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DANCE DIARIES 7:   MILLIE’S DISCO PARTY

My friend Millie was in LA over Martin Luther King weekend.  She doesn’t come here much, but nor does she have the New Yorker’s usual disdain for the place. In fact, she seems to rather enjoy it.  “What’s not to like?” she insists, “pretty people, pretty clothes, pretty buildings, and fabulous weather!”  And as far as I can tell, her only real complaint is that “there’s no decent drag in LA.” The few times she’s been in town I’ve taken her to places where she could see drag queens. “Please!” is her inevitable retort.  “LA just has girls playing drag queen dress up.  You have to go to New York for real drag.  LA is all about being seen. But drag’s about a lot more than that.  A real drag queen is always a drag queen. Even when she’s all alone.”

                                                            ***

It surprised me a bit when I became friends with Millie, because I’ve never known any other drag queens.  And in accordance with her view of the world, it is probably fitting that I met her in New York.  I remember it well.  It was December 31, 1999.  And against the advice of everyone, I had decided to spend it in the Big Apple.  It was probably around 4:00 in the afternoon when my Dancing Buddy and I, accompanied by two friends-of-friends, headed to Times Square to check out the crowds.  And there was Millie.  Dazzling in all her splendor.  She was silver from top to bottom, wearing a tight silver sequin dress, a big silver boa, silver wristbands, a necklace of silver disco balls, a platinum blond wig and an oversized silver sequin Mad Hatter hat.  

Times Square was packed, but amazingly, Millie had no competition.  Nobody was really dressed up, much less in drag.  But then there was Millie.  Decked out like the Statue of Liberty come to life and leading the chorus in a Ziegfeld Follies extravaganza.  We just stared in wonder as she worked the crowd.  Eighth Avenue – which I subsequently learned was Millie’s favorite – became her runway. With the ball drop still hours away, the tourists were primed for the pre-Show. And Millie put the situation to her best advantage.  Cameras clicked nonstop.  And we watched as Millie had her picture taken with an endless stream of Japanese businessmen, Midwest tourists, teenage girl gangs, and most remarkably, her biggest fans – New York City’s finest, who were stationed at each corner and couldn’t get enough pictures taken with Millie.

I must confess I was completely entranced.  And so I eagerly seized the moment when I saw Millie turn down a side street and duck into a nightspot.  My Dancing Buddy later explained that this particular bar was the key venue for Times Square’s gay hustlers.  But my eyes were so glued to Millie I didn’t even notice. Finally I got up the nerve to go over and say hello.  And just as I was approaching from the side, Millie spun around, cocked her head, gave me the most wonderful smile, and, stretching out her hand, said, “Hello, I’m Millie!  And who might you be?” Needless to say, I fell hard and fast.

Normally I’m a decent conversationalist, but I become speechless when infatuation takes command. “Oh please don’t tell me you’re shy!” Millie demanded with a pout.  “Now what can I possibly do to make that cat let go of your tongue?”  And Millie was so playful and gay that I started to loosen up.  It also helped that the proprietress of the establishment – who seemed to know Millie quite well – came over to play matchmaker and ply us with drinks.

Inevitably the conversation turned to plans for the up and coming fateful hour, and I was dumbfounded to discover that Millie was going to the same party as me and my Dancing Buddy. Here was this magical person with whom I was sure I shared absolutely nothing in common, and it turned out that she, like myself, was a huge Michael Fierman fan and was going to the party he and Susan Morabito were throwing at Octagon.  “Well, isn’t that just too perfect!” Millie exclaimed.  “No reason to waste any more time on chitchat, honey. I’ll see you on the dancefloor!” And Millie thereupon gathered up her things, called out a farewell to our hostess and, looking me straight in the eye, winked, and blew me the most perfect kiss. And then she was gone.

As always, I dragged my Dancing Buddy very early to the Octagon party, which was slow getting started and largely empty before midnight.  And it must have been around 10:00 that Millie – completely unchanged from her Times Square outfit – came waltzing in.  Quickly scanning the crowd, Millie spotted me and raced over with a big smile and a friendly peck on the cheek.  “So glad to see you!” she exclaimed.  And then she made a beeline for the center of the dancefloor.  I thought I saw her look up to the dj booth and give Fierman a nod. And then she just completely lost herself in the music.  For a good while she was the only one on the dancefloor. While the whole world was waiting to see what catastrophes would be wrought by Y2K, Millie reigned supreme in her own private universe…a big silver whirling dervish, just spinning and spinning to Disco.

                                                           ***

And so, from that point forward, Millie and I became fast friends.  Or to be more precise, Party Friends.  Because Millie was the consummate Party Girl.  We hooked up at San Francisco Gay Pride 2000 (where Millie led a Parade contingent she called “Disco Saves”), Miami White Party 2000 and I had last seen her last at the 2002 Saint-at-Large White Party, where she couldn’t stop exclaiming over Frankie Knuckles’ set.  “Now that’s House Music!” she kept proclaiming.  “With Buc gone, there’s so little hope for these kids to ever understand.  But Frankie’s the Master!  That’s when House was House.  And God it was good!”

On one occasion I thought my relationship with Millie might turn into something more than dance party mates.   Which really surprised me. Because my sexual taste runs more to muscles, tattoos and tool-belts.   But I found Millie absolutely magnetic.  And she completely defied gender.  If she was kind, sympathetic and generous, she was also tough, fearless and almost militaristic in her causes and opinions (which until that Martin Luther King Weekend, I had always thought exclusively devoted to music, movies and other entertainments).  That mix made her very sexy in her own special way.  And after one night of serious drinking, we found ourselves cuddled on a couch watching some old film noir with one of Millie’s favorites – Gloria Grahame, I think.  And things became kind of cozy. And then, just as we might have crossed over a key boundary, Millie suddenly pulled back, put one finger up to my lips and said ever so sweetly:  “Baby, you know I’m crazy about you.  And you are rather smitten with me.  But when all is said and done, I’m not your type.  Which would be okay, except that you’re mine.  So listen, darling, we’re just going to stay best friends.  And that, or course means if you ever walk out on me, I’ll have to hunt you down, and it won’t be pretty.  OK?”

And so that was that.

                                                                         ***

Millie came to LA over Martin Luther King weekend with what she described as “my posse,” a mysterious group that always hovered on the outskirts of our get-togethers, but which I never actually seemed to meet.  I wasn’t convinced that Millie ever actually saw them outside of dance clubs.  But they were constantly in contact with one another – always planning their next outing – through continual use of their cell phones, to which they conferred an almost religious devotion.  

Millie & Co. had come to LA this weekend chiefly “to escape our Siberian captivity,” as she put it (referring to record cold temperatures on the East Coast), but also because of a huge Circuit Party at the Mayan featuring Junior Vasquez and Peter Rauhofer in their first paired performance.  “Why would you all travel 3,000 miles to hear two DJ’s you can hear any Saturday night in New York?” I asked incredulously.  “Well because that’s precisely the whole point!” Millie insisted, clearly exasperated by the question, “That’s what makes it special!” And I knew from experience that once Millie had declared herself on a subject which to her was clearly self-evident and beyond discussion, it was always best to let the matter drop.

Millie called me from a local restaurant and said she had a busy shopping day planned, but could “squeeze in a little pit-stop” if I was free.  “Sure,” I said, “I’m not doing anything.  Just getting agitated reading the Sunday paper.” “Great!” she said, “I’ll be over in a bit.”

I should have known by now what to expect, but Millie always had a way of surprising me.  When I answered the door, there she was, essentially dressed for a day at the shore, complete with orange plastic sunglasses and a big floppy hat. As if to overcompensate for New York, Millie’s L.A. styles always went to the other extreme.  I drive a convertible, yet rarely lower the top anymore.  But when Millie’s in the passenger seat, that top is down, barring nothing but an absolute downpour.

“Well how the Hell are you Baby!” Millie gushed -- one of her standard opening lines.

“Well, let’s see.  I am tired of my job.  I think the Bush crowd is plotting a complete fascist takeover of America and nobody even seems to be noticing, much less resisting. The whole World is falling part, and we’re going to War.  And worst of all, there hasn’t been any decent dance music for at least two years. So I am just great.  How are you?”

“Oh dear!” Millie sighed. “Are we going to be tragic?  Here you are in absolute Heaven.  I mean, in New York, we celebrate if we get one day like this all year. And right now it’s just unbelievable.  Everyone in the City who wasn’t already on anti-depressants is now downing them by the bucketful just to get their minds off the frightful weather.  And here you are in this fabulous house, overlooking Paradise, and you’re moping around like some forlorn princess locked away in the tower by the wicked stepmother.  C’mon Baby! Perk up!  I’m sure I can get another comp to the Party tonight.  Do you want to come?”

