omstaff, the "Hustlers of Culture," digging throughtheir mental crates toremember the songs that made them appreciatemusic. There will besomeamazing, and yes, embarrassing choiceshere, but ever the keyimpactis to think when music was notsomething to be over studied,remixed,downloaded, forgotten and tornasunder. We're rememberingwhenmusicwas simply a call you liked,and really couldn't tell youmorethan asentence or two why. Sitback, reminisce, and enjoy thebuildingblocksof musicappreciation. Song: Bee Gees - "Nights on Broadway"Year released: 1975Year "discovered" by me: 2001Reason discovered: DJing So I had this portion of my set that I used to hatred when I played hoity toity high society gigs and my disco, soul and funk night at an upscale restaurant. I would be leased to turn from 9-3, which at most establishments meant having to act while dinner was being served, then through post dinner drinks and dessert, into the full fledged dance stage of the evening. I had dinner on point."Send it On" by D'Angelo into pretty much anything out of the Nat King Cole canon into Frank Sinatra's "My Way," at which point at society functions the drinks were starting to flow, dessert was striking the tables and presently it would be time to dance. I needed a call to span the gap from Sinatra to the Silver Connection's "Fly Robin Fly" which ever was my fail safe kickoff to get both the very old 60 crowd moving and to get the soccer moms with husbands 20 years their senior on the dance floor. I had tried a number of songs and failed as there were few songs I knew that bridged disco and balladry. Gloria Gaynor, too heavy. Thelma Houston, too heavy. The Bee Gees, too. wait. Hold the phone. I was getting ready for a particular gig by putting on a tux and imitating John Travolta as Tony Manero getting ready for a night on the town. I had purchased a "Scoop of the Bee Gees" tape from a bootleg guy, and had pretty much strutted all over my bedroom. I went out of my way into my mother's makeshift study to see my email, and the record had flipped to Face A, which was filled with the Bee Gees early ballads, of which I would only pretty much fast advancing to "To Know Somebody," as it's amazing in every way. I was confronted instead by "Nights on Broadway." A robust R & B concoction with a really rough falsetto by Barry Gibb and an early era, understated Philadelphia International related disco swing, I was instantly hooked. Also included was this disembodied "Dream Weaver" breakdown, almost trance like, a beautiful love ode. Overall, I was floored, and had found my new winner to make the 10:00 - 10:30 point of my set to a completely new layer of awesome. I still establish a fundamental way to rip my tape to CD as I was 100% sure the call was a rare gem that on the computers utilized by the party that engaged me at that time. I get to my gig, call the office to break in, and order the guy on the former end of the cable about my witness and his response: "Really kid? 'Nights on Broadway,' huh? #7, 1975. Neither rare, nor shocking. Do your research, kid." Floored. Research proved amazing as it was their RSO label head Robert Stigwood who sent the out of touch 60s chartbusters to Us to transfer their way and get in line with R & B. Instead, they ended up partying in Miami at the petition of Eric Clapton, and came second with #1 hit, jingle jangle disco winner "Jive Talkin," and this one which portended Saturday Night Fever by two years, blue eyed soulful melodic disco, stripped of heavy synth augmentation and a recollection of their balladeer past and their night club present. "Nights on Broadway" is really a cut above.
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