What do you think of 'disco' in prog?
Printed From: Progarchives.com
Category: Other music related lounges
Forum Name: General Music Discussions
Forum Description: Discuss and create polls about all types of music
URL: http://www.progarchives.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=24521
Printed Date: November 27 2024 at 08:52
Software Version: Web Wiz Forums 11.01 - http://www.webwizforums.com
Topic: What do you think of 'disco' in prog?
Posted By: 70sSoundquality
Subject: What do you think of 'disco' in prog?
Date Posted: June 09 2006 at 23:13
|
I like 70's 'disco', not the boring obvious pop kind, but the musically competant kind- i.e., Heatwave... borderline Steely Dan in a way, heavy use of jazz chords, competant walking bass lines, lots of analog keys, (i.e. Rhodes, Analog Synth, clav, etc etc). I quite like it.
What do you think about 70's 'disco'?
I have music that most would consider to be "prog" called "Sun City" by Nova, from 1978. Extremely competant playing, awesome songs, and hints of "disco" splashed all over the place. Kind of also why I like "dont kill the whale" so much. Thoughts?
|
Replies:
Posted By: bhikkhu
Date Posted: June 09 2006 at 23:15
|
I think this topic should be in the non-prog lounge. ------------- a.k.a. H.T. http://riekels.wordpress.com" rel="nofollow - http://riekels.wordpress.com |
Posted By: 70sSoundquality
Date Posted: June 09 2006 at 23:22
| Even though I am saying disco can be found in "prog" bands such as Yes and Nova? Okay..got it. |
Posted By: 70sSoundquality
Date Posted: June 09 2006 at 23:29
| Edit- Should have rephrased my post- "What do you think of disco in "prog" ? |
Posted By: Nipsey88
Date Posted: June 10 2006 at 01:24
|
Check out Recycled by Nektar. A lot of those grooves really border on
disco, but in the end come up prog. Nice stuff. Was lucky enough to see
'em live a few years back. Do the Hustle. ------------- http://www.last.fm/user/Nipsey88/?chartstyle=myspace02" rel="nofollow"> 
|
Posted By: Ivan_Melgar_M
Date Posted: June 10 2006 at 01:34
|
Jeff Wayne's The War of the Worlds has some Disco references and it's a great album. But honestly the word Disco makes me nervous remembering those dark years when Prog was dying and everybody dancing in white suits with black shirt.
 Iván ------------- 
|
Posted By: mystic fred
Date Posted: June 10 2006 at 01:42
|
i had to endure this "stuff" in the 70's, i thought the whole world was going mad....! http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/images/B000001FDV/ref=dp_image_0/102-1742344-0046524?%5Fencoding=UTF8&n=5174&s=music">  -------------  Prog Archives Tour Van 
|
Posted By: TheProgtologist
Date Posted: June 10 2006 at 02:29
|
What do I think of disco?
It died a quick death for a very good reason.
Thank God.
I grew up in the 70's and heard way too much of it. -------------  |
Posted By: BaldFriede
Date Posted: June 10 2006 at 02:40
|
Who needs disco in prog, when one can dance to other prog tunes? There
is a song on the first solo album of Roman Bunka, played on oud and
some Afghanistan percussion instrument only, plus some vocals provided
by Roman Bunka ("The Heat"). That song kicks so much ass, despite the
minimal instrumentation, that I always get up and dance to it.
-------------  BaldJean and I; I am the one in blue. |
Posted By: 70sSoundquality
Date Posted: June 10 2006 at 03:01
| Why was this moved? I'm specifcally asking about disco elements in "prog" music. |
Posted By: BaldFriede
Date Posted: June 10 2006 at 03:08
|
Mother Gong play "Disco" on the first track of the first album of the
"Robot Woman" trilogy; the song is titled "Disco at the End of the
World". It is meant as a satirical parody though. And the sax and
guitar solo interludes by Didier Malherbe and Yan Emerick are anything
but disco. ------------- BaldJean and I; I am the one in blue. |
Posted By: TheProgtologist
Date Posted: June 10 2006 at 03:13
Because this seems to be basically a discussion about what we think of disco.
If you want to discuss prog elements in disco music I will move it back,but if it turns into a discussion about disco music ITSELF I will move it out of the Lounge again for good.
And you should made it a little more clear in your topic title,which asks what we think of disco,not the prog elements(if any)in disco music. ------------- |
70sSoundquality wrote:Posted By: Prog-man
Date Posted: June 10 2006 at 03:31
|
HEY...
