FIREFLY (Maurizio Cavalieri & Sangy)

Country:
Italy
Genre:
Electronic
Style:
Disco Funk ,Italo Disco

Members:
Maurice Cavalieri - Synths, Keyboards, Piano
Sangy (Maurizio Sangineto) - Guitar,Bass,Drums
Roland Leonard - Vocal


VIDEO
"Love Is Gonna Be On Your Side"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GP9IE74gWYE

FIREFLY (1980)

Notes:
The first track known also as "Love Is Gonna Be On Your Side"

Tracklist:

01 Love And Friendship
02 Three Days Of Sweetness

03 Forget It
04 You Make Me Happy
05 It's Time To Say Goodbye
06 Why

07 Dreaming Again

Link to download:
http://rapidshare.com/files/89132304/80.rar.html

MY DESIRE (1981)

Credits:

Produced and arranged by Maurice Cavalieri

Synths-Maurice Cavalieri

Guitars-Maurizio Sangineto, Frank Ventura

Bass-Maurizio Sangineto,Aldo Bellanova

Tenor Sax-Jim Goodwin

Prophet 5-Maurice Cavalieri ,Toto Torquati

Fender Rhodes, Acoustic Piano-Toto Torquati

Lead and back.voclas - Roland Leonard

Tracklist:

01 Our Trade Is Life
02 Come Back
03 You Can Lead Me
04 My Desire (Studio)
05 Don't Stop
06 My Desire
07 Danielle
08 Let Me Come In Your Life

Link to download:
http://rapidshare.com/files/89137654/my_desire__1981_.rar.html



3 (1982)

Credits:
Producer - Maurice Cavalieri and Sangy /Vocals - Roland Leonard

Notes:
All guitars, bass, drums: Sangy
All keyboards, synthesizers, acoustic piano: M. Cavalieri
Many thanks to Giorgio Stefani for his lyrics

Tracklist:

01 Kiss Power (5:10)
02 Love Is Coming (5:15)
03 With You (5:05)
04 Give It To Me (5:00)
05 Don't Be A Fool (5:12)
06 I Just Want To Be Your Lover (5:11)
07 Keep On (4:45)
08 I Do Love You (4:47)

Link to download:
http://rapidshare.com/files/89130788/3.rar.html

If you listen all their albums you will recognise there is a quite dramatic change in the style with the 3rd album.The first two albums are very similar to each other,typical late 70's disco music with gentle melodies near to soul funk disco. With the "3" album change everything.Synths are more dominated,the tempo is upspeeded,the style became slightly similar to two Canadians: Gino Soccio's (synths) and Lime (melodies).The best example is perhaps the first song "Kiss Power".There are some songs good to dance.To me ,the peak of the album is "Don't Be A Fool".It is strange,but one song "Keep On" is very similar to Fashion's "Love Shadow".This is my another favourite:)

On their '84 album the Soccio sound is disappearing. It seems Sangy left the band because his name is not mentioned on the back cover. There's less italo,more pop elements in the music. Sometimes the guitar also more dominated. It doesen't mean it is a bad album,just different from the former one.What songs take my fancy? "It's Your Love",Remember" and a good danceable song "Mistery,Fantasy". (saltyka)

DOUBLE PERSONALITY (1984)

Credits:

Produced and arranged by Maurice Cavalieri

Synths-Maurice Cavalieri

Guitars-Giuliano Facchini

Drums-M.Baggio

Lead and back.voclas - Roland Leonard

Tracklist:

01 It's Your Love (5:27)
02 She Lighted My Tomorrow (5:28)
03 Remember (5:55)
04 This Is Not As Bad (4:30)
05 Mistery, Fantasy (4:40)
06 Good To You (4:30)
07 Wanna Free Your Feeling (4:20)

Link to download:
http://rapidshare.com/files/89141439/double_personality.rar.html

BEST OF (1992)

Tracklist:

