Various

G.I. Disco

BY David DacksPublished Nov 29, 2010

With this collection, BBE delves into a lesser known cultural collision in dance music history: American G.I.s getting down in German clubs in the early '80s, mingling with their German neighbours, who themselves were turning on to electro funk, just as their parents turned on to rock'n'roll a generation earlier. As a strictly musical experience, it's nothing that hasn't been covered by other compilations or, indeed, the weekend programming of American radio stations with an "urban" format. Timex Social Club's "Rumours" was a massive hit and its balance of hip-hop, synth hooks and post-disco vibes sets the tone for the rest of the comp. Old faves like the O'Jays and Barbara Mason (with her gloriously un-PC "Another Man") turn up, as well as cult artists of the time performing songs of the moment. Other standouts are Surface's "Falling In Love" and the Valentine Brothers' Bobby Womack-ish "Money's Too Tight to Mention," covered with much success by Simply Red a few years later.
(BBE)

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