I'm bringing my unofficial disco theme to a close with this standard Taste of Honey hit.  Janice Marie Johnson, who sang and co-wrote the song, also played this exceptional bass line.  For female lead singers to also serve as primary instrumentalists was uncommon at the time.  They had a female guitar player as well.  Remember, this was years before anyone had ever heard of the Go-Go's.

In any case, it's New Years Eve.  You may be going to a bar, club or party tonight.  You may hear a plethora of party anthems.  You most likely will not hear this one.  So, here it is.

Watch a video for "Boogie Oogie Oogie" on YouTube.

I still have disco on the brain as a result of yesterday's post.  I also have Star Wars on the brain as a result of one of the DVDs I got for Christmas - that great episode of Robot Chicken that dealt exclusively with the iconic franchise.  Holy crap, that was one of the funniest things I've seen in a very long time.  We're talking stomach-rupturing funny.  So, seeing as how the disco and Star Wars phenomena occurred at around the same time, I am posting Meco's cheeserrific mirrorball version of the film's main theme.

One of the best segments from the Robot Chicken episode was when Lobot (Lando's right hand mandroid from Empire) does an over-the-top, balls-out disco dance to a song very similar to Meco's.  Right there in the Cloud City hallway.  It lasted all of about fifteen seconds.  It cracked us all the hell up.  What an insanely brilliant idea.

Watch a YouTube fanvid for "Star Wars Theme/Cantina Band"

Disco Sucks.^TM  It's a mantra you've undoubtedly had drilled into your noggin at some point if you are nearly or above 40.  We have tangible memories of when disco came and went in the late 70s/early 80s - it went from a cultural sensation to a widespread target for scorn seemingly overnight.  Even though the hot trend -> tired formula -> dying fad -> universal backlash progression isn't necessarily specific to this particular genre, I don't think a style of music has undergone a rise and fall quite this drastic or immediate.  People absolutely loved disco.  Then they absolutely hated it.  Quickly.

Personally, I've never been one to write off entire genres.  I try to separate the wheat from the chaff in any style, and 70s disco is no exception.  Yes, a significant amount of patently awful music came out of that era.  That always happens when record companies oversaturate a market with whatever happens to be the latest musical flavor du jour.  But since disco is, at its core, an offshoot of funk and soul, you know I can dig it if its done right.  And I will hereby state for the record, I love the signature Trammps hit "Disco Inferno."  Absolutely love it.  There, I said it.  Say or think what you will.

Does Disco Suck?^TM It often did.  But not all the time.

YouTube fan-made video for a lengthy and extremely boogieable version of "Disco Inferno"

What I recently said about Weird Al holds true for the Ramones - it's not like I need an excuse to post a song of theirs.  But hey, they did a Christmas song once.  So here it is.

Posts may be sporadic this week since I am going out of town.  So, go see the people you're closest too.  Eat like a hog.  Hopefully you'll get good stuff.  Hopefully you'll give good stuff.  Seriously, if you give anyone a Chia Pet or name a star after someone, you are the undisputed King of Lameness.  Yes, traveling can be a pain, but once you see everyone it'll all be worth it.  So have a good one and I'll be back whenever!

Watch the video for "Merry Christmas (I Don't Want to Fight Tonight)" on YouTube.

This is part of another week-long series on Christmas-related music.

I'd still like for someone to explain to me what makes Bob and Doug McKenzie so funny.  I don't have a clue.  They just are.

Watch a fanvid for "The Twelve Days of Christmas" on YouTube.

This is part of another week-long series on Christmas-related music.

Not that I really need an excuse to post a Weird Al tune.  I've posted a ton of them already.  But what the hey.  It's the Christmas season, Al has done a couple of Christmas songs, screw it.  They're going up.  Did one last year, and I'm doing one this year.

The subject matter doesn't, well, matter.  I could do Ed McMahon week, and if Al ever did a song about Ed McMahon, I'd post it.  Oh, wait a minute...

Watch an animated fanvid for "The Night Santa Went Crazy" on YouTube.

This is part of another week-long series on Christmas-related music.

I've talked about Richard Cheese before.  Well, in 2006 he put out some yuletide loungifying with Silent Nightclub, which included some Christmas-ish covers of popular tunes as well as some holiday standards.  And, it included one wholly original song - "Christmas in Las Vegas."  So sip that martini and enjoy!

God, I love this guy.  All hail Dick.

Watch a fan-made video for "Christmas in Las Vegas" on YouTube.

This is part of another week-long series on Christmas-related music.

I'm of the general belief that most punk rock cover songs are lame and boring, whether they're holiday-related or not.  So, if you wanna thrash out a loud three-chord version of "Silent Night", well, go ahead, but I think I'll take a pass.

But hey, if you wanna do a punk rock Christmas album of all new original tunes, go for it.  So here is the title track from the Vandals' 1996 yuletide LP Oi to the World!, and their accompanying Amazon MP3's.  Oi to Amazon!

Hear "Oi To the World!" on YouTube.

This is part of another week-long series on Christmas-related music.