I planned to add some other disco work but albumwise my choices were limited, there's lots of crossoverstuff with R&B, Funk or Pop . My choice here is Stargard, with a favourite track of mine at the time "Which way is up", a short album but then i added a US 12" mixalbum which i think does a good job showing the works at the time(78). My last choice , Sticky Fingers, is typical in the sense that the producer got together with a bunch of musicians and produced an album, however here the singers, The Duncan Sisters, escaped anonymity and went on scoring hits themselves. Apart from the remarkble cover this album was released as a double 12" pack..made to market and accomodate the DJ's.
A Late addition to last weeks Into the groove post, the link between War and previous Into the groove post ft Africa Bambaata, i will add it to last weeks post but here it is War , Bambaata mixes (48mb)
01 - Low Rider (Arthur Baker remix) (7:53)
02 - Galaxy (5:39)
03 - Low Rider (Arthur Baker house party mix) (6:25)
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B G's Fever ( 77 ^ 84mb)
The Gibb Brothers fortunes had come to a stand still, after a string of hits in the late sixties under the guidance of Robert Stigwood, the early seventies they were close to breaking up after their album "A Kick In The Head Is Worth Eight In The Pants." was shelved, it remains unreleased. When manager Robert Stigwood, introduced them to producer Arif Mardin, he produced "Mr. Natural," which had no hits, he opened them up to a new sound. Having established a good working relationship with the group, he was asked to produce their next album, "Main Course."
At the time the Bee Gees were as cold as ice, and there was not much chance that radio stations would get excited about a new single from the Brothers Gibb. They repeated a trick they had used eight years earlier when their first single was released.
Promotional copies were issued on a white label with no identification of the artist. It worked! Debuting at 87 on May 31, 1975, "Jive Talkin" took 10 weeks to top the charts and begin the Bee Gees spectacular comeback. The "Main Course" album produced two more hits: "Fanny"and "Nights On Broadway"
Riding high on the wide acceptance of "Main Course." the Bee Gees prepared to record a follow-up with the same producer, Arif Mardin. But Stigwood had shifted distribution of RSO Records from Atlantic to Polydor. Mardin was a "house producer" at Atlantic and was not allowed to work with artists recording for another label. Rudderless, the brothers decided to re-create the enviroment that Mardin provided for their previous album. Returning to Criteria and forming an alliance with Karl Richardson and Albhy Galuten, who were instrumental in their previous success, work began on 1976's "Children Of The World." If the Bee Gees were worried about their chart fortunes without Arif at the helm, their fears subsided when "You Should Be Dancing" was released as the first single. It became their third number one single.
Saturday Night Fever
In the summer of 1976 the Bee Gees were settled into the Chateau D'Herouville studios outside of Paris. The brothers recorded the first song for the proposed album, "If I Can't Have You," when they received a phone call from Stigwood. He told them to forget the studio album, he wanted a live album to come out next. A few days later he telephoned again with a new directive. He needed four new songs for a film he was producing. The first song written after Stigwood's call was "How Deep Is Your Love," but it was meant for Yvonne Elliman not the film. The Bee Gees weren't even aware of a love scene in the film, but when Stigwood heard the song he was adamant that they record it themselves.
Stigwood arrived at the Chateau a couple of weeks later and gave the brothers a very rough outline of the film's story. He stressed it was about a young guy who lives for Saturday night, when he can spend his weekly wages and go out dancing. The only other fact was that John Travolta was playing the lead role. The brothers were inspired, disco songs were something they hadn't really delved into wholeheartedly. It took about two and a half weeks to write and record some demos. When Stigwood heard the initial demo of "Stayin' Alive," he objected, asking why it wasn't "Saturday Night, Saturday Night." He was told either it's "Stayin' Alive" or that they would keep the song. The Bee Gees remained in France while the film, titled "Saturday Night Fever," was in production in the States. When Stigwood left the Chateau, he took with him the rough mixes of the songs that would be used in the picture as is.
While the Bee Gees were writing the songs for the film in France, John Travolta was in training, working on dance routines back in the States. The song he used was an older Bee Gees number from their "Main Course" album, "You Should Be Dancing" and when it came time to film his dance number for the movie he didn't want to change songs. His stubborness made the song part of the movie and soundtrack and breathed new life into it.
"How Deep Is Your Love" was the first single issued from the soundtrack, prior to the actual release of the film. It entered the Hot 100 on September 24, 1977 and moved into the number one spot 13 weeks later. It remained at number one for three weeks and in the top ten for 17 weeks, the longest run of any single release since the Hot 100 was initiated in August of 1958..
"Stayin' Alive" was the music heard in the electrifying opening of "Saturday Night Fever," as Travolta's character, Tony Manero, struts down a New York City sidewalk. One week prior to the film's release, a 30-second teaser of the opening sequence was seen in theatres around the country, the pounding beat of "Stayin' Alive" playing under it. This brief coming attraction was enough to create a demand for the song, even though the soundtrack had not yet been released. "Stayin' Alive" was issued before "How Deep Is Your Love" reached number one. It entered the Hot 100 at number 65 on December 10, 1977. Eight weeks later it became the second consecutive chart-topper from "Saturday Night Fever." The soundtrack went on to sell more than 25 million copies, making it not just the most successful soundtrack ever released, but the best-selling album of all-time, a record that would stand until Michael Jackson's "Thriller" in 1984.
