Reply With QuoteIts disco credentials may be questionable to some, but I really don't need to hear Labelle's 'Lady Marmalade' again for the rest of my life.
Chart Hit [Level 6]
Now I'm putting a different twist on this question.What IYO is the most overplayed disco record that you still enjoy hearing.Would you categorize them as timeless in the disco genre? They certainly were tunes that captured the essence of disco.
My nominee would be Disco Inferno-The Trammps
Different eyes see different things. Different hearts beat on different strings. But there are times for you and me when all such things agree...Rush
Gold Record [Level 7]
Its disco credentials may be questionable to some, but I really don't need to hear Labelle's 'Lady Marmalade' again for the rest of my life.
What would you do without your muesli...where would you be without a bowl?
Chart Hit [Level 6]
"More, More, More" by the Andrea True Connection. It doesn't matter how many times I hear this song (and I've heard it countless times). I enjoy hearing it every single time. I'll never get sick of hearing this song. As to the song being timess in the disco genre, the answer is definitely yes.
:evil:
Chart Hit [Level 6]
Did I answer the question correctly? After all, I love the song I picked for this thread.
:evil:
Chart Hit [Level 6]
Yes Outsider that's exactly the kind of answer I was looking forOriginally Written by Outsider
Different eyes see different things. Different hearts beat on different strings. But there are times for you and me when all such things agree...Rush
Double Platinum Record [Level 9]
Voyage - "From East to West" and "Souvenirs"
In much of the New York gay club scene these were 'classics' the minute they hit the turntable. Stayed in DJ's crates for years. Always have, always will love this sound.
Double Platinum Record [Level 9]
"I Will Survive" -- I so never need to hear this again. Not that it's a bad song, but man am I ever tired of it. Gloria Gaynor did much that was as good or better, but you'd never know these days.
"Disco Inferno" -- as above. That and it's just too damn long.
"Knock On Wood" -- used to love it, but now hear it every single week and the novelty has worn right out.
"I Love The Nightlife" -- sadder still because Alicia Bridges wasn't really a disco singer. The rest of the album is very different. And as yet another example of how people never listen to the words, everyone seems to think it's a song about being happy and going out.
Double Platinum Record [Level 9]
All right guys --- TAKE A GOOD LOOK AT ORIGINALBIGM's QUESTION. He's asking what overplayed songs you still like hearing. This is not one of our friendly bitch sessions. :D
Gold Record [Level 7]
Favorite Overplayed Jams that I still like
Voyage - From East To West
Cerrone - Give Me Love
Cerrone - Love In C Minor
Gino Soccio - Dancer
Diana Ross - Love Hangover
Foxy - Get Off
GQ - Disco Nights
Marvin Gaye - Got To Give It Up
Gold Record [Level 7]
No fair - I reckon originalbigm edited it later on to look that way! :D
Only joking...
Well, as I don't listen to the radio any more, I'll nominate what colleagues seem to play all the time, by way of various compilations and mixes. I should scream everytime I hear these, but they're kind of in my blood from way back, so...
Loose Joints 'Is It All Over My Face'
Wood, Brass & Steel 'Funkanova'
Ripple 'The Beat Goes On And On'
Dinosaur L 'Go Bang'
Martin Circus 'Disco Circus'
Loleatta Holloway 'Love Sensation'
Candido 'Thousand Finger Man'
- you get the idea. These are the sorts of tunes that are inevitably on someone's edit block at any given time, somewhere on the planet (cue muted scream).
Underground Hit [Level 5]
My picks are "Last Dance" - Donna Summer & "Disco Inferno" - The Trammps that will seem timeless as Disco becomes revisited. Whether it's a club or airplay, you'll hear these, two songs with regularity.
Keep the faith and everything will come your way as time marches on!
Double Platinum Record [Level 9]
My bad -- I misread the original question!
:oops: :oops: :oops:
Okay, well, I'll never get sick of Donna's "MacArthur Park Suite", although I really don't hear that one very often.
Still love Patrick Hernadez's "Born To Be Alive".
I'll second "More, More, More".
Claudja Barry's "Boogie Woogie Dancin' Shoes".
And although technically not disco, I'll always love "Ride On Time" by Blackbox, despite the fact that I must have heard this one 500 times -- and hey, they did rip the vocals from a real disco song!
Chart Hit [Level 6]
Well this question illicts some interesting comments.I am rather intrigued by 2 of your choices as I can honestly say I've never heard of the artist or song and will now have to see if can find these.I'm refering to Funkanova and Go Bang.
Different eyes see different things. Different hearts beat on different strings. But there are times for you and me when all such things agree...Rush
Platinum Record [Level 8]
I'm not tired of...
:P :P :P "Guilty" by Barbra Streisand & Barry Gibb :P :P :P
marcio
No Longer Charting
In my own mind, I'm almost certain that 'Funkanova' was one of the biggest cons in history. Doesn't sound like anything else from the era that I can remember and yet it was supposedly a milestone/classic/put your own superlative in here. Where?
