Customer Reviews

KC and the Sunshine Band 25th Anniversary Collection

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

In his negative review of "The Disco Box", LA Times' aging rock critic, Robert Hilburn, dismissed "Get Down Tonight" and the Disco era as if it were nothing special. Of course, the problem with rock critics like Hilburn was that they were afraid to admit they liked a lot of disco music. Most rock critics are always shy about recognizing a guilty pleasure when they see it. And sadly, with the music sounding as good as it did back in the late 70's, they still can't admit they are wrong. KC & The Sunshine Band didn't start out as critic favorites. Only when they faded from the charts did critic's take notice. And they weren't a guilty pleasure, either. They were a great band who wrote great hits. This 2 CD set only suffers from a poor finish. The amazon reviewer is right when he says that 3 versions of "Please Don't Go" are too much. Sometimes, completeness gets the best of Rhino. But by adding "Who Do Ya Love" and "Rock Your Baby" this makes a strong addition to KC's catalog. If you own Rhino's single disc "Best Of" you might not need this. But the rest of KC's fans will eat it all up. Here's hoping Rhino sends a copy to Disco-critic haters like Hilburn. He'll love it.

KC and the Sunshine Band 25th Anniversary Collection has a lot of great music by KC and The Sunshine Band that I really love to hear! The sound quality is great and the artwork is very nicely done, too. This is a great two CD set for diehard fans; and it's also very good for the more casual fan who wants a "greatest hits" package without buying too many CDs by this group.

The first CD starts off with the original single version of "Get Down Tonight;" their disco style really also rocks hard and I love every minute of it! The musical special effects work perfectly and they sing this tune out loud! Great! "That's The Way (I Like It)" follows; KC and the Sunshine Band sing and play this to perfection--and beyond! The tune has a great disco beat with that throbbing bass and they sing this well. Now THIS is music that makes me wanna dance!

"Sound Your Funky Horn" has a great beat--and yes, it IS a funky beat! IT smacks of that `70s flavor I still like so much. "I'm So Crazy ('Bout You)" picks up the tempo somewhat and this works very well for this dance number. "I'm So Crazy ('Bout You)" is prime KC and the Sunshine Band and I like "I'm So Crazy ('Bout You)" very much. "(Shake, Shake, Shake) Shake Your Booty" is probably one of the strongest numbers on the first CD; this tune was a huge hit for this group and the beat is catchy and great for dancing even today all these years later! Great!

"I'm Your Boogie Man" rolls and rocks through its disco flavored melody; this made so many people take to the dance floors in the golden era of disco--and it still has a great sound today. If you like disco, "I'm Your Boogie Man" is a perfect song for you to dance to. "Wrap Your Arms Around Me" is equally bright; the percussion marks the beat and KC and the Sunshine Band perform this flawlessly.

The second CD continues the hits. "Keep It Comin' Love" was one of their biggest hits ever with its throbbing beat and they sing this very well--awesome! "Who Do Ya Love" has an uplifting beat and the melody is also great for dancing. "Please Don't Go" is another very strong number--this has a slower dance beat that is perfect for slow dancing all alone late at night with your sweetheart in your living room.

"Let's Go Rock And Roll" impresses me today; this shows us how KC and the Sunshine Band were morphing toward an early `80s dance type of music that evolved out of disco; and they do this really well! "Give It Up" has a distinctly early `80s beat to it and KC and the Sunshine beat still can make me wanna dance with this hit. "Por Favor No Te Vayas (Please Don't Go)" is sung beautifully in Spanish to the same music that we get for the English music; and listen for the "Tom Moulton" mix of "Get Down Tonight." This last number polishes off the two CD set with flair and it leaves you wanting more, too!

Unless you are a hardcore KC fan, skip this 2 CD set, and instead get "The Best of KC & the Sunshine Band [Rhino 1990]"

If you want some kitschy fun, that disc has it in spades. This double CD has lots of retro fun, also -- in fact, too much.

The double set has too many unremarkable songs, and lots of filler. Three (count 'em -- 3) versions of "Please don't go," including one in Spanish ("Por Favor no te Vayas"); An instrumental version of "Rock Your Baby," (wherein the Sunshine Band erroneously mistakes themselves for Duke Ellingtons orchestra), and covers of great motown hits like "Same Old Song" and "Dancin' in the Street."

All told, the single disc has all of the great KC tunes you remember from the radio of your youth (or every Bar Mitzvah and /or wedding you've ever been to) without all the useless filler.

You can listen straight thru without having to skip skip skip, skip skip skip, to the bootie . . .

Being a native of so florida, I have great pride in saying this is a excellent two CD set, and is more than resonably priced, its downright CHEAP.

These CD's tell much of the story of this band, of course including their big hits like "Get Down Tonight", "Thats The Way I Like It", "I'm Your Boogie Man", "Shake Your Booty", "Please Don't Go" and many others. The great thing about the CD's is thatbthey sample great recordings that are pure funk that didn't chart, such as "Give It Up", "Do You Wanna Go Party", "Sound Your Funky Horn'" and many others.

