Get In Loser, We're Going Disco Vol. 1 seemed a natural offshoot from Get In Loser, We're Going Rockabilly--and was inspired in part by a string of posts I ran across in an online forum.
Artists who dip their toes in disco waters for this collection include a few of my favorites: The J. Geils Band, James White & The Blacks, The Tubes, and Doctor Hook who didn’t change their line-up but became a very different band post Shel Silverstein writing songs for them (and post The Medicine Show).
When disco ruled the charts, I dug into a box of my much older sister’s 45’s & I was listening to a lot of doo-wop & girl groups like The Shirelles, The Cookies, Dionne Warwick, and Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons. So it struck me as a betrayal when Frankie Valli released Swearing To God—but I readily admit that I now like it.
Few of the “old guard” embraced the trend more capably than Electric Light Orchestra, The Rolling Stones, & Queen.
There were some surprising entries, like Frank Sinatra, Johnny Mathis, Stephen Stills, Blood, Sweat, & Tears, & The Grateful Dead (who catch a lot of hate online for their foray: Dancing In The Streets).
Both KISS and Ace Frehley went full-on disco (with a healthy dose of glam in Ace’s case). Some were frankly MADE for disco like Sparks, & ABBA who start things off on Vol. 1!
If you’re so inclined, please share a band who changed their musical style--and turned the tide of their fortunes!
ReplyDeleteI’ve shared my pick above—DR. HOOK who were a successful rock group who had a string of pop/disco hits!
Get In Loser, We're Going Disco Vol. 1
https://pixeldrain.com/u/UxhvHs1Z
Ha ha great idea Stinky, I can't wait to hear it--especially disco! Well for me the band that always comes to mind is when Meat Puppets turned to Molly Hatchett type singing for Out My Way EP for which I got a big "shocker" (as Barbara O'Neill coined the term for me would say) when I put the brand new vinyl on my player back in high school/college days. However, a friend 'got on' with them when they eventually got big exposure on MTV from Nirvana covering a classic style song and eventually perfected the new sound to bring in those old AOR types--so for good IMO
ReplyDeleteThe difference between "Meat Puppets II" and the first Meat Puppets LP and EP was pretty huge too. From hardcore punk to cosmic C&W...
DeleteBLONDIE
ReplyDeleteThey were the punkrock gods of 77/78 and with Heart of Glass etc they became Sensations of the disco floor.
The Shamen/Ministry/Laibach/Underworld
Kool & the Gang were hard funk for ten years before their Ladies Night/Celebration/Get Down On It etc made them superstars
Even James Brown changed to Disco with Living in America
Maybe the same can be said for Philip Glass, once a Serious Classical Minimalist and mid-eighties turned his style into mainstream soft classical tunes.
I liked Mud and then they made Shake it Down, It turned the tid eof their fortunes, but not like they wanted.
About Leo Sayer: He did a few different things Long Tall Glasses. The Show Must Go On, When I need you (his greatest hit) and after Feel Like Dancing: More Than I can Say, Orchard Road. The man had multiple genres, specializing in ballads. (and for good measure, I didn't like any)
Johnny Guitar Watson
CLIFF
In The netherlands there was a band from Volendam. They didn't have a name. They had a bit of success but when, after ten years they changed styles, took in Annie Schilder as lead vocalist, they (BZN) became one of the biggest success stories in history.
Vangelis. After Aphrodite's Child he made beautiful but not very commercial albums. After Chariots of Fire and teaming up with Jon Anderson he changed into a less musical but hughely successful businessman in music.
What about Status Quo who changed, after five success years, into the hard-boogie band that was even more fortunate
Oh, I don't blame none of them for changing, we still have their good bits, and everybody can enjoy
Whatever you want
hows about the clash magnificent 7
ReplyDelete"Heart Of Glass" and "Magnificent Seven" are good ones!
DeleteOh My. "Can't Get No Booty", the worst song Stephen Stills ever recorded. Yuck.
ReplyDeleteOBG, I listened to Stephen's "Right By You" album when I was collecting songs for my recent New Wave comp. There are some stinkers on that LP too!
DeleteNice one Stinky!
ReplyDeleteFirst band that comes to mind: The Beegees, compare their early British hits ‘New York Mining Disaster 1941,’ ‘To Love Somebody’, & ‘Massachusetts’, with a few years later US ones such as ‘Jive Talkin’ & ‘You Should Be Dancing’.
