Vanguard Dance Classics

Wow. I was so psyched to see all the 12" singles on this compilation, but I couldn't help wonder why some tracks I already have were shorter than my 12" singles--I was thinking perhaps they were edits. Worse. With no finesse or grace, the tracks on this CD either overlap, tracking in a way that doesn't allow you to naturally isolate one song from the next, OR one track simply cuts so another one can start. WHAT were they THINKING???? this label had the ideal opportunity to preserve their artists on CD, and instead they give us this. Is there any question why all we ever saw was volume one?

Solid collection of Vanguard's dance output, spanning 1977 to 1985, with 3 "Special New Remixes" from 1995, the year this CD was released. This is not a DJ-mixed compilation, but the songs do slam into one another with some overlap and no breaks between them. The liner notes include writer, producer and remixer info.

1. "Love Hangover" The Players Association 5:40 (1977) - A flute-driven instrumental version of the Diana Ross original, jazzy in its orchestration.

2. "The Get Down Mellow Sound" The Players Association 7:21 (1980) - A mellow mid-tempo number with vocals.

3. "Mysterious" Twilight 22 5:54 (1984) - Heavy, slow electro-funk with male lead vocal.

4. "Over Like A Fat Rat" Fonda Rae 7:30 (1982) - (Special New Remix) Funky street sound. Hypnotizing with its steady, easy beat.

5. "Till You Surrender" Rainbow Brown 5:24 (1981) - Almost up-tempo. Handclappy, horn-y. Sounds like a party.

6. "Can't Get Away (From Your Love)" Carol Williams 6:41 (1982) - Spare, synthy, funky.

7. "Can't Get Away (From Your Love)" Carol Williams 4:58 (1983) - Previously unreleased club dub version.

8. "Dance To The Music" Junior Byron 8:06 (No year given) - Slow and deliberate. Junior's in no hurry.

9. "Too Turned On" Alisha 5:36 (1985) - Alisha was one of the more successful of the crop of Madonna-wanna-be's produced in the early 80's to cash in on Madonna's sound. A star of the "Power radio" trend of the mid-80's.

10. "Baby Talk" Alisha 5:38 (1985) - More Madonna, er, Alisha. Think, "Get Into the Groove." Even with the purposeful similarities, Alisha's songs were enjoyable.

11. "All Night Passion" Alisha 5:27 (1984) - Another strong Alisha entry.

12. "(The Best Part of) Breakin' Up" Roni Griffith 1982 6:35 - (Special New Remix) This is an early Bobby Orlando remake of the original Phil Spector-produced version by The Ronettes. The song approaches high-energy, especially in its original 12" form, yet this remix has bled it of some of its "Bobby O" energy, but not all. It remains up and fun.

Question to Vanguard: This is titled 'Part 1,' so when is Part 2 being released? We're waiting.

Question to Amazon: When will you fix the glitch that has this CD listed twice, with one of the entries indicating "Discontinued"? A little housekeeping is in order - this occurs frequently in the music department and wastes space.

Vanguard might not be the first label that comes to mind when you think of classic dance music (Casablanca was much bigger, Prelude more edgy), but a number of brilliant tracks came off the label in the late 70's - early 80's. This compilation may contain a few songs you have never heard of, but if only for 3 brilliant songs, this disc belongs in your collection:
In reverse order of importance:
3) Roni Griffith's The Best Part of Breaking Up - Roni might not have had the strongest voice, but combine a percolating bass line with popcorn style synth, and Roni's classic comment "The best part of breaking up...is when you're making up..." and you see why this song was so big. A real fun tune, the electric stylings wouldn't sound too out of place in a club nowadays.
2) Alisha's All Night Passion - there's a couple of cuts by ALisha on this disc, and all are good. But her vocals really soar on All Night Passion. The instrumentation eerily reminds you of Freez's "IOU (Sometimes Y)", but the power in the vocals in uniquely Alisha's. She is another solid singer who never escaped the disco tag, and this track reminds you just how good she was.
1) Fonda Rae's Over Like A Fat Rat - There's aren't too many songs from the dance days as memorable as this one. This song just screams out lazy summer day dance groove. There's that beautiful bass line, crystal clear keyboards, and one of the most gorgeous voices from the past. This song is such a classic that the English language doesn't have words to describe what a joy it is to hear it all over again in CD form, and the mix included on this disc is wonderful. IT makes purchasing this CD worthwhile all by itself.