A Calvacade of Oddities - Ottawan "Hands Up"
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Artist:
I'm not sure how this little "gem" (or perhaps insanity inducing earorm may be more appropriate) ended up in my collection. I can only assume it came from a couple boxes of records I inherited, perhaps purchased by some cousin shopping with a fever that should have convinced them to stay home. Listening to this is like eating Fruity Pebbles in a bowl of Fun Dip. It might seem fun, but it will only leave you queasy.
Here's a breakdown of the "band's" history via wikipdia:
They were fronted by lead singer Jean Patrick (born 6 April 1954, in Martinique) and Annette (born 1 November 1958), with Daniel Vangarde and Jean Kluger the main songwriters. They are best known for their two hit singles "D.I.S.C.O." and "Hands Up (Give Me Your Heart)". They also performed "Hello Rio" a song produced and written by Bobby Orlando, also known as Bobby O. He is more famous for founding The Fast later to be known as Man 2 Man, Divine, The Flirts and The Pet Shop Boys.
The band was originally founded by Patrick - as Black Underground. [1] He was introduced to Kluger by Vangarde, who managed the band. Under the new name of Ottawan, they were active over a three year period from 1979 to 1981. They were signed to the Frenchrecord label, Carrere.
In the United Kingdom they had two Top Ten UK Singles Chart hits. "D.I.S.C.O.", the act's debut single, reached number two in September 1980; "Hands Up" peaked at number three nearly a year later. [2]
In France, their single "You're OK" (French title "T'es OK") is one of the top 50 best selling singles of all time.
Patrick quit the band and organized a new duo, Pam 'n Pat, with whom he scored another European dance hit, "To Be Superman" in 1982. Later, he re-organized Ottawan and toured Europe with his new partner, Tamara.
Soon after Patrick quit again with the group and started his solo project " Ottman Jones", Esther de Bijl continued Ottawan with the new singer Robert Walker. They are still touring the globe today.
Enjoy...I guess...
Locating MOG account...
Comments (12)
i love this "like eating fruity pebbles in a bowl of fun dip"
OK, OK - palatable disco. Catchy. Nice write-up. Now, what's the scoop on the long dark haired chick with the blue top? That's the real info we need...
omigod. i actually remember this song from many a cassette tape of MEDLEYS that made appearances at home, whether from my mom, friends, neighbors. good lord.
interesting that this track was 1980......i actually remember it, but thought it was a bit earlier. of course, there are a lot of blurred memories from those days. here's some wikipedia for you:
"Quaaludes became increasingly popular as a recreational drug during the 1960s, and during the disco club scene in the 1970s. They were often used during sexual activity because of heightened sensitivity coupled with relaxation and euphoria."
I blame drugs for lots of things around this time:
Xanadu, Leisure Suits, the over use of avacado green...
Nice entry CBW! It screams Xanadu...good one.
I really thought this was a cover of Sugar, Sugar.........and now I am queasy
Wow, this is hilarious. Is it european? That might explain a few things, like the thin white guy with the well slicked pony-tail.
For large parts of Europe this isn't odd, but normal music. And normal TV.
I'm not sure if one can lose their sense of rythym watching bad music, but this might be proof.
Wow, normal TV? I mean, we've got some bad TV, but god bless America...
"Hands up!" is right. I'm making a citizen's arrest for crimes against music.
Dude you scooped me! I just found this the other day and posted today. I cannot get "Hands Up" out of my head. Arrggh!!!