So I'm listening to this late-Seventies Stones boot and the version of "Miss You" on it doesn't sound like disco so much as it sounds like coked up reggae. The same day I'm watching the video for Blondie's "Heart of Glass" and thinking about how it was originally a reggae number, and how the adjustment wasn't that radical. Same day I order Soul Jazz's "Hustle! Reggae Disco". Now previously I had always thought of the origins of disco as essentially being Philly International plus Salsoul plus maybe an element of the "watered down funk" Placebo Syndrome-invokers would use to detract/distract. Now I'm beginning to wonder if there isn't at least an element of coked up reggae to it - both genres are to an extent defined by their basslines. Is it a case of shared roots (ie. R&B) or does (um, did) disco have reggae in it's blood? Clearly there are examples of reggae covers of disco songs but are there disco covers of reggae songs (looking more for covers in the vein of Amii Stewart as opposed to Walter Murphy)? Lyrical shoutouts?
― James Blount, Thursday, 5 September 2002 04:33 (twenty-three years ago)
The same day I'm watching the video for Blondie's "Heart of Glass" and thinking about how it was originally a reggae numberAre you talking about the "Once I Had a Love" demo? Because I hear that as disco-funk with a bit of calypso thrown in.
― Jody Beth Rosen, Thursday, 5 September 2002 05:01 (twenty-three years ago)
Perhaps - I only heard a brief bit of it in a Blondie documentary (maybe even, shudder, the Behind the Music) where Chris Stein explained that "Heart of Glass" had originally been a reggae number and that Mike Chapman had suggested they change it into a disco tune. The brief bit I heard sounded more reggae than their "The Tide is High" remake (or, for that matter, "D'yer Mak'er"), but not radically different from the charttopper we know and love (other than being a demo/underproduced). It does occur to me that the Stones and Blondie cases cited above are examples of bands cashing in on outside genres; the Stones had spent their previous album trying to do reggae which might explain why the version of "Miss You" I heard came off as somewhat reggae.
― James Blount, Thursday, 5 September 2002 05:21 (twenty-three years ago)
Don't you mean 'The tide is High', not heart of glass? This was originally a rocksteady hit by the Paragons (it was also 'DJ-d' by ~U-Roy, and is currently at number one in the UK, performed by Atomic Kitten)...
The influence of reggae on disco is one of those things you can argue about: to what extent are disco remixes by Larry Levan, Francois K, etc... infuenced by dub 'versions' and to what extent did they just develop out of neccesity, creating tunes that were more suited to the dancefloor? It is, however, generally considered that Authur Russel's productions are pretty 'dubby'
Maybe its just coz its recieving a lot of attention at the moment, but it seems to me like the late 70's / early 80's were the best time ever for music, expecially all the crossover stuff that takes place. What I find amazing as I here more and more disco track, loft and paradise garage 'classics', reggae and dub, post-punk, eatly hip hop elctro, chicago house, etc... is how much of it lives up to expectaions - so much of it is just so ACE!
― Robin Goad, Thursday, 5 September 2002 06:43 (twenty-three years ago)
Don't you mean 'The tide is High', not heart of glass?No... Blondie's original, pre-"disco" version of "Heart of Glass" was pretty different from what producer Mike Chapman eventually turned it into. Blondie recorded a 1975 demo of this minimalistic funk-reggae number with the title "Once I Had a Love." And of course they covered "The Tide is High" much later on... but it couldn't have been that much of a cash-in if they were already playing around with those sounds in the mid '70s.
― Jody Beth Rosen, Thursday, 5 September 2002 07:25 (twenty-three years ago)
Ms Harry talked about this on 'Rock Family Trees', complete with explanatory 'chunka-chunka' guitar noises. Or perhaps it was on 'Dancing in the Streets' in which case it was presented more as a punk/reggae crossover thing.
― PJ Miller (PJ Miller), Thursday, 5 September 2002 07:48 (twenty-three years ago)
I guess the real common factor is r&b and how they both twisted and developed it into easily identifiable rhythmic templates with an emphasis on syncopation. Also they both progressed from band oriented to DJ/producer/studio led at around the same time. So I guess they are parallel developments.
― edward (big E.D), Thursday, 5 September 2002 08:58 (twenty-three years ago)