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Turn the Beat Around From May 2000 There's a certain segment of the population that really hates disco. I mean, really. Talk about misplaced anger. Here's a musical genre whose heyday only lasted a few years, and more or less faded from the scene by the early eighties, and yet you still can read comments like this from a Lynne Margolis column on RadioDigest.com: I'd much rather see Lovin' Spoonful - who, with the Byrds, helped create country rock (the effects of which still reverberate in alt-country and other crossover sounds) - in the [Rock & Roll] Hall of Fame than Earth, Wind & Fire or the O'Jays, both of which, I believe, were partly responsible for foisting disco upon our ears. Let's see. It's hard for me to defend EW&F too strongly, so allow me to speak up for the O'Jays. They've been recording since the sixties, and they've had multiple Top Ten hits ("Love Train," "For the Love of Money," "Back Stabbers," etc.), but they ought to be excluded from recognition for "foisting" disco upon the American public. What nonsense. The back-to-back double-whammy of their albums Back Stabbers and Ship Ahoy outshine much of the Lovin' Spoonful's output. I could argue about what bands deserve what accolades. But that's not the point. Margolis' column is the "radio guys" talking to each other. The PDs – the Program Directors – the people responsible for what you hear on the airwaves. So, let's take a closer look at these attitudes. The fact is that disco's original popularity was rooted in the gay and Black communities. And whatever else the music brought with it, that element really rubbed some people the wrong way. I can remember a fellow staff member at my high school newspaper back in 1980 vehemently trashing disco in print. And what was he praising in its stead? Bob Segar and REO Speedwagon. It's fascinating to note that rock is rooted in rebellion, while disco has been a celebration of freedom. The two attitudes clash -- ironic, yes? When disco began around 1974, it clearly had its roots in soul and funk. What went wrong with the genre was the corporatization of it. It was the major record labels and radio stations that "foisted" it upon us and shoved it down our throats. Instead of pointing fingers at Earth, Wind & Fire or the O'Jays or Barry White or Sylvester, save your scorn for the Rolling Stones and Rod Stewart and all the other rock artists who jumped on the disco bandwagon, with the help of the PDs. Disco has made a comeback in recent years (along with everything else about the seventies, including Dick Nixon), especially on the Jammin' Oldies format. And you know what? A lot of disco is quite good. The percentage of wheat to chaff is about the same as any other musical genre. I'd rather hear "Car Wash," "Ring My Bell" or anything by Chic than have to sit through Journey, Kansas or the dread REO Speedwagon. So, to all of y'all still carrying a burning ember of hatred for the beat-beat-beat of the disco sound, let me say this: Get over it.