The Decks Files - Nakamichi 700 II (1979)

Stephanie Mills - You Can Get Over (1979)

While the previous two tracks we have posted this week were one-off from acts that were (sadly) never hard from again, I think its fair to say that today's artist has staying power.
Stephanie Mills has had a career spanning from 1975 covering many musical styles, including some TUFF disco tracks. You Can Get Over is a track from her classic 1979 album What Cha Gonna Do With My Lovin'. Written and produced by James Mtume and Reggie Lucas ( of MFSB fame), the rack didn't make much of a dent in the charts, getting to no.55 on the US R&B chart and no.101 on the main Billboard chart, but that doesn't detract one iota from it being a great track.

And as an extra-special treat, heres the full 12" version; nine minutes of late-70's DiscoSoul loveliness. Enjoy.

- FVHK5K

Air Power - Be Yourself (1979)

Before writer/producer Donald Burnside formed First Love , he gave us the lone Air Power single on legendary LA-based disco label AVI (American Variety International) Records. Soaring disco strings, funky clavinet stabs and endless percussion breaks make this one an essential piece of the late period disco puzzle. Another gem from 1979.

- FVHK5K

Teddy Pendergrass - Come Go With Me (1979)

In the midst of his late-'70s hot streak, Teddy Pendergrass slowed down his groove somewhat for most of Teddy, his third album in as many years, and reprised the hushed tone and bedroom motifs that had made Close the Door such a success a year earlier. Pendergrass had sung bedroom ballads before Close the Door, but that song in particular resonated with his listeners, Philly soul and quiet storm fans alike. It's not surprising, then, that Teddy begins with back-to-back seducers penned by Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff - Come Go With Me (featured here) and Turn Off the Lights - that are clearly modeled after Close the Door, and nothing wrong in that. Next comes I'll Never See Heaven Again and All I Need Is You, which keep the tempo laid-back and the mood sentimental, closing out the first side.

The second side gets off to a jumping start with If You Know Like I Know, one of the most ferocious songs Pendergrass ever recorded, a sweaty disco workout driven by a funky bassline that just doesn't stop and a long-winded rant of bellowed pleading. Do Me likewise jumps along but does so more lightly and playfully, and then Set Me Free and Life Is a Circle again up the intensity level and showcase Pendergrass in a frantic mood. The bipolar nature of Teddy, with its quiet storm first side and disco-soul second, gives it a consistent flow that prolongs the mutually stimulating moods of each side. This is a marked difference from the likewise rock-solid Teddy Pendergrass (1977) and Life Is a Song Worth Singing (1978), which generally alternated up-tempo steppers cuts with down-tempo slow jams. As such, Teddy does foreshadow Pendergrass' drift toward mass-market studiocraft, but he's far from being formulaic here on Teddy, where he's still ablaze and bearing the distinct mark of top-shelf Philly International.

- Mr Fabulous

Earth Wind & Fire - September (1979)

Throwback Thursday: Earth, Wind & Fire were no.1 on this day in 1979 on the Billboard R&B/Soul chart. The single was written by Maurice White, Al McKay and Allee Willis. It was recorded during the I Am sessions, but used on their, The Best of Earth, Wind & Fire, Vol. 1 hits album as a new track. The single also reached, no. 3 in the UK Charts & crossed over in America to no.8 in the Billboard Hot 100 Pop chart.

- FVS