Birthday Month: Day 7

When I left work on Friday, April 15th -- for the last time until September!!! -- I posted this first song to Facebook and Twitter. So this leads to a string of Kool and the Gang here.

"Celebration"



They started out, however, in jazz, before moving into a more soul-funk sound...

"Jungle Boogie" (sampled in, among other hits, Madonna's "Erotica")



"Hollywood Swinging"



"Open Sesame" was featured in the "Saturday Night Fever" soundtrack...



When James "JT" Taylor became lead vocalist the band's sound became more disco-fied, and they had some of their biggest hits...

"Ladies Night'

Birthday Month: Day 6

Choose your favorite versions of these classics. I DARE YOU! (And if you have other cover battle sugesstions, let me know!)

"Never Can Say Goodbye," Gloria Gaynor vs. the Communards (whose lead vocalist was, as you should know, one-time Bronski Beat lead singer Jimmy Somerville)...

...or "Don't Leave Me This Way," Thelma Houston vs. the Communards (again)...

...or how about "You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real)," Sylvester vs. Jimmy Somerville (this guy loves his covers!)

Ooh, what's interesting about this pair -- "More Than A Woman," the Bee Gees vs. Tavares -- is both versions are on the "Saturday Night Fever" soundtrack!

Birthday Month: Day 5

Check what Wikipedia's entry on disco music begins with!

Disco is a genre of dance music containing elements of Rhythm & Blues, funk, soul, pop, and salsa. It achieved popularity during the mid-1970s to the early 1980s. Its initial audiences were club-goers from the gay, African American, Italian American, Latino, and psychedelic communities in Philadelphia during the late 1960s and early 1970s.

So, it it weren't for Philly we'd have no disco???? Well, that may be a reach. But when you think of some of the stuff that came out of the Philadelphia International Records talent pool, from "The Love I Lost" by Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes...



...to the O'Jays' "Love Train..."



... to "T.S.O.P. (The Sound of Philadelphia)" by M.F.S.B. -- which soon became the theme song for Soul Train...



...and many more, clearly we were a major influence.

More in the coming days. I vowed to do 30 posts and I will. With my last day of work for the summer being tomorrow(!!!!) I have no excuses!

Birthday Month: Day 4

Already playing catch-up. Oh, well. Divas have been known to show up late. I must emulate them. But I've promised myself I'd do 30 of these. (I have to make time to do my taxes, too. But priorities, people, priorities!)

How do you like this disco ball I found? :)






Let's get back to more classic disco, starting with...

Karen Young - "Hot Shot" (Oh, and guess where she's from?)



Evelyn "Champagne" King - "Shame" (Not born in Philly...but raised here!)



Alicia Bridges - "I Love The Nightlife (Disco Round)"  (No Philly connection that I know of. Also...I want some AK-SHAWN!!!)



Rose Royce - "Car Wash"  (From a movie I've never seen. Perhaps I should change that.)

Birthday Month: Day 3

Yes, I'm a day behind now. I'm gonna do 30 posts, though!

A few examples of house music to show how disco evolved and grew while the haters thought they got rid of it...

Adeva demands "Respect." Give it up!



Crystal Waters - "Gypsy Woman (She's Homeless.") La da dee, la da da, la da dee, la da da,la da dee, la da da... (And another artist born in Philly!)



Inner City - "Big Fun," "Do You Love What You Feel" -- Out of the Detroit house scene. The entire album is excellent but the latter is my favorite

Birthday Month: Day 2

Before we continue this journey: I want to get some back-and-forth on this. If you have song suggestions, comments, reminiscing, etc., comment here, on Facebook, on Twitter, on Instragram (should I get a link there as well)...I'd love to have your feedback.

Pamala Stanley's "Coming Out of Hiding" is an example of the hi-NRG music that kept the clubs alive in the 1980s. Wikipedia says Pamala is from Philly. I didn't know that. I'm also embarrassed to say that it didn't dawn on me until now why this was so popular in gay clubs in particular. I mean, really? Just the opening verse itself should have clued me in...

Standing in the shadows too long
Waiting on the sidelines too long
Boy I've been watching you
Now you're gonna watch me too
I'm coming out of hiding



On the same jawn -- HEY! I JUST USED THE WORD JAWN! -- but a little later, and again from Philly, there's Pretty Poison...



In a more classic disco style, another Philly star, sadly no longer with us, Phyllis Hyman.

Birthday Month 2016: Day 1

I've given this month of April a special theme: DISCO!

Why? I'm turning 54 this year.

Get it? Studio 54? Hence, DISCO!

I hope to post a video every day, but I honestly don't know how successful I'll be in reaching that goal. I plan to share some classic faves, some not-so-classics, and maybe a little off-the-beaten path items and some songs that came along to keep the dance alive after the "Disco Sucks" crowd tried its best to kill it. Call it hi-NRG, call it dance music, call it EDM, whatever.

So here's the title song from a movie. The title sums up how I feel every seven days. Thank God It's Friday!



The movie featured Jeff Goldblum and Debra Winger, as well as Donna Summer, playing a singer. What a stretch. She sings one of her most famous songs, which will definitely be featured here later this month.

Quick (Not) Review - Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (SPOILERS)

It's been a week, but SPOILER ALERT anyway.

The 2013 reboot of Supeman on film, "Man of Steel," was financially successful enough to earn a sequel. But  that sequel was turned into much more: a hoped-for, full-fledged DC Comics movie universe, taking its place alongside the Marvel Movieverse. But many people had misgivings, seeing as how director Zack Snyder handled "Man of Steel." 

To jump-start the Justice League, in the quest for Avengers-sized box office, the decision was made to pair DC's two biggest icons for the first time. And have them fight. (Cliche alert.) And then throw in Wonder Woman, never before on the big screen. And add cameos of other heroes.  Thus, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice was born. After seeing it twice in three days and digesting various opinions and reviews, as well as my own feelings on what Superman represents, here are some observations, in no particular order:

Warning: SPOILERS from here on out!

A Hillary Clinton Thought

Maybe Hillary Clinton decided to say something nice about Nancy Reagan by talking about her stance on stem cell research, and had a brain fart and said "HIV/AIDS" instead? If so, that was her second mistake. Her first was wanting to pander to the right-wing nuts in the first place.

In a situation like this, where the deceased isn't worthy of adulation but you want to be respectful, all you do is offer condolences to the family. That's it. Hillary, in trying to score points with conservatives -- who will never, ever, show her the same courtesy -- offended many of her core supporters (in November, if not necessarily during the primaries) -- people of a certain age who lived through the days of the despicable Reagan administration. In case you weren't alive then, or somehow have forgotten that bastard, here's Dan Savage's rant.

Nancy supported her husband's evil, reportedly abandoned her friend Rock Hudson when AIDS was killing him, and only started advocating for stem-cell research after Ronnie was diagnosed with Alzheimer's. And her puerile "Just Say No" anti-drug effort, if anything, did more harm than good.

If Donald Trump becomes our 45th President, remember this day.

Overdue Quick Review: Deadpool

I'll keep this short: Deadpool was loads of raunchy, violent fun, and Ryan Reynolds is perfect as the title character. I didn't see the need to bring in a couple of X-Men characters -- one of whom I've never heard of before and is named...get this..Negasonic Teenage Warhead. But whatever. My grade: A-minus. Let's get back to Ryan Reynolds...

...and to think that since this cover hit the newsstands his career went in the tank a bit. Now he's a star again.