Category: Patrick Cowley

Sylvester with Patrick Cowley – Do Ya Wanna Funk/Mind warp (Japan 12″)

Burning The Ground Exclusive 1983

 

Patrick Cowley was one of disco’s most mysterious figures.

His life was cut short in 1982 when he died of Aids at age 32. He was a key presence in the gay San Francisco disco scene; in the 1970s and early 1980s, when the city had one of the best disco scenes in the world.

Sylvester was San Francisco’s biggest star and Cowley’s muse – a larger-than-life presence around town, dressed to the nines and often carrying multiple shopping bags as he walked down Castro Street. Cowley most famously worked with Sylvester on the ecstatic mega-hit You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real) and was a pioneer of the genre known as Hi-NRG, a relentlessly uptempo variant of disco that gained serious traction, especially in the UK and Europe.

Cowley was a good deal quieter than Sylvester, and more of a tech boffin, experimenting with music in an apartment in the Castro crammed with electronics, with cables hanging everywhere. “It was a mess of wires,” recalls John Hedges, who ran Megatone Records for many years, the now-legendary record label that Cowley originally started with Marty Blecman in the 1970s.

“It certainly didn’t look very safe,” he adds. “He was always experimenting to get the sounds. They would wire everything in and have tape machines, and the tape would go from one tape machine to another about 10 feet away to create the echo they wanted, or delay.”

Sylvester known as “The Queen Of Disco” died six years after Cowley, of Aids-related complications in 1988. Patrick Cowley and Sylvester were iconic trailblazers not just for queer and androgynous people, but for disco music as a whole, overcoming trauma, prejudice, and stigma to achieve their dreams.

“Do Ya Wanna Funk” is a 1982 dance song recorded by American recording artists Sylvester and Patrick Cowley. It was produced by Cowley, who incidentally died the same year. The song was most successful in Europe, especially in Belgium, Finland, and Norway, where it became a top-10 hit. It also reached the top 20 in the Netherlands and Switzerland and made it to the top 30 in West Germany and Australia, and the top 40 in the United Kingdom. The song was inspired by “I’m Your Jeanie”, a single by Jeanie Tracy, who was a background vocalist for Sylvester. It was also featured in the film Trading Places (1983). In 2022, Rolling Stone ranked “Do Ya Wanna Funk” number 179 in their list of 200 Greatest Dance Songs of All Time.

“Mind Warp” was the title track from Patrick Cowley’s third and final album.

SIDE A:
Do Ya Wanna Funk (Long Version) 6:57
Performer – Sylvester With Patrick Cowley
Vocals – Sylvester
Written-By – Patrick CowleySylvester

SIDE B:
Mind Warp (Long Version) 6:36
Performer – Patrick Cowley
Vocals – Patrick Cowley
Written-By – Patrick Cowley

VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint
OBI Strip: Near Mint

U.S. CHART HISTORY:

Year Single Chart Position
1982 Do Ya wanna Funk U.S. Billboard Hot Dance/Disco songs #4

RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: Victor – VIL-1002
Format: Vinyl, 12″, 45 RPM, Maxi-Single
Country: Japan
Released: 1983
Genre: Electronic
Style: Hi-NRG

CREDITS:

NOTES:
Comes with an OBI strip

Buy the 12″ at DISCOGS

VINYL TRANSFER & AUDIO RESTORATION:
-DjPaulT
burningtheground.net

THE GEAR:
Turntable: Technics SL-1200MK7
Cartridge/Stylus:  Ortofon 2M Black PnP MkII
Turntable Isolation Platform: ISO-Tone™ Turntable Isolation Platform
Platter: Pro Spin Acrylic Mat
Stabilizer: Pro-Ject Record Puck
Phono Pre-amp:
Pro-Jec Tube Box DS2
Tubes: Genalex Gold Lion 12AX7 ECC83/B759 Gold Pins Vacuum Tube – Matched Pair
DAC:
Alpha Design Labs GT40a USB DAC
Record Cleaning
: VPI HW 16.5 Record Cleaning Machine
Artwork Scans
: Epson Workforce WF-7610 Professional Printer/Scanner

