What a great "read" to educate people about the origin and importance of disco

[Dayna]

I found this to be very intresting and accurate
I was looking up electric guitar or "lack of it" in disco..to write a thread about and came across this.

Disco - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[STEPHEN L FREEMAN]

Dayna, If I may... I came across this european page today that, also, is a fantastic read. It's fact-based, informative and unbiased. And, most respectfully, gives credit to it's sources.
The web-page, itself, was of strange (UK?) origin. (Half of it re: Disco, and the other half re: The Nobel Prize???) So, I've done a cut & paste of the info, instead of providing the link.

Origins

Elements of disco music appear on records from the early 1970s such as the 1971 theme from the film Shaft (1971 film) by Isaac Hayes (Jones and Kantonen, 1999). In general it can be said that first disco songs were released in 1973 , however many consider Manu Dibango 's 1972 Soul Makossa the first disco record (Jones and Kantonen, 1999). Initially, most disco songs catered to a nightclub/ dancing audience only, rather than general audiences such as radio listeners, but there are many aspects proving opposite tendencies as well; popular radio-hits were being played in discothèques, as long as they had an easy to follow rhythmic base-pattern close to 120 BPM (beats per minute). Most 70's Disco genre songs had a distinctive four/four bass beat.

Popularity

. 1975 was the year when disco really took off, with hit songs like Van McCoy 's " The Hustle " and Donna Summer 's "Love To Love You Baby" reaching the mainstream. 1975 also marked the release of the first disco mix on album, the A side of Gloria Gaynor 's remake of The Jackson 5 's "Never Can Say Goodbye". Disco's popularity peaked between 1977 - 1979 , driven in part by films such as 1977 's classic Saturday Night Fever and 1978 's Thank God It's Friday. Disco also gave rise to an increased popularity of Line dance and other partly pre-choreographed dances; many line dances can be seen in films such as Saturday Night Fever, which also features the Hustle (dance) . Internationally, the pop star Dalida was the first to make disco music in France with 1975's "J'attendrai" which was a big hit there as well as in Canada and Japan in 1976 .

DJs and Producers

Disco music diverged from the rock (music) of the 1960s , elevating music from the raw sound of 4-piece garage bands to refined music composed by producers who contracted local symphony and philharmonic orchestras and session musicians. For the first time in three decades, orchestral music became the preeminent sound in the popular-music scene. Top disco music producers included Giorgio Moroder , Patrick Adams , Biddu , Cerrone , Alec R. Costandinos , John Davis , Gregg Diamond , Kenneth Gamble & Leon Huff , Norman Harris , Sylvester Levay , Ian Levine , Mike Lewis , Van McCoy , Meco Monardo , Tom Moulton , Boris Midney , Vincent Montana Jr , Randy Muller , Freddie Perren , Laurin Rinder , Richie Rome , Warren Schatz , Harold Wheeler , and Michael Zager , whose roles involved every aspect of production, from composing the arrangements to conducting the 50 to 100-member orchestras from Los Angeles to New York , from Chicago to Philadelphia , from Detroit to Miami , from London to Berlin , from Vancouver to Montreal , from to Paris to Milan. With as many as 64 sound-recordings of vocals and instruments to be compiled into a fluid composition of verses, bridges, and refrains, complete with orchestral builds and breaks, the mixing engineers became an important fixture in the production process, and, as a result, were most influential in developing the "sound" of the recording through the disco mix . Record sales were often dependent on, though not guaranteed by, floor play in clubs. Notable DJs include Jim Burgess , Walter Gibbons , John "Jellybean" Benitez , Rick Gianatos , Francis Grasso , Larry Levan , Ian Levine , John Luongo, and David Mancuso .

