K-Tel: Wow! That's What I Call Music! the 17th one

flickr user k-tellinandroncotoo

Hitline was another double disc album from K-Tel.  Released in 1980, 19 of the collection's 24 tracks are from the prior year, suggesting a possible early 1980 release date - exact release dates are hard to come by for K-Tel albums.  HERC has played Hitline a lot over the years and he was genuinely disappointed that one of his favorite tracks from it is not yet available via Spotify - David Naughton's "Makin' It":

David was a Pepper! (HERC's a Pepper, too!) before he landed the lead in a TV comedy series very loosely based on the Saturday Night Fever film in 1979   David had also recorded the show's same titled theme song which ironically didn't chart until after the show was cancelled, peaking at #5.  HERC's fondest memory of the song was its inclusion on the soundtrack to Meatballs, also released in 1979.  HERC's favorite David Naughton acting performance? 1981's An American Werewolf in London.

One of Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards most popular productions is 1979's "We Are Family" by Sister Sledge.  It remains in constant rotation at wedding receptions and sporting events around the world yet HERC prefers two other tracks from the We Are Family album: "Lost In Music" and "He's The Greatest Dancer".

Bonnie Pointer's 1979 bouncy disco remake of the Top 50 song from the Sixties was and is HERC's rollerskating jam although he has retired from the rink.  Along with Patrick Hernandez's "Born To Be Alive", the song, which just missed the Top 10, constitutes HERC's 1-2 HI-NRG set which he uses to combat depression and sloth.  Music as medicine, who knew?

Who says an old dog can't change his spots?  HERC has heard seen the light and from this day forward and quite a few days back, he will be including album or extended versions of songs on his K-Tel playlists if and only if the preferred single version is not available.  Still no soundalike or live or re-recordings just for the sake of completion, though - HERC just raised the bar, he didn't obliterate it.  

>>>BONUS SPOTIFY PLAYLIST!!!

Like other K-Tel releases, Hitline saw release in different countries besides the United States, often featuring unique tracklists.  HERC got a hold of the Canadian version of Hitline and is proud to present the playlist above - there are only two songs in common between the two versions of Hitline.