Dark Entries chase the Italo holy grail

Blue Russell, Clay Pedrini and Wish Key 12”s are all due to drop at the end of June.

If we seem to always make reference to the unstoppable productivity of the Dark Entries reissue machine, then it’s not without reason. Two weeks ago we were talking up the excellent industrial mulch of the Smersh release the San Francisco label had put together, and now we’re bracing ourselves for a trinity of high profile Italo disco singles that will have avid collectors coming over in serious bouts of histrionics.

Of the three 12”s dropping simultaneously at the end of June, Blue Russell’s I Wanna Fly Away is the first in catalogue number terms. The husband and wife team of Manlio Cangelli and Lorella Ghilardi originally recorded the eponymous track in Milan in 1984, releasing the vocal and instrumental split on iconic Italo label Discomagic. The Discogs marketplace tells you all you need to know about the desirability of this record, with the sole copy available passing the £100 mark. Previews of the 12″ can be heard below.

Clay Pedrini also hailed from Milan, and he worked often with Cangelli. Between them they conjured up “New Dream” in 1983, with Ghilardi drafted in to sing the chorus on the track. The original copies of Pedrini’s sole single from the era are incredibly sought after, but Flashback Records have already been on the case releasing the previously unheard Ocean / Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde 12” in 2010. The new release of the New Dream single follows the Dark Entries mould of lovingly remastered audio and restored artwork.

Cangelli and Ghilardi were undoubtedly a power couple within the world of Italo, as is evident from their hand in launching the project Wish Key. Through some label-based politics Ghilardi had to step down from backing vocal duties on 1983 club hit “Orient Express”, but the release went on to be one of the more widely available 12”s from the era. This version of the release comes backed with three versions of the additional track “Last Summer”, originally released in 1986.

Dark Entries will release I Wanna Fly Away by Blue Russell, New Dream by Clay Pedrini and Orient Express by Wish Key on June 30.

Tracklisting:

Blue Russell – I Wanna Fly Away

A. I Wanna Fly Away (Vocal)
B. I Wanna Fly Away (Instrumental)

Clay Pedrini – New Dream

A. New Dream (Vocal)
B. New Dream (Instrumental)

Wish Key – Orient Express

A1. Orient Express (Vocal)
A2. Orient Express (Instrumental)
B1. Last Summer (Vocal Version)
B2. Last Summer (Instrumental Version)
B3. Last Summer (Go Go Version)