Let's have a look inside another record from my shelves...

Today's isn't an obscurity as such, it's the soundtrack to WarGames, but there's a couple of skanky synth-pop tracks on there credited to a group called The Beepers.

Here's "History Lesson"

1st up, who were The Beepers? A kind of fake band assembled by WarGames composer Arthur B Rubenstein. They made a couple of tracks for that soundtrack including another vocal version of 'History Lesson' and the amazing 'Video Fever' used in this scene

They were also responsible for the Moroder-esque Blue Thunder theme tune

In fact, confusingly, Giorgio used the name The Beepers himself for a 1978 novelty record https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=71&v=MOZT46BxMQU

But that's not important right now

So let's look at Rubenstein's Beepers.

Rubes himself had been composing for stage and screen since the turn of the 60s. Here's a clip of his disco soundtrack for Matt Cimber's Fake-Out starring Pia Zadora and Telly Savalas

Side note: Matt Cimber is the basis for the surly director Sam Sylvia in Glow, played by @marcmaron. I'm a big fan of the show AND Cimber's grotty filmography.

Here's the trailer for former video nasty The Witch Who Came From The Sea

But back to The Beepers who also featured seasoned synth players Anthony Marinelli and Brian Banks who played for the likes of Bambaataa, Kenny Loggins and on this little known number by a guy called Michael Jackson

Marinelli and Banks also made up 2/3 of The Dumb Guys who released this slice of electro-funk on @TommyBoyRecords in 84

The other 3rd of The Dumb Guys was Keith LeBlanc, formerly of the Sugarhill backing band, and later responsible for this monster of a record by @_markstewart

Back to The Beepers again, and the final member of the group was violinist Cynthia Morrow who also wrote the lyrics for Video Fever and History Lesson.

She'd go on to play in the orchestra for Clare Fischer, Prince's go-to arranger. Exhibit A

Prince tested out his collaboration with Clare Fischer on his side project The Family before enlisting him for his Parade LP and many more.

Fischer's string arrangements rarely sounded better than they do over Prince's Linn kicks on the intro of this one

Prior to the Prince orchestrations, Dr Clare Fischer notched up a few decades worth of jazz records. Here's a track from his 1965 LP Manteca!

But wait! There's one other member of The Beepers. Former broadway star Yvonne Elliman performed vocals on both tracks from WarGames, here's the vocal version of History Lesson where she sings about extinction

And yes, that IS the same Yvonne Elliman who sang 'If I Can't Have You' as featured in Saturday Night Fever

Yvonne recently made headlines getting caught with meth in her luggage in Guam. She doesn't look too miffed about it TBQHWY

And THAT'S how a The Beepers "Video Fever / History Lesson" record works