WHAT ABOUT E.L.O. - DISCOVERY?
 THERE ARE SOME DISCO REFERENCES IN IT... ------------- Arriving somewhere but not here |
Posted By: 70sSoundquality
Date Posted: June 10 2006 at 04:23
My deepest apologies.
I truly am talking about disco in "prog", like when Yes touched disco on Tormato.
Thanks.
|
Posted By: 70sSoundquality
Date Posted: June 10 2006 at 04:26
|
There is a song called "tripot" by Mona Lisa, from 1978 that has a cool disco sound/feel.
FM has some "disco" type art-rock from the late 70's. I really like that sound.
|
Posted By: RoyalJelly
Date Posted: June 10 2006 at 05:17
| Zappa did some very funny parodies of Disco, like "Dancin' Fool", and the only band I know of that really mixed it up with Disco were the Brecker Brothers...they'd do an album with mostly silly Disco schmalz, then one absolute killer fusion cut. Actually lots of originally fusiony jazz guys went disco, like George Benson & George Duke, but that stuff is only embarassing to hear today. |
Posted By: YYZed
Date Posted: June 10 2006 at 07:28
|
It's like poison in candy.
------------- 
|
Posted By: Myxamatosis
Date Posted: June 10 2006 at 08:45
Apparently Pink Floyd did a little disco-influenced song called Another Brick In The Wall (part 2)... Anybody ever heard it?
|
Posted By: KazimirMajorinc
Date Posted: June 10 2006 at 09:26
| Almost all classics of the prog genre had their hands in disco music, Floyd, Kraftwerk, T. Dream, Gentle Giant ... and some of disco music is quite close to prog, like Deodato or hey, back in 1977 one couldn't make a difference between Donna Summer and T. Dream. Disco is alive and well, it branched into techno, house, chill out ... |
Posted By: Zitro
Date Posted: June 10 2006 at 09:31
|
Led Zeppelin flirted with disco in Carouselambra (or however it's spelled). That song has a prog rock structure and is over 10 minutes long.
The Tangent's "A place in the Quene" album has a disco song that is very catchy.
|
Posted By: Peter
Date Posted: June 10 2006 at 10:13
|
 I stopped dancing during the disco era -- sorry, but it was music for people who didn't like music (i.e, diots).
Arguably, it was Abba & company who killed prog -- thank Chr*st punk & new wave came along to kill disco, in turn!
 Wanna dance?
  ------------- "And, has thou slain the Jabberwock? Come to my arms, my beamish boy! O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!' He chortled in his joy. |
Posted By: kebjourman
Date Posted: June 10 2006 at 10:19
| i dont like cheesey sounds in general |
Posted By: The Wizard
Date Posted: June 10 2006 at 11:12
Same here, and disco=cheesy. Now that I think of it, disco may be the cheesiest music of all time. -------------  
|
Posted By: Ivan_Melgar_M
Date Posted: June 10 2006 at 11:25
SOME REFERENCES?????? LOL Discovery is a play of words that means VERY DISCO.
It was a 100% Disco album and XANADU (ELO with Olivia Newton John) was even worst but at the end I still believe ELO was never a Prog band (I'm taking my risk on Micky's anger
).Iván -------------
|
Posted By: Catholic Flame
Date Posted: June 10 2006 at 12:30
You're obviously too young to have lived through that God awful music!! ------------- “Great things are not accomplished by those who yield to trends and fads and popular opinion.” ~Jack Kerouac |
Posted By: bhikkhu
Date Posted: June 10 2006 at 13:51
I would have to agree. To me it was the antithesis of quality music, and helped push me toward prog (so there's a plus). There may have been some experimentation with disco rhythms in prog, but it's not exclusively in the realm of disco. These are actually just danceable beats. If "70s prog bands included some of these elements, then it would have naturally been labeled disco. At another time, it would have been called something else. ------------- a.k.a. H.T. http://riekels.wordpress.com" rel="nofollow - http://riekels.wordpress.com |
Posted By: bhikkhu
Date Posted: June 10 2006 at 13:52
I would have to agree. To me it was the antithesis of quality music, and helped push me toward prog (so there's a plus). There may have been some experimentation with disco rhythms in prog, but it's not exclusively in the realm of disco. These are actually just danceable beats. If "70s prog bands included some of these elements, then it would have naturally been labeled disco. At another time, it would have been called something else. ------------- a.k.a. H.T. http://riekels.wordpress.com" rel="nofollow - http://riekels.wordpress.com |
Posted By: Ivan_Melgar_M
Date Posted: June 10 2006 at 14:10
I have to agree, I started to listen Prog seriously at the age of 13 or 14 (1977 or 1978) exactly when Satuday night Fever was released, it was a nightmare, the only music you saw on TV or listened in radios, was from the Bee Geees, Donna Summer, Tina Charles, etc.
