Disco-Rock

[electric warrior]

Despite the well-publicized clashes between the two, the relationship between disco and rock was quite close at times. A number of major rock acts incorporated disco elements into their music; some even did so to great critical or commercial success.

In light of this, we're trying to create a definitive list of songs detailing those artists who did experiment with disco. The rules are simple:

1. Only specific tracks are allowed; if you find one album to be particularly relevant, i.e. Emotional Rescue or Station to Station, please name the specific tracks off of it.

2. Only 'classic rock' acts apply; that is, please do not include New Wave/Post-Punk bands, i.e. Blondie, Gang of Four, etc., or pop acts, such as Cher, the Bee Gees, etc.

With that said, here's the list so far:

The Rolling Stones - Miss You, Emotional Rescue
Kiss - I Was Made for Loving You
The Steve Miller Band - Macho City
David Bowie - Golden Years, Stay
Queen - Another One Bites the Dust
Paul McCartney and Wings - Goodnight Tonight
The Kinks - Superman
Alice Cooper - You Gotta Dance

Thanks for your help, and good luck!

[markydefad]

Well, if we can go beyond 1979 into the early 1980s....off the top of my head, I'd add:

"Swingtown" /"Abracadabra" - Steve Miller Band
"Johnny & Mary" /"Looking For Clues"/ You Are In My System"- Robert Palmer
"Here Comes The Night" - The Beach Boys (is that too Pop a group?; well, it's real hardcore 1979 DISCO, sadly neglected at the time.)
"Walking On Thin Ice" - Yoko Ono (does she qualify as Rock" or just a Bitch?) :P
"Emincence Front" - The Who (played in clubs; it was on that Saint Black Party link sfbeary recently provided)
"Fame"/ "Young Americans" - David Bowie (1975)
"Under Pressure" - Queen & David Bowie
"Lowdown"/ "What Can I Say" - Boz Scaggs
"Georgy Porgy" -Toto w/Cheryl Lynn
"So Wrong" - Patrick Simmons (Dobbie Brothers)
"Stand Back" - Stevie Nicks
"Coming Up" - Paul McCartney & Wings
"I Heard It Through The Grapevine" - Creedence Clearwater Revival (sorta BEFORE Disco...but it's mentioned in those Loft/Gallery party discussions)
"Long Train Running" - The Doobie Brothers ( see above disclaimer; same here)
"Whole Lotta Love"- Led Zeppelin mixed into Chicago's "I'm A Man" when the beat dropped out on the former (during the moaning) was in one of those books "Love Saves The Day" as a fave mix from one of those NYC clubs back in tha day.
"Running From Paradise" - Hall & Oates (1979)
"I Can't Go For That (No Can Do) - Hall & Oates

Plus there was that Bonnie Bramlett song (she was with Delaney & Bonnie); can't recall the title. It's on a lot of those early disco lists; sfbeary please step forward.

(afterthought: is it titled "Talkin' about My Baby" or something like that?) :oops: :oops: :oops:

There's more--we've discussed this before.

[markydefad]

Wait!!!

How could I forget SPARKS!!!!

BEAT THE CLOCK
TRYOUTS FOR THE HUMAN RACE
THE NUMBER ONE SONG IN HEAVEN
WHEN I'M WITH YOU

Hey, they were a ROCK group BEFORE they were considered New Wave ( "Cool Places", etc.)

[markydefad]

I've always liked Joe Cocker's "Fun Time"...you could play it right after "Rock The Boat" IMHO.

[sfbeary]

Bonnie Bramlett - "Crazy 'Bout My Baby" - i love this record, but it'll probably inspire much head-scratching amongst those not students of the early nyc club scene.

we've been down this rock-disco-connection road before - check a thread or two several months ago - in it, giovanni mentioned a record that i had never heard before and now quite like:

Rita Coolidge - "You"

while we're on the subject of rock mamas with soul, here's a similarly quirky Nicky Siano/Gallery classic:

Martha Valez — Aggravation

[Marcio**]

My choices...


Roderick Falconer "Rock City"
Rinder & Lewis "Willie & The Hand Jive"
Elton John "Mama Can't Buy You Love"
Santa Esmeralda "Dance You Down Tonight"



:D

[galocha]

My choice will be:

Paul McCartney and Wings - Silly Love songs

I love it!

[originalbigm]

Babe Ruth hard rock group from england had two big club hits.

From their 1972 album First Base-The Mexican also covered sucessfully by The Bombers

From their 1975 album Stealing Home- Elusive

[markydefad]

Some more titles came to me:

Obvious but not mentioned yet:

"Da Ya Think I'm Sexy" - Rod Stewart (#1 record)

Others:
"Passion" - Rod Stewart
"What A Fool Believes" - Doobie Brothers
"Let Me Take You Dancing" - Bryan Adams (remixed/sped up)
"Angel Eyes"/ "The Main Thing"/ "Dance Away"/ "Over You" / "Eight Miles High" - Roxy Music
"Above & Beyond" - Edgar Winter
"The Glamour Profession"/ a case could be made for "Do it Again" - Steely Dan
"Late In The Evening" - Paul Simon
"Was Dog A Doughnut" - Cat Stevens
"Galaxy" - War
"Why'd Ya Do It" - Marianne Faithfull
"Street Player" - Chicago
"Cat People (Putting Out Fire With Gasoline)" - David Bowie w/ Giorgio Moroder
"One Chain (Don't Make No Prison)" - Santana
"Who Loves You"/ "December 1963 (Oh What A Night)" - The Four Seasons (OK, maybe they would be POP)
"Fly Too High" - Janis Ian (probably more a folkie)
"Corazon" - Carole King (this one really rocks--play it after Barrabas--fits perfectly)
"That's The Kind Of Love I've Got For You" - Dusty Springfield (Brit Pop Diva)
"Are You Ready For Love"/"Victim Of Love"/ "Johnny B. Goode"/ a case could be made for "Philadelphia Freedom" - Elton John

Then we get to the cases of Carly Simon, Kiki Dee, Ace, Nicolette Larson, Barry Manilow, Frankie Valli, Leo Sayer, et al...who all dabbled but were POP NOT ROCK.

