I was just discussing this topic in a sleazy diner with a friend of mine a little while ago, and I thought this would be a fun question to pose here. The disco era was a tough time for some rock bands, and at least a few bands dabbled in disco in an attempt to sell more records. The two examples that we came up with were “Miss You” by the Rolling Stones, and “I Was Made for Lovin’ You” by KISS. Did any other rock (or pop) acts do disco crossovers during the 70s/early 80s?
And as a secondary question, what are some examples of the worst attempts at genre crossing in general? What bands/artists have ventured into territory they never should have, regardless of whether or not the result was commercially successful?
The Song “Dancing in the Dark” from Bruce Springsteen’s Born in the USA was seen by a lot of critics and fans as an attempt by the Boss to create a more “danceable” sound. Not strictly disco, which had faded by then, but it was the first thing I thought of.
The musical interlude in the middle of American Girl sounds very disco to me. I’ll concede that it is not a disco song, but I feel it is disco-ish sounding.
Not really genre-hopping, per se, but the band Exile had a #1 hit in 1978 with Kiss You All Over, and went on to become world famous . . . as a country band. That song and the album it was on were their only releases in that genre.
The worst example of genre-hopping? Easy. Garth Brooks is Chris Gaines. Gaaaaah.
The 4 Seasons, “Who Loves You” (1975).
David Bowie, “Golden Years” (1976).
Barbra Streisand and Donna Summer, “No More Tears (Enough Is Enough)” (1979).
Wings, “Goodnight Tonight” (1979).
Cher, “Take Me Home” (1979).
Boz Scaggs, “JoJo” (1980).
Steve Miller Band, “Abracadabra” (1982).