His duet with Teri Desario "Yes Im Ready" is also included.

This is great funky music People do not realize he hit the charts BEFORE disco hit, bringing top forty power funk to the radio with the Ohio Players and Earth Wind and Fire, (Remember the year when 'Fire', 'Shining Star', and 'Get Down Tonight' hit the charts?

Great party record!!! Perfect for the summer mix!

This 25th anniversary two-disc set of KC & The Sunshine Band's best is bookended by two versions of their signature song, "Get Down Tonight."

Disc one starts with the original 1975 single, one of disco's (and, by extension, the 1970s) most explosive, assertive musical moments. Bandleader/leadsinger Harry "KC" Casey jumps from a sparking guitar solo and pounding drums to ask the world if its ready for a brand newer beat. "Get Down Tonight!" is exhortation as well as invitation, completing in disco the mix of the gospel and blues Ray Charles spent his early career forging. Rock theatrics, JBs groove, Spectorian production and Miami salsa joined then to form disco's hedonistic music and message.

In the extended mix closing Disc 2, legendary DJ Tom Moulton dismantles, reassembles and stretches pieces of the original hit across its incessant bass/drum beat. You hear sparse piano jazz, guitars conversing in Morse code, horns leading a charge then pulling back in rhythm. Moulton rethinks a classic pop single, providing a composing lesson to dance to.

In between those versions Rhino tells KC & The Sunshine Band's story through its remarkable string of 1975-78 hits: propulsive grooves like "I'm Your Boogie Man," "Keep It Coming Love," and the "That's The Way (I Like It)" turn horn riffs and female chants into sexy, trashy,and gritty songs in disco's heydey. Even their lone ballad hit, "Please Don't Go" (the first #1 of the 80s) packs big band production punch and a near carnival riff repeated throughout the song.

In the margins you hear the Sunshine Band's showcase sharp Kool & The Gang-style disco-funk ("Shotgun Shuffle," and their version of George McCrae's hit, "Rock Your Baby.") You also hear should-have-been-hits like "Who Do You Love?" and 1978's surprisingly strong take on the Four Tops' "It's The Same Old Song." You also hear occasional missteps like 1982's "Let's Go Rock and Roll," and a flaccid, "Dancing In The Street" before KC rebounded with 1984's comeback, "Give It Up."

This group was entirely about its singles, so this collection is slightly less essential than either taut collections like 1990's best-of or KC's entry in Warner's "Essentials" series. But disco and general 70s music fans will find this 2 CD-set expands and celebrates an underrated group and phenomenon.

The collection from KC & The Sunshine Band could have been a one disc recording instead of two because there were too many songs I didn't recognize on the first disc, while the second gave it to me like a neutron bomb. For the first disc, even if you don't dig them all, some of the tunes will have you bopping in rhythmn. On a whole, this set will bring back the seventies in a grand fashion and have you stepping to a almost forgotten beat.

A few weeks ago, I ran out in a pouring rainstorm to retrieve this CD that I had accidentally left in my car. Why? Because I just had to listen to "I Betcha Didn't Know That" at that very moment. That's what KC and the Sunshine Band's music does to a person. They were an indelible part of my childhood and, because they were an actual BAND rather than just someone singing to an electronic backup, the music still holds up today. (Go see them live if you don't believe me.) This CD is probably the most complete collection of their music available; like the other reviewers, I have to question the inclusion of so many Please Don't Gos at the expense of other music not available on CD anywhere else (Come To My Island, anyone?). But then there's that trippy remix of Get Down Tonight that I love...and the Teri DeSario duets...and Shotgun Shuffle...and the unbelievably upbeat Do You Feel Alright...somehow I always do after hearing their music. Here's to 25 more years of sunshine.

This two-CD set includes many songs that I hadn't heard in years. I've enjoyed hearing them again. As a teenager, I loved KCSB, even after their popularity faded. I eventually quit listening for a while, but now I don't know why. This is fun music, and I still hope to one day see KCSB in concert.

Like one of the other reviewers, I am especially grateful for the inclusion of "I Betcha Didn't Know That." The lyrics to that song go way beyond the usual party songs we expect, and they help produce a ballad that's as beautiful as the more popular "Please Don't Go." In fact, I mostly like this collection for the less popular songs, as the mega-hits appear on literally dozens of other CD's.

I still hope The Painter comes out on CD. That album went mostly unnoticed, and I've never seen any of its songs on CD. However, it's KCSB's most diverse album and definitely worthy of a second chance.

This box set has ALL of my favorites. We have managed to see KCSB at least once a year for the past several years and I don't know what I'll do if they ever quit touring. Still a wild party after 25 years. Thanks KC!

This greatest hits package is wonderful. It even has Wrap Your Arms Around Me. I bought it just for that song and love all the rest too. If you still love Disco, this is a must have.