A Number of Names
1981 · Capriccio Records
Sharevari
Detroit teenagers turned their party scene into a record with “Sharevari.” Its electronic pulse and lyrics about clothes, cars and continental pleasures captured the ambitions of the city’s young dance-floor audience in 1981. [2]
| Accession | OMMA-0103 |
|---|---|
| Artist | A Number of Names |
| Release | 1981 · United States |
| Label | Capriccio Records · P-928 |
| Format | 12-inch vinyl single |
| Issue | Original commercial issue |
| Runouts | A: AR-6212-A LNIX ARCHER 95 B: AR-6212-B LNIX ARCHER 95 |
| Recorded grade | E+ |
Release history and significance
“Sharevari” grew out of Detroit’s high-school party clubs, where young Black audiences gathered in rented halls to hear disco, funk, new wave and electronic imports. A Number of Names brought that world into the studio. Even the title points back to the Charivari party club. [2]
The vocal version on side A sets its fashion-conscious story over synthesizers, handclaps and a firm dance beat; side B strips the voice away for an instrumental. The record belongs to the same early Detroit electronic moment as Cybotron’s “Alleys of Your Mind,” before techno had a settled name or an international audience. [1] [3]
Local radio helped these independent records travel beyond individual parties. The Electrifying Mojo’s adventurous programming connected Detroit listeners with music across genres and gave early electronic productions an audience of their own. [4]
Market context
Original Capriccio copies circulate alongside later reissues, some of which retain the P-928 catalogue number. The Archer AR-6212 inscriptions distinguish the original edition represented here. [1] [5]
A copy described as the original Capriccio issue in Near Mint condition sold on eBay for £126 on 30 September 2004. A US Capriccio copy graded VG+, with slight warping, label wear and writing on the A-side label, sold for US$237 on 14 June 2020. [6] [7]
Physical Description
Black vinyl with yellow Capriccio labels, which compress the artist’s name to ANUMBEROFNAMES. The A-side contains the vocal version; the reverse contains the instrumental. [1]
The AR-6212 number links this edition to Archer Record Pressing in Detroit. [1] [5]
Condition
The vinyl is graded E+, with little evidence of handling or play wear.
Provenance
Mike Trombley reports buying this copy directly from Juan Atkins in 2003 while working at Amoeba Music in Hollywood. He kept it for approximately twenty-three years before it entered the Origins of Modern Music Archive in April 2026.
Sources
Catalogue text reviewed 13 September 2026.