🎭 Casablanca Records: The Odd, the Obscure, and the Overlooked - Bonus Episode

The Twelve Inch 001 : The Story Of Casablanca Records Part 5 - The Bonus edition

I had originally planned to wrap up the Casablanca Records story with the two Q&A episodes. But then I received a message from subscriber

Anthony Miller

, who suggested two titles that could each merit their own episode. One of them is already on my shortlist and will get a full Friday feature. The other, a curious Casablanca release, caught my attention. I knew the record, it’s even in my collection somewhere, but I’ve never used it in any mixtape because it’s one of those wonderfully odd disco tracks.

As I’ve explained in earlier posts, the short but explosive history of seventies disco can be divided into several distinct phases. By the final period (1978–1979), disco had become a $4 billion industry. Everyone wanted a piece of it, and any spark of inspiration seemed reason enough to make a disco record. Casablanca, of course, went all in, at one point having more artists under contract than even CBS, the market leader. They released an enormous number of records, far more than even their powerful promotion machine could handle. Many barely made it past the fringes.

To close out the Casablanca story, I thought it would be fun to look at some of those lesser-known and unusual releases, using the label’s release schedules as our guide. Among them is Hallelujah 2000, the title Anthony mentioned, and yes, we’ll talk about that one.

We won’t stick strictly to disco, though. Casablanca didn’t start as a disco label (as you know from the earlier episodes), so I’ll include a few non-disco curiosities as well. To keep it digestible, and since I’m not doing multiple parts 😁, I’ve grouped everything into a few themes.

This episode won’t cover the big names like Donna Summer, Giorgio Moroder, or the Village People, nor the mid-tier acts like Paul Jabara, Love & Kisses, or Teri De Sario… they’ll get their moment later. Today, we’re going deep into the vaults: the hidden gems and the downright obscure.

Ready? Let’s dive in.

🔁 What went before

I’ve explored the story of disco’s most fascinating label across four episodes.

The first focused on Casablanca’s visionary founder, Neil Bogart.

The second traced the label’s rise (and fall) in chronological order.

In episodes three and four, I dug deeper into specific questions:

• How bad were their finances? (Pretty messy.)

• Were they destined to become a disco label? (Not really.)

• How did Casablanca change the music business? (Quite a lot.)

• What’s the truth behind the infamous excess? (It might surprise you.)

• Was their downfall inevitable? (You’ll have to read to find out — my answer may surprise you too.)

Some of these posts are behind a paywall, this one isn’t.

But if you enjoy my work, your support means the world and helps keep The Twelve Inch spinning.

---

Welcome, I’m Pe Dupre and I’m really glad you’re here. This is “The Twelve Inch”, my newsletter that tells the history of dance music between 1975 and 1995, one twelve inch at a time.

If you’ve received this newsletter, then you either subscribed or someone forwarded it to you. If you fit into the latter and want to subscribe, please do so. That way you will not miss any of my weekly episodes.

---

🎸 Rock (Hard)

No, Casablanca wasn’t just about Kiss and a mountain of disco. The label also signed a few unexpected acts, like

Fanny with their album Rock’n’Roll Survivors.

Fanny was an American rock band active in the early 1970s and one of the first all-female groups to achieve both critical and commercial success. Initially signed to Reprise by producer Richard Perry, they later joined Casablanca after a lineup change that brought in Patti Quatro, yes, Suzi Quatro’s sister.

Their time at Casablanca wasn’t without reward: “Butter Boy” (a cheeky song about David Bowie) became their biggest hit, peaking at #29 on the Billboard Hot 100. The band split soon after, but their legacy lived on, inspiring later all-female rock bands like The Bangles.

They could’ve been huge… if only they’d stayed together.

Hudson Brothers – So You Are a Star

Another example of a label-hopping American rock band, the Hudson Brothers released albums on Playboy Records, Rocket (Elton John’s label), Arista, Elektra, and finally Casablanca. And once again, their biggest success came from their Casablanca stint: “So You Are a Star” climbed to #21 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1974.

