I'm 19 and interested in decades and pop culture. I find it amusing how about every 10 years things change. I want to now what year in the 70's did disco start to become popular? I'm not a fan of disco, but since it's a huge part of the 70's, I want to know about it. I also want to know what year disco died.

You can probably look at 1975 as when Disco became really popular.  There certainly was some Disco around in '74 or even maybe '73, but Disco wasn't mainstream at that time.  (Nobody used the term "Disco" until mid-late '74.)

In its "youth", Disco coexisted nicely with other music styles, at least on the airwaves (which were much more significant then than now).  Sometime around 1977, Disco became more than just another genre, and became very dominant, which is when a lot of people started to get disenfranchised with it.  The Saturday Night Fever phenomenon exacerbated this, so that music enthusiasts became polarized between those who Disco and those who didn't.  By '79, music that wasn't Disco was more or less relegated to second class.  This caused a revolt not seen on a scale before or since by music consumers who weren't taken with Disco and its offerings.  Chicago's summer 1979 "Disco Demolition" event was a symptom of the larger sentiment.

By the end of 1980, Disco was dead.   (Naturally, its offspring lived on into the 80's - but "Disco" was a bad word.)

You can probably look at 1975 as when Disco became really popular.  There certainly was some Disco around in '74 or even maybe '73, but Disco wasn't mainstream at that time.  (Nobody used the term "Disco" until mid-late '74.)

In its "youth", Disco coexisted nicely with other music styles, at least on the airwaves (which were much more significant then than now).  Sometime around 1977, Disco became more than just another genre, and became very dominant, which is when a lot of people started to get disenfranchised with it.  The Saturday Night Fever phenomenon exacerbated this, so that music enthusiasts became polarized between those who Disco and those who didn't.  By '79, music that wasn't Disco was more or less relegated to second class.  This caused a revolt not seen on a scale before or since by music consumers who weren't taken with Disco and its offerings.  Chicago's summer 1979 "Disco Demolition" event was a symptom of the larger sentiment.

By the end of 1980, Disco was dead.   (Naturally, its offspring lived on into the 80's - but "Disco" was a bad word.)






Thanks for giving me this info, I always wanted to know about disco. So Disco lasted just as I thought, It lasted about 5 to 6 years (1974/1975 to 1980), which is how long the average music trend lasts. I learned that somewhere on this website. Despite my title as '80s fan', I like to learn about all decades. It's just that the 80's are my most favorite. 70s are cool too though. I actually "love" music in the 70s because it's so lyrically ingenius and deep. There were so many great artists!

The earliest disco song that I know of is "Love's Theme" by Love Unlimited Orchestra, which entered the American charts in January 1974.

Disco was declared "dead" in the U.S. sometime in 1980 but it was still popular in Europe and Australia until sometime in 1981.

I suppose the first disco record I heard was 'Queen Of Clubs' by KC & The Sunshine Band in about '74.
I don't think it really took off here in the UK until Saturday Night Fever was released. I had a brief flirtation
with it which amounted to Donna Summer's Greatest Hits, a compilation LP called 'Disco Inferno' and a
handful of singles. I then lost interest in it and went back to guitar-based rock.  :)

70s are cool too though. I actually "love" music in the 70s because it's so lyrically ingenius and deep. There were so many great artists!


Sadly, 'great artists' seem to be a thing of the past...

All the stuff you hear on the radio nowadays is all crap, IMHO!  :(

There really isn't much good music these days.  The closest one can get to that groovy 70s disco sound can be found in many dance/techno songs, many of which borrow from elements of 70s music.  They say Disco died in '79, but it didn't really

Into the early 80s, many disco songs were still charting.  In 1980, Diana Ross hit #1 with 'Upside Down' and The S.O.S. Band had a Top 20 hit with 'Take Your Time (Do It Right)'.  By the mid-80s, Disco evolved into a style of music known as Hi-NRG which inspired the 1984 hit 'High Energy' by Evelyn Thomas.  Hi-NRG eventually into dance music which has since evolved into many styles including Ambient, Trance, etc and it is still going strong today

I can't say when Disco first started to become popular, but I know that Billboard Magazine first established what was called the 'Disco Action' chart in 1974, a Top 10 chart that chronicled a week by week listing of the 10 most popular songs in New York City disco clubs.  In 1976, they expanded the chart nationwide to a Top 30.  When the 70s ended, Billboard changed the name of the chart to the 'Hot Dance Music/Club Play' chart which still exists today

As I am a BIG fan of techno/dance music of today, I am very grateful for disco songs of the 70s.  It's great music that many people in today's times don't really give a chance. 

Best Disco hit of the 70s:  "Let's All Chant" by Michael Zager Band.  That horn solo is fantastic!

Disco-I was actually born in late 1979 which was the year that disco kinda died. I like some disco but some disco sucked. I guess disco is like any other musical trend-it had its bad stuff but some good stuff but disco was joked around about for 2 decades(the 80's and 90's.)

I agree with "Whistledog" in that there isn;t very good music on the airwaves these days.

I agree with what most people are saying, 1975-1980

Disco will never die! Seriously, it's still a fair influence in some music so technically it's not quite dead yet. It just wants to go for a walk.

1974disco really took off  helped by the hit single rock your baby by George McCrae wich brought in the new dance craze The Hustle

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disco

The Wikipedia article on Disco is fairly comprehensive.  Worth a read for anybody trying to get a feel for the genre.

As the article says, Disco has its roots in African American pop music of the 1960s, primarily Soul and Fusion Jazz.  You can also hear Latin and Caribbean influences in Disco as well. 

Disco never died.  The name "Disco" was driven into disrepute by a backlash that started when "Saturday Night Fever" sent disco thumping into every corner of the country.  I'm old enough to remember the "Disco Sucks" campaign of the late '70s.  As the article points out, Disco was a slick urban product of rampant sex, drugs, and high fashion.  Go clubbing in any major city tonight and you'll find the exact same thing.  The fashion is different, the beats are different, maybe the drugs are different, and there's a condom machine in the john, but it's basically the same. 

SNF was faithful to the representation of Disco lifestyle.  However, once it got popular, it got safe.  By 1979 you had Rick Dees' "Disco Duck" for the children and Van McCoy's "The Hustle" for Grandma and Grandpa.  When the bingo parlor in Normal, Illinois, hosted "Disco Night," it was over!  Disco really did suck!

The most popular songs of 1983 were Michael Jackson's "Billie Jean" and Irene Care's "Flashdance (What a Feeling)"  Disco was anything but dead.  Disco genes survive today in hip-hop, trance, electronica, and a dozen other pop music forms.  Nobody can tell me Disco ever died, fashion trends changed, that's all.

http://www.inthe00s.com/smile/10/yelclap.gif

1980 seems to be the cut-off point...

Here in Britain, the 'old-style' disco tune was having its last stand with the likes of Odyssey's 'Use It Up', Kelly Marie's 'Feels Like I'm In Love' and the mighty Ottawan with 'D.I.S.C.O.'... :D

And yet, right at the dying weeks of that year came Yarbrough & Peoples with 'Don't Stop The Music'...a slower, grittier form of beat that eventually mutated into 'Club' music as 1982 beckoned...

Disco died when the new sound of "New Wave" come along in 1979.

For me personally it never died  ;D

I think it peaked in 1977 with Saturday Night Fever and started to wane around 1979/80. So 75-80 was probably its time.

I agree with what everybody said,

I think that the 1980's in music had the quickest change from 70's.

Some decades, the music still sounds like the previous decade for a year or two.

I remember turing 18 years of age in Dallas TX.  The main bar then was the Bayou Landing.  The song I remember best is "Boogie on Raggae Woman"  by Stevie Wonder.  The exact date was September 1975.  Disco was HOT then.

