Disco-Fied

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Rhythm Heritage was never a band in the true sense of the word. Best known for its disco-funk versions of themes from movies and television cop shows, Rhythm Heritage was a group of Los Angeles studio musicians that producers Michael Omartian and Steve Barri threw together. None of its three albums were distinctive -- they weren't meant to be. But if you take them for what they are, those albums aren't without their pleasures. Although uneven, Rhythm Heritage's first album, Disco-Fied, is arguably its best. This 1976 LP contains its biggest hit, the infectious "Theme From S.W.A.T.," as well as its slick remake of "Baretta's Theme (Keep Your Eye on the Sparrow)," which became the album's second single. Rhythm Heritage's version of the Baretta theme isn't the best one -- Sammy Davis, Jr. and Merry Clayton provided superior versions -- but it's still enjoyable. Also noteworthy are Rhythm Heritage's arrangements of Dave Grusin's "Three Days of the Condor" and Duke Ellington's "Caravan," which is devoid of jazz elements in Omartian and Barri's hands. To jazz snobs, recording a glossy disco version of an Ellington standard was musical heresy. But then, Omartian and Barri never claimed that their arrangement of "Caravan" was authentic jazz. Meanwhile, the LP's weaker tracks include "(It's Time To) Boogie Down" and the robotic title song, both of which find Rhythm Heritage sounding like a poor man's Kool & the Gang. But despite its flaws and limitations, Disco-Fied is Rhythm Heritage's most fun and memorable album.

© Alex Henderson /TiVo