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Disco, the music that stubbornly refuses to die

Daniel Piotrowski

by Daniel Piotrowski

21 May 12:25pm

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Filed under: Bee Gees, Disco, Entertainment, Music, Pop Culture

37 comments

Bee Gees star Robin Gibb has died at 62 after a long battle with cancer. There will be some funky beats at the pearly gates today.


The Gibb brothers who co-founded the band (Maurice, Barry and Robin) sold more than 200 million records over four decades. The disco genre was dominated by the music of African-Americans. It’s incredible that a bunch of boys who lived in Brisbane (ex- of Manchester, UK) could make such a lasting impression on that scene. Indeed, they pretty much owned it.

Whether you consider yourself a Bee Gees fan or not, your love for them probably runs deeper than you think. Here are three examples of songs they wrote for others: Diana Ross’s “Chain Reaction”“, Dionne Warwick’s “Heartbreaker” and (Punch editor Tory Maguire’s personal fave) Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton’s “Islands in the Stream”.

In the mid ’70s, the music of the Bee Gees was inescapable on the radio. “More Than A Woman”, “How Deep is Your Love”, “Tragedy”, “Stayin’ Alive”. Every one a megahit. And the list goes on…

Gibb is the second disco star to die in a week. The “queen” of the genre, Donna Summer of “Love To Love You Baby” fame, died of cancer at 63 last week. But today isn’t the day the disco died. The music keeps finding new fans.

Disco has had a huge influence on our culture. Without it, today’s dance music scene could never have happened. But unlike ’80s, ’90s and 2000s dance music, disco lives on. Look at all the ABBA musicals and revivals out there. You don’t see many musicals being made about ’80s New Wave acts.

Some things from the disco era have been rejected from today’s culture. The fashion, for one. But the thing that’ll keep the Bee Gees and the Gloria Gaynors and the Village Peoples in our heads is their distinctive knack for creating excellent lyrical hooks, and tunes you just couldn’t get out of your head.

On mainstream dance floors today, you’re more likely to hear tunes that don’t feature a strong lyrical hook, just lots of electronic mashing. Particularly in the case of songs that many Australians take “disco” biscuits to. Case in point: the dubstep video below.


I don’t reckon this video has quite the same X factor that the Bee Gees had. It’ll be forgotten long before the classic hits of the disco era. Disco has got plenty of its life yet to live and plenty of love to give. It will survive, it will survive.

Most commented

37 comments

Show oldest | newest first

    • Waldo Butters says:

      12:49pm | 21/05/12

      Pokla never dies

      Reply

    • Pie in the Sky says:

      02:09pm | 21/05/12

      Gus Polinski and the Kenosha Kickers are still a favourite.

      Polka Polka Polka is an amazing track.

    • Ohcomeon says:

      12:50pm | 21/05/12

      “The disco genre was dominated by the music of African-Americans. It’s incredible that a bunch of boys from Brisbane could make such a lasting impression on that scene. Indeed, they pretty much owned it.”

      The Bee Gees were a leading light in the later form of white ‘pop’ disco. Pop disco was mostly white producers with black session musos and a very few black funk bands that turned to disco. Disco was dead as a living music style the minute it became a pop sound. Disco Duck anyone? smile

      That said, some of the Bee Gees disco is pretty damn funky, but thats mostly down to the awesome session musicians. Not that they dont have amazing harmonies and musical abilities themselves.

      Also Ive never understood why we fiercely claim the Gibbs as our own. There were in Oz for what, less than ten years? They are much more British or Yanks than Australians.

      Reply

    • Scotchfinger says:

      04:47pm | 21/05/12

      It’s called ‘the Russell Crowe Effect’. If they do well we claim them as our own; if not, we point out they are not really Australian at all. That way we cover all bases, which is very Australian.

