Machine - There but for the Grace of God

Djpekingman

With the weirdness that is going on and the onanism over country and fucking western and bluegrass, I'm going for a genre I don't think we've had before. Disco.

This is from 1979 and for me is one of the greatest of disco songs. '79 was the aftermath of punk and the heyday of new wave. There was so much good stuff knocking about and disco was knocking about. I can't remember where I first heard this, but it must have been in one of the more enlightened clubs or gigs during that period as the refrain seems to have been in my mind forever. When I returned to europe and shortly after moved to Edinburgh in 95, clubbing was taking off massively. I managed to get a copy of this on a compilation in 97 - Jumpin' (Original Full Length Classics From The Disco Underground), and while there are some bangers on here, this stands head and shoulders above all others. Guaranteed floor filler, this is the story of a couple trying to escape the madness that was the Bronx by moving to the suburbs to give their daughter a better start in life. Turns out she is 'a natural freak' and reverts to the very lifestyle her parents were trying to avoid for her. Brilliant sad story co written by august Darnell (of Kid Creole fame) and keybord player Kevin Nance. Get yer sequins and glitter balls out and go for it!!

Carlos and Carmen Vidal just had a child
A lovely girl with a crooked smile
Now they gotta split 'cause the Bronx ain't fit
For a kid to grow up in
Let's find a place they say, somewhere far away
With no blacks, no Jews and no gays

There but for the grace of God go I

Poppy and the family left the dirty streets
To find a quiet place overseas
And year after year the kid has to hear
The do's the don'ts and the dears
And when she's ten years old she digs that rock 'n' roll
But Poppy bans it from home

There but for the grace of God go I

Baby, she turns out to be a natural freak
Popping pills and smoking weed
And when she's sweet sixteen she packs her things and leaves
With a man she met on the street
Carmen starts to bawl, bangs her head to the wall
Too much love is worse than none at all

There but for the grace of God go I

cordshoes

Decent chunk of Disco, including early house piano and funk.
Didn't realise this was August Dario Darnell before his Kid Creole incarnation.
Recall Fire Island (Farley etc. ) doing well with a version of this also.

Odd_Job

Love a bit of disco. Good choice. On a related note, watched the Studio 54 documentary on BBC iplayer last night, that was an entertaining watch. What a life the surviving founder has had.

Cooley

Can’t say I’m a fan of disco, but I do like a bit of Sly-era funk. Disco + funk. Is there a difference? Fine lines, baby.
Anyway, to the current song softlad’s chosen: it’s quite good. Palatable. A good idea to choose a diffeeent genre as well. Can defo see prime-era Cooley in his tight slacks on the dance floor with this one 🕺🕺🕺🪩

oneallanclarke

excellent tune with the bonus of the story told in the lyrics.

Harvest

Like.

Ken_Lobster

Like as well

king_of_the_slums

Straight banger, 11/10, Disco gets a rough ride for the shite that came at the tail end of the 70's pushed by major labels wanting a piece.

Fucking banger!

Jon

Sunday morning. I’m awake now. It’s like a steamroller coming through the speakers. Bit much for me.

Anchor

Like a bit of disco me and would definitely thrown myself around to this at the railway club in 1985 if they had played it.

We got Van and Mcoy, Candi Staton, The Tramps and Boney M and that sort of stuff.

Enjoyed it.

Cheers

Travis_Bickle

Disco is like Go-Go for me. You can find stuff to like, but they're genres that don't give you the room to do too much with them. The 'formula' doesn't allow you to. It didn't need to given where it started and what it was. It was dance music and you could dance to it. It just doesn't grab me that much.