Donald Byrd ~ USA

Ethiopian Nights (1972)

What was I saying on Black Byrd about wah wah rhythm guitar? Holy Moly. What a groove A1 has. And by the time Harold Land's sax solo comes across, you find yourself completely immersed into Byrd's new vision of jazz funk. As if to prove that track wasn't a fluke, the entire B side has a similar deep groove. Here, though, the psychedelic is played up much more. Of all the 50s and 60s era jazzers, Donald Byrd seems to be the one I connect with the most in his jazz funk stage. Even more so than Miles Davis and Herbie Hancock.

Ownership: 1972 Blue Note (LP). Acquired in 2026.

9/8/26 (review)

Thank You… For F.U.M.L (Funking Up My Life) (1978)

A good example of desperation so as to stay in the game. Back cover gives the game away with Byrd looking ridiculous in his double breasted yacht captain suit. Long ways from the gritty aura of Ethiopian Nights, Black Byrd, and Street Lady. Of course it must be stated that Byrd wasn't above recent trends, and played right into the jazz funk movement of the early 70s. He just happened to be really good at it. And here he follows the style of the day: Disco. And to be fair, this is a decent attempt for relevancy. The final track 'Close Your Eyes and Look Within' offers promise that Byrd could have had another winner on his side. Too many strings, boring beats, and annoying vocals sink this title though. Feels like a contract obligation album for Byrd. 

Source: 1978 Elektra (LP)

3/17/24 (review)

Black Byrd (1973)

Ever since hearing Street Lady, I knew I wanted to hear other Byrd albums from the time period. And Black Byrd is the beginning of the sound that we hear on Street Lady. As many have noted, it's pretty much a Mizell Brothers dominated release (i.e. they wrote most of the music). Apparently - in its day - the album caused an uproar with traditional jazz enthusiasts. And that frustration the critics expressed had such a profound effect - that Black Byrd became one of Blue Note's best sellers. Haha. I personally love this kind of analog breezy jazz funk. And Roger Glenn once again shines on flute, along with some innovative trumpet from Byrd. I'm a sucker for wah wah rhythm guitar and active percussion, and there's plenty of that too. Vocals are probably unnecessary but they are sparse. Love the 1897 vintage photo cover from Knoxville, Tennessee. A powerful image. Definitely keeping this one.

Ownership: 1973 Blue Note (LP). Acquired in 2021.

5/30/21 (review)

Stepping into Tomorrow (1975)

As the first notes play, it's apparent the groove will remain the same as on Street Lady. But it's even more slick, and adds female vocals to give it a more commercial feel. Gone is Roger Glenn and his flute, and his playing would have been perfect here. For this album, the best track IMO is towards the end, and that would be 'You are the World'. Overall not at the level of Street Lady, but a keeper all the same.

Ownership: 1975 Blue Note (LP). Acquired in 2021.

3/13/21 (review)

Street Lady (1973)

The first two tracks are about perfect for funky jazz. What a groove. Wonderful analog synthesizer, guitar, and of course Byrd's trumpet. Best of all is Roger Glenn's flute. He's killing it here. I love these large ensembles, and this one counts to 10. All six songs are great, but the first two and 'Witch Hunt' take the prize. 

Ownership: 1973 Blue Note (LP). Gatefold. Acquired in 2021.

3/11/21 (review)

Also own: Fancy Free

9/8/26 (new entry)

Tender Aggression ~ Germany

Fly Disco Fly (1976)

Now here's one for you. Grabbed this with a whole stack of jazz funk albums (plus this) on the cheap. But once I saw the lineup on this album, I knew it was going to be the pick of the litter. 

Where do we start? I say we blame Sylvester Levay and go from there. Who? He's the Hungarian fellow who played on that most legendary underground Krautrock album Vita Nova along with a pre-Dzyan Eddy Marron. While hanging out in Germany, he figured out (rather astutely) that disco may be the next fad. So he forms Silver Convention, gathers up some pretty ladies, releases 'Fly, Robin, Fly' and it's "up up to the sky". Weeeeee. Dance dance dance. 

On a similar theme, some years ago I ran into a disco album by ORS (Orlando Riva Sound) that featured some Krautrock luminaries on Moog. Precedent had been set. 

With that prelude, let me introduce you to Dieter Reith. He would prove to be the next-gen Wolfgang Dauner. Dauner was a jazz keyboard guy playing around with heavy jazz rock and even Krautrock. But he wasn't above pop culture norms, and did a little bit of psychedelic hullabaloo as well in his day (The Oimels anyone?). Reith was also a jazz keyboard guy playing heavy jazz rock. But his pop culture would prove to be disco, with a capital D. Along for the ride, he brings Siggi Schwab and Dave King, both having played with Embryo among many others. And Curt Cress on the drum kit. He even drags in Ralf Nowy on sax. These are all heavy hitters in the German underground. 

