Oct 23

Donna McGhee - 1978 - Make It Last Forever

Posted by nikos1109

There aren’t many heavier, more sought after albums for the deep disco head than this 1978 classic from the reservoirs of Patrick Adams and “Red&” Greg Carmichael. The big cut on here is undoubtedly “It Ain’t No Big Thing,” which has been floating around on bootleg for a few years, and was the subject of a nice Danny Krivit edit (only on Japanese import, sorry!). Beyond those credentials, “No Big Thing” is a superb soulful dance tune with grown folk lyrics delivered by a sweet but world-wise female vocal, a subgenre of disco that New York City seemed to excel at in the late ’70s (see Cory Daye, Norma Jean, Sylvia Striplin, etc). I first heard this bittersweet masterpiece years ago in a set from DJ Clark Kent, a subtle tip of the kangol to the days when hip hop and disco were two sides of the same coin. Dig the rhythm guitar, one note never sounded so funky! The title track is the original version of a cut that was to become one of Larry Levan’s key remixes and a Paradise Garage classic when Jocelyn Brown and Inner Circle recut it. Another Patrick Adams anthem is included here, “I’m a Love Bug,” a track that was also redone on a couple releases by Bumblebee Unlimited (dig deep people!). The remaining tunes, “Mr. Blindman” and “Do As I Do” (with an orgasmic breakdown that would put Donna Summer to shame) are in a similar mold, but when the form is this elegant who needs variation?

This is a @320 vinyl rip of the original LP including covers and bonus tracks from the CD.

Tracks
A1 Do As I Do 10:04
A2 Make It Last Forever 8:14
A3 I’m A Love Bug 4:15
B1 Mr. Blindman 5:05
B2 It Ain’t No Big Thing 6:30

Another deep disco banger from the vaults of the P & P catalogue (recently re-edited by Kenny Dope of MAW fame). This record was released to little acclaim in 1978, and apart from it being a Paradise Garage hit, it pretty much sank without a trace. But over the years it has become a bit of a holy grail amongst soul and disco collectors - I saw a copy sell for $400 on eBay just last winter - and with good reason. If you liked the smoked-out, trippy elegance of the disco masterpiece Atmosphere Strut by Cloud One, then think of Make It Last Forever as its sleazier, funkier counterpart. The songs were long hustle-style workouts, complete with Patrick Adams’ trademark Moog and smoky string arrangements, but there’s a slower and dirty edge to this stuff - think Barry White production but with none of the romantic elegance. Throw in Mcghee’s husky vocal stylings, complete with long orgasmic interludes that make Donna Summer sound like Kathie Lee-Gifford, and you’ve got a potential orgy on the dancefloor. It also includes “It Ain’t No Big Thing” by Mcghee’s first band Personal Touch, which was a big early hip hop disco break record, and original versions of “Mr. Blindman” and “I’m a Love Bug”, which were later reworked by Patrick Adams and Make It Last’s producer Greg Carmichael under the Moniker Bumble Bee Orchestra (which, come to think of it, is due for reissue as well). But I digress…this is an excellent record that deserves to be heard by anyone who loved the Cloud One LP, and any of the aforementioned artists. Excellent stuff y’all!

I recently went crate diggin for the first time in NYC and while I was there this album was playing in the background. Needless to say, I was blown away by the vocal and chord arrangements I was listening to. This album has a feel to it that will take you straight back to the 70s. The title cut “Make It Last Forever” is a classic right from the gate. Donna McGhee’s voice is absolutely gorgeous over these disco-driven tracks. If you break yourself away from the music and listen to what she is saying, there is definitely a love/sexual message there. You can tell she is coming from the heart. Props to Greg Carmichael and Patrick Adams for putting together a fantastic album. This is a classic worth having and it has me looking for other Donna McGhee projects. The girl can go! One of my friends asked to borrow it and I replied: “No my brother. You gotta buy ya own!!!” For real though, you have to get this.

—————————————————–

Buy the CD from Amazon (35$ to 55$) or ebay (69$ - 89$). If you ever find a vinyl do not loose the chance cause it is extremely rare (see here). The only available copy costs 330$ in Groove Collector .

