Sometimes "Rock and Roll" isn't just "rockandroll". It's Pop Music (as opposed to "Pop Muzik", that fabulous '80s tune by M). Especially for me, a child of the '70s and a college student when Disco was king.
Yeah, yeah, I know--"Disco sucks". Well, no, it DIDN'T suck. Listen to today's EDM and dubstep and the DNA of Disco is present. Today's dance music is much more "aggressive" than '70s and '80s Disco, but the base elements are the same. A beat, driven by a bass line, with a hook-filled chord progression.
Perhaps the best example of "good" Disco was Chic. Led by the songwriting/production genius of Nile Rodgers and the bass genius of Bernard Edwards, Chic was all over clubs and dorm floor parties in the late '70s (I know, I DJ'd plenty of the latter). They also lent their talents to other artists, which brings me to the Birthday Girl and today's destination of the Time Machine.
Carly Simon would never be listed on anybody's list of Disco Queens. But in 1982 she contributed a song for the movie Soup for One called "Why". She had stopped touring (due to excessive stage fright) but had found a niche singing on movie soundtracks. "Why" was written and produced by Nile Rodgers, and the elements of Chic were all over it. It was barely played on the radio but it holds up nicely 35 years later.
If you insist on lumping all Disco into the same bag, just listen to the first minute or two (or until Carly starts singing if you don't care that much for her voice). It's pure Chic, with all the components that made them great. Happy Birthday Carly--72 (!) years old yesterday...
See you tomorrow...
Pete
No comments:
Post a Comment