What do you think of disco. Have you changed your opinion of it over the years?

In the October issue of <I>Stereophile</I>, Jon Iverson comments, "When disco hit, it sure sucked." So what do you think: was the music known as disco ever worth the vinyl it was pressed on? Has it aged well or not?

What do you think of disco. Have you changed your opinion of it over the years?
Hated it then, hate it now
44% (150 votes)
Hated it then, but like it now
7% (23 votes)
Liked it then, and like it now
40% (136 votes)
Liked it then, but hate it now
1% (4 votes)
Not old enough to have lived through the disco years
9% (30 votes)
Total votes: 343

COMMENTS
charlie100's picture

It doesn't matter so much whether it is liked or hated: disco has had a far greater impact on present day music than most of the people who hate it realize.

Dave Bennett's picture

Thought it was junk first time around and so far nothing has changed my mind.

Ken's picture

I liked some of it then, still like some of it today

Jose Garcia, PR.'s picture

Sure I like it them and still now. It was an era that I can't forget since I was in my early 20's. I prefer it to the Rap music from these days but recognize that every genre has it's followers.Among my favorites are Donna Summer, Kool and the Gang, The Tramps and others.

Steve C.'s picture

Good grief. Whoever thought of this question needs to be born, born, borne right out of here. (Actually, none of the above options apply.)

Vahan Baladouni's picture

Disco has provided various dance/party music with an invaluable number of samples that have been used many times by various D.J'.s. Moreover, disco influenced the hip hop and more contemporary electronic styles of music (i.e. stereolab, Fantastic Plastic Machine....)

Bubba in SF's picture

Disco still sucks. When something is bad, it is still bad 25 years later. Either that, or people's standards are being lowered by MP3 or hip-hop. Those things are so rampant that people might think disco sounds good compared to what their kids are listening to. I listen to jazz, rock, blues and classical so, of course I still think, disco sucks.P.S.: Don't try to pass disco off as jazz or the jazz police will slap the taste out of your mouth.

Don Summer's picture

I was a punk then. "DDT did a job on me/Now I'm a teenage lobotomy."The sheer over the top qualities of disco have sort of aged well. I even got some Village People used LPs for 50 cents. "YMCA, YMCA…" However, I still prefer Rick James: "SuperFreak! The girl's so freaky!"

John's picture

The Chuck Wagon & the Wheels album title, Country Swings, Disco Sucks, says it all. Disco still sucks, whether it's called disco, rap, electronica, or hip-hop.

Mark Dabielski's picture

This is the best question you could come up with?

Zeus Pontiac Thunderchild's picture

Although I was only about 8 years old I knew a good tune when I heard it. I was always too cool to actually buy the stuff and I have never danced a single step in my life and wish to keep it that way - dancing just looks plain stupid to me. Personally, I blame it on the boogie.

tom reid's picture

You should have a category "liked some of it then and some of it now."

Bruno,Slovenia's picture

NO comments

Kent Nyberg's picture

It's still great

sales@ump.co.uk's picture

Once I learned to stop treating music as something that one had to suffer through if it was any good at all, I learned to love far more genres of music—and there's an appealing shallowness and good-time feel to disco that does (now I can admit it!) put a smile on my face.

Paul J.  Stiles, Mtn.View, CA's picture

Love to love it then! Love to love it now!Seriously, I enjoyed disco—and still do. However, at the end of the disco era, when everybody was jumping on the disco bandwagon, the quality of the disco experience was lost.

Stephen Curling's picture

I never liked Disco (I'm not old enough to remember it) but for those who lived through it, Disco seemed like a positive experience.

John Meyer's picture

Why torture us with the memory?

Al Marcy's picture

Some folks think taste means hating bad music. I don't know much about dancing, but, I know what joy feels like, and being a bringdown ain't it, for me.

Todd R's picture

Still don't like it, but it brings back memories of my youth when I hear it.

Charles - Naples, Italy's picture

It was simple, easy to follow, toe-tapping, sometimes even performed by good players. Sure, it never made me thoughtful, or moody, or sad. Yet, it made me smile: I still can't see what's wrong with it. Ah, one last thing: it was on vinyl.

Pete Montgomery's picture

Speaking strictly of disco music and not disco culture, I like disco.

Timothy O.  Driskel's picture

Liked it then because I loved to dance with the ladies to 70's & 80's Disco. Graduated in 1975 (Heat of the Disco movement) it was. I for sure wore out my Donna Summer albums with "Love to Love You" on it. Now I enjoy it on occasion for that nostalgic memory.

Dilbert's picture

I like the music, even if I do have to take my necktie off to dance to it.

Joe Hartmann's picture

Music to dance to not much in content but fun at a party, the clubs were toooo loud but then so are many Stereo Retailers

Nick's picture

Not my cup of tea, but why would I "hate it?" Its just music. People who hate disco really hate the types of people who love disco.

Tony P., Washington, DC's picture

Disco is no different than dance music of any other era. It's derided by lovers of more "serious" genres, but it serves its function well. I should also point out that, unlike much of today's dance music, it was frequently played by excellent musicians on real instruments (Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edrwards could rock with the best of them), and that's no small accomplishment.

Missouri Relic's picture

I didn't really hate it then. It was just like every other style that comes along: some is great, some is awful, and most is somewhere between. Quite a bit of it has aged pretty darned well, actually. KC and the Sunshine Band, Donna Summer, and The Bee Gees still sound a lot fresher today than most of the '80s Euro-pop that came after them.

Mike Healey's picture

Disco is dance music that is part of the night club experience, that's all. Shake your butt and get over it!

Older Brother Gert's picture

It never did anything for me. Regarding this question: "Bottom of barrel dangerously overscraped!", Experts Warn!!

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