ITalio Disco

[Lucy]

Ah ey ! Calm down, calm down ....

LOL!

[Deschanel]

In Spring 1984 I was 15 and was lucky enough to go on a touristy "class trip" to Italy. And we ended every single night in a cheap disco, our chaperones getting sozzled, and we underage-drank and danced to Italo-disco, Michael Jackson, British remixes then new like Talk Talk's "It's My Life", "Safety Dance" (!) "Blue Monday"- but as Carina awesomely noted and linked, RAF's "Self Control" was everywhere, the total Italo-disco anthem. It was so f***ing fun, people.

Early PSB always had affection for sort of tacky glamour, nightlife that wasn't A-list, sad gay bars in London, and in Paninaro, the sorts of discos teenagers were allowed to go to in Italy. They are funnily unironic in their love of Italo-disco, or Alcazar say, - I think PSB love the idea of divine disco music-or rather certain dance songs- as being an exaltation, even in a dreary German suburban disco, or a Roman tourist trap. They romanticize Continental unironic joy in a great disco song against their English reserve about liking something so unchic and crowd-pleasing; and then they turn that on its head and say it's the most fabulous thing ever. Even though they say they can't stand "ironic" being ascribed to them, the songs and bands they endorse definitely go through a certain PSB intellectual filter.

They immortalized the idea of Italo-disco with Paninaro, though it sounds unlike it. I wouldn't have ever thought much of Alcazar if Neil hadn't shown interest in them- secretly brilliant!. Neil really loved talking about UK/European pop difference whan PSB started out- promotional tours in Europe fascinated him, other countries in Europe seemed exotic, and the headiness of being a new pop star maybe gave him a bit of lordliness and affection to see how it was done there , as opposed to pop and media-sophisticated Britain.
Strange TV studios in Sweden, odd customs in Spain.. fabulous Italo-disco in Italy.

I'm blathering now. I only hope Tennant kept diaries and writes his memoirs some day, it should be fascinating.

[jaytrance]

It's ITALO DISCO..here's part of my favourite
MY mine-hypnotic tango ,cupid girl
SAVAGE-NOLY YOU , DON'T CRY TONIGHT
SABRINA -BOYS
fancy- CHINA BLUE , SLICE ME NICE , CHINESE EYES ,BOLERO
NEW ROMANTIQUE-SHY LIKE AN ANGEL
FUN FUN-COLOR MY LIFE
RADIORAMA-YETI,ALIENS
JOE YELLOW-YOU'RE MY LOVER
GRANT MILLER-COLDER THAN ICE,CALIFORNIA TRAIN
CARRARA-DISCO KING
JESSICA-LIKE A BURNING STAR,CHINESE MAGIC,C'est La Vie Mon Cherrie,SYMPATHY
BALTIMORA-CHINESE RESTAURANT,TARZAN BOY
HYPNOSIS-PULSTAR
LASERDANCE-POWER RUN
P LION-DREAMS,HAPPY CHILDREN
KEN LAZLO-TONIGHT,HEY HEY GUY
VIDEO KIDS-WOODPECKERS FROM SPACE
joy -touch by touch
eddy huntington-ussr
bad boys blue-you're a woman
gina t-too yuong to love
YOU CAN TRY THESE FIRST ,IF YOU LIKE ,I CAN RECOMMEND MORE..

[karnsculpture]

I only hope Tennant kept diaries and writes his memoirs some day, it should be fascinating.

Lovely post. Neil was also promoting Italo-disco and similar through "Smash Hits" even before PSB were a recording act. I still have several old "Smash Hits" from Neil's era as reference for my Japan site and it's fascinating to see him introducing British kids to the likes of Italo, Bobby O, Divine and Sylvester. However, he wasn't just promoting one type of music - he was I believe selling the idea of eclecticism; of variety and for artists not being boring or predictable.

[Joemoz]

Koto are clearly the best of that genre in my opinion. Just make sure you get the real Koto and not the guy who bought the rights to the name afterwards.

Check out songs like Dragon's Legend (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Xq8HRNmuYs) or Jabdah (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7lJL7wWpxjg)