Various Artists [Disco Fever] This is a wonderful compilation album, the tracks are lovingly chosen, representing a good chunk of the very best of the Seventies Disco era, with some very winning cream of the crop songs, there is a Disco Fever Volume 2 available, but even though that has some great tracks on it, this volume has a tendency to have first pick of the best tracks, and volume 2 scrapes the barrel in places, when Disco first came out in the Seventies, i wasn't so much interested in it, Glam Rock, the Punk Rock was my thing, but later i came to appreciate Disco, now i love it!.
The visuals for this issue are good and bad, the front cover booklet is mirror silver writing, with a shocking pink background, not a lot too it, the back insert benefits from the black background with white writing on it, and the Artists in shocking pink again, really clear, and nice and easy to read.
On this listen i really liked tracks 2, 4, 10, 18, 37-38 & 40, and here's a nice little synopsis of each of theses tracks,
2 Earth Wind And Fire - Boogie Wonderland, a wonderful beat, and a fantastic rhythm, and just a superb example of words and music marrying in perfect harmony, notice the glockenspiel that is quite hidden, but there are moments if you listen carefully, you just love it, i like the 'second' chorus that comes around every now and again [1:37+ & 3:37+], the whole song is drenched in soulful brass, and a main male singer, but female chorus singers, lots of ad libbing.
4 The Trammps - Disco Inferno, lovely boogie rhythm, and that lead singer [Jimmy Ellis] with such enthusiastic vocals, nice growl to his voice at times, drenched in strings and brass.
10 Candi Staton - Young Hearts Run Free, i remember this song so clearly in my youth, when i was on holiday on the south coast of England, it was on the radio all the time, but i was only interested in Slade and 10cc, but it's such a tremendous track, for me it represents those endless summer days of my summer, and it has such an endearing tune, and Candi Staton has that soulful voice, i just love the percussion, sounds like the drummer hitting bongos with drumsticks [0:23+], but it's probably a rhythm guitar sounding percussive, i just love that sound.
18 Wild Cherry - Play That Funky Music, i hated this track when it first came out, that crazy singer [Rob Parissi] that overemphasizes every phrase, but now i love it!, the over the top-ness of it all makes the whole song, i always thought he was a black guy, he sounds the epitome of a black voice, but he's actually a white guy.
37 The Three Degrees - When Will I See You Again, you gotta have a nice smoochy slow song to dance to at a Disco, and this is the perfect end, the lyrics are perfect for that special person you just met, with swaying strings and swooning breathy vocals, and that gently rattling percussion in the background, and those strings soar at just the right moment [1:45-1:53], see also a previous review [30th November 2010].
38 Johnny Bristol - Hang On In There Baby, a long intro, which heightens the magic when the boogie kicks in, i like the rhythm guitar that goes on in the background.
40 Tina Charles - I Love To Love, and finally, i really did love this song when it first came out, it has a superb ongoing rush to it, it never lets up, the chorus is superb, with Tina Charles singing echo, and at the end she gets stronger and emotional, it's a great and fitting end to this album.
