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Harmless Records are renown for their compilations and this is the first in a series that will delight old disco fans and will send those young re-edit monkeys in to apoplexy.

Box sets of 80s Disco Classics - 12 Inches - Remixes stock the shelves of many a music emporium. But if on closer inspection, if the tracklisting there’s Rod Stewart or Tina Charles listed, you instinctively know to back off. This is not the case with this Disco Discharge: Classic Disco compilation, in fact the opposite is true.

Because of the commercial excesses of Disco, the ‘D’ word was dirt almost until ZE (see ZE 30 : ZE Records 1979-2009) but even then, their was a hip-underground like ‘What a Difference A Day Makes’, an updating of the 1930s jazz standard by Esther Phillips that was an international hit version (whilst on the subject, Esther’s albums on Kudu, a sub-label of CTI, are always worth picking up, not that they all have killer tracks on them but anything with Creed Taylor signature on it is just heavenly).

Getting back to ZE, as mentioned in my review, pre-Kid Creole, there was Dr. Buzzard and even for that group, ‘Cherchez La Femme’ was something special as it blended 30s big band chic in a 80s production; huge track every time.

And then, tracks like Gary’s Gang was such a hand-bag disco when it came out (I was far too cool to this) and I’d never have thought I’d be thinking Johnny Mathis’ ‘Gone, Gone, Gone’ was fantastic (yes, I’ve said it and effectively I’ve come out of the disco closet).

But before we draw any lines on this 21 track double CD (well I’ve only the one gripe as ‘Counting On Love’ is the only culprit for disco-cheese-banality that “ohh, ohh, ohh” bombs), the rest is heavenly.

And whilst we’re on the celestial touch, Idris Muhammad’s ‘Could Heaven Ever Be Like This?’ just raises the love of sing-a-long house and if your disco is Southport Music (formerly Soul) Weekend, The Players Association will be very familiar with a latinesque disco ‘Turn The Music Up!’ - a template for Brit jazz-funk that was to follow (Peterson has already done his annual revival bit on that one). But it’s not all well know track, I didn’t know Grey & Hanks’ ‘Dancin’ which is another big tune as is almost anything by Cerrone. There’s been some diggin’ for ‘Look For Love’ and can you hear roots of house in this? His son is Greg Cerrone of course.

The term “classic” is so over-used but in this case, even if some of the big-names here had other massive hit tracks like Rose Royce, Change and Cheryl Lynn, even non-fans will immediately know this is gold from a golden period; everybody come on, get on the floor and get dancin’ as “it is just a groove” as Glen Adam would tell you.

And as soon as this comes out, Bombers are now everywhere - well in Phonica anyway with the ‘(Everybody) Get Dancin’ on 12” along with some “up front vocal dance workouts” like ‘Disco Galaxy’. At the other extreme, Cerrone produced ‘Got To Have Loving’ by Disco Hall of Famer, Don Ray.

And then, the best track is the downtempo ‘Thanks For Loving Me’ by Double Discovery - such a non-disco track but then, its so now.

And then to mirror the first track on CD1, the set ends with the incredibly successful Manhattan Transfer. These guys were so safe (and last seen on Tim Allen’s Home Improvement in the Christmas special many years ago - Ed. 1992) but even I couldn’t deny their jazz vocal heritage was a good lead into the likes of Lambert, Hendricks & Ross, Jackie & Roy, Eddie Jefferson or even Slim Galliard) but here, going full circle, they sound more like Dr. Buzzard!

With sleeve notes by Alan Jones (author of Saturday Night Forever: The Story Of Disco), this is top quality classic is the truest sense. And watch out for the rest of the series Disco Discharge: Euro Disco, Disco Discharge: Disco Ladies and Disco Discharge: Gay Disco & Hi NRG : Disco is back in a big way.

Reviewed: V/A - Disco Discharge: Classic Disco (Harmless) Cat. No. HURTCD084 Release date: 14th September 2009
Tracklisting:
1-01 Dr. Buzzard’s Original Savannah Band - Cherchez La Femme / Se Si Bon (5:47)
1-02 Double Discovery - Thanks For Loving Me (8:43)
1-03 Cheryl Lynn - Got To Be Real (5:06)
1-04 Rose Royce - Do Your Dance (9:17)
1-05 The Constellation Orchestra - Funk Encounter (6:36)
1-06 Idris Muhammad - Could Heaven Ever Be Like This (8:34)
1-07 John Davis & The Monster Orchestra - Love Magic (7:39)
1-08 Gary’s Gang - Keep On Dancin’ (7:08)
1-09 Esther Phillips - What A Difference A Day Makes (4:29)
1-01 Johnny Mathis - Gone Gone Gone (6:32)
1-01 Peter Jacques Band - Counting On Love (One Two Three) (6:08)
CD2
2-01 The Glitter Band - Makes You Blind (Re-edit) (5:58)
2-02 The Players Association - Turn The Music Up! (6:51)
2-03 Bombers - (Everybody) Get Dancin’ (9:26)
2-04 Grey & Hanks - Dancin’ (7:04)
2-05 Change - It Burns Me Up (5:04)
2-06 Glen Adams Affair - Just A Groove (6:17)
2-07 Cerrone - Look For Love (10:14)
2-08 Companion - Living Up To Love (9:08)
2-09 Don Ray - Got To Have Loving (8:17)
2-10 The Manhattan Transfer - Twilight Zone / Twilight Tone (6:05)

Links:
www.harmlessrecordings.co.uk
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disco