22. "Christmas Medley," Salsoul Orchestra
Salsoul 12D-2053 b/w "New Year's Medley"Highest chart position: #38 R&B (1977); #48 Pop (1978)
Recorded October 6, 1976, New York, NY
Okay, maybe you still hate disco. But would it help to know that Salsoul Orchestra leader Vincent Montana, Jr. started out as a Philly jazzbo, jamming with Bird and Getz and Sarah Vaughan, before forming this orchestral blend of funk, soul, and Latin rhythms? No? Not even if you knew that Montana and many of the Orchestra's mainstays were responsible for the "Philly Soul" sound on classic Spinners and O'Jays cuts? Well, then you'll have to leave the room when this monster is played, a 12-minute, 13-song juggernaut that practically demands your jolliness, and a perennial candidate for Best Christmas Medley of All Time. (And, as the original sleeve proclaimed, you can dance your a** off to it.)
