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Chapter
9
Black Pop and the Rise of Disco (1970-1980)
Outline
  1. Black Pop Roots
    1. Sly and the Family Stone
      1. Crossover psychedelic soul
      2. "Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)," 1970
      3. Marketed as a rock act, significant radio play on rock radio
    2. Ohio Players
      1. Dayton, OH
      2. "Funky Worm," 1973
    3. Kool and the Gang
      1. Jersey City, NJ
      2. "Jungle Boogie," 1973
    4. Tower of Power
      1. Oakland
      2. Multi-racial
      3. Driving horn section
    5. War
      1. Los Angeles
      2. The World Is a Ghetto, 1973
    6. Earth, Wind, and Fire
      1. Catchy pop hooks
      2. Sophisticated and intricate horn arrangements
      3. "Shining Star," 1975
    7. Commodores
      1. Funk roots
        1. "Brick House," 1977
      2. Ballads performed by singer (and saxophonist) Lionel Ritchie
        1. "Three Times a Lady," 1978
    8. Motown artists
      1. Temptations
        1. Produced by Norman Whitfield
        2. Often concerned with urban life
        3. Funk-oriented
          1. "Papa Was a Rolling Stone," 1972
      2. Marvin Gaye
        1. Won control over his productions at Motown
        2. Established a social voice
        3. What's Going On, 1971
      3. Stevie Wonder
        1. Given complete control over his productions in the 1970s
        2. Album-oriented material
        3. Wrote, produced, and played music of his own material
        4. Complex arrangements featuring early synthesizers
        5. Songs in the Key of Life, 1976
      4. Jackson 5
        1. New Motown group
        2. Family group featuring young Michael
        3. String of bubblegum hits to top the charts, 1969-1970
    9. Philadelphia Sound
      1. Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff
        1. Songwriters
        2. Producers
        3. Label owners
          1. Philadelphia International Records
        4. Artists
          1. Billy Paul
            1. "Me and Mrs. Jones," 1972
          2. Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes
          3. O'Jays
            1. "Love Train," 1973
          4. MFSB (Mother Father Sister Brother)
            1. House band for PIR
            2. Provided theme for Soul Train television show
      2. Thom Bell
        1. Producer
        2. Arranger
        3. Artists
          1. Spinners
            1. "I'll Be Around," 1972
          2. Stylistics
            1. "Betcha by Golly, Wow," 1972
    10. Blaxploitation soundtracks
      1. Isaac Hayes
        1. Shaft, 1971
      2. Curtis Mayfield
        1. Superfly, 1972
    11. James Brown
      1. Extended funk into the 1970s
      2. More emphasis on interlocking of guitar, drums, and bass
      3. "Super Bad," 1970
    12. George Clinton
      1. Parliament
        1. More commercial
      2. Funkadelic
        1. More experimental
      3. Mothership Connection, 1974
        1. Elaborate stage show featuring a space ship
      4. Not much radio play
    13. Average White Band
      1. From Scotland
      2. "Pick Up the Pieces," 1974
      3. Popular on American radio
  2. Reggae
    1. Traveling "sound system men" in Jamaica led directly to the development of rap
    2. Ska
    3. Rock Steady
    4. Reggae
      1. Bob Marley and the Wailers
        1. Island Records
        2. Initially popular in the UK
        3. "Get Up, Stand Up," 1973
      2. The Harder They Come, 1973
        1. Film starring, and soundtrack by, Jimmy Cliff
      3. Eric Clapton cover of "I Shot the Sheriff," 1973
  3. Disco
    1. As rock was mostly for listening in 1970s, disco fed a new dance craze
    2. Emerged in 1977
    3. Stemmed from the New York gay community
    4. Van McCoy
      1. "The Hustle," 1975
    5. KC and the Sunshine Band
      1. "That's the Way I Like it," 1975
    6. Saturday Night Fever, 1977
      1. Film starring John Travolta
      2. Soundtrack by the Bee Gees
        1. "Stayin' Alive," 1978
    7. Many major rock artists released disco records
      1. Rod Stewart
      2. Rolling Stones
      3. Kiss
    8. Village People
      1. A kind of "gay Monkees"
      2. Specialized in songs that took a playful slant in life in the gay underground
        1. "YMCA," 1978
    9. Donna Summer
      1. "Love to Love You Baby," 1976
        1. Patently sexual
      2. Many other hits in the late 1970s after disco went mainstream
    10. Backlash against disco in 1979
      1. Anti-disco rally in Chicago, 1979
      2. "Disco sucks" slogan became popular
      3. Possible reasons for backlash
        1. Rockers reacting against gay origins of disco
        2. Rockers offended by promiscuity in disco community
        3. A result of racial misunderstanding
        4. Disco stood in direct opposition to the hippie aesthetic that was the basis for 1970s rock
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