Disco by non Disco artists

[roadman65]

Was wondering as I heard the Grateful Dead song Shakedown Street the other day after a long while.   Was wondering if that particular track was the Dead's attempt at producing a disco or dance song like The Rolling Stones done with Miss You?

[TheHighwayMan3561]

The Who with its disco-lampooning "Sister Disco"
ABBA has a couple disco tracks on 1979's Voulez-Vous

[jp the roadgeek]

Was wondering as I heard the Grateful Dead song Shakedown Street the other day after a long while.   Was wondering if that particular track was the Dead's attempt at producing a disco or dance song like The Rolling Stones done with Miss You?

If you really want to hear a Dead disco song, listen to their cover of Dancing in the Street from that era.

A couple of other examples of pop stars dabbling in disco:

Do You Think I'm Sexy by Rod Stewart
I Was Made for Loving You by KISS

[TheStranger]

Paul McCartney & Wings dabbled in the genre a bit with Silly Love Songs and Goodnight Tonight

[roadman65]

A friend of mine calls Eric Clapton's August LP "Disco Clapton" as songs like Run and Miss You were dance like instead of the usual Clapton blues oriented.

To me I think that Behind The Mask was worse than disco as that was more 80's R & B at the time.  Then the Pilgrim album over 12 years later, to me at least, was more disco oriented than August.    With him its the fact he collaborated with Babyface on songs that gave his die hard Blues followers a disappointment.

To me I like Clapton cause of his diversification in genres as he does well in whatever he performs or performs with.

[hbelkins]

"Street Player" by Chicago.

"Superman" by the Kinks.

"Gonna Raise Hell" by Cheap Trick.

[roadman65]

I forgot the Crunge by Led Zeppelin on Houses of the Holy

[Mark68]

"I Was Made for Loving You" ~Kiss

[dlsterner]

"Victim of Love" by Elton John, from the album of the same name - almost universally despised as his worst album ever.

"The Disco Strangler" by The Eagles.  Although having a disco beat, it was definitely satirical in nature and was really an anti-disco song.

Along with the previously mentioned "Miss You" by The Rolling Stones, you could also include their "Emotional Rescue".

Most of the other ones that immediately came to mind were already mentioned by previous posters.

[MisterSG1]

This is up for you to debate, but I think it's the reason why it was the band's only #1 song.

Pink Floyd "Another Brick in the Wall Part 2"

I am a huge Floyd fan for the record.

[jp the roadgeek]

Here Comes the Night (the '79 remix) by The Beach Boys (all 11 minutes of it)

Yet another Dead tune with a disco tinge: Feel Like a Stranger (you can probably tell I know a lot about the Dead; went to 16 shows before  Jerry died)

[Road Hog]

Queen – Another One Bites the Dust

[TheHighwayMan3561]

"Street Player" by Chicago.

The first album after Terry Kath's death, Hot Streets had quite a few disco-influenced tracks, like "Alive Again"  and "Take A Chance" . I believe the Bee Gees themselves contributed backing vocals on another track on that album, but forgot which one.

[wanderer2575]

Electric Light Orchestra did a few, such as ""Shine a Little Love" and "Last Train to London."

[kurumi]

This is up for you to debate, but I think it's the reason why it was the band's only #1 song.

Pink Floyd "Another Brick in the Wall Part 2"

I am a huge Floyd fan for the record.

Two great tastes that taste great together:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U13xOvDa19U

[kevinb1994]

How about "Couldn't Get It Right"  by the Climax Blues Band (who were originally known as the Climax Chicago Blues Band, before they had to change their name due to a squabble with the Chicago Transit Authority, who would also be forced to change their name to just Chicago due to a legal threat made by the actual Chicago Transit Authority, and the rest is history)?

[hbelkins]

"Street Player" by Chicago.

The first album after Terry Kath's death, Hot Streets had quite a few disco-influenced tracks, like "Alive Again"  and "Take A Chance" . I believe the Bee Gees themselves contributed backing vocals on another track on that album, but forgot which one.

"Little Miss Lovin." Payback for the horns playing on some of their songs.

[briantroutman]

No one has yet mentioned Ethel Merman? Her brief foray into disco in the late '70s has to be the epitome of this topic.

Honorable mention: Perry Como

[roadman]

"Disco Tech" - Carole King

[dlsterner]

Electric Light Orchestra did a few, such as ""Shine a Little Love" and "Last Train to London."

The album those songs came from - "Discovery" - people have quipped that it could be read as "Disco Very".

[KeithE4Phx]

I forgot the Crunge by Led Zeppelin on Houses of the Holy

Funk.  Not disco.  Not disco by any stretch of the imagination.  Just bad funk.  The Crunge was Led Zep's feeble attempt to sound like James Brown.  It was a miserable failure, with Robert Plant making the biggest fool of himself.

It (and the rest of the album) was recorded in 1972.   I doubt if any of the members of Led Zeppelin were exposed to disco music at that time, even if they'd wanted to be.  Disco didn't start to become mainstream until 1974 or '75.  In 1972, it was mostly in NYC underground clubs, with mainly gay, Black, and Latino patrons.

[ErmineNotyours]

The Brady Bunch, with the lyric, "I'm gonna make love to you, so get ready, 'cos here I come."  Ew.

[roadman65]

Undercover of the Night by the Stones I forgot.

Dancing in the Dark by Springsteen.  (He even put his guitar down for that one)

[jp the roadgeek]

Undercover of the Night by the Stones I forgot.

Dancing in the Dark by Springsteen.  (He even put his guitar down for that one)

I consider both of those a little late for disco, as they came out in 83 and 84, respectively. 

The title track from Emotional Rescue was more disco, as was Hot Stuff.  The Boss never really did anything disco.

Dancin Fool by Frank Zappa was a disco song that lampooned Disco.

[Rothman]

I forgot the Crunge by Led Zeppelin on Houses of the Holy

Funk.  Not disco.  Not disco by any stretch of the imagination.  Just bad funk.  The Crunge was Led Zep's feeble attempt to sound like James Brown.  It was a miserable failure, with Robert Plant making the biggest fool of himself.

It (and the rest of the album) was recorded in 1972.   I doubt if any of the members of Led Zeppelin were exposed to disco music at that time, even if they'd wanted to be.  Disco didn't start to become mainstream until 1974 or '75.  In 1972, it was mostly in NYC underground clubs, with mainly gay, Black, and Latino patrons.

Eesh.  Some say The Rolling Stones' "Miss You" is more bad funk than disco as well (e.g., the heavy beat on the one rather than two).