So...why did did disco music really disappear?

I hate to admit it but by 1979 I was out of graduate school and working. One of the things people don't remember much about the 70s is how many different music genres were flourishing side by side. It was far more diverse than the 60s. Very few places were one thing and not anything else. People's memories get distorted into thinking that Disco or any other popular activity is only what was reported the most in the news or in mags or associated with some celeb they find interesting. Check the music charts, they are a total mishmash.

As dance music Disco is fantastic but dance music doesn't have the staying power of a more typical musical style or genre. It could never remain for decades the way rock or C&W or pop or even easy listening/mood music can.

 

Huh? Peak cocaine happened in the '80s - long after (traditional) disco had faded from the charts.

The commercial decline of disco though does almost precisely coincide with the appearance of "GRID" - clusters of Kaposi's sarcoma and pneumonia in New York, LA and San Francisco. It's interesting timing certainly, although I don't know if one could establish a causal relationship given the - at that point - low number of deaths.

I think the arrival of a plague of bandwagon jumpers around '78 - '79 did pretty severe damage to disco. Sht like this must have driven listeners screaming from the discos:



The actual innovators in disco - folks like Giorgio Moroder - were incorporating a ton of rock influences toward the end (Donna Summer's "Hot Stuff" for example), eventually budding completely off in a much more electronic, New Wave tinged direction (Blondie's "Call Me"). Disco had to compete with the resulting "power pop" and monster singles like "Bette Davis Eyes" and Olivia Newton John's "Physical", and I think many of the people who could have driven the innovation to compete had moved on. A ton of disco product just immediately sounded really dated, and couldn't keep up with what were to some degree really genres that had evolved from disco and were to some degree being pioneered by the same folks who'd pioneered disco.

The blockbuster Diana Ross album diana would be another example, originally written and produced by disco impresarios Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards in a somewhat-evolved disco style, but with some vocals subsequently re-recorded by Ross in a more clipped, aggressive, New Wave-influenced style and the album remixed under Motown engineer Russ Terrana auspices. It's clearly evolved from disco, but it isn't disco as we'd come to know it over the past 5 years or thereabouts.

Rogers would go on to have enormous post-disco success with David Bowie and Madonna, via the latter in particular doing a great deal to shape the sound of '80s pop and "dance music" - the successor to disco.

Don't discount Michael Jackson, either. He became a huge superstar during this era with a disco-tinged R&B sound, but his sound was also clearly evolving beyond the traditional dancefloor cliches and ended up having a big impact on the R&B end of the disco spectrum. This fragmented the market for standard disco and probably did a great deal to lead to its commercial demise - black and white audiences each began to listen to a lot of other stuff at around the same time, leaving disco both dated and unloved on the pop charts. That's a deadly combo for any genre.

 

No, I thing he's right there. By the early 80s, rehab clinics that specialized in cocaine addiction went up all over the place. The cocaine epidemic had subsided along with the fall of the disco craze. However, the more purer form of cocaine, crack, started to make inroads into the suburbs by the mid-80s. Freebasing was still popular. Among famous people, Rick James was a well-known freebaser in the mid-80s, long after Richard Pryor had stopped.

I'll bet no one can name anyone who has actually heard that Ethel Merman album. I'll bet not one single disco played it. It bay have gotten a couple of spins in nursing homes.

Well, those songs came along in 1981, long after Blondie's "Call Me" was on the charts. But, yeah, disco didn't go away. Some people are bringing up punk and rock, but I would say that new wave had a much bigger impact. Artists like Blondie, Joe Jackson, Gary Newman, Devo, Donna Summer, and many others, jumped on the new wave bandwagon. It seemed like more of a disco "replacement". And, people seem to forget that the Bee Gees had a hit with "Woman In You" in the early 80s, too. Disco didn't really kill them. People tend to forget the seismic shift American culture took with the election of Ronald Reagan in 1980, which just happened to coincide with the demise of the disco craze.

