KC & The Sunshine Band Questions

[Boogiedown]

Hi MAR !

I love KC, too. He's actually one of my favorite soul singers & composers [[along with Prince), and I think he's very underrated in that regard- "Why Don't We Get Together" is one of my favorite examples of this.

I gave this a listen , and I agree , it's a very nice song . Very nice. KC does have a quality to his voice I have always found to be very appealing. I remember I was working the tail end of a night shift at a record store in Honolulu when we put on his new ANYBODY WANNA PARTY LP [[we might've been rollerskating to it, it was a big store!) and PLEASE DON"T GO immediately jumped out at me. I was not surprised it could be a hit , and pleased that the record company recognized the caliber of the song and risked releasing it despite the departure from his expected sound. [[It went to #1 on the Billboard Hot 100)


And I gave PUSHOVER a listen, and I DO hear James Brown in IM A PUSHOVER!. JB in spirit, but a tad more lively, with a stronger , more full vocal, with stronger arranged back up vocals, and that incessant cowbell[[ did James ever do cowbell?) But yes those horns and that funky bass line. Of course no music is created in a vacuum and I'd be disappointed to learn KC and the horn Band weren't JB fans. BTW did you know james brown claimed himself the original disco man!

That T-Connection track definitely sounds more like funk than disco to me.

Yes it's at the very funky end of the spectrum of disco music which covered a lot of sounds. But its 100 % disco in this case as it was intended to be and released as such.



As you can see, it was pressed and sold on a disco 12" on the TK DISCO label and you'll notice its designation as the longer "DISCO VERSION".
And as mentioned , it was #1 on the disco chart for six weeks , that's an amazing run at the top , so to label it anything else is a denial of reality.

But, I am limiting myself to the American definition of disco,

? I really have no idea what this means ...what 'Americans?' Was there some poll taken? Americans of the actual era , or Americans of today? Americans of NYC or Nashville Tennessee or Anchorage Alaska? Old or young , male or female , straight , gay, black, white.... etc.? ...Who?

which I think is very different than the definition in other parts of the world, where I believe disco is synonymous with dance/club music.

Well that's certainly logical of them wouldn't you say?. The dynamics of the disco movement [[ in the US, it was a movement) in the US was dramatically different than what went on in the rest of the world. The sudden US gay liberation of the 70s was discos catalyst, it created the engine , the energy ....etc. etc. etc. .........

Under that definition then yes, "queen of clubs" would be considered disco, but the way most Americans think of disco is quite narrow [[like a dance sub-category marked by a light, airy feel, lots of swirling strings and soaring vocals), and it doesn't encompass everything from that era that is dance-able.

I have no idea how to speak on behalf of most Americans, nor to claim I know what they think about anything much less disco. The topic of 'disco' with 'most Americans' likely takes place at the shallow end of the pool ...it always has.

For example, many Queen fans outside the US consider "hot space" to be a disco album, which I definitely do not. I think the definition of disco is just more broad in the UK, Europe, South America, etc.

Speaking for myself, BODY LANGUAGE fits the broader umbrella of disco , especially within what was comprising disco at the tail end of its era,... very bad disco imo , which is why it could only muster a #62 peak on the disco chart.

I mentioned that disco kept changing in sound over its seven years or so run , that the DJs and the club devotees weren't looking for the same sound over and over during that time . This was also true in the course of a single night at the club , the sounds changed , speeding up - slowing down , more funky, more electro. I really have no memory of anyone worrying if a song was "disco" or not...if it fit in , if the crowd responded , that's what mattered.

I get that nowadays , after the fact , there is a desire to specify disco as being this certain sound , to be able to label it clearly as such. Some of it is easier to do in that way than others. That's why I strongly urge referencing the disco charts . Every disco song isn't there , but the significant ones, in real time, are. Thats your American disco , documented in B&W.
I lived it, I know its reality, to want to re-write it is to me fake news.
........................

Added: There are however, specific songs and acts that fall under more than one category of musical styles and this is true with disco / jazz , rock , pop, and funk especially.
Some artists / releases were aimed at discos specifically , they are the easier ones to label . At other times an artist might stick a singular song or two on their LP that falls under the disco label while the rest doesn't. Many Motown acts did this. Working in a record store, this became challenging. I recall Alicia Bridges debut LP. On it was one disco song , I LOVE THE NIGHTLIFE , the rest was rock , pop. But that was the hit, this one disco song on the LP . Then the debate was, where to file her LP in the record store? ....and for me....do I have an obligation to warn the buyer the rest of the album does not sound like this?

[MAR]

I gave this a listen , and I agree , it's a very nice song . Very nice.

