DISCO KEEPS (AH, AH, AH, AH) STAYIN' ALIVE ...; A VITAL PART OF '70S EXCESSES, TODAY IT'S BACK WITH A VENGEANCE.Byline: Fred Shuster Daily News Music Writer It's been said that our musical preferences are formed by what we listened to between the ages of 10 and 22. If that's true, look out! It could explain why everything '70s plays such a part in '90s pop culture. After all, many of today's entertainment power brokers were born in 1960 or afterward. We know the '70s was the tackiest decade of all. Questionable taste? It was a decade-long celebration of hedonism hedonism (hē`dənĭz'əm) [Gr.,=pleasure], the doctrine that holds that pleasure is the highest good. Ancient hedonism expressed itself in two ways: the cruder form was that proposed by Aristippus and the early Cyrenaics, who believed and brainlessness personified by leisure suits, the ``happy face'' icon and the catch phrase ``have a nice day.'' On TV, ``The Partridge Family'' was one of the most popular shows of the era. ``I'm OK, You're OK'' was a best seller. Billy Beer and the Pet Rock were warmly embraced Christmas gifts. On the radio and in clubs across the country, the disco age was launched by the Hues Corporation's ``Rock the Boat,'' followed by hits from the Bee Gees The Bee Gees were a singing trio of brothers — Barry, Robin, and Maurice Gibb — that became one of the most successful musical acts of all time. They were born on the Isle of Man to English parents, lived in Manchester, England and moved to Brisbane, Australia during , Donna Summer, the Trammps, Chic, Gloria Gaynor Gloria Gaynor (born Gloria Fowles September 7, 1949) is an American singer, best-known for the disco era hits "I Will Survive" (Hot 100 #1, 1979), "Never Can Say Goodbye" (Hot 100 #9, 1974), "Let Me Know (I Have A Right)" (Hot 100 #42, 1980) and "I Am What I Am" (Hot 100 , and K.C. & the Sunshine Band. Before it slipped onto the endangered list and became the property of vinyl archeologists, disco - that thumping, syncopated syn·co·pate tr.v. syn·co·pat·ed, syn·co·pat·ing, syn·co·pates 1. Grammar To shorten (a word) by syncope. 2. Music To modify (rhythm) by syncopation. , stylish blend of funk, soul and Latin - was the sound of the '70s. But it never really went away (more like underground), and now it's riding a new wave. Movies such as last year's ``Boogie Nights'' and newcomers such as ``The Last Days of Disco,'' ``Slums of Beverly Hills'' and ``54'' are drenched in Adj. 1. drenched in - abundantly covered or supplied with; often used in combination; "drenched in moonlight"; "moon-drenched meadows" drenched covered - overlaid or spread or topped with or enclosed within something; sometimes used as a combining form; the stuff, while popular groups such as Geffen Records' Pure Sugar and the acclaimed ``Nuyorican Soul'' collective are busy reviving the sounds of the velvet rope. Gloria Estefan's top-selling latest disc, ``gloria!'' takes on the free-flowing party vibe of vintage Miami Sound Machine dance albums. As Estefan herself puts it, ``disco never really left, it just changed its name.'' In dance clubs, too, disco is the thing today. From Aftershock af·ter·shock n. 1. A quake of lesser magnitude, usually one of a series, following a large earthquake in the same area. 2. in Studio City to the Gate in West Hollywood West Hollywood A community of southern California northeast of Beverly Hills. It is mainly residential. Population: 36,600. , disco nights are packing them in. On the top 40, Will Smith's chart-topping ``Gettin' Jiggy Wit It'' is actually based on the Chic-produced Sister Sledge Sister Sledge is an American musical group from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, formed in 1972 and consisting of four singers, all of whom are sisters: Kim, Debbie, Joni, and Kathy Sledge. disco classic, ``He's the Greatest Dancer.'' Steve Tsepelis, music director at local dance-music radio Groove 103.1, which boasts a popular Sunday-night disco program and spins classic '70s dance cuts throughout the day, says he chuckles to think the music that got bashed the most stuck around the longest. ``It comes and goes in phases,'' he said. ``It never really went away entirely. It just has different names. I mean, like, today's house music is the disco of the '90s. There's really no difference except for computer technology. And there's this trend where people making house and hip-hop records are taking old disco songs and either remaking them from the ground up or sampling the bass line and building new songs around that.'' Disco diva Gaynor, whose ``I Will Survive'' was the only winner of the short-lived ``Best Disco Recording'' Grammy in 1979 and is considered the most-performed karaoke song ever, says dance music is still dance music regardless of its name tag. ``Disco is an enduring music,'' she said. ``People all over the world have always loved to dance, and because of that, dance music will never go away. It will just get called different things.'' Gaynor, who still performs around 100 times a year, said she realized she had a classic with universal appeal on her hands when she read the lyrics to ``I Will Survive'' for the first time. ``It was a lyric that everyone could relate to,'' she recalled. ``In any situation that a person might think was insurmountable, they'd get the message of survival no matter how hard it got.'' A quick look at this week's dance chart reveals that the disco sound is not only surviving but thriving. Local act Pure Sugar's ``Delicious,'' a festive disco-fueled jam that borrows from ``Boogie Oogie Oogie'' by A Taste of Honey and is already a club smash across the country, is zooming upward. ``I grew up