20 Disco Greats / 20 Love Songs

20 Disco Greats

Cover to 20 Disco Greats
Studio album by Brotherhood of Man
Released November 1981
Genre Pop, MOR
Label Warwick
Producer

Tony Hiller

20 Love Songs
Brotherhood of Man chronology
Sing 20 Number One Hits
(1980)		 20 Disco Greats / 20 Love Songs
(1981)		 Lightning Flash
(1983)

20 Disco Greats / 20 Love Songs is a double album released by British pop group Brotherhood of Man which was released as two separate albums, but sold together as a 'buy one get one free' package, as was the popular trend at the time.

Background

This album was a collection of cover versions, following on from their successful Sing 20 Number One Hits album released a year earlier. The songs contained were cover versions of hit songs from the UK charts spanning the years 1972 to 1981. The album was released by Warwick Records (United Kingdom) in November 1981, but failed to replicate the success of the previous one, thus ending their contract with the label. Some months later, the group commented on the album; "we recorded [the album] to keep the group together and get our faces on the TV screen where they were advertised". On the lack of new material present they said "we didn't bother to release a single or record a proper album because we knew they wouldn't make any impact".[1]

The album contained no single releases. The label on the 20 Disco Greats record gives the title as Dance Yourself Dizzy, while the label on 20 Love Songs gives the title as In Love.[2] Although listed separately, the songs "Copacabana" and "I'll Go Where Your Music Takes Me" merge into each other, and have been listed as one track on subsequent compilation releases. The song "She's out of My Life" is listed as such, but is sung (by member Sandra Stevens) as "He's out of My Life". A noticeable trend on the album was the tendency to reverse the sex of the original performer. Where songs had been originally performed by males, they were performed here by the female members, such as Rod Stewart's "Do Ya Think I'm Sexy" sung by Sandra and Nicky and Baccara's "Yes Sir I Can Boogie" by Martin and Lee.

Of the covers contained, the earliest was Harry Nilsson's version of "Without You", which was a No.1 hit in March 1972, while the most recent was Stevie Wonder's "Happy Birthday", which had reached No.2 in August 1981.[3][4] Of the 40 tracks, 13 had been UK No.1s, while all the rest were UK top 20 hits apart from "Copacabana" and "I'll Go Where Your Music Takes Me", which reached No.42 and No.27 respectively. The album contained three songs by The Bee Gees, as well as Barbra Streisand's "Woman in Love", which was written by them. ABBA - a group Brotherhood of Man had been compared to many times during their career, were included with a cover of their song "Lay All Your Love On Me", which at the time was the group's most recent (although one of their less significant) hits.

The album was released on Vinyl and Cassette, and although has never been released on Compact Disc, many of the tracks have appeared on various compilation CDs of the group in recent years. The cover photos were taken at Tokyo Joe's night club (now Pangaea) in Mayfair, London.[5]

