Best disco song for you to dance..?

[camper joe]

Gloria Estefan's - Turn the beat around.

 

[adequate]

Variety is the spice of life, but I'd have to say that


E.C.K. would be my absolute # 1 favorite. I'd be dead tired, sitting in the chair, but I'd get up and find a dance partner to this tune, if I didn't have a date at the time.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OMbty5vEBGU

 

[maxcok]

As long as you don't mention "Disco Duck" by Rick Dees you should be fine.
Everyone can engage in a collective and well deserved moan right now. :biggrin1:

I'm a little embarassed to admit I knew him when he recorded that. No, he's not any more interesting in real life.

LMAO - but You're not a true dancin' fool unless You own The Ethel Merman Disco Album!
allmusic ((( The Ethel Merman Disco Album > Overview )))

Here ya go: The one and only Ethel Merman :biggrin2:

Also, did you know Mae West recorded three rock albums?

Mae does the Beatles from Way out West. Okay, one more, Great Balls of Fire! (totally worth it)

 

[Stretch]

LMAO - but You're not a true dancin' fool unless You own The Ethel Merman Disco Album!
allmusic ((( The Ethel Merman Disco Album > Overview )))

And of course..."Sesame Street Fever" :biggrin1:

 

[Mickactual]

Mae does the Beatles from Way out West.

I actually own that Way Out West album!
:tongue:

 

[Mickactual]

And of course..."Sesame Street Fever" :biggrin1:

LMAO - Totally forgot about that! I never owned that one (but I do own "Grover Sings The Blues")
Grover Sings the Blues - Muppet Wiki

 

[maxcok]

I actually own that Way Out West album!
:tongue:

I'm jealous, but do you own "God Bless Tiny Tim"?

For those who just can't get enough: Mae rocks out!

 

[Mickactual]

I'm jealous, but do you own "God Bless Tiny Tim"?

LOL - no. Isn't that the album where he duets with himself on "I Got You Babe"?

 

[b.c.]

Carly Simon "WHY" (Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards (of CHIC) produced this one. I think that this one was pretty funky in the discotheque.)

Yes, Rodgers and Edwards imo were a prominent force in disco music, writing in their inimitable style for Simon, Chic, Sister Sledge ("We Are Family"), Debbie Harry, and Diana Ross, among others.

Disco never really died. If anything, it went back to the gay and ethnic scenes where it emerged and eventually became what we call House music & Garage today. A lot of the good 80s dance tracks were rebranded as R&B or Funk due to the mainstream Disco backlash, but the influences were definitely apparent. I already listed "Call Me" by Skyy as one example. Here are a few others that I loved growing up.

Howard Johnson's "So Fine" (1982) - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wo28MJIVt98
One Way's "Cutie Pie" (1982) - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ohn5j1tPAtc
Junior's "Mama Used To Say" (1982) - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rwTTGnDcwoA
Evelyn Champagne King's "Love Come Down" (1982) - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dnh7YmXSviY
Tom Browne's "Funkin' For Jamaica" (1980) - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uuUy2ShGLyo

Ironically, this is around the same time that Hip-Hop started to spread its influence in the same cities that were responsible for the first wave of Disco back in the early 70s. Even though the first commercially successful Hip-Hop record was based off a Disco tune, the backlash prompted early pioneers to venture more towards R&B/Funk. In some ways, that is also reflected in the tracks listed above which blurred the lines between all of these genres even more.

Yes. Actually the funk form of disco co-existed with the standard 4/4 beat (120 something and higher beats per minute) disco music.

Parliament/Funkadelics et al (I mentioned them in an above post) had many early disco hits, though music defined as funk (or what they called p-funk) plays on different musical elements and rhythms (e.g. "get up for the down stroke").

The major difference between dance/house music and music traditionally defined as 70's disco is that the latter usually relied heavily on orchestra backing (strings) while today's version is heavily "electronic" (hence, electronica-duh).

Donna Summer's "Now I Need You" and "Working the Midnight Shift" were definitely an early precursor of what was to follow. They were hot the first time I heard them and they still are today. (p.s. If you hear them on the right equipment, the sounds will seem to come from places you never knew existed in your room.) :wink:

 

[invisibleman]

Who knew The Supremes could let themselves go...?

This one is funky.

 

[Rikter8]

Amii Stewart - Knock on Wood

KC and the Sunshine Band - Boogie Shoes

Not Disco - but sure has the feel
Tom Novy - Your Body

 

[maxcok]

Disco never really died. If anything, it went back to the gay and ethnic scenes where it emerged and eventually became what we call House music & Garage today. A lot of the good 80s dance tracks were rebranded as R&B or Funk due to the mainstream Disco backlash, but the influences were definitely apparent. . . .

