Get Ready for Disco!
Put On Your Dancing Shoes!
When the feature film, Saturday Night Fever arrived on the big screen the disco phenomenon spread across America and into the mainstream. It wasn’t just about the music, the disco style was flash. Flash clothes accessorised by gold chains and platform shoes. As the 1970s ended so, for the most part, did Disco.
While the following selections only reflect a small minority of disco albums and artists, these are a few of my favorite albums of the era and are a perfect fit for the Discofanatics on your holiday, birthday, or special occasion wish list and are my favorite five!
Get Ready to Dance!
Just because we are from the Baby Boomer generation doesn’t mean we can’s bust-a-move!
Saturday Night Fever
As the 5th best-selling album of the 1970s this is the movie soundtrack that still defines the sound of disco
When the movie hit the big screen in 1977, The Bee Gee’s soundtrack was so commercially successful that no album could match its sales until the 1982 release of Michael Jackson’s Thriller.
In America the album dominated the charts for 24 weeks at Number One, reaching top spot in the UK as well.
The album did very well at the Grammy Awards, taking prizes for Album of the Year, Best Pop Vocal Performance, Best Arrangement for Voices, and Producer of the Year.
KC and the Sunshine Band 25th Anniversary Collection
This compilation of 25 years has all the hits!
Between 1975 and 1977 KC and the Sunshine Band kept the dance floor moving with a string of singles, Get Down Tonight, That’s the Way (I Like It), (Shake, Shake, Shake) Shake Your Booty, I’m Your Boogie Man, and Keep It Comin’ Love.
Enjoy these tunes and others on this 31-track album.
All Together Now!
With so many artists and albums having been released during the disco revolution it is often best to purchase compilation albums which feature a selection of hits. These three albums, together, will feature the perfect playlist for lovers of the genre or for your next disco party!
Pure Disco
It's In the Mix - Pure Disco
Featuring 21 disco favorites!
Featuring such stars of the day as Abba, Donna Summer, Barry White, K.C. & the Sunshine Band, and Diana Ross the complete listing for the album includes:
1. YMCA – Village People
2. Celebration – Kool & The Gang
3. Dancing Queen – Abba
4. Hot Stuff – Donna Summer
5. I Will Survive – Gloria Gaynor
6. You’re The First, The Last, My Everything – Barry White
7. I Need Your Lovin’ – Teena Marie
8. Knock On Wood – Amii Stewart
9. I Love The Nightlife – Alicia Bridges
10. Flashback – Imagination
11. That’s The Way (I Like It) – K.C. & The Sunshine Band
12. Best Disco In Town – Ritchie Family
13. If I Can’t Have You – Yvonne Elliman
14. Oops Upside Your Head (I Don’t Believe You Want To Get Up And Dance) – Gap Band
15. Love Hangover – Diana Ross
16. Cuba – Gibson Brothers
17. Funkytown – Lipps, Inc.
18. Got To Give It Up (Part One) – Marvin Gaye
19. Don’t Leave Me This Way – Thelma Houston
20. I Feel Love (Rollo & Sister Monster Mix Radio Edit) – Donna Summer
21. The Grease Megamix – John Travolta & Olivia Newton-John
Pure Disco 2
Wait there’s more!
The second album in the series of compilation albums showcasing disco’s greatest hits and hit makers. Featuring the music of Sister Sledge, Hues Corporation, Diana Ross Ohio Players, and others.
Complete tracks listing for the second album of the series includes:
1. I Will Survive – Gloria Gaynor
2. (Shake, Shake, Shake) Shake Your Booty – KC & The Sunshine Band
3. Turn The Beat Around – Vicki Sue Robinson
4. Macho Man – Village People
5. We Are Family – Sister Sledge
6. Flashdance…What a Feeling – Cara, Irene
7. I Just Want to Be Your Everything – Gibb, Andy
8. Everlasting Love – Carlton, Carl
9. Can’t Get Enough of Your Love, Babe – White, Barry
10. Rock the Boat – Hues Corporation
11. Love Rollercoaster – Ohio Players
12. Upside Down – Ross, Diana
13. Play That Funky Music – Wild Cherry
14. The Hustle – McCoy, Van
15. Love’s Theme – Love Unlimited Orch
16. Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight) – ABBA
17. Fly, Robin, Fly – Silver Connection
18. Ring My Bell – Ward, Anita
19. It’s Raining Men – Weather Girls
20. Last Dance – Summer, Donna
21. Diva Megamix: Reach Out I’ll Be There/Hot Stuff/I Found Love [Now That] – Gaynor , Gloria
And the beat goes on in the third album of the Pure Disco series with Peaches & Herb, Kool & The Gang, Abba, Blondie, and even more!
In the Mix – Take 3
One more time with even more disco hits!
The third compilation album includes even more music to dance to!