Disco's natural constituency just moved on to what was happening in the R&B world. The Gap Band, Junior, The Whispers, Shalamar, Chic, Diana Ross, Yarbrough & Peoples, Sister Sledge, Jermaine Jackson, Narada Michael Walden, Teena Marie, Rick James, Switch, Kleer, Cameo, Slave, and tons of others, thrived in the early 80s with what many call disco. For years I promoted this music, and it keeps getting thrown by the wayside. Many of the songs were huge pop hits, too, but people have very short memories. And, they don't sound so dated.

Madonna's hits on her first album were produced by Reggie Lucas, who also produced the excellent 1980 disco hit "You Know How To Love Me" by Phyllis Hyman. (BTW, Steve Hoffman superbly mastered it on the "Groove On: Volume One" CD comp. It's worth seeking out.

Producer Quincy Jones, along with songwriter Rod Temperton (formerly of the band Heatwave), not only created MJ's "Off the Wall" album, but simultaneously did Rufus & Chaka (Khan)'s "Masterjam" album, and The Brothers Johnson album "Light Up The Night" which also features Michael on "This Had To Be". MJ may have provided the voice and some creative input on "Off the Wall", but that style of music wasn't unique by any means. If anything, it was the Quincy Jones and Rod Temperton sound. Anyone who is familiar with Heatwave's albums can also hear his signature sound on them.

 

I've listened to it; I'll buy a copy when/if I see it in a used rack; same for Saturday Night Fiedler. The interesting thing about the Ethel Merman album is that it isn't the worst disco music I've ever heard; the honor of that would be some generic sonic wallpaper played on XM's Studio 54 Radio. Sometimes I wonder about the people programming that channel.

 

Interesting to note a lot of established artists flirted with disco(stones: miss you) as well as labels issuing (sometimes illegally) full albums of disco renditions of popular songs(I have a stones Lp in this regard). But that was part of its demise: it became a one trick pony, with everything sounding the same (homogenized). That being said, same iconic singles managed to transcend the genre ("ring my bell"). I personally enjoyed the genres that followed: post-punk, new wave, power pop, etc.

 

Of course, without disco a track like this would never have come to be:

 

That was an unkind, unnecessary poke. Didn't know it was some kind of contest.

Well pal if he is the only one who agrees with me then how the heck did an industry rise up out of the "Disco Sucks" movement?
At the time there were lots and lots of people who actively hated it just like there were lots and lots of people who loved it.
It was very polarizing.

Maybe you had to have been of a certain age when Disco arrived.
What was it? Late 70's and early 80's?
I wasn't a kid anymore.

The abandoning the of progressive and communal ideals of the 60's gave way to disco and the "Me decade" (of which much has been written).
Shirts unbuttoned to the navel with gold chains proudly displayed in a cloud of Brut were anathema to those of us who went through the cultural revolution that was the 60's and early 70's.
The narcissistic disco "look at me" style of dance, dress and attitude did rise and fall with cocaine's popularity. Coincidence? Maybe.
I think Disco and cocaine were symptoms of the times. Of course popular music always is.

It is true that it is simple 4/4 dance music with one goal. Shake your booty.
Nothing wrong with that.
There is always a place for dance music as there should be.
It was about the thump, thump, thump and nothing more.
If you wanted depth and meaning in music it was still out there in other forms.

Enjoy listening to your disco.
I'll save it for wedding receptions and class reunions.
That's about as much of "The Hustle" and "Kung Fu Fighting" as I can handle.

As we used to say, "Different strokes for different folks".

 

Disco in it's early days shared a lot with the early days of punk.
There were people who hated it, people who loved it.It was very much a scene where like minded people shared a sense of exploration in music, dancing, hedonism. It was a social scene where people who were either ostracized or just did not fit in with society at large could hang together safely. The dance clubs were like meeting places for the marginalized, and by being a part of a community, however small, people found strength and courage to just be who they were. It, like punk, was about so much more than just what was visible on the surface.

 

Same could be said about our "Southern Rock" era down here, at the same time. I realized this when a younger friend pointed out how we all " dressed " for a concert back then. It was indeed, a " community."
.

 

I hear you. That perfect pairing of jeans and shirt that got saved for special occasions like a big concert.

 

And a cowboy hat, sporting an expensive feather band, from Ernest Tubb's Record Shop, on Broadway.
.

