Customer Reviews

Disco Spectrum 3

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BBE Records once again provides a great collection of obscure disco tracks. The 2-disc set contains 20 songs in full length versions, with a thoughtful selection of lesser-known 12" releases and album tracks. Disc 1 alternates vocal tracks with instrumentals. Peppered throughout the set are songs that nod to Chic: scratching rhythm guitar, throbbing basslines, melodic washes. As with other Spectrum releases, male vocalists get a rare spotlight; in fact, with this release, there are only three tracks with female lead vocals. The selections:

1. BT Express: Does It Feel Good, 1979
2. The Brothers: Under The Skin, 1976
3. Eddie Kendricks: Goin' Up In Smoke, 1976
4. Hi Voltage: Somewhere Beyond, 1981
5. Delegation: Heartache No 9, 1979
6. Mandre: Solar Flight, 1977
7. Syreeta: Can't Shake Your Love, 1981
8. Jo Boyer, Isabelle & The Rain
9. Koxo: Step By Step, 1982
10. Sweet Potato: Hot Disco Night, 1978

11. Idris Muhammed: Could Heaven Ever Be Like This, 1977
12. Universe City: Can You Get Down, 1976
13. Denise LaSalle: I'm So Hot, 1980
14. Blair: NightLife, 1978
15. Dunn Pearson Jr: Groove On Down, 1978
16. Fever: Don't You Want Me, 1980
17. Universal Robot Band: Let's Get This Thing Together, 1980
18. Lenny Williams: Please Don't Tempt Me, 1977
19. Dazzle: Reaching, 1978
20. Invisible Man's Band: Love Don't Come, 1980

The live drums on these songs provide a warm sonic core; some tracks are jazz-disco excursions; the sequence of the tracks is great. This time round, the packaging allows for easy reading of the extensive liner notes. (One gripe-- proofing by an editor would have cleaned up the notes.) All of the Disco Spectrum releases are wonderful for fans of dance music, and none panders to the radio-hits format that renders so many disco collections repetitive. Highly recommended.

"Is the boogie bad, or is the boogie bad!?" Sorry, had to quote DJ Gerry Bledsoe (RIP) for this. Having a compilation with "Could Heaven Ever Be Like This" by Idris Muhammad is worth the price of the cd by itself. I am sooooo happy to get a disco compilation that takes the genre beyond white three-piece suits and the Village People. Most of these songs were only heard in the clubs or in some hip neighbor's apartment. If you don't have it, get it...

Respect is due to Joey and Sean for another great edition in their Disco Spectrum series. So many hard to find tracks that have never made it to CD.

This was worth the money alone to hear the wicked "Under the Skin" by The Brothers straight off a high quality CD instead of my scratched old vinyl. Other standouts include Universe City's jazz funky "Can You Get Down" (never owned an original of this before), Blair's moody "NightLife" (apparantly an ex Blackbyrds member), B.T.Express's Chic-ish (and much sampled) "Does it Feel good To You". There are so many great tracks on this LP and even as an avid disco/soul/boogie collector I only had about a quarter of them.

If you want a thinking mans disco comp, this is for you.

I also own disco spectrum vol's 1 and 2. this one is not as
deep or funky, but if you love underground disco and house,
this will inch by.