Same here. An okay song, but not one I seek out or ever owned. I do recall it playing a lot on the radio. I, too, wish Marilyn McCoo had been successful in a solo career.
I suppose -- but I'm not even sure I'm right in what I said! I observe you pointed that out, not me. The only way you'd be able to say that is if you know what's coming. I'm not an expert in that, sorry.
I'd rate both those LPs high too, although Blood on the Rooftops would be behind a few other tracks. It's too bad a great '60s-style pop tune like You Tore Me Down by the Flamin' Groovies didn't hit the top of the chart!
Dunno. Wikipedia doesn't say, and a quick Google check for the song didn't turn up much. However it was released as a 45 in December of 1974 apparently with a Paul Revere and the Raiders cover, Him or Me (What's It Gonna Be) on the flip!
You Don't Have to Be a Star This is a little bland. It's not exactly "Aquarius" or "One Less Bell To Answer" quality. But, these two were pros, and weren't going to put out total garbage either. It sounds more like 1969 than 1977. Seems like this was the end of the road on the Top 40 for them.
LOVE me some Groovies! 'Shake Some Action' could be one of my favorite songs of the entire decade. How THAT didn't go top 10 in '76 is completely beyond me
It's funny because we've been talking about Maxine Nightingale as well, and her voice sounds a lot like Marilyn's to me. It won't be. We need to be less draconian about quashing discussions of songs that'll never get to #1 anyhow, provided they're discussed in context with the current charts. That's especially true with acts like Nightingale, who only had a couple of big hits to begin with - of course people are gonna talk about the other one when acts like that come up... "Lead Me On" was one of those songs that had a great, memorable chorus...and a verse I couldn't recall if you held a gun to my head. I think Nightingale gave it everything she had, and between that and her performance on "Get Right Back" I'm kinda surprised she didn't have more of a career. But then, McCoo didn't either, and she was a more established act.
Completely unrelated but whenever I meet a celebrity, I try to say something quasi memorable for the sake of telling the story. I ran into Gene Wilder of all people at a theater featuring Neil Simon's "Laughter on the 23rd Floor" circa 1993 and shook his hand saying "You make me feel like dancing!" to which he smiled and replied "Why thank you". It was a cool moment
Does it get more '70s than this? A Richard Simmons lookalike screeching disco in falsetto. That having been said, I really liked this song as a kid, and it still takes me back. I did not however care for his next hit, which was everywhere for far, far too long. Sayer was huge in the UK from '73, and hit here fairly early on in '74 with the #9 hit "Long Tall Glasses (I Can Dance)", which I never particularly cared for. He was hitless in the US for a couple before this #1, although he'd continued to chart in his native UK. My favorite Sayer hit by far is a few years off still, and was followed a big career decline in the US.
Indeed, and this child of the 80s loved to hate it for years as a result. Now, I think it's kind of fun in a guilty-pleasure sort of way. By the way, if anyone's wondering Where Is Sayer Now, he's on tour in Australia.
I liked Long Tall Glasses and continued to track him through his previous album Another year right up to the one this tune came from - Endless Flight. With Another Year, Sayer began adopting more of an Elton sensibility in style as well as structure and Endless Flight continued down this road. The difference this time was his new producer, the one and only Richard Perry. After delivering #1 hits with Nilsson, Carly Simon and Ringo Starr, it wasn't a big surprise when he sprinkled his magic dust all over this album, too. I like the sound of this recording that again features that fat, echo-y bottom Perry was known for. The one new addition to his repertoire was the light Disco beat to make it all of the moment. All in all, a lightweight but highly enjoyable bop.
