Disco... Old and New

My recent purchase of Kylie Minogue's new retro-style Disco album (on vinyl) has got me thinking about that original era of sexy excess. Not that I was old enough to be part of that scene, but I did buy the odd record as a young music fan.

As I listened to Minogue's new album, I often felt she had nailed the sound and vibe of the classic 70's disco songs. What helped most was the inclusion of real instruments, like guitar, bass and drums (on a few tracks; elsewhere, programmed drums worked quite well). Keyboard synths replicated the lush symphony strings that were a key ingredient in 70's disco. And of course, the songwriting was on the money... super catchy and fun, and lyrically, these tracks would have fit right in among 70's radio hits.

I was never a huge fan of the genre, but I did enjoy some Bee Gee's and K.C. and the Sunshine Band back then. So I do have some frame of reference. 

Plus a couple of years ago, I added a handful of vintage 1970s K-Tel hits compilation records to my collection. K-Tel records always jump out at you with those brightly-coloured dynamic designs on the album jackets. Through these albums, I was able to become more familiar with dance-oriented tunes from that era. A lot of them sounded familiar to me, though I likely hadn't heard them in decades. Then again, popular songs from back then are heard a lot in today's TV ads and shows, and in movies.

K-Tel compilations were a fun mix of rock, pop, disco, soul and funk... whatever was top of the charts back in the 70's and into the 80's. And there was definitely crossover of the genres so that it was sometimes hard to pigeon-hole a song as a particular style. The disco designation could sometimes apply to a soul, funk, or occasionally even a pop-rock song.

Here's a sampling of the of the old-school disco/dance-oriented songs on my vintage vinyl K-Tel LPs:

K.C. and the Sunshine Band - That's the Way (I Like It), Shake Your Booty, etc

Hot Chocolate - You Sexy Thing

Bee Gees - Nights on Broadway

Earth, Wind & Fire - Getaway

Ohio Players - Who'd She Coo?

The Emotions - Best of My Love

The Sylvers - Hot Line

Yvonne Elliman - If I Can't Have You

Patricia Dahlquist - Keep Our Love Alive

The biggest surprise out of that bunch is the last one, by Patricia Dahlquist. Never heard her name before, but that song is SO familiar to me. A very ABBA-esque sound to it. I really like it.

Besides those K-Tel albums, I have ABBA's two greatest hits records (volumes 1 and 2) from the 70's. Oh, and a couple of my original Bee Gees 45 rpm singles from my youth, Night Fever and Stayin' Alive. Plus I have ABBA's greatest hits and a Bee Gees greatest hits on CD, both acquired in recent years.

So put on those white dancing shoes and hit the tiles, man.