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Post by BROWNJB1 on Jul 13, 2009 23:29:27 GMT -5
It was 30 years ago this week that one of the most unusual moments in American Top 40 history took place. July 8, 1979, Cleveland Ohio afiliate WGCL decided to air its own version of American Top 40 using the July 7, 1979 Billboard Hot 100 chart instead of airing the Top 40 Disco songs countdown. WGCL was a rock station, and the station management exactly hated disco. Townsend Coleman hosted AT40 on WGCL, and the show was aired in Cleveland, while everybody else got the disco show. The special Cleveland only AT40 show did not feature the AT40 archives, extras or Long Distance Dedications, just the Top 40 songs of the week. Most of the songs played were longer album versions or 12-inch extended versions. I have heard the show once, and it was a weird show. About 4 days later, on July 12, 1979 a moment that might have marked the beginning of the end of disco was Disco Demolition Night, which was one of the most amazing promotional events in history. The event took place between games of a twi-night doubleheader between the Detroit Tigers and the Chicago White Sox when Chicago DJ Steve Dahl organized the event and it was created to put an end to disco once and for all in the centerfield of the old Comiskey Park that night by allowing people to get tickets at the box office if they bought $0.98 and at least one disco record. The records were collected, piled on the field and blown up into pieces. After the blow up, the chant DISCO SUCKS was heard and hundreds of rowdy fans stormed on the field and all hell broke loose, as they were lighting fires, trashing the field, and totally raising hell. 6 people suffered minor injuries, and 39 people were arrested for disorderly conduct, and the second game of the doubleheader had to be forfeited. This was the week that disco made one of its last prescene on our culture.
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Post by jaxxalude on Jul 14, 2009 5:45:03 GMT -5
Disco Demolition Night: one of the most shameless demonstrations of cultural bigotry and intolerance in the History of Mankind. And as usual with these things, time would prove that the joke was on the "Disco Sucks" mob.
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Post by mkarns on Jul 14, 2009 10:44:36 GMT -5
The top 40 in July 1979 was filled with disco anyway, even if it wasn't all 40 songs, so WGCL's action seems a bit pointless, especially as 12-inch extended versions are usually dance mixes. Furthermore, many of the nondisco songs in there wouldn't appear on a "rock" station.
And while a argument can be made (which with I'd agree) that disco was overplayed by this point, "Disco Demolition Night" was just asinine, as well as literally dangerous. How the event/security staff at Comiskey let that through I don't know; perhaps they thought it would just be a sort of pep rally-type bonfire?
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Post by Jeffster on Jul 14, 2009 10:45:26 GMT -5
Disco Demolition Night: one of the most shameless demonstrations of cultural bigotry and intolerance in the History of Mankind. You ARE kidding, right? |
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Post by mrjukebox on Jul 14, 2009 11:47:27 GMT -5
Steve Dahl was the morning man on WLUP-FM in Chicago at the time of the disco demolition at Comiskey Park-He later recorded a song called "Do You Think I'm Disco",which was a parody of Rod Stewart's "Do You Think I'm Sexy"-It actually made the Billboard "Hot 100"-I don't recall how high it got.