“I don’t think so.  I really can’t take it anymore.  Not any of it.  All those boys and all those drugs.  And that insane music without any heart or soul.  It just really depresses me.”

“Oh boy.  Here we go,” Millie said, rolling her eyes.  “Do you have anything to drink?”

I knew that Millie would be coming from Brunch.  And that meant, in her lingo, it would be “Mimosa Time.”  And having prepared in advance, I whipped us up a pitcher. And then we went and sat down in the living room, or what Millie called my “Tiki Lounge,” because everything was done in what she labeled “Ultra-Kosher Tribal Orthodox” – wood, rattan and bamboo.

“So let me hear it one more time,” Millie inquired, once comfortably ensconced.  “Just what, pray tell, is so terribly wrong?”

“The Circuit is dead.  Pure and Simple.  Spread the word out over the land. Let it be known far and wide.  Sing it from the Mountaintops. The Music is Dead!  For the last two years I have tried to convince myself this can’t be happening. But it is, and it’s done. Euphoric House.  Hard House.  Progressive House.  Tribal House.  It’s all a lie.  A lie told by nasty drugs that have ruined our Music.  May the Circuit Rest in Peace.  And I don’t care how big the Parties are, or how many people keep flocking to them.  It’s a false god propagated by a new generation of promoters with no connection to the History of our Music or the Traditions of our Party.  And I just refuse to worship in that Church any longer. It’s as simple as that!”

“Oh my!” Millie intoned with magnificently pursed lips and arched eyebrows.  “Anything else on your mind?”

“Yes, this awful War. I don’t know if we should disarm Iraq.  Or if we should start policing the Middle East or the whole damn World.  Maybe we should.  All I know is that this whole Administration, the entire GOP, the military crowd, the oil crowd, the Christian Right and all the rest, are completely insane.  And this whole country has suddenly used 9/11 as an excuse to turn power over to the most disgusting fascist forces in America.  I just can’t believe it!  It’s totally1984!  Circuit boys are all on crystal and Middle America is all on mood drugs, everyone’s totally sedated, while the most vicious hateful elements in this society are taking over and hatching their plots to dominate the World.  Everything put out by the so-called “news media” is total propaganda.  I really can’t believe this is happening.  And for me it’s all connected.  I mean, you know the Saint-at-Large Black Party is my Holiest of Holies.  But I don’t see how, with all of these War Drums banging, I can put on a black leather harness and fly 3,000 miles to go dance to some pounding music while my government is bombing yet more countries back to the ‘Stone Age.’ Jesus!  WE are the Stone Age!  Bush is like that big baboon swinging his club at the beginning of Kubrick’s 2001!  What is going on in this country?”

“Are you done?”

“No, I am not!  Why don’t people wake up and see this danger. Right here!  Right now!  Right at home!  This Right Wing is totally out of control.  They are attacking everything –  feminism, environmentalism, civil rights, separation of church and state, fundamental privacy, basic freedoms. Hillary Clinton had it exactly right when she spoke out against the vast right-wing conspiracy.  Well, guess what?  Now they’re running the country!  I just don’t see any hope unless people wake up very quickly.  But even if they do, all the Bush Crowd will need is one more terrorist attack, hell, one every 6 months, just what the doctor ordered, and Americans will just cower, clutch their Bibles and follow George Bush and Karl Rove and all the rest into whatever Hellhole they take us!  It’s just totally horrifying.  I genuinely feel like everything I’ve ever believed in is totally threatened: Humanism. Liberalism.  Pluralism. And suddenly it’s just become so clear that a pack of very rich, powerful reactionary men in Washington and New York pretty much decide and control everything.  I can’t believe that nobody– except the crazy Left, who are completely ineffectual and capable of speaking only to each other – challenges this set-up! Or sees how dangerous it is for the World.  My God!  I can barely even stand to read the paper anymore!  And everyone, including you, is just out shopping or obsessed with some ridiculously fake “reality” program on TV!”

“Oh, I see,” Millie replied, with an edge in her voice.  “And now are you done?”

I hesitated, a little anxious about the growing sharpness in Millie’s tone.  But then I finally said, slowly and cautiously, “For the time being.”

“Well!” Millie began, taking a deep breath. “First off, for my most important response to your tantrum: Let’s just get one thing perfectly straight.  It’s not a crime to shop! And may I remind you that when you come to New York I’m not allowed to even talk to you during the day, much less have weekend brunch – which you know is my favorite meal – because you can’t be pulled – not even for a 30-minute coffee break – out of Heartbeat or whatever other record store you have buried yourself in. So I would think twice before launching that particular attack.  And by the way, just be glad all of us other girls are out looking for the perfect shoes and not that rare extended mix of some early 70’s Philly Soul rarity, because to be perfectly frank, I am not sure you could handle the competition, buster.  And as for your dire view of the current state of the World and the Dancefloor, let’s just assume you’re right.  And I don’t necessarily disagree.  But what are you going to do?  Just quit? Give up?  Lock your vinyl away in a hope chest and throw away your dancing shoes? Abandon politics altogether? Baby, it’s a Fight!  It’s always been a fight!  Sometimes you get lucky.  You get a breather.  We just had one during the Clinton Years.  But they’re over!  Gone! Poof!  And so it’s no time to get lazy.  And speaking of…I notice you’ve put on quite a bit of weight!  And Sugar, you can’t afford to.  Not at 45.  It won’t come off. I’d say you need a little Boot Camp to get in shape, Honey, because if your assessment of the current situation is correct, we’ve got a lot of work to do! And that means Mama’s gotta Hustle!”

I was floored.  I had never heard Millie – Queen of the one-liners – speak for such an extended period, and with such firepower.  And then she went on.

“And another thing, don’t ever think silly Disco queens or gym-buffed circuit boys don’t care about these issues as much as you do.  A lot of us don’t have professional jobs, or the time or the money or the skills or even the plain confidence to feel we can make a difference.  But we read the paper too, and we pay as much attention as we can without becoming overwhelmed by it.  And we do care!  One of my best friends back in the City is a short Puerto Rican drag queen named Tina. She comes from a family of 12 kids up in the Bronx.  She has something like 15 nephews.  Several of them are already in the military because it was their only ticket out – their only way to get an education and some decent skills, and two of them have already been shipped off to the Middle East.  And the others could be called up if this whole thing explodes.  And do you know, Tina can’t even sleep at night anymore.  Those boys are the apples of her eye.  She loves them like they were her own.  And she’s scared sick thinking they might be killed in this War she doesn’t understand.  She’s drinking way too much.  She’s a nervous wreck.  And I drag her to every dance party I can, because if I can get her mind off it and get her lost in the music, even if just for an hour, I feel like Mother Theresa.  You used to understand all of that!  What happened?  So House Music got a little off track.  Get over it!  You wanna just throw in the towel?”

“I just don’t feel it anymore,” I sulked.

“Sometimes we don’t!  But you have to just hang in there. Sometimes you have to just stand in place, shufflin your feet in a holding pattern, waiting for the Music to move forward again!”  

“Listen, Baby, let me tell you a little story,” Millie continued, taking a beat and shifting gears to a gentler tone.  “Let’s go back 30 years.  The very end of 1972. We had just had our little Children’s Crusade called the McGovern campaign. And we got slaughtered.  And Nixon was so hideous.  And we were so sure America would join us and we would get rid of him.  But it was a total wipeout.  You think these most recent elections were bad.  This was nothing, Baby.  And you are afraid of a terrible War.  Well, Honey, we had one, complete with secret invasions, napalm bombing, total Propaganda and Lies, all of it!  And the boys coming back were such wrecks!  Wounded.  Paranoid. Hooked on heroin.  A total mess.  And you’re afraid of an assault on civil liberties.  Well Nixon had his Enemies Lists, and it was a total Nightmare.  I remember sitting around after the 1972 election, thinking it was all over.  America was forever gone.  We were so devastated. All hope was lost.  Well then guess what? Watergate, and the Truth slowly came out.  And the whole equation changed.”

“And as for the Dancefloor, you want to talk about Drugs and Negativity taking over the Music – go back to rock and roll around 1970 – it was scary.  No wonder we all took refuge in Carole King and Cat Stevens and Elton.  But as we were sitting there crying in our beer – who would have guessed that Soul and R&B were all set to explode into Disco. It took everyone totally by storm.  All of a sudden there were these great underground clubs all over town.  And it was Heaven.  And nobody saw it coming!  You of all people, Mr. Ph.D. in American History, should know, that’s how it works!  The forces of Life just reassert themselves.  But you have to hang in there!  You never give up!  If you believe in the Music, if you believe in the Dance, if you believe in the Party, then you Believe!  Period.  All the time, Baby, 24/7!  Not just when it’s easy.  Mama don’t need no fair-weather friends on this Dancefloor.  If you’re in, you’re in!  But you stick with your homies and you wait out the hard times!”

