Silver Eagle Records released the first CD disco compilation, the double disc Dancin' The Night Away, in 1988. Rhino Records issued their first disco compilations, the first two volumes of The Disco Years, in 1990. Both volumes were available on vinyl, cassette tape and CD. Those first 2 CDs contained four bonus tracks each, giving them 16 songs vs the 12 songs on other formats.
In 1992, three more volumes of The Disco Years were released followed by Volumes Six and Seven in 1995. Also in 1992, a special Disco Sucks 20 track promo sampler was sent out for in-store play.
Beginning with Volume Three, each successive CD features 18 songs each while the cassette versions were bumped up to 14 songs each. (No vinyl versions were released after Volume Two.) Musicologist Ken Barnes compiled the discs and wrote the liner notes as well. The discs sound great and offer the hit single versions of many of disco's most popular songs including those by Donna Summer, KC & the Sunshine Band, Village People, Change, Chic and Kool & the Gang.
I have most of this collection. Lots of solid classic disco on them with some rare tracks too. Good stuff.
ReplyDeleteStill my go-to series for a quick disco fix. Would have been interesting if Rhino could have kept it going for another dozen or so volumes.
ReplyDeleteThese were some of my all time favorite albums my collection ever had. I say they "were" because my wicked mother threw them (all seven volumes) in the trash, along with WAY TOO MANY other disco compilations I treasured. She didn't have the sympathy or the HEART to know they were my treasures, and evilly say "You don't need them!" I WANT THESE BACK IN MY LIFE!!!
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