Lillian Lopez (November 16, 1935 – September 4, 2012) – Don’t Tell Me, Tell Her (1980)

Odyssey's #1 UK hit “Use It Up And Wear It Out” was originally released as the B-side to this superb disco masterpiece, which featured Lillian on lead vocals.

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Lillian Lopez was one of the founding members of Odyssey, the New York City-based vocal trio who became disco superstars in the late 1970s.

See our earlier post on Lillian’s sister Louise Lopez for more on the group’s history.

In 1980, Odyssey had a #1 hit in the UK with their brilliant disco anthem “Use It Up And Wear It Out.” It was co-written by songwriter Sandy Linzer (who also co-wrote the group’s first big hit “Native New Yorker”) and L. Russell Brown.

“Use It Up And Wear It Out” was originally released as the B-side to another track, the superb disco masterpiece “Don’t Tell Me, Tell Her,” which featured Lillian on lead vocals. Co-written by Linzer with songwriter Doug James (who was part of Michael Zager’s production team), on its initial release the single reached #44 R&B and just missed the Billboard Hot 100 at #105.

When DJ’s started favoring the more quirky, anthemic B-side, it was re-released with the sides flipped. But at a moment when America’s racist, homophobic anti-disco backlash was in full swing, the re-released “Use It Up And Wear It Out” failed to even chart in the U.S. although it went straight to the top in the UK.

Both cuts were included on Odyssey’s third studio album, Hang Together (1980).

In 1982, for their fifth studio album Happy Together, Scottish songwriter Jesse Rae penned the classic disco jam “Inside Out.” It went to #12 R&B and bubbled under the Hot 100 at #104 but continued their winning streak in the UK, reaching #3 on the UK Singles Chart.

#soul #funk #disco #Odyssey #LillianLopez