on disco,'' said Pure Sugar's singer Jennifer Starr, 25, whose image might be dubbed ``Barbarella goes to Studio 54.'' Starr says her mom was dancing to disco when she was growing up. ``Back in the '80s, we were torn between new wave, goth and dancing to disco,'' she said. ``So, I grew up on it and so did my mom. It never really left my house. Once I heard Donna Summer's `Love to Love You Baby,' that was it for me. I felt my female hormones push right on through. I mean, I love new wave, but give me disco!'' Starr says disco provides a ``comfort zone. It's comfortable music to dance to. Disco is a piller of the dance-music community.'' Getting rediscovered It seems the music keeps getting rediscovered. On the latest pop albums chart, the ``Boogie Nights'' soundtrack and two ``Pure Disco'' compilations are among the Billboard 200. Selling well in local stores is the ``Last Days of Disco'' soundtrack, which includes such '70s classics as Alicia Bridges' ``I Love the Nightlife (Disco 'Round),'' Evelyn ``Champagne'' King's ``Shame,'' Chic's ``Good Times'' and Diana Ross' ``I'm Coming Out.'' Meanwhile, dance queen Estefan, whose chart-climbing new single ``Heaven's What I Feel,'' adds a spicy Latin feel to the disco sound of her new album, says she tried to duplicate a '70s ambience. ``It was a relatively carefree time before AIDS,'' she said. ``It's been a tough two decades. I wanted to recapture that optimistic op·ti·mist n. 1. One who usually expects a favorable outcome. 2. A believer in philosophical optimism. op party mode. Disco was the greatest music. It never went anywhere really.'' We can live with the disco revival. The real test for that age theory in musical taste will be when producers start sampling ``Billy, Don't Be a Hero.'' That's when we leave the country. They still do it the way, uh-huh, uh-huh, we like it For anyone wanting to dust off those polyester-suit-and-platform-shoes memories, here are places to get down. Film ``The Last Days of Disco'' is just one of several movies about those wide-lapel boogie, oogie, oogie years. Coming in August is ``54,'' a drama about the rise and fall of the famous New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of discotheque Studio 54, with Mike Myers Mike Myers may refer to:
Rubell and his brother Don spent their childhoods with their parents in Brooklyn, New York. His father worked for the U.S. . Later that month, you can expect ``Slums of Beverly Hills Slums of Beverly Hills is a 1998 motion picture, written and directed by Tamara Jenkins. It that tells a story of a teenage girl struggling to grow up in a Jewish family that moves every three months in the late 1970s. ,'' a comedy set among the platform-and-polyester underbrush. At the recent Cannes Film Festival Cannes Film Festival Film festival held annually in Cannes, France. First held in 1946 for the recognition of artistic achievement, the festival came to provide a rendezvous for those interested in the art and influence of the movies. , Miramax Films bought the distribution rights to ``Forever Fever,'' about a teen in Singapore in the '70s who comes down with disco fever Disco Fever was a New York City dance club located in the South Bronx. Owner Ally Abbatiello opened it in 1976 as an adult disco. In the summer of 1977, Ally's son Sal convinced him to hand over the reigns. . And, of course, there was last year's ``Boogie Nights,'' which used the disco era as a backdrop for a tale of excess and redemption. Radio Local station Groove 103.1 offers its ``Le Discotheque'' at 7 p.m. Sundays. But the dance-music station also plays choice disco cuts throughout the day. Top 40 KIIS-FM (102.7) spins classic cuts from noon to 1 p.m. weekdays. And KACE-FM (103.9) throws in a few disco classics along with its steady diet of soul oldies Oldies is a generic term commonly used to describe a radio format that usually concentrates on Top 40 music from the '50s, '60s and '70s. Oldies are typically from R&B, pop and rock music genres. . Clubs Local dance clubs with '70s theme nights include: Aftershock, 11345 Ventura Blvd., Studio City; (818) 752-9833. Thursdays. Crush Bar, 1735 N. Cahuenga Blvd., Hollywood; (213) 461-9017. Fridays and Saturdays. Dragonfly dragonfly, any insect of the order Odonata, which also includes the damselfly. Members of this order are generally large predatory insects and characteristically have chewing mouthparts and four membranous, net-veined wings; they undergo complete metamorphosis. , 6510 Santa Monica Santa Monica (săn`tə mŏn`ĭkə), city (1990 pop. 86,905), Los Angeles co., S Calif., on Santa Monica Bay; inc. 1886. Tourism and retailing are important, and the city has motion-picture, biotechnology, and software industries. Blvd., Hollywood; (213) 466-6111. Saturdays. The Gate, 643 N. La Cienega There are at least three places with the name La Cienega (from the Spanish La Ciénaga: swampland, marsh or bog): Martini Lounge, 5657 Melrose Ave., Hollywood; (213) 467-4068. Third Thursday of the month. - Fred Shuster CAPTION(S): 6 Photos, Box Photo: (1--Cover--Color) Gloria Estefan (2--Cover--Color) Gloria Gaynor (3--Cover--Color) Jennifer Starr of Pure Sugar (4) Gloria Estefan: ``It's been a tough two decades. I wanted to recapture that optimistic party mode. Disco was the greatest music. It never went anywhere really.'' (5) Gloria Gaynor, whose ``I Will Survive'' was the only winner of the short-lived ``Best Disco Recording'' Grammy in 1979, still performs about 100 times a year. (6) Local act Pure Sugar's ``Delicious'' is a club smash. Box: They still do it the way, uh-huh, uh-huh, we like it (See Text) |
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