Worst disco songs of the 70s

[DanceMan]

We have all have our "BEST OF" lists and mine are numerous.....Now I would like to hear some of your worst.....

Record has to be from the 70s and it has to have been a sizeable disco/crossover pop hit

Mine are
1) Ring My Bell....Anita Ward
2) Knock On Wood...Amii Steward
3) Love Rush....Ann-Margaret
4) Mandolay.....La Flavour
5) Night Rider...Venus Dodson

I know that I am probably in a minority on a couple of them....but those are my top five choices and I am sticking to it...I have more but, fortunately, the good far outweigh the bad....too bad I couldn't say the same for today's crop (crap)..

Now let's hear yours worst list.....

[nrgbeat]

I don't mean to be rude, but haven't we had this kind of thread before?

How many times have we heard people say they hate "Ring My Bell", "YMCA", "Celebration" and "Stayin' Alive", etc. and that they were played to death?

[DanceMan]

I am not referring to good songs that were played to death....that is not what I wrote....it is only songs that were so bad that they should never have been recorded in the first place....songs like Celebration or Stayin Alive and for that matter...Last Dance were all really good numbers, in my opinion, but stayed around forever on playlists and got boring....the songs I am referring to were just plain BAD...and the fact that they were overplayed for a long period of time only compounded the "crime".....those are the songs I want to know about

[markydefad]

DanceMan,

Let me just explain that, since you're new here, (Welcome, BTW), we've been down this road before. We've debated the good, the bad, and the ugly in disco pretty recently.

Maybe you should scroll down and check out a thread called...something about your most hated disco song, or something... and get an idea what we've debated...and find a new angle???? Just a helpful hint.

[DISCODISK]

i dont think danceman was here then though,ill throw one more in that i dont recall seeing then, it came to me in the last 24 hours as i almost had to use it in the disco relay race "singing in the rain" shelia b devotion i dont know how this did in the states but in europe it sold by the van load it even went pop and yes it was that gene kelly number from the film..horrendous

[markydefad]

Oh gawd...here we go again!!!!

Ok, I'll bite the hook.

I HATED lots of old "Standards" from the 30's, 40's ,and 50's that were "discofied"...Let me throw out "Baby Face" by Wing & a Prayer whatever, as an example.

Now, this gets me into trouble cause SALSOUL was responsible for SOME of this drek. :lol:

Uh-oh, HERESY!!!!! :roll:

[jack]

yes, the board may have been down this road before..but i have to stick up for "Mandolay" as it is one of my all time favorites and i can play it again n again.
now "baby face" is a different story..yuck. but let's not dwell on the dreck...

[markydefad]

Jack,

I have to agree the "Mandolay" by La Flavour was a good record..and I'd defend "Knock On Wood" by Amii Stewart also (I love that thundering pounding myself.)

"To each his own" or "diff'rent strokes for diff'rent folks" or insert your own song cliche here______________________.

[BrunoRepublic]

On 2002-08-12 17:06, markydefad wrote:
"To each his own" or "diff'rent strokes for diff'rent folks" or insert your own song cliche here

"Yer ass is your ticket to paradise" :razz:

[markydefad]

And what would that lovely lyric be from, Graham???

Wild guesses:

"Street Talk" or "Hollywood Hot"????

I'm sensing a Bob Crewe production about street hustlers in my neighborhood. Am I totally off base????

[HustleBaby]

On 2002-08-10 11:13, DanceMan wrote:
We have all have our "BEST OF" lists and mine are numerous.....Now I would like to hear some of your worst.....

Record has to be from the 70s and it has to have been a sizeable disco/crossover pop hit

Mine are
1) Ring My Bell....Anita Ward
2) Knock On Wood...Amii Steward
3) Love Rush....Ann-Margaret
4) Mandolay.....La Flavour
5) Night Rider...Venus Dodson

I know that I am probably in a minority on a couple of them....but those are my top five choices and I am sticking to it...I have more but, fortunately, the good far outweigh the bad....too bad I couldn't say the same for today's crop (crap)..

Now let's hear yours worst list.....

Its amazing that not too long ago, we put a closure on the most hated songs thread and here we go again reopening it. Another funny thing is that once again Anita Bell's "Ring My Bell" have made it to the "Hated Songs Hall of Fame"! I agree with you DanceMan, I hate "Ring My Bell" and "Knock On Wood"!! BUT I love "Night Rider" and "Mandolay"!