01 Love Is Gonna Be On Your Side (7:10)
02 You Can Lead Me (6:40)
03 Our Trade Is Life (6:20)
04 Come Back (4:54)
05 Show Me Tonight (6:16)
06 My Desire (6:00)
07 Don't Stop (5:56)
08 Danielle (4:18)
09 Non Stop Mix (14:14) Dj Mix [Megamix] - Bernie Bernthaler
(9.1 Don't Stop
9.2 Our Trade Is Life
9.3 You Can Lead Me
9.4 My Desire
9.5 Show Me Tonight)

Link to download:
http://rapidshare.com/files/89149644/bof.rar.html

"80s grooves from the European scene -- a set that's got plenty of great elements in common with its American counterparts! The style here is tight, right, and very on the money -- that recasting of American clubby soul that Europeans almost got better than us in the 80s -- served up with a great focus on the beats, bass, and keyboards -- and production that's never too slick or commercial. Lyrics are in English, and the tunes are all plenty darn catchy "

SOME SINGLES AND NON ALBUM SONGS

Tracklist:

01 Do It Dancin' (1981)
02 Your Door (1983)
03 Stay (No Time) (1984)
04 Watch'a Gonna Do (12" Extended Mix) (1991)
05 Your Door (Dub Version)
06 Do It Dancin' (instrum.) (1981)
07 Love Is Coming (12") (1982)

Link to download:
http://rapidshare.com/files/97225298/firefly_other.rar.html

"Maurice Cavalieri’s project was maybe the longest running of all the Italian disco acts. Firefly’s sound is quite poppy, driven by Nile Rogers style guitar, with an unnervingly Mark King-ish lead singer. However, on their better tracks the musicianship and the grooves make it better than that description sounds. Firefly actually released four albums and quite a few 12”s (some of which aren’t on the LP’s) throughout the 80s.
Their 1980 self- titled debut contains the classic “Good Times”-inspired “Love and Friendship” but not a lot else of note. This was a pretty big track at the time, though only after it was remixed and renamed “Love (is Gonna be on your Side)” for US release on Emergency.
“My Desire”, the second LP, is a far better album, but lacking a killer single. Track “Our Trade is Life” could have been just that if it had been stretched out on 12”.
3 is the third LP (funny that!) and doesn’t contain much apart from the funky “Keep On”, which is a slower reprise of their earlier “Love…” groove. Firefly had some later success in 1989 with “What you Gonna Do”, which is still a good mid tempo soul tune, despite its then contemporary mechanical swing beat type drum pattern."


Biography:
Firefly — not to be confused with the Kenny Nolan studio band of the mid-'70s or a metal group of the same name — was an Italian dance group who is best known for the perennial dance favorite "Love (Is Gonna Be on Your Our Side)." The '80s seemed to have been a good time for "tight" Italy-based bands with the most famous being Change. Firefly's lineup was the songwriting/production duo of keyboardist Maurizio Cavalieri and bassist/guitarist/drummer Maurizio Sangineto and lead vocalist Roland Leonard. The band's considerable chops (musical skills) were on display on their Firefly LP, which had a mellow jazz organ-flavored track and smooth songs somewhat akin instrumentally to Steely Dan. It also included the original version of "Love (Is Gonna Be on Your Our Side)," which has the basic elements of the better-known 12" version. Leased to NY-based Emergency Records and given a dazzling effects-filled remix by Herbert C. and Roy B., "Love Is Gonna Be on Your Our Side" b/w "Forget It" became an instant dance classic, even peaking at number 49 on Billboard's R&B charts in the spring of 1981. Emergency released more 12" singles by the band: "Show Me Tonight" (which sounded very much like "Love Is...") b/w the sweeping romantic "My Desire" and the gritty sax-lead "Stay." Several import dance singles surfaced in dance record shops, including their LP, Firefly 3. It differed from the Firefly LP in that there was more prominent use of synths and featured Roland drum machines (TR-808), but the group was as musically inventive as ever. Several tracks became favorites among dance aficionados. "Kissing Power" and "Love Is Coming" were given extended remixes on a 12" that included "Your Door," a song with lyrics of gothic imagery. "Love (Is Gonna Be on Your Our Side)" was reissued on vinyl (1991) and CD (1993) by Canadian label Unidisc and as a CD single as part of German label ZYX Records' Golden Dance Classics series and is on various volumes of their Italo Dance Classics compilations . by Ed Hogan


