Legends of Disco

Disco. Saying this word, what's the first thought that comes to mind? For a generation of gay men, it's possibly remembering the freedom and sexual abandon before AIDS was even a word. Or hearing "Last Dance" by Donna Summer out at a club during last call. It's the call of the wild and an appreciation for movement and Saturday night fever... so to speak. Disco represents the glory days of dance music.

With James Arena's second installment of appreciation for this musical genre, "Legends of Disco: 40 Stars Discuss Their Careers," he gets to the heart of the sound, beat and rhythms of this music. Arena interviewed the singers, musicians and producers qualified to speak on this tempo of the times from the early 1970s through the very early 1980s. He turns the beat around back to their personal memories, creations and the skills of these artists and also discovers where they are today. The power of disco music is that some might not remember the name of the group of singer, but the minute a song from this era plays... the flashback fires up and usually creates a smile of recollection.

With a tremendous love of this music, and by thoroughly reaching out in research in writing his first book on the subject, "First Ladies of Disco: 32 Stars Discuss the Era and Their Singing Careers," James Arena realized he had covered the cream of the crop. But wanted to also acknowledge many more of the artists who created the stylings so associated within the sounds of disco that were just as sweet. In doing so, Arena and the artists not only present the history of the music but the inner workings of the music industry, ever-changing tastes and public perception of the work created. There are so many personal stories of the evolution of many different types of artists and how rhythm & blues, funk and soul and pure pop morphed into the creation of this sometimes scorned moniker of "disco."

Just as vinyl and the turntable are returning to the ears and emotions of a new generation of listeners, disco will truly never be out of style. From "Freak Out" by Chic or "Come to Me" by France Joli [who provides the foreword for "Legends of Disco: 40 Stars Discuss Their Careers", the influence of this sound reverberates still today and is felt in many a new popular song. Listen to Justin Timberlake's return with his song "Can't Stop the Feeling," and you'll hear the disco beat once more. James Arena's passion for capturing the history of disco is not only interesting to discover, but a worthwhile discovery of all of the artists who created all those "good times."

"Legends of Disco: 40 Stars Discuss Their Careers"
James Arena McFarland
$35.00