 

What was so unkind about it? Do you not remember Peter Pyle and that other dude who used to take shifts on bashing new music all the time? It was a joke!

Well pal, your reasons for why the disco era went away is what I addressed. See, you're assuming you're right. You're not.

Sure, but we were talking about why it was polarizing. I think you guys are way off base about why.

The disco era was created by the post-WWII baby boomers. We are both of that generation, so...

True.

That was exactly the reason. The revolution wasn't such a revolution. People became disillusioned by the politics of things. But, at the same time, the progress made by some other groups in the late 60s allowed the disco phase to happen.

And, if you had read what I wrote, you would have seen that I agree on this point. I indeed agreed that the popularity of cocaine went down when the disco craze went away. But, the music didn't.

No, I mentioned Gamble & Huff's work (Philadelphia International Records), and the message records they had with the O'Jays, Lou Rawls, and many others. Not all disco had that 4/4 beat. Van McCoy was one of the most prominent disco producers and writers of that era. he didn't do 4/4. Also, one of the first acknowledged disco hits (which wasn't really disco) was "Rock The Boat" by The Hues Corporation. Other huge disco hits, like "Rock Your Baby" and "TSOP" didn't have it, either. Disco took many musical forms. Those who really don't know all that much about disco try to distill the sound down to a couple of elements.

Nope! Of course, you do have rockers who despise disco, and any R&B or funk music because of its danceable quality.

I just got through explaining why you're wrong. re-read what I just wrote above.

 

You nailed it! People like to find groups where they belong and feel comfortable.

Instead of butting so much energy into hating disco, why didn't those people put their energy into promoting or creating the music that they did like.

 

As you know, that's not really what most people think of when they think of the disco music that people rebelled against. It was the formulaic disco music starting from the popularity of the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack. We all know it if we hear it - 100-120 beats/minute, straight 4/4 bass drum, alternating open hi-hat, hand claps, often with sweeping strings. It was definitely a formula and it did indeed dominate the genre for those 2-3 years.

I would bet that most Forum members feel very differently about the dance music that preceded it, particularly the Philly sound and the tracks you mentioned. I heard the Three Degrees' "When Will I See You Again" the other day and was just blown away - hard to believe that AM radio was that good. Anyway, many of those pre-77 acts, across the funk/soul/blues spectrum, suffered and had to change their styles because they weren't "disco".

 

Disco died because the 70s ended and the 80s began. There is always a shift in music at the beginning of a new decade. The big money always changes up the playbook when the returns at the cash registers start diminishing, and the the last penny can't be milked anymore. It's a matter of dollar and cents, the subtext is inconsequential. We're all living through a script.

 

"Clubbing" is short lived.
Been doing it since the Seventies.
Super hot clubs generally last like 3 years.
Even clubs that go on for decades, don't retain even a quarter of their orginal clients.
See many many dancers for like six months; then never again. Even when their having a great time going out. Socially/economically things change fast. Hot club one year, dead the next. Single one year, long term relationship the next.

Dance music has to change.
Shoot, what 60's or 70's genera sounds exactly the same today?!?!
"Disco" got sucked into a lot of early "Techno [esp. "Trip Hop"]", early "House", & early "EDM".

It's still out there.
"Booty Shaking" sounds are "Bumping & Grinding" in clubs today.

 

It was merged with other styles. It's disco in "Thriller" and "Let's Dance" and Prince, Madonna... in the 80s, but only as an ingredient.

 

It dominated the airways.
Not just Discos.
Remember seeing a weekly "Pop" chart back in the mid-Seventies & not one "Rock" band made the Top 10.

Would make a political/social analogy...
however would probably be banned from SHMF for life.
[understandably]

 

Agree with most of your post except for this. I think the Bee Gees caught the brunt of the "disco backlash," and I think numbers back me up...
Spirits Having Flown (Feb 1979): #1 US, #1 UK, 4x platinum (16m worldwide), three singles released (all three peaked #1 US).
Living Eyes (Oct 1981): #41 US, #73 UK, no US certification (750,000 worldwide), two singles released (#30 & #45 US).

