Cheyne - Call Me Mr. 'Telephone' (Answering Service)

This was my latest ebay purchase, a cover of an Italo record by Answering Service which I first heard on a Larry Levan mix downloaded from the excellent deep house page a few years back. The Answering Service version has been high on my 'to hunt down' list ever since, but the list being so long, and my financial resources being so limited I decided to plump for the cheaper and easier to track down Cheyne cover. In my irrelevant opinion it's still pretty good.

Seeing as this is my first ever blog post I thought I ought do a bit of research in an effort to not make my lack of knowledge quite so glaringly evident in blogging about a record released at a time when my parents were still plying me with all manner of A-Team related toys in return for the promise that I’d grow out of my embarrassing dummy-sucking habit. A habit I should have parted with long before the age of four. Or at least I ought to do some research in an effort to make this post even vaguely worth reading.

YouTube, after discogs was first port of call and as ever came up trumps - you can listen to the track in all its glory here:

The thing I love most about YouTube is that it's one of the few places on the Internet inhabited predominantly by real people and not by the holier-than-thou forum nerds, discogs trawlers, and self-important blogger-types (i.e. people like me) who pervade the dance music echelons of the rest of cyberspace. Reading through the posts there I was delighted to discover this fabulous excerpt:

DncnBoy
This record was produed by Mark Kamins... he produced Madonna-Everybody... Madonna wrote "Into The Groove" for Cheyne!!! I saw Cheyne perform this song and Into The Groove... then Madonna took it back and released her version, now id love to hear Cheynes version ( BTW this song was a cover of an italian dance record)

grebel82
where did you see me?
You're still alive! cool! CPx

DncnBoy
I saw you at the Paradise Garage, im also a myspace buddy, i went to see you purposely and stood at the front of the stage for the show, yes im alive and well..and lucky !!!! Loved Call Me Mr Telephone and Larry Levan pumped it for weeks, my feet hurt dancing to that beat.. I wish i could hear your Version of Into the Groove now.. relax your mind to the funky beat!!

grebel82
Everything about Into the Groove is true. It was meant 2b a follow up 2 this no. 2 US dance hit. still love her version Life would've been very different 4 me, probably wouldn't b alive now 2 be honest. I still sing! Not just country, rhythm& blues, anything real. I also dance, cheer coach, & Mum, wouldn't trade that 4 anything. Oh yes, I've managed to retain my soul, conscience and integrity. Not everyone can say that. CPx

I don't know if Cheyne ever recorded her version of Madonna's "Into the Groove", but even with this Madonna era being my secret not-so secret guiltiest pleasure, I can't help thinking that if Cheyne's version had even a smidgen of the attitude on display here she'd have rocked it a lot harder, and then I wouldn't have to be so embarrassed about liking it so much, or maybe even better if Madonna had only disappeared into obscurity, shortly after Vogue (at the latest). Perhaps then she might even have been remembered as cool nowadays. Blah - whatever - I certainly can't see Madonna pulling off that "I aint Kurtis Blow or Grand Master Flash…” rap, but I digress... YouTube also has a video which I wasn't expecting recorded for Call Me Mr Telephone from an 80s dance show:

Look out for the posts by Cheyne (grebel82) on how she quit the industry to avoid being billed as the 'black Madonna’. Respect to a spirited woman, who continues today as a country singer apparently here in London. Perhaps I will start the lobby here to get her version of Into the Groove released.

You probably want to listen to the original Answering Service version here too:



Just don't buy it before me.