****** - Verified Buyer
4.5
By 1985, The Village People were nothing but a musical punchline. I was in High School and if you dared admit any affection for the likes of Abba, the Bee Gees or anything related to Disco, you were mocked for being the epitome of uncool. So, it’s understandable why this album tanked at the time. But over 30 years later, it’s easy to see that had this material been recorded by an artist like Billy Ocean, it would have been big. Many of the songs have the same sound powerful dance-pop vibe as Ocean’s hit single LOVEROY. The three songs that comprise the middle of this record reflect this assessment best: JUST GIVE ME WHAT I WANT, I WON’T TAKE NO FOR AN ANSWER and POWER OF THE NIGHT and all three are my favorites, despite JUST GIVE ME being a little repetitive.Having the word “sex” in a song title was still considered very risqué in 1985, so the title track SEX OVER THE PHONE, SEXUAL EDUCATION and SENSUAL all try a little too hard to be provocative but they aren’t bad at all. SENSUAL is the most New Wave-esque sounding (shades of Thomas Dolby). NEW YORK CITY is the one song that’s closest to their classic ‘70s anthems but updated with ‘80s synth and drum machine arrangement.I bought this as Italian import and the cover art makes it look like an unofficial bootleg, but the disc is pressed and sounds great. Give this is a chance and as I alluded to before, Billy Ocean fans will enjoy this kind of sound from the Village People. It boasts better songwriting and production than their 1982 album IN THE STREET and the mid-80s production is not overdone. FOUR STARS.