Track listing

20 Disco Greats

Side One
No. TitleWriter(s)Original Artist, Year Length
1. "Dance Yourself Dizzy"  Adrian Baker / Eddie SeagoLiquid Gold, 1980 3.38
2. "Use It Up and Wear It Out"  Sandy Linzer / L. Russel BrownOdyssey, 1980 2.52
3. "Blame It on the Boogie"  Mick Jackson / David Jackson / Elmar KrohnBased on version by The Jacksons, 1978 2.44
4. "Do Ya Think I'm Sexy"  Rod Stewart / Carmine AppiceRod Stewart, 1978  
5. "Copacabana (At the Copa)"  Jack Feldman / Barry Manilow / Bruce SussmanBarry Manilow, 1978 2.16
6. "I'll Go Where Your Music Takes Me"  BidduJimmy James & The Vagabonds, 1976 3.06
7. "Feels Like I'm in Love"  Ray DorsetKelly Marie, 1980 2.43
8. "Stayin' Alive"  Barry Gibb / Maurice Gibb / Robin GibbThe Bee Gees, 1977 2.40
9. "Singin' in the Rain"  Arthur Freed / Nacio Herb BrownBased on version by Sheila B. Devotion, 1978 3.02
10. "Y.M.C.A."  Henri Belolo / Jacques Morali / Victor WillisThe Village People, 1978  
Side Two
No. TitleWriter(s)Original Artist, Year Length
1. "D.I.S.C.O."  Daniel Vangarde / Jean KlugerOttawan, 1980  
2. "Lay All Your Love on Me"  Benny Andersson / Bjorn UlvaeusABBA, 1981  
3. "Night Fever"  Barry Gibb / Robin Gibb / Maurice GibbThe Bee Gees, 1978 3.08
4. "Brown Girl in the Ring"  Frank Farian, , based on a TraditionalBoney M, 1978 2.58
5. "Happy Birthday"  Stevie WonderStevie Wonder, 1981 3.35
6. "Yes Sir I Can Boogie"  Frank Dostal / Rolf SojaBaccara, 1977 2.36
7. "Ring My Bell"  Frederick KnightAnita Ward, 1979 2.27
8. "Knock on Wood"  Eddie Floyd / Steve CropperBased on version by Amii Stewart, 1979 2.24
9. "Le Freak"  Nile Rodgers / Bernard EdwardsChic, 1978 2.49
10. "Pop Muzik"  Robin ScottM, 1979  

20 Love Songs

Side One
No. TitleWriter(s)Original Artist, Year Length
1. "Silly Love Songs"  Paul McCartneyWings, 1976 3.20
2. "Woman in Love"  Barry Gibb / Maurice Gibb / Robin GibbBarbra Streisand, 1980 3.00
3. "Tragedy"  Barry Gibb / Maurice Gibb / Robin GibbThe Bee Gees, 1979 3.19
4. "With You I'm Born Again"  David Shire / Carol ConnorsBilly Preston and Syreeta, 1979  
5. "Crying"  Roy Orbison / Joe MelsonBased on version by Don McLean, 1980  
6. "One Day I'll Fly Away"  Joe Sample / Will JenningsRandy Crawford, 1980 3.05
7. "She's out of My Life"  Tom BahlerMichael Jackson, 1980  
8. "Without You"  Peter Ham / Tom EvansBased on version by Nilsson, 1972 2.49
9. "More Than in Love"  Barry Leng / Simon MayKate Robbins and Beyond, 1981  
10. "Evergreen"  Barbra Streisand / Paul WilliamsBarbra Streisand, 1976  
Side Two
No. TitleWriter(s)Original Artist, Year Length
1. "Miss You Nights"  Dave TownsendCliff Richard, 1976  
2. "My Eyes Adored You"  Bob Crewe / Kenny NolanFrankie Valli, 1974  
3. "How 'Bout Us"  Dana WaldenChampaign, 1981 3.00
4. "Song Sung Blue"  Neil DiamondNeil Diamond, 1972 2.39
5. "Being with You"  Smokey RobinsonSmokey Robinson, 1981  
6. "Chanson D'Amour"  Wayne ShanklinBased on version by The Manhattan Transfer, 1977 2.34
7. "Woman"  John LennonJohn Lennon, 1981 2.56
8. "A Little Bit More"  Bobby GoshDr Hook, 1976  
9. "I Wanna Stay with You"  Benny Gallagher / Graham LyleGallagher and Lyle, 1976  
10. "All by Myself"  Eric CarmenEric Carmen, 1975 3.21

Personnel

References

  1. ↑ New Straits Times "A Lightning flash in the pan?", 13 June 1982
  2. ↑ Dutch Brotherhood of Man site. "Album Discography". Archived from the original on 2008-06-16. Retrieved 2008-10-10.
  3. ↑ Chartstats. "Earliest hit ("Without You")". Retrieved 2008-12-18.
  4. ↑ Chartstats. "Latest hit ("Happy Birthday")". Retrieved 2008-12-18.
  5. ↑ Album sleeve information
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