KC and the Same Song Band, 3 Out of 5 StarsSome of the finest radio moments of the 70's are to be found on this best of CD. Howie Casey and Richard Finch created a sunny dance sound that was unique to them, and parlayed that into several number one hits, dance floor smashes and a successful production career as KC and The Sunshine Band. Sparkling guitar and horn charts that blasted like shotguns (to the point of calling one song "Shotgun Shuffle") made their hits stand out among the more pedestrian radio insta-hit fare.
Problem is, they only had one idea. Take away the brilliant hits and the remaining tracks begin sliding into an utter, repetitive blandness. As the disco craze wound down, an attempt at keeping up, "Let's Go Rock and Roll," was almost laughably bad. Kind of like BTO, KC and The Sunshine band kept milking the same general turf until the only thing left was the oldies circuit and state fairs. Ah, but put on "Get Down Tonight" or "That's The Way I Like It" and you'll have no capability to avoid shaking your booty. With it's sped up guitar lick giving the song its spacey opening, "Get Down Tonight" became a number one single and a 70's classic.
Astonishingly enough, this CD contains five number one singles, starting with "Get Down Tonight" and including "That's The Way," "Shake Your Booty," Rob Zombie fave "I'm Your Boogie Man" and the ballad "Please Don't Go." Oddly enough, there's a pair of missing hits in the duet "Yes I'm Ready" and an interesting discofied version of The Four Tops' "Same Old Song." Given the weakness of some of the "bonus" tracks, a substitution would have worked to this CD's favor. If your closet still smells of 12-inch vinyl and polyester, that won't matter to you..."The Best Of KC and The Sunshine" band will make you want to put on those Boogie Shoes.
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