I would have to say the years between 1975-1979 then it slowly faded out after the early 1980's when it lost it's popularity.

I remember:

DISCO SUCKS

I was just a kid, but I remember having one sister who liked disco and one sister who hated it!
::)

I remember:

DISCO SUCKS

I was just a kid, but I remember having one sister who liked disco and one sister who hated it!
::)


Disco was at it's peak while I attended high school. It was the popular thing to say in high school    "DISCO SUCKS"!

Also if you admitted to liking disco, you were shunned a little.

I remember:

DISCO SUCKS

I was just a kid, but I remember having one sister who liked disco and one sister who hated it!
::)


I love disco, no matter what form it was in.

Also if you admitted to liking disco, you were shunned a little.

Why was that?  ???

Disco was at it's peak while I attended high school. It was the popular thing to say in high school    "DISCO SUCKS"!

Also if you admitted to liking disco, you were shunned a little.


Why was that?  ???


It just was. I went to high school from 1975 to 1980. It you were a cool kid, one of the good guys, you liked rock and roll and did not like disco. It got pretty fierce at times. If you admitted to liking disco, you were given the label of "being gay". Really, it was true back then, it the late 70s at my high school and at my best friends high school too.  Some of the guys who openly admitted to liking disco took a chance of getting beat up. That's just the way it was.:-\\

It you admiited to liking disco, I'd say at least 1/2 the girls would never show an interest in you.  (Of course, being in the minority is liking disco, you'd stand a good chance of getting the girls who liked disco, which were a few, but not many)

I liked Saturday night fever and when I told my school friends that I did, I was asked if I was gay. When I told them I also liked Pink Floyd & Zeppelin, I was deemed OK, except for the strange thing that I liked disco.

There were about 50 guys in my high school class. I'd say about 3 or 4 liked disco, the rest were big rock and roll fans. You were considered weird if you liked both.

Disco proper was dealt a death blow with Disco Demolition Night in 1979.  Its important to realize that hatred of the music crossed racial boundaries, as blacks thought that it was watering down funk and whites thought it was crowding out rock.  Nevertheless, it maintained some relevance until probably about 1981.  It got something of an extended lease on life by being sampled by many early hip-hop artists, although this was less true as time went on.

It did come back in the nineties with the seventies nostalgia movement, but not in a pure sense.  As time goes on, it's lost more and more of the stigma surrounding it, and for all we know, it might make a grand return briefly sometime in the future, though in  a totally different cultural context of course.

I think disco was at it's popular peak with groups like The Bee Gees, Santa Esmarelda, Andrea True Connection, Foxy and ABBA then after that disco might have died and took a different form and sound.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I1CP1751wJA

This is Disco Demolition Night July 12th,1979 at Comiskey Park with Steve Dahl.

you won't believe your eyes as to what the fans did to the stadium!  :o

Obviously I was not alive at that point, but my Dad says when The Knack's My Sharona was released (and eventually became the #1 song of 1979), that's when you knew Rock was back.

I'm guessing disco was still pretty popular (although a guilty pleasure) in 1979. And I have an impression that it was still moderately popular in 1980, but by 1981 it was pretty much on the way out? 8)

I'm guessing disco was still pretty popular (although a guilty pleasure) in 1979. And I have an impression that it was still moderately popular in 1980, but by 1981 it was pretty much on the way out? 8)


That's about right, Disco's popularity started to decline in early 1980.

Obviously I was not alive at that point, but my Dad says when The Knack's My Sharona was released (and eventually became the #1 song of 1979), that's when you knew Rock was back.


So why was rock more popular than disco?  ???

I'm guessing disco was still pretty popular (although a guilty pleasure) in 1979. And I have an impression that it was still moderately popular in 1980, but by 1981 it was pretty much on the way out? 8)


You would say that, old school rap was about to enter.

Do you think disco should've not died after 1979 and maybe continued after the early 80's? ???

You would say that, old school rap was about to enter.


And MTV!  8)

That's about right, Disco's popularity started to decline in early 1980.


Yay!! One point for me!  ;D

And MTV!  8)


The MTV generation.

I think it became popular around 1973 and it died around 1979-1980.

Rose around 1973/1974 (probably as some subconscious response to Watergate and the gas lines), hit a peak of popularity between '75 and '77, arguably it's absolute peak was in late 1977 with the release of Saturday Night Fever, slowly began to fall in '78 and came crashing to a halt in '79/80.

Rose around 1973/1974 (probably as some subconscious response to Watergate and the gas lines), hit a peak of popularity between '75 and '77, arguably it's absolute peak was in late 1977 with the release of Saturday Night Fever, slowly began to fall in '78 and came crashing to a halt in '79/80.

Nixon cannot the blame for Disco!

Nixon cannot the blame for Disco!


He has nothing to do with disco.

Rose around 1973/1974 (probably as some subconscious response to Watergate and the gas lines), hit a peak of popularity between '75 and '77, arguably it's absolute peak was in late 1977 with the release of Saturday Night Fever, slowly began to fall in '78 and came crashing to a halt in '79/80.

Did they ever find the Nixon Disco tapes?

Did they ever find the Nixon Disco tapes?


What kind of music did you listen to in the '70s? What's your favorite part of the decade? Do you feel nostalgic for the '70s?

Did they ever find the Nixon Disco tapes?


http://ca.pbsstatic.com/l/68/8168/9780671898168.jpg

Rose around 1973/1974 (probably as some subconscious response to Watergate and the gas lines), hit a peak of popularity between '75 and '77, arguably it's absolute peak was in late 1977 with the release of Saturday Night Fever, slowly began to fall in '78 and came crashing to a halt in '79/80.
The reason of Jimmy Hoffa's disappearance, to avoid disco?

Wow, I was only 19 when I made this thread!  :o  :o

Rose around 1973/1974 (probably as some subconscious response to Watergate and the gas lines), hit a peak of popularity between '75 and '77, arguably it's absolute peak was in late 1977 with the release of Saturday Night Fever, slowly began to fall in '78 and came crashing to a halt in '79/80.


I think I know what you're trying to say. People wanted something happy, catchy, and simple to listen to. Things were so heavy in the news and stuff.

I think I know what you're trying to say. People wanted something happy, catchy, and simple to listen to. Things were so heavy in the news and stuff.


That is exactly what I was trying to say. I don't see why it's so unreasonable.
In 1973, the War in Vietnam, as far as America was concerned, came largely to a close. Around this point you see Disco start to appear in the mainstream. A few months after, the Watergate scandal consumes the country. You see Disco become more popular.
In August '74, Nixon leaves office due to the Watergate scandal, the Scandal and Constitutional Crisis surrounding it reaching a fever pitch in the summer of 1974, and Disco was on the rise. You had the following Disco hits in '74:

Rock the Boat (#1 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts from July 6th, 1974 to July 13th 1974)
Rock Your Body (#1 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts from July 13th 1974 to July 27th 1974)
Whatever Gets You Through the Night (#1 from November 16th to November 23rd 1974)
Kung Fu Fighting (#1 from December 7th 1974 to December 21st 1974)

Along with the Nixon and Vietnam issues you had the Gas lines in '73. If you look at the charts from '73 to '75 you can see Disco rise higher and higher in popularity. And in May '75 you had the embarassing and traumatic fall of Saigon, whose imagery was all over American TV.

I think on some psychological level, people were looking for an escape in music from Watergate, gas lines and Vietnam, and that's a part of why Disco took off as big as it did. It was also a throwback to the past in a way; in that the "Disco fashions" were the last cultural fashion to include suits and what we now know as 'dress clothes' as casual wear--Sort of a cultural backlash against the casual Jeans and T-Shirt look that had become popular throughout the '60s and early '70s.

after the summer of 1979.

