R&B 40: 1978

R&B 40: 1978

By Andy Kellman

Feb. 21, 2017

Wire to wire, the Parliament-Funkadelic machine was operating at peak efficiency in 1978. There was "Flash Light" in January, "One Nation Under a Groove" in August, and "Aqua Boogie" in December. A fundamental factor was the presence of multi-instrumentalist Junie Morrison. Formerly of Ohio Players, as heard throughout the '71-'73 run of "Pain," "Pleasure," "Ecstasy," and "Funky Worm," Morrison had been added to the fold -- as musical director and studio collaborator -- by fan and P-Funk leader George Clinton. That's Morrison bellowing "So low you can't get under it" and wailing "So high you can't get over it" while sharing keyboard duties with the late Bernie Worrell on "One Nation Under a Groove." Recently featured on Dām-Funk's Invite the Light, paid tribute by Solange and André 3000 on A Seat at the Table, and sampled by Madlib and Kanye West on The Life of Pablo, Morrison, who died earlier this month, remains underappreciated despite the mothership-size shadow he cast.

Among the flock of musicians who followed the path cut by P-Funk was Rick James, who went supernova after he signed Motown's Gordy subsidiary (and took some style cues from Bar-Kays, whose revamped "Holy Ghost" delivered supreme synth-funk and wild go-go in one tight package). Another major '78 newcomer was teenager Evelyn "Champagne" King. Supported by Instant Funk, she arrived with "Shame," which crossed into the Hot 100 Top Ten, yet her less-pop follow-up "I Don't Know If It's Right" is superior, containing one of the funkiest and most tantalizing breakdowns of the era. Meanwhile, behind the scenes, the likes of James Mtume and Reggie Lucas ("The Closer I Get to You") and the Mizell brothers ("Boogie Oogie Oogie") gracefully slid into quiet storm and disco playlists with some of their biggest hits as dynamic jazz-turned-R&B production and songwriting duos.

Here are 40 personal-favorite singles that reached Billboard's Hot Soul Singles chart during the year of Saturday Night Fever, along with a Spotify playlist and month-by-month top tens.

1. Funkadelic - "One Nation Under a Groove" [Warner, 8/19]
2. Chic - "Le Freak" [Atlantic, 10/21]
3. Parliament - "Flash Light" [Casablanca, 1/28]
4. Bar-Kays - "Holy Ghost" [Stax, 12/9]
5. L.T.D. - "Holding On (When Love Is Gone)" [A&M, 7/15]
6. Heatwave - "The Groove Line" [Epic, 4/8]
7. Chuck Brown & the Soul Searchers - "Bustin' Loose" [Source, 12/16]
8. Chic - "Everybody Dance" [Atlantic, 4/1]
9. Rick James - "You and I" [Gordy, 5/20]
10. Earth, Wind & Fire - "September" [ARC, 11/18]

11. Linda Clifford - "Runaway Love" [Curtom, 5/6]
12. A Taste of Honey - "Boogie Oogie Oogie" [Capitol, 5/13]
13. Ashford & Simpson - "It Seems to Hang On" [Warner, 8/26]
14. Evelyn "Champagne" King - "I Don't Know If It's Right" [RCA, 10/21]
15. Chaka Khan - "I'm Every Woman" [Warner, 10/7]
16. Sylvester - "You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real)" [Fantasy, 12/23]
17. Rose Royce - "Love Don't Live Here Anymore" [Whitfield, 10/28]
18. Natalie Cole - "Annie Mae" [Capitol, 5/6]
19. Cheryl Lynn - "Got to Be Real" [Columbia, 9/9]
20. Earth, Wind & Fire - "Fantasy" [Columbia, 2/25]

21. Evelyn "Champagne" King - "Shame" [RCA, 4/29]
22. Enchantment - "It's You That I Need" [Roadshow, 1/7]
23. Rose Royce - "Wishing on a Star" [Whitfield, 2/25]
24. Roberta Flack & Donny Hathaway - "The Closer I Get to You" [Atlantic, 2/11]
25. Bobby Caldwell - "What You Won't Do for Love" [Clouds, 10/14]
26. Faze-O - "Riding High" [She, 3/4]
27. Parliament - "Aqua Boogie (A Psychoalphadiscobetabioaquadoloop)" [Casablanca, 12/9]
28. Bee Gees - "Night Fever" [RSO, 3/4]
29. Rufus f/ Chaka Khan - "Stay" [ABC, 3/25]
30. Teddy Pendergrass - "Close the Door" [Philadelphia Int'l, 5/27]

31. Switch - "There'll Never Be" [Gordy, 7/29]
32. Sylvester - "Dance (Disco Heat)" [Fantasy, 7/22]
33. Donny Hathaway - "You Were Meant for Me" [Atco, 8/12]
34. Gladys Knight & the Pips - "It's a Better Than Good Time" [Buddah, 8/12]
35. Bootsy's Rubber Band - "Bootzilla" [Warner, 2/4]
36. The Isley Brothers - "Take Me to the Next Phase" [T-Neck, 4/1]
37. Peabo Bryson - "Reaching for the Sky" [Capitol, 1/7]
38. Quincy Jones - "Stuff Like That" [A&M, 5/20]
39. Melba Moore - "You Stepped into My Life" [Epic, 10/21]
40. Jean Carn - "Don't Let It Go to Your Head" [Philadelphia Int'l, 8/26]



January
Parliament - "Flash Light"
Enchantment - "It's You That I Need"
Peabo Bryson - "Reaching for the Sky"
Barry White - "Playing Your Game, Baby"
The Manhattans - "Am I Losing You"
Melba Moore - "Standing Right Here"
Ashford & Simpson - "Don't Cost You Nothing"
Eddie Kendricks - "Intimate Friends"
Willie Hutch - "What You Gonna Do After the Party"
The Sylvers - "New Horizon"