Instrumentation

Instruments commonly used by disco musicians included the rhythm guitar (most often played in "chicken-scratch" style, usually through a wah-wah or phaser , bass guitar , piano and electroacoustic keyboards (most important: the Fender-Rhodes and Wurlitzer electric pianos and the Hohner Clavinet ), harp , synthesizer , violin , viola , cello , trumpet , saxophone , trombone , clarinet , flugelhorn , Horn , tuba , English horn , oboe , flute , piccolo , and drums , African/Latin percussion , timpani , as well a drum kit . Electronic drums were making a debut during this era, with Simmons and Roland Corporation sound module appearing as pioneers in electronic percussion. Most disco songs have a steady four-on-the-floor beat (sometimes using a 16-beat pattern on the hi-hat cymbal, or an eight-beat pattern with an open hi-hat on the "off" beat) and a heavy, syncopated bassline. In general, the difference between a disco, or any dance song, and a rock or popular song is that in dance music the bass hits " four to the floor ", at least once a beat (which in 4/4 time is 4 beats per measure), whereas in rock the bass hits on one and three and lets the snare take the lead on two and four. (Michaels, 1990) Disco is further characterized by a sixteenth note division of the quarter notes after a typical rock drum pattern: This sixteenth note pattern is often supported by other instruments such as the rhythm guitar (lead guitar parts are rare), and may be implied rather than explicitly present, often involving syncopation . As a simpler example, bass lines often use the following rhythm: The orchestral sound usually known as "disco sound" relies heavily on strings and horns playing linear phrases, in unison with the soaring, often reverberated vocals or playing instrumental fills, while electric pianos and chicken-scratch guitars create the background "pad" sound defining the harmony progression. Typically, a " wall of sound " results. There are however more minimalistic flavors of disco with reduced, transparent instrumentation, pioneered by CHIC.

Backlash in U.S. and UK

The popularity of the film Saturday Night Fever prompted the major record labels to mass-produce hits, however, as some perceived, turning the genre from something vital and edgy into a safe "product" homogenized for the mass audience. Though disco music had several years of popularity, an American anti-disco sentiment was festering, marked by an impatient return to rock (loudly encouraged by worried rock radio stations). Disco music and dancing fads were depicted as not only silly (witness Frank Zappa 's satirical song Sheik Yerbouti ), but effeminate . Others objected to the perceived wanton sex and drugs that became associated with music while others were put off by the exclusivity of the disco scene symbolized by doormen who kept people out of discos that did not look or dress correctly while still others objected to the then new idea of centering music around a computerized beat instead of people. In Britain, however, during the same year as the first American anti-disco demonstration (see Disco#Rock vs. Disco ), The Young Nationalist publication of the far-right British National Party reported that "disco and its melting pot pseudo-philosophy must be fought or Britain's streets will be full of black-worshipping soul boys," though this had been true for twenty years with many white male English teens considering themselves "soul freaks". The emergence of the punk rock and goth scenes contributed to disco's decline.

Rock versus disco

Strong disapproval of disco among some rock fans existed throughout the disco era, growing as disco's influence grew, such that the expression "Disco Sucks" was common by the late-1970s among these fans. In 1979 , deejays Steve Dahl and Garry Meier along with Michael Veeck (son of legendary sports marketer Bill Veeck ) staged a promotional event with an anti-disco theme, Disco Demolition Night , between games at a Chicago White Sox doubleheader. The event involved exploding disco records, and ended in a near-riot. The second game of the doubleheader had to be forfeited. White male rock fans who spoke out against the music were sometimes accused of prejudice for objecting to a musical idiom that was strongly associated with both black and homosexual audiences. To further complicate matters, several prominent, popular rock artists recorded songs with audible debts to disco, sometimes to strong critical and commercial response. David Bowie 's "Golden Years," and The Rolling Stones ' "Miss You" and "Emotional Rescue," are distinguished examples of these disco-rock fusions, and artists such as The Who , Rod Stewart , and to a lesser extent Queen (band) and The Clash also recorded disco-informed songs. Many of these artists were accused of selling out and received hate mail. Since the advent of disco and dance music in general, many have argued that more and more rock music has absorbed the rhythmic sensibilities of dance. The most troubling aspect of disco for white working class males may have been its association with dancing, which tends to become a site of emotional conflict under modernization, as in Norman Mailer's catchphrase "tough guys don't dance". Disco, by being so clearly an invitation to the dance, is associated under modernization with an abandonment of self which threatens dissolution and depersonalization. Steve Dahl, Garry Meier and Mike Veeck were as impresarios rather innocent, in 1979, about a growing working-class anger, and, in trying to channel this anger into safe targets such as gay men and people of color, found that it overflowed these artificial limits.

[QUINNY]

I don't know how many times I have to write this before the penny finally drops, BUT......

This site is probably the most authorative resource when it comes to Disco (because it ISN'T one person's perception), so why anyone could expect Wikipedia to have any meaningful input (above and beyond what's here) is truly beyond me. Same goes for 99% of the Disco sites on the web, because they are all individual takes on it. Imagine if I had a Disco website and how flawed THAT would be? That's why I shall ALWAYS post alternative positions on certain threads. NOT to be particularly awkward, but to help balance the discussion and make them (and by association this Website, Bernie et al are you reading this?) more meaningful to anyone who cares to research the genre. To merely idolise or accept everything as Gospel is surely missing the point of a site that actually has a discussion forum?

