This two-CD set covers the periods 1974-78 and 1978-82 with 16 cuts each, but is too scattershot to be considered a definitive retrospective of a much- maligned genre. At its best, disco was an insistent, up-tempo extension of the R & B tradition, as evidenced by Gloria Gaynor`s ”I Will Survive” and
”Never Can Say Goodbye,” Thelma Houston`s ”Don`t Leave Me This Way” and Shirley and Company`s ”Shame, Shame, Shame.” But the worst of it was soul-less camp: the Village People`s ”YMCA,” Van McCoy`s ”The Hustle,” KC and the Sunshine Band`s ”(Shake, Shake, Shake) Shake Your Booty.” Vol. II even includes excursions into rock (Blondie`s ”Heart of Glass”) and rap
(Indeep`s ”Last Night a D.J. Saved My Life,” complete with the sound of a flushing toilet). But there are some glaring omissions, notably Chic`s ”Good Times,” Sister Sledge`s ”We Are Family” and Donna Summer`s ”I Feel Love,” among others.
Ratings: Excellent (STAR)(STAR)(STAR)(STAR) Good (STAR)(STAR)(STAR) Fair
(STAR)(STAR) Poor (STAR)
