There was a moment in the late 1970s when the Star Wars phenomenon threatened to cannibalize all of culture, and commercial, pop disco was next on the menu. “Can You Feel The Force?” was one track composed in the groundswell of George Lucas’ first installment in the Star Wars galaxy. On the verge of collapsing, Liverpool-based band The Real Thing went disco as a Hail Mary and managed such a hit that their entire album (originally called Step Into Our World) was re-released and renamed one year later after its now titular hit.
The remix was a textbook study in studio wizardry by John Luongo. In terms of making something from (charitably) not a whole lot, Luongo was second only to the singular Tom Moulton who was dazzling in his ability to take paper-thin recordings and make them sound like a full orchestra.
And that’s why it’s a fitting title track for Can You Feel The Force? The John Luongo Disco Mixes out at the end of October from Groove Line Record. The two CD set – appropriately – features quite a lot of names that were once ubiquitous on the charts, pop singers like Johnny Mathis and Marilyn McCoo who experienced their summer in the era just before the bubble popped. The twenty-one tracks focus on the last gasp of disco from 1978 to 1982; artists like The Jacksons (“Shake Your Body (Down To The Ground),” “Walk Right Now” and “Blame It On The Boogie”) are heavily represented here, along with Luongo’s nearly 10 minute rendition of Dan Hartman & Loleatta Holloway’s “Relight My Fire” which is probably the track he’s best known for thought it very well might have been the only track on here that didn’t cross over onto the pop charts, despite its acclaim. These are pure, unadulterated DJ mixes, nearly all tracking at 7 minutes+. Of all of the mixers who have had their day, this showcase to the work of John Luongo is a tribute long overdue.
Can You Feel The Force? The John Luongo Remixes
Disc 1
1. Dan Hartman Featuring Loleatta Holloway – Vertigo/Relight My Fire 9:42
2. The Jacksons – Shake Your Body (Down To The Ground) 8:38
3. Patti LaBelle – Music Is My Way Of Life 8:1O
4. Jackie Moore – This Time Baby 7:13
5. Johnny Mathis – Gone, Gone, Gone 6:37
6. Marilyn McCoo & Billy Davis, Jr. – Shine On Silver Moon 7:24
7. Real Thing – Can You Feel The Force? 7:O4
8. Melba Moore – Pick Me Up, I’ll Dance 6:59
9. Mighty Clouds of Joy – In These Changing Times 9:2O
1O. Marlena Shaw – Touch Me In The Morning 7:19
Disc 2
1. Sly Stone – Dance To The Music 6:38
2. The Jacksons – Blame It On The Boogie 7:O1
3. Melba Moore – You Stepped Into My Life 7:47
4. Stanley Clarke – Just A Feeling 8:O3
5. Southern Exposure – On Our Way 9:38
6. Sarah Dash – (Come And Take This) Candy From Your Baby 5:54
7. Santana – One Chain (Don’t Make No Prison) 7:13
8. The Quick – Zulu 7:43
9. Cerrone – Back Track 7:51
1O. Gladys Knight & The Pips – I Will Fight 4:11
11. The Jacksons – Walk Right Now 7:36
