the very first disco song???

[Funky Dude]

Ahhh another OLD topic that I remember putting up 2 1/2 years ago. Amazing how these old topics have been dredged up recently. Anyhow it's one of my favourite topics as I love the early disco years as there was a lot of experimentation and funk in it.

Anyhow it's certainly true that defining the first disco song is extremely difficult as it's a matter of one's opinion of "what is disco music???".

Anyways here are some that I consider forerunners for the mid/late 70s disco sound dating pre-1973:

Curtis Mayfield - If There's Hell Below 1970 (I can't believe this one isn't mentioned yet. This song to me sounds very disco for a R&B song, it has that distinct funky disco guitar sound used in many disco/funk style songs of the early/mid 70s. Also there's a distinct violin string sound in there as well, plus funky drum rhythms. On top of that it goes for a good length of over 7 1/2 minutes to keep the dancers going if played in a disco. I reckon this song is as close to disco as you could get back in 1970 before Isaac Hayes's "Theme From Shaft"!!! :D )

Curtis Mayfield - Move On Up 1970 (This song is quite a fast mover with a fast drum/bongo rhythm and great horns plus a killer drumming/bongo break in the middle)

Curtis Mayfield - Beautiful Brother Of Mine 1971 (Similar sound to "If There's Hell Below", another one that I consider along the lines of disco)

Curtis Mayfield - Get Down 1971 (Like the other songs of his, this one has a distinct bongo rhythm in it. if I were a DJ back in 1971, this song would certainly be on my playlist)

Curtis Mayfield - Superfly 1972 (This song has that distinct disco guitar wah wah when he sings "try to get over" in the song)

Curtis Mayfield - Junkie Chase 1972 (Nice fast funky car chase song with the similar "Shaft" style guitar rhythm)

Curtis Mayfield - Pusherman 1972 (Just like the other above songs from his "Superfly" album it has some of the ingredients for the disco sound)

I've certainly mentioned a lot of Curtis Mayfield. I assume his music fits pretty much in the soul/funk/R&B category. To me the above songs by him are part of the building blocks for disco music especially "If There's Hell Below".

Now onto the other guys:

Tom Jones - It's Not Unusual 1965 (Must say this does have a raw early sort of disco sound. I'd imagine it would have been played in the discotheques during the 60s when there were mod hairdos, psychedelic spiral lights and go go dancing. I may sound very stereotypical here but I don't have a great deal of knowledge of what the 60s discos were like but assume it to be a little like Top Of The Pops, correct me if I'm wrong)

Steam - Na Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye 1969 (I certainly consider this an early song good for the dance floor, the drum beats are brilliant)

Kool & The Gang - Love The Life You Live 1971 (This song to me is a killer funky jazzy disco song going at high speed opposed to many R&B/funk songs at the time. It too has that distinct funky disco guitar wah wah. How many of you guys have "get down" to this song back in the early 70s? Anyways pity it peaked just outside of the Top 100 Billboard charts at the time, I think it deserved to go to number 1!)

Stevie Wonder - You Met Your Match 1968 (I've got the Ed Sullivan Show clip of this performance, he does some super killer keyboarding which sounds very 1970s)

Archie Bell & The Drells - I Can't Stop Dancing/Tighten Up 1968 (Two great early dance songs with a guitar scratchin' dance sound and funky bassline to it especially "Tighten Up". Commenting on "I Can't Stop Dancing" I've heard 2 versions by the same blokes, the one which sounds pretty within its era and another which sounds a little different, more 1970s which is on the "Disco Inferno" CD compilation, just wondering if anyone else heard the other version. Also commenting on that CD, "Troglodyte Cavemen" too sounds a little different and a bit more modern as well, I wonder if they are recent remakes done in the last 10 years or say 10 years after the original???)

Temptations - Get Ready 1966 (I always thought this song was done in 1971 as I have on a Rock'n'Roll classic show, them performing that song on the Ed Sullivan Show 1971. Anyways it is a great groover for the dance floor with a nice raw R&B/Motown sound)

Supremes - You Keep Me Hanging On 1966 (This Motown classic indeed does sound ahead of its time for the mid 60s especially with the high guitar sound to it [I assume the sound is done by guitar]. Anyways I've always consider this a disco related song)

Commodores - Keep On Dancing 1969 (This is another great example of early disco music, this song has a very nice scratchy guitar disco sound to it and great horn sound and drumbeat. Plus it has a drum/bass break in the middle. Goes to show that the "break" format in a dance song was used in the early years of R&B dance music as well as the latter mid/late 70s disco years)

Edwin Starr - Time/25 Miles 1970 ("Time" has a similar style to Curtis Mayfields "Move On Up" with a fast drum rhythm plus the distinct tambourine shaking. "25 Miles" is another great groover which he did a disco version nearly 10 years later which I have on 7")

Dennis Coffey - Scorpio 1971 (One of my alltime favourite early groovers, the cool sharp electric guitar sound makes it sound a little like a glam rock song. About a minute into the song there's 2 minutes of pure funky disco rhythm then to the electric guitar sound to finish the song. I said it before and I'll say it again "this song is fantastic :D !")

