Customer Reviews

Disco Connection

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This set is subtitled: "Authentic Classic Disco 1976 - 1981". And that it is! The songs featured are an odd mixture of cult classics, dance floor smashes, and hits which were only truly big in the disco hot spots at the time (such as Studio 54 and others of its ilk). Is it worth owning? Oh, yeah! The afficionado will recognize every track here. And for the delight of all who purchase this disc, every track is beautifully remastered (as a rule), and the vast majority are original full-length 12" mixes.As with any compilation, there are a few questionable choices. No matter how I tried, I could never get my dance floor to respond to Michel Polnareff's "Lipstick" and, personally, I never had much use for Goody Goody's "#1 Dee Jay". On the other hand, apparently someone liked them. I can remember seeing both of them on the dance charts featured in "Record World" and "Billboard". Two other cuts, Kleeer's "Tonight's the Night" and Chic's "Sao Paulo", are also questionable. Kleeer was simply never one of "the greats" and, as with the Polnareff track, the song never made much of a dent on my playlist. As for the Chic track, with their impressive catalog one has to wonder why the Brazilian-flavored instrumental "Sao Paulo" was chosen. What's left? Some of the best dance music ever made. If for no other reason, buy this album for Undisputed Truth's phenomenal "You + Me = Love". I have searched for this song on CD since the advent of the format, and I am most pleased to inform you that the version presented here is the real thing in all of its 11 minute + glory. The bass can be a bit muddy, but nothing that the equalizer can't fix. The fantastic mastering of Change's "Paradise" will knock you out. Candi Staton, one of the great divas of the disco era ("Young Hearts Run Free" and "Victim"), is featured here with her top 10 club hit "When You Wake Up Tomorrow" in its remixed 12" version. Deodato's "Whistle Bump" sounds great--all over again--and brings back memories of the summer of 1976 and the sweat-inducing dance floors of Chicago.And there's still more: Sergio Mendes' 1979 comeback smash "I'll Tell You," the awesome "Weekend" by Patrick Adam's Phreek, funky, funky Stargard's smash Warner Bros. debut "Wear It Out," and of course Janice McLain's cult fave "Smack Dab In the Middle". As stated previously, all tracks are remastered and sound as good as you remember, and all are full length 12" mixes with one exception. The version of Janice McLain's "Smack Dab In the Middle" is touted as being the Larry Levan remix. I have my doubts but it's been a few years... I can remember receiving the promo 12" of the Levan remix from Warner Bros. and it was a lot longer than the mere 4:11 the song clocks in on this disc. Perhaps this version was a radio edit. Deadato's "Whistle Bump" may also be the album version. I remember the 12" single being a couple of minutes longer but, hey--it's been over 25 year and you can't remember everything.If you were dancing during this period, this album is going to bring back a lot of memories. Now, excuse me; I have to go listen to "You + Me = Love" again...

These 12 tracks were all popular in the clubs (versus the radio) during the years 1976-81, and many of them are not easily available on CD. Examples include Michael Polnareff's "Theme From Lipstick," Undisputed Truth's "You+Me=Love," and Stargard's "Wear It Out." The recordings on this disc are well-selected; all reflect the disco aesthetic and cohere to a consistent-sounding set. The tracks are less obscure than those on the "Disco Spectrum" series-- the cuts on "Disco Connection" nevertheless make up a pleasing collection for disco fans and casual listeners of dance/party music.

When people talk about vintage music from the past, Disco is one of the least regarded of all musical genres. Thanks largely in part to major record label emphasis on record sales over music, A lot of the mainstream disco music sounded watered down and generic. In spite of the few top quality commercial artists who put out some memorable songs (Chic, Donna Summer, and the Bee Gees), Many People didn't see it as nothing more than a dumbed down spin off of soul music.

That's just one story of Disco. It's unfortunate that many people has a indifference towards this genre because a lot of quality underground dance music came around the same time. Disco Connection Vol 1 is a generally excellent collection of obscure classics that were famous in the clubs but barely scraped the charts. I love this set because not only does these dance songs sound more authentic than their commercial counterparts, but these songs have aged a lot better than the bigger hits of its era. With the deterioration of mainstream music over the past decade, this music sounds better as the years go by.

