Although now famed as a one-hit-wonder, the Lizards originally recorded "Money" as a 12-inch. Its multitrack master was more than six minutes long, revealed in an extended dub B-side that was nothing like a regular remix. Now an acclaimed composer and producer, the former Lizard David Cunningham was just as groundbreaking in his post-punk days when the band hit the charts with a number also recorded by The Beatles. Another direction was the use of synthesisers, which Gary Numan's Tubeway Army took forward on "Are Friends Electric". Famed for their idiosyncratic covers of pop classics from yesteryear, the Flying Lizards took the opportunity to extend their range. Punk had called for short, sharp shocks in reaction to the decade's expansive prog-rock excursions.
In its wake, though, many of the scene's pioneers moved away from such a strict template. Indeed, some groups were just as involved in dance music as Moulton.Blondie, impressed by New York disco as much as punk, released a long version of their eminently danceable "Heart Of Glass", while Public Image Ltd were more interested in dub reggae on "Death Disco". The former covers Hamilton Bohannon's epic "Let's Start The Dance" and Diana Ross's slow burner "Love Hangover". The latter set is no less groovy, opening with Donna Summer sighing all over "Love To Love You Baby" before the original of Elton John's Philly-influenced stomper "Are You Ready For Love" and a more earthy performance from Eddy Grant on "Living On The Frontline".Disc three, though, covers the late-Seventies new wave scene. The first two discs are arbitrarily divided between disco and pop. However, the three-CD Extended Seventies compilation shows the immediate impact his new format had on a wide variety of sounds. I knew I needed all my music like this," Moulton says firmly.
He could not predict, though, that the 12-inch would become the format of choice in nightclubs for years to come, from disco, through hip-hop, to house and the myriad of genres encompassing contemporary dance music.While Moulton continues to work on soul tunes today, he is primarily associated with the Seventies' disco boom. Yet both were still surprised when they played back the recording and it nearly blew their speakers."I almost died when I heard it. The larger format only came about by accident."I wanted to get a master copy to take home after a day's work and my engineer, Jose Gonzales, said he had run out of seven-inch blanks. We cut one version normally that looked stupid with all this unused vinyl, so I asked him to spread out the grooves over the whole disc." Gonzales would need to increase the recording levels to maintain quality, to which Moulton agreed. He took the tape and my phone number to his club, The Sandpiper."At 2.30am the next Saturday morning, The Sandpiper's owners called him up.
Over the roar of the crowd, Moulton could make out their plea for a follow-up. On his next instalment, the nascent producer elongated certain songs by cadging instrumental versions from their record companies Word soon reached the Big Apple about Moulton's talent. So impressed were the labels that they invited him to devise official disco mixes, released as B-sides on seven-inch singles. "They told me, 'don't give up the day job', so I walked back to the ferry all dejected This guy said you looked like you lost your best friend. When I explained what had happened, he happened to own a rival bar. Somehow, the manager responsible for programming entertainment in the bar rejected Moulton's tape.