Revisiting "Disco"

b.c.

Worshipped Member
Verified
Gold
Joined
Nov 7, 2005
Posts
20,540
Media
0
Likes
21,784
Points
468
Location
at home
Verification
View
Gender
Male
While cruising through "The Big H" the other day I came upon a nifty little radio station that featured seemingly endless dance music, (KRBE 104.1 Houston I think it was) and the music instantly brought to mind discos. Of course no one today thinks it's "disco" music, it's "dance" - but it's the same thing. (....shhhh...don't tell 'em).

The point being, what was all that anger over disco about anyway and was it justified? It was/is high energy, feel good music, and was/is there something wrong with feeling good (if only momentarily in some fantasy like fog machine induced euphoria)? :rolleyes:

In the midst of political, social, economic, environmental concerns and even war, is there something wrong with wanting to catch our breaths on a Friday nite and just go "Steppin' Out"?
 

concupisys

Expert Member
Joined
Jan 31, 2007
Posts
846
Media
0
Likes
226
Points
188
Location
Toronto (Ontario, Canada)
Sexuality
100% Gay, 0% Straight
Gender
Male
disco was just one in a long line of musical genres that sparked controversy because of the cultural and social change it brought to the masses.... it started with rock n' roll, then psychedelic music, then disco/punk, then new wave/metal, then on to techno/rave.... i can't say there's a specific musical genre sparking controversy nowadays.... (though in many cases, can it even be called music???)

these genres were controversial because they sparked radical changes in fashion, dance, language, and i may go so far as to say human sexuality.... those not in agreement with this change tried to stop the music from getting on the radio, which led to many of these genres developing huge underground cultures for people to enjoy the music together.... eventually though, enough people get in to it that the music becomes more socially acceptable and watered down versions of them get filtered to the masses.....

ultimately though, there's no such thing as underground culture anymore since the advent of the internet..... a small cultural or social movement can become big news to the world in just a matter of days with the right amount of publicity....

oh god.... now i feel old....
 

molotovmuffin

Experimental Member
Joined
Oct 8, 2009
Posts
7,449
Media
0
Likes
9
Points
183
Sexuality
100% Straight, 0% Gay
Gender
Female
disco was just one in a long line of musical genres that sparked controversy because of the cultural and social change it brought to the masses.... it started with rock n' roll, then psychedelic music, then disco/punk, then new wave/metal, then on to techno/rave.... i can't say there's a specific musical genre sparking controversy nowadays.... (though in many cases, can it even be called music???)

these genres were controversial because they sparked radical changes in fashion, dance, language, and i may go so far as to say human sexuality.... those not in agreement with this change tried to stop the music from getting on the radio, which led to many of these genres developing huge underground cultures for people to enjoy the music together.... eventually though, enough people get in to it that the music becomes more socially acceptable and watered down versions of them get filtered to the masses.....

ultimately though, there's no such thing as underground culture anymore since the advent of the internet..... a small cultural or social movement can become big news to the world in just a matter of days with the right amount of publicity....

oh god.... now i feel old....

I think you thought too much about it.


I've never visited Disco...but I would love to one day :wink:
 

concupisys

Expert Member
Joined
Jan 31, 2007
Posts
846
Media
0
Likes
226
Points
188
Location
Toronto (Ontario, Canada)
Sexuality
100% Gay, 0% Straight
Gender
Male
actually there was some really great disco in its day.... not the silly commercial stuff you hear now, but some well produced, contemporary, classic sounding music....

.... michael jackson's off the wall comes to mind, or even some of the stuff that earth wind and fire came out with.... it's definitely mightier real than some of the crap that was released, but the same could be said of the new wave movement or even the dance movement of the early to mid 1990's.... anyone here recall culture beat? the urban cookie collective? ace of freakin' base?

:p
 

B_VinylBoy

Sexy Member
Joined
Nov 30, 2007
Posts
10,363
Media
0
Likes
68
Points
123
Location
Boston, MA / New York, NY
Sexuality
90% Gay, 10% Straight
Gender
Male
Do you all really want to go back to being disco dorks nearly 40 yrs later?:irked::confused:

Yes! :biggrin1:
Seriously, a lot of people associate Disco with Saturday Night Fever, Studio 54, Bellbottoms and "Boogie Oogie Oogie". But before the genre exploded in the late 70s, there was some really good music and scenes flowing from it.

