Tight work from this famous disco trio – a set recorded at Sigma Sound in NYC with lots of soaring strings, thanks to the disco perfection of producer Jacques Morali – who really found a great outlet for his talents with the group! And the album's also got some surprisingly soulful currents in the mix too – with added arrangements from Horace Ott, and vocal arrangements from Philly soul genius Phil Hurtt – both of whom really help the set hit a cut above the usual girls-with-disco sort of set! Titles include "Music Man", "Good In Love", "American Generation", "I Feel Disco Good", and a surprisingly strong cover of "Big Spender". CD features bonus tracks – 7" and 12" mixes of "American Generation" – plus 7" mixes of "Music Man", "Good In Love", and "I Feel Disco Good". CD

The Ritchie Family continue the exotic themes of their disco work started on the Brazil album – and step out here with a surprisingly righteous look on the cover! The mighty Jacques Morali gets some studio help from old Philly soul talent Ritchie Rome – and the pair of them create these soaring grooves that are perfect for the soulful vocals of the trio! Side two features the extended "Arabian Nights Medley" – which features disco-fied takes on older tunes "Istanbul", "Lawrence Of Arabia", and "In A Persian Market" – and side one features more conventional cuts that include "Best Disco In Town", "Baby I'm On Fire", and "Romantic Love". CD features bonus tracks – 1979 remixes of "The Best Disco In Town", "In A Persian Market", "Istanbul", and "Romantic Love" – plus the 7" single mix of "Best Disco In Town (parts 1 & 2)". CD

Sweet 70s fusion from John Tropea – a tightly-crafted album, but one that's never too slick, and which still has plenty of soul! Tropea's that rare breed who actually sounds better with a bit more polish – and he seems to draw magically from the high quality of studio support he gets on the record, inspiring his own guitar work onto strong new levels! There's a sense of focus here that seems to even go beyond John's first 2 albums as a leader – and the whole thing's nicely unified with a laidback groove and an R&B-inspired approach to electric jazz. Titles include "Livin In The Jungle", "In This Time", "Look What They've Done To My Song", "You're My Every Need", and "Yours Next To Mine". CD

The first album from guitarist John Tropea – an ace 70s session musician, who played on countless records for other folks – and a surprisingly great leader and arranger in his own right too! Tropea's working here in a vibe that's clearly influenced by the CTI sound – smooth but funky fusion – laid down in prime studio conditions, but still nicely soulful throughout, and without any of the BS that crept into other overly-jamming or too-slick records from the time. Guitar's the lead solo instrument on the set, but the album has a lot of other strong work by players that Deodato, Steve Gadd, Rick Marotta, and Rubens Bassini – making for a very tight set that's stood up wonderfully through the years. Titles include "The Bratt", "Tambourine", "7th Heaven", "The Jingle", "Just Blue", "Muff", and "Dreams". CD

A tight bit of dancefloor funk from the duo of Frank and Eddie Dillard – one on guitar, one on bass, and both on vocals – both working here with some great clubby production from Walter Murphy! The set's got a bit more edge than Murphy's own records – thanks to the emphasis on the Dillard instrumentation – and the rhythms are often nice and sharp, in that disco style that's almost hinting at a break at points – and which might have been at home in a South Bronx mix as much as in the clubs! The set includes the single "Full Tilt Boogie" plus other tracks that include "I Like Funky Music", "Sky High", "Everybody's Got One, "We Came To Play", and "Bad Motor Folk". CD

The second US album from Euro disco outfit Voyage – a group who manage to bring in some nice progressive and jazzy elements to the mix! There's almost a jamming rock-gone-disco approach to a few of the best numbers – thanks to a strong use of heavy guitars and keyboards, and a real rock-like phrasing at times. All tracks are longish, with TK-styled breakdowns on the better tunes – and lead vocals are handled by Sylvia Mason. Titles include "Souvenirs", "Kechack Fantasy", "Eastern Trip", "Let's Fly Away", "Golden Eldorado", and "Gone With The Music". CD

The second US album from Euro disco outfit Voyage – a group who manage to bring in some nice progressive and jazzy elements to the mix! There's almost a jamming rock-gone-disco approach to a few of the best numbers – thanks to a strong use of heavy guitars and keyboards, and a real rock-like phrasing at times. All tracks are longish, with TK-styled breakdowns on the better tunes – and lead vocals are handled by Sylvia Mason. Titles include "Souvenirs", "Kechack Fantasy", "Eastern Trip", "Let's Fly Away", "Golden Eldorado", and "Gone With The Music". LP, Vinyl record album

