Last Thursday we lost yet another musician, the multi-platinum disco queen Donna Summer. And on Sunday, Robin Gibb of the Bee Gees passed away. Although it would be either one of them could easily supply enough music for a tribute post, Scott decided to do things in a slightly different way. So this week, Music Monday is a look at the often-hated but never-quite-dead spirit of disco, the unkillable zombie of music. Donna Summer's starting us off…
Donna Summer - I Feel Love
The story goes that Brian Eno heard a few seconds of "I Feel Love" and ran to tell David Bowie about the future of music. From this song comes underground DJ remixes, 80's synth-pop, most of early techno and even some more recent homages. Maybe the late Donna Summer had some more famous hits along the way, but none of her other songs literally changed the world. If this was all that she and Giorgio Moroder had ever released, it still would have been enough. RIP, Donna Summer.
… but you know there's a Bee Gees hit waiting for you inside. So get your platform shoes and your dark shades, unbutton your black shirt and strut out to the boards. If this Music Monday mix doesn't start you dancing, probably nothing ever will.
Oh, before you head inside, remember our Spotify playlist will be featuring a great selection from last week's Music Monday comments. The theme of the mix is Covers That Surpassed The Originals and you guys went nuts with ideas! Just keep in mind that, before you look back at last week, you gotta check out our current Music Monday inside. See you after the jump!
The Bee Gees - Staying Alive
Let's all stop pretending the Bee Gees were 100% disco. The Brothers Gibb had pretty solid hits well before Saturday Night Fever came around. But since their little flirtation with dancin' is often credited with bringing disco to the masses, and their style became synonymous with a classic 70s sound, the Bee Gees were forever stuck with being "that disco band" even when they went in other directions. And that's a shame, because they had more in common with CSNY than KC And The Sunshine Band. Rest in peace, Robin Gibb. Around here your part of the harmony will be greatly missed.
Thelma Houston - Don't Leave Me This Way
You got the strings, you got the soul, you got the bass and you got the anthemic tone all the way through. What more is there to say? If you had to pick a single disco song to represent the entire era, few songs would cover all the bases like this one. Even people who absolutely hate disco will occasionally bob their head and shout out that last "BAY-bay!" in chorus.
Barry White - Never, Never Gonna Give Ya Up
Look, if you've got a problem with Barry White, you've got a problem with me. This deep-voiced Texan learned to play classical music and then heard Elvis on the radio while in jail. He originally just wanted to create work for other musicians but once the label convinced Barry to pour his voice over his smooth instrumentals… well, you can hear the result above. Pure disco magic and 100% soul.
LCD Soundsystem - Pow Pow
Yeah, shut up. Send this back in a time with a Casablanca Records logo on the front and no DJ would even bat an eye. Just because James Murphy was in the 21st Century doesn't mean he can't still find the groove. This fantastic dance-inducing number would have been right at home in Studio 54 or the Roxy and you know this to be true.
But if you don't, there's always the comments! Tell Scott off and maybe post your own disco hits, then join us in the Turntable.fm room for some probably-dancy action. Maybe we can fight back against the dubstep with disco. You know, like in Xanadu? And, of course, some images come from the corresponding Wikipedia page and are here under fair use.