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Timo
Junior Member
Posts: 56 
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Post by Timo on Jul 14, 2009 12:57:36 GMT -5
It actually made the Billboard "Hot 100"-I don't recall how high it got. It went to No. 58. |
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Post by jaxxalude on Jul 14, 2009 13:27:15 GMT -5
Disco Demolition Night: one of the most shameless demonstrations of cultural bigotry and intolerance in the History of Mankind. You ARE kidding, right? What do you call it, then? |
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Post by at40petebattistini on Jul 14, 2009 16:32:00 GMT -5
On a whim, I went to the game (should've been two) with a guy I worked with. And I still have the ticket stub. What a riot -- literally! Of course, the event created a permanent divide between the two camps -- rock and disco. Except, both then and now, I enjoy each type of music. Just like the variety of genres found in most Top 40 surveys -- can't we all get along? By the way, if you'd like to hear a portion of Steve Dahl's morning show the day after the Disco Demolition, it's available via www.REELRADIO.com. However, you must be a 'member' to access the audio. Type in Disco Demolition in the site's search field. Even if you don't access the audio, you can enjoy the exhibit's varied comments. |
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Post by Jeffster on Jul 14, 2009 17:06:36 GMT -5
What do you call it, then?  What do I call what? People smashing some records? I call that...people smashing some records. |
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Post by jaxxalude on Jul 14, 2009 17:11:43 GMT -5
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Post by Caseyfan4everRyanfanNever on Jul 14, 2009 17:20:39 GMT -5
The top 40 in July 1979 was filled with disco anyway, even if it wasn't all 40 songs, However, it was one of the last hurrahs of disco. In August 1979, "My Sharona" by the Knack knocked "Good Times" by Chic out of the #1 spot and from that time on, disco faded away rather quickly. By October 1979, disco songs on AT40 were few and far between. True, Disco didn't die out completely but became one of several music trends instead of the dominant one it had been earlier in 1979. |
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Post by jdelachjr2002 on Jul 15, 2009 23:11:51 GMT -5
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Post by jaxxalude on Jul 16, 2009 8:38:41 GMT -5
Of course, the event created a permanent divide between the two camps -- rock and disco. Except, both then and now, I enjoy each type of music. Just like the variety of genres found in most Top 40 surveys -- can't we all get along? KUDOS!  On the other hand, it's undeniable that the Disco Sucks movement had a cultural subtext to it. Better yet, a matter of cultural dominance. You see, it was pretty much common knowledge at the time that the disco subculture had originated predominantly in Black and Latino circles, and mostly gay Blacks and Latinos at that. Furthermore, it was a subculture where females had as much of a position of power as males. In all aspects, disco preached and practiced equality as any pop subculture had at that point. And to top it all off, it now held the pole position in the pop culture ranks. This obviously didn't sit well with certain large fringes of Middle America, which by now had come to accept rock music as their choice soundtrack. I mean, if you remember mainstream rock music at the time, it was pretty macho stuff. Journey, Foreigner, Styx, Boston: all of them exuded male braggadocio, with a little sweetness here and there to appeal to the ladies. And you also know pretty well that these bands' fanbases tended to dismiss disco as "f*gs music" - and often times, they dismissed it in a, shall we say, vehement way. Somehow, the gatekeepers who were on rock's side felt threatened because they weren't the dominating voice anymore. And began sneering disco as if it was a lifetime's mission. And for a while. they succeeded. But what the Disco Sucks mob wasn't counting on was the fact that not only disco didn't die, it evolved. Some of the biggest 80's stars - Madonna, Prince, Michael Jackson, Duran Duran, etc. - had some of their biggest hits with songs whose backbeat was as steady and pouding as that of disco. Disco also originated things like house music and euro-dance. And a lot of the music which dominates the Top 40 airwaves these days is very much influenced by one of disco's descendants: electro-pop. And just like then, who are those who tend to dismiss today's pop? The fans of modern-day Journey and Foreigner - Nickelback, Daughtry, the whole lot. I guess some things never change. |
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Post by at40petebattistini on Jul 16, 2009 13:52:34 GMT -5
jaxxalude, I don't remember the same-sex element and label of the disco movement, possibly because it wasn't within 'my sphere.' And perhaps it's because I was focused on the music and not those attracted to it. I recall in the mid 70s many times going to a disco called the Poison Apple, located in a far-south suburb of Chicago. I wish I had access to their playlist because it might surprise a few. Circa 1974-75, regular dance tunes included songs by Bad Company ("Can't Get Enough"), ELO ("Ma-Ma-Ma-Belle"), BTO ("Roll On Down The Highway"), Sugarloaf ("Don't Call Us, We'll Call You") and even Led Zeppelin (appropriately "Trampled Underfoot"). At this dance club, these *were* disco songs. There were also 'traditional' disco records including TSOP, The Hustle, and Express (BT Express). The music was great, but of course we were chick magnets too after emptying 4-5 pitchers of beer. Yeah, disco sucked!!!  |
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Post by jaxxalude on Jul 14, 2011 10:43:43 GMT -5
32 years ago this week! Here's an article from the Beatportal website, along with an embedded video illustrating that moment of cultural shame. Some points in the article are certainly dead on, I must say. |
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What do I call what? People smashing some records? I call that...people smashing some records.
