No Longer Charting
O.K. Y'all; the subject of this thread probably has already been covered (I'm hoping no); but let's stab at it anyhoo. List the Disco's you frequented or you liked during the disco era, or even post disco era. Feel free to comment on why you liked or frequented a certain disco. I'll break the Ice and give examples by listing a few that I liked, and these are not really my favorite:
Studio 54 (New York City) - Never went there in person but this place was always in the news back in the "disco" day. Stars, celebrities, and the famous were always frequenting this one; and if I had not been in the Navy back then, I would have paid several visits to the place.
Byron's Disco (Jacksonville, FL) - It was small but had a huge crowd; was crowded all the time and played not only popular disco, but stuff you never heard; Byron's finally closed in 1984.
Copa (Fort Lauderdale, FL) - This one was gay as a 3.796 dollar bill, but had a very diverse crowd and a good crowd overall, and a lot of women there checking out drag shows, etc. back in the day and you could pick up some pretty high class, chic women, and of course "fag hags" who were looking to be laid also. The music was totally awesome, again, just like Byron's, playing popular and not so popular disco, in other words, playing it all! Copa is now closed - closed in 2005.
Last edited by garrybcoston; October 3rd, 2006 at 02:18 PM. Reason: Mispellings, grammar, left out a word
*** Forum Leader / Moderator ***
A lot:
Belgium:
-Manhattan (Leuven)
-Forum (Lier)
-Palace (Antwerp)
-Berchem Palace (Berchem)
-Jimmy's (Antwerp)
-Funk You (Antwerp)
-Gaité (Brussels)
-Le Garage (Brussels)
-Vaudeville (Brussels)
-Palm Beach (Zellik)
-Lords (Schepdaal)
-Hitshot (Herentals)
-Move (Herentals)
-Acoustic (Herentals)
-York (Herentals)
-Soly Sombra (Herentals)
-Pebbles (Blankenberge)
-Beatles (Blankenberge)
-Scala (Blankenberge)
-Bronx (Turnhout)
And others :lol:
No Longer Charting
WOW! You've got me beat; I think I frequented maybe 10 in the U.S. and always were devout to those 10 on a recurring basis, and only in the same metro area; now in Palma De Mallorca Spain, I used to visit a disco called "Barbarella's," and I believe it is still going strong. I used to visit one in Rota, Spain, London, England, but I can't remember the names of them. Maybe they'll come to me and I'll share them.Originally Written by Videoskooter
Garry:-D
Gold Record [Level 7]
Fort Lauderdale/Miami area
The Copa(my home away from home)
Backstreet(Did Lights)
Limelight
The Flying Machine
Bachelor's III
Big Daddy's
The Loft (DJ'd there)
Tops(DJ'd there)
Traxx(DJ'd there)
and a gazillion others
Germany
The Red Balloon (DJ'd there)
Carousel (DJ'd there)
The Forum (DJ'd there)
The disco by the Frankfurt airport. I can't remember the name.
and a gazillion others I visited in Europe. Mostly Germany and The Netherlands.
Atlanta
Backstreet
Limelight
Weekends(DJ'd there)
a few others
L.A.
Circus Disco(DJ'd there)
and a gazillion others
New York
The Saint
Limelight
and a gazillion others(post Garage/Loft/Funhouse)
DJ for private parties.
And a string of others both in the USA, Europe and Asia.
I was also a disco dancer and competed in at least a hundred competitions.
Indie Release [Level 4]
[quote=needlefingers;99281]
The disco by the Frankfurt airport. I can't remember the name.
quote]
Dorian Gray is the one you mention
Indie Release [Level 4]
The reason I remember most of these clubs I have visited is because I remember vividly a specific record hearing at that club for the first time!! Every time I listen to that record I can visualise every nano-second of my visit to that specific club....
Studio 54 in Manhattan was the best uptown club ever and that is were I heard "don't stop till you get enough' by Michael Jackson. Exactly at the moment when the man in the moon descended and the spoon went up his nose...magic!