Download link

———————–

Nicolas Drosos who runs “Mellow Soul & Sensual Grooves” blog, kindly offer us “You should have told me” which was not included in the album. It was only released as a 12inch in 1979.

link

Bookmark this post to:
[Ask] [del.icio.us] [Facebook] [Google] [MySpace] [Slashdot] [Technorati] [Windows Live] [Yahoo!] [Email]
Date October 23rd, 2009

48 Responses to “Donna McGhee - 1978 - Make It Last Forever”

  1. Lafayette Says:
    October 23rd, 2009 at 8:20 pm

    Great great album, Nikos…and yeah, I’ll be holding on to my copy forever! ;)

  2. james joint Says:
    October 23rd, 2009 at 8:39 pm

    Wow, sounds really great! Thanks for sharing Nikos.

  3. hooch Says:
    October 24th, 2009 at 1:04 am

    Many thanks nikos - great stuff indeed!!

  4. Simon666 Says:
    October 24th, 2009 at 1:26 am

    Fantastic way to start the weekend! Thanks Nikos :)

  5. onejazzyman Says:
    October 24th, 2009 at 4:17 am

    I’ve been searching for this gem for a long time. Thanks for making my weekend and for the listen.

  6. unnerholm Says:
    October 24th, 2009 at 9:59 am

    great selection Nikos!
    - I remember fining this on an old blog a while ago but the link was dead… Been hoping to find it again, Thanks! Patrick Adams was a great producer, had a very cool, mellow disco sound. Love it!
    Thanks

  7. David Says:
    October 24th, 2009 at 11:13 am

    Thanks Nikos! Like always, you pick em nice!

  8. rawstyle81 Says:
    October 24th, 2009 at 11:55 am

    what more can i say? - incredible! thanx once again.peace

  9. Antonis Says:
    October 24th, 2009 at 12:19 pm

    Fantastic! You should be dancing yeah………..

  10. Ron Says:
    October 24th, 2009 at 5:42 pm

    Superb! Perfect for a rainy afternoon.

  11. alphabet Says:
    October 24th, 2009 at 6:09 pm

    Once again you’ve supplied some heat!! Thanks

  12. jean paris Says:
    October 24th, 2009 at 7:19 pm

    omg….back to the oldschool dancefloor…so good for my feets…reminds me many stuffs..thx again nikos jean paris

  13. jean paris Says:
    October 24th, 2009 at 7:23 pm

    i lost my lp of cloud one (flying high) one of my top ten disco lp…if u have it nikos…….:=) by the way thanks…

  14. Josh Says:
    October 24th, 2009 at 8:36 pm

    thank you! much respect!!

  15. rich Says:
    October 24th, 2009 at 8:44 pm

    nikos thanx for this one this is new to me so i cant wait to hear what u posted

  16. mtl finest Says:
    October 25th, 2009 at 11:48 am

    wow…..you dropped this one out of nowhere! easily top 5 from that year. love her and love this album. thanks for posting this one. still remember the first time i heard it. CLASSIC!

  17. Soulful Says:
    October 25th, 2009 at 12:08 pm

    Wow. That’s all I can say. Incredible!

  18. MJM Says:
    October 25th, 2009 at 12:19 pm

    A MASSIVE SOUL/SLEAZE/DISCO classic,
    Especially at all the legendary Black Discos like
    BETTER DAYS, THE PARADISE GARAGE, BENTLEY’S, ZANZIBAR, and of course THE LOFT,
    Plus all the other underground clubs and soul/disco enthusiast parties!

  19. brotherpete Says:
    October 25th, 2009 at 1:54 pm

    an upgrade is always so welcome! Thanks !!!

  20. Kuo Says:
    October 25th, 2009 at 7:31 pm

    great, great, great! thanks

  21. Jason Says:
    October 25th, 2009 at 10:35 pm

    Classic NYC Disco!!

  22. Dan Says:
    October 25th, 2009 at 10:40 pm

    Big thanks for this fantastic album.

  23. Joan Says:
    October 26th, 2009 at 10:03 am

    Thanks! Never heard this one… seems like a good time to correct that.

