Kid Creole & the Coconuts: C o' D, S 'n' D

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51c61uB4kGL._SS500_.jpg

<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Going-Places-Kid-Creole-Coconuts/dp/B0013UL4G0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1205724090&sr=1-1";>New comp on Strut</a> soon. No tracklist yet though.

GOT DAMMIT BBCODE WHY YOU MAKE ME HURT YOU

(and don't ask how I remembered to use BBCode for the image but not the link, because I honestly don't know)

awesome! i love august darnell. there is such a playfulness in what he did ... "brilliant polyglot music and theatrical flair" is probably the best summation that i wouldn't ever have come up with.

one thing that i never hear people talk about is the coconuts' "solo" record. it's rad!

oh i just found this article about that comp:

"During the 80s, Kid Creole was the zoot-suited ‘Tropical Gangster’, a Latino Cab Calloway mixing pop, p-funk, big band swing and Latin rhythms for a series of global chart smashes, from ‘Stool Pidgeon’ and ‘Annie, I’m Not Your Daddy’ to ‘Endicott’.

Under his real name, August Darnell, Kid Creole had developed his feel for unusual music fusions and intelligent, acerbic life stories since 1974 through a series of projects as a prolific writer, musician and producer. Starting as a key member of Dr. Buzzard’s Savannah Band alongside his brother, Stony Browder Jr. in 1974, Darnell then masterminded Machine’s disco anthem ‘There But For The Grace Of God’ before becoming the in-house producer for Ze Records in New York. There, he helped fashion the grungy Ze sound through Cristina’s trash disco debut album and groundbreaking genre-bending work for Aural Exciters, James Chance and more.

Taking the name from the Elvis Presley film, Darnell created Kid Creole in 1980 and alongside his three female singers, The Coconuts, led by his Wife Addy, and a band including Dr. Buzzard’s Coati Mundi, he began honing his alter ego.

With today’s DJs consistently championing Darnell‘s early work, this exclusive Strut release covers 1974 to 1983 and features rare extended versions and album tracks released on CD for the first time. Compilation by DJ Guido of Paris DJs with extended sleeve notes by legendary New York journalist Vivien Goldman.

1. Dr. Buzzard’s Original Savannah Band – Sunshower
2. Don Armando’s Second Avenue Rumba Band – Goin’ To A Showdown
3. Kid Creole & The Coconuts – Going Places (Zemix version)
4. Cristina – Is That All There Is?
5. Gichy Dan’s Beachwood No. 9 – On A Day Like Today
6. Machine – There But For The Grace Of God Go I (LP version)
7. Don Armando’s Second Avenue Rumba Band - I’m An Indian Too (12” version)
8. Aural Exciters – Marathon Runner
9. Coati Mundi – Pharaoh (Can’t Take It To The Grave)
10. Aural Exciters – Emile (Night Rate)
11. Kid Creole – He’s Not Such A Bad Guy After All (12” version)
12. Ron Rogers – Don’t Play With My Emotions
13. Kid Creole & The Coconuts – Double On Back
14. Aural Exciters – Paradise
15. Kid Creole & The Coconuts - Off The Coast Of Me

- August Darnell has been a cult favourite with many different DJs over the last 10 years from leading names in disco (Danny Krivit, Muro, Dimitri, the D.I.R.T.Y. crew) to DJs as diverse as Prins Thomas, Trevor Jackson and Derrick Carter."

(or press release, rather)

wow cool. i put together a homemade version a couple years ago! i always thought something like that or a box set even was in order.

"grungy Ze sound"

excellent. strut back in bidness.

'New York Journalist' Vivien Goldman?

Saw KC yesterday - mid- afternoon slot at a fest in Dublin, rain threatening, muddy field, (not much of a) crowd waiting for Maximo Park/ N*E*R*D, and he was still cool; great players, and vision intact

i love "annie i'm not your daddy"

Odd, just played "Mr. Softee" this morning.

they're such a wonderful thing, baby.

