The Groove
Saturday May 31st, 2025 with Elorious Cain
DABBLERS and the like from the 1960's and 1970's
This show is a collection of some of the recordings from ROCK artists who dabbled into the world of DISCO during the 1960's and 1970's. Most of these acts did not entirely jump into recording the FUNK, AMERICAN DISCO, AFROBEAT or REGGAE which they had dabbled in. Some of these examples were actually so successful that they are now considered to be DISCO CLASSICS by various sources. We are deliberately avoiding certain DISCO hits from ROCK artists like THE BEE GEES, ROXY MUSIC, THE KINKS, ROD STEWART, and THE ROLLING STONES. We choose to concentrate of some of the hundreds of recordings of ROCK acts that combined ROCK music with DISCO, forming their own variations of ROCK DISCO.
| C O P P E R P E N N Y
COPPERPENNY hailed from Kitchener, Ontario in 1965 to become a major CANADIAN ROCK band. After several popular ROCK singles over the years, COPPERPENNY recorded their own AMERICAN DISCO version of HOT CHOCOLATE's 1974 minor BRITISH DISCO hit "Disco Queen" According to the DISCOGS website: "In their prime, the band was seen several times on national television, they were popular on hit radio stations across the country and performed over 100 shows a year" |
| DISCO QUEEN COPPERPENNY - 7" - CAPITOL 
|
| R E D B O N E
REDBONE is a LATIN ROCK band from Los Angeles starting in 1969. They had various successful albums like their still very popular 'Potlatch' album from 1970 with hits like "Maggie". By far they were most successful with their early AMERICAN DISCO song "Come And Get Your Love". Even recording DISCO, REDBONE still retained their Funky LATIN sound. |
| COME AND GET YOUR LOVE REDBONE - WOVOKA (LP) - EPIC |
| R A R E
E A R T H RARE EARTH were a highly popular PSYCHODELLIC ROCK band from Detroit, Michigan that had a reputation for dabbling into SOUL FUNK and AMERICAN DISCO yet, unlike some ROCK artists, they really didn't entirely abandon their ROCK sound. Their hit "Big John Is My Name" from 1973 is one of many examples. |
| BIG JOHN IS MY NAME RARE EARTH - MA (LP) - RARE EARTH |
| M I C H A E L
V I N E R ' S I N C R E D I B L E B O N G O B A N D A multitude of different sources list "Apache" by the legendary MICHAEL VINER'S INCREDIBLE BONGO BAND as an essential SURF anthem. It was actually one of many cover-versions released of THE SHADOWS' 1960 international hit. Groups like THE SURFARIS had greatly contributed to making "Apache" a SURF music phenomenon and MICHAEL VINER'S new version of "Apache" offered Funky 1970's percussive beat-structure more demanding than that of THE SUFARIS' 1964 version. SURF DISCO? Not loosing the brassy sensationalism of 1960's classic SURF, MICHAEL VINER gave it a magnetic Funky beat-structure that was so amazing and potent that it is still intriguing and suggesting programmer innovation! DJ's throughout the planet still play it from the original 'Bongo Rock' lp or on a 12" single released by the British Mr. Bongo label in 2006. That Mr Bongo single also offered the wildly popular Grandmaster Flash Mix which brought it all closer to FREESTYLE/ELECTRO sensibilities. Even the SUGAR HILL GANG did a RAP version of it in 1981. |
| APACHE MICHAEL VINER'S INCREDIBLE BONGO BAND - BONGO ROCK (LP) - MGM |
| L E D
Z E P P E L I N The release of the first LED ZEPPELIN album in 1968 delivered on the world an exciting new sound called HEAVY METAL! Many sources claim that Britain's LED ZEPPELIN was just a HARD ROCK group that inspired the creation of HEAVY METAL music. Arguments about the wildly popular group still persist 25 years after they disbanded. So many unforgettable songs were recorded by LED ZEPPELIN that have left their mark on the daily existences of billions. They recorded a tribute to the sound of JAMES BROWN with their own unique blend of ROCK and FUNK called "The Crunge" which appeared on their 1973 album 'Houses Of The Holy' |
| THE CRUNGE LED ZEPPELIN - HOUSES OF THE HOLY (LP) - ATLANTIC |
| E R I C
C L A P T O N ERIC CLAPTON has been identified by various sources as the best ROCK guitarist. His work in the 1960's and early 1970's with groups like THE YARDBIRDS, JOHN MAYALL & THE BLUESBRAKERS, CREAM, and BLIND FAITH is legendary. In 1970 he would release his first solo album which would include a contagious and slick early DISCO track called "After Midnight". So popular would it continue to be that many a dj would ask for at DISCO record stores like Dorval in Vanier and Pierre Musique in Montreal for the 12" single of "After Midnight". Many dj's would be searching for a "legendary extended mix" that never existed. "After Midnight" was never released on a 12" single. |
| AFTER MIDNIGHT ERIC CLAPTON - ERIC CLAPTON (LP) - POLYDOR |
| D A V I D
