Jim Stanton, James Hillard, Severino, and Luke Howard
Horse Meat Disco 2
Strut, Berlin Brands
I’m not sure why it takes four DJs to mix down 11 retro disco cuts on this sparkling compilation, but they did a good job. The sound is Old School from when the drink of choice was the Harvey Wallbanger and the Pinto was still a viable transportation option.
Opening cut features Leonore O’Malley with “First Be a Woman.” This surprisingly moralistic tale advocates safe, delayed sex and possibly even a wedding ring. Following is a brassy dance number complete with wacka wacka wacka porn beats that I think I’ve heard under a different name: “Fire to Desire” by the Cyclades sings “Dancing and jumping and fooling around… the loving then leaving then painting the town.” I could Google the lyric, but that’s like doing homework at the prom. Later we get some real DJ action with a couple of extended mixes like Sherrie Payne’s “I’m not in Love/Girl, You’re in Love (Mix-X-X-Tend Version) and Nightfall’s “Nighttime Boogie (Horse Meat Disco Edition). These are my least favorite tracks; the first has a long, dry “beats only” period, and the later seems stripped of lyrics. I suppose these are fine for a live mix where you can bring back or introduce snippets of other tracks, but here it feels like time for the girls to go powered their noses. The night goes on, there’s some bad French in “Cherchez Pas,” a silly race track fanfare opening “Hot To Trot,” but the overall feel of this disc is still 1974, and by Stephanie Mills’ “You Can Get Over Her,” the big brass sound returns to punch up the “Get up, Get down “ call and response.
It’s a respectable collection, yet listening to this album is sort of like mom telling you to have fun, but be home by 10. Sure, mom. Whatever you say.
http://www.strut-records.com • http://www.horsemeatdisco-the album.com/2
