‘Express’ by 52nd Street (1982)

Manchester UK in the early eighties was an instrumental time in music for many. There was Factory records, the Hacienda (what more did you need really), and while there were acts such as Joy Division, A Certain Ratio, New Order, Durutti Column, and Section 25 performing on a nightly basis, there is one band that often gets over-looked. That band is 52nd Street.
52nd Street was far funkier than any other act on Factory (except maybe for Marcel King) and even if you were aware of 52nd Street, most people still really only associated them with their semi-hits 'Cool as Ice,' 'Can't Afford' and 'Tell Me How it Feels.' For me their stand out record was their first ever single on Factory called 'Look into My Eyes,' featuring the vocal talents of Beverly McDonald (before she went on to work with Quando Quango and was replaced by Diane Charlemagne to front 52nd Street).
I'm not really sure why this record never blew up but it's the b-side, 'Express' that is the absolute stormer of a tune. The record came out in '82, but sounds like some futuristic house music and still burns up the dancefloor to this day unlike any other record I own. I don't really know what else to say about it, except grab it, vibe it, love it, and slay it! If I had to get rid of all my dance records tomorrow and were only able to keep one, this might just be it.
-Travis "TK" Disko