Reply With QuoteActually, I really like 'Can't Help Falling In Love'. It was a new take on the song, which before that was always done as a slow song. The problem with the Hugo & Luigi stuff, for me, is the mixing. The echo and the drums sounds like they were made from 3rd generation copies. Maybe there was too much middle. Van McCoy's productions on RCA had a much warmer, accessible sound.
I don't know if there's any seriously low Van McCoy moment for me. People might say it was when he sang, but I actually like those tracks. I wasn't too crazy about his version of 'Hey Girl Come & Get It' or 'Doctors Orders' on the Disco Baby LP. I think the use of the synth was done in a more cheesy, rather than funky or complementary manner on those tracks. The synth (Moog?) sounded better on Spanish Boogie and Disco Baby.
I wasn't too crazy about that Movie Machine album. It's The Joint is a great tune, but the movie medley is just uninspiring.
I also didn't like him revisiting the Hustle chord progression and arrangement. Examples are Keep on Hustlin and Disco Samba.
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How about your favourite Van McCoy moments? For me, they are:
- Disco Baby - awesome album inspite of the songs I mentioned above. He really showcases the clavinet on this album, which is my favorite keyboard instruments.
- Disco Kid - this is also a great album, where he does two awesome vocal tracks 'Words Spoken Softly At Midnight' and the other track the title of which I forget. 'Roll With the Punches' is a cool remake of 'Pick Up The Pieces', which he covered on Disco Baby
- His later, vocal albums had some great tunes like 'Story of My Life' (this song is waaaay too short); 'Two Points' (if you haven't heard this track you gotta - its one of his best instrumentals); 'You're So Right For Me'; and 'You're My Favorite Fantasy'.
- Faith Hope & Charity's self-titled and Life Goes On albums.
- All of the Choice Four albums. I think they were the best interpreters of Van McCoys music
- David Ruffin's albums. Not all of the songs blow me away, but tracks like 'Walk Away From Love', 'Who I Am', etc.. are among Van McCoy's best compositions/productions
- Bill Harris - Am I Cold Am I Hot - one song, no album. Strange and too bad. This is probably THE best Van McCoy song.
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Other stuff that he did that I think are alright but don't really blow me away:
- Melba Moore's albums. I actually prefer her work with McFadden & Whitehead over the Van McCoy stuff.
- Gladys Knight - I don't recall if he did a whole album with her and the Pips, or just some songs on an album with multiple producers.
- Sweet Censation - I think this was a white group. I don't like the sound of their vocals. Some of the tracks on the self-titled album are worth a listen
- Anacostia - for some reason, these guys are just okay for me. The songs haven't blown me away. Maybe I'll have to give them another listen. They did two albums and a few singles with McCoy.
- The Stylistics - I like some of the stuff he did with them, but not all of it. Heavy Fallin Out, Funky Weekend, Thank You Baby, You Make Me Feel Brand New, etc... are all great. But their version of Disco Baby was pretty weak. Hey Girl Come & Get It and I Can't Give You Anything are my favorite tracks. Too bad they're so short!!!
- Zulema - there was an album from '78 where McCoy produced a few songs on it, but they were just alright. It wasn't worth the purchase of the album.
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We should also give a shout out to the Philly and New York musicians who helped McCoy shape his sound. I don't remember all of the names, but I do recall guys like Steve Gadd and Rick Marotta (drummers), Leon Pendarvis (keyboards) and Hugh McCracken (guitar) were frequently credited on his albums. The drummers were expecially important in shaping McCoy's sound because they didn't play a straight disco beat. Usually they gave it a syncopated latin feel. And we must also give credit to whoever played the xylophone and used that rubbing sandpaper instrument (I don't know the name of it). They were also key components in the Van McCoy sound.
That's it from me.
Disco Funk
Originally Written by Mixmachine
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