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WORDS BY AL KENT & DAVE LEE
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.. ARTS & CRAFTS - I'VE BEEN SEARCHING - JUS BORNThis 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 - SALSOULVince 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 - SALSOULAnother 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/SALSOULI 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. |
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 - BUDDAHFor 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 - SALSOULI 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 BORNAlong 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 - SALSOULKen 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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Your favourite Walter Gibbons mix, and why? |
WALTER GIBBONS DISCOGRAPHY
DOUBLE EXPOSURE - TEN PERCENT - SALSOUL
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