Just as important as a Village People "Best of" collection!
K. Brown | Walnut, Ca USA | 04/04/2001
(5 out of 5 stars)
"If you are a hardcore Village People fan, then this CD is probably already in your rack. If you're one of those casual Village People fans who think one of the "Greatest Hits" collection will suffice, well... slightly adjust that thought by throwing this piece of work into your shopping cart along with that "Best of" compilation. The song "Macho Man" is enjoyable on its own, and those familiar with its radio play are used to hearing the tune fade away at the end. On this album, the song doesn't really end, but makes a powerful transition into "I Am What I Am." After hearing these tunes connect, "Macho Man" alone is not the same for me! "I Am What I Am" is also, in my opinion, one of those under appreciated Village People songs. While the rendition of "Just a Gigolo/I Ain't Got Nobody" does little for me, the rest of this CD jumpstarts my batteries during the sleepiest of mornings. Both "Key West" and "Sodom and Gomorrah" are nice lengthy pieces that are great whether you're dancing, listening closely, or just using as peppy background music during chores or computer games (I often spin this CD while blasting, bombing, and chainsawing evil-doers when I'm playing "Doom"). Trust me on this call; this is a worthwhile buy in addition to the compilations!"
A-Side only
M. C Wright | Indianapolis, IN USofA | 03/27/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I'd give the B-side one star, it's very lame, but side A is just golden, golden. I dig this so much that it doesn't leave the turn table, it's making all the other records collect dust and grow old. Now don't get me wrong, I am a macho man, many times have I dubbed this onto a tape and mashed to it at the health club, lifting mad wieghts and sweating profusly. I get kinda sad near the end when cool cat tells us "DO YOU DIG MY CHEST? MY THICK MOUSTACHE?" cause I can't grow chest hair and my mustache is weak (people wonder why I haven't shaved my stubble, but it took me 3 weeks to grow that!). If you are a macho man, you will dig this, it will make you want to find the first guy you see and... give him a high five, that is if he is macho. If he is weak and fat, then you will want to pound him, cause he is weak and is edge is not strong! But my edge is the strongest of the strong! I power mosh to this in the morning, then I take a bubble bath and think about how strong the edge is! Oh this LP is so good, I spun it three times in a row when I first heard it, the B-side is weak though! Sodom and Gohmorah is faking the funk, you know the Village People just wrote this cause the label was like "stop looking so gay" and they were like "well I guess a blble song would make us look less gay." I am What I am!"
Almost as good as I remember it....
Tim Brough | Springfield, PA United States | 04/14/2004
(4 out of 5 stars)
"I can't believe I found this for fifty cents at a flea market recently...at that price, how could I resist? After all, I was the whole of maybe 17 years old when this originally came out and it got played a lot at high school dances.On the other hand, I didn't remember that the whole affair barely clocked in at more than a half hour, or that the two songs on side one were a little longer than 10 minutes. But for those ten minutes, the glorious bubble-gum disco of "Macho Man/I Am What I Am" completely obliterates the old arguments about disco, and makes a great statement about being who you are, no matter what society tells you. And it's still catchy as all get out.After that, "Macho Man" is cheesy filler. "Key West" is marginal, but the dopey remake of "Just A Gigalo/Ain't Got Nobody" actually makes you long for David Lee Roth, and "Sodom and Gomorra" is dreadful. I picked this up strictly for nostalgia purposes, and I'm glad I did, because that first 10 minutes takes me back. Causal onlookers can probably be served just as well by "The Millennium Collection" or by any of the dozens of Village People greatest hits collections out there."