    • Bill says:

      12:54pm | 21/05/12

      Hear hear! Bee Gees had substance and groove.
      Although it opens up a can of worms, it was great to hear the author’s sentiments on the music of today - and how it will most likely be forgotten by tomorrow - versus the music of pre-today. It’s about time someone said this. Can it be that the creation of original music has peaked already and we are the downhill run? Really good songs just seem so few and far between at the moment

      Reply

    • gobsmack says:

      12:56pm | 21/05/12

      It’s such a shame when people only remember the BeeGees for their disco phase.
      In the late 60s early 70s they also recorded such gems as:
      Massachussetts
      I’ve Gotta Get a Message to You
      I Started a Joke
      Words
      Spicks & Specks
      Lonely Days

      Reply

    • TChong says:

      01:05pm | 21/05/12

      Geez Gobsmack,  “I started a Joke” is sad song ( unintentionally).
      “Stayin Alive ” heaps cooler.

    • Jatz Crackers says:

      01:18pm | 21/05/12

      Exactly!

      I too, much preferred the music they put out way back in the days before their jocks shrunk.

    • Mayday says:

      01:25pm | 21/05/12

      The Bee Gees were born in the UK just like the band members in AC/DC who returned to the old dart once successful.

      A long bow referring to them as “bunch of boys from Brisbane.”

      I’m with you gobsmack preferring their music prior to selling out to disco, the falsettos were too much for me.
      The only true funkmaster was and still is Prince!

    • Daniel Piotrowski

      Daniel Piotrowski says:

      01:36pm | 21/05/12

      @Mayday - yeah, i re-worded that, sorry if I made it sound like they were ocker-as-Aussies originally!

    • gobsmack says:

      02:01pm | 21/05/12

      Thanks nihonin, I really like that clip.  The live version has a bit of an edge to it that really suits the song.

    • Bruce says:

      04:26pm | 21/05/12

      Gobsmack: Very sad about Robyn Gibb. What a great voice. He will be missed. Interesting you use the term “Such a Shame”, which is a Bee Gees track off their third album “Idea”. I think the Bee Gees were at their best in the late 60’s when they were a 5 piece band, which included Colin Petersen on drums and Vince Melourney, lead guitar and vocals. Vince Melourney is the only singer other than the 3 Gibb brothers to lead sing on a bee gees track. Track being “Such a Shame”
      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z_Prcc6wxIA

      A 17 year old Robyn Gibb at his best:
      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oKGZNZOkTPQ&feature=related

    • Arnold Layne says:

      01:26pm | 21/05/12

      Considering Barry Gibb sang just about every vocal part they recorded during the disco era we should focus today on some of the memorable moments that Robin contributed.  He had quite a different voice to his older brother with that unusual Tiny Tim-style vibrato.  He sang on a lot of their early material and was featured more prominently during their post-disco comeback.

      Reply

    • Max Redlands says:

      01:39pm | 21/05/12

      “Look at all the ABBA musicals and revivals out there.”

      Sorry Dan but I wouldn’t class ABBA as disco notwithstanding that “Dancing Queen” verges on it. They are classic euro-pop (of a very high order imho). Nothing disco about The Winner Takes it All or SOS

      Reply
    • Daniel Piotrowski

      Daniel Piotrowski says:

      01:48pm | 21/05/12

      We had a debate here about it at Punch HQ… but settled on describing them as disco when we realised they wore blue eyeliner.

    • Ohcomeon says:

      01:57pm | 21/05/12

      Daniel, disco is a stylistic term referring to a musical genre that must have certain features to be considered disco.  This is independent of the fashion that follows the music!

    • PW says:

      09:17pm | 21/05/12

      I happen to have been at precisely the stage in life when you go discos when ABBA were at their most successful. I don’t remember their songs being a prominent feature of the playlists at all, even though many of them were quite danceable.

      Like the Beatles (and the Bee Gees pre Saturday Night Fever), ABBA were a mainstream Top 40 pop group. Not even close to disco, they in fact ran parallel to it, and to make such a statement indicates a serious lack of knowledge of the subject matter.

    • Ohcomeon says:

      09:11am | 22/05/12

      PW,

      I disagree. Musically, Sat Night Fever was arranged as a disco record and has all the trappings. The tempo, patterns on the hi hats and the strings are all there. Its pop disco, but its disco.

      Id liken them to something like Jamiroqui. Its pop music, but vaguely arranged with pop funk and disco so people think its that style when really it isnt.

    • Tony of Poorakistan says:

      02:11pm | 21/05/12

      Ms Maguire has good taste; that was a top track.