B O W I E Many sources agree that the late DAVID BOWIE was one of the most intriguing of ROCK artists. The British actor and singer never seemed to keep going in any direction. At least for a while it didn't affect his considerable popularity. During the 1970's he would dabble into DISCO several times. The first of which was his "1984" track from his 'Diamond Dogs' album in 1974. Here is a link to our tribute to DAVID BOWIE: https://cod.ckcufm.com/programs/131/25465.html |
| 1984 DAVID BOWIE - DIAMOND DOGS (LP) - RCA VICTOR |
| B A B E
R U T H British ROCK band BABE RUTH released several albums in the early 1970's. Their first album 'First Base' featured the song "The Mexican" which was a perfect blend of ROCK with early BRITISH DISCO. Many sources consider it to be a DISCO CLASSIC and numerous cover-versions have been released. |
| THE MEXICAN BABE RUTH - FIRST BASE (LP) - HARVEST |
| J I M I
H E N D R I X Clearly one of the most controversial of the ROCK guitarists, JIMI HENDRIX did things with his guitar that nobody else has ever been able to do, even today! He was a legend whose instrumental version of "the Star Bangled Banner" recorded live at the Woodstock festival redefined the parameters of ROCK music. In 1968 JIMI HENDRIX recorded some FUNK. Both with THE ISLEY BROTHERS and CURTIS KNIGHT, JIMI HENDRIX dabbled into the world of DISCO! The results were not extremely popular. |
| SOMETHING YOU GOT JIMI HENDRIX - IN THE BEGINNING (LP) - SHOUT |
| MACUMBA TITANIC - 7" - CBS |
| WILD SAFARI BARRABAS - BARRABAS (LP) - RCA |
| CUCARACA MACARA THE HARVEY AVERNE BARRIO BAND - THE HARVEY AVERNE BARRIO BAND (LP) - HEAVY DUTY |
| THE ISLEY BROTHERS hired a young JIMI HENDRIX in 1963 and featured his unique fiery guitar playing on their legendary 1964 single "Testify". |
| TESTIFY PARTS I & II THE ISLEY BROTHERS - 7" - T-NECK |
| GET THAT FEELING JIMI HENDRIX & CURTIS KNIGHT - STRANGE THINGS (LP) - LONDON |
| DANCE THE SLURP (THE WILDEST...THE KOOKIEST...THE GROOVIEST...THE SLURPIEST) 7-ELEVEN (TOM MERRIMAN) - 7" - 7-ELEVEN |
| HEAVY DUTY THE HARVEY AVERNE BARRIO BAND - THE HARVEY AVERNE BARRIO BAND (LP) - HEAVY DUTY |
| G I N G E R
B A K E R GINGER BAKER gained fame as the drummer in the British ROCK band CREAM. When CREAM broke up, GINGER BAKER dabbled into AFROBEAT with his new group GINGER BAKER'S AIR FORCE. He would even record AFROBEAT with the one and only FELA KUTI! |
| DA DA MAN GINGER BAKER'S AIR FORCE - GINGER BAKER'S AIR FORCE (2LP) - ATCO |
| LET'S START FELA RANSOME KUTI AND THE AFRICA '70 WITH GINGER BAKER - LIVE! (LP) - CELLULOID |
| SITTING HERE ON A TONGUE THE GRODECK WHIPPERJENNY - THE GRODECK WHIPPERJENNY (LP) - PEOPLE |
| FAME DAVID BOWIE - YOUNG AMERICANS (LP) - RCA VICTOR |
| A M O N
D U U L 2 AMON DUUL 2 was formed from the original legendary AMON DUUL who gained fame in the German underground ROCK scene in the late 1960's for long live sessions made around collective and free musical improvisations. Some sources compared them to the likes of MOTHERS OF INVENTION in the United States and France's MUSICA ELETTRONICA VIVA. AMON DUUL 2 emerged with very original and eccentric albums that had both an experimental PSYCHODELLIC and HEAVY METAL edge. One of those albums was the 1974 lp 'Hijack' which included the cool yet spectacularly dramatic song "Da Guadeloop". With keyboard work by THOR BALDURSSON of EURODISCO fame, the music is a subtle EURODISCO jazzy track that almost sounds like SPACE to be expected out of RESONANCE, VENUS GANG or SPACE ART. Yet "Da Guadeloop" predates most of that music. It systematically builds into a bursting HEAVY METAL complete with sound effects and PSYCHODELLIC portions, |
| DA GUADELOOP AMON DUUL 2 - HIJACK (LP) - ATCO |
| CHA CHA 2000 LA DUSSELDORF - VIVA (LP) - STRAND |
| "There was a group in 1969 that was playing Reggae and Soul songs live to friends in the Brixton section of London, England. One of the founding members of the group was the charismatic ERROL BROWN. He had changed part of the lyrics to JOHN LENNON's "Give Peace A Chance" and the band performed a subtle REGGAE version that people just loved! But Errol was warned that they could get legal trouble from the 'all mighty' BEATLES. They recorded a demo of their version of "Give Peace A Chance" and nervously mailed it to Apple Records.
Not only did JOHN LENNON love their REGGAE version of "GIVE PEACE A CHANCE", he got Apple Records to release it on a 7" single. The problem was that ERROL and his friends didn't really have a name for their group. Somebody at Apple suggested the name the 'HOT CHOCOLATE BAND'. After that historic REGGAE release on Apple Records in 1969, the group's name was simplified to HOT CHOCOLATE." Here is the link to a show we did about HOT CHOCOLATE: https://cod.ckcufm.com/programs/131/59344.html |
| GIVE PEACE A CHANCE THE HOT CHOCOLATE BAND - 7" - APPLE |
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This is looking like a really wild show Mr.E! I saw Copperpenny live in the back of a grocery store in Burlington around 1970.
10:51 AM, May 31st, 2025