Like many crucial inventions, the 12” single was born out of necessity. Although it’s widely seen as an innovation born in the disco era to help DJs keep people dancing by stretching out songs much further than the conventional three-minute mark defined by the 7” single, the very first 12” single appeared in 1970.

It was a novelty that didn’t catch on but a few years later in 1974, an innovative New York producer called Tom Moulton resurrected the 12” single format as a vehicle for making extended mixes of dance tracks.

It was an innovation that helped stoke the flames of the Disco Inferno and introduced the concept of instrumental breakdowns or “breaks”.

Initially, 12” pressings targeted DJs and were only used for promotional purposes but such was their desirability that it wasn’t long before record companies made them commercially available; the first one sold to the public was Double Exposure’s ‘Ten Percent’ in 1976, that is included in this package.

Its success opened the floodgates and from that moment, the 12” single became the format that defined Disco’s glory years.

CD 1:
1. The Undisputed Truth – You + Me = Love
2. McFadden & Whitehead – Ain’t No Stoppin’ Us Now
3. Earth, Wind & Fire with The Emotions – Boogie Wonderland [Special Disco Version]
4. T-Connection – Do What You Wanna Do
5. People’s Choice – Do It Any Way You Wanna [A Tom Moulton Mix]
6. Instant Funk – Got My Mind Made Up
7. Crown Heights Affair – You Gave Me Love
8. Whispers – And The Beat Goes On
9. Arthur Adams – You Got The Floor
10. Lonnie Liston Smith & The Cosmic Echoes – Expansions
11. Chaz Jankel Feat Brenda Jones – You’re My Occupation (Extended)

The first of the four discs opens with The Undisputed Truth’s You + Me = Love, featuring Taka Boom on lead, the song was the group’s one and only UK hit, peaking at #43 in 1977, but man, with those funky grooves, it hit like a bolt of lightning whenever it was played! Then we get McFadden & Whitehead’s uplifting disco-pop message of encouragement within the massive Ain’t No Stoppin’ Us Now, an then we get a luxurious, near nine minute Boogie Wonderland (Special Disco Version) from the band that spanned the genres of Jazz, R&B, Soul, Funk, Disco, Pop, Latin, and Afro Pop, Earth, Wind & Fire.

The funk don’t stop, trust me, as next up is T-Connection with Do What You Wanna Do, a song that always felt, to me, as if it was spinning a wee bit too fast, but still when of the toughest, funkiest, slamming songs of the era and that is backed by People’s Choice’s alpha jam Do It Any Way You Wanna [A Tom Moulton Mix], the easy Latin rhythms and beats within Instant Funk’s Got My Mind Made Up and then we get a genuine disco classic gem, the infectiously melodic Crown Heights Affair with You Gave Me Love.

Continuing onward, next we get the simply dynamic, smooth dance moves that went with the Whispers’ And The Beat Goes On (a song I could listen to all day and night) and Arthur Adams’ smooth jazzy groove on You Got The Floor, and they are backed by Lonnie Liston Smith & The Cosmic Echoes’ ageless masterpiece Expansions, the first disc rounding out on the dancefloor cool groove of Chaz Jankel Feat Brenda Jones’ You’re My Occupation (Extended).

CD 2:
1. Brass Construction – Movin’
2. Skyy – Call Me
3. Parliament – Flashlight
4. Zapp – More Bounce to the Ounce (Pts. I and II)
5. Midnight Star – No Parking On The Dance Floor
6. S.O.S. Band – Just Be Good To Me
7. The Jimmy Castor Bunch – Space Age
8. Lakeside – Fantastic Voyage
9. Aquarian Dream – You’re A Star
10. Maze/Frankie Beverly – Twilight (Instrumental)

The next disc opens on one of the biggest funk bands of the day, Brass Construction and their keyboard grooving track Movin’ and Call Me, the addictive and danceable cut from Skyy, and they are followed by one MF of an infectiously synthesized bass groove within Parliament’s Flashlight, the near ten minute superfreak vibe to Zapp’s More Bounce to the Ounce (Pts. I and II), and the super funky jamming from Midnight Star on No Parking On The Dance Floor.