Gregg Diamond takes his Bionic Boogie sound to a different level – soaring to the skies with a leaner disco groove than before – almost hinting at the coming 80s groove in the process! The rhythms are nice and tight, and often augmented by keyboards that sweeten things up – never overwhelming the overall groove, but packing things in with a mighty nice punch – one that lets the vocals on the record really explode! Most numbers have a chorus singing the spare lyrics – but Diva Gray and Gordon Grody each sing lead on a track each, then give the rest of the record to a backup group that also includes Jocelyn Brown. Our favorite track may well be "Holding Back", which snaps along in a great funky dancefloor groove with some old Bionic Boogie elements – and other cuts include "Arista Vista", "Bring Back Your Love", "Fancy Dancer", and "This Side Of Midnight". CD

Soaring disco vocals from the Ritchie Family – a trio who get plenty of great clubby help here from Richie Rome and Jacques Morali, both of whom ensure that the whole thing is a super-charged powerhouse of late 70s disco elements! The strings glide in nicely next to the vocals, and the rhythms are live and played with a nice intensity – maybe more New York than the usual TK Records release of the time, but that's probably Morali's work on the set! The trio vocals follow in the tradition started for 70s disco by Three Degrees – and titles include "Life Is Music", "Lady Luck", "Super Lover", "Disco Blues", "Liberty", and "Long Distance Romance". LP, Vinyl record album

Lost soulful sounds from Osiris – one of the many high-concept funk ensembles to spring up in the wake of Earth Wind & Fire – and one of the better ones too! The combo's got some mighty tight grounding in the bass work of Tyrone Brunson – stepping out here in an early role to really help forge the group's groove from the bottom up – basslines with percussion, then jazzier elements on the top – including some wicked work by Fred Wesley & The Horny Horns! Those added horns really pack a lot of punch on the record – working perfectly with the group vocals that step out on most of the numbers – maybe not in ways that are as righteous as you'd guess from the title or the cover, but plenty darn groovy overall. Titles include "You & I", "Love In Your Heart", "I'll Never Let You Go", "Fantality", "Say You Will", and the jazzy stepper "Travelin Salesman". CD

The super-tight second set from French disco act Queen Samantha – a few female singers working with some excellent rhythm players – all on the kind of long-spun grooves that represent the late 70s Euro club scene at its best! All tracks really take time to build – and there's lots of conga work down in there next to the drums and basslines – peppered with plenty of riffing guitar, and served up in a way so that the vocals are more the icing on the cake than the core energy of the album! Titles include "Take A Chance", "Sweet San Francisco", "So Far Away", "What's In Your Mind", "Thank You For Your Love", and "The Look Of Love". LP, Vinyl record album

The first album from guitarist John Tropea – an ace 70s session musician, who played on countless records for other folks – and a surprisingly great leader and arranger in his own right too! Tropea's working here in a vibe that's clearly influenced by the CTI sound – smooth but funky fusion – laid down in prime studio conditions, but still nicely soulful throughout, and without any of the BS that crept into other overly-jamming or too-slick records from the time. Guitar's the lead solo instrument on the set, but the album has a lot of other strong work by players that Deodato, Steve Gadd, Rick Marotta, and Rubens Bassini – making for a very tight set that's stood up wonderfully through the years. Titles include "The Bratt", "Tambourine", "7th Heaven", "The Jingle", "Just Blue", "Muff", and "Dreams". LP, Vinyl record album

Gregg Diamond takes his Bionic Boogie sound to a different level – soaring to the skies with a leaner disco groove than before – almost hinting at the coming 80s groove in the process! The rhythms are nice and tight, and often augmented by keyboards that sweeten things up – never overwhelming the overall groove, but packing things in with a mighty nice punch – one that lets the vocals on the record really explode! Most numbers have a chorus singing the spare lyrics – but Diva Gray and Gordon Grody each sing lead on a track each, then give the rest of the record to a backup group that also includes Jocelyn Brown. Our favorite track may well be "Holding Back", which snaps along in a great funky dancefloor groove with some old Bionic Boogie elements – and other cuts include "Arista Vista", "Bring Back Your Love", "Fancy Dancer", and "This Side Of Midnight". CD

A crucial album from percussionist Ralph MacDonald – a set that not only catapulted him into the limelight, after strong work on countless records for other artists – but a record that also gave Ralph some long-standing fame, thanks to some key groovers on the set! The album's got a percussion-heavy take on funky fusion – never too over the top, but with more of an edge than some of the more polished 70s sessions on CTI or Columbia – although done with similar players who include Bob James on keyboards, Grover Washington Jr on soprano and tenor, Eric Gale on guitar, and Richard Tee on percussion. Ralph's congas are very strongly up in the mix – and heard to famous effect on the classic "Jam On The Groove", a killer break cut from the old days, as well as a nice version of "Mister Magic", plus the tracks "Calypso Breakdown", "Sound Of A Drum", and "Where Is The Love". LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

