If you asked five different R&B experts what the first disco songs were, you might get five different answers. It has been argued that the disco beat was born in Philadelphia in 1972, when Jerry Butler recorded his fast, ultra-danceable version of the Kenny Gamble/Leon Huff classic One Night Affair (which had been previously recorded by the O'Jays in 1969). Even if Butler's hit wasn't the very first disco single, it was definitely among the first. It's inaccurate to give Philly all the credit for disco's birth -- Isaac Hayes and Barry White, neither of whom are Philadelphians, have been exalted as two of disco's early architects -- but the city deserves some of the credit. When Philly soul gave way to Philly disco-soul, one of the groups that got in on the action was the People's Choice. The group's 1975 smash Do It Any Way You Wanna is a definitive example of Philly dance music, as are several other disco-funk gems on Boogie Down U.S.A., including Party Is a Groovy Thing and the clever Nursery Rhymes. However, not everything on this 1975 LP (which was produced by Gamble Huff at Philly's legendary Sigma Sound Studios) is dance-oriented. The playful Are You Sure and the ballad Don't Send Me Away are pure Philly soul, and the instrumental Mickey D's contains jazz overtones. Without question, Boogie Down U.S.A. is the most essential LP that the People's Choice recorded in the '70s. ~ Alex Henderson, Rovi

1		Do It Any Way You Wanna
2		Are You Sure
3		Mickey D's
4		I'm Leaving You
5		The Sooner You Get Here
6		Boogie Down U.S.A.
7		Nursery Rhymes
8		Party Is a Groovy Thing
9		If You Want Me Back
10		Don't Send Me Away

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