“But I’ve been sticking it out for close to two years!” I protested.  “I go to the clubs.  I buy the compilation cd’s.  I just don’t hear any Music.  Lately, I just go to retro disco parties where the djs and most of the crowd is at least my age, with many older.  Which is fine.  They’re nice people.  They’re good people.  And I feel right at home.  But it also drives home that I’m older and my era is over. I really used to believe that the Tribal Elders had a key role to play – that we would show the younger guys the way. But now I am starting to question that for the first time.  I am starting to think that my values – my Gay values, my Jewish values, my Democratic values – are those of a passing generation, and, as time goes by, are shared less and less even with other Gays, Jews and Democrats.”  

“You know my friend, Greg, my Dancing Buddy, well, I still remember how in 1999 he told me that a lot of people he knew thought the New Millennium would usher in a whole new Sound, a great new redeeming Music that would sweep us all off our feet. And I kind of believed that.  In fact, I thought the music we all called Progressive was that Music.  During the late 90s that Music was so gorgeous, so rich and so Powerful – like this fantastic electronic orchestra –and it just seemed to be taking over the Dancefloor.  But somewhere around the middle of 2001 it all just went bust.  And then 2002 was a total nightmare.  First Buc died.  Then Body & Soul closed in New York.  Club Universe closed in San Francisco.  Jito Garcia shut down.  And the Circuit just turned the whole nationwide gay club scene into one hideous Blare.  And then there were the Saint-at-Large parties.  There’s nobody I like better than Robbie Leslie and Michael Fierman. And they both played wonderful classic sets.  But there was no real connection between the Old and the New.  Something just seems broken.  

And I kept holding out for 2002 and 2003.  I remembered how Disco really exploded in 1973, and how Madonna, Prince and Michael Jackson reinvented Disco as Pop in 1982 and 1983, and then how around 1992 and 1993 House and High Energy seemed to fuse into that Dancefloor Revolution of the 90s.   All so all last year I kept listening and waiting.  But nothing.  In fact I thought the greatest Circuit Party of 2002 was – and I can’t believe I’m going to say this – the Cher concert!  Staples Center packed with gay guys, joyful music and a Stage filled with Magic.  I went twice.  And the second time I took my Mom!  I mean that really tells me it’s time to call it quits.  You can say what you want, but I just think it’s over.  Or at least it’s over for me.  Time to pass the baton and move on. I just don’t want to spend any more time hoping, listening, waiting, but coming up with nothing!”

There was a pause, and then Millie asked, very evenly, “Does it ever occur to you, Mr. Oh-so-sure-of-Everything, that just maybe you’re looking in the wrong place?”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Well, what that means is…What makes you think the next breakthrough will occur at a big gay Circuit Party, which is, for the most part, just a very expensive rave for young gay boys on speed?  All those transitions you were talking about involved at least two key things – real artistry and urban Black Music – that, to be frank, have a very limited presence on the current Circuit. And the Circuit is way too big and makes way too much money to give rise to any sort of gay underground, which is where Disco started.  This may be heresy, but my crowd has lately been listening to a lot more straight Black music. There’s all sorts of fusion going on out there between R&B and Hip-Hop, and even alternative Rock and electronica.  Lots of experimentation.  None of it sets the dancefloor on fire. But it’s Music.  And it’s got rhythms.  And it’s got Groove.  And I suspect one of the key things you’re missing on most Gay dancefloors is Groove.  But you just might have to change your focus to find it.  And one more thing.  If you’re looking for a Music that is going to really speak to a vast army of people – an army that can take on that Mr. Bush and his Gang – you are going to need some very major Groove, Baby, the kind that brings together Black, Brown, White, Gay, straight, male, female, Everybody!”

Millie and I always talked about music, but I had never heard her talk about it in this way. And I wasn’t at all sure how to respond.  “Maybe you’re right,” I finally said.  “In fact now that I think about it, I’m sure you’re right.  But from my perspective it doesn’t really matter.  You see, I am just tired of looking.  And to tell you the truth, I can’t even imagine to now go start searching in straight clubs. Because for me, it’s not just about the Music.  The real truth of the matter is that throughout my life I’ve poured a lot of myself into being Gay.  100% dyed-in-the-wool Gay.  And I just really haven’t gotten all that much back from it.  I suppose that’s a terrible thing to say, and it makes me feel sad to say it, but it’s true.  But the Dancefloor was the one place in Gay life where I always got back as much as I put in.  And then some.  But that has just stopped.  And that is a big part of my sadness.  And loss.  Because I just don’t think it’s ever coming back.  And now I have to head into gay old age – never an easy thing under any circumstances – without that Magic.”

“Baby,” Millie replied, now in a far lower key, “I am the last person on Earth who is ever going to tell you to give up the Dancefloor.  I hope you never let go of that. But it may just be that, once again, you’re barking up the wrong tree…that whatever it is you’re really seeking from Gay Men…may not be best found in a dance club.”

And now I saw that Millie was looking a bit sad herself.  Alcohol typically made Millie especially exuberant.  And the Mimosas should have put her in her gayest “South Pacific” mode. But now, instead, it was one of the only times I saw her face almost completely drained of all that special animation and energy which always kept her so “on.”  She wasn’t trying to light the room.  Her irritation with my tirade had clearly passed.  Now she was just being my friend.  Choosing her words carefully.  And trying her very best to be there for me.  And looking at her, I was reminded that there was still so much about this strange creature that I barely knew.

“Let me tell you another story,” Millie now offered.  “It’s another history lesson. You should like that.  And this time it’s the very tail end of 1980.  Another right-wing election victory has just gone down.  Big time.  The straight world has declared Disco dead.  A washed-out Hollywood movie actor has united a new evangelical Christian Right and brought it into politics as the new GOP base.  And gay people have become its key symbolic target. These so-called Christians were so filled with anger and violence and prejudice.  But like the later Clinton years, the Carter years – the Glory Days of the Gay 70s – made us complacent and self-indulgent.  We had fallen asleep at the wheel.  And so now we were once again on the run.  And worst of all, me and my crowd – we still called ourselves the Stonewall Girls back then – could tell that our whole special world was about to fall apart.”

“AIDS” I ventured?

“Oh, no.  It was still too early for that.  People were getting sick.  And there were even a few early deaths.  But nobody was connecting the dots yet.  And there was so much VD and hepatitis.  We just assumed some folks were getting overloaded.  But what I’m talking about was the Music and the Party breaking apart.  You see, all during the 1970s we were very united.  Everybody – black, white, gay, straight, city cats, suburbanites – we were all dancing to pretty much the same music.  Oh, there was rock and country.  But Disco was the force to be reckoned with.  And no question about it – it provided the soundtrack for the new freedom of Gay and Black people.  Disco was hatched right out of Black music –Late Motown and Philly.  And the DJ’s were our Drum Majors.  But that was all coming apart by the end of the Decade.  The white boys – especially the A-List crowd with their high grade coke – kept wanting their beats faster and faster.  And they were veering off into a Euro-High Energy place that most Black folks wouldn’t go.  And so I remember most of my Black girlfriends sticking instead more and more to funk and the whole Sugarhill Thing.  And then New Wave and Punk stole the kids – even a big chunk of the gay kids.  And it was all just breaking down. And in the gay clubs we were getting the first hints of that whole dark S&M spirit that would take over in the early 80s.  By which point we really thought it was the End of the World, or at least of Our World.  Just like you are talking now.”

“And you know, there was a very specific moment when I first fully realized just what was coming. It was the Holidays of 1980. I was at 12 West and someone told me that Robbie Leslie – who was our favorite way back then too – was going to be leaving 12 West – which was Our Club, our Home, the Place where Disco had set us free.  I knew Robbie, who was playing that night, and went up to tell him how sorry I was, and he assured me that he was okay.  And that he expected to start playing regularly at the Saint, the new Disco Palace which had just opened for Manhattan’s Gay Aristocracy.  And Robbie told me that he was playing the Saint’s upcoming Christmas Party and offered to get me on the pass list.  And so I went.  And it blew me away.  As soon as I set eyes on the place, I could tell that my world was just going to be Gone With the Wind.  Looking up at the lights of that dome, I felt like I was standing in the middle of the railroad tracks, just staring into the headlights of an oncoming train headed straight for me.   Everything was going to change and there was no sense resisting.  And sure enough, in no time at all the Gay A-List, with all of its Money and Flash, pronounced its new palace as the Cathedral of the New Religion – one that sucked all of the power out of the rest of the City.  Only the Paradise Garage was able to stand its ground against that Tidal Wave.”

