The Disco Discharge series, dormant for over a decade, has been recently reactivated by Demon Music Group's Edsel label for one of its boldest projects yet.  The 5-CD collection Disco Discharge Presents Box of Sin (also available on 4 LPs of highlights) is a journey through the gay club scene of 1980-1989 via 54 full-length or extended tracks from artists both expected and unexpected - including Aretha Franklin, Whitney Houston, Donna Summer, Dreamgirls Sheryl Lee Ralph and Jennifer Holliday, Frankie Goes to Hollywood, Bronski Beat, Laura Branigan, Dusty Springfield, Liza Minnelli, and Barry Manilow.

Compiled by Mark Wood for Demon's Ben Stanley, the thematically-arranged set connects the dots between the halcyon days of disco in the late 1970s and the emergence of the new house music sound in the early 1990s.  Box of Sin, featuring tracks based on the dance charts of the period, makes the case that many of the 1980s' key musical developments in mainstream pop, dance, and electronic music came out of the Hi-NRG gay club scene (much as disco itself had developed from largely gay, black, and Latino/Hispanic nightlife).  The set is designed in the style of '80s small-press ads in gay-themed magazines, and the artwork incorporates many examples of the originals.

The first disc, High Energy: Deluxe Drama from the Decade's Divas, is rather self-explanatory.  It features 11 cuts from such bona fide divas as The Pointer Sisters (the 12-inch Long Version of "Jump (For My Love"), Aretha Franklin (the 12-inch Dance Mix of "Another Night"), Taylor Dayne (the Club Mix of "Tell It to My Heart"), Whitney Houston (the Extended Remix of "Love Will Save the Day"), Donna Summer (the Extended Remix of "This Time I Know It's for Real"), Hazell Dean (the Zulu Mix of "They Say It's Gonna Rain"), and Dreamgirls star Sheryl Lee Ralph (the 12-inch version of "In the Evening").  CD 2, Passion: Boys Town's Bona Bonus Beats, digs a little deeper with the 12-inch "Love Reaction" from the one and only Divine, the full-length "Passion" from Bobby Orlando's girl group The Flirts, the extended "So Many Men, So Little Time" from Miquel Brown, and Boys Town Gang's epic reinvention of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons' "Can't Take My Eyes off You."  This disc goes international, too, with People Like Us, built around a South African production do, and Italian artists Vivien Vee and Ken Laszlo.

Relax: Alternative Joys and Boys with Toys (CD 3) returns to boldfaced names with enduring groups Soft Cell ("Memorabilia (Non-Stop Ecstatic Dancing Version)," Bronski Beat ("Why? (12-Inch Version)"), Frankie Goes to Hollywood ("Relax (New York Mix)"), and The Communards ("Don't Leave Me This Way/Sanctify (Gotham City Mix 2)" with Sarah Jane Morris) as well as a special appearance from Liza Minnelli with Pet Shop Boys' production of "Don't Drop Bombs" in its Extended Remix.  The cheekily-titled fourth disc, You Came: Bouncing Bops at Poppers O'Clock, goes into the wee small hours of the morning with U.K. Eurovision winners Bucks Fizz (Ian Levine's remix of "New Beginning (Mamba Seyra)," more from Bronski Beat (the Instant Mix of "Hit That Perfect Beat"), and a host of divas including Samantha Fox ("Nothing's Gonna Stop Me Now (Club Mix))," Kim Wilde (the Shep Pettibone mix of title track "You Came"), Laura Branigan (the extended "Shattered Glass"), and Dusty Springfield (another Pet Shop Boys specialty, the 12-inch mix of "In Private").  Barry Manilow shows up, too, with the pulsating Club Mix of "I'm Your Man," written by Manilow, Howie Rice, and Allan Rich for his 1985 RCA Records debut, Manilow.  As the liner notes point out, the very credible slice of synth/dancepop found the entertainer sharing the charts with Erasure and The Communards.

The fifth and final disc, Future Shock from the New Kids on the Block, closes out the evening with choice cuts from Boy George (the Emilio Pasquez Space Face Full Remix of "No Clause 28," a powerful response to Britain's spate of anti-gay laws introduced by Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher's Conservative government), Beatmasters with P.P. Arnold (the 12-inch mix of "Burn It Up," a fusion of house, acid, soul, R&B, and hip-hop), the Club Mix of Joe Smooth's "Promised Land" (covered to great success by The Style Council in 1989), and Jennifer Holliday's thunderous, defiant, and forceful Dreamgirls showstopper "And I'm Telling You I'm Not Going" as the final track.

The book-style package designed by John Conlon is loaded with photos and memorabilia of the era, and features a foreword by Paul Burston as well as track-by-track notes and credits for each song selection.   (No mastering engineer is credited.)  A sheet of stickers replicating ads from the period is also included.

Disco Discharge Presents Box of Sin is a vivid journey back to a time marked by immense creativity, rich musical diversity, and groundbreaking authenticity even as the specter of AIDS loomed large.  The box presents the varied music - R&B, synthpop, Eurodisco, house, soul, Hi-NRG, and so on - in full context, making the return of Disco Discharge a most welcome one (and a fine companion to Edsel's equally essential series of Dance Masters.)

