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'Saturday Night Fever' struts onto the world stage
The John Travolta film premieres in New York to critics' applause. Critic Gene Siskel will call it his favorite film ever [[he'll watch it 17 times). Travolta will earn a best actor Oscar nomination for the role of a Brooklyn teen with good dancefloor moves, and the soundtrack will turn the disco craze up full blast.
He was Vinnie Barbarino until then. Travolta ushered both disco and country into popularity. Until "Urban Cowboy", country music had sunk to being a third tier music genre. After that movie, it took off and remains huge to this day. I'm really not a John Travolta fan, but those two films had a huge impact on popular music.
"Saturday Night Fever" had a huge impact on our Popular Culture! What I remember most when the movie first came out was my brother and his friends who were already college commenting on how "Tony Manero aka Travolta" dressed like them in the movie. They felt the film stole their styles! LOL! It also started people dancing that never went to a club and danced before.Quote:
Originally Posted by Jerry Oz
For me, the movie is like a time capsule of my last year in high school and how I use to hang out with my buddies on the weekend. It seemed like we could all relate to this movie. Years later and living in New York, anytime I drive over the Verranzano-Narrows Bridge , I think of the scene in Saturday Night Fever when their buddy fell from it.
Music in movies can be powerful. My best friend from high school saw "American Gigolo" and immediately became a subscriber to GQ magazine. It changed his entire focus in his social life. [[No, he did not become a gigolo. LOL. Just began dressing like one.) And Blondie's song "Call Me" is the single most powerful thing about that film in my mind. And I worked with a beautiful Native American girl who saw "Urban Cowboy" and it blew her socks off. She began wearing cowgirl boots and hats and started going to the cowboy bars that popped up like crazy in the aftermath of that movie.
I'm not sure if there are two more powerful soundtracks from movies than "Saturday Night Fever" and "Urban Cowboy". I'd suggest Spike Lee's "Do The Right Thing" [[my favorite, but only one record instead of two) or "School Daze" [[another fantastic one).
LOL, can't believe how young you guys are.
Shaft, Purple Rain and SuperFly come to mind and although I'm not a big, I'll Always Love You fan....the Bodyguard is among one of the highest grossing soundtracks ever.Quote:
I'm not sure if there are two more powerful soundtracks from movies than "Saturday Night Fever" and "Urban Cowboy".
I was thinking more from a compilation standpoint. "Shaft" was a score, as I believe "Superfly" was, as well. With that said, "Superfly" was singularly great, in my opinion. Curtis Mayfield deserves more love as a composer and an artist.Quote:
Originally Posted by ms_m
"Purple Rain" might be close to the two that I mentioned, but it didn't have cultural impact. The Minneapolis Sound from that film never compared with the rise of disco or the rebirth of country. And "The Bodyguard"? Just say no, Grandma!
[[LOL! That's for calling us young when you only have a few summers on us...)
:)
I would say Shaft was both score and soundtrack. Apparently Purple Rain's impact was more regional and Bodygurad I threw in for the commercialism...LOLQuote:
Originally Posted by Jerry Oz
Don't have grand kids but LOVE being called old cause it beats the alternative.;)
BTW, Curtis Mayfield was the MAN to the very end!!!!!!!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OhuXw-g3M8g
This song seemed to stay at Number One forever in 1978! I am certain most people could not get all of the lyrics LOL! It landed at Number One on March 18, 1978 and remained there until the middle of May 1978!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ihs-vT9T3Q
"Purple Rain" was huge. But "Saturday Night Fever" brought disco into the mainstream, which altered musical, social, racial, and sexual landscapes to this day. "Urban Cowboy" gave new life to country music which Dolly and Kenny had just about ruined with their horrible Pop crossover hits. I remember my brother coming home on furlough sporting a cowboy hat in the mid-80s. LOL.Quote:
Originally Posted by ms_m
"Purple Rain" energized young people all over the country to dance and have a good time, but it was more about Prince's music and energy than soul/funk/R&B. It's impact is negligible to 2016, compared to the others. It's still great, though and brings back a ton of great memories from my glory days. "Let's Go Crazy" still gets me hyped.
The great thing about all three records is the huge collection of artists and hits on each. The only soundtrack in their league is "O Brother, Where Art Thou?", which actually is my favorite. Somebody gave me a copy of it at work and I listened to it every day for a month. Love the movie as well.
I remember when "Urban Cowboy" came out in 1980. I was in school in Denver Colorado. I went and bought me some expensive cowboy boots LOL! We started going to clubs like "Bobby McGees" where the COYOTE Girls would hang out on the weekend hehehehehehehe1Quote:
Originally Posted by Jerry Oz
It's funny, there was a time when many people on this forum wouldn't even admit they listened to disco. LOL
I don't hate it but I was selective about what I purchased. I preferred songs like, Ring My Bell [[Anita Ward), Hughes Corporation [[Rock the Boat) or Donna Summer's jams. There are a few others but to be honest they were mostly Black artists. During the disco era my fave tune of all time has to be Q's, Ai No Corida.
When I was [[much) younger there were only two White artist/group in my collection. Petula Clark and Rare Earth...shout out to the Terrana Brothers!!!!!