1981?  :D  :D

1981?  :D  :D


I think electronic music started after 1980.

I think electronic music started after 1980.


Like Shannon's 'Let The Music Play' in 1983!

Like Shannon's 'Let The Music Play' in 1983!


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mS5aYGgfQ1w
and also Ritz "I Wanna Get With You" came out in 1981.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=REJExuKSyyU
T Life - Somethin' That You Do To Me (Keeps Turning Me On) 1981

That is exactly what I was trying to say. I don't see why it's so unreasonable.
In 1973, the War in Vietnam, as far as America was concerned, came largely to a close. Around this point you see Disco start to appear in the mainstream. A few months after, the Watergate scandal consumes the country. You see Disco become more popular.
In August '74, Nixon leaves office due to the Watergate scandal, the Scandal and Constitutional Crisis surrounding it reaching a fever pitch in the summer of 1974, and Disco was on the rise. You had the following Disco hits in '74:

Rock the Boat (#1 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts from July 6th, 1974 to July 13th 1974)
Rock Your Body (#1 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts from July 13th 1974 to July 27th 1974)
Whatever Gets You Through the Night (#1 from November 16th to November 23rd 1974)
Kung Fu Fighting (#1 from December 7th 1974 to December 21st 1974)

Along with the Nixon and Vietnam issues you had the Gas lines in '73. If you look at the charts from '73 to '75 you can see Disco rise higher and higher in popularity. And in May '75 you had the embarassing and traumatic fall of Saigon, whose imagery was all over American TV.

I think on some psychological level, people were looking for an escape in music from Watergate, gas lines and Vietnam, and that's a part of why Disco took off as big as it did. It was also a throwback to the past in a way; in that the "Disco fashions" were the last cultural fashion to include suits and what we now know as 'dress clothes' as casual wear--Sort of a cultural backlash against the casual Jeans and T-Shirt look that had become popular throughout the '60s and early '70s.


I completely agree with this post. Like you mentioned, between Watergate, the Oil embargo, the loss of South Vietnam to the Communists, the explosion in crime, high inflation, and two assassination attempts on Gerald Ford in one month, the mid '70s were one of the bleakest time periods in American history, and I've always thought that the rise of Disco was something of a backlash against the dark vibes that permeated 1973-1976.

As far as when Disco died, some would say it happened symbolically on July 12, 1979 (a.k.a "Disco Demolition Night"), and I do think 1979 as a year is probably the correct answer. In July of that year, Disco claimed the top six records in the United States, while, by the end of September, there were zero Disco records in the top 10. Certainly by the time MTV launched in August of 1981 it was six feet under.

While disco may have grown popular in the middle years of the '70s, it wasn't until the release of Saturday Night Fever that it became a full-blown pheonemon, peaking when New York radio station WBLS switched to an all-disco format. My 45 collection by far shows the most disco records in 1978 and 1979. It clearly had several phases that we've discussed before.

I'd recommend this article in therms of the progression of disco from 1973-1982. It mentions 1975 as disco's first "peak year", 1977 as "The Peak", and after 1979's "Cash in before its over", mentions how the sound in 1980-81 evolving into more of a "jet" sound where the lead singer is more important, rhythmic beats start to prevail over orchestras, and 1982's break rhythms and dub melodies paving the way for '80s Hi-NRG and Freestyle. But of course the music of 1980-82 got mostly relegated to the R&B and "Dance Music" charts and not on the Hot 100. Of course once this type music came back to the Hot 100 charts in 1983, it was a new wave of dance music.
https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1959&dat=19831129&id=jn0hAAAAIBAJ&sjid=r4oFAAAAIBAJ&pg=6667,3586130&hl=en

I completely agree with this post. Like you mentioned, between Watergate, the Oil embargo, the loss of South Vietnam to the Communists, the explosion in crime, high inflation, and two assassination attempts on Gerald Ford in one month, the mid '70s were one of the bleakest time periods in American history, and I've always thought that the rise of Disco was something of a backlash against the dark vibes that permeated 1973-1976.


I don't agree with you that 1973 is mid '70s, but the rest of the statement makes sense. Now that you think of it, don't you think the mid '10s are repeating the mid '70s? We have a lot of issues now. This is really starting to convince me that popular culture goes in 40 year cycles as well as 20. There are a lot of dark vibes in today's society and people don't have a lot of hope for a better America. Just like in the '70s...

I completely agree with this post. Like you mentioned, between Watergate, the Oil embargo, the loss of South Vietnam to the Communists, the explosion in crime, high inflation, and two assassination attempts on Gerald Ford in one month, the mid '70s were one of the bleakest time periods in American history, and I've always thought that the rise of Disco was something of a backlash against the dark vibes that permeated 1973-1976.

As far as when Disco died, some would say it happened symbolically on July 12, 1979 (a.k.a "Disco Demolition Night"), and I do think 1979 as a year is probably the correct answer. In July of that year, Disco claimed the top six records in the United States, while, by the end of September, there were zero Disco records in the top 10. Certainly by the time MTV launched in August of 1981 it was six feet under.


What about 1980? ???

What about 1980? ???


Absolutely Disco was around in 1980; there were even some pretty big hits.  But as a dying genre, it became embarrassing for artists to say "I have a Disco record, have a listen". Disco was a bad word :P by the end of 1980.  That's when Disco artists started losing their audience.

A few huge 1980 Disco hits:

Rock With You - Michael Jackson
Take Your Time Do It Right - S.O.S. Band
Upside Down - Diana Ross

8)

Absolutely Disco was around in 1980; there were even some pretty big hits.  But as a dying genre, it became embarrassing for artists to say "I have a Disco record, have a listen". Disco was a bad word :P by the end of 1980.  That's when Disco artists started losing their audience.

A few huge 1980 Disco hits:

Rock With You - Michael Jackson
Take Your Time Do It Right - S.O.S. Band
Upside Down - Diana Ross

8)


You also had:
Kool And The Gang
Jermaine Jackson
Tom Browne
George Benson
Brothers Johnson
Jacksons
Teena Marie
Pointer Sisters
Rick James

I don't agree with you that 1973 is mid '70s, but the rest of the statement makes sense. Now that you think of it, don't you think the mid '10s are repeating the mid '70s? We have a lot of issues now. This is really starting to convince me that popular culture goes in 40 year cycles as well as 20. There are a lot of dark vibes in today's society and people don't have a lot of hope for a better America. Just like in the '70s...


I completely agree!! Just like the 00s were a kind of a weird mix of 80s and 60s!!

You also had:
Kool And The Gang
Jermaine Jackson
Tom Browne
George Benson
Brothers Johnson
Jacksons
Teena Marie
Pointer Sisters
Rick James


I think 1980 was the final stand for disco! Then in 1981 MTV debuted, followed by new wave taking off!

I think 1980 was the final stand for disco! Then in 1981 MTV debuted, followed by new wave taking off!


after 1981 officially disco died.

I'd say the first disco song ever made was "Theme from Shaft" by Isaac Hayes, released in September 1971. The first disco song to top the charts however, was "Love Train" by the O'Jays in March 1973, which influenced other musical acts to start making disco songs throughout 1973 and 1974, I'd say late 1974 was when disco really became popular though, as this was when disco songs started to dominate the billboard charts to the point where a radio station was made specifically for disco and funk music called "Disco Action".

As to when it died, well most people look at "Disco Demolition Night" on July 12, 1979 as the death of disco.

The early 70s was when disco started to rise, while it died between 1979-1981.