I mean, that's barely a two-year difference, and they go from HUGE to non-existent on the charts.
FYI "Woman In You" peaked at #24 in 1983 (#81 UK), but wasn't from a Bee Gees studio album. It was the soundtrack to Staying Alive. I can't find official US numbers but it did seem to sell better than Living Eyes.

The Bee Gees had stated in numerous interviews that they were "blacklisted" by Top 40 radio for years as a result of the disco backlash. I do think they found ways to stay relevant, though.... by giving their songs to other artists who, minus the "Bee Gees stigma," had big hits with them. (Dionne Warwick with "Heartbreaker," Kenny & Dolly with "Islands In The Stream.") They also released solo albums, which didn't do especially well, although Robin had a moderate hit with "Boys Do Fall In Love" (which is 98% new-wave and 0% disco).

By 1987, they were far enough removed from disco to score a massive hit in most territories with "You Win Again" (#1 in UK and several other countries) but there was STILL a backlash in America, where the song peaked at #75. They wouldn't truly "comeback" in America until 1989, when "One" hit #7, their last US Top 10 single.

 

Well, if your impression of disco is The Hustle and Kung Fu Fighting, perhaps you should check out my last disco mix I did on Mixlr a few weeks ago. The last third of the mix, starting with Barry Mason, gets into Italo.

You can listen here.....

Diggity Disco Dance Party


Here is the tracklisting....

Ramona Brooks - I Don't Want You Back
First Choice - Baby, Baby Baby, Aw Shucks (Ron Hardy Let No Man Put Asunder edit)
The Sunshine Band - Black Water Gold (Sunshine Sound Acetate Edit)
La Pregunta - Shangri-La (Dim's Mansion Anthem Re-Edit)
La Pregunta - Chameleon
Sparkle & Friends - Handsome Man (Bobby DJ Guttadaro Remix)
Double Exposure - Ten Per Cent (Walter Gibbons Sunshine Sound Acetate Edit)
Mecca Headz - Star (Original Centrestage Mix) Revelation - Feel It
Double Exposure - My Love Is Free (Walter Gibbons Disco Madness Remix)
Touch - Love Hangover (Dimitri From Paris Re-Edit)
First Choice - Love Thang (Tee Scott Remix)
MFSB Featuring The Three Degrees - T.S.O.P The Sound Of Philadelphia
Stetsasonic - Talkin' All That Jazz (Torti's Old School Of Edits Dub)
Barry Mason - Together (Illegal version)
Ghibli - I'm Looking For You (Instrumental)
Trilogy - Not Love
Grand Prix - Cruisin'
Barry Mason - Body (Body Version)
Sun La Shan - Catch (Instrumental Version - Dub Version)
Sun La Shan - Rose From Tokyo (S.O.S. Version)

 

I don't buy the premise. Disco didn't die. It didn't die any more than rock and roll died by the mid 1960s. It simply evolved. All electronic dance music is disco.

 

Not sure what I can add to this discussion, other than I was 20 in 1975 and enjoyed disco music. I never understood the visceral reaction some people had to it. I was not into the NYC disco scene, that was too dramatic for me. I was a douche bag from the suburbs and went to New Jersey discos, which in most cases were not true blue discos. I did enjoy watching the sexy woman dancing and sometimes participated myself. Later in the week, it was time for some punk rock.

 

Depends how you define disco. For me the key to disco is that whatever else is going on with the beat and whatever extent of syncopation there is, underlying it is what I would call an insistent and unchanging beat, that does not vary going through each measure and through the song.

Dance music coming after disco shared a lot with disco. But if it doesn't have that same beat, I don't consider it disco.

 

It mutated into the electronic dance/pop of the early 80s, disco with drum machines and synths.

 

Disco as a genre was very one dimensional. Other R&B-derived genres have a much greater potential for musical diversification. Sure, there was the disco-rock crossover that yielded songs like "One of These Nights" and "Miss You," but even that was pretty short-lived, with most artists only attempting it once, or sneaking the disco elements in, despite the fact that most of those songs were successful. There wasn't really anywhere for disco to go as a genre after its initial impact, and it didn't have much artistic potential, being primarily a fairly formulaic type of dance music.