I did this in my first Top 40/Disco band in the mid/late '70s.
Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
It’s Disco Friday :)
- Thread starter Helix
- Start date
I wouldn't call this disco, but it's got a bass solo that kicks in at 4:50, and I dig it, so here you go:
Here's the skinny on disco for our younger readers. First, people were hippied, Viet Nam'd, and Nixon'd out. They were tired of bad hair and flannel shirts and just wanted dress up and party: The pendulum always swings back.
Second, the biggest thing was it put bass (and kick drum) WAY out front on a lot of records and saved bass playing: This was the dawn of synthesizers and a lot of us thought the future could be like 'Dream Weaver', all keyboard and sequenced bass. Luckily, it didn't turn out that way.
So, some stacks of hot wax from my mis-spent youth:
The ultimate Friday / Weekend song from the mighty, mighty O Jays: A young Anthony Jackson with 'Career Girl' on bass.
GOT to have some Isley Brothers:
How can you have Chic without 'He's the Greatest', Sister Sledge backed by them. Go ahead, try and nail the intro groove . . . .anybody that writes off Chic as just 'disco' needs to be beat with a Hank Jr. geetar.
Brothers Gibb in White Boy Funk Mode:
Ain't no stoppin' this groove: The late Ronnie Baker came up with that line, the rest of the players built the chart around it, M&W sang to it, and BOOM, hit record.
See, there was a lot of keyboard bass to make us nervous . . . .
And once you outgrew American Bandstand, you went here:
And finally, WHO thought guys from SCOTLAND could be this funky ?
. . . .and . . . .
And, as the late Don Cornelius always said, 'You can bet your last money it's all gonna be a stone gas, honey'.
It was.
Second, the biggest thing was it put bass (and kick drum) WAY out front on a lot of records and saved bass playing: This was the dawn of synthesizers and a lot of us thought the future could be like 'Dream Weaver', all keyboard and sequenced bass. Luckily, it didn't turn out that way.
So, some stacks of hot wax from my mis-spent youth:
The ultimate Friday / Weekend song from the mighty, mighty O Jays: A young Anthony Jackson with 'Career Girl' on bass.
GOT to have some Isley Brothers:
How can you have Chic without 'He's the Greatest', Sister Sledge backed by them. Go ahead, try and nail the intro groove . . . .anybody that writes off Chic as just 'disco' needs to be beat with a Hank Jr. geetar.
Brothers Gibb in White Boy Funk Mode:
Ain't no stoppin' this groove: The late Ronnie Baker came up with that line, the rest of the players built the chart around it, M&W sang to it, and BOOM, hit record.
See, there was a lot of keyboard bass to make us nervous . . . .
And once you outgrew American Bandstand, you went here:
And finally, WHO thought guys from SCOTLAND could be this funky ?
. . . .and . . . .
And, as the late Don Cornelius always said, 'You can bet your last money it's all gonna be a stone gas, honey'.
It was.
Last edited:
Good post, but one small correction.
That should be, "The late, great, Ronnie Baker..."
I saw Sylvester and the Hot Band once, on April 14, 1973. They were the first band on a bill that included Genesis and It's A Beautiful Day.