Glad you like it! That song is a very early one- it's the b-side of their 2nd single "sound your funky horn". KC must have only been about 22 when he did it. Another interesting one is "I'm Gonna Do Something Good To You" which was the b-side of their 1st single "blow your whistle" and was actually credited to "KC and the Sunshine Junkanoo Band" [[they dropped the 'junkanoo' right after).


The song was written by TK artist Clarence Reid [[aka "blowfly") and he recorded his own version which has the exact same backing track as KC's version.

And I gave PUSHOVER a listen, and I DO hear James Brown in IM A PUSHOVER!. JB in spirit, but a tad more lively, with a stronger , more full vocal, with stronger arranged back up vocals, and that incessant cowbell[[ did James ever do cowbell?) But yes those horns and that funky bass line. Of course no music is created in a vacuum and I'd be disappointed to learn KC and the horn Band weren't JB fans.

KC grew up listening to Motown and everything R&B so I'm sure he was influenced by JB. As a matter of fact, I'm sure I've read/heard at least one interview where he's mentioned JB as an influence.

I have no idea how to speak on behalf of most Americans, nor to claim I know what they think about anything much less disco. The topic of 'disco' with 'most Americans' likely takes place at the shallow end of the pool ...it always has.

It's all just semantics, really, but the term "disco" became such a pejorative in the late 70s/early 80s in the US, and then the "disco sucks" backlash and the notorious Comiskey Park "Disco Demolition Night"...maybe the narrower the definition of disco, the better? Maybe it's preferable to be called "funk" if the term applies, I don't know.

I guess I just don't have a lot of faith in the musical tastes of my fellow Americans. I think we don't value many of our artists as much as we should; so many of our own have been more successful overseas than on their home turf. I often feel that [[generally, of course) other countries have a much more open-minded and eclectic appreciation for music, and so many Americans will just listen to any ol'crap and will so easily discount anything that isn't immediately perceived as cool enough/macho enough/serious enough/rock 'n roll enough, etc.

PS - it must have been fun at times working in a record store in the 1970s! I imagine you must have had the opportunity to collect some pretty cool promo items!

[Boogiedown]

Glad you like it! That song is a very early one- it's the b-side of their 2nd single "sound your funky horn". KC must have only been about 22 when he did it. Another interesting one is "I'm Gonna Do Something Good To You" which was the b-side of their 1st single "blow your whistle" and was actually credited to "KC and the Sunshine Junkanoo Band" [[they dropped the 'junkanoo' right after).


The song was written by TK artist Clarence Reid [[aka "blowfly") and he recorded his own version which has the exact same backing track as KC's version.

KC grew up listening to Motown and everything R&B so I'm sure he was influenced by JB. As a matter of fact, I'm sure I've read/heard at least one interview where he's mentioned JB as an influence.




It's all just semantics, really, but the term "disco" became such a pejorative in the late 70s/early 80s in the US, and then the "disco sucks" backlash and the notorious Comiskey Park "Disco Demolition Night"...maybe the narrower the definition of disco, the better? Maybe it's preferable to be called "funk" if the term applies, I don't know.

I guess I just don't have a lot of faith in the musical tastes of my fellow Americans. I think we don't value many of our artists as much as we should; so many of our own have been more successful overseas than on their home turf. I often feel that [[generally, of course) other countries have a much more open-minded and eclectic appreciation for music, and so many Americans will just listen to any ol'crap and will so easily discount anything that isn't immediately perceived as cool enough/macho enough/serious enough/rock 'n roll enough, etc.

PS - it must have been fun at times working in a record store in the 1970s! I imagine you must have had the opportunity to collect some pretty cool promo items!

Good post MAR!

I agree with what you've said. Who knows why certain music resonates with some and not others. A lot of it is context . As for disco , it was unfolding right before our eyes , tailoring itself for the club experience . To not have heard disco in that intended setting , well I'm not sure how anyone looking in from the outside or posthumously would ever fully get it. I can't help but wonder what experiencing big band music was like with the band live in the room while people dressed to the nines danced and ate and partied , men in uniform , war looming. Places it into its own special experience.

Disco died around 1980-81 for reasons beyond the backlash. I don't think it could have sustained itself, it was like a flash fire that burned itself out.

As for Europe , and the rest of the world, the exotic always has an appeal , music and personalities from far away. Americans were spoiled , we had so much music of our own making , so many genres, too much to fully consume. Yet even so, the British invasion captivated us.

Yes I really enjoyed working in record stores. One thing about promo material ...it sold well !
The posters and flats [[ album covers on cardboard) intended for making displays only, we offered from behind the counter[[ shhh!) We had quite a slush fund!!

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Oh I meant to mention , James Brown eventually released a disco single on KC's home turf label out of Miami in the early eighties. I wish it were more noteworthy , was it called something about potatoes perhaps???