*DISCO DELIGHT*

[orangefunk]

I think some of the late 70s CTI jazz LPs feature some terrible disco, namely Yusef Lateef and some Idris Muhammad.. always loved Could Heaven Ever Be Like This tho'

I love Ring My Bell!

[markydefad]

Uh, oh--the JAZZ DISCO Boys (Sam, Blax & Pilgrim) are gonna be on yer ass, Orangefunk.

Or, maybe they hate that stuff too???

Naaaaahhh. :lol:

[DanceMan]

I personally loved many - not all - of the remade standards from the 20's, 30's and 40's....as a matter of fact I am looking for "I'll Be Seeing You" by Jeff Evans (i had an original on a green label, I believe) and The Pearls, "I'll See You In My Dreams"..I didnt think Baby Face sucked Face...though Gloria Gaynor's As Time Goes By from the very disappointing GLORIOUS LP was fodder for the crapper.....When I posted DJ charts for Michael's Thing Magazine back in the day, all the jocks who picked Ring My Bell were 21 and under....that was considered a disco lull-a-bye...since I was one of the only ones not doing ethyl or mesc or ludes or finger poppers or even drinking, I guess maybe I heard songs differently without the "special effects" added.

[markydefad]

Ah, Danceman..our first disagreement!!!

The Discofication of Pop "Standards" that is. Sorry--I did not like.(in most cases).

Changing the subject a bit, not too long ago, I told an anecdote about one very cute and very stoned young man who amused me with his hand movements to the "pings" in "Ring My Bell". He seemed to be bursting imaginary soap bubbles in the air with his index fingers as each "ping" sounded in that song. This was in the middle of a very sunny Sunday mid-May afternoon at the ultra-sleazy and usually utterly-tweaked out Balcony on Market Street. I've never forgotten it. Still crazy after all these years!!!! :lol:

[jazz_pilgrim]

On 2002-08-12 17:35, markydefad wrote:
Uh, oh--the JAZZ DISCO Boys (Sam, Blax & Pilgrim) are gonna be on yer ass, Orangefunk.

Or, maybe they hate that stuff too???

Naaaaahhh. :lol:

Surprise, surprise, Marky, Orangefunk has got a point!!! :grin:

Just like anybody else, jazz musicians were tempted by the "Disco pot of gold" waiting at the end of the rainbow. (Poetic for 7:30 am in the morning, don't you think? :grin:)

Some of the more iffy records made by jazz musicians that I can remember include:

Idris Muhammed - Fox Huntin'
Herbie Mann - Supermann (truly dire)
Herb Albert - Rise
and a lot of Kenny G's stuff was pretty dire

and a lot of the "smooth jazz" played today on jazz radio (like Jazz FM) leaves a lot to be desired.

Orangefunk - I don't know if you remember Gilles Peterson when he was on Radio London and the Jazz FM, but he used to call the music he played jazz with ATTITUDE. Now that's what I like!! :grin: :grin:

There ya go, Marky. I wasn't too hard on him, was I?? :lol:

[Marcio**]

There's something worst in disco for me: "You Superstar/Moving like a Superstar", by Amedeo. It's a ****, nobody knows it (do you know???) and sometimes I hear it, why not???

[QUINNY]

