dude the Who disco JAM is "Eminence Front"...get on that shit! so dope.
heh heh! i wouldnt call that disco either, but it is vaguely funky (i said VAGUELY). too bad Warner Bros. never tried to market that song towards black radio or else they would have had a crossover hit on their hands!! i could just see Frankie Crocker or the Electriying Mojo or some other forward-thinking R&B deejay spinning this...
And how the hell is CHICAGO "STREET PLAYER" not mentioned here?!?!?
Soulstut always messes it up when it comes to disco... :sigh:
i think a few poasters seemed to get it right for sure in this thread (a few got it wrong) but Street Player belongs here for sure. Who Are You though definitely does not belong, probably they got confused because of the synth intro but it's certainly not disco.
Disco is more than just straight disco to me...it's a bit of a revisionist term these days...disco is my life but i have a pretty broad definition of it...that who jam fits more into the "cosmic disco" realm i guess
hmmm well now you are getting into straight up new wave dance music territory
new wave - schmoo wave
if "Too Shy" came out on Casablanca by Paul Jabara in 1978 as was, it would be considered disco 100%. at least "pop music" by M sounded a little rockish; those Kajagoogoo and ABC, despite their new wave origins, sounded like disco straight up
hmmm well now you are getting into straight up new wave dance music territory
new wave - schmoo wave
if "Too Shy" came out on Casablanca by Paul Jabara in 1978 as was, it would be considered disco 100%. at least "pop music" by M sounded a little rockish; those Kajagoogoo and ABC, despite their new wave origins, sounded like disco straight up
Don't get me wrong I love "too shy" and "the look of love" but the production values on those records are so 80's...there's no way they could have been released in the 70's. The vocals on those records in particular just scream British new wave to my ears...again, not a bad thing...just not disco to me. But if disco is just a synonym or umbrella term for dance music in general then this is all pretty moot.
Back to rock disco...nicolette Larson "lotta love"
But if disco is just a synonym or umbrella term for mildly funky 1970's rock songs like Nicolette Larson's "Lotta Love" in general then this is all pretty moot.
i never would have thought to associate this L.A yacht-rock tune with disco. but i guess well agree to disagree
I picked up the "Look of Love" 12" not too long ago and was surprised not only that it was pretty good (I only barely remembered it from my dad playing it when it was new) but also that it was basically a disco record (at least the 12" versions were).
But if disco is just a synonym or umbrella term for mildly funky 1970's rock songs like Nicolette Larson's "Lotta Love" in general then this is all pretty moot.
i never would have thought to associate this L.A yacht-rock tune with disco. but i guess well agree to disagree
this song is wayyy more disco than abc. the abc song has un-disco-ish rhythms
nd ABC, despite their new wave origins, sounded like disco straight up
Gotta cosign. Pickwick & I are old enough to remember both disco AND new wave when they came out and I'm sure he'd agree with me that most of the soft rock/yacht rock stuff ya'll are tossing out as "disco" was strictly AM/dentist's office music to our ears, even at the time of their release.
Meanwhile the first time I heard Heaven 17 and ABC (i.e. when they came out), all I could think was "wow, this isn't really British pop or new wave, it's actually disco."
Sure the production is a bit glossier, but 1984 was the year that the "eighties" crap overdone production sound really came into being IMO. Pre-1984 songs like these still had an organic flavor. And between the soulful background vocals, funky basslines and 4/4 beats, you got disco even if there are few extra synths and pasty white guys involved.
Speaking of which:
Japan (produced by Giorgio Moroder) - Life in Tokyo (1979)
Looks like Duran Duran, sounds like new wave, but add Moroder and you can't deny it's disco.
ABC, despite their new wave origins, sounded like disco straight up
Gotta cosign. Pickwick & I are old enough to remember both disco AND new wave when they came out and I'm sure he'd agree with me that most of the soft rock/yacht rock stuff ya'll are tossing out as "disco" was strictly AM/dentist's office music to our ears, even at the time of their release.
No lie. Blondie's "Call Me" is no more disco than "Cop Killer" is rap.
I just heard the 12-inch disco remix of "Lotta Love" on Youtube and it sounds like all they did was mix the bass and the drums up real high. My original statement still stands.
Meanwhile the first time I heard Heaven 17 and ABC (i.e. when they came out), all I could think was "wow, this isn't really British pop or new wave, it's actually disco."
Sure the production is a bit glossier, but 1984 was the year that the "eighties" crap overdone production sound really came into being IMO. Pre-1984 songs like these still had an organic flavor. And between the soulful background vocals, funky basslines and 4/4 beats, you got disco even if there are few extra synths and pasty white guys involved.
I agree, although I don't know about the "soulful background vocals" part...the one thing that separated 1983 new wave from 1979 disco is that a lotta those new wave types sang in that robotic Bowie voice. Other than that, the line between the two is thin.