Various Artists, Disco Discharge Presents Box of Sin (Edsel, 2023)

5CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
4LP Highlights: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada

CD 1: 'HIGH ENERGY' Deluxe Drama From The Decade's Divas

1. High Energy (Extended Version)-Evelyn Thomas-1984-7.51
2. I Like You (Extended Version) - Phyllis Nelson-1985-7.21
3. The Boys Come To Town (Extended Version) - Earlene Bentley-1983-8.07
4. In The Evening (Original 12" Version)-Sheryl Lee Ralph-1984-6.16
5. Jump (For My Love) (12" Long Version) - The Pointer Sisters- 1984-6.28
6. Body Rock (Dance Mix)-Maria Vidal-1984-6.30
7. Another Night (Dance Mix)-Aretha Franklin-1985-6.40
8. They Say It's Gonna Rain (The Zulu Mix) - Hazell Dean-1985-7.11
9. Tell It To My Heart (Club Mix)-Taylor Dayne-1987-6.46
10. Love Will Save The Day (Extended Remix)-Whitney Houston-1988-7.59
11. This Time I Know It's For Real (Extended Remix)-Donna Summer-1989-7.23

CD 2: 'PASSION' Boys Town's Bona Bonus Beats

1. Passion (Full Length Album Version)-The Flirts-1982-5.04
2. The Male Stripper (Original Extended U.S. Remix)-Man 2 Man Meet Man Parrish-1987-7.51
3. Love Reaction (12" Version)-Divine-1983-5.34
4. So Many Men So Little Time (Extended Version)-Miquel Brown-1983-8.14
5. Toy Boy (Extended Bicep Mix)-Sinitta-1987-7.02
6. Give Me Your Love (Ultimix) - Sisley Ferré-1987-7.14
7. Midnight Lover (12" Version)- People Like Us-1985-7.34
8. Rocket To Your Heart (Remix)-Lisa-1983-9.35
9. Heartbeat (One Two Three Mix) - Vivien Vee- 1987-6.56
10. Tonight (Italo Remix) - Ken Laszlo-1987-6.53
11. Can't Take My Eyes Off You (12" Version)-Boys Town Gang-1981-9.31

CD 3: 'RELAX' Alternative Joys & Boys With Toys

1. No G.D.M. (Dedicated To Quentin Crisp) (12" Version)-Gina X Performance-1981-5.55
2. Memorabilia (Non Stop Ecstatic Dancing Version)- Soft Cell-1982-5.27
3. Why? (12" Version)-Bronski Beat-1984-7.48
4. Relax (New York Mix)-Frankie Goes To Hollywood-1983-7.26
5. You Spin Me Round (Like A Record) (Murder Mix)-Dead Or Alive-1984-8.01
6. Endless Road (High Energy Dance Mix)- Time Bandits-1985-7.33
7. Obsession (12" Dance Mix)- Animotion-1985-6.07
8. No Memory (Extra Sensory Mix)- Scarlet Fantastic-1987-8.16
9. Don't Drop Bombs (Extended Remix)- Liza Minnelli-1989-5.57
10. Don't Leave Me This Way / Sanctify (Gotham City Mix 2) - The Communards with Sarah Jane Morris-1986-11.08

CD 4: 'YOU CAME' Bouncing Bops At Poppers O' Clock

1. New Beginning (Mamba Seyra) (Ian Levine Remix)- Bucks Fizz-1986-9.28
2. Love In The First Degree (Jailers Mix)-Bananarama-1987-6.02
3. Fascinated (Club Mix)-Company B-1986-7.33
4. Oh L'Amour (The Extra Beat Boys 12" Mix) -Dollar-1987-6.53
5. Nothing's Gonna Stop Me Now (Club Mix)- Samantha Fox- 1987-7.00
6. You Came (The Shep Pettibone Mix)-Kim Wilde-1988-7.36
7. Shattered Glass (Extended Version)- Laura Branigan-1987-7.14
8. Call Me (Viva Mix)- Spagna-1987-5.40
9. I'm Your Man (Club Mix)- Barry Manilow-1985-6.11
10. In Private (12" Version)-Dusty Springfield-1989-7.16
11. Hit That Perfect Beat (Instant Mix)- Bronski Beat- 1985-8.28

 CD 5: 'TOUCH ME' Future Shock From The New Kids On The Block

1. Break 4 Love (Drop The Panties)- Raze - 1988-5.25
2. Someday (Club Mix)- CeCe Rogers-1987-7.17
3. Promised Land (Club Mix)- Joe Smooth- 1988-5.09
4. It's Over Now (Basement Boys Mix)- Ultra Naté- 1989- 7.48
5. Wait (Long)- Robert Howard & Kym Mazelle- 1989-6.45
6. No Clause 28 (Emilio Pasquez Space Face Full Re-Mix)- Boy George-1988-6.21
7. Burn It Up (12" Version)- Beatmasters with P.P. Arnold-1989-6.19
8. Big Fun (Magic Juan Remix)- Inner City-1988-7.41
9. Theme From S 'Express (12" Version)-S 'Express-1988-5.58
10. Helyom Halib (Part One)- Cappella-1989-6.32
11. Touch Me (S*xual Version)- The 49-ers- 1989-5.54
12. And I'm Telling You I'm Not Going- Jennifer Holliday-1982-4.06