SOFTWARE:
Recording/Editing: Adobe Audition 3.0 (Recording)
Down Sampling/Dither: iZotope RX Advanced 2
Artwork Editor: Adobe Photoshop CS5
Click Removal: Manual
FLAC/MP3 Conversion: dBpoweramp
M3U Playlist: Playlist Creator

RESTORATION NOTES:
All vinyl rips are recorded @ 32bit/float
FLAC (Level Eight)
Artwork scanned at 600dpi

**24bit FLAC Only Available For Seven Days!


Password: burningtheground

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Patrick Cowley – Menergy/I Wanna Take You Home (US 12″)

Burning The Ground Exclusive 1981

  • NEW 2022 Transfer!
  • NEW Meticulous Audio Restoration!
  • Originally posted September 4, 2012

“Menergy” is a 1981 dance single by producer Patrick Cowley.

“One day, while we were recording that album,” Marty Blecman, a former disc jockey and Cowley’s business partner, wrote before his death in 1991, “We got high and I added an ‘M’ in front of title track called ‘Energy,’ and we came up with all these completely gay lyrics for it. In the end, that’s what we used.”

Along with the song “I Want to Take You Home”, “Menergy” spent two weeks atop the Billboard Dance/Disco chart in October and November 1981. It was Cowley’s most successful single of four Top 10 dance chart hits, all of which occurred within the span of 15 months. As with Cowley’s other singles, “Menergy” did not place on any other chart in the USA. In 1984, a posthumous version of “Menergy” was released where Sylvester’s vocals were featured.

It was used in 2009 in the trailer for the video game Grand Theft Auto IV: The Ballad of Gay Tony, as well as the in-game radio station K109 The Studio.

Cowley recorded in a style that has drawn comparisons to that of Giorgio Moroder and is often credited with pioneering electronic dance music.

SIDE A:
Menergy 8:44
Written-By – M. BlecmanP. Cowley

SIDE B:
I Wanna Take You Home 7:25
Written-By – P. Cowley*

VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint

U.S. CHART HISTORY:

Year Single Chart Position
1981 Menergy/I wanna Take You Home U.S. Billboard Hot Dance/Disco #1

RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: Fusion Records – FPSF 003
Format: Vinyl, 12″, 33 ⅓ RPM, Stereo
Country: US
Released: 1981
Genre: Electronic
Style: Hi NRG, Disco

CREDITS:
Lacquer Cut By – js*
Producer –  Patrick Cowley
Producer [Associate] –  Marty Blecman

NOTES:
Mastered At – Frankford/Wayne Mastering Labs

Find the 12″ at DISCOGS

VINYL TRANSFER & AUDIO RESTORATION:
-DjPaulT
burningtheground.net

THE GEAR:
Turntable: Pro-Ject Debut Carbon (DC)
Cartridge/Stylus: Ortofon 2M Black
Turntable Isolation Platform: ISO-Tone™ Turntable Isolation Platform
Platter: Pro-Ject Acryl-It platter
Stabilizer: Pro-Ject Record Puck
Phono Pre-amp:
Pro-Jec Tube Box DS2
DAC:
Alpha Design Labs GT40a USB DAC
Record Cleaning
: VPI HW 16.5 Record Cleaning Machine
Artwork Scans
: Epson Workforce WF-7610 Professional Printer/Scanner

SOFTWARE:
Recording/Editing: Adobe Audition 3.0 (Recording)
Down Sampling/Dither: iZotope RX Advanced 2
Artwork Editor: Adobe Photoshop CS5
Click Removal: Manual
FLAC/MP3 Conversion: dBpoweramp
M3U Playlist: Playlist Creator

RESTORATION NOTES:
All vinyl rips are recorded @ 32bit/float
FLAC (Level Eight)
Artwork scanned at 600dpi

**24bit FLAC only available for seven days!


Password: burningtheground

You can help show your support for this blog by making a donation using PayPal. Thank you for your help.

Paul Parker – Right On Target (US 12″)

BURNING THE GROUND EXCLUSIVE 1982

Paul Parker is a Hi-NRG and dance singer born in San Francisco, California. His biggest success came in the eighties, when he reached #1 on the Billboard Hot Dance Music/Disc chart twice. “Right on Target” was the lead single from his debut album Too Much To Dream. The single was the first and most successful dance chart entry for Parker. “Right on Target” hit number one for two weeks in late July 1982 . The song was written and produced by Patrick Cowley.