You all may want ABC and Heaven 17 to be part of an unbroken line stemming from Disco 70s style, but it's more probable their intention was to create symphonic pop with a professional lustre that could be played in moodily-lit quasi-intellectual art hangouts for an elite of working class kids who read the Face, ID and Colin McInnes novels. I think they succeeded. That they were all informed by new wave shines from every groove, while the background story of that Thatcher-era despair is interwoven in all British pop music of the time. Sheffield proved to be quite a scene back then. Notwithstanding Def Leppard of course.
I spun the first ABC album a few weeks back and was delighted at how it has stood the test of time. And some instrumental versions on the b-sides of 12s that were stunning in their ethereal beauty.
Kajagoogoo, now that's another story...... Paul Gambaccini / Limahl BIG ayoooooo-R.
You all may want ABC and Heaven 17 to be part of an unbroken line stemming from Disco 70s style, but it's more probable their intention was to create symphonic pop with a professional lustre that could be played in moodily-lit quasi-intellectual art hangouts for an elite of working class kids who read the Face, ID and Colin McInnes novels.
Oh, I never really cared whether ABC were accepted into the disco canon or not; all I know is that it ALL sounds like plastic "night at Studio 54" music from where I'm standing...
Rolling Stones - Too Much Blood. Either the full Dance Version or Dub Version. Both edited and mixed by Latin Rascals and Arthur Baker.
Loads of Reggae 12"s with a Disco feel... Black Harmony - Don't Let It Go To Your Head Musical Intimidator - Freak (Version to Tappa Zukie - Freak) Derrick Laro & Trinity - Don't Stop Til You Get Enough Blood Sisters - Ring My Bell
I just heard the 12-inch disco remix of "Lotta Love" on Youtube and it sounds like all they did was mix the bass and the drums up real high. My original statement still stands.
yeah, your original statement is the word of god handed down for all us non-senior citizens to try to decifer. dude...mixing up the bass and drums is what makes a disco mix! and guess who did the disco mix of nicolette larsen...Jimmy Simpson...brother of Valerie Simpson of Ashford & Simpson...IT'S A DISCO RECORD! GET OVER IT!
clearly you don't like disco...get out of this thread and go back to discussing the myriad differences between all the "back from the grave" and pebbles comps. it seems like your idea of disco is Paul Jabara and that dude's records are what made people hate disco.
just because certain tracks were played while you were getting your wisdom teeth pulled out in the 70s doesn't mean they weren't also disco crossover tunes...and what is up with your use of the term "mildly funky"...is that supposed to be an insult? most of my favorite music is mildly funky...you can keep your slap-bass riddled con-funk-shun records, give me my nicolette larson.
more disco records from non-disco artists:
Sailor "Down By The Docks"...very tough 12" to find...produced by Curt Boetcher of Beach Boys fame...killer breaks at the begining of this one...the whole tune is great...and yes it's textbook yacht rock
Like most genres they appropriated these guys did it well, very well. Speaking of white boy crossover, have we ever talked about Hotel California being a reggae tune? Open those ears. Someone saying Heart of Glass ain't disco is crazy. Massive club hit.
P*trick - hey I'll gladly accept Nicolette Larson's 12" as yacht/disco crossover (tepid disco as it is) but we both agree that many 80s new wave bands deliberately employed disco elements in their music. It's not an argument to me as to which is disco/not disco. But if some folks are going to throw out AM lite rock as examples of the genre by non-disco artists, I think it's only fair to give credit to the new wave practitioners too - especially when they were often more successful in creating records that could be fairly called "disco."
P*trick - hey I'll gladly accept Nicolette Larson's 12" as yacht/disco crossover (tepid disco as it is) but we both agree that many 80s new wave bands deliberately employed disco elements in their music. It's not an argument to me as to which is disco/not disco. But if some folks are going to throw out AM lite rock as examples of the genre by non-disco artists, I think it's only fair to give credit to the new wave practitioners too - especially when they were often more successful in creating records that could be fairly called "disco."
i guess i'm just a little bit too young to see the continuity from what i think of as disco to what i know as new wave...i do agree with your point that post-1984 is when the production qualities really shifted away from what was going on in the studios in the 70s.
i guess there's a perverse quality to finding records from the disco and post-disco era that are just a little bit disco. obviously i don't think nicolette is a bangin' disco joint. but i think it is closer in line to disco than ABC...and most definitely Style Council! I love the Jam but it's taken me a decade to be able to swallow Style Council...i'll check the youtube clips there M*rco...and do you still have that indian disco 12" you played for me? i need that!
ok...that first Style Council clip is most definitely disco...i think they may be an exception to the rule because Weller was clearly going for a 70s sound on those records emulating the disco crossover tracks he was hearing at northern soul nights.