The Bee Gees continued their domination of the Hot 100 with their third consecutive number one single from "Saturday Night Fever." "Night Fever" was the fastest-rising single yet from the film. The week that "Night Fever" moved to number eight, the Bee Gees former two singles were still anchored in the top 10, making them the first group to have three songs in the top ten simultaneously since the Beatles. And the week that "Night Fever" took over the top spot, "Stayin' Alive" resurged, moving from number 6 back to number 2, where it remained for five weeks, turning Platinum in the process. That made the Bee Gees the first group to have the two top songs on the Hot 100 since the Beatles last did it in 1964.
Under tremendous pressure to equal or better the track record set by "Saturday Night Fever," which resulted in three consecutive number one singles, the Bee Gees entrenched themselves at Criteria Studios in Miami for 10 months. When they emerged, they had completed 1979's "Spirits Having Flown." The first single featured vocal layerings and lush strings reminiscent of their earlier 1970's material. "Too Much Heaven" it became their seventh number one single. "Tragedy" was the second consecutive number one single from "Spirits Having Flown," stretching the total of chart-toppers for the Bee Gees to eight. "Love You Inside Out" was to be their 9th and it also brought a surprising end to the good chart fortunes of the Gibb brothers. The most successful group of the second half of the 1970's, they became yesterday's heroes in the 1980's. Between 1983-1987 the Bee Gees took a hiatus, realizing that their group was suffering from the "disco backlash" of the early 1980's, they chose to pursue solo ventures. Writing, and producing for other artists and releasing solo albums, all with varying degrees of success. But a third big comeback was not to be..
01 - Jive Talkin' (3:44)
02 - Nights On Broadway (4:31)
03 - You Should Be Dancing (4:15)
A1 - Stayin' Alive (4:43)
A2 - How Deep Is Your Love (4:01)
A3 - Night Fever (3:33)
A4 - More Than A Woman (3:11)
A5 - If I Can't Have You (3:18)
B1 - Tragedy (5:04)
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Stargard - Stargard ( 77 ^ 99mb)
Stargard was a three-piece female funk music band consisting of original members Rochelle Runnells, Debra Anderson, and Janice Williams. They are best known for their 1977 hit song "Which Way Is Up?" it charted at #1 on the Billboard R&B charts. The Norman Whitfield-penned title track of their followup album What You Waitin' For was also a Top 10 R&B hit. The group's last hit came after switching label and releasing The Changing Of The Gard and its standout single "Wear It Out" co-produced by Verdine White of Earth, Wind, & Fire. Debra Anderson soon left the group shortly after the "Changing of the Gard" album. The remaining members stayed together to release two more albums including Back 2 Back (1980) and Nine Lives (1982).
01 - Three Girls (3:51)
02 - Smile (3:12)
03 - Love Is So Easy (3:32)
04 - Don't Change (3:13)
05 - Theme From "Which Way Is Up" (7:00)
06 - The Force (3:30)
07 - I'll Always Love You (3:28)
08 - Disco Rufus (3:11)
Xs
09 - Downtown Disco US Disco mixes mixed ( 22:48) (' 78)
00:00 - Stargard - Which Way Is Up (4:22)
04:22 - Stargard - What You Waitin' For (5:15)
09:37 - Rose Royce - Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is (3:21)
12:58 - War - Galaxy (5:07)
18:05 - Rose Royce - Carwash (4:43)
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Sticky Fingers ft the Duncan Sisters (78 ^ 84mb)
Sisters Helen and Phyllis Duncan remain as mysterious as they are talented. As with many of the subjects of the disco-era little is known about there beginnings or there current whereabouts. The Canadian sisters were considered proteges of Guenther and Morrison and their Three Hats Productions. The girls first hit was "Weekend Two Step" from the previously mentioned release. Their crystalline vocals helped propell the album into a club favorite and top seller. Ian and Willi then assembled the exact same roster of artists and musicians for another 1978 release, "Sticky Fingers." The album featured four tracks and was released promotionally as a Prelude Records 2-12" singles pack. The songs "Wastin' My Love" and "Takin' A Chance On You" were both summer hits.
By 1979 the sisters had helped Ian and Willi achieve enough success that they were given their own release. Simply titled "The Duncan Sisters" the album was a runaway smash. Nearly every track received floor time. The big hits of course were the 12" singles of "Boys Will Be Boys" and "Sadness In My Eyes." Two other tracks remain favorites, "Outside Love" and "Love Is On The Way." The EarMarc records release featured all the same musicians that Guenther and Morrison used for all their releases. And as was their working order, it was recorded in Canada at their favorite studio.
1980 was consumed with personal appearances and weathering the collapse of disco music. But in early 1981 the sisters would have one final hit, "Too Damn Hot." The sisters then moved on to personal lives and gave up the idea of becoming full fledged artists. Not giving up singing easily the sisters chose to earn extra income by doing background vocals. They could be heard on numerous recordings throughtout the 1980's and into the 1990's.
01 - Wastin My Love (7:27)
02 - Takin A Chance On You (8:14)
03 - Night Time (9:04)
04 - Party Song (10:10)
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All downloads are in * ogg-7 (224k) or ^ ogg-9(320k), artwork is included , if in need get the nifty ogg encoder/decoder here !
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