The Whole World's Dancing

Album review

For a group that was on the ground floor of the disco boom, the Trammps were also one of the first to be shown the door. As "Disco Inferno" attained mythic status, each one of their subsequent releases received the cold shoulder. The Whole World's Dancing is yet another one of their ignored efforts. In retrospect, the group didn't do too much to help themselves. As The Trammps III was a relative commercial flop, this finds the group often coming off a desperate and a little over-produced. "Love Insurance Policy" squanders a promising arrangement with an inane premise. Lyrics like "Take a piece of my rock," followed by the even worse, "You're in good hands," made the group descend into self-parody. "Teaser" is not much better with Jimmy Ellis screaming to the high heavens and sounding so put upon that a call to 911 would be the only thing to quiet him down. The Trammps do get back to sanity. The title track is a last gasp of that classic Philly sound. With its driving rhythm and lyrics like "The music's on it's off we go/Music's changed my world into a giant disco," it sure sums up the era. "Soul Bones" is confident, Southern-styled funk that features a harmonica solo from Stevie Wonder. The track was recorded at Total Experience in Los Angeles and was proof that the group could indeed function away from Philadelphia. "More Good Times to Remember" is a little barren lyrically speaking but is reminiscent of the Spinners' early sessions with Thom Bell. This effort didn't earn the group many more fans, but it's the group's last effort for the disco era and has a few essential cuts.

© Jason Elias /TiVo