1000 Day Album Challenge (#73) Jumpin' 2: Classics From The Original Disco Underground (1998) [13.03.24]
it ain't a fault it's a fact / I was born this way
now I won't judge you / don't you judge me
we're all the way nature meant us to be…
the late nineties was when I really began digging into disco. like anyone who grew up in the seventies and eighties I was well aware of the hits that made in on the radio. many of the songs are familiar to people far younger than myself. I was unfamiliar with how broad and deep the disco palette was. Jumpin’ 2 was my introduction to most, if not all the songs, on this compilation.
despite there being a dud or two, I absolutely love this record. I adore about half the songs on Jumpin’ 2 and have added them to many a playlist. two of the songs included are in the running for my favorite disco song ever.
let’s start with the lead track You Can’t Hide From Yourself by Teddy Pendergrass, former lead singer of Harold Melvin & The Bluenotes. prior to hearing this I had been a big fan of DJ Sneak’s house classic, You Can’t Hide From Your Bud. it was clearly built around a sample, but had no idea what until I heard the Teddy Pendergrass song.
at first, I preferred DJ Sneak’s rework, but after repeatedly listening to TP’s original it wasn’t too long before I fell even more in love with it. often times a producer rescues a great element or two from a mediocre or even shitty song. when they construct a new great song from element(s) of an excellent original I feel like I tend to end up preferring the original. no matter how much I like the new tune I’m always grateful when it turned me on to a song I hadn’t known before.
the other song that is an all-time disco fave for me is Over and Over by Sylvester. I was already well aware of his biggest hits, Dance (Disco Heat), You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real), and Do You Wanna Funk (credited to Patrick Cowley featuring Sylvester). Ashford & Simpson wrote and recorded the far weaker original version of Over and Over. according to the wonderful database Who Sampled (https://www.whosampled.com/Sylvester/Over-and-Over/sampled/) Over and Over has been sampled dozens of times, but I am unfamiliar with any of the songs that have sampled it.
I should also touch on Carl Bean’s gay anthem, I Was Born This Way, which was somehow released on Motown in 1977. it was never a huge hit, but was big in the clubs and was remixed to perfection in 1986 by Bruce Forest and Shep Pettibone. Lady Gaga cited it as an inspiration for her worldwide Number One, Born This Way. in 1990, Pal Joey built Dance around a sample from I was Born This Way for his Earth People project.
trust me, if you dig House Music and you don’t know your disco you’re missing out on some phenomenal music.
#1000DayAlbumChallenge #Jumpin2 #DiscoUnderground #TeddyPendergrass #YouCantHideFromYourself #DJSneak #YouCantHideFromYourBud #Sylvester #OverAndOver #CarlBean #IWasBornThisWay #LadyGaga #PalJoey #EarthPeople #Dance
