Q: What do the Sugarhill Gang and Queen have in common?

A: “Good Times” by CHIC, the rollicking eight-minute disco classic that was sampled for “Rapper’s Delight” and that inspired “Another One Bites the Dust.”

But if you think that that single infectious track is the only thing worthwhile on this disc, you’d be sorely mistaken.

Be not dissuaded by the cheesy saloon photoshoot of the cover nor the album’s status as a disco masterpiece: there is not an ounce of cheese or pastiche on this disc. While it might be very much of its time, it still sounds as fresh as it did forty years ago.

The band is tight (especially those bass lines), the vocals are almost exclusively performed by a multitude, and the groove just does not quit. Even the gorgeous ballad “A Warm Summer Night” finds room for the funk amid the slow tempo and thick harmonies.

Despite that second track comedown, most of the album is a nonstop dance party, fulfilling the same irresistible energy of “Good Times” that leaves no question as to why this record was such a strong influence on early hip hop.  While I might not put this disc on for casual listening, this is absolutely going into my party rotation.

 

*numbering note: for anyone wondering why I jumped from 642 to 663, as I was uploading posts from the original Tumblr that I used, I realized that a few months ago, I made a type in numbering  a post and numbered the next post accordingly, and I’ve under by twenty since. I’ve fixed the discrepancy moving forward.