"Disco is James Brown"

[remicks]

Originally Posted by Simon White

How the hell Rod Stewart - who made ONE disco record (and an awful one at that)..got dragged into this I don't know. Considering Rod Stewart was recording white soul lite in the 60's,and then did mostly cover versions and ballad type things he by no stretch of the imagination can be called a disco artist and shouldn't even be mentioned in the same breathe as JB.

Rod Stewart was mentioned by me as an example of someone who has "moved on" and now minimizes the significance of disco in their career . I've read that kind of attitude concerning some others too. Therefore I found it refreshing that in 2003 James Brown would even bother to mention disco in any way associated with him.

Stewart blasts 'sexy' song
05/01/2005 - 08:39:36

Veteran rocker Rod Stewart would only erase one aspect of his career given the chance - the moment he stepped into the studio to sing hit tune Do Ya Think I'm Sexy?

The gravel-voiced star remains embarrassed he asked the world to judge his sex appeal in the oft-ridiculed song, and still cringes in shame every time he has to perform it live.

Stewart says: "It was three steps backwards. I've made a few mistakes but nothing as dramatic as that.

"It's the one song I don't get a kick out of singing." © Thomas Crosbie Media, 2006.

Yes Rod did one especially outstanding disco record ... (and he also went on to do more 12" club styled songs in the 80's)

How outstanding was it ? Well .... put it this way : Out of all the "disco acts" trying to outclaw the others to the top during the peak of disco ... it was incredibly Rod Stewartof all people with DO YA THINK I'M SEXY that bumped them out of the way .............staying at number one for an amazing four weeks....making Rod very hot property as the 70's closed out. Hardly a mere asterisk song in Rod's career or in the story of disco.....


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[Nano]

Hey Bernie: no James Brown collection is complete without "Papa Don't Take No Mess"... all fourteen minutes of it Re: double LP "HELL" (1974)

Rod Stewart had a fling (or a "cash-in") with disco for a couple of years, like The Rolling Stones and other rock artists did. Obviously he's not a "disco artist" per se and he doesn't want to be remembered as that.

Disco was for him a huge fad, and no artist longing for a "career" wants to be linked with a fad, no matter if he's wrong in thinking that.

Remicks, it strikes me as odd that you didn't mention Isaac Hayes yet! :)

[Simon White]

Originally Posted by remicks

Rod Stewart was mentioned by me as an example of someone who has "moved on" and now minimizes the significance of disco in their career . I've read that kind of attitude concerning some others too. Therefore I found it refreshing that in 2003 James Brown would even bother to mention disco in any way associated with him.
Yes Rod did one especially outstanding disco record ... (and he also went on to do more 12" club styled songs in the 80's)

How outstanding was it ? Well .... put it this way : Out of all the "disco acts" trying to outclaw the others to the top during the peak of disco ... it was incredibly Rod Stewartof all people with DO YA THINK I'M SEXY that bumped them out of the way .............staying at number one for an amazing four weeks....making Rod very hot property as the 70's closed out. Hardly a mere asterisk song in Rod's career or in the story of disco.....


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Yes dear.
Rod Stewart's career was well under way (unfortunately) before the awful tacky pop garbage of 'do you think i'm sixty' (well, maybe it wasn't in your world....) and is exactly what you say it wasn't..an asterix. It stands up well these days as an example of the type of cr*p that made people burn disco records. The melody is stolen from something else as well.

[remicks]

Originally Posted by Simon White

Yes dear.
Rod Stewart's career was well under way (unfortunately) before the awful tacky pop garbage of 'do you think i'm sixty' (well, maybe it wasn't in your world....) and is exactly what you say it wasn't..an asterix. It stands up well these days as an example of the type of cr*p that made people burn disco records.

Gosh Simon , does this mean this is one disco record you won't be trying to smuggle in as Northern Soul !!!!


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[remicks]

Originally Posted by Nano

H

Remicks, it strikes me as odd that you didn't mention Isaac Hayes yet! :)

ISAAC HAYES IS DEAD TOO !!! ??? .................

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[Simon White]

Originally Posted by remicks

Gosh Simon , does this mean this is one disco record you won't be trying to smuggle in as Northern Soul !!!!


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Rest assured dear Remicks that if there is a Northern Soul connection I'll be sure to point it out to you.

At the time of Rod's execrable 'Do Ya Think I'm Sixty' (and lets just point out that between 1972 he had five top ten solo UK hits and one US number one in 1971..plus those with the Faces, so his career was well established by then) it was claimed that the melody had been stolen from something else entirely and I can't remember what. But it was a song from someone like Sly Johnson or Otis Clay..now if only I could find out exactly which track I'm sure I can find you the Northern Soul connection you so desperately crave !

[neonlights]

It's nice to know that he was willing to acknowledge his influence on disco.. Given how he seemed to struggle to find a place within a genre that he laid the foundations for, I'd certainly understand if he wanted to distance himself from disco..

That said though, lately I've really been enjoying "Eyesight," "Body Heat," "Get Up Off'a That Thing," "The Spank," "It's Too Funky In Here," and much of his "Original Disco Man" LP.. I don't know how even or uneven some of his other disco era albums were, since I don't have them, but listening to those tracks, there was some genuinely good stuff there..

And god help me, I've even been enjoying "For Goodness Sakes, Look At Those Cakes".. IMO, I used to think of it as a bit of a trainwreck, but damn, there's just something about it that I can't resist..

