Soul Children

Sorry for a bit of a delay on this one, but don't worry, I'm here to bring you your fix of disco related information. This episode, Soul Children, was all about the early roots of disco. I'm talking Motown, Philly soul, and funk. It's amazing how these kinds of music all evolved into disco around 1973-75. You can hear it in the lush orchestrations, the popping repetitive basslines, and even in the voices of divas like Patti Labelle and Barbara Roy. Here you can find the archive on BSR's website, and here's the playlist:

Labelle - Space Children - Nightbirds
Gloria Gaynor - (If You Want It) Do It Yourself - Experience Gloria Gaynor
Rare Pleasure - Let Me Down Easy - Rare Pleasure
London to Rome - Let's Not Wait - Get Up and Move Your Body
Brown Sugar - The Game is Over - Single
Darren with Flavor - I Got Magic - Get Up and Move Your Body
First Choice - Smarty Pants - Smarty Pants
Don Armando's 2nd Avenue Rhumba Band - Deputy of Love - Mutant Disco 1
Whirlwind - Full Time Thing (Between Dusk and Dawn) - Get Up and Move Your Body
Detroit Emeralds - Feel the Need - Feel the Need
Double Exposure - Ten Percent - Ten Percent
Ecstasy, Passion, and Pain - Touch and Go - Ecstasy, Passion, and Pain
Funky People - Everybody Hustle - Single
Kat Mandu - There's Only Been a Few - Kat Mandu
Poison - Get Up and Move Your Body - Get Up and Move Your Body
Liquid Smoke - Dance, Dance, Dance - Liquid Smoke
Tapestry - Life is What You Make It - Down By the Maple River
Moment of Truth - So Much for Love - Moment of Truth
Ja Kki - Sun... Sun... Sun... - Single

I'll admit that its pretty tough finding info on a lot of these artists. Most of them faded into obscurity after a few minor hits in the mid-to-late seventies, which makes it hard to find much info out there on the internet. That being said, I've done my best to provide links above for you to check out what these artists have been up to.

Patti Labelle has talked a lot recently about a Labelle reunion with former bandmates Nona Hendryx (who I've played before with Material on the song "Bustin Out") and Sarah Dash. The last time Labelle has recorded together was for the song "Dear Rosa," an unreleased tribute to Rosa Parks, in 2006. Now however, they're getting together with producer Lenny Kravitz to make their first full-length album since Chameleon in 1976. If Patti and crew can forego the MOR R&B of recent years in favor of the glam-funk-soul-rock of Labelle, this could be very good.

Gloria Gaynor, another big name on this playlist, still tours behind her big hits. She's also released a new album in 2006 called The Answer but I can't say for sure whether she stays close to her dance-floor roots of turns to a more adult contemporary approach (I hope for the former). She's also come under much scrutiny since becoming a born-again Christian in 1982, after which she has publicly denounced homosexuality. Needless to say, I can't imagine her huge gay fanbase (which probably is her biggest support) has been happy.

Well thats all for now. As always, stay tuned to BSR!

Brice