The success of the "Mickey Mouse Disco" album led Disney to release many
products related to it. In 1981, they released a "Mickey Mouse Disco
Record Tote".
Also in 1981, Vogue Dolls released a Sasson-styling Ginny doll with, as
the box states, "Free Bonus disco rollerskates included".
Here are disco songs featured on the American television show "American
Bandstand" in 1981: "Celebration" by Kool and the Gang (January 10
program) and "All-American Girls" by Sister Sledge (April 11 program).
The only disco song featured on the American television show "The Midnight
Special" in 1981 was "Celebration" by Kool and the Gang (January 30
program).
Here are disco songs featured on the American television show "Soul Train"
in 1981: "It's Not What You Got (It's How You Use It)"
by Carrie Lucas (February 7 program), "Breaking and Entering" by
Dee Dee Sharp Gamble (February 14 program), "Make That Move" by Shalamar
(February 28 program), "I'm Talking 'Bout You" by A Taste of Honey
and "Overnight Sensation" by Jerry Knight (March 7 program),
"Love Somebody Today" and "All-American Girls" by Sister Sledge (March 14
program), "She's a Bad Mama Jama" by Carl Carlton (September 26 program),
"The Real Thing" by the Brothers Johnson (October 10 program), "Give
Me the Night" by George Benson (November 21 program), and "Yesterday Once
More/Nothing Remains the Same" by the Spinners (November 28 program).
Here are disco songs featured on the German television show "Musikladen"
in 1981: "All-American Girls" by Sister Sledge and "Hot Love" by
Kelly Marie (March 19 program), and "Just for You" by Spargo (October 15
program).
Viola Wills sang "If You Could Read My Mind" on the American
television show "Solid Gold" in 1981.
Marie Osmond performed George Benson's "Give Me the Night" in
electro-disco style on her television show "Marie" in 1981.
Music De Wolfe (De Wolfe Library) released the production music LP "Great
Occasion" in England in 1981. It included two disco songs: "Disco
Strings" and "Good News". The music was intended for use as background
music for film, television, radio, and advertising. The players were
in the International Studio Orchestra conducted by Nigel Hess.
In 1981 there were a lot of other great dance songs but they weren't very
disco, in my opinion, because they are heavy on synthesized imitations of
real instruments - instead of the traditional strings, bass, and guitar
combo - and overall don't have a disco sound and/or structure. The
following songs are too electronic-sounding to be considered disco and/or
have beat patterns that aren't disco:
"Turn Your Love
Around" by George Benson (#5 Pop in the USA in February 1982, #1 R&B
in the USA),
"Disco Train" by Dance Reaction,
"Do You Love Me?" by Patti Austin (electro-R&B),
"Exalt-Exalt" by Azoto (italo-dance/electro-dance),
"Flashdance...What A Feeling" by Irene Cara (electro-dance),
"Can't Shake Your Love" by Syreeta (electro-dance),
"Tell Me That I'm Dreaming" by Was (Not Was), "Slide" by the Rah Band,
"Hit 'N'
Run Lover" by Carol Jiani (a.k.a. Uchenna Ikejiani) (Hi-NRG),
"Mercy" by Carol Jiani (Hi-NRG),
"You're My Magician" by Lime (Hi-NRG),
"Agent 406" by Lime (disco-influenced electro-dance),
"Love Dance" by Mystery,
"Hold On to This Moment" by Mystery (disco-influenced electro-dance),
"Menergy" by Patrick Cowley (techno),
"Baby I Don't Know" by Kryptonite (electro-dance),
"Fight Back" by L.A.X. (electro-dance),
"You're the Kind of Girl I Like" by Kwick (electro-R&B-dance),
"Never Give You Up" by Sharon Redd (#20 Pop in the U.K. in November 1982),
"Now I Have Everything" by Fantasy,
"A Little Bit of Jazz" by Nick Straker Band,
"Aah Dance" by Fine Quality featuring Cuz,
"Rock Radio" by Gene Dunlap featuring the Ridgeways,
"Still in the Groove" by Ray Parker Jr. and the Raydio,
"Move Your Sexy Body" by Pure Gold, "Feel My Love Tonight" by Stacy Lattisaw,
"Drum Affair" by Bill Summers and Summers Heat,
"You
Can" and "Fire in My Heart" by Madleen Kane,
"Dynamite" by Karen Young,
"Watch Out" by Brandi Wells,
"(Knockout)
Let's Go Another Round" by Inner Life (electro-dance),
"Live It Up" by Inner Life (electro-R&B-dance),
and "The Things You Get Me To Do" by the Players Association.
Some borderline disco songs with real instruments (including,
in most cases, a bass guitar) accompanied by prominent synths (but no
strings) I've marked as "electro-disco".
Dynasty's "Here I Am"
(#26 R&B in the USA in July 1981) is a funky R&B song
which would be disco except for all the extra beats.
"Be My Lady" by Kool and the Gang is an up-tempo song that fits into the
R&B-dance category because it lacks the disco beat pattern.
Same with "Let
Somebody Love You" by Keni Burke.
"Rapture" by Blondie (#1 Pop in the USA in March 1981)
is like a mellow form of disco but towards the end Blondie starts
rapping, so this is really a dance-rap hybrid. "Disco Dream" by Mean
Machine is pure rap, despite the title, and was released in the summer of
1981. Fans of old-school rap and disco might also enjoy this year's
"Bumblebee Rap" by Bumblebee Unlimited, "Poverty" by the Master Rappers,
and "Can You Move?" by Modern Romance, which have a funk foundation.
Also very good is the disco-backed rap song "Do It Any Way You Wanna" by
Mike "T".
