With Just A Hint Of Mayhem

Music reviews, gig reviews, fun trivia and extra added random stuff!

Mayhem Gives You 12 Inches… Of Music! “Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood” – Santa Esmeralda Starring Leroy Gómez January 6, 2025

Filed under: Mayhem Gives You 12 Inches — justwilliam1959 @ 10:32 pm
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This is the sixth in the Mayhem 12 Inch single series. I apologise again for the rather smutty, Carry On, double entendre, innuendo title for this feature. Can any of you constant readers think of a better title? But I am quite obviously talking about the 12-inch vinyl single. This series is now a playlist of my favourite 12-inch singles. I used to own many of them on vinyl. There are six songs so far and as they are extended versions that is more than 50 minutes of music! The sixth song is the second longest so far. It clocks in at more than 10 minutes. It is a monumentally glorious cover of “Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood” by Santa Esmeralda (starring Leroy Gómez).

I bought this record while on holiday with my mates in Benidorm, Spain in 1977. I know it is hard to believe, but I was only 18 at the time! Santa Esmeralda were a French-American disco group. The group was created in the studio by French producers Nicolas Skorsky and Jean Manuel de Scarano. The duo recruited Leroy Gómez to sing on their first single, which was “Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood”. Prior to this Gómez had been in other bands. His biggest claim to fame up to that point was that he played sax on “Social Disease.” This track is on Elton John’s 1973 opus ‘Goodbye Yellow Brick Road’. “Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood” was the acts biggest hit. It hit number one in France, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands. It didn’t chart in the UK and only limped to number 8 in Spain where I bought it.

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Mayhem Gives You 12 Inches… Of Music! “Supernature” – Cerrone October 16, 2024

Filed under: Mayhem Gives You 12 Inches — justwilliam1959 @ 10:10 pm
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This is the fifth in the Mayhem 12 Inch single series and I apologise again for the rather smutty, Carry On, double entendre, innuendo title for this feature. Can any of you constant readers think of a better title? But I am quite obviously talking about the 12-inch vinyl single. This series is now a playlist of my favourite 12-inch singles and remixes, many of which I used to own on vinyl. There are five songs so far and as they are extended versions that is more than 40 minutes of music! So far we have had “Do What You Wanna Do” by T-Connection from 1977, “Everybody’s Singin’ Love Songs” by Sweet Thunder, and “You + Me = Love” by the Undisputed Truth, Freeez with an 8-minute take on their huge hit “I.O.U.” from 1983. Now it is the turn of French musical genius Cerrone with a potent mix of his 1977 hit “Supernature” clocking in at just under 10 minutes. The lyrics were written by a young, but originally uncredited, Lene Lovich, and were based on the H.G. Wells novel ‘The Island Of Dr. Moreau’.

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Mayhem Gives You 12 Inches… Of Music! “I.O.U.” – Freeez March 18, 2024

Filed under: Mayhem Gives You 12 Inches — justwilliam1959 @ 9:04 pm
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This is the fourth in the Mayhem 12 Inch single series and I apologise again for the rather smutty, Carry On, double entendre, innuendo title for this feature. Can any of you constant readers think of a better title? But I am quite obviously talking about the 12-inch vinyl single. Eventually, this will build into a playlist of my favourite 12-inch singles and remixes, many of which I used to own on vinyl. There will be a Spotify playlist when the series reaches five songs. So far we have had “Do What You Wanna Do” by T-Connection from 1977, “Everybody’s Singin’ Love Songs” by Sweet Thunder, and “You + Me = Love” by the Undisputed Truth. This time it is the turn of Freeez with an 8-minute take on their huge hit “I.O.U.” from 1983.

Freez began as a jazz funk band which evolved into a more electronic sound that fusion of jazz, funk and electro hits every button on the 12 inch mix of “I.O.U.”. The song reached number 2 in the UK and smashed its way to number one on the US Dance Chart. Arthur Baker wrote the song and he remixed it with the help of John Jellybean Benitez. It went on to become the 18th-best-selling single of 1983 in the UK.

