Dream albums were great commercial successes at the time, though their reputation has grown since. They broke their ties with Norman Connors and recorded a third album, "Chance to Dance" (1979) with producer Jeff Lane, best known for his work with B.T. Express and Brass Construction. After the commercial failure of that album they broke up.

Hope you enjoy this one!

** Also, continuing the new explosion of jazz blogs, check out Cheeba's new THE SHAD SHACK - a Mainstream Records Fan Site, for all sorts of funky goodness.

TRACKLIST

1. "You're a Star" (5:30)
2. "Play It For me one More Time" (4:28)

Both tracks written by Aquarian Dream / Jacques Burvick

MUSICIANS

Vocals - Gloria Jones , Marcella Allen , Patricia Shannon , Sylvia Striplin
Backing Vocals - Julia Tillman Waters , Luther Waters , Maxine Willard Waters , Oren Waters
Bass - Eddie Watkins , Ernie Adams
Drums - James Gadson , James Morrison
Fender Rhodes, Micro Moog, Poly Moog, Vocals, Piano - Jacques Burvick
Guitar - Wah Wah Watson , Ray Parker Jr.
Guitar, Vocals, Percussion - Claude Bartee III
Horns - Garnet Brown & The L.A. Horns
Keyboards - Winston Daley
Soprano Saxophone - Gary Bartz
Soprano & Tenor Saxophone, Vocals - Claude Bartee Jr.
Strings - Bill Henderson
Trumpet, Flugelhorn, Vocals - Albert Jones

PRODUCTION CREDITS

Elektra, WEA Records Ltd.
Catalog#: LV 7, LV 7
Executive Producer - Don Mizell
Producer - Norman Connors
Arranged By - Aquarian Dream, McKinley Jackson
Co-producer (1) - Jacques Burvick
Remix Assistant (1) - Bob Bullock , Jimmy Simpson
Assistant To The Producer - Aki Aleong
Mastered By - John Golden
Mixed By - Barney Perkins
Recorded and mixed at ABC Dunhill Studios
Horns and strings recorded at Burbank Studios
Mixed at Burbank Studios
Mastered and remixed at Kendun Studios

POST CREDITS

Vinyl rip by Simon 666.
Album links in this post go to : Baby Grandpa, Blak's Lair, My Jazz World, Black to Blog.
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