Disco tracks from non-disco bands
September 8, 2024 11:11 AM   Subscribe

I love it when a rock (or indie) band suddenly goes disco. Heart of Glass, Miss You, The Magnificent Seven, Do Ya Think I'm Sexy, or far later, Belle and Sebastian's The Party Line. Let's throw Danger! High Voltage in there. What are the best disco-inflected tracks by non-disco bands over the decades?
posted by eschatfische to Media & Arts (33 answers total) 17 users marked this as a favorite
 
Life During War Time, Talking Heads So much fun to be on a crowded rowdy dance floor yelling "This ain't no party! This ain't no disco!"
posted by effluvia at 11:20 AM on September 8 [5 favorites]








Queen: "Staying Power"
posted by jonathanhughes at 11:52 AM on September 8




The entire album of Silk Degrees is a delight, What Can I Say especially so.
posted by Ardnamurchan at 12:11 PM on September 8




Frank Zappa - Dancin' Fool Written as a disco parody, but became one of his biggest hits.
posted by indexy at 1:12 PM on September 8 [1 favorite]


Lisa LeBlanc had a surprise disco album called Chiac Disco in 2022.
It has the additional benefit of being very funny.
posted by Acari at 1:20 PM on September 8 [1 favorite]


ABBA’s “Voulez-Vous” album was made at the height of that craze.
posted by Melismata at 1:39 PM on September 8


Surf Punks - The Surf Instructor is very aware it's a disco song
posted by credulous at 1:43 PM on September 8


See if you can dig up Juiced! by The Cansecos. It was originally a free internet release.
posted by kickingtheground at 1:57 PM on September 8


You Should Be Dancing (pedantically noting that the Brothers Gibb had a bunch of hits before they went falsetto and disco)
posted by credulous at 2:04 PM on September 8 [4 favorites]


Juxtapozed with U by Super Furry Animals
posted by cathycartoon at 2:17 PM on September 8 [1 favorite]


Steve Miller- Macho City

You're welcome.
posted by Liquidwolf at 4:00 PM on September 8


Kenny Rogers - In and Out of Your Heart. This album is like nine disco and pop tracks then ends on Coward of the County.
posted by chrisulonic at 4:07 PM on September 8


I'm not totally sure if Arcade Fire's "Reflektor" counts as disco, but it was a departure for them and its video is essentially about a disco-ball cult.

Speaking of David Bowie (who does a vocal cameo in "Reflektor"), his post-glam period of 1974-75 included "1984" (check those early-disco strings!), "Golden Years," and other funk/proto-disco songs like "Stay." Plus there's "John I'm Only Dancing (Again)," Bowie's 1974 disco remake of his own song from 1972 – but the later version wasn't released until 1979, when it better fit the zeitgeist. (Though here's a 1974 live performance.)

Also in 1979, former Can vocalist Holger Czukay took a break from krautrock with the totally delightful "Cool in the Pool."
posted by lisa g at 4:21 PM on September 8 [3 favorites]


How about a disco version of Begin The Beguine by Johnny Mathis? I guess you did say "best disco infected tracks" - this is pretty appalling, it sounds like incidental music from the Love Boat. I'll see if I can come up with something good a little later.
posted by Larry David Syndrome at 4:46 PM on September 8 [1 favorite]


I'm not sure I would say Van Halen's "Dance the Night Away" is particularly good, but it was a direct response to the disco craze.

I like Mark Lanegan's "Ode to Sad Disco" but it is not exactly a party tune. Luke Haines' "Going Off my Rocker at the Art School Bop" is actually quite fun to dance to, though tbf Haines is eclectic enough as a songwriter that this isn't particularly off the beaten track, so to speak.
posted by oneirodynia at 5:50 PM on September 8


"Here Comes The Night", the Beach Boys' 11-minute disco epic from 1979.
posted by credulous at 5:52 PM on September 8 [1 favorite]


Honestly, the whole movie and soundtrack for Xanadu, featuring Olivia Newton John and ELO.
I'm Alive.
posted by indexy at 6:09 PM on September 8 [1 favorite]


Mr Haze by Texas - in this case leaning heavily on Donna Summer’s Love’s Unkind.
Similarly Pulp’s Disco 2000 leans on Laura Brannigans Gloria.
posted by rongorongo at 6:29 PM on September 8


I know a lot of Deadheads who refer to Shakedown Street as disco Dead.
posted by JohnnyGunn at 7:39 PM on September 8 [1 favorite]


Not sure if New Order fits your criteria. It’s already pretty much a post punk dance band.

PIL This not a Love Song
posted by artdrectr at 8:21 PM on September 8 [2 favorites]


Paul + Wings flirted with disco:
Goodnight Tonight
Coming Up
posted by credulous at 8:49 PM on September 8




If we extend "disco" to include 80's dance music, then:

- They Might Be Giants Man, it's so loud in here
- Dead Milkmen - You'll Dance to Anything
posted by mmoncur at 11:28 PM on September 8


How about Girls and Boys by Blur?
This is a bit of a stretch, but the bassline and rhythm guitars in Heart's Straight On have a funk/disco influence and the track was released in 1978. It's a bit too slow and never goes full on into a disco beat though.
posted by Larry David Syndrome at 4:39 AM on September 9 [1 favorite]


It's not 100% disco, but I still get strong disco vibes from About Damn Time by Lizzo.
posted by hydra77 at 7:00 AM on September 9




Shakira's "Loba" might qualify
posted by Selena777 at 8:47 AM on September 9


Bee Gees weren't a disco band until they were THE disco band.
posted by tarvuz at 4:38 PM on September 13


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