“And so that story is supposed to give me hope?” I asked.

“Well, Mr. Smartypants, you see, the point is, that we were wrong.  Oh, we were certainly right that change was comin’ and a chapter was closing.  But that didn’t mean the story was over.  The story goes on and on.  Something was just coming to an end so that something else could begin.  Do you understand?  I mean, you sit here feeling blue because last year’s Saint-at-Large parties didn’t quite blow you away?  And you want to say that’s the End of the World?  Baby, in 1980, when I thought my world was ending, there was a whole new world taking shape. You talk about Robbie Leslie and Michael Fierman.  Well, Baby, in 1980 Robbie was still in the early stage of his fame.  And Michael Fierman was just a young pup starting out.  And all that music you so love – the Pet Shop Boys, Morning Music, Frankie Knuckles, David Morales, Jimmie Gomez, Jam & Spoon, M People, Loveland, Lighthouse Family, Buc and all of that great 90’s House, all of it – was still yet to come!  Old things die so new things can be born.  And while I always mourned the loss of 12 West, the truth is that I had some of my best moments ever on the dancefloor at the Saint!  But of course I didn’t know any of that still lay ahead. All I could see was impending doom.”   

“And being the High Drama Queen that I was, and proudly remain, you know what I decided to do.  I decided to throw an End-of-the-World Disco Party that New Year’s Eve.  I figured that if my world was in fact coming apart, I was at least going to give it a proper send-off.  One last grand celebration.  And so a group of us booked this dank and tired little old hole-in-the-wall in Times Square called the Starlite Lounge. The liquor commission had already revoked its license and pretty much shut it down.  And the whole building was slated for demolition.  But that made it cheap.  And there was lots of plush red vinyl upholstery and crushed velvet curtains, and the cheesiest Disco Ball you’ve ever imagined over the dancefloor. So we figured:  Perfect!”

“And can you believe it, I was the DJ!  I didn’t know the first thing about dj’ing. But we all decided there needed to be a single captain of the ship, and my taste in music was considered the most ‘broadminded.’   And that was key with my crowd, because we had all the Puerto Rican drag queens, the Harlem Girls and all the rest.  And keeping everyone happy on the Dancefloor was no easy thing. But I actually hatched up a pretty good plan.  What I did was I told everyone to bring their 10 favorite records to the Party. And then I would choose Music by picking from the overall collection.  And it was really a stroke of genius.  Because at the beginning of the party, when I looked over all the records, I got a real clear picture of what the group liked and wanted.  But then, I just picked out the stuff I really wanted to play.  Because I have always believed that the DJ has to please the crowd, but, at the end of the day, has to be true to what lies within.  And that means a DJ has to be loyal to his or her own Song.”

 “I can’t believe you’ve never told me about this,” I said, completely surprised.  “I mean, did you have any idea how to mix, or even to count the beats?”

“Of course not!” exclaimed Millie.  “That’s what made it so Fun! And we never thought about Beats-per-Minute or any of that.  Honey, we were all about the Drama!  You could go from fast to slow, happy to sad, at the drop of a hat.  It was that whole Broadway Musical thing – very Moulin Rouge – the whole idea that Life is full of Magic and Wonder, and nothing proves it better than when people suddenly spring into song and dance!  A dance party for us was all about the Story that the Music told. The story in the words, but also in the Music itself.  The feelings of the Music!  The passions of Life!  And so we never worried too much about the mixing.  In fact, I remember that before the Party I told myself I would have only 3 rules.  One: I would only play records that I absolutely loved.  Two, I would play the whole record the whole way through, because if I really loved it as a work of art, why would I cut it up?  And Three:  I could slow a record down as much as I wanted, but never speed it up; because speed kills, Baby!  It kills the Love.  And Love was the Message of the Music and of our Party.  The Message was Love!  And you see, Baby, that’s what I think you’re missing out there on the Circuit.  Love. Just plain old Love.  Pure and Simple.  And I tried to make my Disco Party a sort of Testament to that Faith.  As I always tell you, Disco Saves!”

”What was it like being the DJ?”

“Oh, Baby, it was totally crazy!  The party started at 8 pm New Year’s Eve with our core crowd.  We had no idea who would come.  I mean our whole thing was totally last minute, and anyone remotely fabulous had been booked for weeks. But our attitude was, hey, it’s our party and we’ll cry if we want to. Meaning, we were going to have a ball even if nobody else showed up.  But to our surprise, quite a few did, even at the get-go.  And then there was a big second wave that joined us right after the Countdown.  And so I went into a fairly energetic Disco set.  But then the most amazing thing was that around the time the bars were closing – maybe 4 or so – we got this whole new contingent.  And so I had fun and did trippy things with way slowed-down Disco, some Instrumentals, some In The Ghetto, just whatever felt good.  But we had only planned on the Party going until dawn at the latest. And so around 7 or 8 I was desperately trying to slow it down and close up shop.  But I just couldn’t.  Every time I turned around, a whole new group of girls would be streaming in, having just come from some other party. And then I even started seeing some of our earliest arrivals – the hard-drinking cocktail crowd who had gone to bed hours earlier – coming back for a second round!  It was so wild!  And so I just finally decided to go for it.  And I brought the Energy back up and the party just kept on going.  On and on!  I remember playing Donna Summer at Noon, after which a big group who had come over from the Saint decided to put on a show. And it was a good thing because I was almost all out of records.  So I seized the moment to catch a cab and rush back to my apartment, where I just grabbed anything I could find.  Pretty much my whole collection. And then I raced back to the Club.”

“And then I just started playing everything, totally making it up as I went along. And that party just wouldn’t stop.  We were truly all in Heaven.  Everyone lost all track of time.  And I finally realized that nobody was going to leave unless, and until, I turned the Music off.  And that meant that it was up to me – that I had to bring it all to an end.  And it was the strangest feeling.  I felt so responsible.  All these people – all these dancers – in Love with the Music and depending on me to keep that Love going strong.  But I knew it had to stop.   And so I finally decided that I would play one last set.  And I would make it just as sweet and soft as I could.  It was like having to say goodbye to a wonderful Lover.  Where you want to let him down just as gently and tenderly as you possibly can.  And so that’s what I tried to do with the Dancefloor.  I tried to say it through the Music.”

“Wow.  Did you ever DJ again?”

“No,” Millie shook her head.

“Why?”

“I never thought it could be that good again,” Millie said softly, now looking away. “I figured I should just leave well enough alone.”

But then Millie suddenly turned playful, smiled coquettishly, and asked me, “And so, my handsome Prince, just where were you on December 31, 1980?”

The question caught me totally off guard.  It was the perfect historian’s question, so I should have been prepared.  But I wasn’t.  And I had to really think back.  And then it was suddenly like I became a projectionist in an old abandoned Nickelodeon from Hollywood’s Golden Age, replaying old classic reels in search of a lost scene.  And it was hard to find because the images were all so blurry, so scarred, so faded. But then it all, ever so slowly, started to come into focus.

“Oh, no” I said. “I’m not sure we want to go there. We’ve already covered a lot of territory.  I’m just not sure we want to go there.”

Millie cocked her head to one side, her curiosity clearly aroused, and beckoned, “C’mon, Honey. I really want to know.  Don’t hold back.  It’s Me, Millie!  Do you remember?”

“Well, I do remember. Or at least now I do.  Okay, you asked for it.  You got it.  Fasten your seatbelts cause here we go.”

“I arrived at Berkeley in the Fall of 1979.  That was when I came out and discovered the dance clubs in San Francisco.  At the end of my first year of law school I moved to the City.  The Mission.  And that first summer – it was 1980 – was so glorious.  I got a job working the candy counter for the Surf Theater Chain – the Surf, the Lumiere, the Clay, and of course the Castro. We played.  We danced. We partied.  We lived on chocolate, popcorn and ice cream.  It was all just way too perfect.  And the whole City was just so Happy.  There was just so much Joy!  San Francisco was Oz!”

“But I was always very shy with guys, so I didn’t play around too much.  And I never went in for the Baths or the sex clubs.  I was such a romantic.  But I did do a little one night stand here and there, although never with anyone I really liked. And then it must have been sometime in December of 1980 that I met Ed.  I was waiting for the light to change at the corner of Market and Castro, and Ed just sauntered up right next to me.  This big strapping native-born San Francisco Irishman, who worked down at the loading docks.  I always liked working class guys, and here was my Stanley Kowalski. And that night Ed became the first guy who ever fucked me.  And let’s just say it was intense.  And I remember the next morning we went around the corner at 16th and Mission and got burritos for breakfast.  I had never thought of burritos as a breakfast food before. But they were good.  And so, in the course of one night I lost my virginity and learned a new cuisine.  And it was all thanks to big hunky Ed.”