The weekend nights were even worst, live shows from discotheques where everybody was trying to dance like Travolta (We didn't had cable then).
Nobody who hasn't lived then can imagine what a terriblly boring, repetitive and mediocre era it was and to make it worst, the Prog releases were progressively worst each year.
Iván -------------
|
Posted By: YYZed
Date Posted: June 10 2006 at 18:09
More funk than disco if you ask me... -------------
|
Posted By: Schizoid Man
Date Posted: June 10 2006 at 23:02
|
What do you think of 'disco' in prog?
The same as if I see s**t in my soup.
OK...seriously, the only group I've heard pull off a prog/disco was Crimso with "Sleepless" which I like.
And I do like some disco songs. Ami Stewert's version of "Knock on Wood" is good. Grandmaster Flash's "White Lines". And some others.
But disco, at least the way I see it, is a very limited genre. Not much room for experimentation nor growth. ------------- Always remember that you are unique. Just like everyone else. |
Posted By: ClemofNazareth
Date Posted: June 11 2006 at 00:06
"GPS Culture" and "Follow Your Leaders"? Oh, thank God. I thought it was just me noticing that. Reminds me of a one-hit wonder named Rupert Holmes who did lounge-act disco back in the 70s ("The Pina Colada Song"). 
A Place in the Queue is a pretty dang good album except for that. ------------- "Peace is the only battle worth waging." Albert Camus |
Posted By: Losendos
Date Posted: June 11 2006 at 08:40
|
78/79 was a depressing time with punk and disco taking over the airwaves and the public's attention whilst the leading prog bands came out with poor follow ups ( Tormato , Love Beach , ATTW3 , The Wall, Heavy Horses ) so if some prog bands mixed in disco such as ELO ( I also don't think they were ever particularly prog) it indicates to me their was a lack of inspiration.
But I have been told on another thread there were many good prog releases in these two years by lesser known bands. So this is a great sadness then that the airwaves were captured by the talentless or bands like the bee gees who dumbed themselves down ( they call themselves the enigma with a stigma I.e great songwriters whose involvement in disco permanently overshadowed their work ) while good releases were destined to remain anonymous.
------------- How wonderful to be so profound |
Posted By: Joolz
Date Posted: June 11 2006 at 09:35
ha ha no Dancing Queens on this site then 
Which one is you then Peter? |
Posted By: micky
Date Posted: June 11 2006 at 13:31
hahahha... no anger mate just bewilderment at your view of them hahah ------------- The Pedro and Micky Experience - When one no longer requires psychotropics to trip |
Posted By: micky
Date Posted: June 11 2006 at 13:35
hahah well... I must disagree as one who was there as well and was a big fan of it... yes I had Johnny Travolta posters in my room.... if you view Disco through the prism of a prog fan I could understand that view... but taken for what it was... music to get you up and shaking your behind... it was (and still is) highly highly effective music. ------------- The Pedro and Micky Experience - When one no longer requires psychotropics to trip |
Posted By: Sacred 22
Date Posted: June 11 2006 at 13:52
|
well, I must admit. I proudly wore my Disco Sucks T-shirt.
I could never get my head around Disco.
|
Posted By: kebjourman
Date Posted: June 11 2006 at 14:15
80's pop and smooth soul/quiet storm are much worse IMO
|
Posted By: 70sSoundquality
Date Posted: June 11 2006 at 16:22
| It seems like a lot of people are ignorantly dismissing the actual musicianship that goes into playing some 70s disco music/prog with disco elements, or dismiss the musicianship that goes into an album like Tormato or Love Beach. I didn't think a lot of people would be so hostile towards it. |
Posted By: Aaron
Date Posted: June 11 2006 at 17:32
|
i just got Magma's 1981 Bobino concert, which certainly has hints of disco in some of their songs sucks
Aaron
|
Posted By: Teaflax
Date Posted: June 11 2006 at 17:36
|
As always, there's crap (Village People) and gems (Deodato) even in Disco. As yet, I have found no gems in House or Swedish Dance Band Music, but they're the only 100% unredeemable genres I know of, and I kind of hope to be proven wrong about that some day. -------------  
|
Posted By: Ivan_Melgar_M
Date Posted: June 11 2006 at 19:04
Tormato is one of the weakest Yes albums, songs as Circus of Heaven or the chees Arriving UFO are too bland compared with previous and later Yes albums, for exzample Drama is a great release despite the lack of john Anderson.
