The blockbuster success of
the Village People proved one of two things: either middle America was finally willing to embrace post-Stonewall queer culture in all its out-and-proud glory, or else your average Reagan voters wouldn't recognize a homosexual even if he sold their teenage sons poppers and stuffed the cash into his assless chaps. Regardless, the
Village People phenomenon spawned untold numbers of cash-in records that ratcheted the camp appeal into the danger zone.
Boys Town Gang's coyly titled
Disc Charge is a classic example of bad-boy disco that's actually as sweet and innocent as a litter of puppies. The gimmick is simple -- update classic pop songs like "Can't Take My Eyes Off You" and "Signed, Sealed, Delivered (I'm Yours)" with club-friendly production and distinctively feminine vocals -- but the end result is tepid at best, boasting little of the lascivious wit and sheer entertainment value of disco at its most fabulous.