Its commercial peak lasted from the beginning of 1975 until Disco Demolition Night in mid-1979. Songs released during the early-mid 70s were, at most, building blocks that fell more under the general funk category and weren't straight-up disco like "Once You Get Started," "That's the Way (I Like It)," or "It Only Takes a Minute." Stuff like "Love Train" and "That Lady" were exceptions to the rule during the Nixon era. After Disco Demolition Night, post-disco primarily replaced regular disco, though there was still a small handful of regular disco hits during the 1979-1980 school year like "No More Tears (Enough Is Enough)" and "Funkytown."

Only 19 when I made this thread.

I'll reply to myself.  ;D  ;D

The answer is 1974 to 1980!  8)

1975-1980 is what I think of as the disco era


Its commercial peak lasted from the beginning of 1975 until Disco Demolition Night in mid-1979. Songs released during the early-mid 70s were, at most, building blocks that fell more under the general funk category and weren't straight-up disco like "Once You Get Started," "That's the Way (I Like It)," or "It Only Takes a Minute." Stuff like "Love Train" and "That Lady" were exceptions to the rule during the Nixon era. After Disco Demolition Night, post-disco primarily replaced regular disco, though there was still a small handful of regular disco hits during the 1979-1980 school year like "No More Tears (Enough Is Enough)" and "Funkytown."

I'm not so sure if I agree with the idea that Disco Demolition Night "killed" disco, as music scholars and critics often put forth. I mean, Michael Jackson's Off the Wall album came out just a month after the demolition night, and despite being a disco album it was a major success.

Though, one could suggest the demolition night had a "ripple" effect on disco's popularity, rather than an immediate one.

1975-1980 is what I think of as the disco era
I'm not so sure if I agree with the idea that Disco Demolition Night "killed" disco, as music scholars and critics often put forth. I mean, Michael Jackson's Off the Wall album came out just a month after the demolition night, and despite being a disco album it was a major success.

Though, one could suggest the demolition night had a "ripple" effect on disco's popularity, rather than an immediate one.


Yes, the 1979 Disco Demolition was just the beginning of the end. Not the end. I'd say the end of 1980 was when it died.

1975-1980 is what I think of as the disco era
I'm not so sure if I agree with the idea that Disco Demolition Night "killed" disco, as music scholars and critics often put forth. I mean, Michael Jackson's Off the Wall album came out just a month after the demolition night, and despite being a disco album it was a major success.

Off the Wall was pretty much the beginning of post-disco's dominance of dance music during the early 1980s. It's not technically classified as post-disco, but it definitely had the slicker, groovier style that was customary of black music in the coming few years. It was Michael Jackson's comeback album (thus beginning his "adult" era) and frankly isn't that different from Thriller. I suppose you can call it a transitional record, more than anything else, but it still ties much more to the early 80s than the mid-late 70s, in my opinion.

Also, not long after Off the Wall blew up the charts, Kool & the Gang made their major comeback with "Ladies Night," while Prince had his breakthrough single, "I Wanna Be Your Lover." These two songs fully kickstarted post-disco into the mainstream, with regular disco almost completely irrelevant henceforth.

I would describe the Disco era as starting in 1976 and concluding by Early 1981. Despite what is often suggested, Disco's popularity did not die-off immediately after the "Disco Demolition Night" on the 12th July 1979. In fact, quite a number of Disco releases still charted highly in the following year. I believe Disco died off in popularity a few months earlier than when it did in Australia, but take a look for yourself:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pt_OW9QzqAQ

These are some songs released throughout 1973-1974, would you say they are disco or not?

First Choice - Armed and Extremely Dangerous (1973)
Isley Brothers - That Lady (1973)
Eddie Kendricks - Boogie Down (1973)
MFSB - The Sound of Philadelphia (1974)
Jackson 5 - Dancing Machine (1974)
George McCrae - Rock Your Baby (1974)
Labelle - Lady Marmalade (1974)
Ohio Players - Fire (1974)

Yes, the 1979 Disco Demolition was just the beginning of the end. Not the end. I'd say the end of 1980 was when it died.


and "disco" had a different sound after 1980.

I would describe the Disco era as starting in 1976 and concluding by Early 1981.

I don't see how one can exclude 1975 from the disco era. That year had The Hustle which is one of the all-time biggest disco songs.

Which ones are Disco?  IMO:


First Choice - Armed and Extremely Dangerous (1973) - no
Isley Brothers - That Lady (1973) - no
Eddie Kendricks - Boogie Down (1973) - borderline yes
MFSB - The Sound of Philadelphia (1974) - yes
Jackson 5 - Dancing Machine (1974) - borderline yes
George McCrae - Rock Your Baby (1974) - yes
Labelle - Lady Marmalade (1974) - borderline no
Ohio Players - Fire (1974) - no


Others I'd either categorize as Funk, "pre-Disco", or Soul of various sub-genres  8)

What came after the disco sound?

What came after the disco sound?


Neonpop, which is what I call 80s pop.

I don't see how one can exclude 1975 from the disco era. That year had The Hustle which is one of the all-time biggest disco songs.


I absolutely agree. 1975 also had these:

* Never Can Say Goodbye / Gloria Gaynor
* Get Down Tonight / KC and the Sunshine Band
* That's the Way (I Like It) / KC and the Sunshine Band
* Philadelphia Freedom / Elton John
* Jive Talkin' / Bee Gees
* You're the First, the Last, My Everything / Barry White
* Lady Marmalade / LaBelle
* Shining Star / Earth, Wind & Fire
* Once You Get Started / Rufus & Chaka Khan
* What Am I Gonna Do with You? / Barry White
* Bad Luck / Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes
* It Only Takes a Minute / Tavares
* Reach Out (I'll Be There) / Gloria Gaynor
* Disco Queen / Hot Chocolate
* Fly, Robin, Fly / Silver Connection
* Brazil / The Ritchie Family
* You Sexy Thing / Hot Chocolate

It's remarkable how much 1975 is more similar to 1978 than most of 1974. The absolute chart dominance of disco throughout the year (versus 1974 pretty much only having "Cant Get Enough of Your Love, Baby" and "Kung Fu Fighting" being hits after Watergate) is one major example. Also during the 1974-1975 school year, Nixon resigned, Happy Days and Good Times premiered on television, Jaws started the summer blockbuster, the Vietnam War officially ended, stagflation became the biggest political issue of the day, and glam rock began to decline in the UK, and major non-disco music acts like Aerosmith, Queen, comeback-era Bob Dylan, Rush, and Kiss started to achieve broad popularity. A bit later that year, Pong consoles entered the market, Saturday Night Live made its debut, Welcome Back, Kotter introduced John Travolta to the world; and Bruce Springsteen and Patti Smith released their breakthrough albums. Despite being clearly mid-70s by definition, 1975 had pretty much everything associated with the late 70s aside from the gradually incoming early 80s culture near the end of the decade.

What came after the disco sound?


Post-disco, aka the stuff Kool & the Gang and Michael Jackson recorded during their early 80s comebacks.

major non-disco music acts like Aerosmith, Queen, comeback-era Bob Dylan, Rush, and Kiss started to achieve broad popularity.

*puts on nerd glasses* I don't think Rush truly achieved broad popularity until the 1975-1976 school year, when their breakthrough album 2112 was released. Before that, very few people knew who they even were.

What came after the disco sound?