"Heartbeat"
by Taana Gardner, which reached #6 on the U.S. Disco
chart in May 1981, can be considered either funky disco or garage.
The great "Funky
Sensation" by Gwen McCrae is another garage classic with a slower
tempo than disco but some violin flourishes; it reached #22 R&B in the USA
in September 1981.
I'd class "Let's Go Dancin'" by Sparque as garage, too - it has that
same West End Records funky dance beat and sound with electronic backing.
"Come Let Me Love You" by Jeanette "Lady" Day is another garage classic;
the main chorus of it is disco.
Also look for "Get Down Friday Night" by Fantastic Aleems featuring
Leroy Burgess.
The ultra-funky "Dyin' To Be Dancin'" by Empress has only a vague disco
feel and should also be considered a garage song.
"Everybody Needs Somebody Sometime" by Ann-Margret is a garage track with
a non-disco beat and electronic violin-sounding backing, though it also
features real bass, guitar, and trumpets.
"Poyson" by
Gwen McCrae could be considered funk-dance or maybe garage but is slower
than disco.
"Caribbean Disco Show" by Lobo is a medley of 5 Caribbean song covers
accompanied by trumpet, computerized basslines, and a disco beat.
"The Disco Scene" by Yellow Cat,
"Starpoint's Here Tonight" by Starpoint,
"Gigolette" by Ozone feat. Teena Marie, "Keep on Dancin'" by Ozone,
"Possessed" by L.A.X., "It's Winning Time" by Klique,
"Spirit of the Dancer" by Evelyn "Champagne" King, "Nobody Else" by Karen
Silver, "Work that Sucker to Death" by Xavier,
"Everybody Get on Up and Dance" by T.S. Monk,
"Evolution Orange" by Earth, Wind and Fire,
"Let's
Funk Tonight" by Blue Feather,
and "Take It Off" by Chic are funk songs.
"Dance,
Prance, Boogie" by Delegation
and "Pull Up to the Bumper" by Grace Jones
are funk-dance.
"Gigolo" by Mary Wells is funk-dance with a rap segment.
"There It Is" by Shalamar (#5 Pop in the U.K. in 1982), "Superfreak" and
"Give it to Me Baby" by Rick James,
and "Take My Heart (You Can Have It If You Want It)" by Kool
and the Gang (#17 Pop in the USA in December 1981 and #1 R&B;
#29 Pop in the U.K. in March 1982), "We Call it the Box" by Bill
Summers and Summers Heat, "Funtaztik" by Edwin Birdsong,
"Boogie's Gonna Get Ya" by Rafael Cameron, "Call
Me" by Skyy (#3 Dance in the USA in January 1982;
#26 Pop in the USA in March 1982, #1 R&B in the USA),
"Freaky Dancin'" by Cameo, "Heart, Heart" by Geraldine Hunt,
"Shout About It" by Lamont Dozier,
"I'm
Gonna Miss Ya" by Aaron Broomfield,
"I'm in Love" by Evelyn "Champagne" King,
"It's Your Night" by Ray Parker Jr. and the Raydio,
"Searching to Find the One" by Unlimited Touch,
"Something About You" by Ebonee Webb,
"I'll Do Anything for You" by Denroy Morgan,
"I Must be Dreaming" by Wanda Walden,
"You are the One" by AM-FM,
"P.S." by Dolly Dots,
"Keep on It" by Starpoint,
"This Beat is Mine" by Vicky D (#42 Pop in the U.K. in March 1982),
"Let's Celebrate" by Skyy (#16 R&B in the USA),
"I Love You More" by Rene and Angela,
"I Just Want to be Your Lover" by Starpoint,
"Make Up Your Mind" by Aurra,
"Hit and Run" by Bar-Kays,
"Funky Bebop" by Vin Zee,
"Let
Me Ring Your Bell Again" by Frederick Knight,
"This Must be Heaven" by Jerry Carr,
"Walking into Sunshine" by Central Line,
and "Feelin' Lucky Lately" by High Fashion
are electro-funk.
"Let Your Body Go" by the Players Association
and "I'm Glad That You're Here" by Alphonse Mouzon
are jazz-funk.
"Ultimate Warlord" by the Immortals and "Native Love" by Divine
are Hi-NRG.
Kleeer's synth-backed funky dance song "Get Tough"
reached #5 on the U.S. Disco
chart in April 1981 and #15 Pop U.S. and has a disco style to it.
Secret Weapon's "Must Be the Music", which reached #24 Pop in the USA in
January 1982, doesn't have a disco beat (and has a rap section in it, too).
Billy Ocean's "Nights (Feel Like Getting Down)" and Change's "Miracles"
are danceable R&B.
"It's You" by Afterbach is R&B.
"You'll Never Know" by Hi-Gloss (#12 Pop in the U.K. in 1981) is
disco-influenced soul.
"Walking on Thin Ice" by Yoko Ono (#35 Pop in the U.K. in March 1981) and
"Playing for Time" by Madleen Kane are rock-dance.
"Are You Lovin' Somebody" by Debra Dejean and
"The Freeze" and "To Cut a Long Story Short" by Spandau Ballet are
electro-rock-dance.
Gayle Adams's "Baby I Need Your Loving", a cover of the Four Tops' 1964
classic, combines Motown and disco elements.
The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra released "Hooked on Classics", a
classical medley with disco beats, in 1981, and in January 1982 it
reached #10 on the American Pop chart. Then in 1982 the London Symphony
Orchestra released another orchestrated medley with disco beats, this time
"Rock Classics (Medley)", side one of "Hooked on Rock Classics".
Disco Music released before 1981:
Disco Music released after 1981:
