Various Artists - Super Rare Disco, Vol. 1 (1997)

Let's get this weekend started properly with some disco, shall we? I'm currently reading Vince Aletti's book, The Disco Files 1973-78: New York's Underground, Week By Week (2009) and thought this CD might be a good accompaniment.

I'm not going to repeat what I wrote earlier about Volume 2 of this series, but everything in that post applies to this release as well. It took me a while to find this first volume while the second volume seems to be readily available. I'd be hard-pressed to pick a favorite between the two discs, but put the two together in one playlist and you've got a party (mirror ball optional, but recommended). Better yet, go find the extended versions of these 20 songs. Andy Kellman at allmusic correctly states:

As a title, Super Rare Disco was a stretch when this disc was released in 1997, and since then, it has only become more of a stretch. No matter what, this is a fine disco compilation for those who want to dig beneath the surface of ubiquitous chart-toppers.

And would ya look at that - the liner notes are written by the aformentioned Mr. Aletti. It's not new, but it's new to me. Good stuff.

Peak on the US Billboard Top 200 chart:  Did not chart

Tracks: The only songs I'd heard before putting this CD in the tray were The Tymes' You Little Trustmaker which appeared earlier on this blog: Soul Hits of the '70s: Didn't It Blow Your Mind, Vol. 14 and First Choice's The Player which appears on one of the wonderful discs in the Backbeat series. (chart info from the Billboard Disco charts; links to YouTube clips provided for some of my favorite tracks)

Year	Title	Artist	Chart
1974	Tell Me What You Want	Jimmy Ruffin	5
1975	Dreaming a Dream	Crown Heights Affair	1
1976	Touch and Go	Ecstasy, Passion & Pain	4
1974	Sugar Pie Guy	The Jonses	9
1975	Foot Stompin Music	Hamilton Bohannon	3
1975	Free Man	South Shore Commission	1
1976	My Baby's Got E.S.P.	Four Below Zero
1974	You Little Trustmaker	The Tymes	7
1974	Rock Me Again & Again & Again & Again & Again & Again (6 Times)	Lyn Collins
1975	Let Me Lay My Funk On You	Poison
1974	I'll Be Holding On	Al Downing	1
1974	Dream World	Don Downing
1975	To Each His Own	Faith, Hope & Charity	15
1975	Makes You Blind	The Glitter Band	4
1972	Date with the Rain	Eddie Kendricks
1972	It's Just Begun	The Jimmy Castor Bunch
1974	Girls	Moments and Whatnauts	12
1974	The Player	First Choice
1975	Peace Pipe	B.T. Express	3
1975	Hold Back the Night	The Trammps

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None

Previously revisited for the blog:
Volume 2