There are many sounds that were born after Disco's death. There was Post-Disco which was like disco, but used more synths, drum machines, and sequencers instead of actual instruments. Was more technology-centric than normal Disco. But other than that it still sounded like Disco.
7CpfZfyTClYzu5xfnUz7c0

There was Garage & House music which wasn't a continuation of Disco, but took a lot of elements from Disco.
SiPISN9rUkszOzep-OOL-U

After House music there was a subgenre called Funky House which is sometimes referred to as Disco House. This is mixing the unique elements of House with the elements of Funk and Disco.
_SywqlfOYLQr5t_G73W7RM

There was also Nu-Disco which is basically modern disco (this isn't like Post Disco which is basically 80s Disco). Just imagine Disco, but using modern music principles and techniques.
lEThG_GI1oMebjXsc0UjdQ

After 1979's Demolition Night people thought Disco was dead, but Disco was so big that instead of dying it just came back in different genres.


Basically works like this.

              Disco
                V
Post-Disco > House & Garage
V                          V  V
Nu-Disco    Funky House & UK Garage

And if you wanna get into REALLY funny parts of the Disco sound look into things such as Future Funk. Which basically gets late 70s/early 80s Disco and gives it a Vaporwave-esque mix to it. Quite popular among internet users.
WYvji5AXOfkAHJYY3l8ZoQ

There are many sounds that were born after Disco's death. There was Post-Disco which was like disco, but used more synths, drum machines, and sequencers instead of actual instruments. Was more technology-centric than normal Disco. But other than that it still sounded like Disco.
7CpfZfyTClYzu5xfnUz7c0

There was Garage & House music which wasn't a continuation of Disco, but took a lot of elements from Disco.
SiPISN9rUkszOzep-OOL-U

After House music there was a subgenre called Funky House which is sometimes referred to as Disco House. This is mixing the unique elements of House with the elements of Funk and Disco.
_SywqlfOYLQr5t_G73W7RM

There was also Nu-Disco which is basically modern disco (this isn't like Post Disco which is basically 80s Disco). Just imagine Disco, but using modern music principles and techniques.
lEThG_GI1oMebjXsc0UjdQ

After 1979's Demolition Night people thought Disco was dead, but Disco was so big that instead of dying it just came back in different genres.


Basically works like this.

              Disco
                V
Post-Disco > House & Garage
V                          V  V
Nu-Disco    Funky House & UK Garage

And if you wanna get into REALLY funny parts of the Disco sound look into things such as Future Funk. Which basically gets late 70s/early 80s Disco and gives it a Vaporwave-esque mix to it. Quite popular among internet users.
WYvji5AXOfkAHJYY3l8ZoQ


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HXYBJ-q0mEM
What would you call this sound, Looney? ???

There are many sounds that were born after Disco's death. There was Post-Disco which was like disco, but used more synths, drum machines, and sequencers instead of actual instruments. Was more technology-centric than normal Disco. But other than that it still sounded like Disco.
7CpfZfyTClYzu5xfnUz7c0

There was Garage & House music which wasn't a continuation of Disco, but took a lot of elements from Disco.
SiPISN9rUkszOzep-OOL-U

After House music there was a subgenre called Funky House which is sometimes referred to as Disco House. This is mixing the unique elements of House with the elements of Funk and Disco.
_SywqlfOYLQr5t_G73W7RM

There was also Nu-Disco which is basically modern disco (this isn't like Post Disco which is basically 80s Disco). Just imagine Disco, but using modern music principles and techniques.
lEThG_GI1oMebjXsc0UjdQ

After 1979's Demolition Night people thought Disco was dead, but Disco was so big that instead of dying it just came back in different genres.


Basically works like this.

              Disco
                V
Post-Disco > House & Garage
V                          V  V
Nu-Disco    Funky House & UK Garage

And if you wanna get into REALLY funny parts of the Disco sound look into things such as Future Funk. Which basically gets late 70s/early 80s Disco and gives it a Vaporwave-esque mix to it. Quite popular among internet users.
WYvji5AXOfkAHJYY3l8ZoQ


Would you say the same for Funk? ???

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HXYBJ-q0mEM
What would you call this sound, Looney? ???


That would be post-Disco in terms of sound. It's not House as in terms of sound it's too close to the original Disco sound. House is more of a derivitive child of Disco and not a direct continuation like Post-Disco. It's not Nu-Disco since it's from the 1980s as Nu-Disco didn't start until the late 1990s-early 2000s. In terms of sound it sounds more like normal Disco just with a slight electronic twist as you can hear a more obvious use of syntherzisers and sequencers in Post-Disco.


Would you say the same for Funk? ???


Yeah, Funk is sort of in the same situation as Disco. However, the biggest difference being that there was never a Funk Demolition Night. Anyways after the creation of Funk there was attempts to try and bring Jazz back to the attention of younger crowds. Funk was started in the 1960s. The 1960s was also when younger people preferred Rock and Funk over Jazz. So to fix this there was the creation of Jazz Funk.
ZPtg9xOsJ408fzFABWjiQ4

At the time of Funk's success Rock was one of the main genres that rivaled it in terms of popularity. So an obvious step was to mix the two and create what is called "Funk Rock".
A3ckIovZRwk

There was also the creation of "Go-Go" music. Go-Go is a mix of Funk, RnB, and Hip Hop. I really do like this genre. Hopefully it makes a comeback.
Iwdt15xIOjQaB6K1lw3t-M

Around the 1990s there was the creation of G-Funk (Gansta-Funk) which is Hip Hop/Rap mixed with Funk.
-0UPhZk7mG0-X8oiLEXOB8

There is also Electro-Funk which is Funk mixed with Electronic elements.
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And similar to Disco and being revived as Nu-Disco the Funk genre also had Nu-Funk.
lSXiGdx_kJIOdOk6yP7V2c


So while the original Disco and Funk sounds vanished they still ended giving birth to a ton of other Funk genres.

You can probably look at 1975 as when Disco became really popular.  There certainly was some Disco around in '74 or even maybe '73, but Disco wasn't mainstream at that time.  (Nobody used the term "Disco" until mid-late '74.)

In its "youth", Disco coexisted nicely with other music styles, at least on the airwaves (which were much more significant then than now).  Sometime around 1977, Disco became more than just another genre, and became very dominant, which is when a lot of people started to get disenfranchised with it.  The Saturday Night Fever phenomenon exacerbated this, so that music enthusiasts became polarized between those who Disco and those who didn't.  By '79, music that wasn't Disco was more or less relegated to second class.  This caused a revolt not seen on a scale before or since by music consumers who weren't taken with Disco and its offerings.  Chicago's summer 1979 "Disco Demolition" event was a symptom of the larger sentiment.

By the end of 1980, Disco was dead.  (Naturally, its offspring lived on into the 80's - but "Disco" was a bad word.)

So in 1974 late 1960s music was popular right?

That would be post-Disco in terms of sound. It's not House as in terms of sound it's too close to the original Disco sound. House is more of a derivitive child of Disco and not a direct continuation like Post-Disco. It's not Nu-Disco since it's from the 1980s as Nu-Disco didn't start until the late 1990s-early 2000s. In terms of sound it sounds more like normal Disco just with a slight electronic twist as you can hear a more obvious use of syntherzisers and sequencers in Post-Disco.

Yeah, Funk is sort of in the same situation as Disco. However, the biggest difference being that there was a Funk Demolition Night. Anyways after the creation of Funk there was attempts to try and bring Jazz back to the attention of younger crowds. Funk was started in the 1960s. The 1960s was also when younger people preferred Rock and Funk over Jazz. So to fix this there was the creation of Jazz Funk.
ZPtg9xOsJ408fzFABWjiQ4

At the time of Funk's success Rock was one of the main genres that rivaled it in terms of popularity. So an obvious step was to mix the two and create what is called "Funk Rock".
A3ckIovZRwk

There was also the creation of "Go-Go" music. Go-Go is a mix of Funk, RnB, and Hip Hop. I really do like this genre. Hopefully it makes a comeback.
Iwdt15xIOjQaB6K1lw3t-M

Around the 1990s there was the creation of G-Funk (Gansta-Funk) which is Hip Hop/Rap mixed with Funk.
-0UPhZk7mG0-X8oiLEXOB8

There is also Electro-Funk which is Funk mixed with Electronic elements.
5AC3E1QqypgNZG7ztfEwL8

And similar to Disco and being revived as Nu-Disco the Funk genre also had Nu-Funk.
lSXiGdx_kJIOdOk6yP7V2c


So while the original Disco and Funk sounds vanished they still ended giving birth to a ton of other Funk genres.