  24. croatoa Says:
    October 26th, 2009 at 11:18 am

    GREATTTTTTTTTTTT

  25. Anonymous Says:
    October 26th, 2009 at 8:14 pm

    This looks horrifically groovy. I’m looking forward to giving it a listen.

  26. Robert Says:
    October 27th, 2009 at 3:00 am

    that seems like a great record,thanks!!!

  27. Adam L. Says:
    October 27th, 2009 at 10:52 am

    Love your postings here, thank you for all the great albums.!!

  28. Cronos Says:
    October 27th, 2009 at 4:23 pm

    Absolute gold!! Thank you for so many wonderful posts.

  29. Zer0 Says:
    October 27th, 2009 at 6:54 pm

    I have only had time to listen to the first track and it sounds really good. Thanks Nikos for this!!!

  30. DJNORMAN Says:
    October 27th, 2009 at 8:35 pm

    Always in my play list. A classic.

  31. Hector Says:
    October 28th, 2009 at 5:11 pm

    Excellent choice! Keep up the good work.

  32. Billy Says:
    October 29th, 2009 at 10:35 am

    Such an enchanting music.

  33. nickwall Says:
    October 30th, 2009 at 6:12 am

    wooweee….nice one here! Thanks!

  34. dj85 Says:
    October 30th, 2009 at 10:01 am

    nikos you always put up fantastic albums. thanks alot.

  35. Rusty O Says:
    October 31st, 2009 at 4:19 am

    Love this had the long vers ‘Make It Last Forever’ but lovin’ the singles…greatly appreciated cheers

  36. pedro Says:
    October 31st, 2009 at 6:26 am

    thanks nickos for another gem from the past there so much stuff out there undiscovered and needs to be recovered another job well done.

  37. 92bpms Says:
    November 3rd, 2009 at 6:22 am

    Loving this post. Just grooves I’ve been looking for.

  38. bananamous Says:
    November 6th, 2009 at 5:54 am

    all this music is completely new to me. truly awesome site. thanks for taking the time to share these rare albums.

  39. TRE Says:
    November 6th, 2009 at 7:01 am

    You know its great coming across music you may have heard in the past but had no clue what it was. Thanks.

  40. Ricardo Says:
    November 6th, 2009 at 9:44 pm

    Nice one Nikos - never a bad album on this superb blog. Keep on doin’ whatcha doin’

  41. damian Says:
    November 8th, 2009 at 2:48 am

    a real find. pure joy. thank you.

  42. bowlisha1 Says:
    November 12th, 2009 at 3:17 am

    Ohhh I remember this! It’s a long time since I heard it too. Thank you Nikos.
    If I can stay well enough I’m goin crate diggin. There is a place on the west side of Chicago on Madison street called “Out Of The Past”. I have not been in there in a long time. It smells like a box of records that has been in the basement for years. I love that smell. You get lost in that place. You can run into Herb Kent and a lot of this cities top dusty record D.J.’s in there. Hope I can find something special to share. ;-)

  43. Trav Says:
    November 14th, 2009 at 6:09 pm

    Man, i was surprised to see this here. well not that surprised. more, i was surprised that this lp is that rare. mine is in excellent condition. didn’t know its worth THAT much. I got mine from a fairground in UK, still sealed in plastic and only for £1! Yeah. i’m keeping mine

  44. catacaldos Says:
    November 18th, 2009 at 7:36 pm

    I’ve been looking for that song for years ,thanx for both items.

  45. Jeremy Says:
    November 19th, 2009 at 4:35 am

    thank you so much for this.I purchased the 12″ single of ” It ain’t no big thing” way back in the 80’s and this is the first time i have seen the LP

  46. Tim Says:
    November 25th, 2009 at 7:43 am

    Thanks for adding good vibes in our lives

  47. Witchy Woman Says:
    November 25th, 2009 at 11:57 am

    Wow. Thank you for sharing this with us!!

  48. Philly_Soul Says:
    December 5th, 2009 at 6:14 pm

    Lovely! Thank you very much. This is site never fails to disappoint. Would love to track down that Danny Krivit edit one day. Keep on keepin’ on

Leave a Reply


sp design