Firefly belong to the so called Italian Disco-Funk style:

"Whether they cloned the style of pioneer Malavasi or not, Italian musicians succeeded in making a typical Italian Funk sound that could easily stand the test with funky U.S. productions. The artists listed in the following discography all delivered some heavy Italian disco-funk during the early eighties.The tasteful Italian R&B-Disco or Disco-Funk not only appealed to the European dance public but also seduced the American dancefloors. Many Italian disco artists like Vin-Zee, Jimmy Ross, Kano and Firefly reached high positions on the U.S. Billboard Disco/Dance Charts and Billboard R&B Charts. The artists and producers involved in this thriving and vibrant Italian music scene were like one great family."

You can read much more about this style here: http://www.freestylegrooves.com/docs/roots10_discog.htm

some from Discomusic.com forum (http://www.discomusic.com/forums/disco-music-70s-80s/7864-underground-song-recommended-old-school-party-2.html):

"Firefly has another recent thread posted today in this forum. Supposedly they are Italian but they sound very much like Shalamar."

"Firefly is less Shalamarish ( Shalamar is a band from USA from the late 70s-early 80s) and more Chicish (Chic was the band of Nile Rodgers & Bernard Edwards in the late 70s early 80s in USA) and really does sound like a lot of the other Italian disco songs of the same period."

""Love is gonna be by your side" is the only cut I know by Firefly. The guitar to me is very reminiscent of "There it is" by Shalamar. (Another abandoned track in the USA). And in the verses, the lead singer seems to use Howard Hewett's vocal inflections. Unfortunately I've never heard anything else by them."



BONUS :

SANGY PRODUCTION(2008)

Notes:
I was trying to collect almost all songs where Cavalieri contributed in as producer,writer etc.

CD 1

01 Matrix - Stay (I Need Your Love) (1982)
02 Matrix - Take Me Up (1982)
03 Valery Allington - Stop (1982)
04 Valery Allington - Stop (Instrumental)
05 Valerie Allington - Let's Make It (Rock version) (1986)
06 Valerie Allington - Let's Make It (Dance Version)
07 E.T.M.S.- Sounds Of Humanoid Kind (1983)
08 Model 11-29 - Wot Times (1983)
09 Nite Lite - Young Men ( Club Version) (1983)
10 Nite Lite - Young Men (instrumental)
11 Nite Lite - Baby Don't You Know (1984)

CD 2

12 Steve Martin - Oh What A Night (Vocal) (1983)
13 Steve Martin - Oh What A Night (Instrumental)
14 Steve Martin - Let Me Go (1984)
15 James Otis White Jr. - Baby Come On (1983)
16 James Otis White Jr. - Baby Come On (Instrumental)
17 Amanda Lear - No Credit Card (1984)
18 James Kahn - One Million Stars (1984)
19 Marzio Dance - You Can Do It (1984)
20 Robert Reds - Another Love In My Heart (1984)
21 Vivien Vee - Eve of destruction (1984)
22 Kano - This Is The Night (1985)
23 Kano - Semblance (1985)

CD 3

24 Nord Est - Overnight (1985)
25 Maurice Yesterday - Come On (1986)
26 Johnny Parker - Destination (1986)
27 Alba - Jump And Do It (1986)
28 Reeds - Marines (1986)
29 M & G - When I Let You Down (1986)
30 M & G - When I Let You Down (Hardrock Striker Hi Nrg Mix)
31 M & G - Boogie Tonight (1986)
32 Bata Drum - Passion (1986)
33 Bata Drum - Falling in love (1986)
34 Imhan - One Million (1987)