The Ramrod in The Village NYC, a small club where the DJ played 'deputy of love' by Don Armando's Second Avenue Rhumba Band when it just came out...
Studio 1 in LA was the biggest gay club I have ever been to at that time and hearing 'you make me feel mighty real' by Sylvester with thousands of hardbodies on poppers shaking those tambourines....sheer joy
Le Club 7, Rue St Anne in Paris is the place where DJ Guy Guevas blew my mind playing Cerrone's 'love in C minor' for the first time...that ain't no banana
Paradise Garage, King Street, NYC was the club where I heard 'The Whip' by Eddie Kendricks....Larry Levan workin that monster soundsystem in a way I had not heard before...the crack of a whip rotating from left to right during a break while on the dancefloor just made me scream!
Mudd Club in NYC is where I first heard James White And The Blacks 'contort yourself', twisted disco for sure and I am not talking about the music only, what about that club??
Le Mirano in Brussels, Belgium was the most glamorous and adventurous club in Belgium (ever!!) and to hear 'The message' by Grandmaster Flash was just so thrilling...
in it's first few weeks after the opening of Heaven, Under the Arches in London, hearing DJ Ian Levine playing 'so many men, so little time' by Miguel Brown surely brought back fun into nightlife...at least in London!
Le Palace in Paris not only had the best looking bartenders and busboys but also one of the most fab soundsystems and decor in the world at that time...hearing DJ Guy Guevas playing 'blood and honey' by Amanda Lear made me a Palace-junkie for years...
Baia dei Angeli in Gabicce Monte in Italy was an outside club build on terraces in the hills of a little village in Italy (near Rimini) overlooking the Mediterrean and to be there on a starry night hearing 'who needs enemies with a friend like you' by Montana Sextet still makes my heart pound faster
and...hearing 'jack your body' by Steve 'Silk' Hurley at my very own Club RoXY in Amsterdam is one of the most exciting moments of my life as a clubber and DJ...
there are so many many more of these moments that I probably will bore you with them, but thanks Garry for starting this thread...it brings back such beautiful memories
Last edited by all*that*glitters*; October 5th, 2006 at 03:50 AM.
Platinum Record [Level 8]
Le Palace, Paris: ***** five stars
Le Club, Paris: ****
Memphis, Paris: *
Le Main Jeune; Paris: ****
Le Camarque, Nice: ****
The Embassy, London: ****
Heaven, London: ****
Studio 54, NY: **
Xenon, NY:***
Ice Palace, NY:*****
New York New York:**
Leviathan, NY:*****
Paradise Garage, NY:*****
Crisco Disco, NY:*****
The Anvil, NY:*****
The Copa, NY:**
Gilded Grape, NY:****
Roseland, NY:**
Magique, NY:*
Les Mouches, NY:***
12 West, NY:*****
Flamingo, NY:*****
Studio 1, LA:*****
Dillon's Downtown, LA:**
Dance Your Ass Off, SF: ***
The City, SF:****
Trocadero Transfer, SF:*****
The Ricksha, SF:**
The Zephyr, Oakland:*
Metropolytina -or something like that, Leningrad:**
Barbarella, Palma de Mallorca:****
Funky Maruscha, Heinola: *****
Easy Going, Roma: *****
Piranha, Capri:*****
going out 5 nights a week for years there were so very, very many more - exited/nervous walks in the night, taxi rides, entrances, stairs going up or down leading to totally empty or packed dance floors, Cuba Libres at the bar, warm shoulders pressing into mine, the drums of Cerrone.
