from the LP Body Talk, R&B Records, 1981It’s been hotter than a motherfucker lately, and all the weather people are telling us that there’s no end in near sight, so it seems appropriate to roll out one of my all-time favorite proto-house cuts. Taking one look at the cover photo for this LP, one wouldn’t be wrong for thinking that perhaps the UK-based crew Imagination was the gayest group ever & that “Burnin’ Up” was possibly not just a fittingly flammable choice for a song name but rather the band’s mantra (I’m queer, so I can say that…), but the tunes these guys churned out in the early ‘80s were both dancefloor staples and highly influential to the then-nascent beats scene; the main piano riff from this track wound up inspiring an awful lot of early house producers, being oft-sampled and becoming an iconic melody unto itself. Better go buy your sunblock in bulk honey!
