Various Artists - Only Dance: 1975-1979

Only Dance: 1975-1979 follows the pattern of JCI's Only series, offering a seemingly random collection of 20 hits from a given genre or style for a period of five years. These songs weren't necessarily the biggest hits of these five years, although there are a number of classics and smashes here. It may be hard to deduce exactly why these songs were chosen -- especially since the compilers apparently define "dance" as anything you could conceivably dance to -- but the end results are nevertheless quite entertaining. All of the songs are featured in their original hit versions, not remakes, which isn't always the case with midline collections. Furthermore, there a few cuts that aren't easy to find on other collections or even greatest-hits albums, which means it's interesting to collectors as well as casual fans. Most importantly, each volume captures the feeling of the era, even if it's missing several big hits, and that's what makes the series a nice introductory overview for curious listeners. Among the highlights on Only Dance: 1975-1979 are the Trammps' "Disco Inferno," Chic's "Good Times," the Spinners' "Rubberband Man," KC & the Sunshine Band's "Get Down Tonight," Alicia Bridges' "I Love the Nightlife (Disco Round)," Hot Chocolate's "You Sexy Thing," Earth, Wind & Fire's "Boogie Wonderland," Parliament's "Tear the Roof off the Sucker," Sister Sledge's "We Are Family," LaBelle's "Lady Marmalade," Chaka Khan's "I'm Every Woman" and Blondie's "Heart of Glass." ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide

Name Credits Alicia Bridges Performer Ben E. King Performer Blondie Performer Chaka Khan Performer Chic Performer Earth, Wind & Fire Performer Foxy Performer Frankie Valli Performer GQ Performer Heatwave Performer Hot Chocolate Performer Johnnie Taylor Performer KC & the Sunshine Band Performer Labelle Performer Parliament Performer Sister Sledge Performer The Emotions Performer The Spinners Performer The Staple Singers Performer The Trammps Performer Vicki Sue Robinson Performer