Taking sides: disco vs punk

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Disco has aged far better than punk hasn't it? Who would want to listen to the pistols now.

― S. Glass, Wednesday, 26 January 2005 17:41 (twenty-one years ago)

can i have both? and more?

― Jay-Kid (Jay-Kid), Wednesday, 26 January 2005 17:46 (twenty-one years ago)

Hey! You got your chocolate in my peanut butter . . . two great tastes that go great together . . . .

― Drew Daniel (Drew Daniel), Wednesday, 26 January 2005 17:51 (twenty-one years ago)

They both get rather boring. Punk is a simplified form of rock and disco is a simplified form of funk. What came after when the two got mixed together was more interesting.

― WG Sebald, Wednesday, 26 January 2005 17:55 (twenty-one years ago)

i agree that the combination of the two is best

― Stevem On X (blueski), Wednesday, 26 January 2005 17:57 (twenty-one years ago)

"They both get rather boring"

Not if you are me! Are you me? I didn't think so.

― scott seward (scott seward), Wednesday, 26 January 2005 18:03 (twenty-one years ago)

i agree that the combination of the two is best

Only for compromise, though? Could the DFA make Donna Summer sound uber-uber-fantastic? Would Johnny and Sid rock as well with...Rockwell?

― Captain GRRRios' Giggletits (Barima), Wednesday, 26 January 2005 18:10 (twenty-one years ago)

disco all the way. punk dont even come close.

― Lovelace, Wednesday, 26 January 2005 18:12 (twenty-one years ago)

donna summer already sounds uber-uber-fantastic.

both are really really awesome. each genre has a million great singles, punk probably has more great albums.

i say no way to the "combo is best" argument. there have definitely been a bunch of great bands/groups/artists who have successfully combined the two, but for me, the genres are just fine alone.

― peter smith (plsmith), Wednesday, 26 January 2005 18:17 (twenty-one years ago)

i'm 70% disco, 30% punk
and i'm not a huge fan of them combined, unless you're counting stuff like "Born under Punches"

― rentboy (rentboy), Wednesday, 26 January 2005 18:18 (twenty-one years ago)

I listened to the Sex Pistols this morning, ya doofus. I don't really find either to be boring, though disco is to my ears lamer than punk rock. As with most musical styles, the majority of each is pretty blah, but the good stuff still sounds pretty damn good.

― Zack Richardson (teenagequiet), Wednesday, 26 January 2005 18:21 (twenty-one years ago)

"though disco is to my ears lamer than punk rock"

no, it isn't. not if you are me! are you me?

― scott seward (scott seward), Wednesday, 26 January 2005 18:24 (twenty-one years ago)

Cue cosmic revelation, set to medley of "I Feel Love" and "Now I Wanna Sniff Some Glue"

― Zack Richardson (teenagequiet), Wednesday, 26 January 2005 18:31 (twenty-one years ago)

i cant make any of these decisions:

ts: "i feel love" vs. "blitzkreig bop"
ts: "le freak" vs. "suspect device"
ts: "funkytown" vs. "orgasm addict"
ts: "spacer woman" vs. "pink flag"
ts: "ring my bell" vs. "straight edge"

― peter smith (plsmith), Wednesday, 26 January 2005 18:32 (twenty-one years ago)

synchronicitous xpost.

― peter smith (plsmith), Wednesday, 26 January 2005 18:33 (twenty-one years ago)

Pompous discophiles are just as irritating as die-hard Punk purists. We live in a world where we can enjoy both, mercifully, so I refuse to choose.

What's more, the `Pistols themselves (or at least Rotten) himself was a disco fan.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Wednesday, 26 January 2005 18:58 (twenty-one years ago)

haha i love scott seward posts.

― djdee2005 (djdee2005), Wednesday, 26 January 2005 19:00 (twenty-one years ago)

Also (generalization alert) i tend to prefer disco and punk individually to disco-punk.