Forrrce, do you know the form on this one?
BTW: It makes me wanna cringe 'cos the overall sound is soooooooo dated. Don't think I wanna hear it again really.
On a more positive note, records that I've played to death or heard countless times that I'll never tire of. These are all gonna be big, big hits.
Celebration - Kool & The Gang
Strut Your Funky Stuff - Frantique
Thriller - Michael Jackson
Let's Start II Dance - Bohannon featuring Dr. Peri Johnson
Jingo - Candido
Got To Be Real - Cheryl Lynn
and about a hundred others.
Being a DJ did put you at the leading edge, wherever that edge was drawn and it did make you over sensitive to hearing the hits. 20+ years on, I no longer have that sensitivity and I can enjoy the hits for what they were in the most part. JUST BLOODY GOOD RECORDS!!
BTW: They also paid my bills more than any of the more esoteric records I loved, that I could name.
Put it like this, You may not think twice about a Bricklayers trowel, but it earns him X cents every time he loads it up with cement and lays a brick. Bet'cha he loves that trowel.
Gold Record [Level 7]
Funnily enough, Quinny, the first WB&S track that I heard was actually 'Always There', in the early '80s - because the song itself was such a staple of the UK jazz-funk scene and let's face it, there weren't any bad versions. I can recall the (obviously) Ronnie Laws, Willie Bobo and Jeff Lorber versions being the most popular, to and for a pirate radio kiddie like me.
The first WB&S LP surfaced on cut-out and I rushed out and bought one after hearing (the right honorable) Tony Monson play 'Funkanova' and announce the record's availability. A few years later, a friend told me how 'Funkanova' was a big play at the Warehouse. I don't imagine it was big here in the '70s - if it were, I'm sure you would have known it (maybe it got played up north?).
It finally got to the masses years later when it was sampled by London's Black Science Orchestra for their 'New Jersey Deep' track, which is still very popular nearly a decade later. You'll have noticed my re-occuring, bitter rants at the housey hoards who slavishly covet the playlists of iconic American disco DJs and think that's all that matters in an old record - did so-and-so play this at The Windy Barn every night for 6 years on the trot, etc.
So, 'Funkanova's 'classic' status is fairly recent here (t'was around '96, I'd say, that the sheep found out what the record actually was ...and the kiss of death was smudging the lipstick of yet another good record). By the way, there's a re-edit (yawn) coming out soon. More pointless ex-Smiths fan abominations, then...
All of the records I listed previously have suffered the same fate at the hands of lemmings. And, no, I haven't gone mad yet...not noticably! :D
No Longer Charting
[quote="Forrrce
I don't imagine it was big here in the '70s - if it were, I'm sure you would have known it (maybe it got played up north?).
So, 'Funkanova's 'classic' status is fairly recent here (t'was around '96, I'd say, that the sheep found out what the record actually was ...and the kiss of death was smudging the lipstick of yet another good record). [/quote]
Forrrce: This is not a dig at you, O.K.?
I've made no secret of hiding my utter contempt for these kinds of records, that gain cult status 20 years on. I had some big arguments with one guy who had lists of a whole raft of unknown records, that were all supposedly the absolute bees knees and big on the rare groove scene. For me, it's the most insulting thing when young DJs/collectors discover old tracks that were instantly forgotten back in the day (if they were ever remembered in the first place) inferring that us old codgers had our collective heads up our collective assholes. Sure we missed a few, but hundreds and hundreds?
After all the hype, I was really looking forward to hearing this record..........Boy what a downer when I did get a copy on CD.
IMO I wouldn't have played Funkanova a great deal back in '76, 'cos it ain't that great a record. The horns are badly played, the triplets are corny as hell, the sound isn't that polished and its just another of those wishy washy, bland, TV theme type tunes. Absolutely average and forgettable, except I'm humming the tune in my head as I type.
Gold Record [Level 7]
Quinny,
I've had 'Funkanova' for some 18 years now and still love it. I'm not gonna slate you because you don't like it - why should I and why should you? We hold similar views on the culprits, here, though from different standpoints. You're a first-timer and in many ways, you could level similar accusations at me, if you wanted, but as someone who found his own way (and continues to wander through) the world of disco, I feel I have the right to share (and defend) my views, however harsh (this is not directed at you, either).
It's not about 'who's more disco than who' - to me it's about a genuine interest and feeling for what one professes to be about. I pour scorn on these people because, I repeat, they need to be told what to like - they just can't do anything themselves. Old records, for them, just amount to sample material and some sort of silly street crediblity. The price of everything half decent goes up because it's so easy to fuel demand among this new 'elite'. In a sense, I'm halfway between your generation and the new pretenders, but I know which side I identify with.
No Longer Charting
Forrrce: I think were coming from a similar place. I've also tried to follow my own direction, but have to admit to being a sheep on many occasions. Aren't we all sheep to a lesser or greater degree? As a DJ it was sometimes impossible to ignore certain tracks (even though my heart told me to), due to commercial pressures and punter power.