Rufus Thomas - The Breakdown 1971 (He'd have to be one of the oldest blokes to do funk/disco style music as he was well in his 50's when he did this song. This is one of his best with a superfunky guitar sound which to my opinion would be fantastic for the floor. I also dig his other hit "The Funky Chicken", his rooster impersonation was hilarious :lol: )

Isaac Hayes - Theme From Shaft 1971 (I certainly agree with all those who list this song. This is THE disco song of the early 70s and is well classed as a disco song by critics too from some of the sources I read and even is on disco compilations too. And you gotta thank the Bar-Kays for the distinct funky disco wah-wah guitar sound. Which they did a song similar to this entitled "Son Of Shaft" which is fantastic :D !)

Nite-Liters - K-Jee 1971 (This one sounds almost no different to MFSB's version in 1975, only difference is that MFSB put a disco guitar wah wah rhythm to it. I LOVE both versions, they go hand in hand!)

Blenders LTD - When Ya Git Through With It Put It Back 1972 (A rare funk song that I've heard on funk45.com which is a great favourite of mine and to my opinion great to dance to)

Soul Searchers - We The People 1972 (This song has a killer percussion and supercool guitar disco sound)

Fatback Band - Freeform 1972 (This song is totally guitar wah wah sound, fantastic song)

Earth Wind & Fire - Power 1972 (This is one of their finest creative cuts of the early 70s, its superfunky scratchy guitar sound really goes off with a bang :D !!!)

Donald Byrd - Flight Time 1972 (This is a very creative with a nice smooth soulful sound at the start and funky break in the middle and disco sound in areas of the song, great stuff!)

Booker T & The MGs - Melting Pot 1971 (Not sure what whether this song was intended to be a song for the dance floor or to be a rock song but it certainly has a good rhythm to be a disco song with a psychedelic organ touch to it)

Jackson 5 - I Want You Back 1969/The Love You Save 1970 (The funky guitar sound for these two songs has that disco sound to it which they used later in the mid 70s with their song "Moving Violation". I'd assume that guitar sound would have started a new trend for funky music after these songs became hits)

Anyways there's a lot I can list which the regulars here have already seen bloody 50 times aleady hehehe :lol: but anyways there's a lot I can think of from the early years of R&B which I would call disco including those ones you's already listed in this topic.

Anyhow to my opinion from 1973 onwards the disco style started to show its true colours especially these ones from 1973 and 1974 which I'll quickly list:

Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes - The Love I Lost 1973
MFSB - TSOP 1973
Ultra High Frequency - We're On The Right Track 1973
Executive Suite - When The Fuel Runs Out 1973
Blue Magic - Look Me Up 1973
Brothers Guiding Light - Getting Together 1973
Blackbyrds - Gut Level 1973
Deodato - Skyscrapers 1973
Joe Bataan - Latin Strut 1973
Creative Source - Who Is He & What Is He To You 1973 :D :D :D :D :D
Zulema - Giving Up 1973
First Choice - Armed & Extremely dangerous 1973
Love Unlimited Orchestra - Love's Theme 1973
Barrabas - Hi-Jack 1974
Blackbyrds - Walking In Rhythm 1974
Blue Magic - Welcome To The Club 1974
Carol Douglas - Doctor's Orders 1974
Don Downing - Dream World 1974
Ecstasy, Passion & Pain - Ask Me 1974
First Choice - The Player 1974
Gloria Gaynor - Never Can Say Goodbye 1974
Isley Brothers - Live It Up 1974
Joneses - Sugar Pie Guy 1974
Stylistics - Love Is The Answer 1974 (Also instrumentalised by Van McCoy)
Kay Gees - You've Got To Keep On Bumpin' 1974
LTG Exchange - Waterbed 1974
Barry White - Can't Get Enough Of Your Love Baby/You're The First, The Last, My Everything 1974
George McCrae - Rock Your Baby/I Can't Leave You Alone/I Get Lifted 1974
KC & The Sunshine Band - All Of My Love 1974
Miami - Party Freaks 1974
Rufus (Feat. Chaka Khan) - Once You Get Started 1974 :D :D :D :D :D
Temptations - Happy People 1974
Doug Parkinson - Everlasting Love 1974
Ultrafunk - Kung Fu Man 1974
Love Committee - One Day Of Peace 1974

Wow I've been typing for nearly 2 hours at this topic!!!