Dear Jazz Pilgrim,
RISE - HERB ALPERT NOOOOO way was that a bummer. YES, SOME JAZZERS WERE GUILTY AS CHARGED. I listened to Herbie Mann's Dicotheque album the other day and after 25 years I was horified. How did I ever get fooled into playing that!!!
I'd personally nominate many of the lame Brit Funk tunes that came out in 79 - 80.Too many to remember, even if I wanted to. SHAKATAK must be about the most insidious, and dare I say it Atmosphere were really pretty hopeless. When you re-listen to Dancin'In Outa Space or whatever it is called, it's nothing much. The drumming is really awkward and drifts in and out of time chronically with the bass.AND is there any real tune or hook to speak of? Great if you were on Jazz Woodbines at the time, otherwise forget it and move on.
My own personal hates were mostly the lame 'Disco' acts such as El Coco, The Ritchie Family, Wilton Place Band ( I Love Lucy -Ughhhh) Andrea True Connection ( what's porn got to do with disco?), Disco Tex (he used to frighten me to death)etc. Give me the Theme to 'The Love Boat' and I'll show you El Coco et al. They had no balls whatsoever.
T.S.O.P had a lot to answer for; it's probably the one tune that gave everyone else a formula to work to. Gamble & Huff were content to make clones of it for some time after. I guess Thom Bell should take some of the blame too. Between them, they showed the waiting world how to make black music accessible, and more importantly, profitable, only many of their imitators weren't anywhere near as good as them. The rest is history
Lots of pure Disco Dross followed and ultimately the music that gave Disco a bad name ' cos the stuff was played to death especially in the U.S.A. and led to the Disco Sucks campaign.
A very personal view, but 'white sounding,sanitised,formulaic,beautiful music' was not what disco should have been all about. OTHERWISE DISCO RULES!!
FRESH MEAT EVERYBODY, from someone who was there, doing the business 7 days a week in long stretches.

[sirius]

Dear Friends!
How about a new "DiscoSucks"-Campaign???
Cosmic Love & Kisses From SIRIUS & DARKTUNES

[Blaxman]

On 2002-08-13 08:12, sirius wrote:

Dear Friends!
How about a new "DiscoSucks"-Campaign???
Cosmic Love & Kisses From SIRIUS & DARKTUNES

Great idea Sirius!!! It could be "BAD" DISCO SUCKS!! :lol:

[Blaxman]

On 2002-08-12 17:35, markydefad wrote:
Uh, oh--the JAZZ DISCO Boys (Sam, Blax & Pilgrim) are gonna be on yer ass, Orangefunk.

Or, maybe they hate that stuff too???

Naaaaahhh. :lol:

No problem Marky. No problem Orangefunk.

I think everybody have the right to do unsuccessful works, whatever if they are big stars or not. Also, I think everybody can like some crap music sometimes, it fits to myself. I like tons of crap songs and surely I hate many crap songs too. But I know that I hate many songs that could be consider good!! It is just a case of taste, bad or good.

Example: I consider Roy Ayers a great musician and I have a lot of songs from him, but I hate "Running Away" the "doo bee doo" song.

Peace

[Blaxman]

On 2002-08-13 03:57, QUINNY wrote:

.....dare I say it Atmosphere were really pretty hopeless. When you re-listen to Dancin'In Outa Space or whatever it is called, it's nothing much. The drumming is really awkward and drifts in and out of time chronically with the bass.

Whew!!! I think I was the only one to see that!!
The drums on this track are really weird!! It seems out of "tempo". Anyway, I love this song!!! It could be an example for what I said in my previous post, I like some bad tunes too!! :lol:

Peace

[markydefad]

On 2002-08-13 03:57, QUINNY wrote:
My own personal hates were mostly the lame 'Disco' acts such as El Coco...Give me the Theme to 'The Love Boat' and I'll show you El Coco et al. They had no balls whatsoever.
A very personal view, but 'white sounding,sanitised,formulaic,beautiful music' was not what disco should have been all about.

QUINNY,

I have to say I love ya for that El Coco quote. I've been trying to convey my lack of respect for that spun sugary stuff too--to NO AVAIL--they STILL LOVE EM here!!!!!

Watch for "Cocomotion" to make the TOP 10 of the new Disco 500!!!! :razz:

BUT, gawd, the rest of your commentary is WAAAY TOO HARSH. Trashing my beloved Gamble & Huff, Thom Bell, Barry White, & poor Shakatak???!!!!
I WON'T GO THERE. Those artists have my respect and undying loyalty.

_________________
Make My Feet Wanna Dance!

Markydefad

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: markydefad on 2002-08-13 13:34 ]</font>

[Jeff H]

On 2002-08-13 03:57, QUINNY wrote:
(what's porn got to do with disco?)

Uh, everything...?

Take away the sex from disco music and you're left with... polkas? :???:

[Blaxman]

Well, it's true. Everybody knows that Philly and Salsoul tunes were made like Henry Ford made his 'T' Model. We have several examples of that, but who cares? That tunes are great in most of cases!! The good examples must be followed.......or copied, right?

Peace