Ottawan
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Apparently the US completely missed out on French disco group Ottawan. I can't say I blame us but man if I cannot get their songs out of my head I'm going to freak out. It's craziness! They were fronted by Jean Patrick and Annette. They put out two albums. One in 1979 and the other in 1981. According to the wiki they were "created to appeal to the gay section of disco community" (get outta town!). They had 3 hits "D.I.S.C.O.", "Hands Up", and "You're OK". "D.I.S.C.O." reached #2 on the UK singles chart and "Hands Up" reached #3 (It hit #1 in New Zealand). All 3 of the hits also had French language versions. Personally I like those better. "T'es OK (You're OK)" is one of the top 50 selling singles in France of all time. From what I could glean online these songs have been a staple with weddings in Europe for a while. In fun and interesting news their main songwriters and managers were Daniel Vanguard and Jean Kluger. They were the creators of the crazy awesome 1971 French funky Japanese childrens opera Le Monde Fabuleux Des Yamasuki. I posted about that way back in the way back HERE. Also, Daniel Vangarde is the father of Thomas Bangalter of Daft Punk fame. He was apparently helpful to the duo in the early years. Anyway the main reason for this post was to drop the videos on you. I find them almost impossible to watch and yet I cannot take my eyes off of them. The best is "T'es ok! (You're OK)" but imbedding is disabled on it. You can check that out HERE. Finding these tracks was a bit of a rabbit hole adventure and very fun. Enjoy (or tear your ears out)!
Hands Up
D.I.S.C.O.
Comments (12)
Ottawan – D.I.S.C.O. 2:58
D.I.S.C.O. is pretty damn groovy! If it weren't for the vocals, I would really like it..but perhaps they will grow on me. Nice! It is hard to even fathom the amount of disco music there is in the world.Folks found out how cheap it was to make a record and everybody did it..Kinda DIY,but with sequins..
It is groovy! That's why I like the French versions better. Less english to muck it up. The vocals just come off sounding like melody.
"Kinda DIY,but with sequins.." You know I think I should learn to sew. I've got more chances to make the best outfits for a disco band than be in the best disco band.
It seems like a lot of the critically acclaimed French neo-disco (or whatever you want to call them) folks of today owe a little to these peeps.
On this side of the Atlantic, they are considered to be a trifle "Cheesy"
It's cheesy here too. Thick, rich, and cheesy.
i don't mind missing out on the Disco days. except maybe the blissful delirium (aka c-o-k-e) that made it possible to rock bell-bottomed pantsuits in bold, primary colors!
cross-dressing isn't what it used to be either - i.e. men in poufy blouses and skin-tighty-whitey pants.
It's the cheesiest! ;)
Overall Moll, I'd probably agree, but there's stuff from that era (Salsoul label especially) that is waaaaay funky. Then there are the numerous oddities,camp and proto-electronic stuff that is decent,too.
the hits are kinda played out though..agreed on that.
"According to the wiki they were "created to appeal to the gay section of disco community" (get outta town!)." - Sam, you crack me up!
did the US really miss out on these? unbelievable. these tunes were part of my childhood. i heard them everywhere, on buses, in diners, on TV, etc. i haven't heard them in ages, though, thanks (or no thanks ;d) for the flashback.
Molli - I don't mind missing out on mass orgies.
Cody - Salsoul is the shiz. I've been filling my head up with a lot of that lately. Such kick ass music. I would also like to thank disco for its heavy use of syncopated rhythms.
Poe - Glad I got a laugh. We did miss out on these. I'm suspecting there's far more that we missed out on as well that the rest of the world is holding back on us. Why couldn't we have had internet in the 70's!
Why couldn't we have had internet in the 70's!
I don't think I could've handled the truth..
"Why couldn't we have had internet in the 70's!" - y'all wouldn't have dug me. i was an overly serious, party-pooping child. (;
Cody, i would have liked to see your 'fro, though. heheh.