Just curious , is Kiki aware of the popularity of Magic Carpet Ride on the northern scene?

 

And has she ever performed it live to a northern soul crowd ?

I know Frank Wilson was, so maybe he made it known to her, he produced Kiki of course later in her career...

Just curious , is Kiki aware of the popularity of Magic Carpet Ride on the northern scene?

 

And has she ever performed it live to a northern soul crowd ?

Probably doesn't need to. She'll have made more from that single with Elton John than all of her Motown output.

Every now and then I go visit a lad (a well known Leeds fan and Adam Ant devotee) called Jonah at his house in town and we try and swop/buy/sell some records between us mainly punk, reggae and soul 45s.

 

He’s got records all over the place, piles here piles there, mainly from many years of DJing on the punk scene and active searching through charity shops, car boots etc etc. Anyway one day as I’m wading through this pile I happens by chance to fall on a wedge of about half a dozen Kiki Dee 45s all on uk Fontana and all mint.

In conversation Jonah tells me one of his best mates was somehow related to Kiki Dee (Auntie or something?) that’s how he acquired all her Fontana singles. 

 

Unfortunately the title everybody wants to sell on wasn’t there, so I casually asked “You haven’t got.......” I didn’t even need to finish the sentence, he knew what I was on about, he cut me short and said “Nah sold it years ago for alot of money”. We both laughed and it still makes me chuckle to this day.

 

derek 

 

Kiki Dee was born in Bradford and was the first white British female to be signed to Motown in 1970.

Over her lengthy career she’s released 40 singles and 12 albums according to Wikipedia.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kiki_Dee

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oL_wL8kTy5k

I have a bit of a marmite time with this record , but i wont sell it , and only played it out twice,

perhaps i should give it more of a go.

Kiki Dees is great, and so is an original version by

Little Anthony and the Imperials.

"On A Magic Carpet Ride" is written by Randazzo/Pike who worked on a lot of Little Anthony records.

(No I don't think it's on a 45rpm record!)

Edited February 3, 201510 yr by Guest

Meant to mention it earlier but forgot - Derek Martin did an unreleased version of "Magic Carpet Ride" during his Roulette years.

Derek

 

I went to visit my sister near Southwell Notts just before Xmas, she said she's been to see someone I'd like......

https://www.nottinghampost.com/Review-Kiki-Dee-Carmelo-Luggeri-St-Mary-s-Church/story-24507774-detail/story.html

 

Kiki Dee LIVE, in person, unplugged for £10 a ticket in a church hall......... Wishbone Ash had played there earlier in the Year !!!!!!!!

 

FFS why didn't she tell me ???

Rob

Edited February 3, 201510 yr by Rob Wigley

I'm a Marmite girl.... Love it!  I also love Kiki Dee's version of Magic Carpet Ride and as she's a Bradford lass she has a true Northern Soul!!

Got a reissued last year on U.K. Harkit records.

I went to visit my sister near Southwell Notts just before Xmas, she said she's been to see someone I'd like......

https://www.nottinghampost.com/Review-Kiki-Dee-Carmelo-Luggeri-St-Mary-s-Church/story-24507774-detail/story.html

 

Kiki Dee LIVE, in person, unplugged for £10 a ticket in a church hall......... Wishbone Ash had played there earlier in the Year !!!!!!!!

 

FFS why didn't she tell me ???

Rob

 

You might enjoy this Rob. Kiki doing backing vocals for Dusty Springfield in 1966 along with Madeline Bell & Lesley Duncan. I don't think Dusty ever sounded better. A national treasure!!

 

God she could sing

Kiki Dees is great, and so is an original version by

Little Anthony and the Imperials.

"On A Magic Carpet Ride" is written by Randazzo/Pike who worked on a lot of Little Anthony records.

(No I don't think it's on a 45rpm record!)

 

It was on an acetate that came up for sale on eBay about 7 years ago, I recorded the whole clip before the guy took it down, but left it on one of my old pc's...

There was a UK acetate of a cover by a UK band for sale.It was bloody awful.Her best track is I.

Kiki Dees is great, and so is an original version by Little Anthony and the Imperials.

"On A Magic Carpet Ride" is written by Randazzo/Pike who worked on a lot of Little Anthony records.

 

It was on an acetate that came up for sale on eBay about 7 years ago

 

Never realised her version was a cover of a Little Anthony song - a quick look at the song writing credits would've pointed me in the right direction. Normally I pick up on this sort of thing but in this case I must've nodded off temporarily. Nice one chaps.

 

A Google search threw up a Refosoul link from Pete Smith from June 2008 and Popsike shows the Ebay sale from March 2008 as mentioned by Pete where the acetate credited to Little Anthony Gourdine sold for a tidy £316.

 

https://www.popsike.com/Little-Anthony-Gourdine-On-A-Magic-Carpet-Ride/330218343808.html

 

 

(Text from Ebay listing as follows)

 

Little Anthony Gourdine (??) - On A Magic Carpet Ride .

 

Original UK 7" 45rpm "Unreleased" Single Sided Emidisc Acetate.

 

This Acetate came with a collection of others that were once the property of Mike Vickers. Mike Vickers was responsible for the arrangements on Kiki Dee's version of this track that was released in the UK on Fontana Records.

 

As far as I can ascertain apart from Kiki Dee's version of this, the only other version that is known of was recorded for Roulette Records in the USA by Derek Martin and that remained unreleased until recently. This appears to have been recorded for Demonstration purposes only and was sent to the UK on tape and then cut to this acetate for reference.

