2. music
  3. 148028-1975

Disco...yep, I'm going there

We've all read the comments about disco music, most seem to heavily weigh on the side of "it sucks". I cannot say how many times I've read that two word remark......yet, without any explanation. One thing for sure, that era defined our consciousness and is an important part of our musical history.

Frankly, I love listening to several artists from that era ... Bee Gees, Donna Summer, KC & The Sunshine Band...………..

I really can't understand how anyone can listen to these artists and not be moved to get up and dance. That IS an emotional connection. The exact connection most of us long for. So, what's the problem?
128x128slaw
bdp24's avatar
bdp24
9,792 posts
 

@reubent, '77 WAS a great year musically. So much was happening, local music scenes exploding all over the country. The Progressive and "Singer-Songwriter" era was over! I put S-S in quotes because a lot of the new music was still being written and sung by a single person (Graham Parker, Costello, Nick Lowe, Tom Waits, Marshall Crenshaw, Tom Petty, etc.), but the music wasn't being performed in the laidback "West Coast" S-S style the genre is thought in terms of.

That year I discovered the burgeoning underground scene of Fanzines---small 'zines dedicated to the Power Pop and Garage Bands I had missed after I abandoned Rock music entirely in '71: Bomp Magazine (the first and the best, written mostly by Greg Shaw, manager of The Flamin' Groovies and owner of the highly-influential indi label Bomp Records), Trouser Press (which focused on UK bands), and dozens more. That year I was introduced to Dave Edmunds, Nick Lowe, The Dwight Twilley Band, The Ramones, Marshall Crenshaw, Tom Petty, Jonathan Richman, Moon Martin, ABBA (they might seem out of place here, but in fact aren't), AC/DC, Squeeze, Television, Willy DeVille, Cheap Trick, The Symptoms (out of Springfield, Missouri; a great band.), and a bunch more.

And 1978 was just as good!

bigkidz
3,381 posts
 
Oh God, I grew up in Brooklyn by the famous DISCO place.  Being a guitar player in a band I had to suffer through playing little guitar strumming crap and a few notes here and there.  I even wore a big fro with multiple colors in a Disco band.  There were two benefits though, lots of girls and got paid well to do nothing on the guitar, just strum away.

while you are saying there is an emotional engagement, but the music was not meant to sit in your listening chair for hours to listen to.  YUK!

Happy Boogie Woogie.
bluorion
473 posts
 
The death of disco was still going strong in 1979 when they had a Disco Demolition Night at Comiskey Park in Chicago. I don't think any other type of music has been through anything like that. But disco morphed itself into Hi-NRG dance music throughout the 80s. Despite that, I think disco has earned it's right into music history. I believe Chic and Nile Rogers have been on the Rock-n-Roll Hale of fame ballot many times (and deserve it). Donna Summer/Giorgio Moroder's 'I feel love' changed dance music forever, IMO.
yyzsantabarbara
4,820 posts
 
I enjoyed disco as a kid on AM radio. I did not listen to disco for maybe 30 years after the 70's but decided to buy some "mix tape" disco collections and I realized how much fun the tunes were. Especially for the weekend car rides I did along Hwy 1 from San Fran to LA. Nowadays I occasionally  have some disco on the TIDAL playlist.

Same thing can be said for me about Rap/HipHop music. Love TIDAL and other streaming sources to expand my horizons.
lilchris9
29 posts
 
If you love disco, check out The Disco Biscuits!
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