💋 Soul, Sass & a Bit of Trouble

Gloria Scott – Just As Long As We’re Together

An absolute gem written and produced by Barry White, released on his own label and licensed to Casablanca. The single reached a respectable #14 on the R&B chart, hinting at the start of a promising career. Sadly, it wasn’t to be, Gloria Scott never released a second album after 1974.

The Disco Kid – The Disco Kid

Jazz trumpeter Hugh Masekela released 4 albums on Casablanca and also wrote and produced this side project. The idea was to ride the wave of successful Afro-beat-inspired records like “Soul Makossa” by Manu Dibango. Unfortunately, by 1975, that sound had already peaked, and The Disco Kid arrived just a little too late.

Frankie Crocker’s Heart & Soul Orchestra

In the late 1970s, Frankie Crocker was New York’s most influential DJ, ruling the airwaves on WBLS, the city’s top urban and Black music station. And as you already know, Casablanca’s promo motto was “whatever it takes.” That apparently included giving their most influential DJs a project of their own.

Enter Frankie Crocker’s Heart & Soul Orchestra, a slick studio outfit that found modest success on the dancefloor. Casablanca even brought in Gene Page for the arrangements, aiming for a smooth Barry White / Philly soul vibe. They reworked standards like “The Very Thought of You” and “Moonlight in Vermont” with lush orchestration and charm.

All was fine, until they decided to record a version of Cerrone’s “Love in C Minor” without clearance. That… (almost) didn’t end well.

⛪️ When Disco Found God (and Got a Bit Carried Away)

Religious-themed disco? Surely not, Pé…

Oh yes, it was made. I’m not sure if the idea was to help disco reach non-urban America, but let’s just say that pairing the Lord with a 4/4 beat was never a guaranteed recipe for success. Still, they gave it a shot at Casablanca.

Sphinx – Judas Iscariot

Pure Eurodisco, and one of the many side projects by Alec R. Costandinos, the producer behind Love & Kisses. The album contained just two sprawling disco symphonies, each running about 15 minutes. If you’re a Costandinos fan, this one’s right up your alley, grand, dramatic, and gloriously over the top.

Hallelujah 2000 – Hallelujah 2000

A studio project by Joe Long and Robby Adcock, names that disco purists might recognize as the creators of “Midnight Rhythm” on Atlantic Records. That album was pure Hi-NRG gay disco, and this one follows the same formula… only with a divine twist.

Think Sodom & Gomorrah meets religion on a Hi-NRG dancefloor. It’s actually a 15-minute disco remake of Handel, complete with choirs, synths, and relentless beats. Be warned: listening to the full version may cause mild exhaustion, or spiritual enlightenment, depending on your stamina.

Roberta Kelly – Gettin’ the Spirit

Roberta will get her own episode someday, just not for this one. She was Giorgio Moroder’s second protégé, though she never reached Donna Summer’s level of fame. Her early albums were solid, but in 1978 she took a gospel-disco detour, and things went downhill from there.

💃 When Everyone Wanted a Piece of the Disco Pie

The Pips – Baby I’m Your Fool

That brief moment when The Pips got time off from Gladys Knight and tried to build a brand of their own. They released four singles on Casablanca, and this one was easily the standout. Written by Bunny Sigler and remixed by Tom Moulton, it had all the right ingredients, but by 1978, Eurodisco ruled the dancefloor, and the competition was fierce.

The Paris Connection – Eloise

By 1978, nothing was sacred in disco. You can almost picture the Casablanca office phone ringing daily with someone pitching the next “brilliant idea”: a disco remake of a pop or rock hit.

Having prior releases on the label and your Casablanca contact on speed dial certainly didn’t hurt. That’s probably the only reason Alec R. Costandinos managed to get away with this one.

And yes, the album also includes a disco rework of “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feeling.” Because, of course it does. You have been warned!

Cindy & Roy – Feel It

Cindy and Roy Wallman had probably one dream: to make it big as disco stars. And they got a record deal with the biggest disco label. Whatever could go wrong? Unfortunately, it never quite happened. After just one album, and with the disco backlash hitting soon after, their moment was over. They’re a perfect example of the many short-lived disco projects Casablanca launched in 1978-1979.

