Wednesday, September 6, 2017

KC and the Sunshine Band (1975)

“KC and the Sunshine Band” by KC and the Sunshine Band (1975)

Release Date: July 6, 1975
Produced by Harry Wayne Casey, Richard Finch
Genre: Disco, Funk, Pop
Label: TK

Chart Positions: #4 (US), #5 (Canada, Netherlands), #26 (UK), #27 (Sweden), #34 (Japan), #1 (US R&B)
Certifications: Platinum (Canada), 3xPlatinum (US)

Singles: 
“Get Down Tonight” #1 (US, Canada, US R&B), #2 (Brazil), #3 (France), #5 (Netherlands), #11 (Belgium, US Dance), #21 (UK), #44 (Australia),
“That’s The Way (I Like It)” #1 (US, Canada, Netherlands), #2 (Belgium), 33 (Sweden), #4 (UK), #5 (Norway, Australia), #6 (South Africa), #8 (France), #12 (New Zealand), #17 (Ireland), #18 (US Dance), #20 (Germany, Japan),
“I’m So Crazy (Bout You)” #34 (UK),
“I Get Lifted” #9 (US Dance),
“Boogie Shoes” #29 (US R&B) #31 (New Zealand), #34 (UK), #35 (US)
Other Charting Tracks: N/A

Best Tracks: “Get Down Tonight,” “Boogie Shoes,” “ That's The Way I Like It,” “What Makes You Happy"



Trivia: KC and the Sunshine Band forever shaped the perception people have of the 70s as the era of disco-pop with hits such as “That’s The Way (I Like It)” and “Get Down Tonight.” It seems as if they came out of nowhere and became an overnight sensation, but the reality is before their string of hits in 1975, KC and the Sunshine Band released their first album (in 1974) which did not chart and contained four singles all of which charted low. Finally with their second album they hit and they hit big.

“Get Down Tonight” was KC and the Sunshine Band’s first of five #1 hit singles. In an interview with Richard Finch, he explained that "Get Down Tonight" was inspired by the Gilbert O'Sullivan song called "Get Down," which is sometimes known as "Bad Dog, Baby." Finch explains: "O’Sullivan wrote that song about his dog. That record was really hot back then. And I was like, 'Okay, this guy has a great idea.' He's talking about 'get down.' But I didn't find out until later, he was talking about his dog. And I was like, 'Well, that's really square.' How hip is that?"

"Get Down Tonight" (1975)

The song features a distinctive introduction, in which a recorded guitar solo is rendered at double speed over a normal-speed guitar line in the background. After observing someone else slowing down a tape machine, Richard Finch had the idea of using this technique to create the guitar riff, as a way of adding something to the song "that really keeps the buzz, that really keeps the excitement going all the way through without being too artificial sounding." Finch states that he was "always doing weird science" in those days, referring to his various experiments with sound.

At the time, “That’s The Way (I Like It)” was considered by some to be rather risqué because of the obvious meaning behind the title as well as its chorus with multiple "uh-huhs" and its verses. Richard Finch stated, "We were all happy, and you could tell. We transferred the excitement of that hit feeling from 'Get Down Tonight,' and trust me, then we were all like, 'Oh, my God, this is amazing! We've done it! Let's put the magic on something else.' And you could definitely hear the excitement and the magic from that first hit record with 'That's The Way I Like It,' because we were all pumped, and we were all stoked. If you listen to that record closely, you can hear everyone smiling while they're singing, especially the background singers. It was a very, very magic moment. I mean, we're in Miami, Florida, and we're in a little independent label, and we're becoming successful? C'mon, man, this is not possible, this must be a dream!" “That’s The Way (I Like It)” was originally recorded in a more risqué manner by KC & The Sunshine Band before lead singer Harry Wayne Casey toned down the "uh-huhs," making them sound like cries of jubilation. As for the "controversial" lyrics, Finch tells us: "We had to tone down the words a little bit, it used to be called 'What You Want.' And I was like, 'No, KC. That's not commercial enough, people aren't gonna figure out what you're saying.' Back then you had to watch what you say. Not like today. People come on the radio and cuss and say all kinds of s--t, but back then, you had to watch yo' mouth. You can be suggestive in a poetic way. It can mean whatever to whoever the listener is, and it doesn't really tie it down to any one thing or gender. So I figured that the more open you keep it, and unresolved, the more people you draw in."

“KC and the Sunshine Band” was a rare album in that back in the 70s most artists usually only released 2 or 3 singles from an album and then moved to the next album. There were a total of five songs released as singles with the fifth being “Boogie Shoes.” Originally the song was not intended to be released as a single, but after it’s inclusion in the 1977 blockbuster film “Saturday Night Fever,” the song garnered quite a bit of attention and more than two years after it’s parent album’s release the song was put out as a single. The song was a success charting in the lower part of the Top 40 in The US, UK and New Zealand.

"Ain't Nothing Wrong" opens Side Two of the album and displays KCs determination to showcase more than just disco music. "Ain't Nothing Wrong" is a fine predecessor to his 1979 ballad hit "Please Don't Go." "What Makes You Happy" brings the funk out and sounds borderline between Ohio Players and The O'Jays.

KC and the Sunshine Band 1975







KC and the SUNSHINE BAND