Bod-a-licious

Ok .. so the beauty of the $2.00 price point for second hand vinyl is that you can take all of those risks without burning too big a hole in your pocket. So along with those albums I have always been curious about (more in another post), I also picked up albums based purely on the cover ... and the inner gay in me was creaming his disco flare jeans lemme tell you ...

(i)Jane Olivor - Chasing Rainbows

I've always liked that slightly androgynous look of the 70s ... and I think its actually quite a strong image, quite glamourous in fact ... unfortunately its a "rainbow" album if you know what I mean ... think Sarah Brightman ... tad dissappointing ... but at some point one of the tracks is bound to just clinch .. and it will all make sense. Apparently she was a Clive Davis discovery and cut her teeth in the Cabaret scene in NYC ... figures!



(ii) Shirley Bassey - Love Life and Feelings

I mean how could you not ... arched back and pearls ... c'mon ... it screams "mama I like boys" already!!

Pretty standard fair this, the arrangements are prosaic and I can almost see the studio engineers secretly inching the mike further and further away becoz lets face it this voice has balls and then some ... includes one of Shirley's signature tunes "What I did for Love".

 

 

(iii) Rita Jean Bodine - Sitting on Top of My World

 

 

You have to admit its a startling cover ... and the 70s did see a Deco revival ... there's not much you can find on Rita Mae ... I don't think there's even a Wiki entry for her ... I kinda gather that there was a period in the 70s where if you were remotely interesting and exotic, then you were more than likely to land a record deal, or have a play or an exhibition or just simply a happening .. the really talented ones made in the movies eventually or went the modelling route finding wealthy south american autocrats in the process as husbands ... anyhoo apparently the clothes that "Miss Bodin" (and its always miss something or other) is wearing is from teh "image making" collection by someone called Cheong Yoo ... so the album cover tells me anyways ... As for the music, this is that curious RnB Funk hybrid, like a wannabe Betty Davis or Millie Jackson ... apparently her second album was more electronic and experimental .. as for this one there are some interesting vocal arrangements ... but its melodically bereft and the 'tude dosen't really come though ... apparently she only made 2 LPs ... is this because the sheer creative magnitude burnt her out or maybe, just maybe .. she was crap??? Just saying ...