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Several times since I started this blog 3 years ago, I've mentioned that when I moved from the Toledo area to Wisconsin's Chippewa Valley in 1976, I was immediately exposed to a musical culture shock.
I was told on day one that ethnic music (soul/funk/disco) was a radio non-entity because unlike Toledo and Detroit, (or even Milwaukee or Minneapolis) there wasn't an audience for it.
I found that to be true...but I also wondered if anyone had ever TRIED to play those styles on the air, because here's the deal: It didn't take long after the discos opened up (She-Nannigans in Eau Claire was the first) before it was obvious there WAS an audience for it. By the end of the decade, soul, funk and disco songs that were national hits were finally finding their way onto local playlists.
That said, during the first half of the '70s, there were many "Great Songs" that never saw the light of day in the Chippewa Valley.
Today, we're looking at one of those songs: 1974's "Do It ('til You're Satisfied)" by B.T. Express.
This funky little hit was the debut single for the group (from their album of the same name), and was notable for its hand claps and spoken word section. It was also a bit on the suggestive side. ;)
Those of you who may have never heard the song might be surprised by its chart positions. In the US, it was a Triple Top 10: #1 on Billboard's Soul Chart, #2 on the Hot 100, and #8 on the Disco Chart.
That alone shows it was a "Great Song." Unfortunately, by the time we started playing it at the disco, it was already an oldie.
Oh well, it was the nature of the beast at the time: a victim of cultural timing.
"Do It ('til You're Satisfied)" by B.T. Express: a "Great Song of 1974."
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