I wore Cowboy hats too....LOL...no seriously real cowboy hats but I just liked
em. Wasn't influenced by anything other than the fact I liked how they looked on my head.:D
Never saw O Brother, Where Art Thou but I did listen to a few tracks. I can appreciate the appeal. As I grew older and started traveling and my experiences changed, so did my musical taste but...it is, what it was. shrugs
Oh my and I can't believe I forgot Bill Summers and Summers Heat. Call It What you Want is my jam....LOL
Ms_m , several years ago we had a pretty lengthy thread on Disco. Check it out:Quote:
Originally Posted by ms_m
http://soulfuldetroit.com/showthread...ighlight=Disco
Loved Bill Summers and them.Quote:
Originally Posted by ms_m
I joined in 2005 Marv. It was pretty taboo back then. Juice and I and a few [[very few) others were the only ones that would own up to listening or liking it. I even owned a pair of disco boots back in the day. LOLQuote:
Originally Posted by marv2
Times change. BTW, haven't forgotten about that song I promised.
Thank you Ms_m. Ronnie McNeir really did a nice job on that song.Quote:
Originally Posted by ms_m
Just saw Boogie Nights again and it reminded me of my youth and those particular songs were some of my favorites of the disco era. I love how the movie started out with the Emotions.....it was uphill all the way from there!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wv_jwC3D3BI
To be sure, a lot of "disco" was music labelled as such to cross over songs that were more likely funk or R&B. Hell, what song doesn't sound better blasting out of the speakers in a club after a couple of beers?
I have to check that out. You should check out the series "The Get Down" on Netflix!Quote:
Originally Posted by lakeside
The problem with Disco for me came around 1979 when it seemed that everyone was releasing "formula disco). Records were labeled with the number of BPM[[beats per min.) and just sounded monotonous. Euro-Disco was just thump, thump, thump........Quote:
Originally Posted by Jerry Oz
Yeah. Heatwave proudly introduced themselves as an "English Disco" outfit but I consider them a great R&B outfit. Songs like "Boogie Nights" and "Groove Line" were dance records but hardly fit the format for traditional disco. Well, to me anyway...
Never really thought about disco being traditional and or authentic but if that's the case, maybe I'm not into it after all. LOL
I can listen to the "traditional" stuff and even like it but my taste back then was formed from growing up in the south and listening to Black radio. Songs from Saturday Night Fever were not on the playlist.
Mine either. But like a whole lot of AM rock, I found out that I liked them after the fact. I used to think that I hated any form of rock [[rock and roll, hard rock, punk rock, progressive) but I'm now a big fan of the Who, Steely Dan, Tom Petty, Genesis, and a whole lot more. The same is true for disco to a lesser degree. I like some but like Marv, the repetitive beats are a bit of weak sauce. I can't listen to modern house music, which is just today's version of disco.
Johnny Wilder and his brother were from Dayton, Ohio. They were R&B/Funk which was always highly danceable.Quote:
Originally Posted by Jerry Oz
Genesis rocks but I have a thing for great percussion so that's probably why I enjoy that group and horror of all horrors, I like Abba too. There are quite a few "classic rock" songs I can really appreciate.Quote:
Originally Posted by Jerry Oz
To horrify purist, I also like smooth jazz but more so the fusion era than what usually is pawned off as smooth jazz now. If it's good music, whatever it is, I like it but my heart and foundation will always be in r&b/soul/funk.
I always liked Rock. When I was growing up, we listen to a powerhouse station out of Canada called CKLW and they played everything!
ABBA?!Quote:
Originally Posted by ms_m
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped...A_-_198584.jpg
I love what I consider to be "contemporary jazz", which was the precursor to smooth jazz. Back in the '80s, I became a huge fan of Grover Washington, Jr., Bob James, Earl Klugh, George Benson, Ralph McDonald, et.al. I still love that era's version of the Crusaders. And as for fusion, I'm big on Spyro Gyra and a lot of old Weather Report.
I went from being just a fan of R&B/soul/funk to somebody's whose library has a little bit of everything in it. My friends and I used to rock out to the Bus Boys, Fishbone, and Living Colour in my car back in the day but I could never get away with playing them at a party.
Obviously it's R&B/Soul/Funk first but I also LOVE Disco! I do love a bit of Bee Gees: "Stayin' Alive", "You Should Be Dancing" etc. are all brilliant. I don't like [[or I don't think I like) Rock that much, although I don't mind a bit of Pop Rock [[in the form of Elton John/Four Seasons/Wham... hehe)
I think my general condition is that a song has to be relatively upbeat for me to like it [[e.g. no to "Yesterday" but yes to "Here Comes The Sun"). However I have yet to give into ABBA... that might be one step too far... LOL ;)
Oh, man. "Yesterday" speaks to me to this very day.
Hehe, yea, I can tell that it's a good song, it's just not for me. They used to play it in school assemblies [[I really don't know why) and it will forever remind me of them, which is just weird. HeheQuote:
Originally Posted by Jerry Oz
LOL, A friend I use to work with was a huge Abba fan, he played it so much it actually grew on me. Ya gotta give it a chance. hahahahahahaha
Thumbs up to everyone on your list and Joe Sample is/was, one of my fave pianist.Quote:
love what I consider to be "contemporary jazz", which was the precursor to smooth jazz. Back in the '80s, I became a huge fan of Grover Washington, Jr., Bob James, Earl Klugh, George Benson, Ralph McDonald, et.al. I still love that era's version of the Crusaders. And as for fusion, I'm big on Spyro Gyra and a lot of old Weather Report.
Nice post,i got some miracles playin as i type this...[oh be my love-1965]now that;s music!!!
Joe Sample. Sticks Hooper. Wilton Felder. Wayne Henderson. Best jazz band. Ever.Quote:
Originally Posted by ms_m
It's kinda weird that you guys mentioned ABBA because I was looking at this video this past weekend:Quote:
Originally Posted by ms_m
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qVmKAkIKqPU