The Ritchie Family continue the exotic themes of their disco work started on the Brazil album – and step out here with a surprisingly righteous look on the cover! The mighty Jacques Morali gets some studio help from old Philly soul talent Ritchie Rome – and the pair of them create these soaring grooves that are perfect for the soulful vocals of the trio! Side two features the extended "Arabian Nights Medley" – which features disco-fied takes on older tunes "Istanbul", "Lawrence Of Arabia", and "In A Persian Market" – and side one features more conventional cuts that include "Best Disco In Town", "Baby I'm On Fire", and "Romantic Love". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the sweetest fusion sets ever recorded from guitarist Phil Upchurch – a set that's less trippy than his earlier albums, but one that more than makes up for that with a tightly soulful groove! Production is by John Tropea and George Benson – and you can definitely hear their touches here – giving Upchurch a strong sense of focus, yet still allowing plenty of room for those cool sounds and odd lines on his guitar. Arrangements are great throughout – partly handled by Leon Pendarvis, who also plays keyboards on the record with Richard Tee – and augmented by string and flute backings from Deodato. Titles include a great take on "Strawberry Letter 23" – plus "Free", "Good Times", "Church Street Station", "It's Almost Five", "Foolin Around", and "Cyrenna". CD

One of the sweetest fusion sets ever recorded from guitarist Phil Upchurch – a set that's less trippy than his earlier albums, but one that more than makes up for that with a tightly soulful groove! Production is by John Tropea and George Benson – and you can definitely hear their touches here – giving Upchurch a strong sense of focus, yet still allowing plenty of room for those cool sounds and odd lines on his guitar. Arrangements are great throughout – partly handled by Leon Pendarvis, who also plays keyboards on the record with Richard Tee – and augmented by string and flute backings from Deodato. Titles include a great take on "Strawberry Letter 23" – plus "Free", "Good Times", "Church Street Station", "It's Almost Five", "Foolin Around", and "Cyrenna". LP, Vinyl record album

Disco grooves, but with a definite difference – given that Jo Bisso had previously worked on the Parisian club scene, and brings a special flourish to this American album from the late 70s! Jo sings lead vocals on the side-long "Love Somebody" – a tune that builds strongly as Bisso gets answered by a trio of lovely ladies who really brighten up the sound – and who then seem to take over even more on the flipside working with singer Claudia Ferrari. This second side is even better than the first – as things get a bit more spare and stripped-down – snaking out on the smooth stepper "Your Love", getting some funky moogy touches on the P&P-like "Let's Keep It Together", and warming up on the mellow disco number "Thank You Baby". Special bonus – CD features a fifth track – not titled or credited at all! CD

Lost soulful sounds from Osiris – one of the many high-concept funk ensembles to spring up in the wake of Earth Wind & Fire – and one of the better ones too! The combo's got some mighty tight grounding in the bass work of Tyrone Brunson – stepping out here in an early role to really help forge the group's groove from the bottom up – basslines with percussion, then jazzier elements on the top – including some wicked work by Fred Wesley & The Horny Horns! Those added horns really pack a lot of punch on the record – working perfectly with the group vocals that step out on most of the numbers – maybe not in ways that are as righteous as you'd guess from the title or the cover, but plenty darn groovy overall. Titles include "You & I", "Love In Your Heart", "I'll Never Let You Go", "Fantality", "Say You Will", and the jazzy stepper "Travelin Salesman". CD

Teen pop with girl vocals circa the mid 60s so big, bright and groovy it's almost unfair that listening to and writing descriptions of it is "work" – it's such a sweet way to spend an afternoon we feel guilty for being on the clock! Lookin For Boys includes a couple of alternate versions of super hits like Lesley Gore's "It's My Party" but for the most part is filled with relatively forgotten gems in a similar, but just as glorious vein – songs way too lovely, catchy and good-natured for the serious times we live in – we can't recommend it highly enough! Includes "Lookin For Boys" by The Pin-Ups, "All I Want To Do is Run" by The Elektras, "That Guy Is Mine" (alternate vocal) by Kenni Woods, "Wrong Direction" by The Dixie Cups, "The Power Of Love" by Judy Wasenda, "Don't Push me Too Far" by Sherry Denning, "A New Boy" by Patty Lace & The Petticoats, "The Correct Form" by Marlina Mars, "Tell Him" (alternate version) by The Exciters, "Mr Loverman" by Yvonne Carroll and tons more. 32 tracks in all! CD