Love Beach, please man this album was only recorded because ELP owned an album to thier former label, they wanted to quit but they owed many that they had been payed for this release and it is the biggest joke in Prog forums and sites.
Love Beach is less than mediocre full of bland Lake tracks a pseudo epic absolutely flawed IMO and only one decent song Canario.
Check the average of both, Canario barely reach 2 stars (Because of hardcore fans that gave 4 or 5 stars) and Tormato, well 15% of fans gave 5 stars (Most without review) and some gens as:
For God's sake if the guy gives 5 stars to one of their not best albums I wonder how many stars woiuld the guy give to the best.
5 stars to a failled album (in the reviewer's words???About Disco, very few Prog bands used Disco elements because both genres are the opposite extremes of musical universe in the late 70's early 80's, the only one I remember is the one that I mentioned already (War of the Worlds) and is very good.
But pure Disco
 this is one of the reasons why I never regret becoming a Prog fanatic.Iván
Hey Micky if you have a picture of you with a Travolta Saturday Night Fever suit, please post it -------------
|
Wonderfull, not their best album, maybe more commercial (they tried but failed), but it's still a grat album, really good, I think it's a masterpiece, always progressive, you can't follow the beat! Posted By: 70sSoundquality
Date Posted: June 11 2006 at 20:09
| Sighhh... |
Posted By: 70sSoundquality
Date Posted: June 11 2006 at 20:10
|
Maybe some people happen to think every yes album is their best?
I like Tales just as much as Tormato. They're both 5-star albums.
Aint' it amazing how it works!!
|
Posted By: Ivan_Melgar_M
Date Posted: June 11 2006 at 22:37
Well, the reviewer said clearly "NOT THEIR BEST ALBUM" so obviously this person doesn't believe Tormato is the best Yes album.
You know, it's interesting your perspective and I agree it's valid even when a bit unusual, I consider myself a hardcore Genesis fan, but I don't rate every album exactly the same, even gave SEBTP 4 stars when most of the members rate it with 5 stars but all of this is subjective.
What is not subjective is to say:
And still with all this contradictions rate it with 5 stars, but it's the reviewers opinion at the end. But as we accept the opinion of this person and don't delete this contradictory review, you should accept the doislike of some of us for Tormato, Love Beach and specially Disco music.
This is a wide world, each one has his/her opinion and we shouldn't criticize a person for voicing his/her opinion in an open and free forum.
I do believe Tormato and Love Beach are not the best those great bands have to offer (Neither Tales to be honest even when it's much better than the previously mentioned) and I believe everybody here is allowed to express a non offensive opinion of like or dislike.
Iván
-------------
|
Posted By: Raff
Date Posted: June 14 2006 at 10:03
|
I was a teenager (and even somewhat older) during disco's heyday. It was very difficult to ignore the phenomenon at that time, so I ended up dancing to quite a few disco "masterpieces" at parties - including disco-rock contaminations such as "I Was Made for Loving You" and "My Sharona". As to disco elements in prog, I know of a few isolated tracks which feature disco beats, such as Camel's "Summer Lightning", or the much more famous "Another Brick in the Wall Pt. 2" and "Owner of a Lonely Heart". |
Posted By: Politician
Date Posted: June 14 2006 at 15:40
| A lot of early German disco had strong prog elements because it was largely played by former Krautrock musicians. Donna Summer, for instance, was initially backed by former 2066 & Then and Amon Düül II alumni. In particular, you can hear those influences in her 1976 concept album "Four Seasons Of Love", and in the seventeen minute "MacArthur Park" suite from two years later. But if you want to hear some really early disco, listen to "Da Guadaloupe" from Amon Düül II's "Hijack" (1974). Certainly, it's very freeform, with a lot of psychedelic and improvised element - but listen to the rhythm and the sweeping strings. Disco, pure disco. |