The Best Of Fat Larry’s Band (1994)
This was an entertaining Philadelphia funk band, fronted by drummer “Fat” Larry James. Fat Larry’s Band never scored any major hits, but their singles for Stax, Fantasy, and Omni were prototype late-’70s and ’80s East Coast jazz-tinged funk. Trumpeter and flutist Art Capehart, trombonist and alto saxophonist Jimmy Lee, saxophonist Doug Jones, keyboardist Erskine Williams, guitarist Ted Cohen, bassist Larry Labes, and percussionist Darryl Grant completed the lineup. Their best song aesthetically was “Act Like You Know,” a 1982 tune with a surging bass line and simple but catchy lyric refrain. James also played with the Delphonics and Blue Magic and managed the group Slick. A good performer and charismatic personality, James died very prematurely in 1987 at age 38.
Tracks:
1. Center City
2. Fascination
3. We Just Can’t Get It Together
4. Boogie Town
5. Lookin’ for Love Tonight
6. Close Encounters of a Funky Kind
7. Last Chance to Dance
8. Hey Pancho It’s Disco
9. Act Like You Know
10. Lookin’ for Love
11. Zoom
**Listen**
Fat Larry’s Band – The Best Of Fat Larry’s Band (1994)
Diciembre 15, 2008 a 5:51 pm (Disco, Disco Funk, Funk)
Foxy – Party Boys (1979)
Diciembre 15, 2008 a 2:05 pm (Disco)
Party Boys (1980).
In 1980, a lot of disco artists were feeling nervous. Rumor had it that disco was dying, and they feared a trip to the unemployment line. But the rumors of disco’s demise were, as the saying goes, greatly exaggerated. Disco never died; it simply changed its name to dance-pop in the 1980s and evolved into such styles as deep house, Hi-NRG, and Latin freestyle. Some people would blame Foxy’s early-’80s breakup on disco’s so-called “demise,” arguing that there was simply little or no demand for disco after 1979. But that’s nonsense – inadequate promotion was really the thing that killed Foxy. With the right marketing and promotion, 1980’s Party Boys would have done well. Unfortunately, only Foxy’s most hardcore fans bought this LP, which is a very good party album even if it isn’t quite in a class with Get Off. “Girls,” “I Can’t Stand the Heat,” and the single “RRRRRock” are solid disco-funk smokers, and some of the tunes even have a rock edge (including “Let’s Be Bad Tonight,” “She’s So Cool,” and “Fantazy”). “Sambame” has a strong Brazilian flavor, while “Pensando en Ti” is a tender Latin-pop ballad that finds lead vocalist Ish Ledesma singing in Spanish. But Party Boys didn’t sell, and it turned out to be Foxy’s last studio album. (AMG).
Tracks:
01. Girls
02. Let’ s Be Bad Tonight
03. Sambame’ Rio
04. I Belong To You
05. She’s So Cool
06. I Can’t Stand The Heat
07. RRRRRock
08. Fantazy
09. Party Boys
10. Pensando En Ti
**Listen**
“D” Train – The Best Of 12″ Mixes (1992)
Diciembre 15, 2008 a 12:56 pm (Electronic, Funk, Modern Funk, Pop)
The Best Of 12″ Mixes (1992)
The Best of the 12″ Mixes compiles ten extended remixes from James “D Train” Williams and Hubert Eaves III’s body of work as D Train. If you were partial to a particular mix of any of the duo’s singles that wasn’t made available on their three proper albums, it might behoove you to seek this out. But even then, you’re not exactly guaranteed to find what you’re looking for, and it’s not as if radio DJs and club DJs informed listeners and dancers of what particular version of each song was played — so, unfortunately, some gambling might be involved. Another issue to consider is that a number of the tracks here appear as bonus tracks on Unidisc’s CD reissues of the studio albums. Although this contains mixes of some of D Train’s best moments, it doesn’t work as a suitable best-of, either. (AMG)
Tracks:
1. You’re the One for Me [Labor of Love Mix]
2. Keep On
3. Walk on By
4. Keep Giving Me Love
5. Music
6. Something’s on Your Mind
7. Just Another Night (Without Your Love)
8. “D” Train Theme
9. Trying to Get Over [Edited Version]
10. “D” Train [Dub]
**Listen**
