| Star Wars and Other Galactic Funk | ||||
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | Summer 1977 | |||
| Recorded | June 1977 | |||
| Studio | MZH, New York City | |||
| Genre | Disco, jazz fusion | |||
| Length | 28:20 | |||
| Label | Millennium | |||
| Producer | ||||
| Meco chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Star Wars and Other Galactic Funk | ||||
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Star Wars and Other Galactic Funk is the debut studio album of American musician Meco that was released through Millennium Records in summer 1977. Meco, who had a steady career as a session musician and producer, was an avid science fiction fan. Upon watching Star Wars (1977), he conceived the idea of re-working its score; he later had a meeting with Neil Bogart of Casablanca Records who approved the project. By June 1977, Meco was working with Tony Bongiovi and Harold Wheeler, recording at MZH Studio, New York City, for three weeks. Star Wars and Other Galactic Funk is a disco and jazz fusion album that consists of two medleys; "Star Wars" consists of nine sections and recreates sounds from the movie and "Other Galactic Funk" is made up of three sections.
Critics gave Star Wars and Other Galactic Funk positive reviews and many complimented the songwriting. The album peaked at number 13 on the Billboard 200 in the United States, at number 19 in Australia and number 34 in New Zealand. "Star Wars Theme/Cantina Band" was released as the lead single in June or July 1977; it peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 for two weeks. RCA Records issued the album in the UK after acquiring the worldwide rights for Millennium Records, promoting it with a 12-week-long campaign that coincided with the UK release of Star Wars at the end of 1977. The album's success helped fund construction of Bongiovi's Power Station Studios and Meco signed to Robert Stigwood Organization (RSO); he would later work on several Star Wars-related releases. Guinness World Records listed "Star Wars Theme/Cantina Band" as the best-selling instrumental single and the only instrumental single to achieve platinum certification by the RIAA.