Racey

just read this brilliant post on peter paphides blog and have become obsessed with 'lay all your love on me'. it's like a dexys song without any pain or brains and im totally fine with that. captivating video too, ridiculous and brimming with joy:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ofDCsRhT57o

Used to love that song when it came out, don't think I've heard it since.

Talked about them some on the thread below (probably before and after this particular post, too):

I Have Never Heard Entire Albums By These Bands Who Have Excellent Songs On Late '70s/Early '80s European K-Tel-Style Compilations

And of course they did the original version of Tony Basil's "Mickey" (which they called "Kitty.")

Never thought of the Dexys similarity before. It's true! "Some Girls" is the single I remember best and oldies deejays seem to feel the same way but this is the pick, really.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i15ALD6fsUU

It's too Chinnichap really but I love the singing on the verses.

Never really liked that one, but yeah, it's the only one you ever hear now. Apparently originally written for Blondie, kind of glad they didn't do it.

I got into Racey a little mostly because MES called Rowche Rumble 'a tribute to Racey'...lol I can kind of hear it...

You have no idea the teasing I got as a kid thanks to this band.

(racey=tracy in case anyone's dim enough not to twig)

And it amazes me to think I've basically not heard this song since it was in the charts - in 1979. I was 8. And yet I can still sing most of the verses and choruses, having not heard it in 30 years.

Never thought of the Dexys similarity before. It's true!

it's the touches of northern soul that do it, though unlike kev r racey don't seem too fussed about giving dues to their influences, all about the pontins pop thrills. the style of the video is very 80s chartpop, the clothes and the whole bucks fizz style dance routine. what was the perception of them at the time, were they seen as a cheesy joke or something more than that?

It was in the midst of Punk, and was the last-gasp of Chinnichap pop, as per it's RAK records label.

People were too busy slagging off bands like Tonight ("The Drummer Man") who had ambitions to join in with the new wave, to worry about stuff for the kiddies...

ah so they were totally geared at kids and mums. did they get any coverage in nme, mm, sounds etc?

No, they were more the Record Mirror end.

I don't recall Record Mirror being particularly family focused. Even Smash Hits wouldn't touch Racey.

Well, there you go then. As I say, it was the final hurrah of the Chinchap.

"Some Girls" would have made an awful Blondie single. And, as the Record Mirror (I'm fairly sure) single review had it, it was plainly just a re-write of the old Max Miller "I love the girls that do.." song.

At our last village hop, the mobile DJ dropped "Some Girls" and the memorial hall went WILD, WILD I tell you. Floor-filler of the night. I was rubbing my eyes in disbelief.

And it amazes me to think I've basically not heard this song since it was in the charts - in 1979. I was 8. And yet I can still sing most of the verses and choruses, having not heard it in 30 years.

This is me too, except I was 7.