Comments on Turn The Beat Around: The Secret History Of Disco by Peter Shapiro

As soon as I can get my hands on this, I'm definitely picking up a copy.

It would be interesting to compare this book with Tim Lawrence's Love Saves the Day: A History of American Dance Music Culture, 1970-1979 (Duke University Press). From my quickie review in "the score" in Feb '04:

Blending oral history, rare photos, sordid gossip, non-technical discussions of primitive DJ mixing techniques, playlists, and corporate sales data, this highly readable book recounts the genesis, dissemination, and oversaturation of Disco.

funny enough, i have both of these books Christopher.

Both books are stellar. LSTD is more american based, and really hones on on club and dj culture, much more than TTBA. And I love Tim Lawrence's writing about music. He knows his shit.

But here's the thing, Tim is british, and his book is more from the outside looking in, it is smart, respectful and full of great interviews and information as well.

But Peter's book feels completely lived in and really transports you into the era, by recalling long forgotten social and cultural touchstones that bring the "ME" decade right up in front of your nose for real insight and honest inspection.

The reflections made in both books are great, but i do think TTBA is the better of the two.

But by a slim margin.

(you would love the little sub chapter about arthur russell and his work in the post-punk/disco '80's!)

Thanks for the compare & contrast, Terry!

Love Saves the Day is also a straight narrative (the main character is David Mancuso) whereas Shapiro's book is more of an aerial history. I like both books a lot but the Shapiro is broader, deeper, funnier, better-written. And FYI, Tim Russell is working on an Arthur Russell bio right now.

Duh--that's Tim Lawrence.

word is the russel book is in the can nearly ready to come out and tim is already researching, writing a book dedicated to ITALO.

i hope that rumour is true!

I do know he was planning an '80s sequel to LSTD; that would certainly include plenty of Italo.

from tim lawrences blog:

The next morning, I interviewed Baldelli in the lobby of his hotel. We talked about the night and began an interview process that will continue on the Adriatic Coast this summer, because that's where I'm going to be heading with Enrica and the kids for a couple of weeks to begin work on… a book about the history of Italo disco. The idea to write the book has come from Maurizio Clemente, the Italian publisher of Love Saves the Day, which is causing enough of a stir over there for Maurizio to want more.

just so's you knows.

Nice. I wonder if the book will be published in English.

Nothing, but NOTHING, is more embarrassing about the punk era than the ludicrous "disco sucks" movement, which caught the imagination of the meathead frat boy contingent and swept the country. You can make a connection between it and the related taste for "Louie, Louie", "Wild Thing", and other early-sixties frat rock that became popular with the punks and then moved back into the punk-hating frat world.

I remember many animated discussions in the late seventies about how disco "wasn't real music" and was "manufactured in studios", while at the same time a few blocks away the gay dancing crowd in Tugs Belltown was discoing away, twice as on top of things as we were. Humiliating to recall, actually. James Brown snapped me out of it.

Disco isn't "real music"; it's much better than that.