There was never a "last gasp of the discotheque," and it doesn't matter if Heavy Metal changed my life. I've always liked " I Was Made for Lovin' You " from the album "Dynasty" (1979), one of the first Kiss albums I owned.
By Ricardo Batalha (*)
When I once interviewed Don Dokken, the vocalist of the American hard rock band Dokken, he spoke proudly of having participated in the waves of protests called "Disco Sucks" or "Death to Disco," which rock fans organized in the United States in the late 1970s. He thrilled to talk about "the day Disco died" when, on July 12, 1979, rock fans packed Comiskey Park baseball stadium in Chicago and set fire to piles of disco albums. The chaos was widespread, got out of control, and the police intervened. However, that disturbance had serious effects, and the decline of Disco was imminent. Until then, the top six chart positions were held by disco stars. Months later, in September of that year, there wasn't a single artist of that style in the Top 10. They declared the end of Disco and the return of Rock. Well, the end of Disco as the "fashionable" sound only. Whether she likes it or not, she lives on to this day.
Before Heavy Metal changed my life, I was obsessed with Motown, R&B, Disco Music, and true Funk. I had almost all the compilations from the K-Tel and Som Livre record labels at home, including albums by the heroes of black music from the cult Motown. I even liked Andrea True Connection, the band of the former American porn actress Andrea Marie Truden. What I knew about Rock'n'Roll was passed down to me by my mother, who appreciated Elvis Presley, Billy Haley, Little Richard, The Platters, Paul Anka, and some other stars from the 1950s. I knew, in a way, what Rock was. Even so, I listened to the soundtrack of "Saturday Night Fever" almost every day, although I never thought about imitating the choreography of Tony Manero, the famous character played by John Travolta in the film "Saturday Night Fever" (1977). "I Won't Dance" side , the title of one of Thomas Gabriel Fischer's compositions, which appears on Celtic Frost's album "Into The Pandemonium" (1987).
I listened to the soundtrack of "Saturday Night Fever" almost every day, even though I never thought about imitating the choreography of Tony Manero, the famous character played by John Travolta in the movie "Saturday Night Fever"
In the late 1970s, Brazil was still living under a military dictatorship, which didn't stop disc jockeys from having a blast. Disco music was all the rage in São Paulo, with nightclubs scattered throughout the city. Some were well-known, such as Hippopotamus, Papagaio Disco Club, Ta Matete, Banana Power, and Soul Train Disco Club. My motto was "I Won't Dance," but I was always tuned in to what was happening at the moment, and my record collection just kept growing. Dancing or not, I've always had that characteristic vinyl record smell ingrained in me since childhood. Then came Heavy Metal with Black Sabbath's "Volume 4," and the bell-bottom pants phase became nostalgia – as it remains to this day.
My “second motherhood” was Woodstock Discos, owned by “professor” Walcir Chalas . Thus, the world gained another annoying rebel, eager to discover all the bands in that musical genre called Heavy Metal. Sorry, but I wasn't introduced to it by the Beatles or the Stones. I went straight to the point… of the heaviness! I was hypnotized and it became addictive. I wanted to know everything, and so I started going to Woodstock Discos weekly. Poor Walcir Chalas, who spent hours answering my questions about new releases, old records, and new bands. I understand the generation gap well because I went through it, and my heroes are those I discovered during the discovery phase. Iron Maiden , Anvil, Raven, Angel Witch, Metallica , Slayer , and so many others were once new. Be that as it may, I never forgot the swing of Black Music and Disco Music. For me, there was never a “last gasp of the discotheque,” and it doesn't matter if Heavy Metal changed my life. I always liked I Was Made for Lovin' You , from the album “Dynasty” (1979), one of the first Kiss albums I owned. I didn't even care if it had a danceable rhythm or if the masked quartet had sold out to conquer a different kind of audience.
Then came Heavy Metal with Black Sabbath's "Volume 4," and the bell-bottom pants era became nostalgia – as it remains to this day
Kiss helped expand the fortune of one of the leading record labels of the Disco era, Casablanca Records. Their involvement was significant. Remember the hit " Instant Replay "? Well, it was guitarist Vinnie Vincent, who came to Brazil with the band and later recorded the album "Lick It Up" (1983), who recorded this Disco Music hit with Dan Hartman. He even appears in the music video! The late drummer Eric Carr, who also came to Brazil in 1983 with that tank-shaped drum kit, went by Paul Caravello when he was a studio musician. Among other works, he recorded the album of a Disco band called Lightning, released in 1979 by the same Casablanca label. How I manage to remember everything from the Disco Music era, I don't know, but I confess it took me a while to understand what those waves of protest that Don Dokken spoke of with such pride were. However, one thing is certain: I can nod my head, play air guitar, and shred on the air drums. But "I don't dance."
(*) Ricardo Batalha is editor-in-chief of Roadie Crew magazine (roadiecrew.com) and director of ASE Assessoria e Consultoria (asepress.com.br).
Recommended views:
Disco Sucks (Disco Demolition Night @ Comiskey Park in Chicago 1979):
I Won't Dance (Celtic Frost):
Dan Hartman – Instant Replay (w/ Vinnie Vincent):
Lightning – Disco Symphony (w/ Eric Carr):
I Was Made For Lovin' You (Kiss):
Woodstock – More Than Just a Store:
(*) Ricardo Batalha is the editor-in-chief of Roadie Crew and director of ASE Assessoria e Consultoria..