Ironically, this is around the same time that Hip-Hop started to spread its influence in the same cities that were responsible for the first wave of Disco back in the early 70s. Even though the first commercially successful Hip-Hop record was based off a Disco tune, the backlash prompted early pioneers to venture more towards R&B/Funk. In some ways, that is also reflected in the tracks listed above which blurred the lines between all of these genres even more.

Yes, Rodgers and Edwards imo were a prominent force in disco music, writing in their inimitable style for Simon, Chic, Sister Sledge ("We Are Family"), Debbie Harry, and Diana Ross, among others.

Yes. Actually the funk form of disco co-existed with the standard 4/4 beat (120 something and higher beats per minute) disco music.

Parliament/Funkadelics et al (I mentioned them in an above post) had many early disco hits, though music defined as funk (or what they called p-funk) plays on different musical elements and rhythms (e.g. "get up for the down stroke").

The major difference between dance/house music and music traditionally defined as 70's disco is that the latter usually relied heavily on orchestra backing (strings) while today's version is heavily "electronic" (hence, electronica-duh). . . .

Loved your analyses of the evolution of dance music, guys. From my vantage point, 'disco' was ruined when it became too mainstream and homogenized, and I started seeing frat boys, sorority girls and other waspy country club types doing the hustle and performing that stupid YMCA arm dance at wedding receptions. Disco lost its "soul", and it was a good thing it died at that point. Gimme some good old R&B, funk and soul influence. That'll get me up dancing for sure. I wonder what you think of the influence of 'world music', even 'new age' genres on today's trance/dance music?

BTW, George Clinton and P-funk rule! George Clinton & Parliament Funkadelic

 

[deleted15807]

Yes, Rodgers and Edwards imo were a prominent force in disco music, writing in their inimitable style for Simon, Chic, Sister Sledge ("We Are Family"), Debbie Harry, and Diana Ross, among others

Diana Ross's album 'Diana' is one of her best efforts ever alongside her 'The Boss' album. Two definitive works from that era.

 

[Mickactual]

Diana Ross's album 'Diana' is one of her best efforts ever alongside her 'The Boss' album. Two definitive works from that era.

True. Though I've always viewed "Diana" as a Nile Rodgers album on which he used Diana as the vocalist. The whole album has a very Chic feel to it (and that's a good thing).

 

[nudeyorker]

Last winter we went skiing and this was on the juke box and I instructed my other half on how to do this dance... It was a fun night.
The Hustle!

 

[nudeyorker]

In 1975 I had to leave a club and go to the emergency room to have my foot put into a cast because I got a little carried away dancing to this...
Kung Fu Fighting

 

[b.c.]

Loved your analyses of the evolution of dance music, guys. From my vantage point, 'disco' was ruined when it became too mainstream and homogenized, and I started seeing frat boys, sorority girls and other waspy country club types doing the hustle and performing that stupid YMCA arm dance at wedding receptions. Disco lost its "soul", and it was a good thing it died at that point. Gimme some good old R&B, funk and soul influence. That'll get me up dancing for sure. I wonder what you think of the influence of 'world music', even 'new age' genres on today's trance/dance music?

BTW, George Clinton and P-funk rule! George Clinton & Parliament Funkadelic

Then perhaps you already have heard that Parliament/Funkadelics guitarist Garry Shider died very recently (June 17th). The linked article mentioned that he also co-wrote a number of the group's hits including "One Nation Under a Groove"

...("gettin' down just fooooor the funk of it")

Funkadelic and Parliament guitarist Garry Shider dies at age 56 | EW.com

 

[BarefootGuy]

"Turn the Beat Around" by Vicki Sue Robinson, "If I can't Have You" by Yvonne Elliman, and "Dim All The Lights" along with most anything else by Donna Summer from the 70s. "Got To Be Real" and "You Should Be Dancing" are also very good.

 

[Hotrocker]

bahahaha disco. I appreciate all forms of music, but disco never really appealed to me.

 

[Mickactual]

^^ Reading through this thread, it's clearly illustrated that a legitimately good musical genre was milked by the greedy hands of the record companies to the point of becoming mind-numbing tripe.
My lyricist once told me that a good song is a good song. Doesn't matter if You sing it acapella, accompanied by one instrument, or accompanied by 50 instruments. That said - it's all about the material. And good material - even put to a disco beat - is still good material.
There is some good disco. A few worthwhile places to start: Most any 70's Bee Gees or Donna Summer + early Village People (with Victor Willis on vocals). Also most any Rodgers/Edwards/Chic productions.