“And for the first time I was really smitten.  I mean, for the first time with a gay guy, someone I could actually sleep with.  And it was so exciting.  And then New Year’s Eve was just around the corner.  And Ed asked me if I wanted to spend it with him at my favorite dance club – Alfie’s on Market Street.  I said sure.  It seemed perfect.  Here I was having a real date with someone who might become that thing I always assumed I would never have – a boyfriend!  Well, we hooked up that night.  And thinking back, I am pretty sure we must have planned to meet at the club. Because what I remember is being surprised when Ed showed up with this very short, very skinny and very hyper young Kid.  Ed was very nonchalant about it. He introduced us, and then, as soon as he had the opportunity, whispered in my ear:  “He’s a lot of fun!”  And even as green as I was, as the evening wore on, I began to sense that the plan was for all three of us to go back to Ed’s place together after the midnight festivities.  I didn’t know how I felt about that.  And I wasn’t sure what to make of the Kid, who kept eyeing me suspiciously, as if he were trying to figure me out and size me up.  At one point, the Kid suggested we go into the bathroom, that he had something to show me.  When we got there, he asked me if I had ever taken MDA.  And I said no.  And he said, well here, try these, you’ll like it.”  And he gave me two hits, which I swallowed down with some tap water.

The Kid and I then rejoined the Party, which, for me, rapidly became a psychedelic trip.   I had never taken any hard drugs, and it was all very confusing.  But what I do vividly recall is the stroke of Midnight.  And what I remember is the Kid, hoisted up atop Ed’s shoulders, using a lit cigarette to pop all of the balloons hanging from the ceiling of the Club, causing these excruciatingly loud pops like firecrackers, each pop causing the Kid to squeal with excitement as he rocked back and forth atop big beautiful Ed.

And then somehow we got to back to Ed’s place, and all I remember from the rest of the night is me lying curled up on Ed’s bed while Ed and the Kid were fucking. I was so high from the drugs, and so cold in Ed’s unheated apartment, that I was shaking rather violently, in the fetal position, covered by only a thin blanket.  I remember at one point, during a respite from their athletics, Ed and the Kid looked at me.  ‘Wow, he’s sure tweaking,’ commented Ed.  ‘Oh, I’d say she’s tweaked!’ said the Kid, and I could hear the satisfaction and triumph in his voice.

”And that’s all I can remember from December 31, 1980.”

I had never known Millie to talk as much as she had talked that day.  She had amazed me.  But now I was struck by a far more remarkable occurrence:  For the first time ever, Millie, High Priestess of the snappy comeback, the metaphorical bag of tricks, the pithy line, stared at me in total silence.  She was at a total loss for words.  And that silence seemed to go on for an Eternity.

And then, in the sweetest and kindest tone in which anyone has ever spoken to me, Millie said: “Well, Baby, your body may have been curled up on that bed in San Francisco.  But trust me, your Spirit was right there in that dj booth with me at the Starlite Lounge in New York City.  I’m as sure of that as I have ever been sure of anything in my whole entire Life.”

And then, after a few more moments of silence, I got up very slowly, and walked over and sat down on the couch next to Millie.  And I remember her taking me in her arms and cradling me very gently.  For what seemed like an awful long time.

                                                                         ***

I think I must have dozed off, because the next thing I remember was Millie gently nudging me and whispering, “Baby, I got to go.”  And I recall Millie saying she was going to have to pass on the Beverly Center and was desperately in need of a “Disco Nap.”  “Honey, you done wore me out!” she said, shaking her head from side to side.

“But listen,” she continued, “You know that Disco Party I Dj’d and was telling you about?  Well, you know, I recorded that.  I figured it would be like a little time capsule, and I should keep it for the future.  I remember getting together with the girls and playing it for the 10th anniversary in 1990.  And then we even had a plan for the 20th.  But that whole Bush-Gore-Florida thing was so depressing.  And there are so few of us Survivors who are even still alive.   So we just decided to pass.   But I want you to hear the tapes.  You are so cute the way you are so caught up in that old classic 70s Disco music.  You might just really enjoy Millie’s Disco Party.  So I want you to have it.  That shall be my legacy to you.  Now that’s assuming I can find them.  Either they are going to be in the place I think they are, or it’s going to turn into a major hunt.  I’ll call you once I get back to New York.”

“I would love to hear them,” I said, giving Millie my warmest smile.

“And Baby, make a few extra sets and send them to your DJ friends, okay?  Tell ‘em Miss Millie said, in her best Gloria Swanson: ‘That’s when Parties were Parties, Dahling! We didn’t need Mixing!…We had MUSIC!’  And then be sure to tell ‘em that Millie threw her head back, thrust out her chin, and laughed loud, long and hard!”

“And now one last time,” Millie queried, “Are you sure you don’t want to come to the party tonight. They say it’s sold out, but I can make calls…”

“No thanks.  I am sure.”

“Well then, Tata, as they say.”

“Tata,” I grinned, and we kissed and said goodbye.

                                                                       ***

I haven’t spoken to Millie since that weekend in LA, but I have received numerous messages on my answering machine.

…

“Hi Darling!  You missed a fabulous party!  Trust me.  It would have wiped away that long puss you’ve been sporting.  The Mayan is a Dream!  I’m not sure the LA Boys really get Junior.  Pearls to Swine!  But so be it!  I haven’t found those tapes yet, but I’ll keep looking.”

 ***                                                                    

“Baby Doll, you said you couldn’t deal with the Black Party.  Well, what about the White Party? It’s in a new location which everyone says should be very festive.  And you can get in one last dance party before Bushy Boy starts carpet-bombing Arabia.  Think about it!”

***
 

“Hey Hon!  Listen, you know those dance party tapes?  Well, I found most of them, but a big chunk of the Final Act – my denouement – has utterly vanished.  I am sure they are in the possession of one of those sleazy bitches who masquerade as my so-called ‘friends.’  But worry not.  Miss Millie’s on the case, and I shall ferret them out faster than you can say Osama bin Laden.  News at 11!”

***

“Darling, you’ll never guess who I ran into last night.  You know how Warren Gluck plays Classic Disco at the Monster on Tuesdays?  Well, I went, and I saw your friend Brad, you know, your Dancing Buddy’s Ex.  Well, he said you are coming to White Party and you’re staying with him and will be in the City for 5 whole nights!  Why haven’t you told me!  I am so excited!  I can’t wait to see you!”

 ***

 “OK, Baby, here’s the scoop on that old New Year’s Party.  I found the tapes from the first two-thirds of the party and also the last tape – the one where I said my Goodbye. But I haven’t been able to locate the others just yet.  Which really pisses me off.  Because that was where it was just me and the Girls, just playing whatever felt right. But I will keep looking. Meanwhile, I am shipping out what I have.  Let me know what you think!”

 ***

“Hi Dollface!  Millie here!  Listen, great news for your trip.  I don’t know if you’ve heard, but they are having this huge Peace march here in New York on Saturday – the day before the White Party.  It should be massive and fabulous.  And you know my friend, Tina, she’s going.  And I’ve told her all about you, and she really wants to meet you!  And she wants to go with you to the Rally!  So call me as soon as you know your plans.  And oh yes, one more thing, it’s Cold, Baby.  I mean freezing!  So please bundle up.  Hugs and Kisses.  I love you!”

Los Angeles

February 12, 2003

MILLIE’S DISCO PARTY

[Dedicated to Robbie Leslie – whose Music provided the Complete Inspiration]

CD #1  

Teddy Pendergrass, Life Is A Song Worth Singing (CBS, 1978)
Herb Alpert, Rise (A&M, 1979)
Donna Summer, Love To Love You Baby (Casablanca, 1975)
Lou Rawls, You’ll Never Find (CBS, 1976)
Stevie Wonder, Golden Lady (Motown, 1973)
USA-European Connection, I’d Like To Get Closer (T.K., 1979)
Neil Cloud Orchestra, Time Of The Seasons (Steve Thompson)(T.K., 1979)
Amant, If There’s Love (Jim Burgess)(T.K., 1976)
Jimmy James, I’ll Go Where Your Music Takes Me (Pye, 1976)

CD #2

Chic, Good Times (Atlantic, 1979)
Prince, I Wanna Be Your Lover (Warner, 1979)
Barry White, I’m Gonna Love You Just A Little More Baby (20^th Century, 1973)
Marvin Gaye, Got To Give You Up (Motown, 1977)
Heatwave, Boogie Nights (GTO, 1976)
Kool & The Gang, Celebration (De-Lite, 1980)
Edwin Starr, Twenty-Five Miles (Motown, 1980)
Eddie Kendricks, Boogie Down (Motown, 1974)
KC & The Sunshine Band, I’m Your Boogie Man (T.K., 1976)
KC & The Sunshine Band, Keep It Comin’ Love (T.K., 1976)
Bee Gees, Nights On Broadway/Bee Gees Live (RSO, 1977)
Bee Gees, Jive Talkin/Bee Gees Live (RSO, 1977)
Village People, Go West (Casablanca, 1979)

