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DISCO ROCKET [1977]

Disco Rocket was the third in K-Tel's run of "continuous disco music" albums though it was the first 2 record set to bear the tag.  With twenty-one of the album's twenty-four tracks being authentic club hits from the Disco charts, this was more than just an exercise in trendy branding, this was bonafide boogie beats.  For further proof of the set's credentials, check out the abbreviated K-tel Scale chart below.

Disco Rocket [1977]
Billboard Top 40s
PopR&BDISCO
Play That Funky MusicWild Cherry1112
New York, You Got Me DancingAndrea True Connection274
Heaven Must Be Missing An Angel (Part 1)Tavares1531
Goin' Up In SmokeEddie Kendricks3011
Once I've Been ThereNorman Connors1630
Slow Dancin' Don't Turn Me OnAddrisi Brothers20
Car WashRose Royce113
The Greatest FeelingMelba Moore
You're My Driving WheelThe Supremes5
Stone To The BoneTimmy Thomas12
TangerineSalsoul Orchestra18366
DazzBrick317
I'm Your Boogie ManKC & the Sunshine Band139
Disco Lucy (I Love Lucy Theme)Wilton Place Street Band247
Do What You Wanna DoT-Connection151
Love Machine (Part 1)The Miracles1520
Magic Bird Of Fire (Firebird Suite)Salsoul Orchestra3
SupermanCeli Bee & the Buzzy Bunch3
Hot LineThe Sylvers53
Love In MotionGeorge McCrae4
Spring RainSilvetti394
Love HangoverDiana Ross111
Magic FlyKebekelektrik9
Down To Love TownThe Originals1

Why the abbreviated chart?  As you can see, most of the songs hit the disco chart, including four #1s. However, only about a dozen songs found their way out of the clubs and onto the streets although there were five #1 Pop songs and four #1 R&B songs. Without causing the album too much embarrassment, HERC will only say it scored "below 20" on the K-tel Scale which is primarily based Pop Top 40 performance.



As had become their modus operandi, Disco Rocket was also issued as two separate records (Vols. 1 and 2) and the eight track version featured a jumbled tracklist to allow evenness throughout the four programs.  The program times listed on the tapes indicate that Disco Rocket was just over 80 minutes, start to finish.


For HERC's M!X of the Disco Rocket album, 12" disco mixes were used whenever available which means that although seven songs are not yet available on Spotify in acceptable versions, the seventeen song playlist below clocks in at over 95 minutes.

1 comment:

  1. Great TV spot for "Disco Rocket" came up on my YouTube feed the other day... Like to have it entered into the public record for all to enjoy: Blast Off!

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