Change - The Glow Of Love (1980)

Note: the CD I listened to was the 1992 reissue with one bonus track.

A fantastic disco album. Instruments recorded in Italy, vocals (including a couple of tracks featuring Luther Vandross) recorded in NYC. Highly danceable and hooks abound. What more could you ask for? Now if you'll excuse me, I'll be hitting the dance floor instead of hitting this computer keyboard.

Press of the time:

• Stereo Review: "there's good stuff here"
• Billboard: "real songs as opposed to just dance exercises"
• CashBox: "one of the most infectious and appealing dance-oriented LPs to come out this year"
• Record World: "a winner"
• Robert Christgau (B+): "here's the complete bag of tricks"

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard 200: #29
• Billboard R&B: #10
• CashBox: #27

Tracks: The fact that the dancelicious lead track, A Lover's Holiday, peaked on the Hot 100 at only #40 seems almost criminal. However, that track hit the #5 spot on the R&B chart and topped the chart with its target audience on the dance charts for 9 weeks:

The other two tracks mentioned also hit the R&B singles chart: The Glow Of Love (#49) and Searching (#23). Those both feature lead vocals from Vandross and are outstanding. But there's nothing to skip here, especially if you like your disco in the same vein as Chic and Giorgio Moroder.

Bonus track: a needless '90s remix of Searching.

A quick mention of the striking graphic design by Greg Porto on the cover and the fact that the musicians are humorously credited as the "Goody Music Orchestra." 

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None, but...

I'm headed to my high school reunion next month - I won't say how many years it has been since I graduated, but the number rhymes with "shorty" - and instead of my mind wandering to remembrances of the final year of school, it has been going back to 1980 and the wonderful summer that separated my middle school and high school experiences. And while I wasn't spinning this album that particular summer (my favorite of the time was Glass Houses), I sure wish I'd had it. As it stands, I'll just have to add it to the 'woulda coulda shoulda' LP pile of the time that also includes releases from M, Airplay, and Linda Ronstadt.