Rather than waste time, the band went right back to the studio, and fired off their follow-up, 1982's As One. It would hit shelves just a few weeks shy of one year since their last album, 1981's Something Special.
While it wouldn't fare as well as their previous platinum release, reaching only gold certification, it did churn out the R&B charts hit, Let's Go Dancing (peaking at number seven). It would also land on the UK Singles charts, peaking at number six. Its overall lukewarm reception would mark the end of their collaboration with producer, Eumir Deodato, who had produced all of their albums since 1979's Ladies' Night.
It's an odd choice that Kool & The Gang would continue down a road of disco in 1983. The genre was all but irrelevant at the point, having stumbled along since the infamous disco demolition night. You know, the infamous event hosted by Chicago radio DJ, Steve Dahl, at a double header White Sox game. Don't know about that? That's okay. I'll drop that story at the bottom of this post.
For now, let's focus on today's Retro Spin.
The funk starts right out of the gate with Street Kids, before going into the peppy, and fun, aptly titled, Big Fun. It's hard to frown at the lyrics:
Have some fun (Whoo, hoo)
Have some fun, ah, ha, ha, ha!
Then things suddenly crash with the ballad, and title track, As One. It's a hard pass for me. So much so, that I just skipped it.
Things pick up from there with Hi De Hi Hi De Ho, and eventually the biggest single from the album, Let's go Dancing (Ooh La La La) comes around. It's the tune that I picked the record up for, and it makes it all worth it in the end. Truthfully, I lost interest in the remainder of the songs.
Overall, it's an okay album, not one I'd necessarily rush to hear again. In general, I'm not necessarily a fan of the band yet, and still of the mindset that their albums being in my collection was just me checking a box. Still, I'm glad to have them.
The Story of Disco Demolition
Steve Dahl had built up a reputation of hating disco, having been fired by his former rock station when they made the transition to the format. When he landed his new rock gig, he frequently took the opportunity to rag on the genre and would use sound effects to insinuate he was blowing up certain records on air.
With attendance way down at Comiskey Park in '79, Mike Veeck, son of White Sox owner, Bill Veeck, had a brilliant idea. Invite Dahl to the stadium to host an event where he'd blow up disco records for real. It would be a unique publicity stunt, which would in turn boost ticket sales.
Dahl had already been planning an event such as this and was eyeing a local mall, and when offered the chance to host it at the ballpark, he was initially skeptical. He didn't think the game would draw a big enough crowd. Things ultimately worked out that he would use the venue, and Dahl invited all his listeners to come down to the stadium and bring their disco records to destroy them.
Tickets were dropped to an all-time low of just .98 cents per person for the July 12, 1979, game, with the caveat that attendees who wanted to capitalize on that price had to bring a disco record to destroy with them. It's estimated that upwards of seventy-five thousand people showed up. This in and of itself became part of problem, as the maximum capacity of the stadium was fifty-two thousand. People started finding any way they could to enter the event.
Before the first pitch was even thrown, "fans" were throwing fireworks and records onto the field, making it difficult for the players. However, the first game eventually wrapped up, and around 9:00 PM, Dahl and his crew drove onto the field in a military jeep, clad in military uniforms. The DJ would then ramp the crowd up even further, leading them in a chant of "disco sucks" while the first box of records was blown up.
Chaos immediately erupted with as many as five to seven thousand people being reported as rushing the field. Those who couldn't get to the field opted to throw their records like Frisbees, uncaring about where they went, or who they potentially injured. At this point, a full riot started, with people destroying the field, chairs, restrooms, and even setting fires. This went on for over an hour before the field was deemed unusable for the second game, forcing the White Sox to forfeit the game. To put that decision into perspective for you, no American league has forfeited a game since.
The riots continued, despite announcers pleading with people to return to their seats. With no end in sight, the police finally had to be brought in, arresting thirty-nine individuals for destruction of private property. Fortunately, only minor injuries would be reported by the end of the night.
While the media would label it a mob scene, Dahl would profess it as a crowning achievement in the movement against disco. Though it can't be said for certain that the event was indeed the end of the genre, new wave acts would emerge by August and September of that year, and bands like Blondie, and The Clash would turn more and more folks back towards the rock scene. Even some of the local clubs around Chicago would adopt what would become "house music", moving away from the disco scene.
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