Every Tuesday, the Analog Kid blog goes back in time and features some of the best groovy R&B/soul songs from the ’60s, ’70s, and ’80s. Sometimes you’ll hear songs from individual artists or from a specific year, and other times you’ll get an entire full-length classic LP ripped directly from the Analog Kid’s vast vinyl vault. Warning: by R&B/soul, I also mean disco. I could go all Village People on your ass at any given moment, so just be ready!
Carol Douglas’ 1974 smash “Doctor’s Orders” is one of the key songs of the disco genre. “Doctor’s Orders” almost broke into the Billboard Top 10 (it peaked at #11), but Douglas never had another single reach the Top 100 on the pop charts. She’s often classified as a one-hit wonder for that reason, but Carol actually had a number of additional hits on the Disco and Club Play charts. In fact, the single “Midnight Love Affair” (her follow-up to “Doctor’s Orders”) went all the way to #1 on the Club Play charts in 1976.
This morning, I ripped a new version of my vinyl copy of Midnight Love Affair just for this post. Side one of the album contains a song suite built around the title track, and is best enjoyed as an entire musical piece (hint: right-click the links below and save the files locally, and then play the mp3s in order using your favorite media player). I have also included the single edit of “Midnight Love Affair” as a bonus track for those of you who like your disco in small doses.
Side note: “Doctor’s Orders” was actually on the charts around the same time as Carl Douglas’ “Kung Fu Fighting,” but Carl and Carol– unlike contemporaries George and Gwen McCrae– were not related. This saddened me, as I was looking for an awesome reason to include “Kung Fu Fighting” in the blog. Hey– now I have one, because I can’t break the first rule of the Analog Kid blog. Whoa ho ho hoooooo!!
Carol Douglas: Midnight Love Affair
Midland International Records, 1976
Vinyl rip courtesy of the Analog Kid
1. “Carol’s Theme I/Midnight Love Affair” (Davis/Levitt/Groscolas/Jourdan)
Carol’s Theme I/Midnight Love Affair
2. “Carol’s Theme II” (Davis)
3. “In The Morning” (Davis)
4. “Lie To Me” (Flax/Rabin)
5. “Life Time Guarantee” (Dahrouge)
6. “Headline News” (Greenaway/Macauley)
7. “Crime Don’t Pay” (Barkan)
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Bonus Tracks!
The first rule of The Analog Kid blog is that if you write about a song on the Analog Kid blog, you share the song on the Analog Kid blog.
Carol Douglas: “Doctor’s Orders”
From the album The Carol Douglas Album
Midland International Records, 1975
Carol Douglas: “Midnight Love Affair” [Single Edit] (Levitt/Groscolas/Jourdan)
Midnight International Records, 1975
Midnight Love Affair [Single Version]
Carl Douglas: “Kung Fu Fighting” (Douglas)
From the album Kung Fu Fighting And Other Love Songs
20th Century Records, 1974
George McCrae: “Rock Your Baby” [Single Version] (Casey/Finch)
Original version from the album Rock Your Baby
TK Records, 1974
Rock Your Baby [Single Version]
Gwen McCrae: “Rockin’ Chair” (Reid/Clarke)
From the album Rockin’ Chair
Cat Records. 1975
Filed under: Disco, One-Hit Wonders, Pop, Soul/R&B Tagged: Analog Kid, Carl Douglas, Carol Douglas, Doctor's Orders, George McCrae, Groovy Tuesday, Gwen McCrae, Kung Fu Fighting, Midnight Love Affair
