Category Archives: Disco
MARLENA SHAW-SWEET BEGINNINGS.
MARLENA SHAW-SWEET BEGINNINGS. During a career that began in 1967, Marlena Shaw has recorded albums for some of the biggest and most famous, record labels. Her first label was Cadet Records, a subsidiary of Chess Records, where she released two albums Out of Different Bags in 1967 and Spice of Life in 1969. From there, …
EVELYN “CHAMPAGNE” KING-GET LOOSE.
EVELYN “CHAMPAGNE” KING-GET LOOSE. Imagine your a seventeen year singer, who has just released your debut album, and suddenly, your world is turned upside down when it sells over 500,00 copies. The album reaches number fourteen in the US Billboard 200 and number eight in the US R&B Charts. As a result, you receive your …
GLORIA GAYNOR-NEVER CAN SAY GODBYE.
GLORIA GAYNOR-NEVER CAN SAY GODBYE. The story of Gloria Gaynor is a fascinating one, how Gloria Fowles, born in New Jersey, in 1948, was transformed into a disco diva who recorded some of the biggest disco hits of the seventies and eighties. Probably, the two best known of her singles were 1974s’ Never Can Say …
A TASTE OF HONEY-A TASTE OF HONEY.
A TASTE OF HONEY-A TASTE OF HONEY. Not long ago, I was listening to a number of compilations of disco classics released by Harmless Records. Between 2010 and 2011 they released a total of twelve compilations of disco tracks. This was the perfect opportunity to reacquaint myself with some of the music I’d grown up …
ODYSSEY-ODYSSEY.
ODYSSEY-ODYSSEY. Back in December 1977, Odyssey had a major hit on their hands with a disco classic Native New Yorker, a track which, thirty-four years later, is still a hugely popular dance-floor classic. Back then, having loved the tracks I’d heard from the album, I decided to try and find a copy of the album. …
CHIC-CHIC.
CHIC-CHIC. Back in 1977, when I was growing up, one of the many sounds that immediately, grabbed my attention, was Chic. Not for me the angry, desolate sound of punk, that to me was a depressing, ugly sound, the anathema of what music should sound like. Instead, I’d become accustomed to The Sound of Philadelphia, …
BACK TO LOVE- THE HED KANDI YEARS 1999-2005.
BACK TO LOVE- THE HED KANDI YEARS 1999-2005. Back in 1999, it seemed that there were numerous high quality compilations vying for your attention, and ultimately your money when you entered your local record shop. One of the compilations that I happened to chance upon, was the Back To Love series. Compiled by Mark Doyle, …
HORSE MEAT DISCO VOLUMES 1-3.
HORSE MEAT DISCO VOLUMES 1-3. Over the years, I must have bought many hundreds of compilation albums. Some have been brilliant, some good, others average at best, with some being absolutely dreadful, and never should’ve been released. Just now, there are various labels releasing good quality compilations. These include Strut, BBE, Harmless and BGP. Some …
CHIC-RISQUE.
CHIC-RISQUE. Recently I’ve going through my music collection and listening to a some of my favorite older music. This has included some old soul and funk from the sixties and seventies, especially, Southern Soul, early acid house and some of the best disco music from the seventies. This is something I do a lot, and …
THE HACIENDA AND ITS MUSIC-THE HACIENDA COMPILATIONS.
THE HACIENDA AND ITS MUSIC-THE HACIENDA COMPILATIONS. Recently, I’ve been reading Peter Hook’s book The Hacienda How Not To Run A Club Properly, which tells of the trials and tribulations of being part-owner of one of the most innovative, important and successful clubs ever. For anyone considering launching a club, or even club night, it’s …
CHAKA KHAN-CHAKA.
CHAKA KHAN-CHAKA. By the time the singer this article is about had released their debut solo album, she’s been a member of one of the most successful American funk bands Rufus, between 1973 and 1978. During that period Rufus had released six albums, of which four had been certified gold and one platinum. As if …
CHIC-C’EST CHIC.
CHIC-C’EST CHIC. Recently I was listening to an album of edits by Greg Wilson, Credit To The Edit, and one of the songs he’d created an edit of was Dance, Dance, Dance (Yowsah, Yowsah, Yowsah), one of the best known of Chic’s tracks. After hearing this track, it set me thinking just how hugely influential …
THE PHILADELPHIA SOUND-SWEET SOUL MUSIC
THE PHILADELPHIA SOUND-SWEET SOUL MUSIC. Back in the 1970s, Philadelphia produced some of the sweetest, most melodic soul of the decade. It was the latest in a long line of American cities that had produced some fantastic, memorable and hugely influential soul music. Chicago produced the sound of Chess, which produced some of the best …
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