mardi 10 mars 2026
lundi 9 mars 2026
Olympic Runners – Keepin' It Up 1978
With 1978's astutely titled Keeping It Up, the seemingly unstoppable Olympic Runners proved that they were indeed doing just that -- not only keeping up the frenzied release schedule that had seen an album a year since the early '70s, but also maintaining their smooth blend of funk-fueled disco, as they once again plied clubbers with a smart, upbeat set that boogied more than past efforts, but still emerged tight, smooth, and quietly bearing the imprint of old-school funk.
With those fierce Joe Jammer guitars leading the way, pinning down the melodies for vocalists George Chandler and Pete Wingfield to soar across, the group let rip across "Solar Heat," the stylish "Hash Browns," and "Boogie Line." And, if some thought "Guacamole Getdown" was a letdown, they were easily appeased with the crunch of "Down to the Bone." All in all, a marvelous set -- yet one that, irrationally, somehow lacked spark enough to ignite the mainstream frenzy that the band deserved.
But no matter -- fans knew where to find the grooves and, the following year, more than half a decade since they hit the clubs, the Olympic Runners would finally receive a nod from the venerable U.K. charts. In the meantime, though, Keeping It Up flew their disco-funk flag loud and proud.
Olympic Runners – Hot To Trot 1977
With strings and light percussion leading the way, the Olympic Runners rode their way onto the dancefloors with their disco-flushed Hot to Trot LP in 1978, perfectly capturing the spirit of the contemporary craze. Although they'd certainly started out with an eye on more classic funk, and that intention definitely underpins this LP, they popped their sound into a more contemporary arena across this set, via tempo and vocal harmony, allowing sweeping strings to pick up any slack.
But, of course, the Olympic Runners rarely had any slack. Tight and slick throughout a set that soars across "Just Enough to Blow my Mind," then drops it to dirty funk for the stunning "One Step at a Time," the band rarely fumbled. And this album is a trenchant reminder of that, from "Straight St. Strut" and "Personal Thang" on to their only real slip, the oozy closing ballad "Love on My Mind." With George Chandler and Pete Wingfield trading vocal leads all the way through and their songwriting partnership truly gelled, it's actually shocking that Olympic Runners were still unable to crack the mainstream pop market. With four solid albums behind them and their peers popping puerile singles into the charts, it must have been a frustrating endeavor. But, listening to Hot to Trot, it's apparent that the Olympic Runners probably didn't mind that much. For them, making the music brought its own reward.
Olympic Runners – Don't Let Up 1976
In 1973, Mike Vernon, a British record producer and founder of Blue Horizon, put together a group of session musicians to play on an album with blues musician Jimmy Dawkins, to be recorded at Olympic Studios in London. The musicians included keyboard player and vocalist Pete Wingfield, singer George Chandler, guitarist Joe Jammer, bassist DeLisle Harper, and drummer Glen LeFleur,[1] of whom Chandler, Harper and LeFleur were also members of jazz-funk band Gonzalez.[2] When Dawkins' arrival was delayed, the musicians recorded a funk track in the spare studio time. Vernon then sold the track, "Put The Music Where Your Mouth Is", credited to the Olympic Runners, to London Records in New York City, and in 1974 it became a hit on the US R&B Chart, reaching no. 72.[3]
Following its success, the musicians recorded an album, including the track "Grab It" which also made the R&B charts. They recorded a second album, Out in Front, in 1975, shortly before Wingfield had his own solo hit single, "Eighteen with a Bullet". A third album, Don't Let Up, soon followed, along with a succession of singles. The 1976 album Hot to Trot has been cited as their finest.[1] Wingfield described the recording process:
"Barry Hammond the engineer would always keep a 2-track quarter-inch tape running so as to catch us jamming between takes – then we'd use that jamming as the basis for the next track. It was painless, we made album after album that way, it only took a couple of weeks out of the year, and we were selling records! For the first few years the band were completely anonymous – people assumed we were a US act..."[3]
Their commercial success diminished in the US at the same time as it grew in the UK, and their biggest successes in the UK charts came in 1978–79, with the hit singles "Get It While You Can" and "Sir Dancealot".[4] In 1979 they also performed the theme tune for the film The Bitch, starring Joan Collins,[1] which gave them a third UK top 40 hit.
The group split up in 1979. Vernon and Wingfield later joined Rocky Sharpe and the Replays, and the other band members continued as session musicians.[1] Several Olympic Runners tracks have been sampled by later artists, including Everlast.
Olympic Runners – Out In Front 1975
Having made a good, if nearly unnoticed, start with 1974's Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is LP, the Olympic Runners swiftly bounced back the following year with an admirable sophomore effort, Out in Front. Keeping their initial funk intact, the band also tapped into the still-simmering disco sound to unleash a set blistering with good intentions, effectively continuing to build on the rock-solid foundations that would allow them to become unerringly prolific throughout the decade.
From the opening "100 Yard Dash," through "Drag It Over Here," and on to the dancefloor groovers "Freeze on Funk" and "Dump the Bump," the Olympic Runners' sound was consistent, catchy, and completely funk-fueled. With Mike Vernon's outrageous percussion and the vocal one-two punch of George Chandler and Pearly Gates, it's surprising that this album, or at least a couple of singles, failed to make any mark on the U.K. charts, all the more so since 1975 brought keyboardist Pete Wingfield his monstrous solo hit "Eighteen With a Bullet." Ultimately and oddly, that didn't help the band break through. It would be another couple of years before the Olympic Runners finally lit their mainstream flame. But they remained justifiably proud of Out in Front, an album that would remain one of the great groovers' secrets of the age.
Olympic Runners – Put The Music Where Your Mouth Is 1974
The Olympic Runners were a 1970s British funk band, put together by record producer Mike Vernon who also played percussion, and fronted by singer George Chandler. They also included multi-instrumentalist Pete Wingfield, and had a number of hit singles in both the US and the UK.
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