Letters to the Editor
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Camille's playlist
What's the point?
As Camille herself would say: :ars longa, vita breve," None of this, ahem, "music" has stood the test of time, save one or two from Aretha and James Brown.
James Somers
San Carlos, Ca.
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Dead Or Alive featuring Pete Burns
In the "disco playlist" Dead Or Alive (featuring Pete Burns) is incorrectly listed as Dead Or Alive (featuring Pete BEST).
Hopefully that's just a typo...there's only one Pete Burns, the genius of 80s/gay anthem/club disco and favorite of awful-plastic-surgery sites.
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Just a few surprising and glaringly obvious omissions from the list...
Love Unlimited Orchestra: "Love's Theme"
Hues Corporation: "Rock The Boat"
KC & the Sunshine Band: "Get Down Tonight", "Shake Your Booty" "That's The Way (I Like It)"
Van McCoy & The Soul City Symphony: "The Hustle"
Hot Chocolate: "You Sexy Thing"
Andrea True Connection: "More, More, More"
Thelma Houston: "Don't Leave Me This Way"
Donna Summer: "Love to Love You Baby", "I Feel Love"
Foxy: "Get Off"
Alice Bridges: "I Love the Nightlife"
Cheryl Lynn: "Got to be Real"
Chic: "Le Freak", "Good Times"
The Weather Girls: "It's Raining Men"
George McCrae: "Rock Your Baby"
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Paglia's playlist
Camille should stick to writing. Her Curtis Mayfield selections left off his best work. Disco sucked then and it still sucks. For a good list of music see Sheryl Crowe's 25 road tunes in the December issue of Vanity Fair.
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disco
Oops, forgot david Bowie's "Young Americans" and "Golden Years"
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Patricia Schwarz I salute you
"But then, Camille doesn't dance. She's trying to free her mind, but her ass just won't follow.
-- Patricia Schwarz"
I laughed so hard I got a pain in my side. You deserve a cookie.
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70's & 80's selections
"TSOP" being the "Soul Train" theme and a classic instrumental in its own right would seem like a core selection and definitive of the Philadelphia sound.
As for Abba, I don't see how "Fernando" places in disco; it's more of a soft rock piece whose lyrics hail from the folk/protest ballad genre. "Dancing Queen" may be too obvious, but at least it fits the category.
Lastly, if we are extending the conversation forward to disco-influenced New Wave, the B-52s' "Planet Claire" is still fun to spin.
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Of couse, some crucial missing entries.
Excuse me, but no Al Green? I'd also have to include the entire JB catalog, and I'd also throw in some K.C. and the Sunshine Band, specifically "Get Down Tonight" and "Shake Your Booty". Otherwise Ms. LaPaglia's list rocks!
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pop
I wouldn't have thought SOS or Knowing Me Knowing You were disco, either. Nor soul or funk. Miraculously beautiful pop songs is what they are. But there's not a playlist that can't be improved with some ABBA songs, and it's good to see them here, whether they belong or not. It's a shame ABBA didn't attract in their day the kind of energetic critical engagement that continues to follow Madonna, in essays such as Ms Paglia's, bafflingly, well past hers.
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One Glaring Omission
No list can ever be complete and there will always be inclusions and omissions that music lovers will point out. I thought the list was pretty complete. However, to add my two cents I must make certain that the song "Don't Leave Me This Way" by Thelma Houston is recognized. Quite simply the best disco song of all time. I believe the original version was done by Teddy Pendergrass when he was with Harold Melvin and the Bluenotes and a more recent version, done in an almost gospel style, was done by Jimmy Sommerville, who was in Bronksky Beat. But the Thelma Houston version is the classic, with its stirring and slow introduction, gradually building up powerfully with pure eroticism. No song from the disco era ever got a bigger reaction from the dancers when the dj started that song up. Without question, the best disco song ever.
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This ain't no disco list
I would certainly not call this a disco playlist but a "Dance" playlist. Disco is a specific type of music in a specific era and time. Yes, most of today's dance music is a variation of Disco but really Camille - Let's Get Physical by Olivia? That song is neither funk or soul and I surely would not call it Disco. Besides you can't really have a Disco list without Love & Kisses can you?
So why don't we rename it:
Camille's Paglia's Dance Playlist
A history in songs: From soul and funk to disco and some crappy shit in between, 1960's-80's.
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Dead Or Alive
Maybe Ms Paglia was distracted by the death of George Best (a UK soccer legend), but You Spin Me Round (Like A Record) was sung by Pete Burns NOT Pete Best, and his group has never been credited as Dead Or Alive featuring Pete Burns always simply Dead Or Alive. I'm sure she knew that though.
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Camille's Disco Playlist
I, too, find the omission of Al Green somewhat disconcerting... and I guess Camille has gotten over her Madonna thing.
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Why
Of all people, why would anyone be interested in Pagia's disco playlist? A gas bag's musical favorites? Come on, now.
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Much Ado About Nuttin'
My, such a maelstrom of controversy here! Love Madonna, hate Madonna...love Camille, hate Camille. "Whatever"...
I read Ms. Paglia's article with a mixed sense of puzzlement, disbelief, and sinister glee...kind of like watching someone drive themselves right into a ditch with pedal to the metal. Her thoughts and opinions crash about in such a scary/funny/embarrassing sort of way.
Other than causing massive furrowing-of-brow and rolling-of-eyes amongst her readers, Camille is perfectly harmless, yet always gnarly and unsettling. Like plaid worn with paisley, tofurkey, or pop-up porn ads.
Anyway, the only real problem I had with her Madonna-rant-cum-pseudo-intellectual-treastise-on-celebrity-and-disco had to do with her playlist! That she doesn't dance to disco is curious enough, but listing James Brown's "Get Up(I'm a Sex Machine)" as a disco song, or Olivia Newton-John's "Let's Get Physical" as a *good* disco song...well, that kinda' blew her cover. And no mention of Chic, Sister Sledge, Salsoul Records, or even - heresy for anyone living in Philly - MFSB?! What the....
As George Burns used to say, "G'night Gracie..."