Among the other things we are doing this weekend is a pause to take note of the life of Freddie Perren. Most will not be familiar with this name, but further examination reveals a songwriter and producer who applied great skill and attention to detail to his work, making success possible for a number of artists during the 1970s. Among his notable achievements, he wrote the first two hit singles for the Jackson 5, "I Want You Back" and "A B C". After his departure from the Motown label, he participated in the production of the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack, and was awarded a Grammy for his efforts. He also produced such notable disco numbers as Gloria Gaynor's "I Will Survive", the Sylvers' "Boogie Fever", and Peaches and Herb's "Shake Your Groove Thang", as well as P&H's R&B classic "Reunited". His work remains current and influential, with notable covers of his writing by Naughty by Nature and Boys II Men. Freddie Perren passed away on Dec. 16th, so I thought that it would be appropriate, given the relative importance of his work, to pay a small tribute.
Composer's name is listed where notable (i.e. Classical Performance, Jazz Performance).
Links are to Artist's Home Page, if one exists, or to a quality source of information. Otherwise, link is to Yahoo Search for information about the composer, performer, or other related information.
| Composer | Performer | Title | Genre | Label | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| George Frideric Handel (1685-1759) | Atlanta Symphony Orchestra & Chamber Chorus; Kaaren Erickson (sop), Sylvia McNair (sop), Alfreda Hodgson (Mez-Sop), Jon Humphrey (ten), Richard Stilwell (bar); Layton James, harpsichord (performing the bosso continuo part); Robert Shaw, conducting | Messiah (an oratorio in three parts) | Classical/Baroque | Telarc Digital, 1984 | Written in 3 weeks during the summer of 1741; first performed on April 13th, 1742 in Dublin, Ireland |
| Freddie Perren, with various co-writers (If I Can't Have You was written by the Gibb Brothers and produced by Perren) | Gloria Gaynor | I Will Survive | Pop/Disco | Polydor, 1979 (reissued by Buddah and others) | |
| Yvonne Elliman | If I Can't Have You | Pop/Disco | Polydor, 1976 | Starred as Mary Magdeline in original production of Jesus Christ Superstar; also did backup vocals on E. Clapton's "I Shot the Sheriff"; Bee Gees wrote this song specifically for her to sing. | |
| Peaches and Herb | Shake Your Groove Thang (12" version) | Pop/Disco/R&B | Polydor, 1979 | ||
| I Pledge My Love | /tr>|||||
| Reunited | |||||
| The Bee Gees | You Should Be Dancing | Pop/Disco | Polydor, 1976 | Not produced by Freddie Perren (I just couldn't resist playing this excellent cut, since I had it here, and was in the mood. | The Bee Gees | You Should Be Dancing | Pop/Disco | Polydor, 1976 | Not produced by Freddie Perren (I just couldn't resist playing this excellent cut, since I had it here, and was in the mood). |
| KC and the Sunshine Band | (Shake, Shake, Shake) Shake Your Booty | Pop/Disco | Rhino, 1999 (originally issued in 1976) | Band also appeared on the Saturday Night Fever Soundtrack (but they were not produced by Freddie Perren, nor where they produced by the Bee Gees) | |
| That's The Way (I Like It) | Pop/Disco | Rhino, 1999 (originally issued in 1975) | |||
| Rush | Bastille Day | Rock | Mercury, 1976 | Recorded live in Toronto, June 1976 | |
| Anthem | |||||
| Fly By Night/In The Mood | |||||
| Something For Nothing | |||||
| Johnny Cash (Busted w. by Harlan Howard; Dark as a Dungeon w. by Merle Travis) | Folsom Prison Blues | Country | Columbia, 1968 | Recorded live at Folsom Prison, 1968 | |
| Busted | |||||
| Dark as a Dungeon | |||||
| I Still Miss Someone | |||||
| Melanie (full name is Melanie Safka) | Lay Down (Candles In The Rain) | Pop | Buddah, 1970 | Song written about her experience performing in the rain at Woodstock | |
| Mamas and the Papas | Monday, Monday | Pop | MCA, 1966 | ||
| Tommy James and the Shondells | Crimson and Clover | Pop | Rhino, 1969 | ||
| Otis Redding | Sitting On the Dock Of The Bay | Pop/Soul | Atlantic, 1968 | Written shortly after Redding's appearance at the Monterey Pop Festival, and recorded Dec. 7, 1967. Redding was killed in a plane crash three days after the song was recorded. | |
| Harry Chapin | Cat's In The Cradle | Pop | Elektra, 1974 | ||
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Last Update: December 27th, 2004
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