 

I'm not 100% sure the vocal is by Anthony Gourdine but it sounds just like him and I'd imagine this track would have been offered to him first as Teddy Randazzo and Victoria Pike wrote a huge amount of material for Little Anthony and The Imperials. The label and sleeve are stamped "Franklyn Boyd Music Ltd" who were Teddy Randazzo and Victoria Pike's Publishers in the UK.

 

In VG+ Condition.

Edited February 4, 201510 yr by Derek Pearson

Just found out she shared the same birth date as me, March 6th, although she is 7 years older. Ah that makes me feel proud, and young 

 

• Bradford lass Kiki Dee was born Pauline Matthews, 6 March 1947
• The Fontana Years 1963-1968 was a compilation album prior to Kiki signing for Motown
• Kiki was the first Brithish white singer to sign for the Motown record label ‘Love Makes The World Go Round: The Motown Years’
• Kiki began as a backing vocalist for Dusty Springfield and shared Dusty’s manager, Vic Billings.

Edited February 5, 201510 yr by Northern Soul UK

Always had a soft spot for Kiki Dee - especially her version of this track that Lesley Gore first did.  Good poppy soul that never got a spin, to my knowledge....

 

https://youtu.be/at0qWmlgNoM

Edited March 8, 201510 yr by Dayo

Always had a soft spot for Kiki Dee - especially her version of this track that Lesley Gore first did.  Good poppy sould that never got a spin, to my knowledge....

 

https://youtu.be/at0qWmlgNoM

got played at the horse and groom a few years ago off the 45..sold that now but kept the lp with it on

Edited March 8, 201510 yr by dave pinch

You might enjoy this Rob. Kiki doing backing vocals for Dusty Springfield in 1966 along with Madeline Bell & Lesley Duncan. I don't think Dusty ever sounded better. A national treasure!!

 

what a fantastic voice sends shivers down your spine

Never realised her version was a cover of a Little Anthony song - a quick look at the song writing credits would've pointed me in the right direction. Normally I pick up on this sort of thing but in this case I must've nodded off temporarily. Nice one chaps.

 

A Google search threw up a Refosoul link from Pete Smith from June 2008 and Popsike shows the Ebay sale from March 2008 as mentioned by Pete where the acetate credited to Little Anthony Gourdine sold for a tidy £316.

 

https://www.popsike.com/Little-Anthony-Gourdine-On-A-Magic-Carpet-Ride/330218343808.html

 

Little Anthony Gourdine acetate.jpg

 

(Text from Ebay listing as follows)

 

Little Anthony Gourdine (??) - On A Magic Carpet Ride .

 

Original UK 7" 45rpm "Unreleased" Single Sided Emidisc Acetate.

 

This Acetate came with a collection of others that were once the property of Mike Vickers. Mike Vickers was responsible for the arrangements on Kiki Dee's version of this track that was released in the UK on Fontana Records.

 

As far as I can ascertain apart from Kiki Dee's version of this, the only other version that is known of was recorded for Roulette Records in the USA by Derek Martin and that remained unreleased until recently. This appears to have been recorded for Demonstration purposes only and was sent to the UK on tape and then cut to this acetate for reference.

 

I'm not 100% sure the vocal is by Anthony Gourdine but it sounds just like him and I'd imagine this track would have been offered to him first as Teddy Randazzo and Victoria Pike wrote a huge amount of material for Little Anthony and The Imperials. The label and sleeve are stamped "Franklyn Boyd Music Ltd" who were Teddy Randazzo and Victoria Pike's Publishers in the UK.

 

In VG+ Condition.

 

The Little Anthony version was recorded for United Artists on 3 October 1967. When I spoke to Teddy Randazzo he still had the master but sadly he died before we got anywhere near doing anything. I must confess I was very disappointed when I finally got to hear it.

 

Andy

Kiki is certainly well aware. Well from the early 90's when I was chatting to her at Midem. In fact I still have her email address and dropped Frank Wilson's details to her several years later.

I think I mentioned it was around £100 back then......she needs an update!

She also took part in a Bank Holiday Special I did for Magic in 1991 titled West Yorkshire Hitmakers. Bobby 'You're Ready Now' Bennett was also on that programme. Ha!

On a tangent; was Bobby Bennett of YRN fame the same one who hosted Junior Showtime on TV?

On a tangent; was Bobby Bennett of YRN fame the same one who hosted Junior Showtime on TV?

Yep....the very same.

Without the 'soul' influence on this particular programme, I endured The Overlanders and Black Lace

Fortunately I met a top guy Jeff Christie(Yellow River fame) who's from Leeds. He wrote The Patrick Bradley-Just One More Chance while recording it himself for his group at the time...Outer Limits.

talking of Brit girl versions of tracks, Ive always rated Lulu's version of 'Leave a Little Love' as being the definitive version, for myself at least. I know it was cut by a few female singers Stateside, but as with Dusty''s and Kikki's work, there's a whole lot more to her rendition of the song....

 

 

Mal;.C

Magic Carpet ride just dosen,t do it for me, sounds like mid tempo 1960's pop music, sounds like the carpenter,s  ect . Kiki did much better than that and so did a lot of the 1960's Brit pop girls at the time who caught that NS feeling with the big production sound of the time.

Keep on pressing on Mick L

Talking of soul covers done by British girls pleeeeeeeeeeeease can I give another "big up" to Sarah Collins. She loves the music and has a talent I would give my right arm for. And she has no fear. She takes on a big number by one of the all time greats of soul music, and this is the result. If this isn't Soul Music I've had it wrong since I bought my first record 51 years ago.