Customer Reviews

Studio 54, Vol. 1: Music From The Miramax Motion Picture

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I decided to buy this cd after I saw the movie which I also recom mend.I am building a disco collection and most of the songs on here I am satisfied with."Vertigo/Relight my fire,Contact,You make me feel,Keep on Dancin and Que sera mi vida" are definetely my most favorite songs on this cd!I was 10 years old when Studio 54 was jumping but I remember all of these songs(thanks to my mom aunts and their friends).Most of the songs on volume 2 I have already except the ultimate treasure "Loving is really my game"! Only a true,loyal die-hard disco lover can appreciate and enjoy cds such as this one!!

I am a dee jay and found that the music on both volumes are excellent. Most of these songs you can't find on any other cd or even records. If you have the money you should buy both the cd's. This is great party music and dancing music. I have used both of the cd's on the radio and for commercials too. Definately buy these cd's.

In Australia, this soundtrack was released with the best picks of Volume 1 and Volume 2, resulting in a fantastic compilation (although it doesn't have Sylvester's MIGHTY REAL song which they were stupid to leave off).
Anyway. this soundtrack is high up on the list as one of my all time favourite CD's - because it includes some brilliant dance tracks and hard to find stuff. My favourite track is THE BOSS by Diana Ross followed by FOUND A CURE by Ashford & Simpson. Try and track down the Australian CD version if you can, otherwise purchase Volume 2 - it's definitely the better of the two from what I can work out from the track listings shown on Amazon. Finally, this is a soundtrack that is actually better than the movie ... it's usually the other way round.

Most music I have seen pawned off as 'disco' was AM pop music and I never listened to it. 54 Volumes 1 & 2 really focus on what was being played, something I referred to back then as 'heavy disco'. And, it was rarely on the radio except for special FM shows, but it was NEVER mainstream Top40. I never went to 54 back then but I did go to other large discos in NYC and this soundtrack/compilation was the closest I have heard to date that more accurately reflected the true disco sound, not the 'bubblegum' pop junk that has been passed off as 'disco' over the years. I consider Saturday Night Fever as the downturn of disco because of it's pop sound; I was playing 'Disco Inferno' from that soundtrack 1 year before it was 'discovered' and it was a hit at my disco. Disco was never meant to be POP music - it was pure, high energy danceable music without social or political messages. You want to hear more of what it was like, start with 54 Volumes 1 & 2, it isn't perfect, but it is better than anything I have seen/heard to date. Another good soundtrack is "Looking For Mr. Goodbar", more funky than 54, but a good compilation of very early disco if it is still available. And if you really want the full impact, get the full length versions of these tracks, they are starting to appear and Amazon.com carries a very good selection.

In looking at the selection on Volume I, I notice the songs are taken from 1977 to 1979, accurate enough during Steve Rubell's 15 minutes of fame. After a snippets medley of songs done here and on Volume II, Latin rhythms and keyboards come in with Gary's Gang's "Keep On Dancin'". A slow start, given most of the material here.

Diana Ross's "The Boss" was written by man-wife songwriters Ashford and Simpson, and this is typical of the material she did during her disco period, e.g. "Love Hangover" and the Diana album. However, the Michael Jackson style yelps are a bit much.

"Dance Dance Dance (Yowsah Yowsah Yowsah)" was one of Chic's first big hits from 1977, and introduced innovative instrumentation during a time that the disco genre was being maligned. With the way string-synths and funky beats are crafted into great hooks, I see yet another Prince influence that kind of made its way into LoveSexy.

Talented multiple instrumentalist and light tenor Dan Hartman's "Vertigo/Relight My Fire" is next, replete with vibes, synths, and other whooshy sounds, well worth its eight minute running time. I'm not sure how his version did but Take That took "Relight My Fire" to the #1 in the UK after his death from AIDS. A standout cut here, as long as no one relights the fire to burn more disco records.

Sylvester's "You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real)" should be familiar, with that high-pitched falsetto of his.

"Move On Up" is the Curtis Mayfield song that its author pushed to #12 on the UK charts in 1971, but done by Destination in 1979. Not too much variation, as it maintains that jamming horn section.

"Eye to eye contact, you and me" sing the gravelly soulful Edwin Starr and his singers in "Contact." It shows how someone can do a fun upbeat song like this and do a politically serious song like "War", which he did the year before "Contact."

Spacey synths and disco synths with a slight bluesy riff on the chorus, and a gospel-tinged chorus that sways with the music, that's Mary Griffin's "Knock On Wood" for you.

"I got my mind made up, come on, you can get it, get it girl, anytime" raps Instant Funk, to which a woman goes "Say what?" incredulously and then "tonight is fine" as the response. Instant Funk, huh? So, how many cups of water do we add? There's already been some disco added, I can tell you.

Odyssey's "Native New Yorker" with its lush strings, is one of those romantic, dance by the fireplace numbers like "Love's Theme" from Love's Unlimited Orchestra, though not as gushy.
The Gibson Brothers' unison shout of "if you should go" in "Que Sera Mi Vida" and electric keyboards echoes the Village People. Strong soul vocals in the verses.

Rose Royce's lush ballad, the UK Top 3 "Wishing On A Star" is the sweetest song here and Yvonne Fair has the best voice of any of the artists on this collection. Clearly they were riding on the crest following the success of the Car Wash soundtrack.

What makes this worthwhile is that for the most part, it doesn't pick the well-tread disco standards found on the Pure Disco compilations but other merit-worthy selections from that era that people may have heard from somewhere but forgot who did them. A superlative collection.

If you are from the Disco Era or just love that music (and who doesn't?) then you will love this album. Every song brings back so many memories (I am a 70's grad) and I enjoy dancing to every one! It is also a really great CD to listen to while you do your walking to keep you moving and at a brisk pace!!

This is one of the best CD's i have listened to in as really long time. They picked a wonderful collection of songs to express the ambiance of what Studio 54 was really like. One reason I enjoyed the music so much one reason is that you can dance all the way through the whole CD. I can only hope that the movie is just as entertaining and enjoyable as the CD is to me. I hope that anyone else who buys this CD finds it just as entertaining.

i never really listened to this kind of music before though i was aware of it. i haven't seen the movie but i bought the soundtrack for a friend's birthday out of the blue. when i listened to them i was so stunned and over the moon, my favourite track has to be "native new yorker". would you believe that i put a disco ball in my room just for the atmosphere, you can tell i'm totally obsessed!

Takes me back to the disco years, when I was in college. Good memories. Love it! A must for all of us who spent many a nights at the local disco!

I originally owned Studio 54, Vol. 2: Music From The Miramax Motion Picture, which I LOVED, so when I had the opportunity to own Volume 1, I was overjoyed! I love the various original disco tracks, including "The Boss" by Diana Ross, "Dance, Dance, Dance (Yowsah, Yowsah, Yowsah)" by Chic, and of course "You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real)" by the great Sylvester!