An album behind the familiar name
“Get Down Tonight”, “That’s the Way (I Like It)” and “Boogie Shoes” are familiar enough to suggest the contents of a hits collection. Here they appear together on their original album: KC and the Sunshine Band’s self-titled second studio release from 1975. Its nine tracks form a specific programme, opened and closed by the two parts of “Let It Go”.
Harry Wayne Casey and Richard Finch are at the centre of the project. They produced the record and share writing credits throughout, with Willie Clarke joining them on “I’m So Crazy (’Bout You)”. Casey sings and plays keyboards; Finch contributes bass and additional rhythm instruments. That connection between writing, production and direct participation in the rhythm section offers a useful starting point for exploring the album.
More than a steady beat
Jerome Smith plays guitar and Robert Johnson drums. Ken Faulk and Vinnie Tanno contribute trumpets, alongside Mike Lewis on tenor saxophone and Whit Sidener on baritone. Percussion and backing vocals from Beverly Champion, Margaret Reynolds and Jeanette Williams add further resources. Behind the compact identity of a dance song is an ensemble capable of several different kinds of emphasis.
Try separating those roles while listening. What does the guitar contribute between vocal lines? Where does a horn accent enter, and which voice answers? Immediate recognition of a song does not mean that every detail of its construction has become familiar. Well-known material can reward another listen focused on the parts supporting its central idea.
Two parts around a complete programme
“Let It Go” frames the album in two separate sections. Between them, the familiar songs sit alongside “Ain’t Nothin’ Wrong”, “What Makes You Happy” and “I Get Lifted”. The sequence gives a sense of an album with its own beginning and ending, even when individual tracks have developed substantial lives outside it.
“Boogie Shoes” is a useful example. It was already on this 1975 record before its inclusion on the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack brought it to a wider audience. In its original surroundings, it becomes one part of the band’s work from that period. The album offers a chance to return recognisable music to the context in which it first appeared.
This edition
Analogue Productions’ AAPR 014-45 belongs to the Acoustic Sounds 40 Series. The nine original tracks are spread across two 180-gram LPs at 45 RPM, pressed at QRP and packaged in a Stoughton tip-on gatefold. The publisher names the original analogue master tape as the source but does not identify a mastering engineer or document the complete transfer chain for this title. Later reissue bonus tracks are not included, and a fully analogue production chain is not explicitly confirmed.
Also on SACD: KC & The Sunshine Band
Customer question: Buying Analogue Productions records in Europe
Series: Acoustic Sounds 40th Anniversary – all 25 albums, recommendations and musicians
Musicians
Documented selection of participating musicians. Personnel may vary by track; this list does not claim to be complete.
| Name | Instrument / role |
|---|---|
| Harry Wayne Casey | Keyboards, Vocals |
| Jerome Smith | Guitar |
| Richard Finch | Electric bass, Percussion |
| Robert Johnson | Drums |
| Oliver C. Brown | Percussion |
| Fermin Goytisolo | Percussion |
| Ken Faulk | Trumpet |
| Vinnie Tanno | Trumpet |
| Mike Lewis | Tenor saxophone |
| Whit Sidener | Baritone saxophone |
| Beverly Champion | Backing vocals |
| Margaret Reynolds | Backing vocals |
| Jeanette Williams | Backing vocals |
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