CD #3

MFSB, Zack’s Fanfare (CBS, 1974)
Gary’s Gang, Showtime (CBS, 1978)
Gary’s Gang, Keep On Dancing (CBS, 1978)
Heatwave, The Groove Line (GTO, 1978)
The Spinners, The Rubberband Man (Atlantic, 1976)
Eddie Kendricks, Keep On Truckin’ (Motown, 1973)
The Jacksons, Blame It On The Boogie (John Luongo)(CBS,1978)
Bionic Boogie, Dance Little Dreamer (Polydor, 1977)
Bryan Adams, Let Me Take You Dancing (Inst.)(A&M, 1979)
Sylvester, Dance Disco Heat (Fantasy, 1978)
Liquid Gold, My Baby’s Baby (Parachute, 1979)
Electric Light Orchestra, Shine A Little Love (CBS, 1979)
Dan Hartman, Instant Replay (Blue Sky, 1978)

CD #4

Mancini Salutes Sousa, Drum Corps (RCA, 1972)
Sister Sledge, Love Don’t You Go Through No Changes On Me (Atlantic, 1975)
First Choice, Armed And Extremely Dangerous (Bell, 1973)
The Mike Theodore Orchestra, Ain’t Nothing To It (Westbound,1977)
Carol Douglas, Doctor’s Orders (RCA, 1975)
Anacostia, Anything For You (Tabu, 1978)
Leon Hayes, Don’t Let Go (Polydor, 1979)
Fontella Bass, Hold On I’m Comin’ (Gusto, 1979)
Three Degrees, Red Light (Ariola, 1980)
Deniece Williams, I’ve Got The Next Dance (Jim Burgess)(ARC, 1979)
Frankie Valli, Soul (MCA, 1980)
Donna Summer, MacArthur Park Suite (Casablanca, 1978)

CD#5

Detroit Emeralds, Let’s Get Together (Westbound, 1978)
The Mike Theodore Orchestra, The Bull (Westbound, 1977)
Santa Esmeralda, Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood (Casablanca,1977)
Gibson Brothers, Que Sera Mi Vida (Zagora, 1979)
Front Page, Love Insurance (Rick Gianatos)(RCA, 1979)
Edwin Starr, H.A.P.P.Y. Radio (Fox, 1979)
Linda Clifford, If My Friends Could See Me Now (Curtom,1978)
Ashford & Simpson, Found A Cure (Jimmy Simpson)(Warner,1979)
Stephanie Mills, Never Knew Love Like This Before (Fox,1980)

CD#6

Van McCoy, African Symphony (Avco, 1974)
Cerrone in Concert (CBS, 1979)
Madleen Kane, Forbidden Love (Jim Burgess) (Warner, 1979)
Abba, Voulez-Vous (Atlantic, 1979)
Donna Summer, Sunset People (Casablanca, 1979)
Prince, Dirty Mind (Warner, 1980)
Rosebud, Have a Cigar (Michael Graber)(Warner, 1977)
Macho, I’m a Man (Savarese)(Prelude, 1978)
Baby’O, In The Forest (Baby’O, 1980)
Gonzalez, Haven’t Stopped Dancing Yet (EMI, 1978)
Cher, Take Me Home (Bob Esty)(Casablanca, 1979)

CD #7

Quartz, Beyond The Clouds (T.K., 1978)
Meco, The Wizard of Oz (Millennium, 1978)
Chuck Mangione, Live at Hollywood Bowl/Land of Make Believe  (A&M, 1979)
Alicia Bridges, I Love The Nightlife (Jim Burgess)(Polydor,1978)
Anita Ward, Ring My Bell (Richie Rivera)(T.K., 1979)
Cerrone, Call Me Tonight  (Atlantic,1979)
Cut Glass, Without Your Love (20th, 1980)
Chic, I Want Your Love (Atlantic, 1978)
Loleatta Holloway, Dreamin’ (Gold Mind, 1976)
Sylvester, I Who Have Nothing (Fantasy, 1979)
Kim Carnes, More Love (EMI, 1980)

 CD #8

The S.O.S. Band, Take Your Time (Do It Right) (CBS, 1980)
Van McCoy, The Hustle (Avco, 1975)
The Chakachas, Jungle Fever (Polydor, 1972)
Richard Tee, First Love (CBS, 1979)
Gregg Diamond, Arista Vista (T.K., 1978)
Voyage, From East To West (T.K., 1978)
Tantra, Wishbone (Importe/12, 1980)
Gino Soccio, Rhythm Of The World (Warner, 1980)
Salsoul Orchestra, 212 North 12th.(Baldursson/Moulton) (Salsoul, 1979)

CD #9

Chicago, Street Player (CBS, 1979)
The Spinners, It’s A Shame (V.I.P., 1970)
The Intruders, I’ll Always Love My Mama (Gamble, 1973)
The Temptations, Papa Was A Rolling Stone (Motown, 1973)
Joe Simon, Drowning In The Sea Of Love (Spring, 1972)
The Temptations, Masterpiece (Motown, 1973)
Isaac Hayes, Theme From Shaft (Stax, 1971)
Stevie Wonder, Living For The City (Motown, 1973)
Eddie Kendricks, Date With The Rain (1972)
Evelyn Champagne King, Shame (RCA, 1977)


CD #10

Stevie Wonder, Love’s In Need Of Love Today (Motown, 1976)
The Spinners, One Of A Kind (Love Affair)(Atlantic, 1973)
Change, Searching (Warner, 1980)
Detroit Emeralds, Feel The Need (Tom Moulton)(Westbound,1977)
Andy Gibb, Shadow Dancing (RSO, 1978)
Candi Staton, Young Hearts Run Free (Warner, 1976)
The Brothers Johnson, Strawberry Letter 23 (A&M, 1977)
The Main Ingredient, Happiness Is Just Around The Bend (RCA,1974)
George McCrae, Kiss Me (The Way I Like It) (T.K., 1976)
Ecstasy, Passion & Pain, Touch & Go (Roulette, 1976)
Faith, Hope & Charity, You’re My Peace Of Mind (RCA,1976)
Joe Simon, I Need You, You Need Me (Polydor, 1975)
Diana Ross, Ain’t No Mountain High Enough (Motown, 1970)

CD #11

Bobby Womack, Daylight (UA, 1975)
George Benson, Give Me The Night (Warner, 1980)
Toto, Georgy Porgy (CBS, 1976)
Change, Lover’s Holiday (Warner, 1980)
Crown Heights Affair, You Gave Me Love (De-Lite, 1980)
Joe Simon, Going Through These Changes (Polydor, 1978)
Major Harris, Each Morning I Wake Up (Atlantic, 1974)
The Tymes, You Little Trustmaker (RCA, 1974)
Tata Vega, I Just Keep Thinking About You Baby (Motown,1979)
Free Life, Dance Fantasy (CBS, 1979)
Chic, Dance, Dance, Dance (Atlantic, 1977)
Carrie Lucas, Keep Smilin’ (Rick Gianatos) (RCA, 1977)
USA-European Connection, Love’s Coming/Baby Love (T.K.,1978)

CD #12

Trammps, Trammps Disco Theme (CBS, 1975)
Diana Ross, Love Hangover (Motown, 1976)
Barry White, Can’t Get Enough Of Your Love, Babe (20th,1974)
John Davis & The Monster Orchestra, Love Magic (CBS,1979)
Belinda West, Seabiscuit In The Fifth (Panorama, 1980)
Two Tons O’ Fun, I Got The Feeling (Fantasy, 1980)
Eddie Kendricks, Get The Cream Off The Top (Motown, 1975)
Bonnie Pointer, Free Me From My Freedom (Motown, 1978)
Patti LaBelle, Find The Love (CBS, 1980)
The 5th Dimension Live, Never My Love (Polydor)
Cher, The Way Of Love (MCA, 1972)
Marlena Shaw, Touch Me In The Morning (CBS, 1979)
Three Degrees, My Simple Heart (Ariola, 1979)
Donna Summer, Last Dance (Simon/Guttadaro)(Casablanca, 1978)

