Disco Breaks Out
Dancehalls, Glitterballs and DJs - From the Pleasure Garden to the Discotheque - Bruce Lindsay
Bruce Lindsay [+]
Music Journalist and Social Historian
Description
At first, disco music was music for the younger generation, music for nights of dancing in discos and at parties, but it soon crossed over to the mainstream: to TV variety shows, movies, guest spots on daytime chat shows and articles in glossy, mass circulation, magazines and tabloid newspapers. It was, generally, family-friendly music that seemingly made no attempt to challenge the social status quo, played by performers who rarely demonstrated strong political views: a strong contrast to the parent-worrying prog rockers, glam rockers and punks that preceded or appeared alongside disco. Then, in1977, Saturday Night Fever became the ultimate disco showcase, bringing further popularity, along with controversy, to the British disco scene. Disco music was a hit across the generations, and the World Disco Dancing Championships took over prime-time TV.