_______________________________________________
AUSSIE AUSSIE AUSSIE!!!!! OI OI OI!!!!! :D :D :D :D :D

[JussiK]

When they got the notion to spin the soul track and follow it with "Coco" by the Sweet and then go into "The Girls From Paramaribo" by Berry Lipman or "Roda" by Sergio Mendes - that's when Disco was born. Not just one type of music but many being melted down into one continuing wash of danceable sound with a new pancultural vibe. That's disco.

[efunk_adelic]

Originally Posted by Funky Dude

Ahhh another OLD topic that I remember putting up 2 1/2 years ago. Amazing how these old topics have been dredged up recently. Anyhow it's one of my favourite topics as I love the early disco years as there was a lot of experimentation and funk in it.

_______________________________________________
AUSSIE AUSSIE AUSSIE!!!!! OI OI OI!!!!! :D :D :D :D :D

funkydude, just for your benefit, I will start a topic called "what was the 2nd disco song?" :)

[DiscoDiva]

Originally Posted by originalbigm

All examples of R&B or Soul Hits.The Love I Lost was very disco in it's beat and delivery.However all the replies prove my point. Impossible to point to one exactly.Sort of like trying to find the missing link between ape and man.It may prove more interesting to try and focus on the different styles of "disco" and try and pinpoint the first record of that genre.i.e. the philly sound.

From a dancers perspective I never thought of "The Love I Lost" as a great song to dance to, or even disco. Even though The "Wake Up Everbody" album is still as great today. Styles would be more accurate. As Disco music evolved so did the dance, until it met it's demise (IMOHO) when it became oh so main stream. Ahem. Thanks to the help a certain movie.
Another topic for discussion. What really killed Disco?
Anyway I was lucky enough to be a product of Philly, born and raised right along with the music. And lucky enough to know people to get into
Sigma Sound Studios. Another story, sorry. But not really. As a dancer DJ's and Producers wanted to know what WE wanted. That was back when
the record went into the club first before it got air time. I had lots of demo and promo records from them without labels. Yes, TSOP, MFSB, Vince Montana, et al, were pioneers in the emerging sound that was and would become disco. Just as there was The Hustle, then came The Spanish Hustle with a different flavor just as the Euro sound made it even more so.
I guess you could say it's a matter of taste and opinion which makes it a moot point. This is what I remember dancing early on to in a club
Date With The Rain 1972 (which I believe was released again later)
Superfly and Pusherman 1972
Not to take away from all the great R&B and Soul that was mentioned.
I love you DJ's~
DD
http://www.discosavvy.com/disco75.html
http://www.andwedanced.com/charts/jan1975.htm
http://www.bsnpubs.com/columbia/pi.html
http://www.bsnpubs.com/columbia/tsop.html
http://www.recordresearch.com/

[paul]

Diva, I would love to read your on what really killed disco. This thread was on that topic. Please add a woman's perspective to this.

http://www.discomusic.com/forums/dis...-die-when.html

[Mixmachine]

What ever happened to Funkydude???

anyways I always post a link to this liner notes as they list really early club music that was popular in those days, I have collected almost all of this through the years, as many local clubbers recalled this music played in local clubs going back to '72.

http://www.rhino.com/features/liners/75595lin9.lasso.

As far as I heard from first hand accounts from club DJs of the day, Barrabas's "Woman" & "wild safary" along with "Date with the rain" were two of the biggest club songs in those days (1972), even before "Soul Macussa" which is credited many times as been the first mega club hit.

Edit: yeah, and "Don't bring back memories " by the Four tops too!!!

[DiscoDiva]

many local clubbers recalled this music played in local clubs going back to '72.

Ohhh,
I forgot about that one "Woman" by Barrabas.
I'm glad to see that my memory is not totally fried from that era.
And that song "Don't bring back memories " came into my head earlier.
Freaky Friday the 13th.
DD

[needlefingers]

I know this will sound wrong to some, but I look back to 1969.

Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye - Steam

http://www.yousendit.com/transfer.ph...E2C46A404B6EB4

It really is unlike any song before it. It carries some of the soul(both black and white) of the early-mid sixties, yet is easily funky, and somewhat groundbreaking in its' sound.