CD #13

The Jacksons, Can You Feel It (CBS, 1980)
Stevie Wonder, Master Blaster (Motown, 1980)
Phyllis Hyman, Kiss You All Over (Arista, 1978)
Bette Midler, Do You Want To Dance (Atlantic, 1972)
Staple Singers, Touch A Hand, Make A Friend (Stax, 1973)
Rose Royce, I Wanna Get Next To You (Warner, 1976)
Captain & Tennille, Do That To Me One More Time(Casablanca, 1979)
Maxine Nightingale, Lead Me On (UA, 1979)
Aretha Franklin, Until You Come Back To Me (Atlantic, 1974)
Melanie, Look What They’ve Done To My Song Ma (ABC, 1970)
Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Mr. Bo Jangles (Liberty, 1970)
Judy Cheeks, Darling, That’s Me (Ariola, 1978)
Sharon Ridley, Changin’ (CBS, 1978)
Roberta Flack, God Don’t Like Ugly (Atlantic, 1979)
Diana Ross, I Ain’t Been Licked (Motown, 1979)
Electric Light Orchestra, Can’t Get It Out Of My Head (UA,1974)

CD #14

Chakachas, Harlem Nocturne (Polydor, 1972)
Double Exposure, My Love Is Free (Tom Moulton)(Salsoul,1976)
Executive Suite, When The Fuel Runs Out (Babylon, 1974)
Eddie Holman, This Will Be A Night To Remember (Tom Moulton)(Salsoul, 1977)
Everyday People, I Like What I Like (Part 1)(Paramount,1973)
The Charlie Calello Orchestra, Sing, Sing, Sing (Midsong,1979)
Anthony White, Block Party (Salsoul, 1977)
Patti Jo, Make Me Believe In You (Tom Moulton)(Scepter,1975)
Roberta Kelly, Gettin’ The Spirit (Casablanca, 1978)
The Mike Theodore Orchestra, High On Mad Mountain(Westbound, 1979)
Bonnie Pointer, I Can’t Help Myself (Motown, 1980)

CD#15

Freda Payne, Prelude (Invictus, 1971)
McFadden & Whitehead, Ain’t No Stoppin’ Us Now (CBS,1979)
Ashford & Simpson, Bourgie Bourgie (Warner, 1977)
Phyllis Hyman, Loving You/Losing You (Buddah, 1977)
People’s Choice, Mickey D’s (CBS, 1975)
Stevie Wonder, Heaven Is 10 Zillion Light Years Away(Motown, 1974)
Marvin Gaye Live, Inner City Blues (Motown, 1974)
Lamont Dozier, Take Off Your Make Up (ABC, 1973)
Kebekeletrik, Magic Fly (Disques Direction, 1977)
The Staple Singers, Respect Yourself (Stax, 1971)
Timmy Thomas, Why Can’t We Live Together (Glades, 1972)
Nardello & The Philadelphia Luv Ensemble, Bolero (John Luongo) (CBS, 1979)
Dee Dee Bridgewater, My Prayer (Atlantic, 1976)
Gladys Knight & The Pips, Make Me The Woman You Go Home To
(Motown, 1971)
The 5 Stairsteps, O-o-h Child (Buddah, 1970)

 CD #16

Little River Band, Reminiscing (EMI, 1978)
The Brothers Johnson, I’ll Be Good To You (A&M, 1976)
Mason Williams, Classical Gas (Warner, 1968)
Tavares, It Only Takes A Minute (Capitol, 1975)
Gloria Gaynor, You’re All I Need To Get By (Polydor, 1978)
Midnight Cowboy (UA, 1969)
Viola Wills, Somebody’s Eyes (Ariola, 1980)
Ashford & Simpson, Get Out Your Handkerchief (Warner,1980)
The Isley Brothers, For The Love Of You (Parts 1&2)(CBS, 1973)
Touch Of Class, I’m In Heaven (RCA, 1976)
Al Green, Sha-La-La (Make Me Happy) (Hi, 1974)
Stevie Wonder, Happier Than The Morning Sun (Motown, 1972)
Celi Bee, For The Love Of My Man (T.K., 1979)
Teknique, Looking For Someone To Love (IGM, 1979)
Viola Wills, If You Could Read My Mind (Ariola, 1980)

CD #17

Buffalo Springfield, For What It’s Worth (Atlantic, 1967)
Love De-Luxe, Here Comes That Sound Again (Jim Burgess)(Warner, 1978)
West Side Story (“The Rumble”) (CBS, 1963)
Black Sun, Black Sun (Buddah, 1978)
Patrick Juvet, I Love America (Casablanca, 1978)
The Atlanta Disco Band, Bad Luck (Ariola, 1975)
Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes, Bad Luck (CBS, 1975)
Van McCoy, The Shuffle (H&L, 1976)
Dr. Buzzard’s Original Savannah Band, Sour & Sweet/Lemon in the Honey
 (RCA, 1976) Jr. Walker, Sax Appeal (Motown, 1976)
The Mighty Clouds Of Joy, Mighty High (ABC, 1975)
Sly & The Family Stone, Stand! (Epic, 1969)

CD #18

Brass Construction, Love (UA, 1975)
Barbara Pennington, 24 Hours A Day (UA, 1977)
Freda Payne, Bring The Boys Home (Invictus, 1971)
Donovan, Hurdy Gurdy Man (CBS, 1968)
The Undisputed Truth, Like A Rolling Stone (Motown, 1971)
MFSB, Family Affair (CBS, 1973)
Sly & The Family Stone, Family Affair (Epic, 1971)
Gladys Knight & The Pips, I’ve Got To Use My Imagination (Buddah, 1973)
Martha Reeves & The Vandellas, Easily Persuaded (Motown,1970)
Ike & Tina Turner, River Deep-Mountain High (A&M,1966)
Barbara Acklin, Am I The Same Girl? (Brunswick, 1979)
Johnny Guitar Watson, Miss Frisco (Dick James Music, 1978)
Peaches & Herb, Shake Your Groove Thing (Full Length)(Polydor, 1978)
Impact, Happy Man (Atlantic, 1976)
Jimmy Ruffin, Hold On To My Love (Robbie Leslie) (1980)

CD #19

Cabaret (ABC, 1972)
Peggy Lee, Is That All There Is? (Capitol, 1969)
Stan Getz/Joao Gilberto, The Girl From Ipanema (MGM, 1964)
Roberta Flack, You Are Everything (Atlantic, 1978)
The Stylistics, Betcha By Golly Wow (Avco, 1972)
Marilyn McCoo & Billy Davis, Jr., You Don’t Have To Be A Star (ABC, 1976)
Love Unlimited, It May Be Winter Outside (20th,1973)
The 5th Dimension, Loves Lines, Angles and Rhymes (Bell, 1971)
Jean Carn, Was That All It Was (Philadelphia Intl. Records,1979)
Jackie Moore, How’s Your Love Life Baby (John Luongo/Michael Barbiero)
(CBS, 1979)Joan Armatrading, Love and Affection (A&M, 1976)
Gladys Knight, You Bring Out The Best In Me (John Luongo) (CBS, 1979)
Thelma Houston, Don’t Leave Me This Way (Motown, 1976)
Chaka Khan, I’m Every Woman (Warner, 1978)
Mama & The Papas, Dream A Little Dream Of Me (ABC, 1973)

CD #20

War, Smile Happy (Far Out, 1975)
David Essex, Rock On (CBS, 1973)
Norman Greenbaum, Spirit In The Sky (Warner/Reprise, 1969)
The Mighty Clouds of Joy, Mighty Cloud of Joy (ABC, 1974)
The Joneses, Sugar Pie Guy (Phonogram, 1974)
Brothers Guiding Light, Getting Together (Mercury, 1973)
Chairmen Of The Board, Give Me Just A Little More Time (Invictus, 1970)
Junior Walker, What Becomes Of The Brokenhearted (Motown,1978)
The Four Tops, One Chain Don’t Make No Prison (ABC, 1974)
Black Ivory, Surrender (Today Records, 1972)
The Equals, Black Skin Blue Eyed Boys (President, 1970)
Carl Davis & The Chi-Sound Orchestra, Windy City Theme (Glimmer, 1976)
Trammps, Penguin At The Big Apple/Zing Went The Strings Of My Heart (Buddah, 1975) South Shore Commission, Free Man (Scepter, 1975)
Choice Four, Ready, Willing and Able (RCA, 1974)
Chairmen Of The Board, You’ve Got Me Dangling On A String (Invictus, 1970)
South Shore Commission, We’re On The Right Track (Scepter,1975)
First Choice, Guilty (Instrumental)(Bell, 1974)
The Grassroots, Wait A Million Years (Dunhill, 1969)
War, Why Can’t We Be Friends? (Far Out, 1975)