Along next on this superb collection we get a song with no gimmicks, no autotune, no drama. Just pure raw talent and funk, and that is the S.O.S. Band with their monster early ’80s hit Just Be Good To Me and that is itself backed by the trippy psych blues funk rock of The Jimmy Castor Bunch’s Space Age, a bass line that is the heartbeat of the cosmos, Lakeside’s Fantastic Voyage, Aquarian Dream’s jazz funk masterpiece You’re A Star, the disc rounding out on Maze/Frankie Beverly’s slap bass instrumental gem Twilight.

CD 3:
1. Chic – Good Times
2. Sister Sledge – He’s the Greatest Dancer
3. G.Q. – Disco Nights (Rock Freak)
4. Double Exposure – Ten Percent
5. Loleatta Holloway – Love Sensation
6. Edwin Starr – Contact
7. Narada Michael Walden – I Should’ve Loved Ya
8. Voyage – From East To West
9. C.J. & Co – Devil’s Gun
10. The Trammps – Disco Inferno

This third disc opens on the fantastic bass line, guitar, piano and harmonies of one of the greatest club anthems of all time, Chic’s Good Times and then producer Nile Rodgers steps up to the plate and together with Sister Sledge knocks the brilliant He’s the Greatest Dancer out the park, and that is backed by Emanuel Raheim Leblanc’s vocals on G.Q.’s Disco Nights (Rock Freak), the Jimmy Williams-sung beauty Ten Percent (Double Exposure), and then comes Loleatta Holloway with her beautiful Love Sensation.

Up next is the glorious musical fusion of Edwin Starr’s vibrant Contact and the bass lines, brass and horns of Narada Michael Walden’s I Should’ve Loved Ya, with another pure disco, solid gold hit, From East To West (Voyage), C.J. & Co’s funky to the bone Devil’s Gun, the disc closing on the mighty mighty disco dancefloor sounds of The Trammps’ massive hit Disco Inferno.

CD 4:
1. Change – Searching
2. Roy Ayers – Running Away
3. Valentine Brothers – Money’s Too Tight (To Mention)
4. Evelyn “Champagne” King – Shame
5. Rose Royce – Is It Love You’re After
6. Third World – Now That We Found Love [Disco Mix]
7. Hi-Tension – Hi-Tension
8. Freeez – Southern Freeez
9. Ultrafunk – Gotham City Boogie
10. Level 42 – Love Games
11. Atmosfear – Dancing In Outer Space

The fourth, and sadly final disc in this quite fabulous box-set, opens on the Luther Vandross lushly-vocalized Searching (with Changes) and then a track where both the bass player and drummer are on fire, Roy Ayers’ hand clapper Running Away, and they are followed by an underrated ’80s soul funk smooth groove by the also underrated, yet legendary Valentine Brothers on the original Money’s Too Tight (To Mention), a quite brilliant dancefloor, saxophone-embraced mega hit Shame (Evelyn “Champagne” King) and then we get Rose Royce’s goosebumps-inducing, funky gold of Is It Love You’re After.

A song that went down perfectly at house parties in the early ’90s, Third World’s Now That We Found Love [Disco Mix] is still a joy to behold and is backed by one of the most underrated funk groups ever, Hi-Tension and their self-titled hit Hi-Tension, then comes the absolutely glorious Southern Freeez by Southern Freeez, the horn-layered, dancefloor gem from Ultrafunk, Gotham City Boogie, and as we come to a close, well, things (for me) go a little left of center, for the whole disco/funk path being trodden here is veered off of for the slap funk bass of Level 42’s pop song Love Games, the whole collection closing on Dancing In Outer Space, the mother of all Jazz Funk anthems from North London’s finest, Atmosfear.

This is the very first soiree into the compilation market for Robinsongs. ‘The Greatest Soul / Funk & Disco 12” Inch Singles of The 70s & 80s’ is packed with some of the Greatest 12-inch versions from that era is is thus a vivid snapshot of that golden era.

It also comes complete with liner notes by journalist Charles Waring against every track in the booklet.

Official 4CD Purchase Link