Quote: "There are however more minimalistic flavors of disco with reduced, transparent instrumentation, pioneered by CHIC". Gulp!!!!! Who wrote this rubbish?!!

On a lighter note:
Soo, we have our very own Jussik to blame for spreading the absolute falsehood that Soul Makossa was the first Disco record?

[Teddybear]

Q: As you must well know Wiki is an encyclopedia made by people. The article in question was made up by hundreds of contributions, literally, since 2001 to nowadays. You can even edit the page.

One can guess Wikipedia is not the Word of God (nor this site, nor your posts, nor mine), and we are old enough to know it. So, using this thread to deliver an attack against "the administration" doesn't seem to me a very mature attitude. Maybe you can open a new thread with the name of "my very personal venomous look" or something, where we all can post our own very personal and subjective takes (i.e. forum).

I've learned a lot from some of your posts but with this one, and I'm quoting you, I think you gave "too much information".

Oh please, Q-tie, Q-tie, please, do you promise me now you're not going to be on the mission of taking it out on me?

[QUINNY]

Originally Posted by teddybear4703

Q: As you must well know Wiki is an encyclopedia made by people. The article in question was made up by hundreds of contributions, literally, since 2001 to nowadays. You can even edit the page.

There are sooo many inacurracies and it barely scratches the surface.....so hence my astonishment at someone like Dayna, who's very knowledgable, thinking it's a good read.

[Dayna]

Originally Posted by teddybear4703

using this thread to deliver an attack against "the administration" doesn't seem to me a very mature attitude. Maybe you can open a new thread with the name of "my very personal venomous look" or something, where we all can post our own very personal and subjective takes (i.e. forum).

wink

Originally Posted by QUINNY

I don't know how many times I have to write this before the penny finally drops, BUT......

This site is probably the most authorative resource when it comes to Disco (because it ISN'T one person's perception), so why anyone could expect Wikipedia to have any meaningful input (above and beyond what's here) is truly beyond me. Same goes for 99% of the Disco sites on the web, because they are all individual takes on it. Imagine if I had a Disco website and how flawed THAT would be? That's why I shall ALWAYS post alternative positions on certain threads. NOT to be particularly awkward, but to help balance the discussion and make them (and by association this Website, Bernie et al are you reading this?) more meaningful to anyone who cares to research the genre. To merely idolise or accept everything as Gospel is surely missing the point of a site that actually has a discussion forum?

Quote: "There are however more minimalistic flavors of disco with reduced, transparent instrumentation, pioneered by CHIC". Gulp!!!!! Who wrote this rubbish?!!

On a lighter note:
Soo, we have our very own Jussik to blame for spreading the absolute falsehood that Soul Makossa was the first Disco record?

I wasn't saying you cant find very imformative material on this site. I was simply showing some info that I thought was intresting..It's not a Disco site so therefore I was not comparing the two..

[RetroRuss]

Before everyone starts another tit for tat argument can I just ask everyone to stay on topic?

Q - I am sure that everyone who is associated with the site will agree with you that it is the most authorative source of info on Disco. I can see how you could feel the Wiki has no meaningful input, but if you were a 16 year old kid and wanted to find out what Disco is Wikipedia is your first port of call. If you then wanted to find more info then you may go to the other forums or resources on the web. Yes the Wiki is completely editable so you have to read whar is written bearing that in mind.

I'm sure Jussik will be along to explain why he wrote Soul Makossa was the first Disco record, in the meantime it might be nice to hear other people's views on whether they feel that is the first disco record or another one. I'm sure it's been covered in another thread elsewhere.

Let's stay calm people!!

[Videoskooter]

Originally Posted by QUINNY

Bernie et al are you reading this?)

Gulp!!!!! Who wrote this rubbish?!!


Soo, we have our very own Jussik to blame for spreading the absolute falsehood that Soul Makossa was the first Disco record?

Quinny, we can do nicely without your patronising remarks, thank you!

Nobody says you can not express your views on this board but... sometimes it's not what you say, it's the way you say it!

[Teddybear]

Q: Merry Christmas, partner. MerryChristmas1.jpg And Dayna, Happy Holidays. You're as sweet as cherry pie. MerryChristmas3.gif

And Peace to all the DiscoMusic.com People.

[Bernie]

Originally Posted by Videoskooter

Quinny, we can do nicely without your patronising remarks, thank you!

Nobody says you can not express your views on this board but... sometimes it's not what you say, it's the way you say it!

Quinny,

Did you read what Johan correctly said above? I'd heed that advice and watch your words.