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So, this was the first Walter Gibbons mix I heard before I actually knew
who he was. I was never really a fan of the song itself, but the arrangement
always had me intrigued. It's all over the place, building up slowly from
a fierce bongo groove, to the point when the song should kick in, then
just drops straight back down to drums and bongo. The he slowly starts
again, this time leading into the song. But it's not long till he's off
again and the proper Walter action starts - percussion, handclaps, too
much reverb, stuff panning all over the place, and some nice synthyness.
There's a good story about this mix... when it was delivered to Mel Cheren
he was disappointed as the mix didn't sound like he expected from Walter.
Turns out the engineer had refused to do anything Walter had asked, told
him to sit down and shut up, and did the mix himself. Thankfully Mel sent
them back to do it properly.
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One of Walter's least popular releases, or at least most slept on. It's
not held in the same esteem as the other Canadian only stuff like Gladys
Knight. He mixed this with Steve D'Aquisto, resulting in more subdued
mixes than what we'd hope for from Walter. Strangely, the A side is the
weaker of the two. It's a nice enough song, but pretty unremarkable. You
Are My Love is stronger, but still not what you want from a Walter Gibbons
mix. However, if you like soulful disco, this song actually rules.
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Salsoul's Disco Madness album of special Walter Gibbons mixes is essential
for anyone with even a passing interest in his work. There are way too
many great tracks on here to go into in detail, but every last one is
a killer. Walter was really on fire here - not so much of his madness
that was still to come, just real dancefloor perfection on every song.
Big drums, lots of tape edits, proper disco style.
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>Al Kent Reviews.....
The first time I recall seeing Walter's name on a record was on a UK
12" of Betty Lavette's "Doing The Best That I Can", which I'd picked up
in a pile of cheap and nasty 12s from a local flea pit. I'd only just
started buying those big records, having spent my previous years studying
the matrix numbers on obscure Detroit released 45s. And, like most northern
soulers, saw disco, and especially 12" singles, as something to be avoided.
None of the records I picked up that day did much for me, but this one
had parts that certainly made me sit up and listen. The Betty Lavette
song itself is nothing special, but the mix contains all the elements
that I now know are walter's trademarks - fierce drums, heavy space effects
and more breaks than you'd think possible on an 11 minute mix. And so,
my love affair with Walter, or at least his mixes, began..
Until quite recently very little was documented about Walter; Born and
raised in Queens, New York, he was resident DJ at Galaxy 21, where, as
early as 1972, he was a pioneer in the art of mixing, and killer on the
double copies, extending his beloved drum breaks like no one before him.
He was the first DJ to officially remix a track after Salsoul's Cayre
brothers asked him to mix a disco version of Double Exposure's Ten Percent,
involving him in the release of the first commercially available 12" single.
For that he deserves his place in history. He also had a cute little side
parting, looked great in dungarees, and had strong christian beliefs.
But forcing those beliefs down the throats of a club full of LSD crazed
dancers was probably a bad move.
ARTS & CRAFTS
I'VE BEEN SEARCHING
JUS BORN
This is one of my favourite walter pieces, released in the early '80s,
but sounding very much like a mid 70s production. Walter pulled out all
the stops on these 10 minute mixes. Both sides kick off, as you'd expect,
with drums, percussion and lots of effects. The vocal mix takes a while
to build, teasing with bits of backing vox and strings here and there
until it all kicks off about 4 minutes in. One of the great things about
this mix is that it's actually a great song, when so many of his mixes
were of sub-standard releases, with only Walter's inclusion making them
slightly appealing. The instrumental though is the one that does it most
for me, with Walter giving each element its own space in a killer arrangement.
And the solo clav for the last minute or so is just the icing on the cake.
SALSOUL ORCH
MAGIC BIRD OF FIRE
SALSOUL
Vince Montana's original version of this is a dark, moody, extremely
orchestral affair that I wouldn't imagine getting a great reaction if
played out. But Walter's mix, available on the Disco Madness album and
a Canadian 12" disco-fies it nicely. It still contains all the elements
of the original, and is as dark in places, but walter adds his percussion
and breaks, taking it to a new funky, altogether more dancefloor friendly
level.
DOUBLE EXPOSURE
MY LOVE IS FREE
SALSOUL
Another from the disco Madness album, and a real favourite with all
Walter lovers. The arrangement on this record is amazing - if you want
to hear the blueprint for house music, here it is right here. Earl Young's
drums are at their very best, relentless throughout, and when, after two
thirds of the record have gone by, that bass line kicks in - wow! Nuff
said!
