Disco Friday: MONDO DISCO [2011]

The hype sticker affixed to some copies of Mondo Disco teased "weird & wonderful disco artifacts" and while I can't attest to the veracity of  the former claim, the latter is most definitely truthful.  The album is the ninth release in the Disco Discharge series and the first in the third wave of the series, launched in 2011.  There are twenty-three tracks spread across the two discs and once again, one of my all-time favorites is included on the second disc, a song I first encountered not in a club setting but on my own Soundesign stereo via K-Tel's magnificent Starburst album.

It just hit me nine volumes in that I have been missing a huge opportunity to showcase the artwork of the various albums and singles that the songs that are featured on each Disco Discharge album.  Let's rectify that oversight right now and see what we can find for Mondo Disco.

This is the Japanese release of I'm On Fire-Love Cloud by 5000 Volts from 1978.  It was released two years after the worldwide release of the group's self-titled debut album yet featured many of the the same tracks with the addition of their hit "Love Cloud" from 1977.

Who's Who's "Hypno Dance" was the b-side of this Japanese 45 for "Roll Jacky Roll" from 1980.  Roller Disco, baby!

The green eyes and red lips are wonderfully complimented by the gold bath on this cover of Liquid Liquid's one and only album, a 1979 Casablanca release here in the States.

This one is the American release of the the group's first album in 1978.  Artwork looks like a photo of the artwork taken from a Seventies Super Van or the hood of a low rider. I argued with the Hideaway's censor over this one for two minutes before winning my case.

Another clash with the censor was over this, the original Italian release of Azoto's wonderfully named Disco Fizz.

Up top is the cover of the 1979 American release of Disco Circus while just above is the international cover for the same album. 

And finally, the front cover, back cover and gatefold of the 1979 German release of La Bionda's Bandido.

year	title	artist		Billboard Disco Chart
1978	I Got A Feeling	Patrick Juvet	5:42	5
1976	Doctor Kiss Kiss	5000 Volts	3:07	-
1979	Body To Body	Gepy & Gepy	7:39	-
1979	Hypnodance	Who's Who	4:47	-
1977	He Was A Steppenwolf	Boney M	6:52	-
1979	African Blood	Supermax	8:34	-
1979	Bourgie Bourgie	John Davis & the Monster Orchestra	6:10	-
1977	Flight To Versailles	Grand Tour	5:02	9
1978	Prison	Space	6:17	-
1977	Lady America	Voyage	6:52	1
1979	Call Me Tonight	Cerrone	7:36	-
1984	Trippin' On The Moon	Claudja Barry	7:54	24
1984	(Looking For Someone to Love) Tonight	Technique	4:28	29
1981	The Last Romantic	Passengers	4:30	-
1979	My Baby's Baby	Liquid Gold	4:30	5
1981	Don't Take The Night Away	Adrian Baker	7:41	-
1977	I Can't Stand The Rain	Eruption	6:27	6
1978	Souvenirs (instrumental)	Voyage	6:20	-
1979	San Salvador	Azoto	6:51	-
1979	Que Sera Mi Vida	The Gibson Brothers	6:43	8
1979	Love Story	Andy Williams	9:41	-
1978	Over & Over	Disco Circus	9:01	24
1979	Deserts Of Mars	La Bionda	6:34	-

Looks like we have just nine of the songs from Mondo Disco land on the disco chart, with six rising into the Top 10 and one going all the way to Number One.  The average song is 6:29 and came out in 1979 though the timeline of all the songs run from 1976-1984.  There are two songs by Voyage and it turns out there is at least one song that falls under into the weird category, for me at least: crooner Andy Williams take on "Love Story" in an epic disco mix that comes way out of left field, which is usually where the weird hangs out.  It's a great mix courtesy of Bob Esty, though.  Lots of stuff that was new to me on Mondo Disco and that's the way uh-huh uh-huh I like it.  Did I mention there is a series of discs that follows Disco Discharge?  It's called Disco Recharge.  HERC don't lie.