So no matter the style, the compositions (mainly from Reith) are going to be first class with memorable melodies. And plenty of thick 70s analog keyboards to add the proper dressing. All with a string orchestra (from the no-chance-to-be-popular-otherwise Helmut Geiger Group) and a 4/4 beat, mandatory elements to make it a disco album. Curt Cress must've loved the paycheck he got for this. No fills or improvs, just keep a beat. Tough ask. 

More fun is the title of the album itself. It was released in their native Germany as Power Sandwich. What does that even refer to? We are decades before the term Power Lunch became a thing in business circles. Even better, in Spain, they decided to go with Disco Sandwich. I mean Disco Sandwich? How awesome is that? They should have just called it Tuna Taco to get to the crux of the matter. Speaking of the ladies, it appears Schwab enjoyed a good lusty evening. He was also involved with those Vampyros Lesbos albums.

In America these titles weren't going to fly, so to speak. How about Fly Disco Fly? Yea, no way we're trying to cash in on the Silver Convention or anything. I mean they only sold millions of copy. It didn't work obviously as who the hell has heard of this album before? 

Well I now have. If you have any tolerance whatsoever for disco, get this as it's really quite good. If questioned by those raising an eyebrow, say you were in it for the musicians involved. We all bought Playboy back in the day for the crossword puzzles.

Ownership: 1976 Morningside (LP)

6/23/25 (review / new entry)

I have another Dieter Reith on CD. When I get to it, I'll probably combine it here.

Mofoya ~ USA ~ Hawaii

Send a Message (1979)

Mofoya's sole album is an amalgam of styles covering everything from ferocious jazz rock to sweet soul and disco. To be clear, it is primarily a fusion album, but the other styles mentioned add spice to the dish. Flute and guitar are your primary instruments. Tracks like A4 and B3 are beautiful instrumental acoustic guitar and flute pieces, offering up the sounds of the island vacation you expect from Hawaii. Only to be destroyed by the Mahavishnu Orchestra style of A1, B4, and especially B2. B1 and B5 have some boogie down disco fusion, whereas A2 is sweet soul with fine female vocals. There's also references to the psych funk sound throughout.

I see Send a Message often labeled as a progressive rock album, but I don't hear it myself. It sends the wrong message so to speak. This is distinctly an American type of music that we often hear from the late 70s. Groups taking more simple styles to a higher art. Anyone who enjoys the CTI sounds of the 70s will enjoy this. Maybe even more so given some of the violent guitar on display.

On the back cover, the band name is stylized as MoFoYa.

No reissues exist as of 6/17/25.

Ownership: 1979 Kona Gold (LP)

6/16/25 (acquired / review)

MFSB ~ USA ~ Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Universal Love (1975)

---1/14/16

Well I'm hardly the world's foremost disco fan, but doggone if this album from Philadelphia's MFSB isn't infectious as they get. The first three tracks are fine mirror ball numbers, and represent the genre well, but nothing extraordinary. Things get to be very interesting on 'Love Has No Time and Place', with flute, Moog, sax, electric piano, echoplex guitar, cool strings, and soaring female chorus vocals. It's cool in that French school sort of way, like Cortex or the Lafayette Afro-Rock Band. And then there's 'K-Jee', a 5 star masterpiece if there ever was one, and for my tastes, one of the greatest songs of the entire disco movement. Also I'd say it's the single best song on Saturday Night Fever as well (quite astute of the producers to include the track honestly). 'My Mood' is awesome too, sweet and mellow. Captures the mood perfectly, per the song title. Overall, as good an example of the disco style as you can possibly hear.

---12/23/22

And that review sticks the landing. Especially the three tracks I called out. 'K-Jee' was already two years old when it managed its way onto the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack. It's important to remember that MFSB isn't just a part of the Philly Sound - they are the Philly Sound. They backed up all of those great soul acts of the 70s on the Philadelphia International label.

Mostly Mother Father Sister Brother sounds like easy listening music with a repetitive beat. But not so on this album, which has way more edge. 

Ownership: 1975 Philadelphia International (LP). Gatefold

11/21/07; 12//08; 1/14/16 (review); 12/23/22 (update)

Love is the Message (1973) 

I had the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack on my mind (which I recently posted on), and tend to forget that MFSB is very affordable. I'd heard this album before and placed a "good" rating on it (see above for another album that I rate "excellent"). Well, I'm afraid to say, my original rating is correct. It's amazing just how "corporate" this sounds. This isn't edgy Philly ghetto music that's for sure (if you do want that, definitely seek out Del Jones' Positive Vibes). Honestly these guys aren't that far removed from what Andre Kostelanetz or Bert Kaempfert were doing in those days. All instrumental easy listening music I would submit. Though for sure MFSB is a better name than Gamble-Huff and their Orchestra. The album has its moments, in particular the closer 'Bitter Sweet'. But, yea, this was an unnecessary pickup for sure.