Coming during the end of the psychedelic era and from the summer of Woodstock, it is a hybrid of that black and white rock and soul, something like The Chambers Brothers' Time Has Come Today or Rare Earth's Get Ready.

Add echo with reverb(?), hand claps, breakdown in the middle, new sound efx and the fact that it makes you get up and dance; but not in any style of the 60's dance. You just want to move. To the beat.

It also has the Cinderella story of being almost lost and overlooked, a last minute throw together recording, then turning out to be a #1 song,

Here is there story from AMG

Steam Biographyby Bruce Eder
Considering that they only charted one hit record and that they scarcely even existed, the background of the group Steam is amazingly complex. Their story actually begins in Bridgeport, CT, in 1960-1961, with a group called the Chateaus, who cut a handful of unsuccessful records for Coral and Warner Bros. before breaking up. Cut to the end of the 1960s: Paul Leka, their pianist, by then was a producer and songwriter, co-authoring "Falling Sugar" by the Palace Guard in 1966, producing "Green Tambourine" by the Lemon Pipers in 1968, and also producing sides by the Left Banke, and was working for Mercury Records in 1969. His former Chateaus bandmate, Gary DeCarlo, arranged to cut four solo sides for Mercury with Leka producing, but DeCarlo's songs so impressed the label, that it wanted to issue all four as A-sides, which meant that they needed an additional B-side in a hurry for the first single.

It happened that the night they were cutting what was supposed to be a throwaway, their fellow Chateaus member Dale Frasheur was present and he suggested they cut a song they'd performed eight years previously called "Kiss Him Goodbye," which the three of them had written in 1961. It was Leka's idea to put a chorus into the number, which, at the piano, in the absence of a lyric, became "na na na na, na na na na." Then fate really took a hand when the management at Mercury Records heard the throwaway side and determined that it should be the single. The three musicians, especially DeCarlo, were outraged and they refused to put their names on the record, though they did claim the songwriting credit, which proved to be a shrewd move. "Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye," released late in 1969, rose to number one on the charts that December and sold more than a million copies in America alone. In place of their names, the trio okayed it going out under the name Steam.

Suddenly, with a number one single to its credit, however, there were demands for Steam to perform, make appearances on television, and do all the other things that were usually done by groups to support a hit record — except that there was no group. Leka put together a band, consisting of Jay Babina and Tom Zuke on guitar, Mike Daniels on bass, Hank Schorz at the keyboards, Ray Corries on drums, and Bill Steer (no, not the same one who was in Napalm Death) handling the lead vocals. All came from Leka's hometown of Bridgeport, CT, and toured behind the single during 1970. A self-titled Steam album was cut at Mercury and a handful of follow-up singles appeared, only one of which ("I've Gotta Make You Love Me") ever charted, just missing the Top 40 in 1970.

Meanwhile, Gary DeCarlo's preferred songs, issued credited to Garrett Scott, were all duly issued and vanished without a trace. Paul Leka went on to work with Jimmy Spheeris, Harry Chapin, Gloria Gaynor, and REO Speedwagon as a producer, and played on records by Lori Lieberman, amongst many others. "Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye" never did disappear — quite the contrary, it rode the charts for a big chunk of 1970 and then got put into every and any hits anthology that Mercury could release or license, and was quickly accepted as into oldies collections (it qualified as a '60s hit, after all, and offended no one). The song lingered as a favorite of both decades' popular music activities, and then, in the 1980s, became a hit all over again in the hands of megastar British girl group Bananarama, who also featured it on their Top Ten LP Deep Sea Skiving. According to performing rights organization BMI, the song is in the elite company of pop/rock compositions that have had at least three million airings on radio. The song has also been the (ex officio) anthem for the Chicago White Sox and is one of those '70s hits that listeners never seem to tire of.




Am I the only one who hears this difference?

[Disco Funk]

I'm a huge Philly-phile. I personally thing 'true' disco was born in Philly, and by that I mean the formula that became the standard sound, which includes the heavy sound on all four beats per bar (either via hitting tom tom or four on the four drum playing).

Sigma Sound studios was where this disco was born. I know there were two phases to this studio's sound. One was the late 60's to early 70's sound, which was somewhat flat; but then they must have done some kind of upgrade in late '72 because the music coming out of there became fuller and richer sounding. You can actually hear the change by listening to the Tom Moulton remixes of the '72 Trammps tunes from the Zing era sessions. Even though he mixed them in '75, the mic'ing and recording of the instrumentation still made the recordings sound slightly flat, typical of the Delfonics era. The Spinners debut album from '72 has a much richer sound, which is why I'm thinking the studio upgrade must have happened early on. Anyway, that's enough of my nerdy audio observations.