Double Platinum Record [Level 9]
*****
Jussik, of all the clubs in the world ... what a surprise to see this one of all places get mentioned! How in the world did you wind up there ?? :icon_question:
( I was that club's very first DJ ... BTW )
*****
Baby, take me
high upon a hillside
high up where the stallion
meets the sun
Platinum Record [Level 8]
Say what, you were the first dj ever at The Zephyr - ?! That place was the very first disco I ever went to in America, late June of 1978, almost literally right after having stepped out of the plane at San Francisco International airport (14 hours flight) and having thrown my suitcase at the house I was to stay in for the next 5 weeks in Oakland. My friends who owned the house had prepared a nice dinner which I wolfed down a fast as possible, not wanting to waste any time - take me to a disco, any disco, NOW! So they took me to The Zephyr and I remember it as if it were yesterday: a huge locomotive thing built on one wall of a strange waiting room style space, quite good music and hardly anyone on the floor. The said floor was tiled, was it not? We started dancing to Voyage and "War Dance" by Kebekelektrik, a tune that must have been big along the Bay area. After an hour my legs started to shake uncontrollably and I was ready to black out with exhaustion so they helped me out to the car and off we drove. Next night after a proper rest, central San Francisco, and I was in my element at last. Disco, American Style! During the next 5 weeks, not one night was a non-disco night, we went clubbing from Reno (?) to a place in Arroyo Way in a town near Oakland, a place frequented by porn star Marilyn Chambers and her pimp husband. Hustle lessons, an opening of a new club, a "disco theatre performance of a William Shakespeare classic" with an audience of five (my mates and me), straight clubs, gay clubs, sex clubs, good clubs, so-so clubs...- Sorry I only gave The Zephyr one star, it was a slow night and all that....
No Longer Charting
God I love this Forum! We get people in here from all over this beautiful world, and most of all, they loved and "love" Disco.
The strange thing is this........People from Europe and other parts of the world always traveled to America to experience what we were doing, as well as frequenting their own local, native discos. In America, unless you were rich or well to do, you only went to discos (for the most part), in your own city or metro area, and this is true.
I had the privilege of being in the Navy and went to Disco's in Perth Australia, London England, Stuttgart Germany, Glasgow Scotland, Munich Germany, Rota Spain, Palma De Mallorca Spain, Valencia Spain, Naples Italy, Genova Italy, Athens Greece, Haifa Israel, Cannes France, Nice France, and there are more but I just can't remember the cities, and most sadly, I've forgotten the names of most of those discos.
But anyway the point is, People from Europe and other countries in the world travel and experience other cultures, Americans for the most part don't; and of course this was really true of the disco experience during the Disco era in the 70's and early 80's.
Garry8-)
Test Pressing [Level 2]
I'm surprised that some of you international clubbers missed the best club in the world (imo) 'The Saint'
Last edited by Say What?; October 6th, 2006 at 03:00 PM.
*** Forum Leader / Moderator ***
As a student I didn't have much money so didn't travel far in those days 1977/1978/1979 apart for one trip to California. The clubs I went to were as follows: -
The Embassy Club - The seminal hangout in London BITD. Packed with stars, hangers-on, weirdos, good music, most of the time. I was a member.
Legends - Opened in 1979...great sound system, played good music there for a while but lost its way after a bit.
Maunkberrys - A stellar 'after club' club, that shone brightly before fading and disappearing.
The Royalty, Southgate - a Legendary club, played great music and had great DJs
Eltons, Tottenham - All pink & chrome and that was just the girls!!
Heaven - I went for the music, but got tired of being harrassed by men wanting to 'trade'....not being gay it took a while to figure out what they were talking about. :-o
Went to Studio1 in LA - great music but no women! Went once to the Troc in San Fransisco, where I heard mixing for the first time....blew my mind.
There were others in places like Blackpool - I took my own music and Liverpool but thought that the 'regional, big clubs were naff.
http://retroruss.podOmatic.com - My show now available on Podcast!
Get On Up Saturday 19th May 11pm till late - a Night of Underground Disco in London! £5 on the door
Double Platinum Record [Level 9]
Heaven opened in '79 but 'So Many Men' came out in '83 so I think your memory is playing tricks a*t*g! (my memory's the same; we're at that age!) I'm like you in that I remember a specific place & time when I hear certain tracks. BTW, is that you in the bike helmet? Very nice!:razz:
...ya gotta beat the street......
Indie Release [Level 4]
you may be right about the association with Heaven, I remember there were so many men....but I must have lost the time....as happens when there's so many men....oh well, I was there anyway hearing fat Ian pumping those tunes....great club at the time although I preferred Bangs on a monday night....
