Dystopian Dance Party

Tag: skyy

  • Jheri Curl June: James Ingram’s “Party Animal”

    Earlier this year when we lost James Ingram, I took that as an opportunity to delve deeper into his music. Although I was aware that he was an accomplished singer and songwriter, I was mainly familiar with “Yah Mo B There” and the fact that he helped turn “P.Y.T.” by Michael Jackson into the undisputed Jheri Curl banger that it is today.

    If James Ingram was behind “P.Y.T.,” I knew he was bound to have some Jheri gems in his solo career; and lo and behold, the first track on his debut solo album, 1983’s It’s Your Night–nestled right there next “Yah Mo B There!”–is “Party Animal.” With its chickenscratch guitar and synth flourishes, “Party Animal” sounds like a companion to another early era Jheri Curl June inductee, Skyy’s “Call Me.”

    Now enjoy this video of James Ingram performing “Party Animal” on stage alone like the nerd at the school talent show:

    Rest in peace, James Ingram!

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  • Jheri Curl June: Skyy’s “Call Me”

    The Brooklyn-based funk/boogie octet Skyy formed in the mid-1970s and had three albums under their belt–each titled with a play on the band’s name–before their fourth album, Skyy Line, was released in 1981. “Call Me,” their biggest hit on the album, helped it reach gold status in the U.S., and continues to be a mainstay R&B radio. I hear this one in 105.9 KISS’ Friday Old School Mix Show every week without fail. It’s clear to see why; “Call Me” is one of those great songs from the early ’80s transition period between disco and full-blown Jheri Curl that includes all the best facets of both genres: chicken-scratch guitar, slick keyboards, a triangle enunciating each word in the chorus, hell, even a spoken word portion.

    The video is a classic, too, with Skyy’s trio of frontwomen the Dunning Sisters (Denise, Bonnie, and Delores) providing very clear “picking up the phone” gestures just in case you were confused about the whole “call me” part.

    Spotify and YouTube playlists after the jump!

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