The Player album cover
The Player

First Choice

1974
Philly Groove Records Incorporated

From their first single in 1972 all the way through the early ’80s, few Philly soul acts were as primed for the rise of disco as First Choice, whose albums played up the kick-heavy 4/4 groove and the melodiously skilled yet emotionally unrestrained group female vocals that would remain hallmarks of the genre throughout the decade. But despite being known for a fantastic string of cult-fave singles that held high favor in the crates of Larry Levan and Todd Terry, they’re also an excellent album band, with this Norman Harris-helmed ’74 effort being their best: imagine kicking off with an all-timer of a “watch out for this cad” title cut and then keeping that dancefloor fire aflame nearly the whole time — and even the ballads (“You’ve Been Doing Wrong For So Long”; “All I Need Is Time”) leave burns, too.

Nate Patrin

Who also suggested

If you select your preferred streamer here, we will save your preference and link to that platform if possible. This can always be changed in the Settings menu.

Apple Music

If you’d like to prioritize Bandcamp if available, tap the Bandcamp logo.

Since some albums are only available on one service, you’ll still see logos for other services if the album is only available on that service.

Next