Source:  1973 Philadelphia International (LP)

7/3/21 (review)

12/23/22 (new entry)

The Fatback Band - Raising Hell. 1975 USA-New York

I've said it before, and will continue to say it, I don't intrinsically have an issue with disco music. In the last year or so, I've managed to pick up free boxes of records - or bought collections for pennies on the dollar - that included many (far too many) such albums. Almost all of them not to my taste. And most of them were worth what I paid for them - nothing. Like all genres of music, what's popular doesn't always translate into what is interesting. Of course this argument always goes to personal taste, so that's not a discussion I want to enter into. Rather I can speak to what I like. Most disco tends to be soul music with a steady 4/4 beat and soaring strings. Not for me. But some disco comes out of funk, specifically hard rocking funk, with excellent tight horn charts and electric guitars. Now we're talking.

I'd not run into The Fatback Band before. No doubt having flipped by them for years without notice. Based on the sheer number of albums they've output, it would appear they enjoyed great success in their native New York City and worldwide. But the title of the album and the instrumentation told me this would probably be a good place for one dollar to go. And sure enough, it was. 'Do the Bus Stop', 'Spanish Hustle', and 'Party Time' are your dance floor movers. They're not particularly innovative, but certainly well done, and easy on the ears. 'Put Your Love (In My Tender Care)': OK, there's the expected soul ballad. Fine. 'I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch)' is a crap song to begin with, and this is a crap arrangement. Skip it. That leaves the two brilliant tracks IMO. 'All Day' has everything I want in a thoughtful funk piece. Great instrumentation, lyrics, and composition. Reminds me of Mandrill actually (one of my fave funk groups). 'Groovy Kind of Day' is a real throwback - very much a 1968 styled psychedelic soul/funk piece that must have created a few confused looks in the mid 70s. For me, it adds a ray of sunshine to the proceedings. 2 great tracks, 3 good party dancers, one sweet soul ballad, and one tosser. That's a keeper.

Ownership: LP: 1975 Event. Recent pickup from a Catholic charity sale. Can't make that one up...

Silver Convention - Save Me. 1975 Germany

One of my favorite music trivia tidbits is that the leader and founder of Silver Convention was a gentleman named Sylvester Levay. What was he doing 4 years prior? He happened to be a member of one of the more underground Krautrock bands of 1971: Vita Nova. Clearly an enlightened businessman, he traded art for jack. One cannot blame him for this...

I was all of 10 when 'Fly Robin Fly' was a hit. I was just beginning my foray into music, and of course AM radio was my entrance point. Honestly, it was one of my favorites at the time, perhaps only bested by The Bee Gees 'Nights On Broadway'. And listening to this album again, the song certainly is quite good. Repetitive yes, but still satisfying.

The liner notes on the back of the US release states more or less that Silver Convention represents a new generation of artists looking to break from what is perceived as "German" music. Whether they were referring to Faust or schlager music, I cannot say. One presumes the latter...

The music itself is a kind of classy disco, with orchestral strings raising up in constant dynamic shift as the steady disco beat carries on. The trio of gals provide the sultry sounds of the oncoming pervasion (double entendre word of the day) that was to come via the Studio 54 set. 'Save Me', however, makes one want to roller skate (note: skate) along the Santa Monica beach, hoping to meet girls that look like... well, the Silver Convention I would imagine.

The covers are of the US version, which sports different art work. The German original also contains a nude lady poster, similar to a Playboy shot. That would not happen in 1975 America, no sirree.

Wild Cherry - I Love My Music. 1978 USA

Ha - probably no one wants to admit they listen to this. Well it's here, so I did. And I feel like talking about it. It's a kind of therapy I think...

Pittsburgh's finest tighty-whiteys are your classic one hit wonder, something about white boys and funky music. But they clawed their way to that hit, having released numerous - and obscure - rock singles throughout the early 70s. When it was time for a full length album, they were wise to jump on the oncoming disco movement. Cash in!

I Love My Music is Wild Cherry's 3rd full length album. How about that cover, eh? Gee, I wonder when this was released? I think Bob Guccione designed it. So I got my platform shoes and top hat on, and was ready to boogie-woogie. If only it were a disco album. On this point, Wild Cherry are pretty good actually. But those blue-eyed soul moments. Whooo... man, that's rough going there. As with a lot of disco albums, the musicianship is at a higher level than ever given credit for. And here you have the Brecker brothers in tow.

Overall not so bad. No need to hide in the closet while listening to it. You are liberated! Go free young man/woman/both/neither/non-binary/whatever.

There's a price to pay for getting LPs for a $1. "The first one is on me...". Checks into clinic....

LP: 1978 Epic