As for earliest disco tunes, which I believe were from Philly, you have those '72 tracks by The Trammps (Zing, Pray All You Sinners, Rubber Band, Sixty Minute Man); the North Bay single of The Family 'Family Affair'/'Nation Time'; and the Spinners debut album. In '73 you had even more great Philly true disco tracks, like the First Choice and their Armed & Extremely Dangerous album; The Ebonys (Hook Up & Get Down); Harold Melvin & The Blue Note's The Love I Lost; and MFSB's Love Is The Message album, which was released in late '73.

I think Isaac Haye's shaft was more like an updated Motown groove (Motown pre-Norman Whitfield) rather than a disco track.

If we're calling anything with a 2/4 beat examples of disco music, then we can go back to Soul Finger by The Bar Kays in 67, which had that distinctive beat.

Disco Funk

[DiscoDiva]

I'm a huge Philly-phile. I personally thing 'true' disco was born in Philly, and by that I mean the formula that became the standard sound Sigma Sound studios was where this disco was born.

I had forgotten about "Zing" and a few others you mentioned.
Being there in the midst of things in Philly was an exciting time, and
Sigma Sound was an awesome place to visit. Philly was the birthplace
for alot of things besides birthing disco. Ever have a real
Philly cheesteak? 8-) YUM!
DD

[garrybcoston]

How about these two songs:

It's a Family Affair - Sly and the Family Stone - 1971
Soul Makossa - Manu Dibango - 1972

I think these two hits, which were two of the first long playing songs in the pre-disco era, set the stage and set the tone for disco; yes, there were other long playing songs from other artists, but these were electic hits.

Soul Makossa was being played in 1975 in the clubs when I first stepped out onto the disco scene. I remember dancing to this songs with the girlies, and boy did it bring something out in them, and me!

[garrybcoston]

Disco Diva you are truly a bag of chips, french fries, triple wendy's burger, strawberry shake, and then some! would have loved to have known you back in the day.

:p :razz:

[Disco Funk]

Originally Posted by DiscoDiva

I had forgotten about "Zing" and a few others you mentioned.
Being there in the midst of things in Philly was an exciting time, and
Sigma Sound was an awesome place to visit. Philly was the birthplace
for alot of things besides birthing disco. Ever have a real
Philly cheesteak? 8-) YUM!
DD

I just remembered another great dance record from around 72 - Nat Turner's 'Ruby Lee' b/w 'You Are My Sun Sign'. This was put out by Stan Watson on Philly Groove and featured the same Philly guys who played on MFSB. Early examples of disco, even if the beat was more syncopated funk, rather than 4 on the floor.

I really envy you for having had the opportunity to visit Sigma Sound. You probably got a chance to see some of those disco music pioneers who I consider to be funk gods - guys like Earl Young, Charles Collins and Keith Benson on drums; Larry Washington on congas (this guy was pretty much on EVERY philly record until the late 70s); Norman Harris, Bobby Eli, etc.. on guitars; Ronald Baker, Michael Foreman, Raymond Earl, Vince Fay, etc... on bass; the list goes on and on. Do you recall who you met? Maybe even the sweethearts of Sigma? Or their counterparts who were members of the Ritchie Family, but also sang backups on the Jay & The Techniques mid-70s records?

Philly Cheese Steak sandwiches - mmmm!

Disco Funk

[mrbmarco]

When I started spinning in the fall of 1973, we didn't have much choice of what we could play. That's why we had to go back a few years and play songs like ITS A SHAME, STONED LOVE, WHO'S MAKING LOVE, BAND OF GOLD, ONE MONKEY DON'T STOP NO SHOW and even THINK. The first song I remember to pack the dance floor beyond comprehension was LOVE'S THEME going into UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF LOVE.
As for the sound quality of Sigma Sound Studios, as the 70's progressed, the equipment was becoming state of the art.
We have a distinct sound difference between LOVE TRAIN, SEXY, FREE LOVE and DARLIN' DARLIN' BABY (SWEET TENDER LOVE). Each song, the quality gets better and better. This sound difference also occurs on other labels as well. The first BLUE MAGIC lp can't come near the sound quality of 13 BLUE MAGIC LANE which came out a few years later. Does anyone know how many times the equipment was replaced or updated and Sigma Sound??

[Lajazz947]

I have always heard " them " say that "Rock the boat" is considered the first Disco song but what do " they " know?