Disco Giants, Vol. 8

Similar to the preceding seven volumes of the PTG label's Disco Giants series, volume eight is a two-disc package of '80s club-oriented R&B and dance-pop, with major hits, second-tier selections, and a handful of relative obscurities provided in extended 12"-single form (with few exceptions). Among the more popular selections here are Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam's "Head to Toe," Johnny Kemp's "Just Got Paid," Rick James' "Give It to Me Baby," Aretha Franklin's Luther Vandross-produced "Jump to It," and Alisha's "Baby Talk." There are a couple stellar must-own ballads from 1986 in Surface's "Happy" and 52nd Street's "Tell Me (How It Feels)" -- the latter a production from the unsung Nick Martinelli (Fat Larry's Band, Five Star, Loose Ends), provided in its previously hard to find seven-minute mix. Yvonne Gage wins best title with "Doin' It in a Haunted House," a track that owes a whole lot to Michael Jackson's "Thriller." ~ Andy Kellman