Disco 2001: The Year in Review

[discosavvy]

Disco 2001: The Year in Review



2001 was a great year for disco music, especially in the last four months. Classic disco albums continued to sell in large numbers worldwide. New rap, house, and pop songs continued to sample old disco songs. Some all-time disco classics were remade in high style. And there were lots of great new disco songs released as well. 4/4 dance music with real acoustic instruments, heavy bass, awesome rhythm guitars, and real strings is back in a big way! And much of house music kept turning in a disco direction (hence the moniker "disco-house").



Do you remember "Cosmic Girl" and "Canned Heat" from the late-1990s? Jamiroquai kept the disco groove going with their latest album "A Funk Odyssey", which was released in the U.K. and Australia on September 3, 2001 and in the U.S.A. on the fateful day of September 11, 2001. The British band features Jay Kay as the main vocalist, Beverley Knight with supporting vocals on the disco songs "Main Vein" and "Love Foolosophy", Nick Fyffe on bass, and Rob Harris on guitar. The album soared to number 1 in the U.K., France, Italy, Australia, and Japan. The first single from the album was "Little L", a funky disco number released on August 13, 2001. "Little L" reached the top 5 in the U.K. in August and has been pretty popular in Europe, Canada, and the United States as well. The second single, "You Give Me Something", a mellow pop-disco track with a lovely string interlude towards the end, was released on November 19, 2001. A more club-oriented version of "You Give Me Something" was released as the "Full Intention Vocal Mix" (apparently at 125 BPM). "Main Vein", "Feel So Good", and "Love Foolosophy" are decidedly faster than "You Give Me Something" and provide the most memorable disco moments on the album. Jamiroquai proved once again that disco can be performed live by going on tour throughout Europe in the fall.



British singer Sophie Ellis-Bextor, following up on her #1 Pop U.K. success in the previous year with "Groovejet (If This Ain't Love)", released a new album entitled "Read My Lips" on September 3, 2001. The first single taken from the album, the disco song "Take Me Home (A Girl Like Me)", is an amended cover of Cher's 1979 classic - some of the lyrics are different, but the melody and structure are essentially the same. "Take Me Home" reached #2 Pop in the U.K. in August 2001 and thus became Sophie's second big hit. The second single, "Murder on the Dancefloor", which features the bass guitar of Guy Pratt, guitar-playing by John Themis, and strings by the Wired Strings (led by Rosie Wetter), debuted at #2 Pop in the U.K. on December 9, 2001 and has an even stronger disco flavor than "Take Me Home".



American singer Ultra Nate released her album "Stranger Than Fiction" on April 24, 2001. "I Don't Understand It" is a pure disco experience with real strings (arranged and conducted by Janson and Janson, recorded in Stockholm, Sweden), guitar by Masa Shimuzu, bass by Vere Isaac, and keyboards by Lem Springsteen. Stephanie McKay provided backing vocals. "Dear John" is also strongly disco, with the participation of the Urban Soul Orchestra and excerpts from El Coco's "Dancing in Paradise". The orchestra includes Ivan Hussey and Adrian Bradbury on cellos, Jake Walker on viola, a trio of violinists (Stephen Hussey, Richard George, Fiona McCapra), and Corin Long on double bass. Some of Ultra Nate's other new dance songs are a little more housey and electronic, like "Get It Up (The Feeling)" and "Breakfast for Two".



Beverlei Brown's album "Next To You", released on September 3, 2001, includes the song "Gonna Get Over You (Full Flava Mix)" as well as another version of "Gonna Get Over You" - both remakes of the 1981 France Joli disco original, though the first has more of that disco spirit and sounds much like the original.



Barry Manilow made his first big disco venture since 1978's "Copacabana" by releasing the song "They Dance!" on his big comeback album "Here at the Mayflower" (November 13, 2001).



Nile Rodgers produced a new disco remake of the January 1979 Sister Sledge classic "We Are Family". Recorded in September 2001 by 195 singers and musicians, including many disco artists from the past (such as Stephanie Mills, Luther Vandross, K.C. and the Sunshine Band, Diana Ross, and the four Sledge sisters who had sung the original back in 1978), it was released to benefit September 11th-related charities.



Nile's legendary band Chic continued touring in America with a new set of players, including Jerry Barnes on bass, Omar Hakim on drums, Merline Nelson and Richard Hilton on keyboards, and lead singers Sylver Logan Sharp and Audra Lomax. They've got a live horn section too. Chic also worked on some new songs for a forthcoming studio album.



Kylie Minogue released her album "Fever" on October 1, 2001. It includes the disco song "Dancefloor" and a number of good house and 1980s-styled dance tracks.



The Swedish trio Alcazar provided a number of disco moments with their album "Casino". Their song "Sexual Guarantee" took the bassline from Chic's "My Forbidden Lover", while their "Paradise" samples the S.O.S. Band's "Take Your Time (Do It Right)". Their other disco or disco-house songs this year included "Almost Famous", "Breaking Free", and "The Bells of Alcazar". They've been getting some exposure in Britain.



