Search - Various Artists :: Disco 54: Studio Collection

Nice nice nice selection of disco classics

Jeff Pearlman | Lakeland, FL USA | 06/28/2001

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Mixing oft-licensed radio faves like pop #1's "Boogie Oogie Oogie", "Le Freak", and "Car Wash" with some mid-size, but still awesome, hits that other compilations often miss, this CD bounces and shakes and grooves like few others. Everything here is from the smooooooth days of disco, '76-'79, before "New Wave" ushered in the harder drum sound of the '80's. (I actually trace that sound to Phil Collins' "In The Air Tonight." Did any pop hit before that have such huge drum crashes?) Anyway, this disc has kept me awake and driving between the lines during several road trips the past couple of years. Some highlights:Odyssey's "Native New Yorker" keeps you swaying such that you almost miss how sad its cab-hopping, street-talking subject must feel. Great line: "You're no tramp, but you're no lady." Who needs Dylan?Cheryl Lynn's vocal on "Star Love" is unbelievable. Almost inhuman. Of course, not many songs need the swoops and yelps she manages here, which may be why we rarely heard from Cheryl after 1979. Maybe one day Moby or Thunderpuss will call her for some techno remix. This is the nice, long version, which does in fact go behind Mars, past Saturn's rings, and through the Milky Way."Shame" already appears in this (short, 3:17) version on Rhino's "The Disco Years, Vol. 2." The long version of this would have been better. Actually this song is so good it's too short even in its 12" version. By the way, after 23 years I still can't figure out whether love is tearing the room, the roof, or the rules apart.Usually a bit too slow for me, Dr. Buzzard's "Cherchez La Femme" medley fits perfectly here. I love when New Yawk disco acts like these folks and Chic pretend they're all French and classy. Like when Musique (c'est magnifique, non?) did "(Push, Push) In The Bush" (not included here). Dat was class up the wazoo. Oh, some of the Buzzards went on to form Kid Creole and the Coconuts, and the lyrics here mention Tommy Mottola, the record exec who later became Mr. Mariah Carey. (He was their manager or something.) Does alt-rock have stories like this? No way.Only one song here has a male vocal. That's Dan Hartman's wonderful "Instant Replay", which unbelievably stopped climbing Billboard at #29 in late 1978. From the 10! 9! 8! countdown to the last synthesized snap at the end, this is 5:20 of pure adrenaline rush. It was a sad day in early 1994 when this underrated pop genius, who went on to produce big hits for James Brown and Tina Turner, passed away from a brain tumor. Mr. Hartman made a surprise re-entry into the pop chart with "I Can Dream About You" in 1984. That got all the way up to Number 6, and most people probably still think it was by Hall and Oates.If I could, I'd give this 4 and a half stars. Close to utopia, but a few minor flaws. No liner notes (once again, I'm available, resume upon request) or chart positions, unusual for Hip-O. Also seems like there was room for either a couple more songs or (preferably) the longer versions of "Oogie" or "Stuff Like That", which is over 6 minutes of orgiastic frenzy on the Quincy Jones' "Sounds...And Stuff Like That" LP.Yadda yadda yadda. Or like Track 1 says, Yowsah yowsah yowsah...Highly recommended for disco fans and curiosity-seekers."

ONE OF THE BEST DISCO CD`S

David | Nashville, Tennessee | 01/09/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is a great cd. The best song on it is "Star Love" by Cheryl Lynn. If you like fast beat disco you will love this song. It is well worth the money for just this song. If you`re a disco fan, buy this cd."