Slow Disco For A Car Ride

Théo Gosselin

Probably the best music ever for a car ride comes from jazz-pop band Steely Dan, who were named after a sex toy in William S. Burroughs' novel Naked Lunch. Last Sunday co-founder and guitarist Walter Becker sadly died. I selected ‘Peg’ from their 1977 masterpiece ‘Aja’. The album, one of Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, sold over 5 million copies and peaked at Number Three on the Billboard 200.

Earth, Wind & Fire founder Maurice White started his musical career as a session drummer for legendary Chicago-based labels OKeh and Chess Records. He can be heard on records by Etta James, Fontella Bass, Billy Stewart and Ramsey Lewis. With the help of legendary producer Charles Stepney he created EWF and made it one of the supergroups of the 1970s. They combined high-calibre musicianship, a wide-ranging musical genre eclecticism, and multicultural spiritualism that included Biblical references. Best known hits are 'Shining star', 'Boogie wonderland', 'After the love has gone', September' and, last but not least, 'Fantasy'. Maurice White passed away last year.

Around the same time as Maurice White, British singer Black died in a car crash. He made such beautiful songs in the 1980s and 1990s, like 'Wonderful Life', 'Everything’s Coming Up Roses' and 'Sweetest Smile'. The latter is on this cloudcast. No one could sing better about dark and depressing days than "the artist formally known as Black", as he called himself when he started to perform under his own name, Colin Vearncombe.

Enjoy the Slow Disco car ride! Next time I will upload a new part of the Smooth Sailing series.

Tracklist:

Leroy Hutson – Nice And Easy (1982)
David Gates – Silky (1980)
Gerry Rafferty – Right Down The Line (1978)
Black – Sweetest Smile (1987)
MFSB – Metamorphosis (1980)
Bee Gees – How Deep Is Your Love (1977)
Chic – I Want Your Love (1978)
Steely Dan — Peg (1977)
June Evans – Hardly Need To Say (1981)
Johnny Bristol – I Sho Like Groovin’ With Ya (1976)
Isley Brothers ‎– That Lady (1973)
Earth, Wind & Fire ‎– Fantasy (1978)
Dunn Pearson Jr. – Groove On Down (1978)
AnTgry – Twelve (2017)
George Benson – 20/20 (1985)
Marshall Hain – Free Ride (1978)
Christopher Cross – Ride Like The Wind [Joey Negro Extended Disco Mix] (1979/2016)
Freedom Fry – Junkie [Penguin Prison Remix] (2017)