Disco Dance CD

By the late '90s Sony had begun to introduce budget sets that raided their vaults and often arbitrarily grouped songs together for mass consumption. Hits of the 80s, Vol. 1 and Forever Soul were two of the worst offenders. By 2001, the label decided to make better use of the CD time constraints by extending the running time of each disc. Make no mistake, Disco Dance is far from comprehensive set; often the tracks aren't even disco. This overview mines the up-tempo 1974-1999 tracks that first appeared on CBS, then Sony labels, and whatever songs the label acquired over the years. Some of the better tracks, like Gary's Gang's "Keep on Dancing," Jackie Moore's "This Time Baby," Denience Williams' "I Got the Next Dance," and the potent yet nearly gauche the Isley Brothers "It's a Disco Night" certainly don't usually make like-minded compilations. While far from the Studio 54 days, Der Kommissar's "After the Fire" and the Romantics "Talking in Your Sleep" will rock any dance floor. The superior DJ Mix of C&C Music Factory's "Gonna Make You Sweat" is the only '90s offering here that doesn't seem faceless or synthetic. Although the no-frills presentation of this leaves a lot to be desired, Disco Dance does include some interesting mixes. A tight and rare edit of "Dazz" from Brick and the extended mix of Heatwave's "The Groove Line" are a few of the interesting items. Disco Dance isn't definitive but it has enough tracks to please those with wide ranging tastes. ~ Jason Elias

3cds-Babyface/Inoj/Gary's Gang Isley Brothers/Cover Girls