‘Disco Inferno’ is the title of THE TRAMMPS’ long-awaited new album (Atlantic K 50339), and so far as the States are concerned it’s already hotter than hell! Even more than before, every track is totally disco – maybe too much so, as they get samey when heard together.
On the dance floor (or radio), they’ll have more individuality when played on their own, and certainly each one is getting separate disco action in America.
The biggest US movers are the 10:54 title track (a repetitive mechanical churner that gets tedious), ‘Starvin” (typically bland New York-style slickness), and – a better bet for here – ‘Body Contact Contract’, which at 6:55 is a good medium-paced finger snapper with clever wordplay around the ‘Contract’ title and soulfully screamed pleas to “sign it”.
There’s a tricky instrumental buildup to the frenetically galloping ‘I Feel Like I’ve Been Livin’ (On The Dark Side Of The Moon)’ – another good one – while the shorter ‘Don’t Burn The Bridges’ and ‘You Touch My Hot Line’ seem more mundane on first hearing. In fact, Atlantic are confident that they have here an album full of potential singles, and they could be right!
Mix-Master
Pete Miles is resident DJ at Tracy’s Nightclub in Royal Square, Redditch, where he’s worked up a nicely topical segue. Starting with UNDISPUTED TRUTH ‘You + Me = Love, Part 2’ (Warner Bros.), mix at the clapping into ROSE ROYCE ‘Car Wash’ (MCA), then J.A.L.N. Band ‘Life Is A Fight’ (Magnet). Mix the horns into ROSE ROYCE ‘Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is’ (MCA) but missing the intro, then replace the deep bass voice in Rose Royce with the equivalent from BONEY M as you start either ‘Daddy Cool’ (Atlantic) or ‘Baby Do You Wanna Bump’ (Creole). Good one, Pete!
UK Disco Top 20 – February 5, 1977
01 01 Stevie Wonder – I Wish – Motown
02 02 Rose Royce – Car Wash – MCA
03 03 Boney M – Daddy Cool – Atlantic
04 04 Stevie Wonder – Isn’t She Lovely – Motown
05 08 Drifters – You’re More Than A Number – Arista
06 05 KC & The Sunshine Band – Keep It Comin’ Love – Jay Boy
07 10 Moments – Jack In The Box – All Platinum
08 12 Heatwave – Boogie Nights – GTO
09 07 Barry Biggs – Side Show – Dynamic
10 09 Tina Charles – Dr. Love – CBS
11 NE Bar-Kays – Shake Your Rump To The Funk – Mercury
12 RE Brick – Dazz – Bang [Imp]
13 11 Status Quo – Wild Side Of Life – Vertigo
14 13 David Soul – Don’t Give Up On Us – Private Stock
15 19 James Brown – Body Heat – Polydor
16 06 Jesse Green – Flip – EMI
17 NE Double Exposure – Ten Percent – Salsoul
18 20 Van McCoy – Soul Cha Cha – H&L
19 NE Thelma Houston – Don’t Leave Me This Way – Motown
20 18 Rose Royce – Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is – MCA
NE = new entry; RE = re-entry
Appeared in Billboard:
#1 (mentioned in Billboard column 10/16/76, Billboard chart debut 10/23/76)
#2 (Billboard chart debut 10/2/76)
#3 (mentioned in Billboard column 9/25/76, Billboard chart debut 11/20/76)
#4 (Billboard chart debut 10/30/76)
#6 (Billboard chart debut 10/30/76)
#8 (Billboard chart debut 4/23/77)
#11 (Billboard chart debut 10/9/76)
#12 (Billboard chart debut 9/4/76)
#15 (Billboard chart debut 1/29/77)
#16 (Billboard chart debut 2/5/77)
#17 (mentioned in Billboard column 4/3/76, Billboard chart debut 5/1/76)
#18 (Billboard chart debut 11/20/76)
#19 (mentioned in Billboard column 11/20/76, Billboard chart debut 11/27/76)
#20 (Billboard chart debut 12/25/76)
Songs mentioned in “DJ Hotline”:
SALSOUL ORCHESTRA: ‘Salsoul 3001’ (Salsoul) (mentioned in Billboard column 8/7/76, Billboard chart debut 9/18/76)
MASS PRODUCTION: ‘Welcome To Our World’ (Cotillion LP cut) (Billboard chart debut 10/23/76)
T-CONNECTION: ‘Disco Magic’ (Seville) (mentioned in Billboard column 7/24/76, Billboard chart debut 9/4/76)
MANHATTAN TRANSFER: ‘Chanson D’Amour’ (Atlantic)
EL COCO: ‘Let’s Get It Together’ (Pye) (Billboard chart debut 7/31/76)
DR. BUZZARD’S ORIGINAL SAVANNAH BAND: ‘Cherchez La Femme’ (RCA) (Billboard chart debut 6/26/76)
James Hamilton's Disco Page 