CD #21

Dexter Wansel, Solutions (CBS, 1978)
In Cold Blood (Quincy Jones) (Colgems, 1968)
The Stylistics, People Make The World Go Round (Avco, 1972)
War, War Live/Ballero (Far Out, 1973)
Memphis Horns, Keep On Doin’ It (RCA, 1976)
Bobbi Humphrey, Home-Made Jam (CBS, 1978)
New York City, I’m Doin’ Fine Now (Chelsea, 1973)
Tropea, The Jingle (Marlin, 1975)
Les McCann & Eddie Harris, Compared To What (Atlantic,1969)
The 5th Dimension, Aquarius/Let The Sunshine In (Arista, 1969)
The Bombers, Shake (West End, 1979)
Stevie Wonder, As (Motown, 1976)
Stevie Wonder, Another Star (Motown, 1976)
Carl Carlton, Everlasting Love (ABC, 1974)

END OF PARTY

Earth, Wind & Fire, That’s The Way Of The World (CBS,1975)
Commodores, Sail On (Motown, 1979)
Three Degrees, When Will I See You Again (CBS, 1973)
Diana Ross & The Supremes, Someday We’ll Be Together (Motown, 1979)
Jackson 5, I’ll Be There (Motown, 1970)
Elton John, Levon (MCA, 1972)
Fleetwood Mac, Songbird (Warner, 1977)
Hall & Oates, Laughing Boy (Atlantic, 1973)
Herb Alpert, Rotation (A&M, 1979)
The Wizard Of Oz (MGM, 1939)
Spinners, I’ll Be Around (Atlantic, 1973)
Gladys Knight & The Pips, Neither One Of Us (Motown,1973)
Abba, The Way Old Friends Do (Polar, 1980)
Sly & The Family Stone, Everybody Is A Star (Epic, 1968)
Stylistics, You Make Me Feel Brand New (Avco, 1973)
Gladys Knight & The Pips, Best Thing That Ever Happened To Me
(Buddah, 1973)
Ashford & Simpson, Happy Endings (Warner, 1980)
Randy Crawford, One Day I’ll Fly Away (Warner, 1980)
Cat Stevens, If You Want To Sing Out, Sing Out (1970)

CD #28

Henry Mancini & His Concert Orchestra, African Symphony (RCA, 1975)
Vince Montana, First Movement/A Dance Fantasy (Tom Moulton)(Atlantic, 1978)
Wildflower, Harlem Nocturne (Inst.)(T.K., 1976)
Eddie Kendricks, Let’s Go Back to Day One (Motown, 1971)
Willy Bridges, You Rescued Me (Buddah, 1977)
Moment of Truth, Helplessly (Salsoul, 1977)
Instant Funk, Crying (Salsoul, 1979)
The Originals, Down to Love Town (12” Disco Remix)(1976)
Jackson Five, Reflections (Motown,1973)
Wild Cherry, This Old Heart of Mine (CBS, 1978)
Love Unlimited Orchestra, The Power of Love (20th, 1974)
The Trammps, Love Epidemic (CBS,1975)
Mighty Clouds of Joy, In These Changing Times (John Luongo)(CBS, 1979)
Edwin Starr, Stay With Me (Granite,1975)
Three Degrees, Long Lost Lover (CBS, 1975)
Barry Manilow, Tryin’ To Get the Feeling Again (Arista, 1975)


CD #29

Creative Source, Migration (Sussex,1974)
Pointer Sisters, Yes We Can Can (Blue Thumb, 1973)
Dynamic Superiors, Deception (Motown, 1975)
Bobby Womack, I Can Understand That (UA, 1972)
Undisputed Truth, You + Me + Love (12” Disco Mix)(Warner, 1976)
Idris Muhammad, Boogie To The Top (Kudu, 1978)
Maryann Farra & Satin Soul, Just A Little Timing (Tom Moulton)(Brunswick, 1976)
Moment of Truth, You Got Me Hummin’ (12” Disco Mix/Rafael Charres)
(Salsoul, 1977)
Instant Funk, I Got My Mind Made Up (Larry Levan)(Salsoul, 1978)
Jackie Moore, This Time Baby (CBS,1979)

CD #30

Mandrill, Interlude (Polydor, 1973)
Salsoul Orchestra, Magic Bird of Fire (Vince Montana)(Salsoul, 1977)
Salsoul Orchestra, Get Happy (Salsoul, 1975)
Love Unlimited Orchestra, Spanish Lei (20th, 1974)
Creative Source, Corazon (Sussex, 1974)
B.T. Express, Still Good (Roadshow,1975)
Chairmen of the Board, Pay to the Piper (Invictus, 1970)
Trammps, Oh Waa Hey (CBS, 1977)
Idris Muhammad, New Orleans (Fantasy, 1980)
Talking Heads, I Zimbra (Sire,1979)
Black Soul, Mangous Ye (Tom Moulton)(Beam Junction, 1976)
Norman Connors, So Much Love (Buddah, 1976)
The Sylvers, Boogie Fever (Capitol,1976)
Crown Heights Affair, Dancin’ (De-Lite, 1977)
Sylvester, Can’t Stop Dancing (Fantasy, 1979)
Kat Mandu, The Break (S.Thompson/M. Arato)(T.K., 1979)
Donna Summer, I Love You (Casablanca, 1977)

CD #31

The Mayor & The People:  Carl B. Stokes (Flying Dutchman)
Mel & Tim, Starting All Over Again (Stax, 1972)
The Bar-Kays, Harmony (Stax, 1974)
Brass Construction, The Message (UA, 1976)
Lamont Dozier, Going Back To My Roots (Warner, 1977)
Trammps, Where Do We Go From Here (Tom Moulton)(CBS, 1974)
Al Wilson, La La Peace Song (Colon United, 1974)
Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes, Prayin’ (Source, 1980)
Ben E. King, Tower Of Strength (Atlantic, 1976)
The 5th Dimension, Feelin’ Alright? (Bell, 1971)
Billy Paul, Takin’ It To The Streets (CBS, 1977)
Trammps, Soul Searchin’ Time (Tom Moulton)(Atlantic, 1976)  
Jackson 5, Doctor My Eyes (Motown,1972)
Bill Withers, Lovely Day (CBS,1977)

CD #32

Mandrill, Love Song (Polydor, 1973)
Friends of Distinction, Time Waits For No One (RCA, 1970)
Harold Melvin & The Bluenotes, Wake Up Everybody (CBS,1975)
B.T. Express, Express (Scepter, 1974)
Ashford & Simpson, By Way Of Love’s Express (Warner,1977)
Love Unlimited Orchestra, Midnight Groove (20th,1975)
Love Unlimited, Yes, We Finally Made It (20th,1973)
The Supremes, Together We Can Make Such Sweet Music (Motown,1970)
The Supremes, Stoned Love (Motown, 1970)
Al Green, Hold On Forever (Hi, 1976)
Trammps, Just Say The Word (Tom Moulton)(CBS, 1977)
Stevie Wonder, Sunny (Motown, 1968)
Billy Paul, Don’t Give Up On Us (CBS, 1977)
Paul Simon/Live Rhymin’, America (CBS, 1974)
Elton John, Border Song (MCA, 1973)
Lamont Dozier, Sight For Sore Eyes (Warner, 1977)

CD #33

Cat Stevens, Where Do The Children Play (A&M, 1970)
Dusty Springfield, The Look Of Love (Philips, 1967)
Carol Douglas, I Got You On My Mind (Midsong, 1977)
Barbra Streisand, Woman In Love (CBS, 1980)
Billie Holiday, The Man I Love/Jazz At The Philharmonic (1946)
Aretha Franklin, Somewhere (Atlantic, 1973)
Commodores, Jesus Is Love (Motown, 1980)
Jr. Walker & The Allstars, Holly Holy (Motown, 1970)
Zulema, A Whiter Shade Of Pale (RCA, 1975)
King Curtis/Live At Fillmore West, A Whiter Shade Of Pale (Atlantic, 1973)
Freda Payne In Stockholm (USA Records)
Nina Simone, Feelin’ Good (Philips, 1965)
Grace Jones, La Vie En Rose (Island, 1977)
Jimmy Castor, Didn’t I Blow Your Mind This Time (Atlantic,1974)
Two Tons ‘O Fun, Just Us (Fantasy, 1980)
King Curtis, Let It Be (Atlantic, 1970)
Carole King, Gotta Get Through Another Day (Ode, 1972)
Cat Stevens, Tea For The Tillerman (A&M, 1970)

CD #34

Idris Muhammad, One With A Star (Kudu, 1978)
Dan Hartman, Vertigo/Relight My Fire (CBS, 1978)
Passengers, Hot Leather (Uniwave, 1980)
Chilly, For Your Love (Polydor, 1978)
Tantra, The Hills of Katmandu (Importe/12, 1980)
Gregg Diamond Bionic Boogie, Seaview (Polydor, 1979)
Dan Hartman, Countdown/This Is It (CBS, 1978)