LOLEATTA HOLLOWAY
CATCH ME ON THE REBOUND
GOLDMIND
I love this record to bits. If ever there was a production that encapsulates
the sound of Salsoul, this is it.. with Walter's name in the credits as
an added bonus. There's 3 mixes out there to choose from - vocal and instrumental
on a Goldmind 12", and a further mix on the Disco Madness album on Salsoul.
It's a tough choice picking a favourite mix, in fact it's impossible.
But to me the most striking has to be the instrumental - Opening with
just the orchestra, various instruments dropping in and out here and there,
and some serious bass work from Ron Baker. It takes almost the whole side
before any drums kick in, possibly making it difficult for some DJs to
play, but most certainly a joy to hear.
CELLOPHANE
SUPER QUEEN
SALSOUL
Here is a classic example of poor walter's work: an absolutely atrocious
song, saved only by the name "Walter Gibbons" on the label (see also Stand
By Your Man, Can't Turn You Loose etc.). If only he'd cut an instrumental
it might be a different story, because the instrumental parts are just
pure walter; slamming drums soaked in reverb, great breaks and heavy use
of synths. Dance With Me on the other side is a similar story - dreadful
song, but with some great, great Walter moments. In fact, this is possibly
his craziest ever mix.
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>Dave Lee Reviews...
The first Gibbons 12" I came across was Hit & Run back in the early '80s.
That record blew me away and I watched out for his name from then onwards.
Once I was in "the business" I tracked down and spoke to Walter quite
a few times. This was the in the late '80s and he was working in New York's
Rock and Soul Record Store. He seemed like a friendly amiable guy. I told
him I was surprised he wasn't doing more studio work and he very honestly
told me he had done quite a few mixes for then current acts like Stetsasonic
which had been knocked back by the labels. I was still interested in him
doing something for Republic (my then label), as I thought if he was given
the right track he would still be able to turn out something special.
Eventually I got him to mix a Blaze produced track by Cookie, but unfortunately,
though he'd went to all the trouble of adding live drums and piano, the
mix still wasn't great and we never released it. It probably could have
been salvaged if studio expenses hadn't been an issue, but we were on
a budget and I couldn't afford to spend any more. It was pretty difficult
telling Walter that we weren't going to use his mix. Oh well, at least
I got to speak to the man.
GLADYS KNIGHT
IT'S A BETTER THAN GOOD TIME
BUDDAH
For me one of Walter's best mixes is this Canadian only 12". The remix
was apparently commissioned to be part of a "Dancing with Gladys" album
(in the same series as the Melba Moore one) but that LP never materialized.
Walter completely opens out what was already a nice soul disco cut, adding
breaks and giving more space to the production. As usual the strings and
percussion are pushed up to the fore, while he waits until the second
chorus before the introducing the bass line. There is supposedly an acetate
floating around of a much longer 8 min+ version - maybe that might be
without the dodgy edit in the break? It is certainly rather un-Gibbons
like to have a mix clocking in at a mere 6.50mins!
LOVE COMMITTEE
JUST AS LONG AS I GOT YOU
SALSOUL
I can see why many producers would cringe when they first heard the results
of Mr. Gibbons tampering with their precious work. He sometimes seems
to have complete disregard for orthodox levels, often pushing forward
in the mix what would have been intended as a background vocal or an incidental
string arrangement. On the Love Committee long player we hear "Just as
long..." mixed by producers Baker Harris Young, the result is a decent
but unexceptional up-tempo Philly soul tune. However, on the longer 12"
Gibbons lets the song breath and then build to an instrumental, string
led climax. In the last couple of minutes he makes a feature of some lovely
musical and vocal parts that were buried deep within the original mix
- funnily enough these are the bits that ended up getting sampled and
all the house heads have got to know the tune through!
HARLEQUIN 4
SET IT OFF
JUS BORN
Along with "Let's Go Swimming", one of Walters last great mixes. Electronics
didn't really seem to suit his style quite as well. His forte was re-arranging
a full orchestrated live production, stripping it down and making the
most of underutilized percussion and musical parts. However, when the
music went the more minimal keyboard/drum machine route maybe the raw
material wasn't there for him to work his magic. On listening to "Set
it off" again it's hard to believe that this was such an enormous track
in British clubs at the time. If contractual problems hadn't delayed its
UK release for almost a year it would have easily crossed into the top
20 pop chart; which would have been no mean feat for such a leftfield
record. Walter paces the mix just right, despite being 14mins long it
doesn't get boring as it morphs in and out of Barbara Tucker's vocals,
electronic sequences and jazzy trumpet. This is still a truly unique sounding
piece of music.
