As an almost fifty year old confidently heterosexual married white male who has been listening to disco music for more than 40 years, I have no idea as to what constitutes gay disco. According to the album's liner notes by Alan Jones, the distinction between disco and gay disco is negligible or undefinable at best and as long as everyone is dancing, what does it matter? And what about Hi NRG?
| year | title | artist | Billboard Disco Chart | |
| 1981 | Disco Kicks (remix) | The Boys Town Gang | 8:37 | 6 |
| 1980 | It's A War | Kano | 6:52 | 2 |
| 1978 | I'm A Man (full-length album version) | Macho | 17:36 | 6 |
| 1982 | Make It On My Own (Ben Liebrand remix) | Free Enterprise | 6:23 | - |
| 1984 | Color My Love | Fun Fun | 7:41 | 9 |
| 1984 | S.O.S., Fire In The Sky | Deodato | 6:49 | 6 |
| 1984 | Love Trap | Astaire | 8:58 | - |
| 1986 | Don't Pretend To Know | Tapps | 7:19 | - |
| 1989 | Losing My Mind | Liza Minelli | 7:00 | 26 |
| 1986 | American Love | Rose Laurens | 6:43 | - |
| 1985 | I'm A Model | Valerie Claire | 6:09 | - |
| 1982 | Passion (remix) | The Flirts | 9:01 | 21 |
| 1981 | Cruisin' The Streets | The Boys Town Gang | 13:10 | 5 |
| 1984 | Hey, Hey Guy | Ken Laszlo | 7:37 | - |
| 1984 | Let Me Feel It | Samantha Gilles | 7:33 | - |
| 1987 | Saving Myself | Erica Fachin | 6:54 | 33 |
| 1982 | Gloria | Laura Branigan | 4:51 | 4 |
| 1985 | Savin' Myself (For The One That I Love) | Oh Romeo | 6:17 | - |
| 1980 | Take Off (Satisfaction Guaranteed) | Harlow | 10:18 | 15 |
Unlike the first three volumes in the Disco Discharge series, Gay Disco & Hi NRG (anyone else thinking that would be a great name for a superhero duo or throw in a comma after gay and it's a trio?) leans more towards the Eighties then the late Seventies with the average year of release pegged at 1983. The average length of the songs on this album is also higher than any of the previous volumes, clocking in at 8:12 - more than a minute longer than the average song on Disco Classics. Before listening, I knew just six of the nineteen songs on Gay Disco & Hi NRG, including the pair by The Boys Town Gang and tracks by Kano, Macho, The Flirts and Laura Branigan. As it contains 95% Eighties productions, this is the cleanest sounding album thus far in the series. Be forewarned however that this is one of the few disco albums available that comes with a Parental Advisory label - there is explicit language in "Crusin' The Streets" though sexual innuendos and situations can be heard in nearly every track.
I found it interesting to see so many 80's tracks, especially on this album. Here in the US disco "died" in 1979 or so but I am glad that it thrived across the globe. It definitely morphed into the dance music of the 80's that I enjoyed clubbing to in my college days.
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