Bike helmets do not come always come disguised as a mirrorball but it sure looks great, thanks
Platinum Record [Level 8]
To Remicks...perhaps you recognise the lady on the left, Shirley - she's the one that used to hang out at The Zephyr a lot. And of course, that's me in the middle, leaning against the Cadillac Car!
Double Platinum Record [Level 9]
*****
Thanks Jussik !
Actually it's YOU that I recognize .... you were wild tearing up that tile floor that nite !!! :-D
Seriously ...... just can't make out Shirley well enough to really tell ....but the booth there was way up ... do you have any other photos taken back then showing the top of her head ??......
I've still been trippin' .... ever since you first mentioned the ol' Zephyr. That night in June that you were there, it would have been either my by then ex-mate ... or me up in the booth because we were the two DJs there at the time !!
Small world indeed.
I had since your post written up a little more detail about The Zephyr ... but when I went to post it , it vanished. :sad:
So I'll give it another go when I get a chance .... in case you're interested ......(... or even if not :-P !! )
Always fun recollecting those nights .
Oh .....and good thing you went ahead and enjoyed your dinner ..... unless you wanted disco dance lessons . Typically we had them there until around 10:00-10:30 pm .....
Say hi to Shirley for me !
*****
Last edited by remicks; October 8th, 2006 at 05:21 PM.
Baby, take me
high upon a hillside
high up where the stallion
meets the sun
Indie Release [Level 4]
favourite clubs frequented during 75 - 80 - crackers, bali hai, upstairs at ronnies, global village, embassy, legends, tites, scamps, zoom zoom, flicks, atlantis, goldmine, stage 3, and various other places all in London or kent, UK. Didn't travel round much, but worked for a couple of months in Amsterdam in 77, and often went to a club called honolulus and another club nearby.
went to a few swanky places in London, such as Regines. My girlfriend at the time (77ish) worked in Regine's boutique in Bond Street, so we could get in to the club for nothing. But i much preferred Crackers and the Global Village to any of the posher places.
would have loved to have done the US thing back then. but sadly didn't. still find it fascinating the difference between the UK and US scenes, particularly the differing tracks that were played
JJ
Platinum Record [Level 8]
I tried to enlarge the odd-sized photograph but that only made Shirley's features hazier. So perhaps fittingly that's what she now remains, an enchanting memory gradually fading - cue to the theme from "Laura", the Biddu Orchestra version. A couple of years after the picture was taken I learned she had married and divorced soon after. What became of Shirley I have no idea but she certainly was a stunner. I burned, baby, I burned.
But if you have any flashbacks of the Zephyr post them in text here, please do! We also went to a club called Disco International that according to my notebook was on McArthur Boulevard, was that right? There was also a gay club opposite a donut bar on a busy commercial street a couple of blocks from where I stayed, not downtown nor near Berkeley where Disco international was but round the lake Merrit, a really nice area. That's where I first saw guys do what later became known as The Freak, to Cerrone's Supernature. A long narrow space, the dance floor built like a podium to your left from the entrance, a long bar on your right. One of the guys was wearing turquoise harem pants that looked really cool and I remember thinking could I possibly make an impression wearing those, maybe in black? The films seen in Oakland were: The Hills Have Eyes, Jaws 2, and Seven Into Snowy (porno). In San Francisco, Market Street cinemas: Thank God It's Friday, Pretty Baby, The Phantom of the Paradise. In a cinema near the Transamerica pyramid that was already torn down when I visited the city some 8 years later, Brian dePalma's The Fury in double bill with Cronenberg's Rabid. Those were the days. In Chinatown, a very good HK sword film the name of which I had not written down. A couple of years ago, Im could not find a single Chinese cinema in operation. Sigh. - Hustle lessons were taken at The Riksha disco and at Dance Your Ass Off as well as at something called Arthur Murray dance school, situated next to a department store. Then we saw Village People live in Oakland, in a massive ornate hall that must have been a 30's picture palace. The concert was a disaster with screaming teens in the audience. We shrugged and drove to The City afterwards.
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