Village People

by Andrew HamiltonIn spite of looking like village idiots, the Village People surprised everybody with this popular four-song album. Phil Hurtt, a good friend of Thom Bell and the writer of "I'll Be Around," arranged and co-authored three songs. Produced by Henri Belolo and Jacques Morali (Ritchie Family) Village People exploits and promotes gay liberation, in a little over 20 minutes of music. The vocals slap you in the face, the beats nonstop, but it's hard to fully enjoy because visions of clowns dressed in every Halloween costume imaginable keep dancing in your head. The four energetic tracks -- "San Francisco (You've Got Me)," "In Hollywood (Everybody Is a Star)," "Fire Island," and "Village People" -- practically clone each other with the lyrics the only distinguishing difference.