When did this occur?  ???

Did disco really had to die? Did it have a premonition? ???

When did this occur?  ???


Whoops! That was a mistake. I was supposed to be However, the biggest difference being that there was never a Funk Demolition Night.  Funk never died because people wanted to kill it. Rather I think tastes just change. Plus "Funk" has influenced a lot of other genres. Even genres that have nothing to do with Funk still may have a "Funk" vibe. I suppose Funk on its own is too basic as of the 21st century. So people mix it with a lot of other genres and get appealing results.


Did disco really had to die? Did it have a premonition? ???


I'm not entirely sure. You see Disco is a interesting case as it died for a different reason than a lot of other pop cultural things. As I mentioned in other threads before in the 1970s Disco was EVERYWHERE. On radio, TV, commercials, magazines etc. It got so out of hand that people had gotten sick of it. So they forcibly killed the genre (well not entirely as Disco was able to move on as Post-Disco, House, Nu- Disco, and Future Funk). I think the biggest shock was just how sudden it was. Usually when something is huge in Pop Culture nothing really happens to it. It just naturally declines in popularity and is replaced by something else. But when something is forcibly killed off then it gives a different effect.

I1CP1751wJAMpQfCcsqQ0E

If you want to point hate to anyone then point it to this man.
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a0/Steve_Dahl.jpg/1200px-Steve_Dahl.jpg

Steve Dahl was the head of the Disco Demolition event. He hated Disco and he somehow had the power to kill it.  >:(

Whoops! That was a mistake. I was supposed to be However, the biggest difference being that there was never a Funk Demolition Night.  Funk never died because people wanted to kill it. Rather I think tastes just change. Plus "Funk" has influenced a lot of other genres. Even genres that have nothing to do with Funk still may have a "Funk" vibe. I suppose Funk on its own is too basic as of the 21st century. So people mix it with a lot of other genres and get appealing results.

I'm not entirely sure. You see Disco is a interesting case as it died for a different reason than a lot of other pop cultural things. As I mentioned in other threads before in the 1970s Disco was EVERYWHERE. On radio, TV, commercials, magazines etc. It got so out of hand that people had gotten sick of it. So they forcibly killed the genre (well not entirely as Disco was able to move on as Post-Disco, House, Nu- Disco, and Future Funk). I think the biggest shock was just how sudden it was. Usually when something is huge in Pop Culture nothing really happens to it. It just naturally declines in popularity and is replaced by something else. But when something is forcibly killed off then it gives a different effect.

I1CP1751wJAMpQfCcsqQ0E

If you want to point hate to anyone then point it to this man.
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a0/Steve_Dahl.jpg/1200px-Steve_Dahl.jpg

Steve Dahl was the head of the Disco Demolition event. He hated Disco and he somehow had the power to kill it.  >:(


Why would they get sick of it? ???

Why would they get sick of it? ???


Just because it's crazy popularity. No one music genre is never synonymous with a decade, but for the 1970s it seemed Disco embodied almost everything within 70's pop culture and had it in music form (at least this is what I tend to hear sometimes). Now there were other reasons why people didn't like the genre. Some felt that the genre was too mechanical or lacked a genuine feel. Some hated the life style of it. Feeling that the personal appearance  of those within the Disco scene was treated as more important than the actual music. Another being the time period. Disco was a genre that was mainly started and popularized by African Americans and Gays. In the 1970s racism was a bit less subtle (not as bad as the decades before it, but it was less low-key). Same goes for homophobia.

A funny reason is that some fear Disco. They feared that Disco would even kill off Rock music.  ;D Like I said Disco is literally getting the 1970s and putting in music form. Disco IS the 1970s if you look at it from an exaggerated perspective. Some feared that Disco was taking over. A lot of radio stations would drop their own music lists/styles and just instead adopt Disco and Disco themes on their playlists and airings. This bothered a lot of people. In 1978 this station called WKTU-FM literally switched all their music to Disco and it allowed them to become popular. A ton of other stations realized this and did the exact same thing. This relates to Steve Dahl as I think he also worked with a radio station, but due to the changes he literally was not able to do what he wanted anymore.


Disco got so big that people just couldn't take it anymore. The way you dressed, the sounds you heard, and things you saw were all influenced by Disco. I made a post in an older thread talking about mono-culture. Which is when there is 1 distinct style,theme, or vibe that a decade gives off. 1 aspect of pop culture that would overrule all the other parts of the culture until it becomes the one of the only relevant points. The 1970s had mono-culture and the thing that would overthrow everything (at least in the eyes of the people) was Disco. I know this may seem like much  for just a music genre, but it's fascinating on the history, shock, and effect Disco had on everything and everyone.


Now I love disco music as I love the upbeat vibe it gives. Some found the feel of Disco to be powering and uplifting. I guess others feared this aspect of Disco. Disco has a lot of history to it. Gotten to the point where one cannot think of the 1970s without Disco being the first or second thing that comes to that person's mind.

Just because it's crazy popularity. No one music genre is never synonymous with a decade, but for the 1970s it seemed Disco embodied almost everything within 70's pop culture and had it in music form (at least this is what I tend to hear sometimes). Now there were other reasons why people didn't like the genre. Some felt that the genre was too mechanical or lacked a genuine feel. Some hated the life style of it. Feeling that the personal appearance  of those within the Disco scene was treated as more important than the actual music. Another being the time period. Disco was a genre that was mainly started and popularized by African Americans and Gays. In the 1970s racism was a bit less subtle (not as bad as the decades before it, but it was less low-key). Same goes for homophobia.

A funny reason is that some fear Disco. They feared that Disco would even kill off Rock music.  ;D Like I said Disco is literally getting the 1970s and putting in music form. Disco IS the 1970s if you look at it from an exaggerated perspective. Some feared that Disco was taking over. A lot of radio stations would drop their own music lists/styles and just instead adopt Disco and Disco themes on their playlists and airings. This bothered a lot of people. In 1978 this station called WKTU-FM literally switched all their music to Disco and it allowed them to become popular. A ton of other stations realized this and did the exact same thing. This relates to Steve Dahl as I think he also worked with a radio station, but due to the changes he literally was not able to do what he wanted anymore.


Disco got so big that people just couldn't take it anymore. The way you dressed, the sounds you heard, and things you saw were all influenced by Disco. I made a post in an older thread talking about mono-culture. Which is when there is 1 distinct style,theme, or vibe that a decade gives off. 1 aspect of pop culture that would overrule all the other parts of the culture until it becomes the one of the only relevant points. The 1970s had mono-culture and the thing that would overthrow everything (at least in the eyes of the people) was Disco. I know this may seem like much  for just a music genre, but it's fascinating on the history, shock, and effect Disco had on everything and everyone.


Now I love disco music as I love the upbeat vibe it gives. Some found the feel of Disco to be powering and uplifting. I guess others feared this aspect of Disco. Disco has a lot of history to it. Gotten to the point where one cannot think of the 1970s without Disco being the first or second thing that comes to that person's mind.


