Written by David Foster, Jay Graydon & Jack Conrad

The Bottom Line’s “Crazy Dancin'” was one of the first disco albums developed in the United States around the mid-seventies. This project was the brainchild of well-known musician/songwriter Jack Conrad. He decided to bring to America the disco sounds that were so hot in Europe around those days. Conrad was renowned for writing and playing on albums for Three Dog Night, The Babys, Paul Williams, Kiki Dee and The Doors.

The sessions for “Crazy Dancin'” took place in 1974 LA with a line-up of young and gifted musicians including Conrad playing bass, David Foster twiddling on keyboards, Jay Graydon strumming guitar, Steve Forman thumping on percussion, Mike Baird beating the drums, Chuck Findley playing the trumpet and writing the horn arrangements, Jim Horn and Gary Herbig blowing the saxophones, Chas Higgens singing lead vocals and Ray Kennedy, Mentor Williams , Lee McElfresch “and anyone else foolish enough to be nearby the studio when voices were needed” on backing vocals. Other contributors included Bobby Findley, Dalton Smith, Slyde Hyde and Gary Grant. Foster and Graydon played a prominent role on the album by co-writing songs with Conrad and providing ideas for the elegant arrangements. The Bottom Line first released their sound in Europe that same year and was brought to the US and Japan in 1976 by Greedy Records.

The first single off the album was a collaboration between Foster, Graydon and Conrad entitled “That’s The Way To Go.” This song was a catchy dance anthem that sported an extremely sophisticated instrumental part that wasn’t easy to find on your typical disco tracks. Graydon’s trademark guitar with its gorgeous, melodic sound was the spotlight on this song. The track was backed up by a tight rhythm section and some powerful horns beautifully arranged by Findley. Higgens provided the soulful vocals to the song’s ear-candy refrain. “That’s The Way To Go” was the first 12 inch single ever released in the US. It became a minor hit on Billboard’s R&B chart at #85. This song and the whole “Crazy Dancin'” record showcased the amazing musicianship of Foster and Graydon at such an early stage of their careers. Their playing was already top-notch and beefed up the material with jazzy licks and superior performances.

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Lead Vocals: Chas Higgens
Keyboards: David Foster
Guitar: Jay Graydon
Bass: Jack Conrad
Drums: Mike Baird
Percussion: Steve Forman
Trumpet & Horn Arrangement: Chuck Findley

Produced by Jack Conrad

Lyrics

No Lyrics

The Bottom Line was a special disco project that producer Jack Conrad started at the end of 1973. He took a duo of very talented, up and coming musicians like David Foster and Jay Graydon and together with them he wrote and recorded a bunch of dance tracks. This is one of the first records that has the future Airplay guys working together. The result while not being a masterpiece is very pleasant nonetheless. The main appeal of this collection is the ultra fine playing of Foster and Graydon that truly spices up the material. “Crazy Dancin’” was first released in Europe in 1974 and sometimes later it finally saw the light of day in the USA. The first single, “That’s The Way To Go,” co-written by Foster and Graydon with Conrad, was the first 12 inch single ever to be released in the USA. The Bottom Line received also a nomination by Billboard as Best Disco Album and Best New Disco Artist. At the time of its release on compact disc, Conrad included a few tracks that were part of another unreleased album entitled “Makin’ Tracks.” A couple of these songs are Foster’s goodies, one is the disco/pop number “Take A Chance” while the other is a great funky song entitled “I Just Want To Love You.” This track is dominated by the jazzy licks of Foster’s piano and some very prominent trumpet lines courtesy of Chuck Findley who arranged the horn section on these records. Right after “Crazy Dancin’,” the same team of musicians recorded another project entitled “Pegasus,” always along the same disco lines and that is now available on compact disc as well.

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[audio:https://www.fozfan.com/archives/clips/i_just_want_to_love_you.mp3|titles=I just want to love you|artists=Trish Turner & Chas Higgens]

Vocals: Trish Turner & Chas Higgens
Keyboards: David Foster
Guitar: Jay Graydon
Drums: Mike Baird
Bass: Jack Conrad
Trumpet & Horn Arrangement: Chuck Findley
Sax: Q. Dennis
Percussion: Steve Forman
Produced by Jack Conrad

Lyrics

NO LYRICS