Rabz’ Radio Show April 2022: Disco

Cats, due to popular demand, here we are. I’m not even going to pretend that it’s one of my favourite musical genres, but nonetheless, there are some diamonds in the dirt.

To truly understand the rise and (seeming) fall of disco, one needs to understand the Seventies as the era that taste forgot.

Following on from the revolutionary changes in social mores that began in the Sixties and similar to many musical subcultures before, disco was initially an “underground” phenomenon that later slipped seamlessly into the mainstream. To paraphrase, that time “when bank clerks started dressing like Neil Diamond”.

This piece at Reason attempts to put disco in context and this film looks like it might also be worth checking out. Not to mention this riotous event, which I wish I’d been at.

Anyway Cats, don those flares, stacked heels, open necked polyester shirts (chest carpet obligatory), munch on some ‘luudes and boogie on down.

Here’s a piece from the seventies 

and a neo disco piece to get you in the mood 

Enjoy!

136 thoughts on “Rabz’ Radio Show April 2022: Disco”

  1. Quaaludes may have been the stimulant of choice for city folks, we in the suburbs had Seaview sparkling wine April Gold and Rhinegold. Well, the girls did.

    2

  11. Great link Rabz, completely forgot Patrick Hernandez. Born to be alive was very popular in the suburbs.

    2

  15. Sorry Cats, but this needs to happen.

    Vlad Bae commands it

    Dschngis Khan- MOSKAU

    Live from 1978 for max Euro-campy cape-swirly goodness. 🙂

    ***Slav Intensifies***

    2

  17. Disco in excelsis …

    Disco meets New Wave.

    The child will be called The Human League.

  19. I’ll kick off with two sciency tracks!

    Giorgio Moroder – E=MC² (1979)

    Mi Sex – Computer Games (1979)

    The latter isn’t supposed to be disco but with lasers and a glitter ball it would go very well. In ancient days I liked to head down to Canterbury ice rink, they’d often do that sort of thing to this track. Which helped to hide my embarrassment when I fell over.

    2

  21. Cats, this is Rabz’s radio show.

    Maybe he’ll take requests towards the end of the night.

    (By which time I’ll have long since retired with a good book.)

  22. Hey mr dj can you play the Rolling Stones Miss You, for my love of ‘78, Michelle?

    1

  25. No, Rog – this is an open field, I want people to post their favourite disco ditties

    That was the purpose of these monthly posts …

    Democracy in action

    1

  29. No, Rog – this is an open field, I want people to post their favourite disco ditties

    That was the purpose of these monthly posts …

    Democracy in action

    Oh, well in that case.

    3

  34. And we mustn’t forget the Frenchman.

    I think ‘The King of the Divan’ is Belgian. The song always reminds me of National Lampoon’s European Vacation.

    2

  36. Anyway, how did an Anglo-Aussie trio of brothers manage to rise to the pinnacle of this genre? Did it come down to that bridge?

    (The opening beat was said to be inspired by the sound of driving over a bridge in New England. Possibly one of those metal ones.)

    1

  43. Lets get out of the seventies for a short while.

    The KLF – Justified & Ancient (1991)

    The KLF aren’t a classic disco gig, but they loved the stuff so much they had a pure disco side project for a while. This one of course features the lovely Tammy Wynette.

    2

  51. The gayest house party ever.
    Sinc would have shuttered the old Cat under the same circumstances.

    3

  64. This is fun, I forgot about this one totally until it turned up on the YT sidebar. Liked at the time and then forgot about for ages. Fine dance funk!

    Cameo – Word Up (1986)

    1

  72. Word Up is in my go-to iTunes playlist when using the noise cancelling headphones on a Dash-8 flight.

  74. An alternative version of the Donna Summer classic by Russian gal Yana Fortep here.

    h/t Steve Trickler at Adam’s.

    2

  90. Mr dj please,please,please…
    The revolting cocks, do ya think I’m sexy
    for my 80’s baby Lindy

    1

  93. Acid house Bruce

    MF – Pure disco despite what the wiki says. Dance club classic.

    1

  94. calli, at this rate, the extra hour will be barely enough.

    Bluddee hell, I was worried that this radio show would not be “well received”.

    I was wrong (again). 😕

    3

  99. Atomic came out before Heart of Glass and it was a good move. Hit them with your best shot first is my philosophy.

    The first time I heard Atomic I had the same reaction as when I first saw Star Wars. Out of this world. 70s were a fantastic decade, everything was still possible and easy.

    4

  102. Almost forgot Lipps. Inc

    Always reminds me of a school trip to NZ in 1980. I also remember going to see Pseudo Echo at the uni refectory early 1986 and they played this as the encore. Just thought they were having a bit of fun but it was a preview of their cover single that they released a few months later.

    3

  106. I had good timing, had just gotten home from a rugby club function when this thread popped up. Thanks Rabz and everyone else for making a fun Saturday night.

    3

  109. for those who opine that my demise is near

    You’ll outlive Sir Keith Richards, Squirette – if that’s any consolation. 🙂

  113. Worth putting up the Disco wiki. It’s pretty epic. Eighty years of music in one wiki page! I like this one:

    The Martian, a 2015 film, extensively uses disco music as a soundtrack, although for the main character, astronaut Mark Watney, there’s only one thing worse than being stranded on Mars: it’s being stranded on Mars with nothing but disco music.

    Someone send the soundtrack to Elon, it might save his life. 😀

    1

  115. stranded on Mars with nothing but disco music

    Sounds slightly more preferable than existing here on Earth.

    1

  117. Err, no lots

    Haven’t seen that one. Mesmerizing. R&B pop more than disco, but that’s quite forgivable…

    2

  120. Miss Planet, explaining what a woman is, for those collectivist dunderheads among us.

    And yes, Cats, it is disco, as far as I’m concerned! 🙂

    2

  131. Thelma Houston playout medley from “I’ve got the Music in Me”. direct-cut album.

    Jim Gordon and Jim Keltner on drums.

    Michael Omartian on Keyboards, etc, etc.

    1

  134. “Do roller skates count?”

    At one point in time, I could dance “The Time Warp” (Rocky Horror) on roller skates…

    1

  135. Well done, Rabz – I didn’t contribute much, but very much enjoyed the contributions of others.

  136. Great show Rabz, and so much I remember now, hearing it again. Thanx.

    Yep. I was there. Inter-regnum of husbands between 1976 and 1980.
    A lot went on. In between the tears.

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