The music industry did experience a dip in record sales from 1979 to 1982. I don't think it's disco's fault, but I'm going to blame disco anyways!  ;D  ;D

The music industry did experience a dip in record sales from 1979 to 1982. I don't think it's disco's fault, but I'm going to blame disco anyways!  ;D  ;D


I like to think people just blamed Disco for no reason. Car broke down? Probably cuz of Disco. Your TV show got cancelled? I bet it was because it's going to be replaced by an all Disco channel. You're sneezing! Are you sick!? Yeah, you're sick alright..................sick of Disco! 

>:( >:( >:( >:( Grumble Grumble. Moan Moan. Whine Whine.

And just like that I've summed up the Disco hating masses of the '70s.

I like to think people just blamed Disco for no reason. Car broke down? Probably cuz of Disco. Your TV show got cancelled? I bet it was because it's going to be replaced by an all Disco channel. You're sneezing! Are you sick!? Yeah, you're sick alright..................sick of Disco! 

>:( >:( >:( >:( Grumble Grumble. Moan Moan. Whine Whine.

And just like that I've summed up the Disco hating masses of the '70s.


The disco blamers are snakes.

http://cryptomundo.com/wp-content/uploads/anaconda1.jpg

The disco blamers are snakes.

http://cryptomundo.com/wp-content/uploads/anaconda1.jpg


I agree 100%. Only a maniac would hate Disco.  8)

If Disco Demolition Night never happened, would disco still be alive today? ???

If Disco Demolition Night never happened, would disco still be alive today? ???


No, in fact it would've likely ended around the same time.  Disco Demolition was a symptom of a rampant disease - unexpressed frustration over media outlets' love affair with Disco.  Things changed so rapidly up to that point, even those of us who were OK with Disco as a genre became wary of how things might turn out with the haters.

If you replace "Disco Demolition Night" with "Saturday Night Fever" in your question, I may have a different answer.  Saturday Night Fever and the associated craze seemed to be the tipping point for many, although of course Disco lasted several more years.  In 1979 the genre remained super strong, but by then the love affair had started to erode.  Disco Demolition was finally an expression medium for all the disenfranchised, and there were many.

If Disco Demolition Night never happened, would disco still be alive today? ???


A slightly confusing question. Do you mean "alive" as in Disco still existing or "alive" as in Disco being massively popular? If the former remember I did mentioned Nu-Disco which is a modern form of Disco which has a bit of popularity. Same for House which is a decedent of Disco. However, if you're referring to it being as big and popular as it was in the 1970s (so popular that even House's and Nu-Disco's successes didn't compare) then I'm not entirely sure. Music genres naturally fall in and out of popularity as time moves on. If Demolition Night didn't happen Disco would've eventually declined in popularity naturally, but it wouldn't have been as sudden. Demolition Night wasn't the lone reason Disco died. Rather it was just the Final Nail. However, if Demolition Night didn't happen the genre would've probably lasted a bit longer in popularity. Post-Disco was an underground Disco genre that enjoy a bit of success in the early to mid 1980s. If Demolition Night didn't happen then Post-Disco wouldn't have existed and Disco wouldn't have to go underground and instead maintain big success. But even if it did maintain success I can still see it dying by the end of the 1980s due to a ton of other genres coming up. By the late 1980s genres like Rock and Hip Hop were taking over.

S
I agree 100%. Only a maniac would hate Disco.  8)

Snakes trigger me. Spoiler that picture you hothead! ;)

SSnakes trigger me. Spoiler that picture you hothead! ;)


Oops! I posted the picture!  :-X

How cute, a snake!

I love snakes, I hate disco. There I've said it, I HATE DISCO! And I was in my youth when disco was at its height so I remember it well. There are some disco songs I like such as 'Off The Wall' by Michael Jackson but as a genre, I find it boring. And 'The Hustle' is one of my least favourite songs.

Do you think there should be another Demolition Night in the near future? ???

Do you think there should be another Demolition Night in the near future? ???


It depends. 1970s had Monoculture. So 1 or 2 musical genres would literally dominate an entire decade. 2010s doesn't have monculture and we have it where there is no single genre that is constantly being shoved down your throat. Although I'd only want a Demolition Night if I literally want a genre to die. But I really just want genres to get better again instead of dying. However, I MIGHT want a Demolition Night for the Electro trends. It's like in order for something to sound "modern" and "hip" it must have an overproduced Electronic sound to it. And I can't stand this. Some genres like Electro Swing are good. But I hate literally every other Electro-Something genre.  Hopefully the Electronic trend will die out. It's starting to influence other genres to the point where nearly every song now has a generic-samey electro vibe. Hip Hop sucks because of this. When tech wasn't as good a lot of songs had a unique and good sound. 80s Hip Hop is a good example.

In short I wouldn't want a Demolition Night on a specific genre in itself. Rather just a Demolition Night for songs that are overproduced with an excessive amount of Electronic sounds.

Whatever became of Steve Dahl? ???

Whatever became of Steve Dahl? ???


He now runs a radio show called The Steve Dahl Show. It's amazing that the guy who killed off Disco can be heard on Radio sounding all casual as if nothing ever happened.

He now runs a radio show called The Steve Dahl Show. It's amazing that the guy who killed off Disco can be heard on Radio sounding all casual as if nothing ever happened.


Do you think he'll do another Demolition Night?

Do you think he'll do another Demolition Night?


Probably not. The things that he hated about Disco don't exist for other music genres. He hated Disco since it basically prevented him from doing the music he wanted to do. Nowadays this wouldn't happen as no single genre rules all. However, I'm sure there may be another kind of Genre Killing event sometime in the future. The 2010s doesn't have monoculture like the 1970s did, but there may be a chance we could go back to a monoculture in the 2020s-2030s depending on how Pop culture progresses.

From what I've read, the earliest disco records started coming out around 1973, in 1975 is when the genre exploded in popularity.

There was actually a lull in disco around 1977 until Saturday Night Fever came out, after that it experienced a second surge that lasted until around 1979, 1980.

I can hear the disco influences in early '80s R&B/pop records like Thriller(1982) and Holiday(1983), disco just gradually morphed into all these new dance styles like italo-disco, house, post-disco, ect.

I'd say it's "time" was 1974-1981.

Was it popular in 1974?

I always thought of disco's time as 1975 to 1980.

From what I've read, the earliest disco records started coming out around 1973, in 1975 is when the genre exploded in popularity.

There was actually a lull in disco around 1977 until Saturday Night Fever came out, after that it experienced a second surge that lasted until around 1979, 1980.

I can hear the disco influences in early '80s R&B/pop records like Thriller(1982) and Holiday(1983), disco just gradually morphed into all these new dance styles like italo-disco, house, post-disco, ect.

I'd say it's "time" was 1974-1981.


Then you had the sounds of the synthesizer and the synclavier during the 70's.

Was it popular in 1974?

I always thought of disco's time as 1975 to 1980.


During 1974 the term "Disco" started to be used.  It was a very young genre then, but gained in popularity as the year went along.  Early Disco didn't take over the airwaves; it coexisted nicely with the other music genres that were popular then.  It wasn't until Disco got more entrenched that it began to "take over".

During 1974 the term "Disco" started to be used.  It was a very young genre then, but gained in popularity as the year went along.  Early Disco didn't take over the airwaves; it coexisted nicely with the other music genres that were popular then.  It wasn't until Disco got more entrenched that it began to "take over".


So 1974 to 1980, it is.  :D  8)  8)

From what I've read, the earliest disco records started coming out around 1973, in 1975 is when the genre exploded in popularity.

There was actually a lull in disco around 1977 until Saturday Night Fever came out, after that it experienced a second surge that lasted until around 1979, 1980.

I can hear the disco influences in early '80s R&B/pop records like Thriller(1982) and Holiday(1983), disco just gradually morphed into all these new dance styles like italo-disco, house, post-disco, ect.

