Various Artists - Sounds of the Seventies 1975 (1990)

Sounds of the Seventies: 1975 is another fine entry in a fine series from the folks at Time-Life. It collects 20 songs that made the year what it was while drawing from a wide range of styles and genres. It provides both a fine introduction to the year's music and a highly entertaining exercise in nostalgia, and either way it is a blast. This volume shows the first signs of the disco invasion with tracks by Van McCoy ("The Hustle") and KC & the Sunshine Band ("That's the Way [I Like It]") but also contains some singer/songwriter faves (Linda Ronstadt, Elton John), AOR rockers (Bad Company, J. Geils Band), funk (War, Average White Band), and radio-friendly pop (Ace, America). Unlike other volumes in the series, this one has two appearances each by John and Ronstadt, which is a curious choice since there are so many other artists and songs that could have been included. A small flaw but not enough of one to keep this set from being desirable.