bees@drux3.UUCP (Ray Davis) (10/18/83)
Is it just my imagination, or is new wave starting to sound
more like disco? I hope it is just my imagination.
Ray Davis AT&T Information Systems Laboratories Denver
{ihnp4|hogpc}!druxy!bees (303)538-3991rlr@pyuxn.UUCP (10/18/83)
> Is it just my imagination, or is new wave starting to sound > more like disco? I hope it is just my imagination. There are a few reasons why it might be percieved that new wave is sounding more and more like disco (indeed for many so-called new wave bands, this is very true). First off, "new wave" was originally marketed to housewives and suburban high-schoolers as "D.O.R." (Dance Oriented Rock), so it's no wonder that what was once a new and vital form of music has been mulched into the disco mold, as a function of advertising/marketing expertise. Secondly, many of the "new wave" artists have always been nothing more than poseurs (you know, the ones who go to clubs just to be looked at), jumping on every fad the seventies had to offer, so they brought with them their "glitter rock" and "disco" mentalities. And thirdly, cross-fertilization with punk, funk, disco, and reggae has given the music many characteristics of the other forms (like 12" extended "dance" version singles and dub mix versions of songs). But the big question is: Why does everyone HATE disco? Possible reasons: 1) Disco is seen as antithetical to rock (in the eyes of many rock fans) because it fails to adhere to rock cliches of guitar idols doing heavy metal solos (in fact it totally de- emphasizes the importance of the guitar, which appeals to those who have heard far too much of that instrument far too loudly), and also because it is viewed as "black" music by the white teenagers that AOR stations program for. The term "nigger music" has been used by listeners who call up to complain to the rare AOR programmer who dares to play ANY black music. Those who deny that racism is a major factor in the "Disco Sucks" movement are only fooling themselves. 2) Disco is seen by others as being simply too plastic, too mass produced, too glitzy--the ultimate faceless plastic music for the ultimate faceless plastic generation. If disco was a sort of rebellion against the redundancy of rock music, then as disco grew, the "punk movement" was a reaction to the plasticity of disco (as well as the dinosauric ravings of the now ancient rock music). 3) Disco is also seen as just another showbiz extravaganza by some. The entertainment industry took to disco the way flies take to dog feces. Even Bob Hope and George Burns (and their ilk) found disco OK. It was an establishment form of music. Disco made ancient washups like the BeeGees into superstars, and convinced people that John Travolta was a great actor. Need I say more? For whatever reasons, disco is indeed back under a new name. Hundreds of new wave clone bands are making disco at it worst. Perhaps the hardcore punk movement is in fact a reaction to *this*. With cycles like these going on, how far off can the Dead Kennedys electronic disco version of "Too Drunk to F***" be?? But, remember not all disco is abominable. The Eurodisco sound of Giorgio Moroder ("I Feel Love", "Midnight Express") influenced the likes of Kraftwerk, Ultravox, and the whole electropop movement. The spitting bass synthesizer sound of the Gap Band can really be quite a kick. The weird funky sounds of George Clinton (Parliament, Funkadelic, + offshoots) are really incredible ("One Nation Under a Groove", "Atomic Dog"), though he's not what many would call mainstream disco. And, with a song like "I Will Survive", disco even has something to say sometimes. So just being disco isn't necessarily a bad thing; but being disco-like in vapidness and plasticity is. That's what we really have to watch out for. Unfortunately, I think it's arrived... Rich
evans@wivax.UUCP (Barry Evans) (10/19/83)
(warning, my spelling is bad, esp. with names - no flames please)
I don't think new wave is starting to sound like disco. Recently, however,
new wave has begun to evolve into more of a dance-able new wave, moving away
from the 'punk' sound. Of course, there are also influences of Raggae and
Julacan (sp?) sounds moving in. I guess everyone has a slightly different
interpretation of what "new wave" is, and it will probably always be changing
just enough so that people do not get bored with it.
I can think of some new wave artists which I don't consider 'disco':
Tom Tom Club Altered Images
Yaz Peter Shilling
The Units Ice House (Roxy Music soundalike)
The Bone Symphony Sparks
Bowhouse
Bow Wow Wow (the broke up, didn't they?)
There are some which are borderline such as
Heaven 17
Human League
Well, I ran out of ideas on others. Anyone else think of anymore?
While on the topic, has any body heard anything about Adam Ant's lp due
to be released next month? How about "Marilyn", a good friend of Boy George
who dresses up like Marilyn Monroe?
-barry
--
Barry Evans {decvax,linus}!wivax!evans
Wang Institute (617) 649-9731 x383notes@ucbcad.UUCP (10/20/83)
#R:drux3:-84000:ucbesvax:8100002:000:650
ucbesvax!turner Oct 20 00:40:00 1983
Is it just my imagination, or is new wave starting to sound
more like disco? I hope it is just my imagination.
Ray Davis AT&T Information Systems Laboratories Denver
{ihnp4|hogpc}!druxy!bees (303)538-3991
Aren't you being being a bit categorical on TWO counts? As far as I know,
"disco" and "new wave" have always overlapped some, to the extent that
either can be defined at all. Is Cher "punk"? Is New Order "disco"? Is
Heaven 17 "soul"? Is X "country and western"? Is U2 "power pop"? Is
Killing Joke "heavy metal"? Is your imagination "stunted"?
---
Michael Turner (ucbvax!ucbesvax.turner)pchris@inuxc.UUCP (Philip Fair) (10/21/83)
In 1982 the group Tom Tom Club released a single entititled "Genius of Love", a record heard only on R&B(or "Soul") radio stations. Maybe some wouldn't call this disco, but it was very funky dance music. It wasn't until a couple weeks ago that I found out that the major members of the Tom Tom Club are also members of the Talking Heads.