1. He’s The Greatest Dancer – Sister Sledge
2. Le Freak – Chic
3. In The Navy – Village People
4. Disco Inferno – The Trammps
5. Shake Your Groove Thing – Peaches & Herb
6. Ladies Night – Kool & The Gang
7. Never Can Say Goodbye – Gloria Gaynor
8. Boogie Oogie Oogie – A Taste Of Honey
9. Could It Be Magic – Donna Summer
10. Love Machine – Miracles
11. Get Up & Boogie – Silver Convention
12. When Will I See You Again – Three Degrees
13. Come To Me – France Joli
14. Forget-Me-Not – Patrice Rushen
15. Lay All Your Love On Me – Abba
16. You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real) – Sylvester
17. Then Came You – Spinners
18. Shadow Dancing – Andy Gibb
19. Heart Of Glass – Blondie
20. December, 1963 (Oh, What A Night) – The 4 Seasons
21. You’re The One I Want (Martian Remix) – John Travolta/Olivia Newton John
Disco Movies
Disco takes to the big screen with these top titles of the 1970s and 1980s!
Featuring John Travolta in the male lead of Tony Manero Saturday Night Live is certainly the most famous of disco movies. The film follows Brooklynite Manero as the up-and-coming king of disco at the local discoteque, 2001 Odyssey.
As with many musical movies the film is also a love story, leaving broken hearts along the way to fame. Roger Ebert, in 1977, summed up the film nicely:
“The movie’s musical and dancing sequences are dazzling. Travolta and Miss Gorney are great together, and Travolta does one solo (in an unbroken shot) that the audiences cheered for. The movie was directed by John Badham (‘The Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars’), and his camera occupies the dance floor so well that we really do understand the lure of the disco world, for all of the emptiness and cruelty the characters find there.”
Can’t Stop the Music was released as disco moved into a new decade, coming to the big screen in 1980. Merging disco music with comedy the Village People lead the way performing such classics as “I Love You to Death,” “Milkshake,” “Liberation,” “Can’t Stop the Music,” “Magic Night” and of course, “Y.M.C.A.”
Also popular during the days (and nights) of disco was roller skating which came together with disco in the 1979 feature film, Roller Boogie.
Linda Blair filled the starring role as a runaway rich girl seeking fame in the Southern California roller rink Jammers. As am teen back in the day I was pursuing the same quest at my local roller rink which may be why I have watched this film time and time again!
Disco on YouTube
If you want a true taste of these retro sounds YouTube has plenty of videos to enjoy. These will certainly get you started!
KC & the Sunshine Band
The Village People
Chic
Michael Jackson
Saturday Night Fever
On the Web
DISCO MUSIC – A nice collection of facts from Sam Houston State University.
70s Disco Nights Radio – Looking for a radio station online to listen the best 70s Disco Music? 70s Disco Nights Radio offers a bountiful selection of tunes for you to enjoy!
70Disco.com – This resource has been around since the days of dial-up Internet and continues to offer plenty of resources for music lovers!
Wikipedia – The Disco genre according to the Internet encyclopedia.
Disco Music Books at Amazon
More to Explore
The Temptations Kick Off 60th Anniversary – The yearlong event will include a new album, video series, and commemorative events.
Love Song To New York City – NYCNext Convenes World-Renowned Artists for a Star-Studded Rendition of Billy Joel’s “New York State of Mind” to Drive Civic Participation in NYC.
1970s Music My Top 10 – As a teen loving popular music and growing up in the 1970s I have many favorite albums. The following are my top ten for the decade!
20th Century EDM Influences – From the 1950s through the 1990s, these are my top selections for Electronic Dance Music albums. From Tangerine Dream and Donna Summer to DJ Shadow and Daft Punk these selections paved the way to the dance floors of the 20th and 21st centuries.
Funky Mosquito has some 30 years of experience as a DJ and Producer. Based in the heart of Switzerland it would be impossible to position the music into any one, two, or more genres.
Shop With Me – As an independent content creator my income comes from purchases via my affiliates. These hand-picked partners were chosen with care. This shopping directory provides an eclectic shopping experience and I appreciate any purchases you may enjoy as it supports my efforts to provide content.
20th Century Music at Radio.Garden
A selection of oldies and disco music radio from across the globe to enjoy at Radio.Garden
Radio.Garden – Stream the planet! Radio Garden works by crawling the web for radio streams from across the globe. Using this data, the stations are arranged by geolocation and grouped by cities, represented by a dot, with larger dots representing numerous stations within the town or city.
- 70s Disco Nights (Mexico)
- Allzic Radio Disco (France)
- Back to 54 Radio (USA)
- Circus Muiscus Disco (Germany)
- DFM Disco (Russia)
- Disco 80 (Brazil)
- Disco Radio Downtown (Netherlands)
- Formula Disco (Spain)
- ICPRM Disco Radio (Philippines)
- Melodia FM Disco (Ukraine)
- Modnoe Disco Radio (Russia)
- Nostalgie Disco Music (France)
- Nostalgie Extra (Belgium)
- ON Disco (Germany)
- Precious Radio Funk (USA)
- Sublime Funk & Disco (Belgium)
- The Disco Paradise (USA)
Resources Consulted
- 100 Best Selling Albums of the 70s
