The Bass line on Queen’s 1980 single ” Another One Bites The Dust” ( written by Queen’s Bass player John Deacon) is clearly a variation of the one used in Chic’s ” Good Times” which was released a full year before.The percussion track and the hand claps were looped continuously repeating throughout the track.The vocals provided by Freddie Mercury were thought to be from a black vocalist since many were not familiar with Queen before this track hit the United States. It was even rumored that when played backward it’s message was ” It’s Fun to Smoke Marijuana” The track definitely had a ” funky” feel , a nice ” bounce” but Disco? You decide.
Day: December 10, 2014
Blondie was mostly known as a punk/new wave band formed by Deborah Harry and Chris Stein in the early 70s. The release of their Parallel Lines LP in 1978 had many fans calling them a “sellout” as the hit single ” Heart of Glass” was picked up by radio and classified as Disco, but was it really? Was this a dance floor filler at nightclubs at the height of Disco’s popularity in 1979?The song released in January 1979,reached number one in both the United States and the UK .
The production team made use of cutting edge technology at the time by creating it’s drum pattern on a Roland CR-78 drum machine, first introduced the year the track was recorded. Some DJs of the period would use this as an early evening opening track but in my experiences I never heard anyone program this track to a packed house accustomed to a more energetic style. So what’s the verdict? Disco: YES or NO?
Born December 10, 1957 Paul Hardcastle is cosidered one of the early electronic music pioneers. He had some success on the underground dance scene in the early 80s before his mainstream hit “19” an anti-war track, about America’s involvement in the Vietnam War and the effect it had on the soldiers who served using snippets from a documentary.His manager at the time was Simon Fuller who named his future production company “19 entertainment” The song’s use of samples from the documentary set legal precedents.
In my opinion the track was groundbreaking when it came out and can still be played today with the renewed interest in break dancing.I am surprised that no contemporary artist has utilized this technique in their musical story telling. Would love to hear new Paul Hardcastle utilizing issues in today’s world. Genius.
During the peak of the Disco craze most notably in 1978-1979 many FM radios around the country switched formats and began programming Disco as their primary format. Established Pop and Rock and Roll artists fighting for valuable space on the airwaves began producing Disco flavored tracks, some successfully other disastrously. In this series ” DISCO: Yes or No” we attempt to examine Disco tracks from Non-Disco artists and the public’s acceptance or refusal to receive these songs as a legitamate form of the genre. You decide.
Probably one of the best examples of this ” survival tactic” used by Rock bands in the late 70s to penetrate the Disco wall is the band KISS with their 1979 hit ” I Was Made for Loving You” from their album Dynasty written by Paul Stanley, Desmond Child and Vini Poncia on Nei Bogart’s Disco label CASABLANCA RECORDS. The album went on to be Certified Paltinum by the Recording Industry of America as well as achieving #1 Chart status in many countries. Kiss’ Bad Boy Rock and Roll image status was unaffected and the track made it’s way into many nightclubs. In my opinio this was mainly due to Casablanca’s street cred in the Disco market.But …..was it Disco?