LOLEATTA HOLLOWAY
HIT & RUN
SALSOUL
Ken Cayre was apparently none too pleased when Walter delivered his
remix of "Hit and Run". Cayre was doubly annoyed - not only did Gibbons
version clock in at an unruly length (over 11mins), but within that was
very little of the actual song. However, what Walter had done here was
turn a decent Norman Harris produced album track into one of the greatest
Salsoul 12"s of all time. That's not to take away from the original producer
or musicians, as Gibbons wasn't overdubbing any instruments - this was
more a drastic re-arranging and re-balancing of what was on tape. Walter's
mix concentrates on the outro vamp section; turning up the jazzier elements
like the rhodes and vibes and allowing enough space to not only let the
groove swing; but for Loleatta's powerhouse vocal to really cut through
and make an impression on the listener. If you check out the original
album cut it's all there but somehow nothing seems to stick out - Walter's
version is the definition of a good remix.
TC JAMES & THE FIST O FUNK ORCH
GET UP ON YOUR FEET
FIST O FUNK
This is something that Dimitri turned me onto when I was thinking of
putting together a best of Walter compilation a few years back. An obscure
5 track EP that contains two Gibbons mixes of cuts from T.C.James's album
- the best one being an 11 minute revamp of the title track. Walter turns
up the drums and manages to give a proper underground disco vibe to what
was frankly a rather lightweight album cut. It's not the most sonically
polished of his mixes but the overall rawness of the sound in this case
helps counteract the feel goodness of the song. It's one of those that
builds momentum the longer it goes on, climaxing in a long Patrick Adams-ish
synth solo. Before writing these reviews I went back and double checked
all these records, comparing the originals with the Gibbons mixes, and
I have to say in each case he has made a pretty substantial improvement.
Well done Walter, your legacy lives on!
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As part of the Keep On article, we also asked some fans of Walter's work
for their favourite mixes...
My favorite Gibbons mix is Double Exposure "My love is free" (from Disco
Madness remix LP) He took all the tedious bits out, and really hyped it
by turning up the orchestral strings and horn parts, that last tiny accapella
bit (as sampled in "Free loving" by Morning Kids) always gives me the
goose bumps.
Dimitri from Paris
Oh my god, there are soooo many, but off the top of my head, I'd have
to say HIT AND RUN...but i love them all...he really captured the idea
of excitment in his mixes, which revealed itself in the reaction on the
dance floor to one of his mixes...usually frenzied hollars and arms in
the air....dancing is an experience that encompasses so much of your soul,
and Walter found ways to put that soul into the music...
Nicky Siano
Well that is not such an easy question,as Walter was "The Man" on the
east coast for left of centre remixes. But I have to say I am feeling
his mix of "Let no man put asunder" from the Disco Madness lp because
you get the whole song stripped down and raw with just the keys and drums
for backing. And the sheer power of the vocal and the drums is enough
to carry the tune for the whole of the song until, finally, you get the
backing vocals and bassline coming in and it let's rip. My only regret
is that it fades out soon after everything kicks in and I am sure there
is a tape somewhere with a full 10 minute version!!!!
Nick The Record
Arts & Crafts 'I've Been Searchin'' is probably the last, true disco epic.
Gibbons tweaked and mixed this classic Philly-style arrangement with an
extremely left-field twist and there's evidently a very traditional R&B
song under all the madness. However, it's rendered most peculiar and rather
spaced-out by Gibbons's hand.
Sean P
There are lots of stories floating around, about records Walter mixed,
12" singles that don't exist or where his record collection ended up.
Here's just a few...
There's nothing to suggest Walter did this mix, other than one girl who
claims he told her he'd done it. No one else can verify whether he did
or not. It's certainly not impossible, but surely there would be more
evidence if he had?
The rumor is that Walter was given this song, started the mix, then found
God and ditched it. Larry Levan was given the uncompleted mix to finish
off. He did a ton of stuff around this period though, so the God thing
doesn't ring true. And it sounds nothing like Walter. I don't buy it.
Nothing more than hearsay this one, as Dream was a Salsoul subsidiery,
and Walter was a big name round those parts. So why wouldn't he be credited?
And why does it sound nothing like him?
DOUBLE EXPOSURE
EVERYMAN
SALSOUL 1976
Despite a recent reissue on UK Salsoul called "Original Walter Gibbons
12" Mix", it's nothing more than an error - There is no Everyman
12"! The internet may tell you differently, with some sites even listing
a 12" release with the catalog number 12D-12013 with "Disco
blending by Walter Gibbons", but I think this is just someone's wet
dream - the record doesn't exist. Or if it does it's rarer than a Le Frank
O 12" and I want one!
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