Disco Slam - “Fever”

Back in the 70’s, it was very popular for people to rag on Disco as a harbinger for the death of music. After The Beatles record burning events when John Lennon allegedly claimed they were more popular than Jesus, I think Disco inspired a similar load of outrage. There were record burnings and ubiquitous stickers and buttons claiming Disco Sucks.

Usually when people hate on some form of music or art, my instinct is to find what is great about it and embrace it. I had an epiphany that connected the dots for me.

Before my first rock records, I grew up loving music from the “Great American Songbook” by Rogers & Hammerstein, Cole Porter, Johnny Mercer, George Gershwin, Jerome Kern, Harold Arlen and Lerner & Loewe among others. I also loved great piano and choral music. I dawned on me that Disco was the only popular music form where you could place big melodies on this particular dance rhythm chassis and it would “lift,” so to speak.

Beginning in the middle-70’s, I wrote a number of songs that were disco or dance. The more I wrote I grew excited about the possibilities of integrating rock and jazz into the form.

Many years later, I thought it would be fun to go into the studio and produce them with a killer band of players at Blackbird Studios. I named the project Disco Slam to underscore the sonic wallop of the music. Instead of leaning on the hi-hat on the upbeat that predominated classic 70’s Disco, I gave the tracks a harder four-on-the-floor punch.

Each of the songs are released in EP form with the full mix of the song, an instrumental version with the background vocals and just an instrumental version. Lyric videos will be accompanying each of the songs.

The first Disco Slam release is “Fever.” I wrote this at a time when I had been playing a lot of depressing club situations and there were so many there dark and sad stories playing out around me. For lack of a better description, if Disco had a blues song, it would be “Fever.” In it, the protagonist is utterly lost and alone in the club crowd and nothing seemed authentic anymore.

It struck me that Sarina-Joi Crowe (who was featured in two seasons of American Idol and who lives in Columbia, TN where I live) would be perfect to sing these songs. Sarina has a lovely range that can go from soft and vulnerable to fiery and hard, but unlike many singers, she doesn’t over-sing. She has a knack for owning the song and communicating.

The players on the Disco Slam tracks have serious pedigree with credits including work with Cameo, Hall & Oates, The Bar-Kays and even music for Cirque du Soleil.

Fever

By John Richard Clark 

Crack In The Sky Music (SESAC) Pub Admin: Peer Music

Casting off again to a Saturday night (Saturday night)

I’m playing hard as I can

But I don’t feel right

These flashing lights shine down 

on the same old scene

But my shadow’s revealed 

In a different light tonight

I’ve got a fever

Burnin’ up In me

Lonely fever

It’s got a hold on me

Fever 

Fever

Fever

Fever

The things that were pleasures

Have turned out to fill me with pain

Still I’ll go right back and I’ll do them again

I’m calling out to a face who’ll understand

But the same old faces give the same old lines each time (time)

I’ve got a fever

Burnin’ up In me

Lonely fever

It’s got a hold on me

Fever 

Fever

Fever

Fever

Pat Buchanan - Guitars

Glen Caruba - Percussion

Rick Clark - Producer

Sarina-Joi Crowe - Vocals, Background Vocals

Steve Ebe - Drums

Carl Marsh - Keys

Wendy Moten - Background Vocals

Alison Prestwood - Bass

Recorded at Blackbird Academy, Blackbird Studios, Berry Hill, TN

Engineered by Mark Rubel and Blackbird Academy class

Mixed by Dwayne Larring

Mastered by Alex McCullough at True East Mastering