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Mayhem Gives You 12 Inches… Of Music! “You + Me = Love” – The Undisputed Truth February 18, 2024

Filed under: Mayhem Gives You 12 Inches — justwilliam1959 @ 10:01 pm
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This is the third in the Mayhem 12 Inch single series and I apologise again for the rather smutty, Carry On, double entendre, innuendo title for this feature. Can any of you constant readers think of a better title? But I am quite obviously talking about the 12-inch vinyl single. Eventually, this will build into a playlist of my favourite 12-inch singles and remixes, many of which I used to own on vinyl. There will be a Spotify playlist when the series reaches five songs. So far we have had “Do What You Wanna Do” by T-Connection from 1977, and “Everybody’s Singin’ Love Songs” by Sweet Thunder. Now for our third selection, it is the turn of the Undisputed Truth with more than eleven minutes of glorious funk from 1976. entitled “You + Me = Love”.

The band was originally put together by one of Motown’s most psychedelic producers, Norman Whitfield, and their material was released on the Gordy label which was a part of the Motowm organisation. They recorded a lot of songs also recorded by the Temptations. Notably “Smiling Faces Sometimes” and “The Law Of The Land”. In 1975 Norman Whitfield left Motown to set up Whitfield Records and this was one of the early releases on the new label. The song features Takka Boom (Chaka Khan’s sister) on lead vocals. They had a reasonable amount of chart success in the USA but this song proved to be their only appearance in the UK charts when it peaked at number 43 on the singles chart in early 1977.

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Mayhem Gives You 12 Inches… Of Music! “Everybody’s Singin’ Love Songs” – Sweet Thunder October 29, 2023

Filed under: Mayhem Gives You 12 Inches — justwilliam1959 @ 11:18 pm
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This is the second in the Mayhem 12 Inch single series and once again I apologise for the rather smutty, Carry On, double entendre, innuendo title for this feature. But I am quite obviously talking about the 12-inch single. Eventually, this will build into a playlist of my favourite 12-inch singles and remixes, many of which I used to own on vinyl. Following on from the first song in this series “Do What You Wanna Do” by T-Connection from 1977, song number two is another funky 12-inch which was a huge club success in the UK in 1978. It is the Philadelphia band Sweet Thunder with “Everybody’s Singin’ Love Songs”.

The single, was never a hit but was played incessantly in UK clubs in 1978. The song was written by the band’s lead guitarist and co-vocalist Charles Buie and Sweet Thunder’s other lead vocalist Booker Newberry III also sang on it. The latter went on to have a big solo hit with “Love Town” in 1984. Are you ready? Are you wearing your best disco trousers? Then play it and just dance!

As I said earlier this series will eventually become a playlist, so keep your ears peeled for that! Also, feel free to recommend your own favourite 12-inch tracks! Also if any of you can think of a less smutty title then please get in touch!

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Mayhem Gives You 12 Inches… Of Music! “Do What You Wanna Do” – T-Connection August 3, 2023

Filed under: Mayhem Gives You 12 Inches — justwilliam1959 @ 10:57 pm
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OK, firstly apologies for the smutty, Carry On, double entendre, innuendo title for this new feature. But I am talking about the 12-inch single, obviously! This will build into a playlist of my favourite 12-inch singles and remixes, many of which I used to own on vinyl. I am kicking off with an absolute club smash from 1977, “Do What You Wanna Do” by T-Connection. The single, helped by the majestic 12-inch version got to number one in the US Dance Chart and a peak of number 11 in the UK charts. The group majored in a classy funk and disco sound, epitomised by “Do What You Wanna Do”. The band hailed from Nassau in the Bahamas, Funky Nassau indeed! Despite being active from 1975 until 1984 they sadly never reached the heights achieved by this song again. So put on your dancing trousers and cut some rug to the awesome “Do What You Wanna Do”. Dance like nobody’s watching and remember “You gotta be your judge and jury too!”

This series will eventually become a playlist, so keep your ears peeled for that! Also, feel free to recommend your own favourite 12-inch tracks!

If you have enjoyed this article, feel free to follow the blog, or follow us on; Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, EMail. Are you interested in writing and reviewing for With Just A Hint Of Mayhem? If so then please get in touch.