Can't Stop the Music

Can't Stop the Music is a 1980 American musical comedy film directed by Nancy Walker. Written by Allan Carr and Bronté Woodard, the film is a pseudo-biography of disco's Village People which bears only a vague resemblance to the actual story of the group's formation. It was produced by Thorn EMI Screen Entertainment (formerly EMI Films), and distributed by independent distributor Associated Film Distribution (AFD).

Can't Stop the Music is notorious for being the first winner of the Worst Picture Golden Raspberry Award, for it was a double feature of this and Xanadu that inspired John J. B. Wilson to start the Razzies.

Plot

Songwriter Jack Morell (Steve Guttenberg)-a reference to Village People creator Jacques Morali-gets a break DJing at local disco Saddle Tramps. His roommate Sam Simpson (Valerie Perrine), a supermodel newly retired at the peak of her success, sees the response to a song he wrote for her ("Samantha") and agrees to use her connections to get him a record deal. Her connection, ex-boyfriend Steve Waits (Paul Sand), president of Marrakech Records (a reference to Village People record label Casablanca Records), is more interested in getting back with her than in Jack's music (and more interested in taking business calls than in wooing Samantha), but agrees to listen to a demo.

Can't Stop the Music (album)

Can't Stop the Music is the sixth studio album and first soundtrack by Village People for their movie Can't Stop the Music released in 1980. Though the movie was a commercial failure, the album did better, reaching #9 on the UK Albums Chart, #47 on the Billboard 200 in the U.S.A., and #1 in Australia (on the Kent Music Report). This album was reissued to CD in 1999.

It contains songs not only by the Village People but also by David London and The Ritchie Family. The album also features a re-make of "Y.M.C.A." with lead vocals by Ray Simpson. Simpson's remake never charted and was not released as a single.

This is the first Village People album that was not certified Gold by the RIAA.

History

Can't Stop the Music (song)

"Can't Stop the Music" is a song recorded by American disco group the Village People. It was the first release after the exit of original lead singer Victor Willis. With lead vocals by replacement cop Ray Simpson, the song was the first Village People single to flop, i.e., to not go gold or platinum, though it fared much better in the UK (reaching number 11) and Australia (reaching number 1). It is the title track from the soundtrack album of their feature movie, Can't Stop the Music, which also failed miserably, except in Australia.

Chart positions

References

The Kinks

The Kinks were an English rock band formed in Muswell Hill, North London, in 1963 by brothers Dave and Ray Davies. They are regarded as one of the most important and influential rock groups of the era. The band emerged in 1964 during the height of British rhythm and blues and Merseybeat, and were briefly part of the British Invasion of the US until their touring ban in 1965. Their third single, the Ray Davies penned "You Really Got Me", became an international hit, topping the charts in the United Kingdom and reaching the Top 10 in the United States. Between the mid-1960s and early 1970s, the group released a string of hit singles; studio albums drew good reviews but sold less than compilations of their singles. They gained a reputation for reflecting English culture and lifestyle, fuelled by Ray Davies' observational writing style. Albums such as Face to Face, Something Else, The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society, Arthur, Lola Versus Powerman and the Moneygoround and Muswell Hillbillies, along with their accompanying singles, are considered among the most influential recordings of the period.

Kinks (album)

Kinks is the self-titled debut album by English rock band The Kinks, released in 1964. It was released with three tracks omitted as You Really Got Me in the US.

The album was re-released in 1998 in the UK on Castle Records with twelve bonus tracks. This reissue was itself reissued in 2004 on the Sanctuary label. A deluxe edition was released on 28 March 2011.

Reception

Allmusic assessed the album as lacking in consistency, commenting that "As R&B cover artists, the Kinks weren't nearly as adept as the Stones and Yardbirds; Ray Davies' original tunes were, "You Really Got Me" aside, perfunctory Mersey Beat-ish pastiches; and [the] tunes that producer Shel Talmy penned for the group... were simply abominable."

Track listing

All songs by Ray Davies, except where noted.

UK release (Pye NPL 18096 mono: NSPL 83021 stereo)

US Release You Really Got Me (Reprise R-6143 (mono) RS-6143 (stereo)) track listing