A must read if you want an interesting book that touches on the subject - Amazon.com: Last Night a DJ Saved My Life: The History of the Disc Jockey (9780802136886): Bill…
 

concupisys

Expert Member
Joined
Jan 31, 2007
Posts
846
Media
0
Likes
226
Points
188
Location
Toronto (Ontario, Canada)
Sexuality
100% Gay, 0% Straight
Gender
Male
agreed vynilboy.... in fact, before disco there were the old pop-lock crews of the mid 1970's.... that gave birth to breakdancing and eventually hip-hop culture as a whole by the mid 1980's.... as a dancer as well as a musician, the history of disco/funk/hip-hop/techno is highly significant to my upbringing....
 

Bbucko

Cherished Member
Joined
Oct 28, 2006
Posts
7,232
Media
8
Likes
325
Points
208
Location
Sunny SoFla
Sexuality
90% Gay, 10% Straight
Gender
Male
I graduated HS in 1978, which was high-summer (in more ways than one) for Disco, and moved into Downtown Boston the day after my last day of school. As the drinking age at that point was still 18, Disco was the soundtrack of my life.

I still get shivers hearing the opening of I Love America, which epitomizes the Disco sound for me: lush, full, melodic. I only wish Techno were half as grand; though it's a decent enough progeny, the mother was just so much more beautiful.

The entire fourth side of Donna Summer's masterpiece Once Upon A Time:

Rumor Has It/I Love You/Happily Ever After
 

b.c.

Worshipped Member
Verified
Gold
Joined
Nov 7, 2005
Posts
20,540
Media
0
Likes
21,784
Points
468
Location
at home
Verification
View
Gender
Male
^LOL. Yes, it was a blast, and changed us culturally and socially more than most of its critics would ever acknowledge.

But guys, the thing I was suggesting is that you don't have to "go back" at all. The music has evolved, some styles have changed, but essentially It's still there.
 

b.c.

Worshipped Member
Verified
Gold
Joined
Nov 7, 2005
Posts
20,540
Media
0
Likes
21,784
Points
468
Location
at home
Verification
View
Gender
Male
Yes! :biggrin1:
Seriously, a lot of people associate Disco with Saturday Night Fever, Studio 54, Bellbottoms and "Boogie Oogie Oogie". But before the genre exploded in the late 70s, there was some really good music and scenes flowing from it.

A must read if you want an interesting book that touches on the subject - Amazon.com: Last Night a DJ Saved My Life: The History of the Disc Jockey (9780802136886): Bill…


Well like anything that catches on really big it suffered from over exposure.

Spin offs came from the original concepts, and before you knew it all became a parody of itself, complete with the symbolic Travolta suit, finger pointing in the air, wide collar unbuttoned polyester slick and all.

So the images of what remains from the parodies: the commercial Hollywood interpretations, of what we are told it was like; don't always accurately represent the realities, no more so than what will be remembered of current genres.
 

BigDallasDick8x6

Admired Member
Joined
Mar 22, 2006
Posts
3,881
Media
6
Likes
859
Points
333
Location
Dallas TX (North Oak Cliff)
Sexuality
99% Gay, 1% Straight
Gender
Male
Don't Stop the Train
You Make Me Feel Mighty Real
Expressway to Your Heart (Karen Young version)
Do You Want to Funk?
Turn the Beat Around (Vickie Sue Robinson version)
Relight My Fire
Stormy Weather (Viola Wills)
Hold on to My Love
Feel the Heat (Sylvester)
Dance Trance
Misty Hills of Katmandu

At least that's what I read in the history books....
 

Bbucko

Cherished Member
Joined
Oct 28, 2006
Posts
7,232
Media
8
Likes
325
Points
208
Location
Sunny SoFla
Sexuality
90% Gay, 10% Straight
Gender
Male
heh.... i was always partial to 'try me/i know/we can make it' myself.... i love the strings section....

I once had a baby-blue, skin-tight V-neck T-shirt with French-cap sleeves that had "Try me" printed on the chest and "I know we can make it" printed across the back. It was the gayest thing I owned, unless you count that petal/shell color satin baseball jacket or my (infamous) "Roller Girl" outfit :wink:

Alex R Costandinos Romeo & Juliette, Pt 1

Alex R Costandinos Romeo & Juliette, Pt 2

Voyage Souvenirs

Celi Bee Superman

Gino Soccio Dancer

Madleen Kane Rough Diamond

France Joli Come To Me