[NickNack]

Some more titles came to me:

"That's The Kind Of Love I've Got For You" - Dusty Springfield (Brit Pop Diva)

Don't forget the original by Rita Jean Bodine. Much more rock influence than Dusty's cover.

BTW: Thank you for remembering "Crazy 'Bout My Baby" by Bonnie Bramlett. Still love that damn song.

[NickNack]

Has Sabu been mentioned? His work on his own and with Ann-Margret was surely disco-rock.

Ann-Margret: What I Do To Men; Midnight Message
Sabu: We're Gonna Rock; Shotgun

[SandraDee]

'Cannonball' - Supertramp
'Never Gonna Fall In Love again' - Tom Robinson Band
'Stepping Out' - Joe Jackson
'You Got The Power' - War

While on this subject, quite a few artists considered 'disco' were originally rock musicians/singers e.g. Dan Hartman, Narada Michael Walden, Alicia Bridges, Gino Soccio, etc.

[Marcio**]

Johnny "Guitar" Watson: "Miss Frisco (Queen of Disco)"
Chi-Chi Favelas & The Black and White Band "Rock Solid"
Boney M "Take The Heat Off Me"
Ann-Margret: "Love Rush"

:)

[markydefad]

Guys, the point of this thread was to find CLASSIC ROCK ARTISTS played on CLASSIC ROCK STATIONS who dabbled in DISCO at one or more points in their careers. Not NEW WAVE or Early PUNK were part of the specs--so basically 1960s & 1970s artists that survived long enough to reach the disco era.

Ann-Margret, Miss "Kitten With A Whip", lovely as she was---was never a CLASSIC ROCK ARTIST. :lol:

[electric warrior]

Thank you for that reminder, markydefad. Although contributions from all directions are welcome, additions pertaining particularly to classic rock artists are especially appreciated. Here are some more additions to the list:

David Bowie - John, I'm Only Dancing (Again)
Frank Zappa - Dancin' Fool
Captain Beefheart - Tropical Hot Dog Night
Roxy Music - Love Is The Drug
The Eagles - One Of These Nights
The Grateful Dead - Shakedown Street

Thank you, and keep them coming!

[originalbigm]

A Few others come to mind.

James Gang from the album Rides Again-Funk#49

Robert Palmer from the Clues album-Johnny & Mary & Looking for Clues

[markydefad]

What about

VAN MORRISON?-- especially "Domino"; maybe "Wild Night" (Love this record) :D :D :D

[SandraDee]

Personally I don't see what Bowie's 'John Im Only Dancing' & Eagles 'One Of These Nights' have to do with disco; they're great tracks but they're hardly disco IMO whereas Supertramp's 'Cannonball' is disco IMO & they're not new wave. I shall get me coat now 'cos I obviously miss the point of this thread altogether. :-? :(

[markydefad]

Hey S.T.Dee,

Take off that coat. It's cold out there!!!! :P

I think Supertramp's "Cannonball" absolutely counts. :D

I don't get the Eagles "One Of These Nights" as "Disco" either, although it's always brought up everytime we go down this road. About 73 times before as I recall. :o


(Makes mental note to pull out the Eagles and listen tonight.
Will I be dancing or swaying????Hmmmm......

[DISCODISK]

I don't get the Eagles "One Of These Nights" as "Disco" either, although it's always brought up everytime we go down this road. About 73 times before as I recall. :o

actually MARKY it was 74

[NickNack]

Mea Culpa. Does "I'll Keep Holding On" by Jim Capaldi count or is that just DOR?

I'm actually getting ready to join Maarten's club and say F@#K all these labels, genres and sub-genres in music. JHC what is the damn purpose?

All right, excuse my little rant. And it has absolutely nothing to do with you or the thread, electric warrior. Just age and a bad back. :oops:

[SandraDee]

Just a bad back. :oops:

I won't ask what you've been doing to get that Nicky! :lol:

[NickNack]

Just a bad back. :oops:

I won't ask what you've been doing to get that Nicky! :lol:

Grrl, puh-leeeze... :lol:

[sfbeary]

hey steely d,

bowie re-recorded "john, i'm only dancing" around the time of the *young americans* album, but didn't release this version until several years later. this version really is disco - it was released on a 12".

[Nano]

About Frank Zappa. I should mention that "Dancin' fool" is actually a mock-parody of the disco sound. The character in the song is a square guy who goes to a club to feel "on the wave", actually the lyrics are very funny. Zappa has done something similar one year earlier (1976) in the song "Disco boy" (Zoot Allures album).
Now, Zappa didn't really try to dig into the disco market with this. Neither he did release these songs as singles. So, I don't know if they fit the list... but certainly another list of disco-parodies could be done and it would be similarly interesting, IMHO.
Parliament did it both ways: first laughing at disco ("Undisco Kidd"), then releasing a disco single ("Party people"). I guess George Clinton needed some cash... :P