I’m not sure if Miss Broadway qualifies for Epic Tuesdays….but for my money it has all of the requirements for a great, and yes epic, disco track. First off it clocks in at around seven and a half minutes….which for a disco track is moderate…but it’s what happens in those 7:30 minutes that truly makes the track epic. Miss Broadway contains 4 elements that make it one of my favorite tracks ever. A) Ridiculously tight and funky rhythm section…oh that trotting bassline! B) BAD-ASS vocals! I mean come on…my girl is belting it out. She sings with this almost punk attitude….you know she means business. C) Fiddle/Cello/Strings!! D) Funky-ass “Uh-huh…” breakdown.

All of these elements orchestrated into a seven and a half minute floor-burner spells epic to me…no? If not epic than a sick dance track that makes me happy-as-hell every time I hear it.

ARTIST: Belle Epoque
TRACK: Miss Broadway
ALBUM: Miss Broadway
YEAR: 1977
LABEL: Carrere

I recently picked up a vinyl copy of this classic underground disco album and it’s been blowing my doors off ever since. “Space Bass” is the lead off track and is a fine specimen of funky, cosmic disco equally suitable for the floor or a pot smoke filled living room….whatever you’re into man. Slick were apparently the backing band for Fat Larry…who had some pretty incredible disco feathers in his own cap (maybe I’ll post a Fat Larry track as a follow up). Dig the future-forward lyrics and sick ectoplasmic mono-synth lines. Head and toes folks….head and toes.

ARTIST: Slick
TRACK: Space Bass
YEAR: 1979

A little off track from the regular Brobot fare, but as we near the end of the aughts I got to thinking about the albums of the decade.  I know a lot of people want to make the argument that the “album” is dead, what with all the instantly downloadable tween twitter feeds and torrential bit mapping, but looking back there were some real gems.  Radiohead, Girl Talk, Broken Social Scene, to name a few.  I posted up this Wilco track because I listened to this album recently and it got me thinking about what other great albums came out this decade.  I picked this song because it’s was able to capture the defining moment of this decade, 9/11, in this amazing way even though it was written and recorded prior but released after.  I would love to get other people’s thoughts on other albums that did it for them this decade.  Maybe we’ll get our shit together and put together our own list?  Stay tuned!

Here’s one I’ve been meaning to post for a while now. These internets tell me Ellington Jordan (AKA Fugi) was a songwriter based in Detroit during the late 60’s. Fresh out of the clink, he scored a big ol’ hit with Etta James on the “I’d Rather Go Blind” cut. Sometime later, he was introduced to the band Black Merda (+) by Temptations singer Eddie Kendricks. They got together and laid down an album’s worth of mind-blowing blackrock which was promptly shelved by their label (anyone else notice a pattern? It’s like the new “platinum”). Blah, blah, blah… ancient history… irrelevant context… etc.

None of that shit really matters. All you need to know is that these stone-cold brothers cut some of the grittiest funk/rock/fuzz known. Take a listen. Tell me I’m wrong.

Artist: Fugi
Album: Mary, Don’t You Take Me On No Bad Trip
Year: 1968
Label: Chess / Cadet

Dang. Can’t. Seem. To. Update. Broblog. Regularly. *sigh*

Oh well. Hopefully this will help make things right. Listen up peoples as ol’ Abner explains…

From the Subliminal Sounds! reissue:

Abner Jay was raised laying on his belly, drinkin’ water from the old Swaunee River. Jay claims the secret for his good health and being the father of 16 young ‘uns, and gonna git some more, is layin on his belly drinkin’ water from that ol Swaunee River.

Artist: Abner Jay
Album: Swaunee Water And Cocaine Blues
Year: 197X
Label: Subliminal Sounds! | Anthology Recordings

Yr best bet appears to be Anthology Recordings

Disco…Canada. These two words may have you running for the toilet….but hold your wad bub. This track is an IQ reducer that will have your feet battling your mind for ultimate control of your Saturday night. French-Canadian disco troupe Zig Zag drop some serious cocaine science on our collective ass via their 1978 debut Zig Zag. An underground disco classic that bombs the floor with ultra tight bass/drum precision and drugged-out, vapid, sex-boogie goodness. “Disco Danser” kicks off the record with screeching dance floor madness made to move your dogs in all the right ways. Reminiscent of so many great floor tunes of the day “Disco Danser” starts off mellow enough….muted horns and sick high hat trickery with that familiar cooing disco goddess reminding you that “Le Amour” is where it’s at. Our girl then kicks it in to high-gear with some feisty line that I can’t quite make out (she is French-Canadian after all) but it completely rips up this tight lil’ number….giving it that little something extra making Saturday night (or Wednesday if you’re so inclined) alright.

Don’t fear the disco.