New Spins
DONNA SUMMER: ‘Four Seasons Of Love’ LP (GTO GTLP 018) (Billboard chart debut 10/9/76)
‘Spring Affair’ is the best of the funky jumpers in her ‘Try Me’ groove, others being ‘Summer Fever‘, ‘Autumn Changes‘ and ‘Spring Reprise‘ (‘Winter Melody’ is slow). The tracks mix with over-long doodling breaks this time, spoiling the continuous flow.
BARRY WHITE: ‘Is This Whatcha Want’ LP (20th Century BTH 516) (Billboard chart debut 11/13/76)
As well as the new single. ‘Now I’m Gonna Make Love To You’ and ‘I’m Qualified To Satisfy You‘ move along with future hit potential, while the sexy slow ‘I Wanna Lay Down With You Baby‘ gets pretty risky!
KC & THE SUNSHINE BAND: ‘KC & The Sunshine Band’ LP (Jay Boy JSL 12) (Billboard chart debut 10/30/76)
All the tracks are similar variations of a familiar funky formula, set by ‘Shake Your Booty’. Possible standouts include ‘Keep It Comin’ Love‘, ‘I Like To Do It‘ and ‘I’m Your Boogie Man‘ — but jocks will have their own ideas.
CLOVER: ‘Chicken Funk’ (Vertigo 6059157)
Silly stuff with simple beat and country sound — quack, quack!
R. O’CASEY: ‘ROKC Rock’ (EMI 2545)
Rock ‘n Roll-type frolic by a bloke who can’t spell his name.
JIMMY JAMES AND THE VAGABONDS: ‘Do The Funky Conga’ (Pye 7N 45641)
Laboured slow conga beat — pity it’s not the ‘Love Train’ temp. Should be fun for Xmas.
TEMPTATIONS: ‘Who Are You’ (Motown TMG 1051)
Thom Bell-ish bouncy thudder with bass voice intro and lovely slow flip.
GENTLEMAN AND THEIR LADY: ‘Like Her’ (Pye 7N 25731) (Billboard chart debut 8/21/76)
Tricky fast vocal group funker with Northern appeal and extra long 7:15 flip, worth working on.
SNO-BALL: ‘The House Is Rockin” (Chrysalis CHS 2088)
Reissued happy hustler.
TATA VEGA: ‘Full Speed Ahead’ LP (Tamla Motown STML 12039) (mentioned in Billboard column 9/4/76, Billboard chart debut 9/25/76)
Title track’s a US disco hit hustler with Northern chances.
COMMODORES: ‘Just To Be Close To You’ (Motown TMG 105)
Specialist soul smoocher, already big in funky clubs.
UK Disco Top 20 – November 6, 1976
RM’s UK Disco Top 20 was unavailable at the time of going to press this week, so last week’s chart was repeated. However, “previous week” rankings on next week’s chart correspond to this week’s real, unprinted ranking. So it possible to reconstruct most of this week’s real chart, which is as follows:
01 02 Tavares – Don’t Take Away The Music – Capitol
02 01 Rick Dees – Disco Duck – RSO
03 03 Ritchie Family – Best Disco In Town – Polydor
04 05 Wild Cherry – Play That Funky Music – Epic
05 08 Paul Nicholas – Dancing With The Captain – RSO
06 06 Chicago – If You Leave Me Now – CBS
07 04 Detroit Spinners – Rubberband Man – Atlantic
08 07 Lalo Schifrin – Jaws – CTI
10 10 Tina Charles – Dance Little Lady Dance – CBS
11 RE Hot Blood – Soul Dracula – Creole
13 12 Climax Blues Band – Couldn’t Get It Right – BTM
14 14 James Brown – Get Up Offa That Thing – Polydor
15 17 Boz Scaggs – Lowdown – CBS
16 11 Sherbet – Howzat – Epic
18 15 Stevie Wonder – Isn’t She Lovely – Motown
20 16 J.A.L.N. Band – Disco Music – Magnet
NE = new entry; RE = re-entry
Appeared in Billboard:
#1 (mentioned in Billboard column 6/5/76, Billboard chart debut 6/19/76)
#2 (Billboard chart debut 9/11/76)
#3 (Billboard chart debut 7/10/76)
#4 (Billboard chart debut 9/4/76)
#7 (Billboard chart debut 8/7/76)
#8 (mentioned in Billboard column 6/12/76, Billboard chart debut 7/17/76)
#10 (Billboard chart debut 10/23/76)
#14 (Billboard chart debut 9/4/76)
#15 (mentioned in Billboard column 4/3/76, Billboard chart debut 5/29/76)
#18 (Billboard chart debut 10/30/76)
Songs mentioned in “DJ Hotline”:
GIORGIO: ‘I Wanna Funk With You Tonight’ / ‘Knights In White Satin’ (GTO) (Billboard chart debut 7/31/76)
SHOWADDYWADDY: ‘Under The Moon Of Love’ (Bell)
ORIGINALS: ‘Down To Love Town’ (Motown) (Billboard chart debut 9/4/76)
TOWER OF POWER: ‘You Ought To Be Havin’ Fun’ (Columbia)
SWEET: ‘Funk It Up’ (RCA)
J. VINCENT EDWARDS: ‘Love Hit Me’ (Pye)
James Hamilton's Disco Page 