― djdee2005 (djdee2005), Wednesday, 26 January 2005 19:06 (twenty-one years ago)

purist!

― gygax! (gygax!), Wednesday, 26 January 2005 19:11 (twenty-one years ago)

By coincidence not orthodoxy!
(yes i realize you're joking)

― djdee2005 (djdee2005), Wednesday, 26 January 2005 19:12 (twenty-one years ago)

;-D

― gygax! (gygax!), Wednesday, 26 January 2005 19:20 (twenty-one years ago)

Don't worry, Disco-Punk (aka Post-Punk) Appreciation Day will be over soon, like Electroclash Appreciation Day before it. Tomorrow shall be Acid House Appreciation Day, with Williamsburgers wearing Day Glo and hyping 808 State and the Shamen.

― DaveQ (daveq), Wednesday, 26 January 2005 19:27 (twenty-one years ago)

Only here would such a question come up!

I don't agree that punk was a simplified version of rock and roll; it doesn't really seem like rock and roll to me, most of the time. Disco is more like a version not of funk but of stuff like Willie Mitchell, Gamble-Huff, etc. Which was perhaps "funky" but which was not "funk." That's my take, anyway.

I really can't choose.

― es hurt (ddduncan), Wednesday, 26 January 2005 19:36 (twenty-one years ago)

YOU'RE SAYING??? NO???? PEOPLE WON'T KEEP REVIVING THE SAME THINGS FOREVER????

BUT I WANT TO SEE FELIX DA HOUSECAT DO A U2 STYLE MEGATOUR IN 2036 AND ENTER THE ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME!

― Ronan (Ronan), Wednesday, 26 January 2005 19:40 (twenty-one years ago)

I don't agree that punk was a simplified version of rock and roll; it doesn't really seem like rock and roll to me, most of the time.

Not to get too off-topic, but how so? I tend to think of punk as a refocusing and concentrating of rock's core elements (which may be received wisdom but I don't see why it isn't true). Socially, culturally, perhaps it's a different matter, but musically, the vast majority of punk rock was jacked-up, modernized guitar-bass-drum small band music.

I'm curious why it doesn't sound like rock to you, please explain.

― Zack Richardson (teenagequiet), Wednesday, 26 January 2005 19:47 (twenty-one years ago)

Disco or Punk?

Spunk.

― noodle vague (noodle vague), Wednesday, 26 January 2005 19:52 (twenty-one years ago)

Pete, I got 4 out of 5 for disco and the one time I picked punk it was "Blitzkrieg Bop" over "I Feel Love" which is one of my favorite disco toons. I always thought I liked both equally or else punk a little higher, but now I am questioning everything. (and now is where I would put a bug-eyed smiley, but ILX is too rockist to have any)

― Mike O. (Mike Ouderkirk), Wednesday, 26 January 2005 20:01 (twenty-one years ago)

Wait, I figured it out: '70s punk > '70s disco, but "dahnce music" > indie rock. And then post-punk is better than most things, even if I don't listen to it as much as I should. What would it go up against? Electro? I guess it would beat electro, but I like electro too. Everything is so confusing. That's why I don't pit genres against each other. Crap, and now I remembered that "dahnce music" (read the Reynolds thread... or don't) also contains happy hardcore and funky breaks and stadium trance, all of which are much much worse than indie rock. And I like indie pop better than indie rock, but is that doesn't even sound like punk. Shit, and where would I put hip-hop??

― Mike O. (Mike Ouderkirk), Wednesday, 26 January 2005 20:08 (twenty-one years ago)

Factual correction. Disco > Punk. Happy Hardcore >>>>>>>>> Indie.

As you were.

― noodle vague (noodle vague), Wednesday, 26 January 2005 20:10 (twenty-one years ago)

black metal

― Hello [on a cellphone], greetings, it's me, an outlaw, latebloomer (latebloomer), Wednesday, 26 January 2005 20:14 (twenty-one years ago)

The closer the music gets to the midpoint between disco and punk, the more I like it, for the most part.