      Reply

    • Ready Fire Aim says:

      02:11pm | 21/05/12

      All I want to know is how they got into those pants without doing themselves grevious bodily harm. Have you seen the stayin alive filmclip?

      Reply

    • subotic says:

      02:15pm | 21/05/12

      Disco Diva Donna Summer. Dead @ 63
      Disco Diva too, possibly, Robin Gibb. Dead @ 62

      See, S E E… Disco KILLS!

      And you were all worried about cigarettes & alcohol. Bah! Nothing kills harder than a fair suck of Disco Fever.

      Reply

    • Lloyd says:

      04:14pm | 21/05/12

      Poor taste

    • Kika says:

      02:21pm | 21/05/12

      How sad.

      For some reason, I like their music more when others perform it. Like Bob Dylan music, to me. They were excellent song writers.

      Reply

    • tbird says:

      02:56pm | 21/05/12

      Faith No More’s version of “I started a joke” is pretty cool.

    • John says:

      02:45pm | 21/05/12

      He didn’t succeed in Stayin’ Alive.

      Reply

    • D says:

      03:18pm | 21/05/12

      I understand that you’re essentially paying tribute to Robin Gibb here (and quite rightly), but do you really need resort to discrediting todays music to achieve that ?.  I’m sensing a lack of knowledge in some your assertions in this article…  We should realise that “Disco phenomenon” was the mainstream (pop) gimmick version of the underground dance music culture of the day. The music industry chewed it up & spat it our just as quickly…  Dubstep is really 2011 hard rock (120bpm & in your face) great for festivals… its not intended for dance floors, & so a poor choice for comparison IMHO.  There’s plenty of ‘(ware)house’ tracks around in 2012 with melody, structure, polyphonic chords etc…its there if you look for it. (Beatport)  Right now is a very exciting time for music, as the possibilities of new technology are being explored..(with mixed results, sure).  “Electronic mashing”  ???  I suppose heavy metal is “just noise” as well ? 

      Ignorant you are.

      Reply

    • SydneyGirl says:

      03:55pm | 21/05/12

      I always love it when someone explains arcane aspects of music to me. My life is the better for it.

      Now I am off for my Indian Gin.

      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Va46ADj0uE

    • cbkittydisco says:

      03:20pm | 21/05/12

      nice one. pure disco quality misic still gives me n my dancin’ peeps fever fur sniz. please dear God of Music… please just dont take Chaka! x

      Reply

    • Lloyd says:

      04:16pm | 21/05/12

      Three disco icons dead in one week: Berlita Woods of Brainstorm (“Lovin Is Really My Game” and “Hot For You”), Donna, the 2nd Queen of Disco, and Robin….I am glad to see this article on here, I am a dedicated disco fan who probably knows more about it then someone who lived back in the day!

      Reply

    • LIsaJ says:

      04:54pm | 21/05/12

      Glee covered disco, ok it was a pretty pathetic attempt at covering disco but its still alive and going strong!

      Reply

    • stephen says:

      05:15pm | 21/05/12

      The Bee Gees were great songwriters and their music was best, I think, for shows or Musicals.
      They just didn’t have a decent bassline for real pop.

      And Robin should have married Nana Mouskouri, and taught him how to sing.

      Reply

    • Vicki PS says:

      05:48pm | 21/05/12

      New York Mining Disaster 1941: Robin Gibb at his youthful best.  That’s how I remember him, not as the falsetto-squeaking disco king.

      Reply

    • El says:

      05:51pm | 21/05/12

      R.I.P Robin and Donna, and thanks so much for your music. Was only 4 - 6 years old when disco hit, and remember my oldest brother buying their records, and watching him practising his dance-floor moves in the mirror. I remember my dad saying that he didn’t start to feel old until the popular musicians of his youth started popping off. Such a sad week in music thus far. Now I’m feeling so much older….......

      Reply

    • Disco Stu says:

      07:47am | 22/05/12

      Disco Stu says.. It’s a sad day for disco.

      Reply

    • Bernadette says:

      01:17pm | 22/05/12

      Bernadette says
      The Bee Gees were great guys and performers .RIP Robin with Maurice and Andy.

      Reply
 
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