VA - T.K. Disco 45 Collection Volume 1 1976-8 [2CD Set] (1999)

This sprawling double-disc compilation covers a selection of songs, mostly in their 12" versions, that were issued by the prolific TK Records during 1976 and 1978. The track listing divides its time nicely between songs that were big on the disco charts and obscurities that only devoted disco fanatics would remember. On disc one, the most memorable hits are "Do What You Wanna Do," a funky dance classic that blends Temptations-style harmonies with plenty of keyboard hooks over a thumping bassline, and "Do You Wanna Get Funky With Me?," a track that layers percolating synthesizers and percussive background chants over a hypnotic rhythm guitar riff. This disc also contains a major cult favorite in "Superman," a swirling, synthesizer-laden disco favorite from Celi Bee and the Buzzy Bunch that pays tribute to the famous superhero over a pulsating beat. The second disc includes "Get Off," a track from Foxy that mixes a funky beat with some surprisingly metallic guitar riffs, and the title track, a frenetic Herman Kelly and Life cut whose insistent rhythms made a breakbeat favorite for DJ's during hip-hop's early days. It also sports a memorable oddity in "Bertha Butt Encounters Vadar," a Jimmy Castor Bunch track that pays tribute to Star Wars in disco form. A few of the cuts fail to impress (Foxy's "The Way You Do the Things You Do" is undone by silly background vocal chants), but the majority of the cuts offer a reliable combinations of insistent beats and strong hooks. The package is rounded out by an informative set of liner notes that give plenty of information about the often-elusive studio players behind these cuts. In the end, The TK Disco 45 Collection, Vol. 1: Dance to the Drummer's Beat is too cultish for the casual listener, but offers a generous array of worthwhile hits and rarities for the hardcore discophile.