There are one or two 'originals' on this board whom I both admire, whilst at the same time thinking sad ..........s. The trouble is that the cult of individualism can become obsessive and meaningless very quickly. I imagine that records like 'Funkanova' became cult listening due to a few men's obsessive need to remain individuals (in their programming). To my ears, too often with these people, the need for individualism completely overtakes meaningful critical considerations. The 'art' of being different, just for the sake of it. I wish I could have been ultra hip.......NOT.
It's a dangerous place, it really is.
Gold Record [Level 7]
Quinny,
I was hoping you wouldn't take my line on finding one's own way out of context, so I assume you're just sharpening it to make a point, so to speak. No-one is 100% original, in any respect.
In the past, I've tried to put a lot of people on to (IMHO) good disco and they couldn't have cared less. Now, the same people (and many like them) tell me what time it is. My turn to do the ignoring.
What would you do without your muesli...where would you be without a bowl?
No Longer Charting
I guess it's every older generation's perogative to feel the way I do and every younger generation's to shout "get outta my way old man, I'm the king now!"
Now that we've sharpened our pencils, what else can we do with 'em? :o
Underground Hit [Level 5]
Thing is, there are always pretty good records that are going to get passed by or sound much better 20 years on. I wasn't DJing thru the 70's but I know if I was I would defo have missed loads of stuff. Maybe not 9/10 calibre material but quite a few 8/10's for sure. I'm still suprised now how many worthwhile records from that period are new to me and I'm still discovering. So we shouldn't resent the younger generation for turning up "new" tracks from "our" era. If they are genuinely good records dug up by people with enthusiasm and love for music, what is wrong with that? However, I know exactly the sort of ex Cure fan Forrrce means and they can all go suck cox in hell!!!!!!!!!!!
Leather is the way forward!
No Longer Charting
Leatherman: Yes you are right in what you say, to a point. However, much of what gets turned up IS very average and quite often picked up for peanuts by the original crate diggers.
I've never liked the "this is rare therefore you gotta dig it" crap that goes down. As I've written before, when we played records back in the day, we didn't play them 'cos they were rare. They've only become rare since. Personally I can see a very big difference in the two mentalities of ex DJ back in the day and young hipster.
Underground Hit [Level 5]
Q I would say with distribution being such a big issue many records never made it out of their state, let alone to over here to the UK. It annoys me when some guys are only interested in the rare records and not the equally good or better more common stuff - because it seems less exiting and cool (though really, we are all guilty of this to one degree or another). It is a stupid way of collecting music.
I got into it in the late 70's and like yourself used James Hamilton as my main buying guide. When I now occasionally re-read his pages he did get it wrong a lot more than I thought he did at the time - we all did! So there are going to be some records that are going to take us by suprise from this period. Personally, I like finding "new" records from the 70/80's. I'm not saying many of them are as good as the absolute classics (We are Family, Do what your Wanna Do, Stomp - or whatever they are for you), but I'm sick of those now and I want something new to listen to.
Leather is the way forward!
Indie Release [Level 4]
Actually, I did that Funakanova edit! (In my defence, I did it for personal use and someone happened to hear it who was in the position to release. I never intended to have it released.)So, 'Funkanova's 'classic' status is fairly recent here (t'was around '96, I'd say, that the sheep found out what the record actually was ...and the kiss of death was smudging the lipstick of yet another good record). By the way, there's a re-edit (yawn) coming out soon. More pointless ex-Smiths fan abominations, then...
I hear what you're saying about newbies obsessing over New York DJs, not least because the two places where I first started going out clubbing - The Warehouse in Leeds with DJ Ian Dewhirst and Rock City, Nottingham with DJ Jonathan Woodliffe - were playing a very similar soundtrack to that in NYC, mixing disco, electronic disco like D Train, jazz-funk and leftfield things like Magnificent Dance. However, if by finding out about older tunes it gives them a thirst for discovering other music, then I think that's a good thing. You can hardly blame a kid who's 20-years-old for not going to see Soul II Soul at the Africa Centre or Larry Levan at the Garage!
You have to find out about it somehow. I'll happily confess to discovering bands like Cameo and Spunk in 1981 when A Certain Ratio mentioned them in an interview in the NME! (I later found out they were basically listing records that a black DJ called Hewan Clarke was playing in Manchester at the time.) Before that, I'd been collecting stuff on Ze and Factory and was largely unaware of Prelude or Salsoul. I was as cluelless then as (no doubt) some of the kids you refer to now.
The problem with some of the younger collectors - and I don't think it's confined to this generation or genre of music - is in slavishly following anything that a New York DJ ever played is to rob a lot of the records of their British context (which many of them had at the time). There are always going to be people (DJs and/or collectors) who don't have enough personality to create their own classics, so they copy off other DJs, lists etc, but I'm all in favour of any 18-year-old who's at least interested in something other than run-of-the-mill house records and gangsta rap.
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