🎀 Casablanca Didn’t Forget About Pop (Even If Pop Forgot Them)

Peter Noone – Meet Me on the Corner at Joe’s Café

Yes, that Peter Noone, the “Herman” from Herman’s Hermits. It’s a bit outside this newsletter’s usual scope, but I’d love to know how an English pop star ended up as one of the first artists signed to a brand-new American label with no real presence in Europe.

The single didn’t make waves in the US, or, oddly enough, in his home country, but it did manage to bubble under the charts in the Benelux back in 1974.

Captain & Tennille – Do That to Me One More Time

In his book on Casablanca, Larry Harris lists Captain & Tennille among the artists the label signed after their peak. Yet, despite that, they delivered one of their biggest hits while on Casablanca, this smooth, romantic ballad. It was a major success in the US and also a big hit across Europe.

🎯 Missed Opportunities (and Near Hits)

Angel

I’ve mentioned Angel in earlier episodes, Casablanca had high hopes for them. The idea was that they’d be the “next Kiss”, but it never quite panned out. Their closest brush with success came in 1977 with “I Ain’t Gonna Eat Out My Heart Anymore,” which reached #21 on the Billboard Hot 100.

It’s one of those rare cases where the band did better in the Benelux. Angel reached #20, which is indeed “bigger” (by one place 😁). That’s actually how I first discovered the band (and still one of the finest 1978 songs)

TJM – TJM

TJM stands for Thomas Jerome Moulton, or as we all know him, Tom Moulton. Yes, that Tom Moulton released his own album, and honestly, it’s one of the best disco records of its time. It really should’ve been huge.

Unfortunately, the relationship between Casablanca and Moulton was far from smooth, and the combination of that fallout plus the looming disco backlash meant this 1979 release fell well short of expectations.

The songs were written by Arthur Baker, and Moulton built his productions around Baker’s original demos, though Baker never got proper credit. The album was reissued a few years ago, and it’s absolutely worth rediscovering.

🌴 Island Grooves & Northern Moves : The Forgotten Gems

Beckett – Disco Calypso

I don’t know about you, but it’s impossible to sit still when this one’s playing. Alston Cyrus, better known as Beckett or the “ABC of Calypso/Soca,” was a Caribbean singer and songwriter who kicked off his career in 1975.

By 1977, he began a long collaboration with the legendary arranger and keyboardist Frankie McIntosh, resulting in their first joint album, Disco Calypso, a vibrant blend of reggae, disco, and funk that even made it onto the soundtrack of The Deep.

Casablanca had high hopes for Beckett’s crossover success, but despite the exposure, it never quite happened.

Alma Faye – Doin’ It

Born in Texas but raised in Montreal, Alma Faye released her self-titled album on Casablanca in 1979. Produced and arranged by some of the top names in the Montreal disco scene, it had all the ingredients for success, strong songs, slick production, and a gifted vocalist.

It deserved to be much bigger than it was, a polished slice of late-seventies disco done right.

🕵️‍♂️ The Very, Very Obscure Files

Simon Stokes – Play It Again Sam

A record label called Casablanca, and one of its very first releases (in 1974) is titled “Play It Again Sam”? You’d almost think someone planned that, just a little.😂

As fun as it sounds, there’s barely a trace of the song anywhere today. Stokes did, however, release a second single on Casablanca, “Captain Howdy,” which at least managed to sneak into the Hot 100, peaking at #90.

Persia – Persia

A studio project produced by Juergen Koppers and Kenny Nolan, Persia has become one of the most expensive Casablanca disco albums you’ll find today on Discogs. The reason? Its standout track, “Inch by Inch”, a flawless disco gem that may be obscure, but is highly prized by collectors and true disco aficionados.

---

---

💬 Let’s Talk

What’s your favorite Casablanca track? Was it one of the ones I featured here? Did seeing that famous label logo make you want to buy the record — or did it have the opposite effect? I’d love to hear your memories.

Next up, I’ll be diving into the Montreal disco scene, and exploring why Quebec played such a key role in shaping disco and early ’80s dance music. The first episode will drop in a few weeks. Stay tuned!