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heh heh! i wouldnt call that disco either, but it is vaguely funky (i said VAGUELY). too bad Warner Bros. never tried to market that song towards black radio or else they would have had a crossover hit on their hands!! i could just see Frankie Crocker or the Electriying Mojo or some other forward-thinking R&B deejay spinning this...
i think a few poasters seemed to get it right for sure in this thread (a few got it wrong) but Street Player belongs here for sure.
Who Are You though definitely does not belong, probably they got confused because of the synth intro but it's certainly not disco.
besides the aforementioned duran duran, there's also "the look of love" by ABC and "too shy" by kajagoogoo
new wave - schmoo wave
if "Too Shy" came out on Casablanca by Paul Jabara in 1978 as was, it would be considered disco 100%. at least "pop music" by M sounded a little rockish; those Kajagoogoo and ABC, despite their new wave origins, sounded like disco straight up
Don't get me wrong I love "too shy" and "the look of love" but the production values on those records are so 80's...there's no way they could have been released in the 70's. The vocals on those records in particular just scream British new wave to my ears...again, not a bad thing...just not disco to me. But if disco is just a synonym or umbrella term for dance music in general then this is all pretty moot.
Back to rock disco...nicolette Larson "lotta love"
i never would have thought to associate this L.A yacht-rock tune with disco. but i guess well agree to disagree
Gotta cosign. Pickwick & I are old enough to remember both disco AND new wave when they came out and I'm sure he'd agree with me that most of the soft rock/yacht rock stuff ya'll are tossing out as "disco" was strictly AM/dentist's office music to our ears, even at the time of their release.
Meanwhile the first time I heard Heaven 17 and ABC (i.e. when they came out), all I could think was "wow, this isn't really British pop or new wave, it's actually disco."
Sure the production is a bit glossier, but 1984 was the year that the "eighties" crap overdone production sound really came into being IMO. Pre-1984 songs like these still had an organic flavor. And between the soulful background vocals, funky basslines and 4/4 beats, you got disco even if there are few extra synths and pasty white guys involved.
Speaking of which:
Japan (produced by Giorgio Moroder) - Life in Tokyo (1979)
Looks like Duran Duran, sounds like new wave, but add Moroder and you can't deny it's disco.
No lie. Blondie's "Call Me" is no more disco than "Cop Killer" is rap.
I just heard the 12-inch disco remix of "Lotta Love" on Youtube and it sounds like all they did was mix the bass and the drums up real high. My original statement still stands.
I agree, although I don't know about the "soulful background vocals" part...the one thing that separated 1983 new wave from 1979 disco is that a lotta those new wave types sang in that robotic Bowie voice. Other than that, the line between the two is thin.
I spun the first ABC album a few weeks back and was delighted at how it has stood the test of time. And some instrumental versions on the b-sides of 12s that were stunning in their ethereal beauty.
Kajagoogoo, now that's another story......
Paul Gambaccini / Limahl BIG ayoooooo-R.
Oh, I never really cared whether ABC were accepted into the disco canon or not; all I know is that it ALL sounds like plastic "night at Studio 54" music from where I'm standing...
Loads of Reggae 12"s with a Disco feel...
Black Harmony - Don't Let It Go To Your Head
Musical Intimidator - Freak (Version to Tappa Zukie - Freak)
Derrick Laro & Trinity - Don't Stop Til You Get Enough
Blood Sisters - Ring My Bell
yeah, your original statement is the word of god handed down for all us non-senior citizens to try to decifer. dude...mixing up the bass and drums is what makes a disco mix! and guess who did the disco mix of nicolette larsen...Jimmy Simpson...brother of Valerie Simpson of Ashford & Simpson...IT'S A DISCO RECORD! GET OVER IT!
clearly you don't like disco...get out of this thread and go back to discussing the myriad differences between all the "back from the grave" and pebbles comps. it seems like your idea of disco is Paul Jabara and that dude's records are what made people hate disco.
just because certain tracks were played while you were getting your wisdom teeth pulled out in the 70s doesn't mean they weren't also disco crossover tunes...and what is up with your use of the term "mildly funky"...is that supposed to be an insult? most of my favorite music is mildly funky...you can keep your slap-bass riddled con-funk-shun records, give me my nicolette larson.
more disco records from non-disco artists:
Sailor "Down By The Docks"...very tough 12" to find...produced by Curt Boetcher of Beach Boys fame...killer breaks at the begining of this one...the whole tune is great...and yes it's textbook yacht rock
Bruce Johnston "Pipeline"
Style Council - Shout To The Top
Style Council - A Solid Bond In Your Heart
Hell Yeah! Big TSC fan here!
i guess there's a perverse quality to finding records from the disco and post-disco era that are just a little bit disco. obviously i don't think nicolette is a bangin' disco joint. but i think it is closer in line to disco than ABC...and most definitely Style Council! I love the Jam but it's taken me a decade to be able to swallow Style Council...i'll check the youtube clips there M*rco...and do you still have that indian disco 12" you played for me? i need that!