Le Funk

by

VHS or Beta

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I have come to just love VHS or Beta in recent months. I've seen them in concert a couple of times, in support of their excellent 2nd album "Night on Fire". Just recently I picked up the debut album.

First things first: the album I bought is the just rereleased "Le Funk" (originally released in 2002) which now carries the original 6 tracks, plus 3 bonus tracks (9 tracks, 60 min). "Le Funk" has the instantly recognizable VHS or Beta sound, but hey guess what, this is an instrumental album all the way through! That threw me for a loop, since "Night on Fire" is not (but for 2 songs). That said, the album has plenty of great "disco" songs from the 80s remade for the 21st century. The best of the bunch is "Solid Gold", the single from the album. After that, the 2 live tracks ("Flash" and "Teenage Dancefloor", recorded at the band's hometown venue Headliners Music Hall in Louisville) are also great. The 3 bonus tracks are remixes of the "Solid Gold", which are OK, but non-essential.

"Le Funk" is a nice introduction of VHS or Beta. But truth be told, "Night on Fire" is a much better album, and I would urge you to seek that album out. Also, if you have a chance to see VHS or Beta in concert, don't miss them! They set the place on fire with their insanely catchy set.