Whcih would explain why "House of Jealous Lovers" is my favorite song from either genre.

― The Good Dr. Bill (The Good Dr. Bill), Wednesday, 26 January 2005 20:21 (twenty-one years ago)

I hate to break this to you scott, but I am you. And as such, I agree.

― martin m. (mushrush), Wednesday, 26 January 2005 20:21 (twenty-one years ago)

There needs to be more haooy harDCore

― Mike O. (Mike Ouderkirk), Wednesday, 26 January 2005 20:22 (twenty-one years ago)

happy harDCore would be even better

― Mike O. (Mike Ouderkirk), Wednesday, 26 January 2005 20:22 (twenty-one years ago)

"House of Jealous Lovers" is my favorite monotonous piece of shit. I don't really see it as punk or disco at all.

― martin m. (mushrush), Wednesday, 26 January 2005 20:22 (twenty-one years ago)

that's sort of silly.

― The Good Dr. Bill (The Good Dr. Bill), Wednesday, 26 January 2005 20:24 (twenty-one years ago)

i mean, isnt happy hardcore sort of awesome? i gotta say - its totally one of the genres i have a huge crush on right now. its mostly a blind crush.

― peter smith (plsmith), Wednesday, 26 January 2005 20:30 (twenty-one years ago)

that's sort of silly.

Nah, I realize that there are things to like about that song. I've had this discussion with my girlfriend (who likes it) many many times, and her points are not lost on me. It's just that I haven't come 'round to liking it in spite of the pro arguments.

― martin m. (mushrush), Wednesday, 26 January 2005 20:51 (twenty-one years ago)

I was more protesting your "I don't really see it as punk or disco at all". What exactly is it, then?

― The Good Dr. Bill (The Good Dr. Bill), Wednesday, 26 January 2005 20:54 (twenty-one years ago)

he already told you, a monotonous piece of shit

― rentboy (rentboy), Wednesday, 26 January 2005 21:06 (twenty-one years ago)

depends on the day, whats on the bottom of the pile/what i heard last, where i am, who i'm with, what i'm listening on etc etc

― bulbs (bulbs), Wednesday, 26 January 2005 21:26 (twenty-one years ago)

he already told you, a monotonous piece of shit

Pretty much.

― martin m. (mushrush), Wednesday, 26 January 2005 21:40 (twenty-one years ago)

Punk. Then and now. Actually always found it difficult to dance to disco.

― Soukesian, Wednesday, 26 January 2005 22:00 (twenty-one years ago)

I listen to way more punk than disco, but I don't have an aversion to the genre or anything... so, uh, I pick uh PISKO!

― Shakey Mo Collier, Wednesday, 26 January 2005 22:03 (twenty-one years ago)

how bout disco performers having abortions and punk kids who choose life?

― dan bunnybrain (dan bunnybrain), Thursday, 27 January 2005 00:35 (twenty-one years ago)

A: I like Brian Eno alot

I'm not really a big fan of the Ramones, Pistols or the Damned (though I still like em all a bit, bit).
But, I really love Buzzcocks, the Clash and "Pink Flag".

On the Disco thing I've only really heard ItaloDisco stuff and the "SNF" Soundtrack and all the big singles ("You Sexy Thing" etc).
But I seem to pretty much enjoy that stuff across the board.

From what I've heard the "great" Punk stuff and the "great" Disco stuff are on par. But punks lows are lower. But this is only from what I have heard. So...

― Nic de Teardrop (Nicholas), Thursday, 27 January 2005 05:18 (twenty-one years ago)

PISCO DUNK THAT FUNK!

― Bimble... (Bimble...), Thursday, 27 January 2005 06:58 (twenty-one years ago)

"Pompous discophiles are just as irritating as die-hard Punk purists."

True, but Discophiles tend to dress far better than punks. And thus win.

― Affectian (Affectian), Thursday, 27 January 2005 16:18 (twenty-one years ago)

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