Search - Various Artists :: Ultimate Disco

Casual Fans Only

tpf2 | 09/09/2004

(3 out of 5 stars)

"If you are just a casual fan of disco and want just 2 CDs of the mainstream hits, then this your best option. However, for disco fans who want the maximum amount of music, here are your options:



1) Disco Years, Volumes 1 - 7: You get nearly 120 well-known disco hits (radio edits, not the club extended mix) plus exhaustive liner notes, song credits and pictures. Recommended.



2) The Disco Box: You get 4 CDs of dicso hits quite similar to the previous, but just condensed slightly. It contains exhaustive liner notes, song credits and pictures. Recommended.



3) Once you purchased 1) and/or 2) and you want some "hard to find disco rarities", then Super Rare Disco, Volumes 1 & 2 are excellent (40 hard to find classics). Highly Recommended.



Hopefully, this review has helped you decide which compilation of disco you want."

Nothing special, and only 66% disco content

Kevin Brook | 04/18/2003

(2 out of 5 stars)

"I don't understand why Madacy chose to release a disco compilation which is a virtual clone of many other disco compilations from the past 13 years. Did we really need another disco set with "The Hustle", "Don't Leave Me This Way", "Shake Your Groove Thing", "Funkytown", and "Y.M.C.A."? True disco fans are particularly bored by "A Fifth of Beethoven" (which sounded old-fashioned even when it came out), the too-obvious "Celebration" (lyrics like "we're gonna celebrate and have a good time" get stale really quickly), the cheesy "Get Up and Boogie", and the overplayed "I Will Survive". There are plenty of other disco songs that were hits on the radio and in the clubs that aren't in this set, but should have been since they are better and haven't yet gotten due exposure on compilations. For instance, why don't we see disco compilations with super pop chart hits like "Come to Me" by France Joli and R&B chart hits like "Shake It Up Tonight" by Cheryl Lynn? And why aren't there any underground or rare-groove scene favorites to make this compilation unique? I noticed that the best disco band, Chic, is not included at all here, but their "My Forbidden Lover" from the 1979 platinum album "Risque" is an underground disco classic and would have added value to this compilation (along with a few other hidden gems like it).Another big problem is that not all of the songs on "Ultimate Disco" are actually disco! "Shadow Dancing", "Everlasting Love", and "I'll Be Good To You" are really general R&B, while "Brick House", "Love Rollercoaster", and "Jungle Boogie" are pure funk. "Flashdance, What a Feeling" by Irene Cara is electro-dance and does not emphasize real (as opposed to computerized) instruments like all disco does. "Love's Theme" is also arguably not a real disco song, but rather an uptempo soul song. "If I Can't Have You" by Yvonne Elliman and "Dancing Machine" by the Jacksons are also not classified as disco by those in the know. That reduces the number of actual disco songs on the collection to 20! The compilers wasted the opportunity to include real disco hits by those same artists, such as "Stomp!" by the Brothers Johnson, "Fame" by Irene Cara, "Walk Right Now" by the Jacksons, and "Lady (You Bring Me Up)" by the Commodores.The compilation, which claims to be a "30th Anniversary Collection", somehow doesn't include 1990s disco songs such as the American dance club hits "Canned Heat" and "Cosmic Girl" by the British band Jamiroquai, and the American pop hit "Turn the Beat Around" by Gloria Estefan, a true-to-the-original remake of a disco classic. For a 30-year retrospective, only the 1974-1980 period of disco is covered. Imagine if you bought a "30 years of rock" compilation and the only years covered were 1981 to 1987 - that's what this is like! Moreover, the promotional copy for "Ultimate Disco" talks about how new disco-house tracks sample from old disco songs, but the set doesn't include one for buyers to listen to!On the positive side, at least "Ultimate Disco" includes the great songs "Never Knew Love Like This Before" by Stephanie Mills, "Never Can Say Goodbye" by Gloria Gaynor, and "Ladies' Night" by Kool and the Gang, which are perennial winners.This is as mainstream a disco compilation as can be imagined. It is fine as an introduction to disco for those who haven't heard much before, but it is certainly not the "ultimate" of that genre, is indistinguishable from other sets already on the market, and miscategorized a third of the songs."

I've heard better collections

Naomi | New York | 01/19/2005

(2 out of 5 stars)

"I expected more from this CD. Some of the songs aren't even in stereo. Sound quality is very poor for many of the songs. Look elseware for better collections."