Was just reading about the Cristina version of "Is That All There Is?" in the Franklin Bruno article about that song in the EMP book.

i love "annie i'm not your daddy"

-- the next grozart, Sunday, 24 August 2008 11:17 (4 hours ago) Link

because if i was in your blood
then you wouldn't be so ugly

Finally found a used copy of Tropical Gangsters, so now I have all first four of his albums. I had the compilation since 1990 or so and was so frustrated the individual albums weren't available. Overall none of them are very consistent, but it's still great to hear all the album tracks finally, filler and all, even if there's nothing that would replace the hits that have been included in my party mixes of the last 18 years.

That comp looks awesome.

Yes it does. So awesome I've just ordered it, along with the Strut Funky Nassau comp.

it is awesome

I found the Coati Mundi record thanks to this thread, I need to listen to that again.

my radio station got Funky Nassau, sounds really good on first listen.

Don Armando's Second Avenue Rhumba Band's 'Winter Love' is tremendously overlooked/underrated.

Easily one of the best.

I don't see this "Tropical Gangster" being a Chic ripoff thing. I mean, Chic, in their heyday were very puritans about using only "real" organic instruments, whereas Kid Creole used a lot of synths on that album.

I didn't know this existed.

I have no objectivity when it comes this clan. Especially Cory Daye.

Cory Daye & Coati Mundi

This has always been a gem I wish wasn't overlooked:

Cory Daye - City Nights / Manhattan Cafes

hearing 'me no pop i' followed by 'i'm an indian too' on a big system on the weekend was a bit of a "woah!!" moment, i gotta say.

AUGUST & ANDY Episode 1 - Essence TV Show - Kid Creole & The Coconuts

AUGUST & ANDY Episode 2 - MTV Basement Tapes - Interview Kid Creole & The Coconuts

"Dancin' at the Bains Douches" is marvelous, sly fun.

I adore this comp.

Just watched "Against All Odds" this week (don't ask), and enjoyed every nanosecond of the club scene wherein Kid Creole & the Coconuts play "Male Curiosity."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cXPzWI5k3Ss

Love the "Tropical Gangster" album. A lot of great music. And the lyrics to "Annie I'm Not Your Daddy" are great too. :)

"Part of My Design."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tLNc5Kk3YKc

http://web.me.com/a_kaegi/Site_18/Welcome.html

at the first i thought he opened a hotel.

Finally got I, Too, Have Seen The Woods, most of which sounds like he's competing with Scritti Politti and True Blue-era Madonna, and succeeding half the time.

give a minute and the other half'll work too. dude is seriously one of the smartest ever to play the game in my opinion.

one of the oddest experiences of my life was being phoned up on xmas eve by bongo eddie out of the coconuts to thank me for giving his daughter's album a good review. (his daughter being binkie out of electrik red.)

The girly vocals on "Consider Me" and "Agony...Ecstasy" are just perfect.

Just found out the Coconuts released one record of their own (with Darnell pulling the strings, of course):

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

The new album is better than anyone could have expected.

Had missed that there's a new album, but I'm about to go hunt it down.

one thing that i never hear people talk about is the coconuts' "solo" record. it's rad!

― jaime, Monday, March 17, 2008 4:08 AM (3 years ago)

i buy a copy every time i find one in a dollar bin. the version of maladie d'amour on that record is so good.

Yeah, used to use "Ticket to the Tropics" in a show...

hunting will fare better in about two weeks when it comes out.

Yeah, figured that out not too long after posting.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IeAjn6rTGxw

weird.
i spot this thread jump back into action, just as double on back drops on 6music.
not heard it before, tis good.

these LPs can be had for like $5 still, some of the most fun for your money there is

Since it's Prince's birthday today, everyone should listen to this song that he wrote for Kid Creole and The Coconuts. A totally amazing, hilarious composition that never saw the light of day. One of those things that Prince never intended for himself but put !00% into the demo. He loved August apparently.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q0T5PuF7foY

I guess August wasn't into it and only included it on the album on the insistence of the label. The Kid version not as good.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K8XC15JlgIY

the hell?

https://t2conline.com/unexpected-unanticipated-unparalleded-nothin-left-but-the-rest-a-new-album-from-kid-creole-and-the-coconuts/

