East Wrote:(I am, of course, very biased. I didn't even like her before she said AIDS was God's Punishment for being gay....I thought she was a stiff stuck up b*tch...)...
Donna did turn "back to god" after her fall away from fame. After Hot Stuff and all the dance hits that came out of that record, disco started to fade from mainstream music. Remember? It became anathema to even say the word disco, let alone admit you liked it in the straight world. The mantra in music then was That Old Time Rock and Roll by Bob Seger, a musical seed planted in 1978 which finally blossomed when middle America finally twigged that the music they'd been loving and toe tapping to was born in gay discos.
When The Village People inadvertently clubbed America and news stations over the head about the real subtext of the YMCA (And christ-on-a-cracker didn't we all get tired of that after the first fifty thousand times it was on the radio), wives finally figured out why their husbands were all going to the YMCA all the time.
Donna turned out those last gasps of disco with On The Radio, and the Streisand duet Enough is Enough (both of which I loved). After that it was difficult to get her anywhere near the top ten on Billboard for quite awhile. She finally kicked her coke habit, which I think she sort of (wrongly) blamed on the gay club scene. It was at that point that she turned disingenuously on the gay community for all her woes-- and she could afford to be pious then since she returned back to god and church. All that time gay people put her on top with all those hits, from one album to the next (there were a lot of them) and the bitch dumped on us when she wasn't big enough to merit radio play. It was nearly a decade after before she started to put out her newer albums with big hit singles. I loved all her stuff, even though she used our community to line her bank account. From Love to Love You Baby to This Time I Know It's For Real, at least she could sing catchy tunes. I really loved State of Independence.
As much as I was tired of hearing some of those tired hits from "Hot Stuff" there was one song on that album I sort of loved that didn't get a ton of attention. On My Honor
Since my brother David was a dj and had never ending 12 inch singles (all labeled with the appropriate BPM so they could be transitioned easily) I was exposed to everything he played at clubs.
Ain't Nobody Straight In L.A.
While it wasn't the only one he had, I specifically remember my brother's 12 inch single from Paul Jabara (with Donna Summer) because it was one of the few on red vinyl. Paul was another early casualty from the plague years. ShutOut/Heaven Is A Disco
Loved Vicki Sue Robinson's version of this song. Turn The Beat Around
Roberta Kelly was an early favorite of mine. Zodiac
East Wrote:...and the best song of the 70s IMO...Diana Ross...The Boss 1979
Ditto that East. I loved that whole damned album. Knew every word. It was produced by Ashford & Simpson wasn't it? No One Gets The Prize
. I Ain't Been Licked
There was one Village People Song (ok, I loved Go West too) I did adore dancing to. It was the one version of the song that didn't pull any punches and laid everything right out on the table, and fuck whoever didn't like it. The only other song I loved for that reason was It's A Sin by the Pet Shop Boys (another era altogether).
crappy video of...I Am What I Am
The other Alec R. Constandinos album I loved (I saw the another one listed earlier)... Romeo & Juliet
There's just something sort of fabulous about adapting Shakespeare to music lyrics. This is waaay out of context, but speaking of adapting Shakespeare to music, here's another of my favorite songs, but from a popular gay movie. Not dance music (forgive me this diversion from the topic), just a favorite Shakespeare adaptation. Were The World Mine
One of my fave's was released in '84 (I think). It didn't get much radio time or much play at the bar, but I still liked it. Electric Dreams
Steve...I love your post..and I LOVE that you know who Roberta Kelly is!
I loved The Miracles..Ain't Nobody Straight...a lot...and it reminds me of this sexy Broadway Dancer I was dancing with at this two story club in SF called The Cabaret...
Yeah..Ashford and Simpson..I am in love with them...and they did produce that album...as well as almost all her first solo stuff...they are genius songwriters...
I have the Romeo and Juliet LP too...and of course The Village People..most of them I served in the nightclub over the years...
I will probably never meet another Roberta Kelly fan...so I better contribute now....
I hope you'll give this one a shot, especially since it samples "Romeo & Juliet". Here's a quick bio on the artist.
Cynthia Torres was only 16 when freestyle/club singer Safire introduced her to MicMac Records president Mickey Garcia. Hearing Ms. Todino sing, he signed her to a 5 year contract, and she began recording as Cynthia.
While she didn't cross over to the pop charts, her albums on MicMac put numerous singles onto the dance singles charts. Her debut CD (Cynthia) gave us "Change On Me", "Endless Night" and "Thief of Hearts". Her second CD (Cynthia II) gave us "What Will It Take", "Dreamboy/Dreamgirl" (a duet with labelmate Johnny O) and "Never Thought I'd Let You Go". A MicMac compilation featured a new hit, "Love Me Tonight".
Cynthia then moved to Robbins Records and released a third CD (Thinking About You) that featured the hits "If I Had The Chance", "Like A Star", the title track, and "How I Love Him".
"How I Love Him" (with male vocals by K7) has Cynthia singing about being in love with a man who is a drug dealer, and the chorus is the sample from "Romeo & Juliet".
OK...Rock Disco...Mainstream Rock first.....then there is Modern Rock.....later....
Some people argue that rock is NOT disco..BUT...all of these were played a lot in gay discos...and they were also released on 12" DANCE singles and given to Disco Djs...so it IS disco....
First one..Stevie Nicks...whenever the DJ wanted to get me in a good mood...or get a favor...they played this for me...
1985 ...Stevie Nicks ...I Can't Wait
...and when the cocktail hour custoimers wanted to make me happy...they plyed THIS
1983 ....Stevie Nicks...Stand Back
1983 ....Billy Idol...Rebel Yell
1981 ....Billy Idol ...Mony Mony
1982 ...Go Gos ...We Got The Beat
1981 ...Loverboy ....Working For The Weekend
1983 ...ZZ TOP ...LEGS...another one they played for me....one of my nicknames was Legs
1981 ...Rod Stewart ...Young Turks
1980 ...Linda Ronstadt ....How Do I Make You (one of my female crushes)
Sexy Disco...most of these were my favorites when they were around...
1977 ....Idris Muhammed ...Could Heaven Ever Be Like This (reminds me of this great club that used to be on Market St in SF..The Mind Shaft...more sexy men in one place at once than I have ever seen)
1979 ...Issac Hayes ...Don't Let Go
1978 ...Quincy Jones, Chaka Khan & Ashford & Simpson ...Stuff Like That
1981 ...Booker T ...Don't Stop Your Love
1977 ...The Originals ...Down To Love Town (Loved this song...still do)
1981 ...Hamilton Bohannon ....Lets Start The Dance
1974 ...Barry White ...Standing In The Shadows of Love
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