The music on here follows the same simple premise of mainstream disco songs but, the arrangements are more subtle, giving the the grooves more room to be able to roam through your booty and make you shake it off! This is evident with tracks like "Paradise" where a big crispy beat is percolating a fat and greasy bassline with sassy ease. "Lipstick" is a deep kiss of early euro dance with a trace of funk underneath a saliva of intricately placed strings. The standout track on here though is "Weekend". It has a bouncy bassline and squigly synth touches that predated house music by several years. The rest of tracks are just as good except for "#1 Dee Jay" which is one the lamest dance tracks ever waxed. Why not use that space for "Kiss Me Again" since its one the most sought after disco songs on the market now.

There's nothing more I can say about this. With dance music this hot who needs an oasis! I'm about to go and play this some more and if you feel like dancin', you need to buy this album because once you're disco connected- you're be dancin long distance into the mourning light!.......Now do you see the light!

I hope so because this disco is more than a guilty pleasure.

This is a fine compilation of the Warner Disco 12" Department
which was ran by Ray Caviano using great DJ's like Larry
Levan and Jim Burgess to remix some songs for extended dance
play.
My only lament is the limited version of "Smack Dab in the Middle" by Janice McClain, that Levan mix is under 5 minutes,
the 12" I have runs over 6 minutes, which Larry really does
justice to the song.
And a better selection for Kleer should have been " Keep your
body workin" and not " tonights the night".
Otherwise a super selection of great songs from Warner Brothers
that also showcased Freddie James " Get up and Boogie.

I have searched for You + Me for years. This CD is awesome and takes me back to a more simple time. YOU + ME IS THE BEST SONG EVER!!!!! BOOGIE ON!!!!!!!!

Great little nifty disco song collection, and then you begin to miss something. Where are the male singers?? This is virtually a slice of female disco cut history, devoid of any male disco singers, and what is accomplished by male artists is basically instrumental. Even Janice McClain's Smack Dab In The Middle here is not the long 12' version. Big redeeming quality is the very long version of the original disco floor hit You Plus Me Equals Love by Undisputed Truth which rocked the disco dance floors for those who care, or those who were there. It was as bad as Vickie Sue's Turn The Beat Around, or Andrea's More, More, More. It was get on the dance floor, or stay on the edge of it time. I still recommend this CD for hard disco enthusiasts, but it kind of makes you want to reach for The Trammps CD, or O'Jays to offset the female dominated playlist. Disco Dance CD with 3 discs is much, much more versatile.

Back in the disco era...very few songs excited me enough to move me to the dance floor. just one song managed to lull me out there every time...Undisputed Truth's "You + Me," an absolutely smoking, hotter than a gas grill, 11-minute opus. It has peaks and valleys, real soulful vocals, (nothing canned) and this band is cooking with gas! i owned the 12 inch single and yes, this is the original recording on this CD. The rest of the songs here are quite good too...this isn't commercial pop disco...this is the real music they played in the clubs and I was there to witness it...but boy, if you want a true glimpse into 1970s disco, this CD is a grat place to start...

The Disco Connection takes you back to a time when
all you waited for was Friday night....time to put on
your best outfit from head to toe and boogie down to
the DJ at your favorite hot-spot. This collection seems
to venture in and out of that disco era especially with
underground hits such as "Ill tell you" Sergio Mendes and "Wear it Out" Starguard.. these were not commercial
hits. You only heard them if you went out to the club, that is what I like about dance collections. Give me
music I can no longer find and that were big hits from
those days...Kudos to the producers keep it up...

All of the songs on this compilation are solid choices and a great addition to a classic disco library, for me the inclusion of You + Me = Love by The Undisputed Truth was the item I desperately needed to fill the gap in my library, very high energy and very different from their other work.

was sent to me ontime - sounds great - was just as advertised - would purchase again