Smooth Sailing: Rockin’ You Eternally

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We are sailing smoothly into 2020… Enjoy the trip! 😊

American singer/songwriter Kirk Reed first recorded the West Coast gem California in 1979:
"The song is a folky groover that pays tribute to The Golden State through its imagery of sunshine and wide open roads. The original record is highly in demand among collectors."
This month a great remix of the track by Shawn Lee (Young Gun Silver Fox) has been released on Believe International Records. Lee has put the song in a new jacket with added instruments and vocals, but has kept the original West Coast vibe. You can read my first impression of the remix on the official Bandcamp page.

Sheila Ferguson, Fayette Pinkney and Valerie Holiday of the Three Degrees released their psychedelic soul album Maybe on Roulette Records in 1970, after a handful of singles the years before. On the LP were covers of well-known songs, such as Jimmy Webb’s MacArthur Park, Lynn Anderson’s Rose Garden, and Sugar On Sunday, originally recorded by Tommy James & The Shondells on their album Crimson & Clover in 1969. Another cover, Maybe, would give them their biggest American hit at that point of their career. After they had signed for Philadelphia International 3 years later, they would have a few more hits in the US, but they became phenomenally popular in Europe and the UK. Stock, Aitken and Waterman gave Sheila Ferguson, Helen Scott (who replaced Fayette Pinkney in 1976) and Valerie Holiday one last hit with The Heaven I Need in 1985.

Tracklist:

Paco Versailles – Libertine (2019)
Al Sunny – How Does It Feel (2019)
Heatwave – The Star Of A Story (1978)
Estate Sale Boat – Transitional Moment in Time [Extended Version] (2018)
The Three Degrees – Sugar On Sunday (1970)
Robert John ‎– You Don't Need A Gypsy (1972)
Christian Gaubert – Sweet Maryline (1979)
Bill LaBounty – Look Who's Lonely Now (1982)
Durand Jones & The Indications – Don’t You Know (2019)
Kirk Reed – California [Shawn Lee Mix] (2020)
Stylus – We All Need One Another (1976)
Stephen Bishop – Little Italy (1976)
Leon Ware – Rockin’ You Eternally (1981)
Bob James – Love Power (1981)
Sabrina Starke – Ain’t No Sunshine (2013)




Comments

Unknown said…
Really nice transition into Cali, my friend...really nice transitions all around...Live Entertainment / Kirk Robert Reed
January 14, 2020 at 7:23 PM
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