[remicks]

Originally Posted by neonlights

It's nice to know that he was willing to acknowledge his influence on disco.. Given how he seemed to struggle to find a place within a genre that he laid the foundations for, I'd certainly understand if he wanted to distance himself from disco..
.

I think you're understanding the point exactly Neon , by 2003 James Brown had no need to go anywhere near mentioning "disco" but obviously he felt strongly about his role and WAS PROUD OF IT

I think THE ORGINAL DISCO MAN song is A+ ... I was so pleasantly surprised by it (only recently) ... It deserved so much more play ....but by then I think it was too much and too late for the DJs to embrace ol' James Brown . There was so much other material right then I doubt many even had time to listen... and I'll bet Polydor didn't supply the pools with it either ....

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[remicks]

Originally Posted by Simon White

Rest assured dear Remicks that if there is a Northern Soul connection I'll be sure to point it out to you.

Simon ......I've no doubt that if anyone could stretch this into being a Northern Soul song .......it'd be you.

Simon says :
At the time of Rod's execrable 'Do Ya Think I'm Sixty' (and lets just point out that between 1972 he had five top ten solo UK hits and one US number one in 1971..plus those with the Faces, so his career was well established by then)

Well actually he had two number ones here by then .... and yes we Americans appreciated Rod Stewart all thru the seventies ...moreso apparently then his folks at home. The point is this song was his all time biggest ... it went platinum and stayed on the Hot 100 longer than anything prior. But more importantly it ( and HOT LEGS soon before it ) amped up his whole persona . Now after years of softies ….he had vibrant music to prance around on stage in spandex to. And it went over BIG.... just at a time in his career when stars typically wane ... Rod Stewart soared. He was able to create quite a stage show with his SEXY antics. .

In concert, Rod's rendition of "Do Ya Think I'm Sexy?" was met by a tidal wave of screaming fans -- mostly female -- shouting, "YES!" It underlined his image as "rock's premier playboy of the seventies."

Notice that once he tapped into this golden egg ( despite how he says he feels about it now ) he continued recording these uptempo dancibles throughout much of the eighties...........
( we’re sure spending a lot of time on someone who doesn’t desrve to be on this thread ! )

Simon says : it was claimed that the melody had been stolen from something else entirely and I can't remember what. But it was a song from someone like Sly Johnson or Otis Clay..now if only I could find out exactly which track I'm sure I can find you the Northern Soul connection you so desperately crave !

You keep looking for that Northern Soul connection Simon ol' boy .... maybe its in a dumpster near the docks somewhere .....


.... meanwhile, it seems this song is actually another example of the disco/LATIN connection.

Rod didn't make much off "Do Ya Think I'm Sexy?," since Brazilian singer Jorge Ben sued him in court, claiming the tune was too similar to his work, "Taj Mahal." Ben won the rights to the song, then asked Rod to donate all his publishing royalties from "Do Ya Think I'm Sexy?" to UNICEF. all quotes wikipedia

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[FranceJoliFan]

I still listen to my 45 of "It's Too Funky In Here."

[remicks]

Originally Posted by FranceJoliFan

I still listen to my 45 of "It's Too Funky In Here."

That's exactly what I'm listening to right now on 45 !and I was thinking of commenting on it .

It's a bit ........silly .....after a bit ...would you agree ?
I need an air freshener under them drums...........
and WHEN does James Brown ever find it too funky
love the sassy back up ladies though.... and the honkin' horns ....some B.B. King styled pickin'...

More bizarre is the"B" side ARE WE REALLY DANCING

he keeps repeating this .... are we dancing ? are we really dancing ?... as in disbelief ... like maybe he's having a bad dream!!!!
He also says 'dancing" most oddly .....like he's grunting on the toilet ....plus it comes out thick tongued ....DAAN-- THIING
odd lyrics and an odd vocal delivery I think ...... good groove though some fine true-to-disco whistle blowing ... ... and by the end JB's claiming to be "on the good foot " ......

What album is this from? this B side ? ...It's not listed on the ORIGINAL DISCO MAN lp as the A side is ........

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[Nano]

Originally Posted by remicks

ISAAC HAYES IS DEAD TOO !!! ??? .................

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He's alive and well... But I think sometime ago I read a thread where you were arguing against JB being the "disco father" and insisting on Isaac's contributions to the genre being bigger, etc.

Or maybe I took the wrong pill?

[Disco Funk]

Today I decided to give the Dead On The Heavy Funk compilation a spin. Man, those tracks on Mutha's Nature and Jam/1980s are really cool sounding. Stringless disco funk. Too bad some of the tracks had glaring artifacting due to damage master tapes. I think I'm gonna have to try collecting those late 70s LPs!

Disco Funk

[DiscoKat]

Frankly I think the assertion that James Brown has anything to do with Disco as an insult to Disco...

DISCO is Cerrone, Salsoul Orchestra, Alec R. Costandinos and artists/orchestras like that :)

Originally Posted by remicks

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"Disco is James Brown, hip-hop is James Brown, rap is James Brown; you know what I'm saying? You hear all the rappers, 90% of their music is me,"
he told the Associated Press in 2003. (LA TIMES)

---- I'm really pleased to find this quote and to see that even as recently as 2003 James Brown was still proud to reference himself with disco .

This when so many who did disco back then now want to say "Who, me? Disco? "

Musically James Brown matters right up there with the few of the very greats. When making a list of the most influencial music makers of what is called the rock n roll era ( 1955 on) James Brown will likely appear on every TOP 10 list created .


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