Warning, this will be one of my long rambling stories but I hope to tie it all together by the end. It’s what you think about when you’re dog walking in the rain on a Sunday morning.
On my Facebook timeline the other day, I got one of those increasingly frequent warnings “Someone hacked my Facebook account” messages. Technically, it’s not true but a way for the bad guys to make other connections. As I do when I get messages like this on Social Media, I do a search for myself to make sure that someone hasn’t impersonated me. I hadn’t but there were a few people with my same name. I always find that interesting because I always thought I was unique.
After people, it starts to populate the search results with posts that my name was found in. That was interesting.
This one came from 2020.
I don’t normally do these sort of things but music is music.
I had to smile as I read the comments. I figured – what the heck, it’s over two years old, I’ll throw it out again. A number of people responded and it was interesting to see the suggestions. A popular suggestion was The Bee Gees. Yes, it really was interesting.
But, it was actually an incorrect answer.
I saw them at the gym at the University of Waterloo when I was there. The place was packed and I remember just a couple of things from the concert. First of all, they had this big Disco ball suspended from the ceiling (remember the Disco theme lest I’ve strayed too much…) and how it made it appear as though there were stars around the gym as they finished the show with …
Spelling their’s.
My roommate at the time turned me into new musical interests. He had a terrific stereo and I quickly became a fan of The Strawbs and Max Webster to name a couple. He also taught me about Angel Sleeves and Discwasher to keep records in great shape. I still have those albums. It’s still easier to bring up any music on the Google smart speaker though and you’re guaranteed no pops or crackles.
I played the song and, in conversation on Facebook, I noted to myself that I didn’t think it was Disco music. I also thought about this song. And, really, what would it matter if it was?
I wouldn’t classify this as Disco either.
So, what is Disco?
Disco is a genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the 1970s from the United States’ urban nightlife scene. Its sound is typified by four-on-the-floor beats, syncopated basslines, string sections, brass and horns, electric piano, synthesizers, and electric rhythm guitars.
Thanks, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disco
Reading the Wikipedia article really took me back to artists, clubs, fashions, etc.
At the time, local radio to us was the station at the University of Waterloo. It ran a range of music and late nights had our favourites in rock. None of it was what I would call Disco music. In fact, the phrase “Disco Sucks” was all the rage to talk about the music that was played on the popular stations at the time.
An event of the times, “Disco Demolition Night at Comiskey Park” was big.
So, back to the original message – what made Disco suck? In my mind, the answer is those of us who believed it at the time. Indeed, we did go to see Saturday Night Fever so I guess I didn’t walk the walk all that much. The soundtrack is here.
This morning, I listened to the soundtrack and I also listened to a Bee Gees concert.
I enjoyed it, for the most part. Jaimie will tell you that I had a bit of an extra skip to our pace. I don’t see it as a regular change in my listening routine but was nice for a change. I must have heard a lot of it way back then; I knew so many of the lyrics.
I even checked my record collection and I have a couple of albums filed between Beatles and Be Bop Deluxe. My roommate also taught me to store albums alphabetically so that you could find them later.
It’s actually a shame that you don’t hear their music played on radio anymore. Today, it undoubtedly wouldn’t be a regular diet but it does change things up a bit.
The answer to the question – Bruce Springsteen – and it was an old high school friend, now living in New Brunswick, that first guessed it successfully.
doug --- off the record 