Just Seventeen – Get Kickin’ (Dover, 1990)

Review
“Yo! Welcome to Just Seventeen’s Get Kickin’ album – four mean ‘n’ mighty slices of the essential hip ‘n’ happenin’ chart / dance hits around”.

Just Seventeen magazine only produced two spin-off compilations. 1989’s Heartbeats was a fantastic snapshot of romantic pop and slow numbers, expertly put together by Ashley Abram. Get Kickin’ was advertised as “24 12″ Remixes” and compiled by Mark Arthurworrey. The Cokell brothers, John and Phil, are credited with the concept. Another string to their bow to go with the Smash Hits series. While not as essential as the three volumes of Now Dance, it does complement the latter and includes a number of ravetastic 1990 numbers. It’s also worth noting that the 7″ versions of half a dozen tracks also feature on the quality A&M compilation Slammin’.

House: The first two tracks were also picked up by Now Dance 903. What Time Is Love? has become The KLF’s signature tune and this version – known as Live At Trancentral – is probably the best. It’s a slightly shorter edit here. It’s followed by the driving extended mix of Blue Pearl’s Naked In The Rain and then something totally fabulous: F.A.B.’s totally wicked Straight Run Mix of Thunderbirds. Technotronic’s Rockin’ Over The Beat loses its edge on the 12″ mix; purest is the 7″ edit which can be found on Smash Hits 1990. D-Mob’s funky house of Put Your Hands Together comes with a strong O-Jays flavour while the Soup Dragons and Junior Reid joined forces for the stoned baggy of I’m Free.

Rap: We start with the 6AM vibes of DNA’s La Serenissima. Let there be light. A dawn raid; Balearic sunrise. Stay down with A Tribe Called Quest and their nifty Bonita Applebum (Why? Version). Lose your mind to the demented victim of L’il Louis and The World. I Called U – the aptly titled Over The Edge Mix.
“Why can’t we start again?
Fresh Connection’s cover of Love Don’t Live Here Anymore is a long forgotten light with a cool rap. Elsewhere Derek B’s urgent flavour You’ve Got To Look Up is somewhat of a rarity; a slightly shorter version is on the Cold As Ice soundtrack. The first disc ends with the ubiquitous “tank fly boss walk jam nitty gritty you’re listening to the boy from the big bad city, this is jam hot, this is jam hot”.

Soul: We start with the era’s biggest stars. Paula Abdul’s duet with The Wild Pair – the street R&B of Opposites Attract. Then Bobby Brown’s supercool Freestyle Megamix which runs through Ghostbusters II jam On Our Own, Dont’ Be Cruel, Every Little Step and My Prerogative. King of the obscure: NRG UK featuring Ellie and their break-filled cover of Band Of Gold. Plenty of drum and sitar action with a fly male vocal and a honeyed female. Yazz’s final hit was the upfront Treat Me Good which has a quality old skool 12″ mix while Lonnie Gordon’s shifts to a more soulful gear with Beyond Your Wildest Dreams. It was a very good year for Innocence as the mid-paced yet groovy Silent Voice continues the strong standards set by Natural Thing and Let’s Push It.

The latest dance floor phenomenon techno dance: Tricky Disco’s eponymous debut is black steel in the hour of chaos. Brought to you by Lee Newman and Michael Wells. They’re also G.T.O [Greater Than One] whose Pure (Pure Energy) is top shelf acieed. Shaking bass bins and blinding lasers. Next is an old favourite of Sasha’s: Gotta Turn The Music Up (Critical Core Mix) from MC Showbizz and The Lap 1 Crew. Bleepy smokebelched hip house. To Monie Love and the wicked Monie In The Middle. Shut Up And Dance followed up £20 To Get In with the ghostly Lamborghini [a unique 5:56 edit] with its real pirate vibe. The Ragga Twins got on board and we all had sweet dreams. To the end and Tongue ‘n’ Cheek. Nobody (Blue Mix) brings on the flashbacks and was sampled by Acen. A total banger to end our party.

Favourite tracks
DNA – La Serenissima

Shut Up And Dance featuring The Ragga Twins – Lamborghini

G.T.O. – Pure (Pure Energy)

Lest we forget
F.A.B. featuring MC Parker – Thunderbirds Are Go (Straight Run Mix)