Main | Tuesday, February 17, 2009

#1 This Week In 1977


This week in 1977, the Trammps, an 11-member disco/R&B band from Philadelphia, were in the middle of their six week run at the top of Billboard's dance chart with Disco Inferno, a song that went on to be one of the famous and enduring singles of the entire disco era. Originally released in 1976, the single did not have much success on the pop charts, reaching an anemic #53 despite its popularity in the clubs. At the end of 1977, Disco Inferno was included on the soundtrack to Saturday Night Fever, which I remember thinking at the time was an odd choice, since the song was so played out in the clubs by then. (There were a couple of other relative oldies on the SNF soundtrack, such as the Bee Gees' Jive Talkin' from 1975.) Due to the success of the soundtrack, Disco Inferno was re-released in 1978 and reached #11 on the pop chart that May, almost two years after its initial release. In 1979 the Trammps shared the Grammy for Best Soundtrack with the other artists on the album. Surviving members of the Trammps continue to tour today, with Double Exposure's Jimmy Williams now on lead vocals.

CATALOG: Disco Inferno is my least favorite Trammps song. You should check out their other hits, such their 1972 cover of Judy Garland's Zing Went The Strings Of My Heart. Other chart successes: 1973's Love Epidemic, 1974's fantastic Hold Back The Night (#40 pop, #10 R&B), 1975's That's Where The Happy People Go (#27 pop), and 1977's tribute to the first NYC blackout, The Night The Lights Went Out. There doesn't appear to be a YouTube clip for Feels Like I've Been Livin' (On The Dark Side Of The Moon), but that's a really great track as well.

TRIVIA: Disco Inferno has been covered by a number of acts, some ironically, some in tribute. Tina Turner reached #8 on the dance chart with her cover in 1993, as did Cyndi Lauper in 1999. Here's a great performance clip of Tina Turner doing Disco Inferno in 1979, back when she was still a Vegas lounge act. Madonna also incorporates Disco Inferno into her live shows.

RELATED: It should be noted that a large portion of Disco Inferno's success should be credited to pionering gay remixer and Fire Island DJ Tom Moulton, whose 11-minute 12" take on the song was so strangely EQ'd for its day, that DJs often used it to test their equipment. It should also be noted that I learned my first line dance to Disco Inferno over 33 years ago and I can still do the dance today.

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