Anybody heard this? I noticed that Spotify has finally gotten the recent remasters/deluxe versions.

oho--several KC etc. tracks stashed here on label page: https://soundcloud.com/2c2cmusic
Also--not strictly nec., but it's an opp:

We are very excited to announce this newly remastered release!
Dr. Buzzard's Original Savannah Band is releasing the first single from the remastered third studio album!
R.S.V.P., recorded and originally released in 1979, hails from the 'James Monroe H.S. presents Dr Buzzard's Original Savannah Band Goes to Washington' album.
The single was written by Stony Browder Jr. and August Darnell. Lead vocals by the inimitable and unique songstress Cory Daye and band leader Stony Browder Jr.
The album was originally released on Elektra Records in 1979.
2C2C is proud to present this single ahead of the newly remastered album set for release later this year.
We're giving all our subscribers EXCLUSIVE EARLY ACCESS to the HD DOWNLOAD of R.S.V.P. ahead of its release on Feb 14.
Click the link below to instantly download the single from 2C2C Music for just $1.29!
The single is being released on all Digital Service Providers (Spotify, Amazon Music, iTunes etc) in the U.S. only but here you can download the single from anywhere in the world!
https://www.2c2cmusic.com/buy-music/dr-buzzards-original-savannah-bands-rsvp

Ah...Thanks

over the past few years he's released just an absolute ton of stuff from his archives under the title "Once Upon a Cassette" -- they're up under the name "August Darnell," not Kid Creole, and they span his entire career -- there's at least 12 volumes of them, you can buy them from his webstore but they're also on the streaming services. Over the years I've come to think of him as one of the best ever, his catalog is amazing, he was great from the minute his feet touched the ground -- albums I've been revisiting for almost twenty years continue to delight, the first four are really the main menu but there's just so much. for real if you ever loved this guy look up those once upon a cassette comps. 2nd song on the first one, "cry baby cry," is minimal funk at such a high level -- kid creole rules imo just rules

duly noted, thanks for the tip. when I started picking up the LPs I was also amazed at the quality of that 80s run

Killer tip. Thank you!

Yeah, this looks great, thanks!

Been listening all morning.

I have had “My Male Curiosity” in my head since this thread was revived.

we're having a moment in my drive-the-kids-to-school CD player with Fresh Fruit -- this is sort of technically his first album, since the actual debut, Off the Coast of Me, was intended as a demo. (It's still great though imo.) The opening track, "Going Places"...like, this is the best, best music to me, the absolute best, just shockingly fresh and wonderful, so much character it's like a feast, and that chorus...like...you can never have set foot in NY in your entire life, and when he sings "Believe me, I know / when you leave New York, you go / nowhere" you'd still be like "You're right, Kid Creole, you're right."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xIPfRdZmxl0

and then three songs later you get a ballad this wonderful, this rich, this dense? this thing that sounds like a Rufus Wainwright ballad from 1982?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zzsMmC7N0t8

like I'm not young any more but when he sings "If I choose to live my life / loving you / it's my right to" I am so young.

Wow -- that vinyl edition sounds thick.

Bill Caprenter’s exceptional AMG review:

Musical gumbo of esoteric lilting, jazzy, laid-back disco, an acquired taste.

Nice work, Bill Carpenter.

the strut compilation is one of my favorite compilations ever:

https://www.discogs.com/release/1730975-Kid-Creole-Going-Places-The-August-Darnell-Years-1974-1983

Almost kind of a Chic thing happening on the unrelenting unappreciated greatness front (prolly not by now really but like as of uh, 10? + years ago) both in the rhythm section and the arrangements. Like the consistent airtight snap of the piano/rhythm guitar/background vox parts alone, just unimpeachable and fully singular

This is not to elude the songwriting which goes w/o saying imo

-elide

looks like addy is starting a patreon account.

https://www.patreon.com/kidcreoleandthecoconutsarchives?fbclid=IwAR2K2QR7rfnU4lsUlRg3k-hrL6DJcnrHNAOS4SW47pDkYGT7kKp64MwLndQ