Roger Sanchez featured Sharleen Spiteri on vocals on the disco song "Nothing to Prove" on his album "First Contact" (released July 30, 2001 in the U.S.A. and August 13, 2001 in the U.K.). On the same album is "I Never Knew", an excellent disco-house track featuring Cooly's Hot Box on vocals, with an excellent string accompaniment as well as some brass. "I Never Knew" was first released as a single in early 2000.



The French duo Modjo released their first album "No More Tears" on September 18, 2001. Their number one disco-house hit from 2000, "Lady (Hear Me Tonight)", which takes guitar from Chic's R&B song "Soup for One", is included on the album, as is their other house hit "Chillin'". A new song included on the album is "No More Tears", which is very disco-like house.



The group Fused, which has been influenced by disco, released the album "Audio". Their songs "Straight Ahead", "XXX Audio", and "Hey Girl" are rather strongly disco-oriented.



The teen pop band S Club 7 came out with a silly disco-pop song "Don't Stop Movin'" which is pretty annoying.



Meanwhile, Britney Spears had a disco-like introduction to her song "Anticipating", released on her November 6, 2001 album "Britney".



Janet Jackson's pop song "All For You" used a guitar riff from Change's "The Glow of Love", which gave it its disco groove sound.



Rap artist DMX released an album in September 25, 2001 called "The Great Depression" which includes the track "When I'm Nothing" (featuring a sample and modified lyrics of Stephanie Mills's beautiful 1979 disco classic "What 'Cha Gonna Do With My Lovin'").



The "Full Intention Club Mix" of Jennifer Lopez's song "Love Don't Cost A Thing" is a very disco-flavored house song with elegant string-sounding keyboards.



There's a new disco song sung by a black female singing group in which some of the lyrics are "...lose your heart at any cost. I've been around enough to know... so take a chance on love... Love ain't... when you want it to. But it's right on time." I have been unable to track down the song's name or the names of the artists.



Lionel Richie made a comeback with his album "Renaissance" (released March 20, 2001). Check out his disco-house track "Don't Stop the Music".



The above summary is by no means complete but certainly representative of what happened in the disco and disco-house musical arenas during 2001.



Feel free to discuss and have a great 2002!!

[littlemartin]

Thanks for the post, but I would point out that "All for you" uses more than just the guitar riff from Change. It is hardly different from the original at all except for Luther's vocal.

[jack]

[quote]

On 2001-12-31 19:28, discosavvy wrote:

Disco 2001: The Year in Review



2001 was a great year for disco music,

Barry Manilow made his first big disco venture since 1978's "Copacabana" by releasing the song "They Dance!" on his big comeback album "Here at the Mayflower" (November 13, 2001).



great list with info.

but i find it is so true that classic disco is still much maligned and yet still very much an influence. From my experience it is big "yuck" if i tell people i love disco, yet Britney, Ultra Nate, hell,even Gwen Stefani etc are all indebted to it.

also, IMHO ur pushing the envelope with Barry......

[Outsider]

On 2001-12-31 19:28, discosavvy wrote:



Do you remember "Cosmic Girl" and "Canned Heat" from the late-1990s? Jamiroquai kept the disco groove going with their latest album "A Funk Odyssey", which was released in the U.K. and Australia on September 3, 2001 and in the U.S.A. on the fateful day of September 11, 2001. The British band features Jay Kay as the main vocalist, Beverley Knight with supporting vocals on the disco songs "Main Vein" and "Love Foolosophy", Nick Fyffe on bass, and Rob Harris on guitar. The album soared to number 1 in the U.K., France, Italy, Australia, and Japan. The first single from the album was "Little L", a funky disco number released on August 13, 2001. "Little L" reached the top 5 in the U.K. in August and has been pretty popular in Europe, Canada, and the United States as well. The second single, "You Give Me Something", a mellow pop-disco track with a lovely string interlude towards the end, was released on November 19, 2001. A more club-oriented version of "You Give Me Something" was released as the "Full Intention Vocal Mix" (apparently at 125 BPM). "Main Vein", "Feel So Good", and "Love Foolosophy" are decidedly faster than "You Give Me Something" and provide the most memorable disco moments on the album. Jamiroquai proved once again that disco can be performed live by going on tour throughout Europe in the fall.

I got "A Funk Odyssey" for Christmas, and I agree that it's a great album. It is definitely a disco album, and that's what I love about it. I'm a big Jamiroquai fan, so it's no surprise that I would like their new album. I already have "Travelling Without Moving" and "Synkronized", both of which I love too. Jamiroquai is the only newer R&B band that I like.



I also got some other albums for both Christmas and my birthday, but none of those are even close to being disco.

[Outsider]

On 2001-12-31 19:28, discosavvy wrote:





Meanwhile, Britney Spears had a disco-like introduction to her song "Anticipating", released on her November 6, 2001 album "Britney".

I love that song. It's by far the best song from that album, which I have. I also think it's her best song to date. Believe it or not, the guitarist on that song is Nile Rodgers.

Janet Jackson's pop song "All For You" used a guitar riff from Change's "The Glow of Love", which gave it its disco groove sound.

My fiancee loves that song. I think it's okay at best, but do I think it's Janet Jackson's best song.





