Reply #33: I always figured it had to do with

[last_texas_dem]

the phenomenon becoming so big so quickly. Many fads and styles that reach such a level of popularity inevitably encounter a backlash.

I think there is a lot of interesting disco stuff from the era. It's especially cool to hear some of the artists who weren't remotely close to sounding like disco before it became big who attempted to do something in the genre. Some of them did a pretty good job, others not so much. Another cool thing about disco is that much of it is listenable and can stand on its own instead of just being background music for a club; not much of the dance music that has followed stands this test, at least IMHO. A disadvantage (and I'm basing this observation on something I read, though after I thought about it I decided it rang true and I agreed with it) is the affect it seemed to have on R&B. Although there are some cool R&B/disco songs, the disco era seems to be the dividing line between the awesome Motown/Stax/Philadelphia International soul stuff and the largely slicker and less interesting smooth R&B that seemed to dominate starting in the '80's. (I know that is a simplification but it seems true to a point.)

A few of the really big songs have gotten played to the point that I wouldn't mind never hearing them again, but there are also some greats that have really stood the test of time. The phenomenon itself I can take or leave (I don't like dancing or going to clubs, and I imagine I wouldn't feel much differently had I been around in the late '70's for disco- except I would have liked the music getting played at the clubs more!) but I like a fair amount of the music from the era.