February
Earth, Wind & Fire - "Fantasy"
Rose Royce - "Wishing on a Star"
Roberta Flack & Donny Hathaway - "The Closer I Get to You"
Bootsy's Rubber Band - "Bootzilla"
Bobby Womack - "Trust Your Heart"
Peter Brown w/ Betty Wright - "Dance with Me"
Millie Jackson - "All the Way Lover"
Tyrone Davis - "Get on Up (Disco)"
L.T.D. - "Never Get Enough of Your Love"
The Dramatics - "Ocean of Thoughts and Dreams"

March
Faze-O - "Riding High"
Bee Gees - "Night Fever"
Rufus f/ Chaka Khan - "Stay"
Brainstorm - "We're on Our Way Home"
Cameo - "It's Serious"
George Benson - "On Broadway"
Johnny Mathis & Deniece Williams - "Too Much, Too Little, Too Late"
Leroy Hutson - "Where Did Love Go"
Ripple - "The Beat Goes On and On"
David Oliver - "Ms."
The Emotions - "Baby I'm Through"

April
Heatwave - "The Groove Line"
Chic - "Everybody Dance"
Evelyn "Champagne" King - "Shame"
The Isley Brothers - "Take Me to the Next Phase"
The O'Jays - "She Use ta Be My Girl"
Bar-Kays - "Attitudes"
Johnny Bristol - "waiting on Love"
Harvey Mason - "Till You Take My Love"
The Whispers - "(Let's Go) All the Way"
Parlet - "Pleasure Principle"

May
Rick James - "You and I"
Linda Clifford - "Runaway Love"
A Taste of Honey - "Boogie Oogie Oogie"
Natalie Cole - "Annie Mae"
Teddy Pendergrass - "Close the Door"
Quincy Jones - "Stuff Like That"
Donna Summer - "Last Dance"
Peabo Bryson - "Feel the Fire"
Maze - "Golden Time of Day"
Raydio - "Is This a Love Thing"

June
Enchantment - "If You're Ready (Here It Comes)"
Keith Barrow - "You Know You Want to Be Loved"
Candi Staton - "Victim"
Parliament - "Funkentelechy"
Prince Phillip Mitchell - "One on One"
Faith, Hope & Charity - "Don't Pity Me"
The Dramatics - "Stop Your Weeping"
Roberta Flack - "If I Ever See You Again"
Lonnie Liston Smith - "Journey into Love"
Dee Dee Bridgewater - "Just Family"

July
L.T.D. - "Holding On (When Love Is Gone)"
Switch - "There'll Never Be"
Sylvester - "Dance (Disco Heat)"
The Emotions - "Smile"
Norma Jean Wright - "Saturday"
The Isley Brothers - "Groove with You"
Lenny Williams - "You Got Me Running"
Prince - "Soft and Wet"
Michael Henderson - "Take Me I'm Yours"
Stargard - "What You Waitin' For"

August
Funkadelic - "One Nation Under a Groove"
Ashford & Simpson - "It Seems to Hang On"
Donny Hathaway - "You Were Meant for Me"
Gladys Knight & the Pips - "It's a Better Than Good Time"
Jean Carn - "Don't Let It Go to Your Head"
Bohannon - "Let's Start the Dance"
Herbie Hancock - "I Thought It Was You"
Linda Clifford - "If My Friends Could See Me Now"
Karen Young - "Hot Shot"
Atlantic Starr - "Stand Up"

September
Cheryl Lynn - "Got to Be Real"
The Jacksons - "Blame It on the Boogie"
Heatwave - "Mind Blowing Decisions"
The Brides of Funkenstein - "Disco to Go"
Barry White - "Your Sweetness Is My Weakness"
Al Hudson & the Soul Partners - "Spread Love"
The Whispers - "(Olivia) Lost and Turned Out"
Rick James - "Mary Jane"
Betty Wright - "Tonight Is the Night"
Mother's Finest - "Don't Wanna Come Back"

October
Chic - "Le Freak"
Evelyn "Champagne" King - "I Don't Know If It's Right"
Chaka Khan - "I'm Every Woman"
Rose Royce - "Love Don't Live Here Anymore"
Bobby Caldwell - "What You Won't Do for Love"
Melba Moore - "You Stepped into My Life"
Shalamar - "Take That to the Bank"
Teddy Pendergrass - "Only You"
Gil Scott-Heron & Brian Jackson - "Angel Dust"
Michael Henderson - "In the Night-Time"

November
Earth, Wind & Fire - "September"
Mother's Finest - "Love Changes"
Lakeside - "It's All the Way Live"
Hot Chocolate - "Every 1's a Winner"
Dan Hartman - "Instant Replay"
L.T.D. - "We Both Deserve Each Other's Love"
Slave - "Just Freak"
Tavares - "Never Had a Love Like This Before"
Peabo Bryson - "I'm So into You"
Bonnie Pointer - "Free Me from My Freedom"

December
Bar-Kays - "Holy Ghost"
Chuck Brown & the Soul Searchers - "Bustin' Loose"
Parliament - "Aqua Boogie (A Psychoalphadiscobetabioaquadoloop)"
Sylvester - "You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real)"
Patrice Rushen - "Hang It Up"
Ashford & Simpson - "Is It Still Good to Ya"
Cameo - "Insane"
Phyllis Hyman - "Somewhere in My Lifetime"
Prince - "Just as Long as We're Together"
Beverly & Duane - "Glad I Gotcha Baby"