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(React/Shock)
Norman Jay MBE, for those of you unfamiliar with his work, has been one of the most influential UK club culture figures in history. He’s one of the original founding forces behind Talkin’ Loud Records, and UK clubs such as ‘Shake’, ‘Finger Pop’ and ‘High On Hope’. Still clueless? He tours Australia regularly (last summer, in fact) playing outdoor festivals (like ‘Vibes on a Summer’s Day’) whenever he can. This double CD retrospective is a guide to the sounds that have delighted and inspired crowds for 20 years at another large outdoor party that Norman and his brother Joey love playing at, London’s Notting Hill Carnival Street Festival.
Good Times 3 continues the series that holds the true essence of Norman Jay. Party tunes is where Jay is at, and these 2 CD’s of rarities, soul classics, house, hip hop and other exclusives are his signature. Now you either like this type of rare groove and ancient disco, or you don’t. I must admit, I’m not a huge fan and prefer Jay playing his more modern sets, the type he prefers to spin at something like ‘Vibes’. But there’s no denying the quality of ANY direction he chooses to take and for those into this genre, this will be a much anticipated and welcome release.
This is an album covering everything from funk to reggae, soul to house and all with the intention of getting you out in the sun, waving your care-free hands in the air. However, trainspotting record fiends are always well taken care of in this series. Amongst heavyweight names like Sounds Of Blackness, King Britt, Carleen Anderson, Rufus feat.Chaka Kahn, Angie Stone and even The Jackson 5, Jay has hidden quite a few gems in the mix. You’ll find a previously unreleased Mondo Grosso mix of Jamiroquai’s ‘Love Foolosophy’, for example, which fits beautifully here. Another real find is Main Source’s ‘Looking At The Front Door’, a rare-as-rocking-horseshit track from their impossible to find ‘Breaking Atoms’ album of 1997. It’s got a nasty-ass Erik B & Rakim-type lead vocal (it’s actually hip-hop producer Large Professor rapping “My friends always tell me how I’m lucky to possess / The best looking girl in the whole U.S.”), over some funky old-skool hip-hop beats and this will have you moving your feet.
For the more casual listener, this album seems to be full of ancient disco, with stabbing cheesy synth riffs. Most younger Gen Xers hearing this could do little perhaps but cheer in stupefied appreciation, as this is the sort of disco anyone under 25 laughingly refers to as ‘cool’ and ‘yeah, groovy baby’. Problem is, they aren’t lining up at Sanity to buy this sort of stuff. On Disc 1, The Ethiopians do ‘Train To Skaville’, a track featuring the kind of stoned, repetitive vocal that could drive an affected young dancer’s brain inside out like a leach on a dusty stick. Not recommended! I’m sure Jay isn’t fussed either way, but I suspect most fans of this set will come from an entirely different era. If you do, Good Times 3 could be right up your alley.
If you need to be edumacated about your dance past, there can be no better teacher than Sir Norman Jay, who has spent a lifetime immersed in this culture. As with so many tracks on this release, the Chi-Lites “My First Mistake” will remind you that so many of the current dance favourites and modern day ‘classics’ have roots firmly entrenched in the past (David Morales’ hit ‘Needin U’ borrowing almost the entire chorus and refrain here). But if you’re looking for the type of music Norman more regularly plays when touring this country, look at his other albums. This is a history lesson, not a current ‘Best Of’ hits release, ala Ministry of Sound and you’ll find more joy elsewhere.
For everyone else, get out and enjoy the good times again!
This release is also available as 4xLP Vinyl set for the DJ’s out there.
