| French Kiss |
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| French Kiss |
| By 1979 maestro Simon Soussan was a certified success. As a writer, producer, arranger, conducter and musician he had already created several disco classics and had developed his signature sound. Having racked up hits with Shalamar, Pattie Brooks and Arpeggio, (to name a few), his latest outing was French Kiss. Naturally he handled all the chores and The Simon Orchestra provided backing for another round of uptempo treats. The group was comprised of Lamarr Stevens, Muffi Durham and Yvette Johnson. Of the three, Yvette and Lamarr were studio singers that were recruited specifically for this project. While Muffi was an actress/singer who would only do this single project for Soussan, the others would lend their gifted vocals to other Soussan ventures. The one and only release under this banner would be the "Panic" album. The 12" single of "Panic/Save Me" hit the Billboard charts peaking at #-23. The first 12" single of "We're The Right Combination" received minimal club play and failed to hit the Top 40. The uptempo percussive tracks were recorded in Hollywood and utilized the mixing ideas of New York icon Will Crocker among others. The combination of a market overflooded with product and the collapse of the disco industry spelled the end for this branch of the Soussan dynasty. Stevens and Johnson would continue doing session work before disappearing. Durham, who had already appeared on epsiodes of "Fantasy Island" and "Starsky & Hutch," went back to acting. Her first role after French Kiss was in the made-for-TV comedy "Murder Can Hurt You." Then she too disappeared into the night. Simon Soussan would continue on, striking hits again in the 1980's with "Tie Me Down" by Romance and a double album retrospective of his career entitled "The Best Of Harem Records." As with all releases featuring Soussan's name on it you can buy this one with confidence, our hats off to another disco flash in the night that should not be forgotten. |
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