Links to download:
http://rapidshare.com/files/97048961/cd1.rar.html

http://rapidshare.com/files/97057591/cd2_a.rar.html

http://rapidshare.com/files/97057273/cd2_b.rar.html

http://rapidshare.com/files/97047827/cd3.rar.html



MAURICE CAVALIERI PRODUCTION (2008)

Notes:

I was trying to collect almost all songs where Cavalieri contributed in as producer,writer etc.

Tracklist:

01 Nebbia & Criacci Sound - We Are Not Americans (1981)
02 Ago - You Make Me Do It (1981)
03 Celly - Bump Story (1983)
04 Evo - Din-Don (1983)
05 Ago - Stop Your Live (extended) (1983)
06 Ago - For You (1983)
07 Ago - Trying Over (1983)
08 Charlie - Spacer Woman (Vocal) 12" (1983)
09 Charlie - Spacer Woman (Instrumental)
10 Nexus - Stand Up (Vocal) (1983)
11 Nexus - Stand Up (Instrumental)
12 George Aaron -Silly reason (1985)
13 George Aaron - Just For You (1985)

Link to download:
http://rapidshare.com/files/97200542/cavalieri__a.rar.html

http://rapidshare.com/files/97200243/cavalieri_b.rar.html

Maybe first time on the net. I mean these two compilation from the members of Firefly. The songs are italo-disco,and some of them are very rare for example Bata Drum who has an album too,but i have only two songs.

Missing songs ,please send me if you have:

Maurice Cavalieri:

Nebbia & Criacci Sound - We Are Not Americans (Instrumental)

Ago - You Make Me Do It (Instrumental)

Celly - Bump Story (Instrumental)

Evo - Din-Don (Instrumental)

The Backstreets - I Want To Go/Night Shot (1983)

Sangy:

Steve Martin- Toy Boy / Sequence (1986)

Maurice Yesterday - My Best (1983)

Car Jamming - We Shout (1986)

Sangy (Firefly, The Armed Gang, The Creatures, The Passengers)
is a Vicenza based musician/producer/song writer,who was a member of The Armed Gang , Firefly,The Creatures and M & G. He is famous with his well-know and successful italo productions (check above).Only few people know that he put his first album out in 1978 under the name Sangi.The title was "Steps" and was "totally instrumental and mostly in a commercial fusion style" solo album before he formed Firefly.After this album changed his name to Sangy.From the late 70's writing music for films (e.g "Autoritratto" 1979 ,"Ombre" 1980).
He is the founder of Sangy srl. (Italian society of multimedia communication, realization of Video, institutional or Business.)

More info:
http://www.sangy.com/



Maurizio Cavalieri (Armed Gang, Charlie, Firefly, Nexus)
It took long weeks to find him.It seems he retired from music industry and living in Florida:

""Maurizio Cavalieri, the chief operating officer and a guru at property marketing for The Wave Group of devel-opers, as a composer founded his owngroup in the 80s by the name of ‘Firefly’ and had several solid Platinum dance hits in America."He is in one firm with Romano Ferretti the designer, was founding bass player of the Italian rockband Rats’"
(http://www.theartnewspaper.com/fairs/ABMB/2004%5CABMB_4_dec.pdf)

"Maurizio Cavalieri,Chief Operating Officer, has his bachelors in Political Sciences, and a background as an advertising executive in Italy for many years for a large marketing and advertising firm,then as a developer in South Florida. Maurizio's expertise has put him at the forefront of operations for the Wave Group."(http://www.findmiamiproperty.com/index.php?p=buildings-by-area&id=19)

More info:
http://wavemiami.com/


Next time i will upload some albums from Armed Gang ,Rainbow Team and The Creatures .So such albums where Sangy and Maurice Cavalieri took part or were members .