Many have said that the Hues Corporation is credited with having the first disco song, and I don't know if I would agree with that 100%.

Other songs had elements of disco as far back as the 60's. My point is that disco became a little more mainstream in '75 and that 'Express' was at the forefront of that advancement.

As we know, disco didn't really begin to hit its full stride until late '77 - early '78. It's actual period of chart dominance ran for about a year...from mid-'78 to the end of summer '79.

Also...'Rock The Boat' never had the elements of a prolonged 'beat' (120 bpm) heard in more recognized disco songs.

I always looked at 'RTB' as your basic R&B arrangement, no different than earlier songs in the decade such as 'I'll Always Love My Mama' by the Intruders, 'Love Train' by the O'Jays or even a couple of the James Brown numbers from '70-'73 that were similar.

If I had to pick a song that evoked for me what was the first authentic Disco song...it probably would be 'Love's Theme' by Love Unlimited...which predated RTB by about 1/2 a year.

In summing it up, maybe this is a subjective sort of thing. Whichever...makes for good discussion.

Bob

• RE: 1st Disco Song - John 02/26/2007 10:13:22 EST (1)