Artist: Heatwave
Title: Too Hot To Handle
Year: 1976
Label: Epic
Format: Vinyl LP (Original)
Flwrpt Rating of this Record: 3.75/5.0
Review
This is Heatwave’s debut LP. In short, this record was very successful and earned them respect. It’s a diverse record, but very strict in its genre disciplines throughout. They touch on all sounds from soul love ballads, to disco, to funk, to jazz even. Heatwave had a very buttoned-up sound, very clean and crisp…something I’m usually not drawn into, but they were produced by Rod Temperton, so one cannot help but to fall in love with the music. The lead singer Johnnie Wilder, Jr is another major reason why this album gets major play, his voice had craaaaazy range, as expressed in the classic, “Always and Forever” where he demonstrates his ability to effectively sing in falsetto, tenor, and baritone without flaw! Enjoy the tunes…
Check out the sound!
Always and Forever
All You Do Is Dial
Lay It On Me
Design
The cover is a funky illustration of their record melting on the concrete, obviously there’s a heatwave in town (pun intended). It’s a strong cover, however, the type is not helping out…not playing its part, it makes the cover seem a tad cheesy with the wavy effect added to it. The melting scene itself did the job.
The cover that I have is the US released LP. The group had an alternate cover for the European release of the record which looked like this.
Video
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Additional info on Heatwave
DISCO CONNECTION
Review / I can recall this being one of the first albums that I ever purchased. Up front I was skeptical because I’m not a huge disco collector, but I figured that since it was Isaac Hayes (and because I had never heard of this record) I’d give it a shot. Long story short, it’s a great party record and to this day I’m glad I bought it. One thing that stands out with this album is Isaac Hayes genius when it comes to arranging a track! His change-ups, progressions, timing and tension breaks are all in sync, and are all VERY solid. Listen to the emphasis on the snare in “Disco Connection”, the title cut. You won’t be disappointed!
Design / This cover was always one of my favorites. Check out the hot red bone getting pressed up in the corner by John Doe. The photography alone is enough to make this worth picking up, however, the tightly-kerned slanted use of the Avant Garde Thin typeface stands out to me, and the placement of the typography jives nicely with the angle of the light glare as well. Straight-forward execution, but very effective.
Info / Artist: Isaac Hayes / Album: Disco Connection / Year: 1975 / Label: Hot Buttered Soul
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