Disco hit a "first peak" in 1976, and began to decline into early 1977. Then, SNF came along late that year. It started as a low-budget movie by record producer Robert Stigwood (RSO) who took advantage of the recording artists he had under contract. Its vast success was so unexpected that the movie had to be extensively re-edited and re-realeased in 1978 to eliminate the extensive swearing and a rating change from R to PG. The rest is history.
Without SNF, disco never makes its second peak in late 1978. It fades down, perhaps allowing New Wave (aka punk) to get a bit of a head start on the mainstream pop scene. Most likely, gay disco (spearheaded by the Village People) never goes national, as that group's first hit on the Top 40 was well into 1978. You take away not only the Stayin' Alive and other Bee Gees disco, but you butterfly away Macho Man, YMCA and In the Navy. As a result, disco is remembered as a much more obscure fad.
I dunno...can you imagine the horror of Hugh Grant as Vincent Vega?The world is saved.
I wonder what direction the Bee Gees would have went with no SNF. They did come out with a disco song before SNF with You Should be Dancing in 1976, but they may have continued with songs similar to Jive Talking and Nights on Broadway if there was no Fever.
Also, I wonder how John Travolta's career turns out. He already was a star before that because of Kotter and his short-lived music career, but without SNF, it is hard to say.
Disco won't be the first thing people think of when someone says "Pop Culture of the 1970s". Earlier New Wave.
Very much so. Although we don't get disco demolition night.The world is saved.
Very much so. Although we don't get disco demolition night.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MpQfCcsqQ0E
The disco riots might never have happened if disco had remained a club scene thing. Problem with disco is that it pushed too hard too fast. Studio 54 might have lived through the 80's if it catered mostly to a subculture and Numbers might not have switched to live punk and New Wave in the early 80s.
Rap might have still broken through, and might have been more dominated by the early east coast stylings of Sugarhill Gang and Grandmaster flash. It might have spread slower and we could have got an earlier version of the Dirty South from Houston and Atlanta before the West Coast folks started up.
Disco remains popular in the US longer if crap disco doesn't hit the radio in 1977.
As for the New Romantic scene, I didn't know that Andy Taylor was influenced by Chic as an earlier poster said. Interesting.