I'd say it's "time" was 1974-1981.


What disco song was popular during that time?

It seemed big from 1975 to 1979.

Around 1979, with some holdovers lasting until 1980-ish.

And thank god it died! Could you imagine if disco actually lasted into the 80's and ruined that glorious decade as it is!? Everything the 70's did wrong the 80's did right and pop music is definitely one of those things. 8)

Around 1979, with some holdovers lasting until 1980-ish.

And thank god it died! Could you imagine if disco actually lasted into the 80's and ruined that glorious decade as it is!? Everything the 70's did wrong the 80's did right and pop music is definitely one of those things. 8)


What would it sound like in the 80's? ???

What would it sound like in the 80's? ???


A lot like this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uY7sZnpucbY

Dirty little secret: the music didn't die.  It just morphed a bit.  (And of course then it was no longer "Disco")

8)

As Emman said, disco morphed into house and similar genres. Which are even more boring.

Abba is just golden.  :-X  :-X

A lot like this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uY7sZnpucbY

Dirty little secret: the music didn't die.  It just morphed a bit.  (And of course then it was no longer "Disco")

8)



It was more like electronic music sounding.

Abba is just golden.  :-X  :-X


They actually weren't even really a disco group. "Dancing Queen" just happens to be their signature song, but the vast bulk of their other hits are more general pop or pop/rock, with predominantly acoustic guitars as backup instead of orchestral strings and very few of their hits having an actual disco groove. They're frankly more similar to Fleetwood Mac than they are to Earth, Wind & Fire or Saturday Night Fever-era Bee Gees.

They actually weren't even really a disco group. "Dancing Queen" just happens to be their signature song, but the vast bulk of their other hits are more general pop or pop/rock, with predominantly acoustic guitars as backup instead of orchestral strings and very few of their hits having an actual disco groove. They're frankly more similar to Fleetwood Mac than they are to Earth, Wind & Fire or Saturday Night Fever-era Bee Gees.


Some people don't even consider Dancing Queen disco.

Some people don't even consider Dancing Queen disco.


I don't think a lot of Abba's songs are considered as disco. I think it's because most of their songs were made during the 70s and early 80s.

I don't think a lot of Abba's songs are considered as disco. I think it's because most of their songs were made during the 70s and early 80s.



I think it's considered pop-rock.

'Gimme Gimme Gimme' was probably the closest they came to disco.

My avatar was a former backing vocalist for them which is how I became familiar with him (not as familiar as I would like though!  :P)

'Gimme Gimme Gimme' was probably the closest they came to disco.

My avatar was a former backing vocalist for them which is how I became familiar with him (not as familiar as I would like though!  :P)


So you're a big Abba fan? That's cool.

So you're a big Abba fan? That's cool.


I like Abba too.

I like to think people just blamed Disco for no reason. Car broke down? Probably cuz of Disco. Your TV show got cancelled? I bet it was because it's going to be replaced by an all Disco channel. You're sneezing! Are you sick!? Yeah, you're sick alright..................sick of Disco! 

>:( >:( >:( >:( Grumble Grumble. Moan Moan. Whine Whine.

And just like that I've summed up the Disco hating masses of the '70s.

I like a lot of disco music but I think you're forgetting one factor behind its demise, and that factor is overexposure. Disco was taking over the world post-Saturday Night Fever; you heard it everywhere, in the car, in the mall, in the park, at the barber's, in the repair shop, etc. Everyone was starting to bandwagon on the movie's terrifying polyester fashion and cocaine-snorting lifestyle. It was also starting to turn into a self-parody cash cow, as we even got Mickey Mouse Disco and Sesame Street Disco by 1979. Disco had overstayed its welcome; it needed to go away, even in the eyes of people who liked it at first.

I think chalking anti-disco sentiment up to homophobia and anti-black racism is true to an extent, but not totally. I mean, one of the first people to smash a record on Disco Demolition Night was Michael Clarke Duncan - a BLACK man! Disco went away for similar reasons that things like nu-metal and ska went away - they overstayed their welcome rather quickly. By about 5 years, people were sick of them and their bag of tricks had been used up.

Since 2013 though, disco has experienced something of a revival among Millennials and Gen Z, now that the genre has a new lease on life and is freed from its past life of excess, cocaine, and trouser malfunctions. Now that people are no longer worried that disco will take over the world, they can finally appreciate the music for what it is.

Definitely a massive Abba fan. So much so that I legally changed my name to Agnetha in 1981.

Definitely a massive Abba fan. So much so that I legally changed my name to Agnetha in 1981.


Now that's a fan!  :o

I like a lot of disco music but I think you're forgetting one factor behind its demise, and that factor is overexposure...


I totally concur on the overexposure part.  Here's another angle no one has mentioned - opinion on my part.  As someone who amassed a significant number of Disco recordings, with a lot of pure Disco, unlike its musical predecessors, it could be fairly mindless music.  Just prior to Disco, the popular styles included singer-songwriter, fusion jazz, early electronic rock, intellectual hard rock (think Led Zeppelin), "protest" music, etc. - things that when you plop them on your turntable or stick that 8-track in your car stereo and listen, your brain would engage and you'd go "hmm, yes, I get it".  Whereas a half hour of pure Disco might get your hormones going but not your brain.  IMO that factor also affected its staying power.

Okay, okay, so Abba is not really disco.
But I love them too.  :D

Okay, okay, so Abba is not really disco.
But I love them too.  :D


I would describe them as "pop rock".

I totally concur on the overexposure part.  Here's another angle no one has mentioned - opinion on my part.  As someone who amassed a significant number of Disco recordings, with a lot of pure Disco, unlike its musical predecessors, it could be fairly mindless music.  Just prior to Disco, the popular styles included singer-songwriter, fusion jazz, early electronic rock, intellectual hard rock (think Led Zeppelin), "protest" music, etc. - things that when you plop them on your turntable or stick that 8-track in your car stereo and listen, your brain would engage and you'd go "hmm, yes, I get it".  Whereas a half hour of pure Disco might get your hormones going but not your brain.  IMO that factor also affected its staying power.


Disco was definitely mindless. Good for dancing to but very little else. The lyrics weren't exactly mind changing, were they? The sentiments expressed in 'Imagine' or 'The Living Years' were far superior to Van McCoy telling us incessantly to 'do the Hustle' (a song I've always hated).

Disco start in popularity: 1973
Rise: Late 1974
Peak: December 16, 1977 (release of Saturday Night Fever)
Decline: Summer 1979
Death: August 1, 1981 (when MTV debuts)

1975-1979 were the peak years IMO

Disco start in popularity: 1973
Rise: Late 1974
Peak: December 16, 1977 (release of Saturday Night Fever)
Decline: Summer 1979
Death: August 1, 1981 (when MTV debuts)


That seemed to be accurate for a lot of disco fans (maybe even my dad, since he did have cable in the early 80s).

Disco start in popularity: 1973
Rise: Late 1974
Peak: December 16, 1977 (release of Saturday Night Fever)
Decline: Summer 1979
Death: August 1, 1981 (when MTV debuts)

I'd say it goes more like this:
First year of disco: 1973
Start of popularity: Summer 1974
Rise: 1975
Peak: 1977 (Saturday Night Fever)
Decline: Summer 1979
Death: MTV Explosion (December 1982)

Disco become popular during my last year of high school, 1975. There was some talk of it in 1974, not much. 1975 is when it began to become popular. It was blooming by 1976.
Disco never really died, it morphed into other types of music in the 1980s.  Listen to some Madonna or Michael Jackson music in the 1980s, it's disco-ish

70s disco began to die in 1980 , there was a huge backlash against it in 1979.