Heatwave - Central Heating
Central Heating (March 31, 1978)
“Disco Sucks!!” Two words yelled during the final episode of Freaks and Geeks. Nick Andopolis (Jason Segal) watches in horror as his friends catch him in a disco dance competition. The comedy of the scene is overshadowed by something greater though. A song that grabs any viewer away from just watching the scene itself. Funny enough, “The Groove Line” by Heatwave in Freaks and Geeks was my first introduction to the band and record we will be looking at today. Central Heating is Heatwave’s second studio album and is arguably one of the best disco albums ever created.
The disco genre has much history and importance in today’s music. Originating in the underground dance club scene, the genre was created and represented by several minority groups; specifically black and brown queer communities. Many of us are familiar with popular disco songs like “Car Wash” and “Boogie Wonderland,” or artists like Donna Summer, the Bee Gees, and Gloria Gaynor. However, one of the most influential and overlooked disco bands from the 70’s is Heatwave.
Heatwave began formation in 1975 following the discharge of frontman Johnnie Wilder Jr. from the US Army abroad. After his many performances in nightclubs and taverns throughout Germany, he relocated to the UK to continue pursuing music. He would later meet keyboardist and songwriter Rod Temperton here. The original band consisted of vocalists Johnnie Wilder Jr and Keith Wilder, bassist Mario Mantese, drummer Ernest “Bilbo” Berger, guitarist Eric Johns, and Rod Temperton. Through touring the nightclub scene together in London, the band landed a deal with GTO Records in 1976. The original members stuck together through the first two albums then started to slowly leave one by one. It is also important to add that the “death of disco” contributed to the decline in original members and the success of the band’s music after the release of Central Heating.
The death of disco was a hard pill for many to swallow. During the mid to late 70’s, disco bands were in their prime. They unfortunately fell off a few years later though due to the anti-disco movement: a movement led by homophobia, racism, and a sudden hate for the “disco” sound within the music community. The biggest hit to the genre came with “Disco Demolition Night” in 1979. An MLB promotion turned riot led to the explosion of disco records on the field between games, and as a result, many disco bands’ sales/ratings dropped immensely throughout the 80s. Although this was a dark moment in the history of disco music, many artists and bands stuck it through and continued releasing music. Today’s record fortunately was released before this hard-hitting era though.
Central Heating, as previously mentioned, is the second studio album from the band. With a UK release in 1977 and a US release in 1978, the album sold more than a million copies within the first two years of its release. This was the last album to include all six original members and the first to include new session guitarist Roy Carter. The record consists of 9 songs, all centered around love, happiness, and being worry-free. “The Groove Line” and “Put the Word Out,” are the two most upbeat songs, relaying that carefree message. The freeing lyrics mixed with the enticing disco sound make it nearly impossible to sit still through these tracks. Things slow down with “The Star of a Story” and “Mind Blowing Decisions,” which are two sweet, yet funky, love songs. Temperton was the sole songwriter for this album, apart from “Happiness, Togetherness” and you can see he had a clear goal to write feel-good songs.
Essential Tracks
Although this is my favorite album from the band, and I wish every person would listen from front to back, here are my highlight tracks for anyone willing to check the record out.