Weird Disco Covers

At the end of the 70s, disco's insatiable bubble made a trend for groovy covers of non-disco songs. Coinciding with disco's most out-there phase as the sound fragmented into the future, many are interesting experiments, and the novelties tend to be great fun.

An eternal work in progress - let me know if you find more!

Orchestral & Musicals

Fifth of Beethoven - Walter Murphy

1976. The most famous orchestra-goes-disco song, as featured on the Saturday Night Fever OST along with Night on Disco Mountain, which is also fun. Coming from the year 76, and included on the best-selling album of all time (until topped by Thriller) it is likely the trend-starter for the weird disco cover! Future releases included (1977) Rhapsody in Blue, Flight of the Bumblebee, 1978's Phantom of the Opera concept album including his Toccata And Funk, the 1979 album Walter Murphy's Discosymphony with singles Bolero and Mostly Mozart. Fifth is very jaunty, though overall none of these are quite as much fun as they could be. More of a novelty than a great producer.

Ethel Merman Disco Album

1979. well, it's camp.

Fangs - dir. Mohammed Shebl

1981. This isn't a song - it's a film, a remake of The Rocky Horror Picture Show from Egypt containing entirely new music and zero transsexuals. Say what you will of the politics, the OG soundtrack is a classic, but this zany disco sound more than holds it own (and what a weird choice to remake a film by keeping the story yet changing the songs?). Gay content here is subtle, but the anti-capitalism is loud.

Themes from E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial and More - Walter Murphy

1982. Coming soon

Maybe This Time - Norma Lewis

1983. From the musical Cabaret. Classic disco diva cheese but I like it.

SPACE

Star Wars and Other Galactic Funk - Meco: 1977. The original and really the best, Meco's medley hits just the right mix of danceable funk and silly fun sound effects. I can't imagine how cool this would be to experience in a nightclub filled with laser lights. The sound of the future! Meco went on to release a handful of disco-space-theme albums, which I'll work through in time.
Twilight Zone/Twilight Tone - Manhattan Transfer: 1979. Punning 'here in the twilight zone' into 'hearing the twilight tone', complete with Rod Serling style voiceover, this is basic disco but it's grown on me, a rather cool thing.
(Theme From) The Lord Of The Rings/ Helm's Deep - Aragorn Ballroom Orchestra: 1979. if you've never heard the funky dwarf tribal drumming breakdown section have you even boogied. This is from the Ralph Bashki animated film, released on personal fave Fantasy label in San Francisco. I probably wouldn't play this for friends, but personally I love it. HIGH drama.
The Eve Of the War War - Stuart Thompson: 1980. The original is most of the way to disco already, but this adds choppering hi-NRG synth scuttles and bass thump to the bongo. REALLY good. One of my all-time faves. Play on the most textured sound system you can steal.

Star Trek Specifically

you wait all year for a star trek theme with bongos then eight come on at once

GOOD

Meco [1980] - sparkly and whooshy, with a fabulous breakdown, and ROBOT RAP. VERY good. If Meco is famous for one thing, it's with good cause! Space disco!
Walter Murphy [1982] - great sax section. would dance to, but probably more because of the bits which aren't startrekkish. Murphy is a great producer, he's got lots of famous dancefloor hits - he knows what works, and it isn't the star trek theme. full on disco disco.
Utopia [1976]- the album is called Disco Jets but the genre is prog rock, so you know you're in for a good time. Some nice whooshing and you can tell they've got the good synthesisers, but Meco is better.
Maynard Ferguson [1977] - FUNKY FLUTE SOLO. GOOD. This is on the jazz-funk cusp, but I'd dance to it.

ADEQUATE

Van McCoy [1976]- chilled out, mellow, not too spacey but easy going, feelgood soul.
Deodato [1976] - Starr trekkkk! full on squelchy funk bassline plus generic disco drums. this song isn't interesting enough to be fun just as a melody. still. Starr trekkkk!
Bob James [1979] - technically, TNG theme not TOS as it was for the Motion Picture. orchestral but with maracas in the background, and a spooky breakdown section. Would dance. Electric guitar solos aren't really a thing in disco but by god he's going to make it happen. perhaps that's a thing, in the future.

HORRIBLE

Nichelle Nichols [1986] - can't sing, 80s post-disco synths plus harmonica solo. really very bad

Rock

Discoballs - A Tribute to Pink Floyd - Rosebud: 1977. Of course, Another Brick in the Wall is technically disco already. Genuine non-stop bangers, including a bizzarre attempt to make the lolloping 6/8 pace of Money into the 4/4 disco mould. Start with: Have A Cigar.
Whole Lotta Love - Massimo Barsotti: 1983. Italo disco/chicago house, fun and zany bleep bloop. surprisingly danceable. Not the first time someone has attempted to make this song disco. Exists in two versions from the same 12" - one 5:15ish (with vocals), one 6:58ish (without). Whole Lotta Love was, technically, also disco already, having been played in very early clubs as DJs scrabbled around to create the sound from whatever they had lying around. I'd love to hear that parallel world where this was disco's drumline.

Folk

Indian Reservation - Orlando Riva Sound: 1979. Disco has been critiqed for its apolitical content. But is genocide appropriate for dance music? or is it inappropriate to dance on stolen land without remembering man's inhumanity to man? In either case, the babe in the war bonnet was a mistake. Originally written in the 50s, but made famous by Paul Revere and The Raiders in 71, this is a moody bop - despite the inherent cheese of disco, still powerful. I'd pair it with 19 by Paul Hardcastle for gloomy thoughts you can groove to.

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