Even Better Than the Disco Thing is an Irish charity album released by the commercialFMradio station, Today FM, for the Christmas market on 21 November 2008. The album features covers of well-known disco songs by a selection of Irish musicians.[1] Disc one features sixteen tracks, whilst disc two is labelled "Mix CD" and contains twelve of the same sixteen tracks all over again. All the songs were performed and recorded live on The Ray D'Arcy Show.[2][3] The title is a pun on the Even Better Than the Real Thing series of charity CDs recorded in previous years on D'Arcy's show, but temporarily discontinued after the third edition in 2005.[4] They themselves are a reference to the U2 song "Even Better Than the Real Thing". Funds raised were donated to the National Children's Hospital and Barretstown.[5]
Tony Clayton-Lea of The Irish Times gave the album an unfavourable review. He commented, "If the image of Brian Kennedy strangling Never Can Say Goodbye, Jack L neutering Staying Alive, Juno Falls smothering Last Night a DJ Saved My Life, Fred defaming Fame, and Director stifling Ring My Bell are enough to turn you off your Christmas pudding, then so be it." However, he praised the tracks by Eric Bibb, Lisa Hannigan and Cathy Davey.[7]
^"Digging deep for a good cause". The Irish Times. 12 December 2008. Retrieved 16 August 2009. The Ray Darcy Show on Today FM has already put together a number of cover version albums to aid various charities. The latest is Even Better Than The Disco Thing with Cathy Davey, Lisa Hannigan, Jape, Republic Of Loose, The Blizzards Duke Special, Director and many more getting on down. All proceeds go to the National Children's Hospital and Barretstown.
^On disc one The Blizzards are credited as "Blizzards", yet on disc two they are credited as "The Blizzards".
^Tony Clayton-Lea (19 December 2008). "Rock/Pop". The Irish Times. Retrieved 13 November 2009. If the image of Brian Kennedy strangling Never Can Say Goodbye , Jack L neutering Staying Alive , Juno Falls smothering Last Night a DJ Saved My Life , Fred defaming Fame , and Director stifling Ring My Bell are enough to turn you off your Christmas pudding, then so be it. [...] The only ones to get it right are non-Irish blues singer Eric Bibb ( Dancing Queen ), Lisa Hannigan ( Upside Down ) and Cathy Davey ( I Feel Love ).
