ANUMBEROFNAMES - Sharevari
shari vari @ the scene (1982)
Sharevari: The Disco Single that Foreshadowed Detroit Techno
A Number Of Names is Sterling Jones and Paul Lesley, two Black men from Detroit who worked with a third artist called Roderick Simpson to make βSharevariβ (the song has since appeared as βShare Variβ - the label of the original single has no spacing and A Number Of Names appears as ANUMBEROFNAMES). The group would press the single to a vanity label called Capriccio Records in 1981. A Number Of Names only recorded one other song, βSkitsoβ in 1982, for a Canadian label. The A-side of βSharevariβ, the vocal version, is an Italo Disco styled synth-pop fantasia with a first person narrator in a bad pan-European accent talking about his glamorous night life.
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Two recordings by Detroit artists introduced the earliest beginnings of techno as its own style and genre. This track and "Alleys of your mind" by Cybotron are the two in question. In essence, this track is regarded by many as being the very first Detroit Techno track to hit the streets. The name Sharevari evolved from the legendary Charivari parties that began attracting a cult following in 1980 and was a tribute to Detroit's high school party scene. The track name was altered slightly to avoid any possible conflict with the Charivari party promoters. Apparently (source Techno Rebels The Renegades Of Electronic Funk book), the legendary radio jock Charles Johnson, also known as "the Electrifying Mojo" (or simply Mojo) was in the crowd the night Sharevari was first played at a Charivari party. He convinced A Number Of Names to come down to his show on radio station WGPR. Although there were only three writers credited on the record (Paul Lesley, Sterling Jones and Roderick Simpson), a virtual army of band members showed up and crammed into the DJ booth. According to Mojo, they said "What do we call ourselves? We don't have a name". Mojo said, "How may of you are there? Quite a few - why don't your call yourselves A Number Of Names?". Mojo played the record and people went crazy over it. A Number Of Names (now so called) were actually pushing a different song "Skitso" but he said "Sharevari is the one I am going to play". And so this record became one of the most important records in the evolution of techno music. A true seminal release. You will also notice that the catalogue number is P-928, which is a reference to a Porsche 928 as referred to in the lyrics of this record. - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IeF0xTdHPfA