[/quote]

[discosavvy]

Thanks everyone for your comments. I enjoyed reading them.



Jamiroquai's new album really impressed me and I look forward to any future songs they do.



I had heard about Nile's guitar playing for Britney's song "Anticipating". He's been all over the place. He even played on an album he produced for a North African Berber singer in France. Chic has a concert on Feb. 2nd in New York City and I'm thinking of going.



It'll be interesting to see whether this return of disco music continues. I feel it's much better when dance music has real instruments and even real drummers if possible. Ultra Nate's Urban Soul Orchestra was a nice touch, and The Company got members of the Portland Philharmonic to play strings on their 2000 self-titled album.



The point of posting the list was to show that disco haters cannot have their way with their tired 20-year-old "disco is dead" campaign. Obviously I like a lot of old disco classics, too, but if disco is seen as just a nostalgic fad that ended circa 1981 then the disco haters would win.

[Outsider]

On 2002-01-02 17:45, discosavvy wrote:





It'll be interesting to see whether this return of disco music continues. I feel it's much better when dance music has real instruments and even real drummers if possible.

I totally agree with you. One reason that disco appeals to me is the use of real instruments, especially drums. It must be both the musician and rock mentality of mine.

The point of posting the list was to show that disco haters cannot have their way with their tired 20-year-old "disco is dead" campaign. Obviously I like a lot of old disco classics, too, but if disco is seen as just a nostalgic fad that ended circa 1981 then the disco haters would win.

Anybody who would still be on an anti-disco crusade is an idiot. It was pointless back in the 70s, and it's even more pointless now. Obviously a lot of people still are into disco, like us.

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Outsider on 2002-01-03 17:35 ]</font>

[kelvy]

yesterday, i listened to a sample remix of Beverlei Brown's remake of "gonna get over you"...the remake is nice, but the Rishi Rich remix is out of hand! Not a house tune, but it has a good bouncy feeling to it at around 105 bpm. i know that there is an album released on Dome records out of the UK which is available through such outlets such as amazon.com, but it does not have the Rishi Rich remix. does anyone know where i can obtan the Rishi Rich remix online (either on vinyl, cd, or mp3)??? i'd really appreciate the information.

with kind regards,



kelvy

[ehuerta]

Great note!!!



I think Bon Sinclar deserves a big mention too for his latest album "Cerrone by Bob Sinclar", which combines Cerrone's original cuts with new mixes and some songs by new artist that sampled Cerrones best beats.

[markydefad]

Call me an old fuddy-duddy, butcha know what I'd love to hear in today's music?



Composers who write their own songs with hooks, basslines, choruses and do not have to SAMPLE anything from the past because they are MUSICIANS, not TECHNICIANS.



_________________

Make My Feet Wanna Dance!

Markydefad



<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: markydefad on 2002-01-07 16:42 ]</font>

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: markydefad on 2002-01-07 16:43 ]</font>

[Graham_Start]

Composers who write their own songs with hooks, basslines, choruses and do not have to SAMPLE anything from the past because they are MUSICIANS, not TECHNICIANS.

Today's pop stars aren't even technicians; they're just promoters. We have now reached the point where in order to break through the media wall, you have to promote yourself 24/7. This leaves no time for playing instruments or composing music, much less keeping up with the dizzying advance of DAW-based production or the like. I could go on for hours about this subject, but I think it's too soon in the year for me to rant already...

[EduardoFojo]

Dude, I couldn't agree with you more. I find it ironic that so many of today's so-called musical artists filch hooks, rhythm tracks or melodies from older songs (disco and otherwise) whose production values are dismissed as passe (or, at best, "old school"). Talk about biting the hand that feeds you!

On 2002-01-07 16:40, markydefad wrote:

Call me an old fuddy-duddy, butcha know what I'd love to hear in today's music?



Composers who write their own songs with hooks, basslines, choruses and do not have to SAMPLE anything from the past because they are MUSICIANS, not TECHNICIANS.



_________________

Make My Feet Wanna Dance!

Markydefad



<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: markydefad on 2002-01-07 16:42 ]</font>



<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: markydefad on 2002-01-07 16:43 ]</font>

[EduardoFojo]

One album released in 2001 worth a mention (and a listen) was "Beautiful" by Fantastic Plastic Machine. Highlights included "Beautiful Days," "Whistle Song", "I'm Still a Simple Man" and "Take Me to the Disco". Another interesting song was "Sunshine Yellow" by Bertrand Burgalat on the album "The Sssound of Mmmusic" (actual spelling!). Not a disco or dance song per se, but danceable nonetheless (at least till the last minute or so, where the music and vocals are electronically distorted and slowed down).

[mrbmarco]

Let's not forget all the great remastered CD's that came out--Motown issued some great product--Rick James STREET SONGS The Delux Edition with 12" versions of Give It To Me Baby and Super Freak--Both vocal and instrumental sides--THE JACKSON 5 TWO CLASSIC ALBUMS ON ONE CD--The Forever Came Today remix from The Disc-O-Tech #3 LP--THE DIANA ROSS ANTHOLOGY and THE DIANA & MARVIN remastered CDs---ALL FROM MASTER TAPES---