SIDE A:
Right On Target 6:18
Written-By – Patrick Cowley

SIDE B:
Pushin Too Hard 5:57
Written-By – Sky Saxon

VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint (company)

CHARTS:

Year Single Chart Position
1982 Right On Target U.S. Billboard Hot Dance/Disco #1

 

RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: Megatone Records – MT101
Format: Vinyl, 12″, 45 RPM
Country: US
Released: 1982
Genre: Electronic
Style: Hi NRG, Disco
Credits: Producer – Patrick Cowley
Producer [Associate] – Marty Blecman

Find The 12″ On DISCOGS

EQUIPMENT USED:
Turntable: Pro-Ject Debut III
Cartridge: Ortofon Super
Stylus: Ortofon OM Stylus 30
Bellari VP130 Tube Phono Preamp
Soundcard: ESI Juli@
VPI HW 16.5 Record Cleaning Machine
Brother MFC-6490CW Professional Series Scanner

SOFTWARE USED:
Adobe Audition 3.0 (Recording)
Adobe Photoshop CS5
ClickRepair
dBpoweramp
Playlist Creator

RESTORATION NOTES:
All vinyl rips are recorded @ 32bit/float
Downsampled to 24bit/96kHz and16bit /44kHz using iZotope RX Advanced 2
FLAC (Level Eight)
MP3 (320kbps)
Artwork scanned at 600dpi

Patrick Cowley Featuring Sylvester – Do Ya Wanna Funk (US 12″)

BURNING THE GROUND EXCLUSIVE 1982

REQUEST

Sylvester James (September 6, 1947 – December 16, 1988), better known as Sylvester, was an American disco and soul singer, and a gay drag performer. Sylvester was sometimes known as the “Queen of Disco,” although this moniker has also been bestowed on some of the women of the disco era (i.e. Gloria Gaynor, Donna Summer). His most significant works are the songs “You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real)”, “Dance (Disco Heat)” (both 1978) and “Do You Wanna Funk” (1982).

Patrick Joseph Cowley (October 19, 1950 – November 12, 1982) was a disco and Hi-NRG dance music composer and recording artist. He recorded in a style that has drawn comparisons to that of Giorgio Moroder and is often credited with pioneering electronic dance music.

Patrick Cowley met San Francisco-based musician Sylvester in the late 1970s. Sylvester had asked Cowley to join his studio band after hearing some of his early synthesizer recordings. In 1982 “Do You Wanna Funk” was released on the Megatone Records label and quickly entered the US Billboard Hot Dance Club Play Chart peaking at #4. In the UK “Do You Wanna Funk” entered the top 40 peaking at #32.

SIDE A:
Do Ya Wanna Funk 6:50

SIDE B:
Do Ya Wanna Funk (Instrumental Version) 6:50
Do Ya Wanna Funk (Radio Version) 3:29

VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Cover: Near Mint (Company Sleeve)

CHARTS:

Year Single Chart Position
1982 Do You Wanna Funk U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Club Play #4

 

RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: Megatone Records
Catalog#: MT 102
Format: Vinyl, 12″, 45 RPM
Country: US
Released: 1982
Genre: Electronic
Style: Hi-NRG, Disco
Credits: Arranged By [Vocals], Vocals, Lyrics By – Sylvester
Artwork By [Lithography] – David Willers
Artwork By [Logo & Graphics] – Jim Saunders
Producer [Associate] – Marty Blecman
Producer, Music By – Patrick Cowley

Find The 12″ on DISCOGS

EQUIPMENT USED:
Turntable: Pro-Ject Debut III
Cartridge: Ortofon Super
Stylus: Ortofon OM Stylus 20
Bellari VP130 Tube Phono Preamp
Soundcard: ESI Juli@
VPI HW 16.5 Record Cleaning Machine
Brother MFC-6490CW Professional Series Scanner

SOFTWARE USED:
Adobe Audition 3.0 (Recording)
Adobe Photoshop CS5
ClickRepair
dBpoweramp
Playlist Creator

RESTORATION NOTES:
All vinyl rips are recorded @ 32bit/float
Downsampled to 24bit/96kHz and16bit /44kHz using iZotope RX Advanced 2
FLAC (Level Eight)
MP3 (320kbps)
Artwork scanned at 600dpi