Alec R. Costandinos Vol. 12 + 13: Bad News Travels Fast [2 Albums] (1979)

Alec’s first release of 1979 was a surprising one of an ensemble of French musicians André Ceccarelli, Bernard Arcadio, and Jean-Claude Chavanat, under the collective name BAD NEWS TRAVELS FAST with a vocal group featuring Sher Komisar, Arthur Simms, Tony Bonfils, Madeline Bell and Ruby James (sister of Sylvie Mason-James whom disco afficionados will know as the lead singer of Voyage hits Souvenirs and Let’s Fly Away). Rather than being a disco record, the group’s first album Look Out was a lot more a fusion between funk and jazz. It featured top notch musicians such as Randy & Michael Brecker and George Young on horns, but the album failed to appeal to a broad audience and quickly fell into oblivion. Their second effort, Ordinary Man, released less than 5 months after the first album, fared no better. While it is obvious there were no radio hits among the 17 songs they recorded, there is still some ear candy in there with songs like Look Out, The Sigh and Ordinary Man. LOOK OUT