Wow what a coincidence...I was just listening to the Endless Flight album tonight, which contains the full version of that song (I think the 45 is better). So, you guys might laugh but the album that song is from is quite good and was produced, quite surprisingly to me, by Richard Perry. And if you get the right pressing on vinyl it sounds amazing! In other hands that could have been a bad album, but Richard really made it a fun listen and most of the songs are good, and it was very well recorded. It would be a huge mistake to write it off with the assumption that it’s all pop fluff like Dancin, but had it not been for that track I would never have bought the album. I won’t mention it as it may had made the top as well (too lazy to look it up) but there is another huge smash hit on the same album that is nothing like Dancin’. There is a great cover of the Supremes song Reflections as well, and the title track should have been issued as a single as well as it’s a superb pop song. An album that only could have been made during that time and I still love it today. If you like Dancin’ seek it out. If you are into good sound, find the right pressing and be ready to be very surprised at the sound. Hold On To My Love opens the album as a throwback to the 60’s and is a great sounding track as well as a very good and fun song. If anyone wants the matrice info just ask because I doubt most pressings sound like this. Sorry for the overly long review of the album itself but it’s such a great example of what pop was during that time.
It was sad for me to see, as you accurately stated, his slow decent starting with his next album, also produced by Perry. All the fun from Endless Flight was gone with his next one, and even the album covers tried to convey “I am a serious artist now”. He would go on to have more hits, including a song the Bee Gees wrote for him that really should have done far better, though it did make the top 40 if memory serves, and was from his other really good album that the great Arif Mardin produced (which is likely how Sayer got that great Gibb track). I bought all his albums as they came out and they all had good tracks, but you could see the quality going slowly down hill until World Radio, which Arif produced, came out and ironically that was the end of the road...I guess the public had given up by then. Another good topic...artists who’s last album was their first or second best.
But, it wasn't.... But, why can't you guys just have a little patience? Why blow your load before you reach the summit? Try edging. Savor the experience.
Another huge hit! But, I got sick of this one from radio running it into the ground. I'll never understand why they re-edited it for the single because that single edit is terrible! They put the bridge in before the instrumental break, cut out the third bridge, and cut out the third verse. Why? The album version is still under four minutes, and is edited a lot better. It flows much better. I'd like to have a serious discussion with the guy who made that call. Guys, listen to the album version. It's better. And, lastly, Ray Parker Jr. claims he wrote the song but was cheated out the songwriting credit. It certainly sounds like a Ray Parker Jr. song. He even plays his signature guitar on the track. Listen to it.
You're so right! This is a great Pop album and the title track sounded like a #1 smash to my ears. And very Elton John.
I love the song and generally detest edits, but it does seem to go on a bit too long on the album. Maybe it just needed to be edited differently. It’s hard to really know after you are so used to a radio edit.
Several years ago he walked off Australia's celebrity Big Brother because he decided that doing your own laundry with a tub and washboard wasn't sanitary. 1977 was the time when "disco-lite", or "disco/pop" certainly became popular. In my mind, it became synonymous with that California west coast sound from the likes of Fleetwood Mac, Pablo Cruise, and Carly Simon. We'll get there. Don't nut! My favorite song from that album for a long time was "No Business Like Love Business". In fact, I heard that song being played in a record store and id caused me to take a chance on the album. And, I bought the album even before "You Make Me Feel Like Dancing" shot up the chart.
You Make Me Feel Like Dancin' is a fun song, and whoever described it as 'light disco' was right on the mark. I know I have the album, and IIRC got it as a cut-out. I was pleasantly surprised to hear that the title track was a cover of a favorite Andrew Gold song. I never really made the connection even though I knew the album was called "Endless Flight".
"You Make Me Feel Like Dancing" was one of the very few instances where a CBS Pitman pressing of a Warners' single actually used Pitman typesetting rather than Santa Maria's: The other single on Warners' to have that distinction would have been the recent Alice Cooper entry into the soft rock / MOR sweepstakes, "I Never Cry" (apologies if I brought up this label before): And with Mr. Sayer's number, it makes sense Ray Parker, Jr. would have played on this - look at who arranged and conducted the strings on the label.