Meat Puppets are one I completely missed, Viacom.
ReplyDeleteStatus Quo is a good one, Richard. Blondie will definitely make an appearance if I do a second volume. They had Heart Of Glass hanging around for a while, It didn’t even have a name—they called it “The Disco Song.” Keyboardist Jimmy Destri shared that they used to play it to upset people. Debbie Harry said: "Lyrically, it was about a stalker who was pursuing me, and Chris saved me from him" (which was news to me).
I’ve always loved the song More Than I Can Say—which was written by two of The Crickets: Sonny Curtis and Jerry Allison, who each wrote/co-wrote some classic songs.
Magnificent 7 was discussed in the forum discussion I found, Dave, but I had to make some tough decisions.
I probably should have included The Bee Gees, Koen. They were definitely the leaders of the trend!
Thanks, guys,
Stinky
If you want a good example of "Whoa!, Huh?, WT...," then check out Edgar Winter's "The Edgar Winter Album" from '79. It's not terrible by no means, but a departure I never saw/heard coming.
ReplyDeleteGrateful Dead - Shakedown Street
ReplyDeleteBest regards
Zippy
with Lowell George on cocaine -- I mean, PRODUCTION
DeleteSomeone who changed his ways, maybe not selling loads of albums, but being in the picture for a younger generation is Steve Hillage.
ReplyDeleteAfter The Soft Machine, Gong and a lot of lovely seventies albums, he made a lesser effort (commercial-wise) in New Wave
https://www.discogs.com/master/215076-Steve-Hillage-For-To-Next-And-Not-Or in my book a great effort, though
After the Acid explosion in the late eighties he made some brilliant System 7 albums, maxis and remixes
Thanks so much for your comment, George. How did The Edgar Winter Album slip past me? I'm listening to it now on YouTube, and I may have to do a Volume 2 just to shine a light on it's magnificent. As would be expected, Edgar's trip down Disco Lane is better than almost anyone else's!
ReplyDeleteCheck it out here, dear reader, if you can't wait for Vol. 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DAPhXTT-VfM&list=OLAK5uy_kCi7opNwK1IO7_ARG-lEbZQ53VQB6NF2E
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FhbDVRfqG1w&t=20s
ReplyDeleteDutch gigant Patricia Paay made lots of hits before she went disco
And I want to focus once more upon the blues master Johnny Guitar Watson who made A Real Mother For Ya
Sheila was a very popular French singer in the 60s. he made a string of disco classics of which Spacer is still well known
In the same way Diana Ross became a disco quen after ten years Supremes, DR & the Supremes, and solo, wasn't Love Hangover in 1976 her first genre changer?
Janis Ian kept it decent with only one great disco banger (Fly To High).
I always sing that Diana Ross song (to myself) as "I got that Swedish Hangover, that I don't wanna get over"
DeleteHow about good old Rod the Mod Stewart and Don't Ya Think I'm Sexy?
ReplyDeleteAnother excellent nomination for Going Disco Volume 2!
DeleteI know this is my third comment today
ReplyDeletehttps://mega.nz/file/ZakTXLCL#IUVIS_gcFCFeKWlNmJDrMvGSZIrHBtg1vpSViw1NItM
It didn't help his career, it might even have delayed his return.....
I loath Jeff Lynne. I'm sure he's a love;y man man but there's certain things he does on every song Ive heard by him that makes me cringe. Forgive me Jeff and the rest of America, but think the Traveling Wilburys, who I don't care for either (because of Jeff Lynne) would have been better without Jeff Lynne. I friend used to refer to ELO's Discovery as Disco-Very. That's it. I've said it out loud. Now I can begin healing.
ReplyDeleteAnd I hate the Eagles. Let the healing begin!
DeleteI'm not fond of Jeff's production style either, as everything he does (Tom Petty, George Harrison, Roy Orbison, etc.) ends up sounding like ELO.
Now, Jeff Lynne is bad yes, but he made Doin' That Crazy Thing (https://www.discogs.com/master/74856-Jeff-Lynne-Doin-That-Crazy-Thing) and that is worth a few sillypoints. And ELO - Hold on Tight is partly in French, he worked with Dave Edmunds - Slippin Away..The Traveling Wilburys could have done without Tom Petty.
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