Disco Around the Globe
I like disco. I like it quite a bit. But my thoughts have not really evolved in the past few days, when I last talked about a disco album, so I do not have a whole lot to say in the front half of the essay. I like it, a lot, and I have been listening to the disco LPs I bought because of that. After the spookiness of October and Halloween, and with the threat of winter and Christmas looming in the very near future, I just want something light and fun to listen to.
Disco Around the Globe was released by RCA in 1979 and has a catelogue number of DPL1-0425. It has a simple but attractive front cover, listing countries in alphabetical order in different colours that I am sure used to be more vibrant. The rear has a short blurb, justifying the importance of popular music in communication, and the importance of disco as the contemporary form popular music takes. They insist that their reach covers all continents, and that that is evident from their selections.
Side 1
Grey & Hanks – Dancin’ (USA)
Evelyn “Champagne” King – Shame (USA)
Instant Funk – I Got My Mind Made Up (Say whaat) (USA)
Edwin Starr – Contact (USA)
Side B
Banda Black Rio – Dance Do Dia (Brazil)
Hidecki – Hidecki Disco Special (Japan)
Rita & L’Anonimia Ragazzi (Italy)
Laurent Voulzy – Qui Est In Qui Out (France)
Those in charge of selecting tracks did excellent work, the worst of these is a fun, if forgettable, dance number. Those in charge of writing the blurb, however, should probably be given a globe and a geography lesson. This collection of global music is half American, quarter European. It does not feel particularly global. As is so often the case, Africa is entirely forgotten, and it seems strange to me to not have a single song from the Soviet bloc.
To me, the main standout is Hidecki’s Hidecki Disco Special. It appeared as a B-Side to Young Man (YMCA), which was a Japanese cover of the Village People’s YMCA. Hidecki Disco Special contains a sample from YMCA and puts it to fantastic use. It perhaps only stands out to me because it has that sample for me to grab onto, but either way I still really enjoyed the song.
I do not have a whole lot to say about this LP. I like it, I probably paid a dollar for it, it was worth it. I am happy it is in my collection, although for relistening reasons it could probably be replaced with that 45 of Young Man (YMCA) / Hidecki Disco Special. Still, when you buy from bins at under a dollar a record, they are not always solid hits.