All posts tagged: disco

Mix Six: Rock ‘n’ Roll Disco Party!

Published by Scott Malchus

DOWNLOAD THE FULL MIX HERE Whenever I fill in at Ted’s desk here at the Mix Six, I like to have a good time. Case in point, this week’s flashback to the late 70’s and early 80’s. I’m sure some of you are thinking, “Disco? Really?” Truth is, many venerable rock acts, most of them English, saw dance music as a way to reach a new audience. This was especially true for some rock acts whose success came in the early 70’s. While many disco songs are scoffed at, I present to you six durable tracks that many of you may have shaken your grove thing to back in the day.  Several of these selections are still staples on mainstream/classic rock stations. The irony of that last statement is that those same stations decried the disco movement and applauded the downfall of the genre (perpetuated, no doubt, by  Disco Demolition Night at the old Comiskey Park in Chicago back in 1979). Ted put together an excellent mix that recalls the bygone days of radio when …

Future Retro: Home of the Quick Serve

Published by DJ D

Obsessive fans know the sheer agony of waiting years, even decades, for their favorite oldies (ahem, classic) artist to finally release a new album of substandard material on a record label no one has ever heard of. Amazingly, some of these ancient relics manage to claw their way back from the brink of blinding obscurity. Anything to escape the horrors and degradation of the hotel casino circuit. Here are a few examples from the recent millennium. The B-52’s — Funplex Rock Lobster! Yes, it’s been approximately 8,000 years since Miss Fred Schneider screeched those immortal words and summed up the state of an entire inebriated generation. The nation’s collective lobster was indeed rockin’! Fred, Kate Pierson, Cindy Wilson, Ricky Wilson & Keith Strickland came streaming out of Athens, GA with sky high hairdos, thrift store fashion sense and a jubilant, camp attitude that no other group could match. Despite being labeled (and often dismissed) as a mere gimmick or cult band, they continued to spin off numerous iconic albums and singles. The B’s eventually reached …

Future Retro: The Weather Girls

Published by DJ D

TWO TONS O’ TALENT San Francisco’s Martha Wash and Izora Rhodes first rose to fame in 1977 as Two Tons O’ Fun, background singers of choice for drag-tastic disco diva and ’70’s icon Sylvester. The plus-size gospel shouters — paired with the eccentric, electric Sylvester — were one of the most distinctive acts of the disco era. The ladies were hot and Sylvester was flaming. Sylvester is quoted in his album liner notes as saying “These girls can sing, y’all,” and indeed they could. Martha and Izora appeared on numerous Sylvester albums including Living Proof, Do You Wanna Funk and Too Hot To Sleep. They can be heard wailing on many of Sylvester’s ’70s dance classics, including the infamous “(You Make Me Feel) Mighty Real” and “Dance (Disco Heat).” Everything about them was big: their voices, their determination, their hairdos, and most of all, their talent. This made for a thrilling dance/soul combination. When the ’70’s came to a rousing close, the girls were busting out to go solo. TWO TONS O’ FUN As the …