The Flirts - 10¢ a Dance - 1982

When the Flirts' debut album, 10 Cents a Dance, came out in 1982, the female trio found themselves being compared to the Go-Go's more than anyone. However, while the Go-Go's, who were huge at the time, were a major influence, the Flirts had an equally fun-loving personality of their own. The Go-Go's' influence is hard to miss on "We Just Wanna Dance," "Jukebox," and the wildly infectious surf ditty "On the Beach," but you won't hear them echoed on "Passion" -- a sexy Euro-disco/synth-funk gem that was a hit in dance clubs, despite receiving little radio airplay. (This album contains the three-minute version of "Passion" -- dance club DJs favored the nine-minute version that O Records released on a 12" single). While the Go-Go's were a new wave/power pop band who loved the 1960s girl-group sound, the Flirts were a new wave/power pop group who loved the 1960s girl-group sound, but also got into high-tech Euro-disco, dance-pop, and synth pop. The guitar-powered Go-Go's wouldn't have recorded anything as European-sounding and synthesizer-driven as "Calling All Boys," which sounds like it could have been produced by Giorgio Moroder even though the whole album was produced by Bobby Orlando. From power pop to dance-pop, 10 Cents a Dance is about as fun-loving as it gets. -AMG

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