The Ritchie Family - Life Is Music (1977) - €4,99

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The Ritchie Family was an American vocal group based in Philadelphia that achieved several hits during the disco era.

Life Is Music is the third studio album recorded by American female vocal trio The Ritchie Family, released in 1977 on the Marlin label.
The album features the title track, which peaked at No. 8 on the Hot Dance/Disco chart along with songs "Lady Luck" and "Disco Blues". "Life Is Music" also peaked at No. 74 on the Hot Soul Singles chart.

Life Is Music was released before Saturday Night Fever, before the faux-Spanish stylings of Baccara and Santa Esmeralda, before any influence from Boney M., or Village People who were a brainchild of Jacques Morali like The Ritchie Family themselves partially. Before "I Feel Love", "I Will Survive" and "Ladies' Night", before the stripped down funkiness of Chic arrived on the stage. Though a couple of tracks might already sound like Village People if performed by a bunch of ugly macho men, they still don't, thanks to the ladies' natural femininity. 
The sound is far away from the synth-based mechanical one we nowadays tend to associate with disco; in fact, Life Is Music does not contain a synthesiser at all. Instead, it features '100 Strings', horns and percussion – The Ritchie Family came from Philadelphia, so it is no mistake that the album features a Philly soul sound.

So, once again the history books are wrong. Actually the books may be right, but down on the street no one gives a damn. My personal disco revival came and went a long time ago but Life Is Music sounds good and feels attractive. The point is that this IS disco music, whereas those that we primarily associate with disco are often something less. As a group, The Ritchie Family were quite similar to The Three Degrees or even The Supremes. 
Their music was based on the mid-'70s pop soul / disco soul styles on one hand but old time show music on the other hand, the latter thanks to the success of "Brazil" in 1975. (Further listening: I Remember Yesterday by Donna Summer, released later in '77!) So, Life Is Music is '70s show music, for a disco show – and melodic stuff as well: the title track, especially, is a very good song. 


Side one
1.  Life Is Music - 4:53
2.  Lady Luck - 3:57
3.  Long Distance Romance - 6:41

Side two
1.  Liberty - 5:35
2.  Super Lover - 5:45
3.  Disco Blues - 5:42


 Personnel
  • Cheryl Mason Jacks, Cassandra Ann Wooten, Gwendolyn Oliver – vocals
  • Richie Rome – electric piano, acoustic piano
  • Charles Collins – drums
  • Bobby Eli, Craig Snyder, Dennis Harris – guitars
  • Larry Washington, – congas
  • Don Renaldo – strings, horns
  • Jose Hermeto Michelena Do Santos – maracas
  • David "Tambourine" Campbell – tambourine
  • Michael "Sugar Bear" Foreman – bass
  • Buddy Turner, Johnny Belmon, Jerry Atkins, Victor Drayton – male vocals

Production
  • Jacques Morali, Richie Rome – producers, arrangers
  • Henri Belolo – general supervisor
  • Ken Present – engineer
  • Darrell Rogers, Jeff Stewart, Dirk Devlin, Carla Bandini – assistant engineers
  • Rodolphe Haussaire – photographer

Notes
Release: 1977
Format:  LP (Gatefold)
Genre:  Disco
Label:  Marlin Records
Catalog#  2203

Vinyl:  VG
Hoes:  Bovenkant kleine inkeeping 

Prijs: €4,99

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